Back to the Future — Baseball Bench Coach

Last Fall I had the amazing experience of teaching in India for two weeks. The host law school was located in Rajkot, a mid-sized city in Gujarat. On the day of arrival the Dean invited me to dinner. I noticed immediately that he was a little distracted as he glanced from time to time at a television situated in the hotel dining room. India was hosting the 2023 Cricket Cup, a world competition featuring ten national teams. About a week into my trip, the streets of Rajkot were almost empty one night when India faced its bitter rival, Pakistan. India won the match, and fireworks exploded throughout the city as everyone celebrated.

Although I tried to get interested in cricket on my trip, I could not for the life of me figure out the attraction. It is in a word, slow. I have heard some proclaim that baseball finds its origins in cricket. Cricket, which began in the mid-16th century in England, is indeed a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven players. Matches can often go on for days. In the 2023 Cricket Cup a short form of the game was played so that the match was completed in one day. An even more abbreviated format will be played in the Summer Olympics. While cricket certainly has some similar equipment, such as a bat, ball, batting gloves and even a cap, it’s difficult to tie baseball to this English sport.

Where did American baseball find its beginnings? In 1905 the president of the National League, Abraham Mills, chaired a group to answer the question. The Mills Commission Report, issued in late 1907, concluded that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. Most baseball historians have depicted the Report’s conclusion as a myth. Indeed, Doubleday, a Union general in the Civil War, never made the claim in his lifetime nor do his memoirs even mention baseball. While baseball’s origins can indeed be traced to New York state in the 1800s, the better conclusion is that it is based on a game British children played called “rounders”, involving a pitcher, batter and four bases.

The term “vintage baseball” can be applied to these early days. The pitcher threw the ball underhanded to the batter (known then as the striker). The catcher would stand about 20 feet behind the striker and wore no equipment. The game was mostly played in open fields with no outfield fences, but often the field would have obstacles in the way, such as trees and buildings. After a ball was hit, the fielder could allow the ball to take one hop before catching it and still make the out play. The game was actually called “base ball”, not baseball as we know today.

A few weeks ago, NPR did a feature on the Roosters of Rochester, Minnesota, who bring vintage baseball to life today. The Roosters are one of many teams in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin each summer who follow the same rules as were used in 1865. Dressing the part is important in the league, as players wear long sleeve shirts, pants, and simply caps (not helmets). Unlike today’s game, strikeouts are rare since the pitches are meant to be hit. A batter who runs to first after hitting the ball has to stop at the bag. If you run through the base, you may be tagged out. This annual, summer trip to yesteryear’s “base ball” is fun for all.

What was the journey to the modern day game? For me baseball began in 1869 in my hometown, Cincinnati, with the Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team. The best player around at that time, Harry Wright, was asked by a group of civic leaders to put together a team and was given a bankroll to do so. The team traveled around the country and won 60 games without a loss. In 1871, the first professional baseball organization, the National Association of Professional Base Players, became the governing body of baseball. Then, in 1876, a Chicago businessman, William Hulbert, took his team, the White Stockings, and three other teams, out of the Association, and formed the National League. Because the NL was the first league recognized in organized baseball, it is often referred to as the Senior Circuit.

There were many renegade leagues, including the Eastern, Pacific Coast, and International leagues in the late 1800s, challenging the National League. Several teams were owned in syndicates, more than one team owned by the same owner. This allowed the owners to move talent among their teams, creating an imbalance in play. For example, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders finished 20-134! In 1901 a group of NL players, including Cy Young, was enticed to jump leagues, and the American League was founded. The NL welcomed the American League as an equal partner in 1903, and the first World Series was played in 1905.

My blog over the past six years has in many ways chronicled baseball over the past 125 years. We’ve focused on the all-time greatest to play the game, including Hall of Famers like Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Clemente, Mantle, Musial, Koufax, Banks, and Bench. We’ve seen the evolution of ballparks from the “jewel boxes” of Fenway and Wrigley to the modern day structures. We’ve talked about the trends in the game, such as small ball, pitching domination, and today’s home run focus. And yes, we’ve witnessed the advent of sports betting and its role in modern day baseball viewing.

So what about the next 125 years? Will any form of baseball exist in 2150? Will our American Pastime be thought of as just too slow for anyone to care about? Crazily, I had an image the other night (maybe call it a nightmare) of sitting in an empty ballpark in a comfortable, lounge chair with my own television screen in front of me. I had the ability to watch other games going on, place bets on the outcome of every pitch, and engage in other activities. I can tell you this, that would never be my happy place. Here’s hoping that baseball, in its purest form, will always be part of our lives.

Until next Monday,

your Baseball Bench Coach