The Story of Baseball
When the notion of baseball comes to mind, a feeling of nostalgia and tradition come to me. Many of my feelings and memories originate from my childhood, and me playing the game of baseball. I always loved to play as well as watch the game. Even thinking of it now, I can smell the scent of freshly cut grass in the morning sun. I can also feel going to the ballpark, and smelling the sweet aroma of freshly cooked hot dogs and roasted peanuts, and the sound of the ball smacking against the mitt, and the crack of the bat, and the crowd cheering. All these things make the game so great and so unique, but how did the game evolve to what it is today and why it is America?s favorite pastime? While the exact origins of baseball are unknown, most historians agree that it is based on the English game of rounders. Throughout the early part of the 19th century, small towns formed teams, and baseball clubs were formed in larger cities. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright wanted to formalize a list of rules by which all teams could play. Much of that original code is still in place today. Although popular legend says that the game was invented by Abner Doubleday, baseball's true father was Cartwright. The
The National Association fielded nine teams in 1871, and grew to 13 teams by 1875, but it short-lived. In 1946, the American Baseball Guild was formed. As the competition for money continued, offensive numbers in baseball also continued to climb. Some were given jobs by sponsors, and some were secretly paid a salary just for playing. Following the 1875 season, the National Association was replaced with the National League. The period from 1946 to 1980 is marked by an increasing awareness that the game of baseball is also a business and that a lot of the owners wanted to make money. Also, the fences were placed back a little and were given a minimum fence distance. Ruth revolutionized the game with his prowess as a homerun hitter. His old record would later be broken in 1927, when he hit 60 home runs in 144 games. The players were convicted on circumstantial evidence and the new baseball commissioner gave them all lifetime suspensions from baseball. As a rookie, Mark McGwire hit a record 49. One of these players was Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. In 1882, the American Association started to compete with reduced ticket prices and teams in large cities. Babe Ruth ushered in an era of economic prosperity for baseball, and became one of the most popular individuals in American history. But the slack was picked up by a couple of kids named Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams.
Common topics in this essay:
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Brooklyn Dodgers,
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Nolan Ryan,
Roger Maris',
Players' Association,
Civil War,
Ty Cobb,
babe ruth,
home runs,
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baseball clubs,
ticket prices,
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