Baseball

            Forms of baseball have been popular for many centuries.
             of rounders, the children's game of one-old-cat, and townball are all very similar .
             to baseball and have been popular since the 1700s. In the 1840s, Alexander .
             Cartwright of the New York Knickerbocker Club created the general field .
             dimensions that are in use today. Henry Chadwick, a sportswriter, wrote the first .
             rule book in 1858. The rules continued to change slightly, but by the early 1900s .
             the rules were almost exactly the same as they are today.
             In the middle of the nineteenth century, baseball was primarily popular in .
             local clubs in the northeast United States, with the members of the local clubs .
             usually being of the same occupation. Competitions between these clubs .
             eventually led to the creation of organized baseball leagues. An organization .
             created to set standardized rules and playing schedules, the National Association .
             of Baseball Players, was formed in 1858 to be baseball's first official governing .
             body. The travel of soldiers from the Northeast during the Civil War led to the .
             spread of the game throughout the West, East, and South United States. After the .
             Civil War, there were more opportunities for leisure, and the increased ability of .
             travel allowed leagues to be wider spread, which lead to more competition.
             In 1869, Harry Wright organized the Cincinnati Red Stockings and called .
             them the first professional team. They went on a 57-game national tour, and they .
             were undefeated throughout the tour. Because the Cincinnati Red Stockings were .
             successful on their tour, in 1871 the National Association of Baseball Players .
             created 9 different teams in 8 cities to form the first professional baseball league. .
             Several competing leagues were formed in the 1870s, including the National .
             League, which became the most popular of the competing leagues. .
             Financial troubles, gambling problems, and the creation of many new .
             franchises weakened many of the leagues, and a players revolt in 1890, which .