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Posted By: barrysloate

Dan- it is undeniable that Cartwright made a real contribution to the game's early history, and that the Doubleday myth is one of the great travesties of American history, baseball or otherwise. Cartwright was a founding member of the KBBC, he had strong organizational skills which he put to good use when the club was formed, he was an officer of the club, and he clearly contributed to the formation of the early rules.

But I also think it was a group effort, and the Hall of Fame could once get it right if they considered some of the other members too. No organization can survive and grow with only a single individual making a contribution. I'm sure much discussion went into writing that first constitution, and Cartwright surely didn't do it by himself.

In fact John Thorn believes that Doc Adams was a much more important figure in the Knickerbocker history. But his name is only familiar to the most ardent baseball historian. It's fascinating that baseball got its history wrong with the Doubleday myth, then got it wrong to a lesser degree again by anointing Cartwright the creator of the game. Maybe they will never get it exactly right.