Play Ball: Stories of the Ball Field
Encyclopedia
Play Ball: Stories of the Ball Field is an 1888 autobiographical
collection of baseball
stories from Major League Baseball
player King Kelly
. Kelly had come to Boston
one year earlier to play for the Boston Beaneaters
. The book was organized and put together by a Boston Globe journalist John Drohan.
was a right fielder
, catcher
, and manager
in various professional American baseball leagues from the late 1870s to the early 1890s. Kelly had played for the Chicago White Stockings
for several seasons, but things grew more contentious as time passed there. Kelly drank heavily, occasionally requiring him to miss games or play drunk. In earlier seasons team owner Al Spalding had been willing to tolerate these events because of Kelly's skill and fan appeal. Spalding, following losses to the St. Louis Browns
in 1885 and 1886 in matches of NL
and AA
pennant winners (a precursor to the World Series
), gave in to complaints over Kelly's drinking (particularly by manager Cap Anson
) and tried to control Kelly. Spalding and Anson tried to Kelly's drinking in various ways including withholding $250 of his $2000 salary in 1886, promising to return it if Kelly remained sober. These efforts failed, however, as Kelly continued to drink.
The reserve clause
was a common tool to control player contracts in this era of baseball before free agency
. Without free agency, Kelly's only way to force a trade was to tell Spalding, "I will not play again in the Chicago club, under any circumstances, and don't you forget it." His time with Boston teams began with the Boston Beaneaters
in 1887.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
collection of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stories from Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player King Kelly
King Kelly
Michael Joseph "King" Kelly was an American right fielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the...
. Kelly had come to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
one year earlier to play for the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. The book was organized and put together by a Boston Globe journalist John Drohan.
History
King KellyKing Kelly
Michael Joseph "King" Kelly was an American right fielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the...
was a right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
, and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in various professional American baseball leagues from the late 1870s to the early 1890s. Kelly had played for the Chicago White Stockings
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for several seasons, but things grew more contentious as time passed there. Kelly drank heavily, occasionally requiring him to miss games or play drunk. In earlier seasons team owner Al Spalding had been willing to tolerate these events because of Kelly's skill and fan appeal. Spalding, following losses to the St. Louis Browns
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in 1885 and 1886 in matches of NL
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
and AA
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
pennant winners (a precursor to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
), gave in to complaints over Kelly's drinking (particularly by manager Cap Anson
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson , nicknamed "Cap" and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman...
) and tried to control Kelly. Spalding and Anson tried to Kelly's drinking in various ways including withholding $250 of his $2000 salary in 1886, promising to return it if Kelly remained sober. These efforts failed, however, as Kelly continued to drink.
The reserve clause
Reserve clause
The reserve clause is a term formerly employed in North American professional sports contracts. The reserve clause, contained in all standard player contracts, stated that, upon the contract's expiration the rights to the player were to be retained by the team to which he had been signed...
was a common tool to control player contracts in this era of baseball before free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. Without free agency, Kelly's only way to force a trade was to tell Spalding, "I will not play again in the Chicago club, under any circumstances, and don't you forget it." His time with Boston teams began with the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 1887.