AMERICA’S NATIONAL GAME HAS A COLORFUL PAST

Baseball may have a history that goes back 250 years. The earliest known early description is in a 1744 British publication. The earliest known unambiguous American discussion of "baseball" was published in a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, town bylaw that prohibited the playing of the game within 80 yards of the town's new meeting house. It was thought of as an evil game. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright of New York City led the codification of an early list of rules (the so-called Knickerbocker Rules), from which today's have evolved. Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States in the 1860s; in 1869, the first fully professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semipro and amateur teams.

By the following decade, American newspapers were referring to baseball as the "National Pastime" or "National Game." The National League, which still exists, was founded in 1876. The American League was established in 1901. Compared with the present day, games in the early part of the 20th century were lower scoring and pitchers were more successful. Jackie Robinson, an African American, was signed by the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor league team in Montreal. Finally, in 1947, the major leagues' color barrier was broken when Robinson debuted with the Dodgers. Larry Doby debuted with Cleveland in the American League the same year. Although the transformation was not instantaneous, baseball has since become fully integrated. Major League baseball finally made it to the West Coast of the United States in 1958. Pitchers dominated the game in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the early 1970s the designated hitter (DH) rule was proposed. The American League adopted this rule in 1973 though pitchers still bat for themselves in the National League to this day. The DH rule now constitutes the primary difference between the two leagues. 

Baseball is largely known as America's pastime, but has a fan base in many other countries as well. As early as 1877, in Canada, baseball was followed but the American major leagues did not become established there until 1969. Cuba, which maintains a rich baseball tradition and whose national team has been one of the world's strongest since international play, began in the late 1930s. You will also find countries like Australia, Japan, Puerto Rco, almost all of the Latin American countires, Korea, Taiwan and even China have become baseball fanatics. In a few short weeks the baseball season will open up again in both leagues and until early fall will dominate our interest. Then of course there is the coming of football. But that’s a whole other story.