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TABLE OF CONTENTSInventory |
Guide to the Gotham Base Ball Club of New York Records
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Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Gotham Base Ball Club of New York | |
| Title | Gotham Base Ball Club of New York Records, | |
| Dates: | 2002-2011 | |
| Abstract: | The Gotham Base Ball Club of New York Records (2 boxes, 2002-2011) contain documents from 2002-2011 accumulated by the organization’s team members. The Gotham Base Ball Club of New York is a vintage base ball club named after the original 1864 Gotham Base Ball Club. These records include scorecards, team rosters, park permits, recaps and other records pertaining to the team’s games. They also include printed e-mail correspondence and other documents reflecting the culture of vintage baseball clubs including on-going debates about leagues, game rules from different time periods and the creation of and participation in tournaments. | |
| Extent: | 2 boxes, 0.75 cubic feet | |
| Identification: | G-18 | |
| Location: | The material is located in the Archives at Queens Library. | |
Historical/Biographical Note
The Gotham Base Ball Club of New York (Gotham BBC) is vintage base ball club named after the original Gotham BBC that played in the mid-1800’s. Many vintage baseball clubs are named after mid- to late 19th century clubs from their regions. Teams each choose to play by the rules of a certain era. The Gotham BBC has adopted 1864 rules and often plays double headers in which they play by their rules one game and then by the rules their opponent team has adopted in the other.1864 was the last year of the “one bounce rule” when fielders could catch a ball after one bounce to get a batter out. Teams also emulate their chosen era with their equipment and uniforms. Players adopt nickname handles by which they address one another and on official documents such as scorecards.
The original Gotham BBC was the second-oldest baseball club in the country, after the Knickerbockers. The original Gotham BBC held their team meetings at 298 Bowery and their home games at the St. George Cricket Club on Staten Island. The excitement around games played between the Gotham BBC and the Knickerbockers spurred many other teams to form in the New York area.[1]
Again, records in this collection pertain to the contemporary Gotham BBC. The team’s stated goal “is to recreate the game as it was played in 1864 as accurately as possible to share our knowledge of this great game of base ball from an historic standpoint.[2]” 2011 will be the team’s 10th season. Home games are played on either the Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village Queens or Hellgate / Whitey Ford Park in Astoria, Queens.
The team was founded in 2002 by Drew “Wilkes-Booth” Frady, a veteran of the hobby and former treasurer of the Colorado Vintage Base Ball Association. Previously, he served as an advisor for the Old Bethpage Historic Base Ball Program, and trustee on the Vintage Base Ball Association Board of Directors. Mr. Frady was originally inspired to start the team due to New York City’s key role in the invention of the game and the city’s lack (at that time) of any vintage ball clubs.
In that 2002 season, the Gotham BBC’s home field was Crocheron Park, Bayside and they also traveled the metropolitan area playing other vintage base ball teams such as the Flemington Neshanock, Elizabeth Resolutes, Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn. The Gotham BBC brought home a record of 6 wins and 16 loses.
In 2003, the Gotham BBC had a record of 4 wins and 19 losses. They played their home games at Crocheron Park and their first game in Manhattan’s Central Park. They also participated in Rochester’s Silver Ball Cup.
In 2004, Captain “Wilkes-Booth” secured Manhattan’s Central Park as the Gotham BBC’s home field where they ended the season with a record of 3 wins and 15 losses. In that same year, the Gotham BBC found new leadership in team captain Ken “Trolley Car” Schlapp and competed for the first time in Old Bethpage Restoration Village’s New York-New Jersey Cup.
In 2005, the Gotham BBC continued to play their home games in Central Park and
finished with a 7 win - 12 loss record. They also played their first reunion game with the new players beating the former club members 11 to 3.
In 2006, the Gotham BBC again held their home games in Central Park, played their least amount of games and again ended with a losing record of 2 wins and 9 losses. One of the wins, however, was against the vaunted Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn.
In 2007, the Gotham BBC, with their home field in Central Park, played their most games in a season to earn a record of 6 wins and 29 losses. Teams from up and down the East Coast came to play in the two-day Gotham Cup Tournament on Central Park’s North Meadow.
n 2008, the Gotham BBC moved their home field to Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village and their win-loss record to .500 - 18 wins to 18 losses. Captain “Trolley Car” again managed the Gotham Cup Tournament with participant vintage base ball teams from the East Coast.
In 2009, the Gotham BBC experienced something unheard of in the 21st century: a winning season. With no home field, the Gotham BBC traveled the New York metropolitan area amassing an impressive record of 16 wins and 15 losses. Working nonstop for days, Captain “Trolley Car” pulled together another successful Gotham Cup. During the season, the Gotham BBC played at the historic Washington Park, home of the Brooklyn Baseball Club and the Bridgegrooms. For more information about the Park visit David “Wombat” Dyte’s website, www.brooklynballparks.com. At the end of the season, Captain “Trolley Car” left the region, leaving a vacancy for a new team captain.
In 2010, the Gotham BBC was led by John “Stacks” Hyslop as its Captain. The team participated in the second year of the Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League along with the Elizabeth Resolutes, Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn and Flemington Neshanock. The Gotham BBC played games at its home field in Juniper Valley and also in Astoria’s Hellgate / Whitey Ford Field.
The Gotham BBC plans to continue reenacting 19th century base ball.
[1] Much of the description of the original Gotham BBC is taken directly from 1864gothams.com/Gotham_History.htm
[2] 1864gothams.com/home.htm
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Scope and Content Note
The Gotham Base Ball Club of New York Records (2 boxes, 2002-2011) contain documents from 2002-2011 accumulated by the organization’s team members. These records include scorecards, team rosters, park permits, recaps and other records pertaining to the team’s games. They also include printed e-mail correspondence and other documents reflecting the culture of vintage baseball clubs including on-going debates about leagues, game rules from different time periods and the creation of and participation in tournaments.
The series, Brooklyn Stars (1 folder, 2007) pertains to the Brooklyn Stars vintage base ball team headed by captain Harry “Slider” Bailey. As the only other New York City vintage baseball team, the Brooklyn Stars was formed with the idea of broadening the reach of vintage baseball in the city and competing with the Gotham Base Ball Club.
The series, Correspondence (1 folder 2002-2011), consists of printed e-mails except for one printed letter from New York State Senator, John J. Bonacic from September 4, 2005. This series contains mostly social banter amongst teammates, planning communication for non-game team meet-ups and debates about issues in the larger vintage baseball world.
The series, Financial Records (1 folder, 2003-2005) contains a small, incomplete sampling of the team’s annual budgets, vendor invoices and communication between teammates about uniform and equipment costs. Additional records about uniforms and equipment can be found in the correspondence series in the context of other matters discussed concurrently by team members.
The series, Game Recaps (1 folder, 2002-2010) offers perhaps the most essential record of this organization. Game recaps, sometimes entitled, “Gotham Notes,” were issued by the team’s captain after each game in the form of a colorful summary with game statistics and a particular kind of jargon incorporating language from the mid-1800’s (or what the writer images to be language from that time). These recaps often incorporate the humor and tone of good sportsmanship characterized by this club. Because these recaps are all dated, they can easily be matched to records in the Field Permits, Scorecards series for a detailed set of facts and anecdotes about any given game.
The series, Insurance (1 folder, 2004, 2009), is a scant sample of insurance-related documents including an insurance certificate for the 2004 season, some e-mail correspondence about purchasing insurance and a solicitation from an insurance company.
The series, Meeting Material (1 folder, 2003-2010) contains meeting agendas and notes from team meetings. Correspondence in this series provides information about the locations and times of meetings as well as agenda items discussed.
The series, National Association of 19th Century Base Ball (1 folder, 2006) contains an e-mail message from vintage baseball enthusiast Kevin Faria about his view of the mission of vintage baseball clubs and the impact leagues for vintage base ball teams can have on those missions. He references the Vintage Base Ball Association, of which the Gotham Base Ball Club of New York is a member.
The series, News Clippings (1 folder, 2004-2007) contains clippings from printed stories about the team and e-mail correspondence about a radio program about the team produced by WFUV, a National Public Radio affiliate.
The series, Programs (1 folder, 2004, 2008, 2010) contains three season programs for the team. These programs include a team roster and game schedule as well as historical notes about the original Gothams team, the history of the new Gothams team, rules of the game and some general history from 1864, the year the team emulates in their uniforms, equipment and rules.
The series, Scorecards, Field Permits, Schedules (2 folders, 2003-2010) contains hand-written scorecards from regular season games. These scorecards usually include game dates and player names. The seasons with the most complete records contain game schedules and official permits issued by the City of New York Parks and Recreation Department with locations and dates of fields reserved for games.
The series, Tournaments (1 folder, 2003, 2006-2010) contains records associated with tournaments including game recaps and score cards, which would be filed in their own series’ if they were for regular, non-tournament games. Because tournaments are limited to a small number of isolated events, all of the details about these events have been arranged together.
The series, Vintage Base Ball Association (1 folder, 2003-2010), contains correspondence, meeting records, and other ephemera pertaining to the VBBA, to which the team is a member.
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Arrangement
Physically, the records are in alphabetical sequence by series, beginning with the Brooklyn Stars series. Within the folders, documents are arranged chronologically with earliest dates on top. A good deal of the records are printed e-mail correspondence, which have been divided as much as possible into series folders relating to the content of the correspondence.
The series are distinguished by functional type (ie field permits, scorecards, insurance) and by organization name in the case of a series pertaining to an organization outside of the Gotham Base Ball Club (ie Brooklyn Stars, Vintage Base Ball Association).
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Gotham Base Ball Club of New York Records, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.
Provenance
The records were donated to the library by John Hyslop.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and deposit their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card with a staff member. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
- Archives at Queens Library
- Queens Borough Public Library
- 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
- Jamaica, NY 11432
- Phone: (718) 990-0770.
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Access Points
Subject Names:
- Frady, Drew
- Hyslop, John Ara, 1970-
- Schlapp, Kenneth
Subject Organizations:
- Brooklyn Stars Base Ball Club
- Gotham Base Ball Club of New York
- New York Knickerbockers (Baseball team)
- Vintage Base Ball Association
Subject Topics:
- Baseball
- Baseball teams
Subject Places:
- Central Park (New York, N.Y.)
- Juniper Valley Park (New York, N.Y.)
- New York (N.Y.)
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
Document Types:
- Manuscripts
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Inventory
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
