Baseball, like the United States, evolved out of a British precedent into a unique and independent institution. The origin of American baseball lies in an informal offshoot of the English sport of cricket called "rounders," played in the Colonies as early as the mid-18th century.

The game was already called "base-ball" in a children's book of 1744. Essentially, a batter had to hit a pitched ball and then run the bases (from one to five of them) without being tagged or "plugged"---hit by a ball thrown by one of the fielders.

Some Early Moments:
1845: Alexander Cartwright published a set of baseball rules for the Knickerbocker Club of New York, and his rules were widely adopted.
1869: The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly-salaried team and are thus considered the first professional team.
1871: The first professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, was established.
1876: The first major league, the National League, was formed.
1878: Frederick Winthrop Thayer of Massachusetts (captain of the Harvard University Baseball Club) received a patent for a baseball catcher's mask on February 12.

A special Commission of 1907 concluded that baseball had been "invented" by the Civil War hero Abner Doubleday (1819-1893), in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839.

But it was actually Alexander Joy Cartwright (1820-1892) of New York who established the modern baseball field (1845). In Cartwright's rules of play, however, plugging was allowed; a ball fielded on one bounce was an out; pitching was underhand; and the game was won by the first team to score 21 "aces" (runs), in however many innings.

By this time, baseball had become a leisure activity for wealthy young men. But later, after Civil War soldiers who had played baseball behind the lines brought the game back to their hometowns, baseball was both watched and played by Americans of every social status.

Baseball was institutionalized and further developed by the National Association in 1858. The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-professional team in 1869. The rival National (1876) and American (1903) Leagues competed in the first World Series in 1903 and All-Star Game in 1933.
In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson, removing the color barrier that had consigned black players to the "Negro Leagues."

We've seen the greats, there will never be anyone as loved Mickey Mantle or as dapper as Joe DiMaggio or or who can entertain us like Babe Ruth and sometimes I think I still hear someone yell out "Say Hey Willie!"

Baseball has continued to embrace ever more players and fans---of all ages, both sexes, and various backgrounds---here and world-wide (especially in Central America and Japan).

Today, despite the disillusioning Major League strike of 1994-95, and more recently players using steroids, baseball remains unchallenged as the quintessential American pastime.

They've been called the boys of summer....I kind of like to think of them as the heroes of many summers.

Stroll down to the ball park and make a few swings for me!!

Looking forward to seeing you on our next stroll.

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Thank You Pam for the TFF Animation!!