Spm /200 Wk4

Major League Baseball

Imelda Tovar

SPM/200

Aug 4, 2011

The professional sports league which I choose to write on is Major League Baseball (MLB). Baseball has been around since early in the 19th century but back then it was called, town ball, base, or baseball with no official rules. The game was still going through a variation of changes based on how many players, bases, formation. The true father of baseball was Cartwright but its known that the legend is Abner Doubleday. On June 19, 1846 the first game of baseball took place between two rival clubs, the New York Knickerbocker and the New York Nine at the Elysian Field in Hoboken, New Jersey. Professional baseball was first attempted in 1869 & The Red Stockings of Cincinnati, Ohio was considered the first professional team with salary. In 1871 the National Association was formed and in 1882 the American Association was formed. Back then the wining team got money and in 1886 the St, Luis Browns defeated the White Sox’s for a prize of $15,000.

Baseball started to become a popular sport that one of the major events took place in 1903 when the Baltimore Oriole’s decides to move to New York City and became known as the New York Yankees. Baseball was not always that popular, there was a time when from 1903 – 1920 which was called “Dead Ball Era”. It was brought back by the different pitching techniques like, curveball’s and knuckleballs. As it grew with population George Bade Ruth became a successful pitcher with the Boston Red Sox but he was traded to the New York Yankes in 1920 where he then became a superstar. When Babe retired in 1935 baseball had lots difficult times but then the first African American joined the Brooklyn dodgers and after that slowly other African Americans joined in other baseball teams. By 1942 the World War II era begun and president Franklin D. Roosevelt said to continue plating ball because it would be the best for the country. Today some of the newest baseball teams were added...