Baseball..what about rounders?

[Dave Wilton]

The aforementioned _Baseball Before We Knew It_ by Block is perhaps the most
comprehensive and well-researched history of baseball and its origins that
is readily available. It covers all this in great and footnoted detail.

"Rounders" is simply a regional (west of England, IIRC) name for the game of
English baseball. The name "rounders" doesn't appear until the 19th century,
after baseball was well established in America. Eventually the name
"rounders" supplanted "baseball" in all of England, but it's the same game.
American and English baseball diverged in the late-18th century and took
separate evolutionary paths.

To say that American baseball has its origins in rounders is like saying
humans descended from chimpanzees or the English language comes from modern
German. Yes, they have a common ancestor, but one doesn't come from the
other.



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
amorelli
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 7:37 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Baseball..what about rounders?

Hello,
And what about rounders - diligently played by the sports no-
hopers at girls' grammar schools in Great Britain - as a possible
ancestor?
Regards,
M.I.Amorelli
Faculties of Economics and Law,
University of Sassari,
Sardinia,
Italy.
>----Messaggio originale----
>Da: Berson at ATT.NET
>Data: 12-set-2008 19.14
>A: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.
EDU>
>Ogg: Re: Baseball is British, oh no!
>
>----------------------
Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender:
American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       "Joel
S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>Subject:      Re: Baseball is British, oh
no!
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>
>I'm not going to worry -- the name's the same, but is the game?
>
>Joel
>
>At 9/12/2008 09:48 AM, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>>This is a highly
important discovery, but it should be noted, as the
>>Sports
Illustrated/AP story fails to note, that it has long been
>>known that
"base-ball" is mentioned, with an actual picture of the
>>game being
played, in John Newberry's "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book,"
>>which
appears to date back to 1744.
>>
>>Fred Shapiro
>>
>>
>>________________________________________
>>From: American Dialect
Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>David A. Daniel
[dad at POKERWIZ.COM]
>>Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 9:36 AM
>>To: ADS-
L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>Subject: Baseball is British, oh no!
>>
>>http:
//sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/09/11/baseball.england.ap
>>/index.html?cnn=yes
>>
>>"Easter Monday 31 March 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."
>>
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American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The
American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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>The
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