Why is the Baseball Hall of Fame located in the picturesque upstate New York town of Cooperstown? Because of an erroneous report about the origin of the sport.
Around 1900, a committee was formed to research baseball history. Albert G. Spaulding, an early star, the founder of the sporting goods company that bears his name and president of the Chicago Cubs at the time was a member of the committee.
Spaulding decided it would benefit baseball, as well as his sporting goods company, if a famous American could be linked to the origin. Therefore, the report concluded that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 in his hometown of Cooperstown.
Doubleday was a union general during the Civil War credited with firing the first shot at the defense of Fort Sumter,
Nobody invented baseball. It evolved from the English game of rounders, which evolved from cricket, and a version of baseball was played a decade before the supposed invention date.
But the myth persisted and as the centennial of the “invention” approached, it was decided to establish a hall of fame in Doubleday’s hometown.
The first election came in 1936. There were two panels of sportswriters, one to choose “modern” players and one for “old timers.” Although the demarcation was not established, most sportswriters assumed it should be 1900.
Cy Young won 267 of his record 511 games during the 1890s, the other 244 beginning in 1900. He received votes from both panels, but not enough from either for election.
The rules were the same as today. The election was conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of American and each member could vote for up to 10. A player needed to be named on 75 percent of ballots for election.
There were 226 voters in that first election, with 170 needed for election. Five players were chosen, led by Ty Cobb with 222 votes (98.2 percent). He was followed by Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner, each with 215 votes (95.1 percent), Christy Mathewson with 205 (90.7 percent) and Walter Johnson with 189 (83.6 percent).
How could 11 voters omit Babe Ruth? He changed the game with his slugging, ushering in the lively ball era in 1920. Some of the older sportswriters preferred the dead ball era with emphasis on small ball, and resented Ruth,
Nobody received 75 percent from the old timers committee.
There have been some strange voting through the year, none more so than for Rogers Hornsby, a hitting machine during the 1920s. His .358 lifetime batting average is second to Cobb. Hornsby is one of two players, Cobb the other, with three .400 seasons, and one of two, Ted Williams the other, with two triple crowns. For an incredible six straight years, he led the National League in all three average categories -- batting, on base and slugging -- and he was a two time MVP, for the Cardinals in 1925 and the Cubs in ’29.
Hornsby would seem to be a no brain hall of famer. In that first election he was ninth with 46.4 percent. Perhaps understandable with everyone who had ever played on the ballot. Certainly, he would be elected the following year with the first five no longer candidates.
His 1937 vote total dropped to 20.1 percent when he was 12th, and dropped again in 1938 to 17.6 percent when he was 16th.
One of the players who received more votes than Hornsby in 1938 was Rabbit Maranville with a career batting average of .258, 100 points lower than Hornsby. Some sportswriters decided that .258 was more hall of fame worthy than .358.
Hornsby was finally elected in 1942 with 78.1 percent. Better late than never?
