Expert: Tom Schott - 4/25/2007

Question
QUESTION: How was 90 feet decided upon as the standard distance between bases?  Was it always 90 feet?
ANSWER: Jerry,

 The 90-foot base paths go all the way back to when Alexander Cartwright and a committee drew up the so-called "Knickerbocker rules" (named after the NY Knickerbocker team) for the game of baseball in the winter of 1845. I'm not certain how ninety feet was determined as the distance. Baseball evolved from the English game of rounders, and the distance between "posts" in that game varies, but they are shorter than ninety feet in all cases.

Hope this helped.

Tom

Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: How can I find out the thoughts of A. Cartwright and his Knickerbocker Rules.  Thank you very much for the help--I really do appreciate it.

Answer
Jerry,

 The Knickerbocker Rules are at: http://www.19cbaseball.com/knickerbockerRules.html

 A couple of Cartwright biographies are listed at:
http://abner.baseballhalloffame.org/search/d?SEARCH=Cartwright Alexander

 Finally a write-up on Cartwright at
http://open-site.org/Sports/Baseball/History/Biographies/Cartwright,_Alexander

says this:

"It is likely that Cartwright picked some of his 20 rules based upon his previous experience in town ball play at Manhattan. The original rules of play at the vacant lot in Manhattan were not documented so it cannot be said which rules of the 20 were Cartwright's own invention. Most likely, Cartwright's rules are based upon the Manhattan rules that he twisted at his own personal discretion."

So it appears that some of the rules employed in the game of town ball in NYC (itself a derivative from rounders) made their way into the Knickerbocker Rules codification. But which ones, it's impossible to say. And the extent to which Cartwright changed them is also obscure. The biographies of Cartwright may shed further light. Good luck.

Hope this has been helpful.

Tom