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BASE BALL BECOMES AN ORGANIZED SPORT

NEW YORK, January 23 (1857) – Over the 1840s and early 1850s the new sport of “base ball” swept across the Northeastern United States, with many informal clubs springing up across New York, New England, and the greater Northeast.

While the numerous clubs in the former colonies played the same sport, the way they played it varied. Some clubs insisted on playing games with whomever was available – anywhere from seven to eleven men – while others insisted on only playing with nine men per side, lending players to undermanned opponents to make up the numbers. One prominent group of New York clubs played games until one side scored 21 runs, another group wanted to shorten sporting affairs by ending contests after both teams had nine turns at bat, and a third group wanted to shorten things even further by ending contests after seven turns at bat. There were differing opinions on bat, ball, and field sizes. There were arguments about how long the distance between the bases should be. There was no official rule on how far the “pitcher’s position” should be from home plate. There was especially spirited discussion over whether a batter should be declared out if a fly ball is caught after one bounce – the “Bound Rule” – or without any bounces.

As the 1850s progressed, larger clubs wanted more serious competition, and that led to increased discussion about undertaking the first formal organization of the sport. Everything came to a head at a series of meetings at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City which ended yesterday, January 22nd. First, the rules & regulations of the sport were standardized and typed up in a document called “The Laws of Base Ball” by Knickerbocker Base Ball Club president D.L. “Doc” Adams. Second, the first formal organization of base ball clubs was formed: the National Base Ball Organization (NBBO). Finally, the first formal competition for the sport of base ball was mapped out.

The St. Nicholas Hotel in 1853

The major “R&R” agreements made at the meetings:

• All games must be contested between two teams of nine players
• All matches now single-day games instead of cricket-style “tests”
• All games will end after both teams have had nine turns at bat – nine innings

• Extra innings will be played in the (rare) case of a tie

• The “Bound Rule” stays in force (this would be repealed in 1865)

• Any batted ball caught on the fly or after one bounce results in an out

• Distance between bases is to be a set distance of 30 yards (90 feet)
• Bases are to be canvas bags 1’x1’ in size

• Home will be marked by a circular iron plate painted white to match the bases

• Pitchers are to deliver the ball from a line drawn 15 yards (45 feet) from home plate
• Pitchers who repeatedly fail to deliver hittable ball to the batter will be given a “ball to bat” warning

• After three “balls” the batter will receive a free “base on balls”

• Batters are allowed to try to reach first base on swinging third strikes that bounced
• The ball is to be 5.5-5.75 ounces and 9.5-9.75 inches in circumference with a rubber center & leather cover
• The bat must be round, made of wood, and a maximum of 2.5 inches in diameter (length not specified)

Also decided upon at the meetings:

• Balks were formally defined
• Foul balls were formally defined
• The Batter’s Box was formally defined
• The responsibilities of umpires were defined & listed
• Players, executives, and umpires were formally prohibited from betting on games

The above rules & regulations are expansions of the original set of base ball guidelines, which were written by Knickerbocker B.B.C. player-directors W.R. Wheaton and W.H. Tucker in 1845. That set of rules & regulations, known as the “Knickerbocker Rules”, codified what was at the time known as the “New York Style” of the sport. There were other variants of base ball in 1845 – the “Massachusetts Game” and “Philadelphia Town Ball” being the most notable.

There was also a set of roster regulations put in place for each club in the N.B.B.O. to follow:

• Clubs may have up to eighteen men on their senior roster, and the same amount in reserve
• Reserve players may be called up in the event of injury or suspension, but may not be freely moved back and forth
• A player with a minor injury may be placed on an “Injury Exemption List” for two weeks (14 days)
• A player with a major injury may be placed on an “Injury Exemption List” for at least six weeks (42 days)
• Senior roster players will receive a weekly per diem of $1 to cover expenses, but must otherwise remain unpaid
• Although players are amateur, they must sign contracts to play for a specific club from one to four years

While the N.B.B.O. demanded its competition have amateur status, it was no secret that big clubs would entice players with under-the-table payments and other perks to obtain their business. Average players would be happy receiving a dollar per week to help out with equipment maintenance and travel expenses, but stars were going to receive other benefits and it was just a matter of making sure nobody got caught.

At the same time, the N.B.B.O. did state that players could receive some extra money from their club’s coffers if it covered “expenses related to the work of being a base ball player”. That meant a lot of players might receive another dollar, or even two, per week for things like food, seasonal housing, and improved equipment.

Now that base ball was organized into a set of rules and regulations it was time to create a formal governing body for the sport itself, and it was at these meetings that the new organization – the National Base Ball Organization – was formed with the intent of enforcing the above R&R while governing the clubs that agreed to them.

With the NBBO now in existence, it was time to organize a competition.