Gentlemen at the Bat

Former professor Howard Burman has taught literature overseas and served as an artistic producing director of several professional theatres. He is a full-time writer dividing his time between California and Ireland.

Table of Contents



A Note from the Author     

Prologue: A Real Letter from Jim Davis to Edward Talcott     



PART ONE: THE EARLY DAYS

1. On Beginnings     

2. Meeting Doc and Poor Old Davis     

3. And a Few Other Early Players     

4. Gentlemen Playing All Manner of Games     

5. A Connection Is Made Between Volunteer Fire Companies and Base Ball     

6. Playing at Madison Park     

7. Moving to Sunfish Pond     

8. On the Move Again     

9. Alick Makes a Suggestion     

10. The Idea of Clubs     



PART TWO: ORGANIZING THE CLUB 1845

11. Recruiting Members     

12. Writing Rules     

13. Gentlemen Inventing a Club     

14. A Trip Across the River     

15. Playing the First Games as the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club     

16. Other Clubs, Other Games     

17. Can They Carry On?     



PART THREE: FIRST FULL SEASON 1846

18. An Important Decision     

19. The First Match Game     

20. Returning to Club Games     



PART FOUR: STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL 1847–1849

21. The Winters Between     

22. Struggles for Survival     

23. On Operating a Gentlemen’s Club     

24. Games Amongst Members     

25. Doc Invents a New Position     

26. Sporting New Uniforms     

27. On Crowds and Riots     

28. Of Bats and Balls     

29. Printing the Rules     

30. Going for the Gold     



PART FIVE: THE NATIONAL GAME 1850–1854

31. Members Old and New     

32. Base Ball, Base Ball, Base Ball     

33. Return to Playing Other Clubs     

34. On Matters Political     

35. Dinners and Diversions     

36. The National Game     

37. Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds     

38. Good Players     

39. Spectators     

40. The Umpire Issue     



PART SIX: BASE BALL FEVER 1855–1857

41. The Fever Spreads     

42. Club Squabbles     

43. Time to Organize     

44. To Plan a Convention     

45. The First Meeting     

46. The Rules Committee     

47. Recommendations     

48. Playing the Fly Rule     

49. On Maintaining Standards     

50. First Nine Matches     

51. Challenges     

52. Women at the Games     

53. Papers Taking Note     

54. The Changing Game     

55. New Equipment     

56. The Pennant     

57. An Impediment?     



PART SEVEN: THE GREAT BASE BALL MATCH 1858

58. The Second Convention     

59. The National Association     

60. Another Rules Committee     

61. A Symbol     

62. Laying Plans     

63. To Play or Not     

64. The Day Approaches     

65. The First Fashion Course Game     

66. Aftermath of the Game     

67. Getting Even     

68. Rubber Match     

69. Praise and Complaints     

70. Season’s Play     



PART EIGHT: AN ILL WIND 1859–1860

71. Beginning of the End     

72. Going National     

73. Sunday Play     

74. Chadwick’s Guides     

75. Out-of-Control Cranks     

76. The Spectre of Professionalism     

77. To Be Competitive     

78. On Running a Club     

79. Other Clubs to the Forefront     

80. Of Bounders and Flys     

81. Banning Entertainments     

82. A New Park     

83. Rule Changes     



PART NINE: PLAYING THROUGH THE WAR 1861–1865

84. Things Unravel     

85. Membership Matters     

86. Maintaining Control     

87. Creeping Commercialism     

88. How They Played     

89. Other Clubs’ Matches     

90. Down to a Few     



PART TEN: COMMERCIALISM 1866–1870

91. Base Ball Mania     

92. Paid to Play     

93. To Distinguish Between Amateur and Professional     

94. All-Professional Clubs     

95. A Question of Race     

96. Leaving the Association     

97. On Their Own     

98. Dirty Dealings     

99. Gate Money Principles     

100. Difficult Times for Davis     

101. Collapse of the Association     



PART ELEVEN: AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS 1871–1875

102. Red Stockings Reversal     

103. All-Amateur Association     

104. Blurring the Lines     

105. The Professionals Regroup     

106. Club Doings     

107. Chicanery on the Field     

108. Tinkering with the Rules     

109. Availability of Goods     

110. On Curvers and Long Throws     

111. Celebrating Davis     



PART TWELVE: NATIONAL LEAGUE 1876–1879

112. A New Approach     

113. Suspicions     

114. Changes     

115. Old-Timers     

116. New Amateurs     

117. And Then There Was One     



PART THIRTEEN: THE END 1880–1882

118. Final Days     

119. A Quiet End     



Epilogue