The Game's Four Hundred
Encyclopedia
The Game's Four Hundred or The Game's "400" was the subtitle of the almanac, the Baseball Register
, in the early years of its publishing history that began about 1940.
The Register is a former annual publication of The Sporting News
. It listed the career statistics of the current major league baseball
players.
The subtitle was derived from "The Four Hundred", the nickname for the social elite of New York City
in the late 19th century, also known as the "Knickerbocracy". The New York group in turn derived its name from The Four Hundred that ruled Athens after the Athenian coup of 411 BC
.
At the time the Register began publishing, there were 16 major league teams and 25 players per squad, which coincidentally works out to 400.
The use of that phrase in 1940 indicated the strength of the cultural memory of that ultra-wealthy class of New York citizens.
The phrase was finally abandoned with the 1965 edition, perhaps after it occurred to the editors that the major league expansion to 20 teams several years before, along with the passage of time, had rendered the phrase obsolete, at least in that context.
Baseball Register
The Baseball Register, also known as the Official Baseball Register, was an annual almanac of baseball player statistics, published by The Sporting News. It was published in May after player changes had been made, at the start of the season. It ceased publication with its 2007 edition...
, in the early years of its publishing history that began about 1940.
The Register is a former annual publication of The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
. It listed the career statistics of the current 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...
players.
The subtitle was derived from "The Four Hundred", the nickname for the social elite of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the late 19th century, also known as the "Knickerbocracy". The New York group in turn derived its name from The Four Hundred that ruled Athens after the Athenian coup of 411 BC
Athenian coup of 411 BC
The Athenian coup of 411 BC was a revolutionary movement during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta that overthrew the democratic government of ancient Athens by replacing it with a short-lived oligarchy known as The Four Hundred....
.
At the time the Register began publishing, there were 16 major league teams and 25 players per squad, which coincidentally works out to 400.
The use of that phrase in 1940 indicated the strength of the cultural memory of that ultra-wealthy class of New York citizens.
The phrase was finally abandoned with the 1965 edition, perhaps after it occurred to the editors that the major league expansion to 20 teams several years before, along with the passage of time, had rendered the phrase obsolete, at least in that context.