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A special commission created by
baseball executive Albert Spalding
determined in 1908 that Abner Doubleday
invented the game of baseball in 1839.
One hundred Years after Doubleday
designed the first diamond, baseball
celebrated it's 100th birthday. On June
12, 1939 to commemorate baseball's
centennial, the Cooperstown Baseball
Hall Of Fame opened its doors to the
public. This prestigious inaugural
event was held at Doubleday field to
honor the 26 Hall of Fame inductees
including the 5 original 1936 members.
June 12, 1939, the Cavalcade of Baseball was played on Doubleday Field in
Cooperstown, New York. A sell-out crowd
of more than 10,000 saw a team of
National and American League players
selected by Honus Wagner via the
Choose-up" method, defeat a team
captained by Eddie Collins, 4-2 in
seven innings.
The Official Doubleday Field Programs for the Cavalcade of Baseball
features the 1839-1939 baseball
centennial insignia on the cover. Forty
pages filled with photos, articles, and
a timetable of the various events that
took place that day. The first four
classes of inductees gathered in 1939
for the first induction weekend. The
players that attended were: Walter
Johnson, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Eddie
Collins, Connie Mack, Cy Young, Grover
Cleveland Alexander, Tris Speaker,
Napoleon Lajoie, and George Sisler.
Page twelve, features "Hall Of Fame Immortals Before 1900." Page Thirteen,
features "Hall Of Fame Immortals
Of Modern Baseball." There are a number
of variations of this program made for
exhibition games played throughout the
year, which also involving major and
minor league teams. The scorecard
centerfold for the June 12, scorecard
feature the "Collins" (the Eddie
Collins Team) on page Twenty Two, and
the "Wagners" (the Honus Wagner Team)
on page Twenty Three. Other scorecard
examples include The New York Yankees
vs the Newark Bears, and the "Doubledays"
vs "Cartwrights" (a minor league
All-Star game) Some simply read "Score
Card" at the top.
The program was also reproduced by the
Hall of Fame, which features a barcode
on the back.
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