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He Got Game: Baseball Older, Britisher Than Previously Thought

For generations, the sport of baseball has been considered an American creation. Sure, the British games of cricket and rounders might have provided a basic framework, but it was in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1846 that the first "official" game of modern baseball was played. Right?

Maybe not. A recent AP item points out the discovery last year of a diary entry that mentions "base ball" about fifty years before the next known reference to the game. The diary belonged to William Bray (pictured), an English lawyer who mentions playing a game of base ball on the day after Easter - a traditional holiday in the U.K. - in 1755.

"Went to Stoke Ch. This morning. After Dinner Went to Miss Jeale's to play at Base Ball with her, the 3 Miss Whiteheads, Miss Billinghurst, Miss Molly Flutter, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Ford & H. Parsons & Jelly. Drank Tea and stayed till 8."

Good golly, Miss Molly Flutter. The diary has caused quite a stir among historians, including a film crew from Major League Baseball Advanced Media, whose Base Ball Discovered delves into the latest tantalizing clue to the origins of the sport. The film will be one of nine to be shown next weekend (September 20-21, 2008) at the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum's 3rd Annual Baseball Film Festival. So if you've ever been curious as to why people find the act of hitting and fielding so fascinating, head on over to Cooperstown, New York for a primer on this most American of British sports.

[Photo: AP/USA Today]

Related Stories
· Earliest Reference to Baseball Found in England [AP/USA Today]
· Baseball Film Festival [National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum]
· Baseball Travel Coverage [Jaunted]