OTD in the New York Game 8/23/1860: Championship Match Between Atlantic and Excelsior Base Ball Clubs Suspended in Sixth Due to Disorderly Crowd

From the desk: NO ROUNDERS!

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Wednesday, August 22, 1860

On Thursday, August 23, 1860, an estimated 20,000 uproarious spectators converged upon the grounds at Gates and Lafayette Avenues, home of the Putnam Base Ball Club, for a decisive third match between the first nines of the Atlantic and Excelsior base ball clubs.  The previous two meetings were split, the first taken by the Excelsiors, the second by the Atlantics.

With umpire Henry Thorn's call to play, a tightly contested affair unfolds with young Jim Creighton pitching for Excelsior and Martin O'Brien for the Atlantics.

In the opening frame, the Excelsiors promptly push across five runs.  The Atlantic nine respond with one in the bottom half of the first and two in the second.  A tally by each club is then traded in the third.  Two more aces are posted in the fourth at the expense of the Atlantics, who then tally one of their own in the bottom half of the fifth for an 8-6 advantage in favor of Excelsior.

Brooklyn Evening Star, Friday, August 24, 1860

In the sixth inning, at third, Atlantic center fielder Archie McMahon is called out by umpire Henry Thorn on a curiously close baserunning play.  A riled McMahon, instead of respectfully surrendering the base, stands his ground in vociferous protest.  

The dispute between player versus umpire fast devolves into crowd disorder as comportment and decorum fall victim to a more tenacious gambling element who disruptively pounce onto the player's grounds with the interests of the Atlantics and their pockets in mind.  Despite over 100 police officers on-site and the joined pleas of Excelsior catcher Joe Leggett and members of the Atlantic, the match is delayed and ultimately suspended when Captain Leggett orders his team to gather their belongings and disperse from the field.

Left fielder George Flanley and center fielder Henry Polhemus each lead the Excelsiors with two runs. The Atlantics are led by catcher Dickey Pearce and third baseman Charlie Smith also with two runs apiece.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Wednesday, August 22, 1860

"... the real or fancied injustice to McMahon of the Atlantics, by a decision made, and the last inning was made amid the hootings and yells of those who were apparently friends of the Atlantics.  Mr. Leggett of the Excelsior was supported by the Atlantic nine in his efforts to secure order but failing, the Excelsiors withdrew, and immediately left the field, followed by a crowd of roughs, alternately groaning the Excelsiors and cheering the Atlantics.  The game is drawn, and, if ever played out, will take place in comparative privacy, on some inclosed grounds.  The determination shown by the Excelsior Club on this occasion is worthy of great praise, and meets the approval of the vast majority of the respectable portion of the base ball community." - Brooklyn (N.Y.) Evening Star, Friday, August 24, 1860

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, August 24, 1860

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, August 24, 1860

In a related item ...

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Thursday, August 23, 1860

JIM CREIGHTON ~ ASA BRAINARD ~ CHARLES WHITING

Remembering Base Ball's First Superstar: Jim Creighton

b. April 15, 1841

d. October 18, 1862

Jim Creighton: third from left.

Jim Creighton at 18-years of age began his career in 1859 playing for the Brooklyn Niagaras and the Brooklyn Star Club.  From 1860 until his untimely death on Oct. 18, 1862, Crieghton most famously pitched for the Brooklyn Excelsiors.  He was the star attraction during the Excelsiors famous barnstorming tour of 1860 through western New York, Canada, and the mid-Atlantic states.  He was an instigator of the pitcher versus batter confrontation.  Rather than assist and serve the batter he challenged the opposition with an unaccommodating speed pitch, thus helping change the whole dynamic of the game.  Tragically a match on Oct. 14, 1862, against the Unions of Morrisania (Bronx) turned out being his last.  It is during this match that he is believed to have sustained fatal internal injuries.  He passed away four days later.  Born on April 15, 1841, he was a mere 21-years old.  So respected was Creighton that his team mates and members from throughout the circuit mourned and buried him at Green-Wood Cemetery with a granite pillar topped by a marble baseball dedicated in his honor.  It also serves as one of the first ever monuments commemorating baseball.

April Remembrance: Jim Creighton, Charles Ebbets, and The Fathers of Baseball

April 15, 1841 ~ October 14, 1862

Picture Credit Below

Jim Creighton is well considered base ball's first superstar.  His documented exploits far transcend those of his predecessors.  In both style and substance during the mid 1850s through the early 1860s Jim effectively pioneered the pitcher/batter confrontation.  By the advent of the called strike in 1858 Creighton was pitching less to satisfy a batter's preference, electing instead to challenge opposing batters with an underhand (speedball) fastball featuring both speed and spin previously unseen by the competition and spectators alike.  Over-matched batters naturally accused him to no avail of an illegal delivery.  However, there was simply no denying his elevated skills and craftsmanship.  Creighton not only set a new standard for all future hurlers and indeed created the adversarial relationship between pitcher versus striker, but was equally renown for wielding the era's most productive bat.

Born April 15, 1841 on the island of Manhattan, Jim's family moved when he was 17-years old to Brooklyn where in 1859 he played for the local Niagaras club.  He then joined the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn in 1860, whom he led during their historic first ever barnstorming tour through various northeastern cities and Canada.

Jim Creighton SABR 

Against the Morrisania (Bronx) Unions on October 14, 1862, Creighton in his final at-bat struck a mighty blow for a potential home run, but in the course of his swing is said to have sustained a life-threatening internal injury and subsequently collapsed while rounding third base.  Jim passed away suddenly four days later.  He was only 21-years old at the time of his death, but by then had already earned the respect and admiration of all his base ball contemporaries.

The Excelsiors marked their fallen team mate's final resting place at Greenwood Cemetery with an ornate marble obelisk.  What is essentially the first ever monument dedicated to baseball, Creighton's extraordinary marker suffered significant weathering over the ensuing 150-plus years since its dedication.  The original baseball crowning the obelisk eroded away some time ago.

However, Jim Creighton's obelisk has since been restored 

and on April 15, 2014, baseball's first ever monument was rededicated.

The Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn was formed in 1854, and would feature another standout, (future) Hall of Fame member Candy Cummings.  They went undefeated during their barnstorming tour (which includes victory over the rival Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn), through cities in upstate New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, to name a few.

Picture Credit Below

EXCELSIOR BBC of BROOKLYN

1854 ~ 1870

Claim to the 1860 baseball championship is somewhat in dispute.  An overly rambunctious crowd assembled at Court Street's south end grounds grew too disruptive thus causing a decisive contest between the Excelsiors and Atlantics ending in a draw.  After which, both teams naturally claimed the crown.

The Excelsiors clubhouse is located downtown at 133 Clinton Street at Livingston Street in Brooklyn Heights.  Built in 1851, the corner building first served as clubhouse for the Jolly Young Bachelors, whom would evolve to become the Excelsiors.  Along with Jim Creighton's obelisk, the Excelsior clubhouse is one of base ball's oldest existing historical landmarks.

Brooklyn's Excelsior BBC played at Carroll Park (1854-1859) bounded by Carroll Street; President Street; Smith Street; Court Street. The land was purchased in 1858 by New York City and formalized as recreational space.  The club relocated further down Court Street at Bay Street in Red Hook where they continued playing through the 1870 season.

HENRY CHADWICK

FATHER of BASEBALL

October 5, 1824 ~ April 20, 1908

April 20th marks 110 years since the passing of Hall of Fame member and one of the Fathers of Base Ball, Henry Chadwick.  As writer for the New York Times, the Herald, the Clipper, the Evening Telegram, and the Brooklyn Eagle (... to name only a few), by 1857 he was fully committed to covering, cataloging, and promoting the game.  Mr. Chadwick would publish the first comprehensive rule book, create the first scorecard, assign each position a numerical identifier (i.e. first base is three), invent the box score, and thereby introduce and compile the game's first statistics, effectively making him baseball's first historian.

Hardcover reproduction of Henry Chadwick's scoring ledger;

(Courtesy Flemington Neshanock Vintage Base Ball Club)

Fine Print: Entered according (in) Act of Congress in the year 1868 by Henry Chadwick 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

Greenwood Cemetery

This monument dedicated to Henry Chadwick was paid for by A.G. Spalding and Charles Ebbets.  Chadwick attended his last game on Opening Day 1908, as the New York Giants hosted his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds. He was elected in 1938 to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Henry Chadwick attended his last game on Opening Day 1908, as the New York Giants hosted his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds.  Chadwick was elected in 1938 to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

DUNCAN CURRY

FATHER of BASEBALL

Born: NYC, Nov. 28, 1812

Died: Brooklyn, April 1894

Duncan Curry participated in the first committee tasked in 1853 with standardizing the "New York Game" into a set of written rules whereby the game of Base Ball would hence forth be played.  By 1845, the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York was formed, with Curry being named its first president.  The Gothams and Eagles clubs were the Knickerbockers primary competition.

CHARLES EBBETS

Born: Oct. 29, 1859

Died: Apr. 18, 1925

Owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers

1897 ~ 1925

* 150 Years of Baseball; Beekman House; 1989; Library of Congress CC#89-61429
* Greenwood Cemetery

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Base Ball Legend, Jim Creighton

Jim Creighton

Born: April 15, 1841, Manhattan

Died: October 18, 1862, Brooklyn

Before there ever existed a Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, there was GreenWood Cemetery in Brooklyn - a national landmark - where the fathers of baseball (Henry Chadwick, Duncan Curry) along with many of base ball's earliest players from the mid-to-late 19th century rest eternally.

Among the era's most celebrated players was New York City native Jim Creighton Jr. - better described as the best player of his time.  In fact, he is historically considered to be base ball's first superstar.

A distinguished striker (batter) by age 16, Creighton initially played second base for the 1859 Niagaras of Brooklyn.  After the Niagara club folded later that season, Creighton switched to the Brooklyn Stars.

Over the winter, Jim Creighton joined the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn (also known as the Jolly Young Bachelors Base Ball Club), for whom he pitched from 1860 through the 1862 season.   En route to leading the Excelsiors to a national championship during his first season with the club, he also set about revolutionizing the game itself.

SABR -

• "...something new was seen in base ball - a low, swift delivery, the ball rising from the ground past the shoulder to the catcher."

Other sources are quoted, saying:

• "Why that man was not bowling, he is throwing underhand.  It the best disguised underhand throwing I ever saw, and might readily be taken as a fair delivery."

• "...his pitch "as if it was shot out of a cannon." 

• "...had wonderful speed, and, with it, splendid command.  He was fairly unhittable."

Outcries abounded regarding illegal pitches and unsportsmanlike conduct.  Accused of failing to keep a stiff arm on the back swing of his delivery then snapping his wrist, Jim was generally cleared of such transgressions when a Brooklyn Eagles reporter determined Creighton threw a fair square pitch, rather than a jerk, or an illegal underhand throw.

Jim Creighton was injured on October, 14, 1862, during a game against Bronx competitors, Union BBC of Morrisania.  Four days later, he died suddenly in his home due to internal hemorrhaging.  Jim was just 21-years/six months of age.

SABR -

• His death was not only a loss to his club but to the whole base ball community.  Which needed such as he as a standard of honorable play and ability.

Jim Creighton is credited for being among the very first players to be paid (professionally); credited for throwing a speed ball - a precursor of the fastball; is said to have invented the curveball; and above all else, is believed to have been first to propagate the pitcher batter confrontation.

In his honor, members of the Excelsiors Base Ball Club of Brooklyn erected this monument at his grave sight in GreenWood cemetery.  It is believed to be the very first baseball monument ever erected.

In its original condition, the monument featured a baseball adorning the very top which through the past century had been compromised by erosion.

In 2014, the monument was restored to its original state thanks to the efforts of Tom Gilbert and Richard Moylan, along with help from baseball historian Eric Miklich of 19cBaseball.com ...   otherwise known as, Express, pitcher for the present day Eckfords vintage BBC of Brooklyn (featured here wearing Brooklyn Excelsior attire).

photo/article, Jeff Richman

133 Clinton Street

Brooklyn

Former Home of the Brooklyn Excelsiors Base Ball Club

Champions of the United States - 1860

Club Founded 1854

Last Season     1870

Home Field

Carroll Park (Carroll St. at Court St.) 1854-1859

Red Hook Grounds (Court St. at Bay St.) 1859-1870

!!.Happy 176th Birthday.!!

Jumpin' the Trolley to the Year 1860

Road Trip!!

I'm happy,  finally to be doing again what I love best about this blog; Trolley Trips.  Aside following my Mets and giving you little doses of Brooklyn life, it's the trips that literally move me. 

Brooklyn - this is where Baseball became great.  The word and this game, spread from here for all who came to embrace it. Brooklyn is the true nursery of our game and where it developed as a child and grew to adulthood and conquered our hearts.  I'm not being centric.  I've been to cities, states, countries and continents.  This place holds my heart.  I'm thankful for being born here and consider myself lucky.  It's not braggadocio.  Honest.  It truely is my pleasure to want to share it with you.  That's all.  This is your game too!  I just want to show you the BABY PICTURES.

Pack a lunch, dress for a January Trolley ride, but also dress to walk because there will be a lot of that too.
Another sentiment I'd like to forward is, I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel here.  All this research has been done.  I'm just taking you on the tour.  So jump on, grab a seat or a strap...., and let's get outta here.

Our first stop out of Breukelen Station will be the downtown Cobble Hill section to visit a house at the corner of Livingston and Clinton Streets.  There's a good Bloggerhood neighbor of ours who let me get close to take pictures of a plaque which designates his residence as the original clubhouse of the 1860 Champions of Baseball, the Brooklyn Excelsiors Baseball Club.  We'll visit the present sites where they played long ago and culminate in an incredible place we call Green-Wood Cemetery and see where many of our "Fathers of Baseball" rest eternally.  Time to get rolling.

First Stop:  133 CLINTON STREET  Designated Landmark NYC.

In 1974 a plaque provided for by the New York Community Trust was placed designating this corner residence as the original JOLLY YOUNG BACHELOR'S CLUBHOUSE.  They later became known as the Brooklyn Excelsiors BBC.  The championship of 1860 is somewhat still in debate as to who the real champion of the season was.  Some argue the Brooklyn Atlantics were the Champs that year.  But for this post's purposes, the B'klyn Excelsiors were the Baseball Champions of America of 1860.  The inscription reads:

"This house was the former home of the Brooklyn Excelsiors Baseball Champions of the United States in 1860.  Constructed in 1851, the building was once the Jolly Young Bachelor's Clubhouse.  The Bachelors evolved into the Excelsiors B.B. Team.  One of it's pitchers James Creighton, 307 Henry Street, Brooklyn, is said to have tossed the first curveball.  During the Civil War, the Excelsiors introduced the game to soldiers from various states.  Because of it's popularity, similar teams were established in other cities.  Thus, baseball, as a national sport, can be considered as having it's origins in Brooklyn."

This house is only five blocks south from the the bank where the old Dodger Offices were where the plaque to Jackie Robinson and the mural of Ebbets Field are located.  A little more south into the next neighborhood down is one of the sites where the Excelsiors played; Carroll Park in Carroll Gardens.

Second Stop:
CARROLL PARK, Carroll Gardens, B'klyn

By 1853 the city of Brooklyn purchased this land and dedicated it to public park use.  By the next year 1854, the Excelsiors were practicing and playing baseball here till 1859.  They played in many locations but I will stick to the main two.  The location never ceased being a public park.



The next stop is a little deeper south in the neighborhood of RED HOOK.  From Red Hook back to the Clubhouse is only about a mile, tiny bit more, maybe.

Third Stop:
RED HOOK PARK, Red Hook, B'klyn.

No need to get off the Trolley for this stop.  I just wanted to show you the present location as it looks today.  Presently, it hosts soccer, football and services high schools from Manhattan cause them Bums aint got enough space.  (did I say that?..shhh).  As you can see I took this picture a day after a good snowing.  The Brooklyn Excelsiors played here from 1859 till 1870.  The park is at the southern tip of Court Street.  They played here most of the time but like I said they were not exclusive to it.  One day, in the not too distant, I plan on doing a feature on Red Hook.  It's a little sleepy old water-front neighborhood.  They just did one of those MTV shows off one of the piers there, not that I know anything about that.

Last Stop:
We're heading to GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY; an incredible place!

Last Stop:
 GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY  founded 1838.  25th Street & 5th Avenue, B'klyn

To cap this post off, I did something I have always wanted to do, but never got around to doing.  Do you know I still have never been to the Statue of Liberty?  It's true.  Why?  Because it's there.  I'll get around to it one day.  Well I procrastinated no more.  I went to the cemetery to visit many of our "Fathers of Baseball" where they rest. 

Here lies Jim JAMES CREIGHTON Jr. -

 ..Debated to have thrown the first curve ball.. 

 A brilliant player of his time who died too young 1841-1862.

Brooklyn's first true super-star.

Like I said, I'm not breaking any new ground here, nor do I claim to be.  I'm just a regular TrolleyBlogger taking you on the tour.  I hope you enjoyed today's ride on the Trolley.

Get off the Trolley and stretch your legs.  Walk into the front/main office AND BUY THIS BOOK!!!  It's one of the greatest books I own!!  Your library is incomplete without it.  I'll leave you with the info.

That's it. 
The Brooklyn Excelsiors Baseball Club,
Champions of 1860,
and what remains of them today.


Thanks for riding today!

19th Century Baseball.com

has a lot of information detailing these days.

It's a favorite sight of mine.

http://www.19cbaseball.com/

Check out Green-Wood cemetery, it's an incredible place. 
And buy the book, your library should not exist without it. 
Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery 
by Peter J. Nash
http://www.greenwoodcemetery.org/     

or call: 718-768-7300

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/