Howard Burman

Gentlemen at the Bat

A Fictional Oral History of the New York Knickerbockers and the Early Days of Base Ball

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Beginning in 1845, the New York Knickerbockers were the first fully organized base ball club to play the game with written rules similar to those used today. While they did not invent the game, they had an unparalleled role in stabilizing the playing rules and maintaining standards of conduct in a way that fostered an astonishing proliferation of players and clubs. Based on years of research and told in the style of oral history, this fictional work features all the principal figures from the Knickerbocker club, including Doc Adams, James Whyte Davis, Alexander Cartwright, William Wheaton, and Duncan Curry.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 366
• Erscheinungstermin: 27. Januar 2010
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 22mm
• Gewicht: 594g
• ISBN-13: 9780786447206
• ISBN-10: 0786447206
• Artikelnr.: 28178726

Autorenporträt

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.

Inhaltsangabe

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