This Month In Baseball
July 1876
Edition 6.5
Professional League Chooses New President
William Hulbert Takes Baseball Into New Age
By even the most ambitious standards, the professional game of baseball has exceeded almost all expectations in its first 5 years of existence and as expected there is great optimism about the future of the game. To properly handle the increasing financial side and potential continued growth, the league decided to appoint a president who will have the authority to oversee and structure the game.
In New York this week a panel of team owners chose 44 year old New York native William Ambrose Hulbert as its first president. Born in Burlington Flats, New York, Hulbert moved with his family to Chicago two years later where he lived save for a stint at Beloit College beginning in 1847. When he returned to Chicago from school, he married into the family of a successful grocer and expanded the business into the coal trade. A backer of the Chicago White Stockings baseball club of the National Association from its inception in 1871, Hulbert became an officer of the club in 1874 when it resumed play after being forced to sit out two seasons due to the Great Chicago Fire and helped establish the Whites as one of the most respected and well run ballclubs in the game.
Some feel that Hulbert may have a built in bias against the strong clubs on the east coast but in his first address to the teams the new president assured all clubs that the vision was 'strength in unity" and building an established league through fairness and competition was the ultimate goal.
The league does face numerous challenges including logistics and some rowdiness among fanbases but the biggest challenge will likely be those of rule changes. The league has seen an explosion of offensive hitting this season and many are clamoring that the game is not balance like it was intended to be. Hulbert has already planned a committee to look into rules as the game evolves and talents differ.
The overall feeling remains one of great optimism and the formulation of an executive league staff only assures that the new league has finally made it and nationwide big league baseball is here to stay for all to enjoy.
"It has become an important part of American life" Hulbert added as he completed his inaugural speech to great applause.
Pike Goes For 45 Straight Games
Philly Star Breaks Own Record As His Acclaim Grows
Baseballs are flying all over the field in 1876 as the league has seen unprecedented offensive outputs this season. Regardless to how easy it looks, being consistent is still an attribute that anyone can appreciate and this season the great Lip Pike of the Philadelphia Whites has again set the standard of excellence.
Pike surpassed a well established record by Cal McVey who hit in 41 consecutive games in 1874. Pike put the record in his sight and never looked back making it all the way up to 45 straight games before the Cincinnati Red Stockings stopped him on July 23rd.
Pike is batting .445 for the season with 14 triples and 60 RBI. Even more satisfying is that his Philadelphia club has the very best record in the league and has a substantial 4.5 game lead in over the Mutuals for the National League pennant, something of course the Whites won last year.
Pike is the alltime leader in total bases and is trailing only the great Ross Barnes for most hits off alltime by only five; of course Barnes his writing his own storybook season hitting .521 as we enter August.
