The Beagle Log, 28 August 2007 - Notable British Immigrants

Henry Chadwick (not the theologian or a fictional EastEnder) born 6 October 1824 in Exeter, England and raised on cricket, became one of the legendary figures in American baseball. He immigrated to Brooklyn in 1837 where he resided until his death in 1908. Henry saw his first baseball game at Elysian Fields in the mid 1840’s. For the next half-century, he covered the game for the biggest magazines and newspapers. Henry had many firsts:

- the first rulebook
- the first “How-to-book” for boys and girls
- the first list of professional baseball players in 1872
- he invented the scoring and box scoring systems

President Teddy Roosevelt, on Henry’s 80th birthday, called him the “father of Baseball,” a nickname he hated claiming baseball has no father.

In 1938 Henry Chadwick became the first professional sportswriter ever enshrined in the baseball hall of fame.

For more information see:
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Henry_Chadwick

The question for the day is:
"Who is credited with inventing American baseball?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don

I am surprised someone has not taken issue that “baseball” was invented by an American.

Abner Doubleday is credited with the invention of baseball, but he made no such claim. In 1905, a commission was established to determine the origins of the game and in 1907 concluded, “the first scheme for playing baseball, according to the best evidence obtainable to date, was devised by Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, New York, in 1839." Most likely Abner provided structure to the game that would become known as baseball. Baseball in its various forms had been around for many years. American baseball is most likely derived from Rounders

What is interesting is that Abner had a noteworthy army career and was an inventor. He was a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As a Captain, he was in charge of the battery that first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war. Later he had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, in San Francisco California, he obtained a patent on the cable car railway that still runs today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don

Hi Don
I think you are wrong!. Alexander Cartwright is credited with "inventing" baseball in 1845. His first team were called the Knickerbockers. Baseball is also played in Wales especially in Cardiff and Newport.

Fdr Roosevelt is the answer to today question.

JFS

Very good JFS. There appears to be several who can lay claim to "inventing" baseball.

Alexander Joy Cartwright of New York invented the modern baseball field in 1845. Alexander Cartwright and the members of his New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, devised the first rules and regulations for the modern game of baseball. Alexander took various elements that were used in these different forms of early baseball and, adding a few wrinkles of his own, fused them into regulations that stand today.

In 1905, a commission headed by Al Spalding wrongly credited Doubleday with inventing the game of baseball in in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. Doubleday was actually a cadet at West Point when he was alleged to have mapped out the first baseball diamond

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don