Jimmy Wolf 1862-1901 William Van Winkle Wolf was born on May 12, 1862 in Louisville, Kentucky. To his family he was “Willie.” As a teenager a friend dubbed him “Chicken,” and later he was known as “Jimmy” to baseball fans in Louisville. “Willie” was a common diminutive of William in the German-American home of…
PAUL HINES (1852–1935) Paul Hines played in 1,659 games in three leagues, from 1872 through 1891, had 2,135 hits, hit over .300 eleven times and posted a career batting average of .302. Despite his successful career, Paul Hines would be all but forgotten today if not for the fact that he was involved in…
Ross Barnes (1850-1915) Roscoe Conkling Barnes (May 8, 1850 in Mount Morris, New York – February 5, 1915 in Chicago, Illinois) was one of the stars of baseball’s National Association (1871-1875) and the early National League (1876-1881, playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston Red Stockings teams of the early…
In my never ending quest to find baseball research, I have encountered many characters of the game which I am sharing with you. Pete Browning 1861-1905 A genuine pre-modern national star, one of the major league game’s pioneers, and one of the sport’s most enduring and intriguing figures, Louis Rogers “Pete” Browning was born in…
JIM CREIGHTON (1841–1862) Born on April 15, 1841, Jim Creighton was baseball’s first real star and made his pitching debut with the Brooklyn Niagaras at age eighteen in 1859. He would join the Brooklyn Star Club that year and then join the Excelsior Club, in 1860, for “under the table inducements.” Although it…
Continuing with the old time baseball players: Candy Cummings 1848-1924 Candy Cummings, at first glance, appears to be one of the least qualified pitchers in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His major league won-lost record is usually listed as 21-22, because most career totals begin with the formation of the National League…
To continue with my bios of old baseball players that may have been forgotten for their contributions to the game. SOURCE BOB FERGUSON (1845–1894) On June 14, 1870 the Brooklyn Atlantics were playing host to the powerful Cincinnati Red Stockings at Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, NY. The Red Stockings had not lost a game…
It has been fun doing baseball research and I have ran across many characters of the game. I have decided to share them with you in case any of them intrigue you. CHARLES “OLD HOSS” RADBOURN (1854–1897) A butcher by trade, Radbourn received his moniker for his incredible endurance and dependability in an era…
Did You Know that in 1857… they made a rule that the team with the most runs, at a moment decide in advance, was the winner AND not the first team to 21 wins? Did you know that it took several years to change the rule that a one bounce ball is an out?…
As I am doing research into the early days of baseball, I came across these pitching “rules”. Hope you enjoy them. The Knickerbockers of New York had published their rules in the mid-1840s, and these were influential, but they left a good deal of ambiguity for readers trying to organize and play…