Bob Addy

Infobox MLB retired
name=Bob Addy
position=Right fielder/Second Baseman

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bgcolor1=#263473
bgcolor2=#A50024
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=February 1845
city-state|Rochester|New York
deathdate=death date and age|1910|4|9|1845|2|00
city-state|Pocatello|Idaho
debutdate= May 6
debutyear= by|1871
debutteam= Rockford Forest Citys
finaldate= October 8
finalyear= by|1877
finalteam= Cincinnati Reds
stat1label=Batting Average
stat1value=.277
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=1
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=171
teams=As Player
* Rockford Forest Citys (by|1871)
* Philadelphia White Stockings (by|1873), (by|1875)
* Boston Red Stockings (by|1873)
* Hartford Dark Blues (by|1874)
* Chicago White Stockings (by|1876)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1877)As Manager
* Philadelphia White Stockings (by|1875)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1877)
highlights=

Robert Edward "Bob" Addy (February 1845 – April 9 1910) nicknamed "The Magnet"cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/addybo01.shtml|title=Bob Addy's career statistics|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-08-17] , was an American right fielder and second baseman in Major League Baseball, whose professional career spanned from by|1871 in the National Association to by|1877 in the National League. He is credited as the first player to introduce the slide in an organized game, and later attempted to create a game of baseball that would have been played on ice.

Career

Born in Rochester, New York, he is credited with employing the first slide in an organized baseball game, while playing for the 1866 Rockford Forest Citys of the National Association of Base Ball Players.cite web| title = Thinkquest Timeline | work = library.thinkquest.org | url=http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112782/timeline.html | accessdate = 2008-02-17 ] He was still playing for the Forrest Citys in 1869cite web|url=http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/jerseys.htm|title=Dressed To The Nines: Parts of the Uniform: Jerseys|publisher=baseballhalloffame.org|accessdate=2008-08-17] , and was with them two years later when Rockford joined the first all-professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players.cite web| title = Bob Addy's Stats | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/A/Paddyb101.htm | accessdate = 2008-02-17 ]

Rockford lasted just the one season in the Association, and Addy did not rejoin the league until by|1873 when joined the Philadelphia White Stockings. He played in ten games as player-manager, before moving on and joining the Boston Red Stockings later in the season. He helped the Red Stockings win the league title that yearcite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1873.shtml|title=1873 Boston Red Stockings|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-08-17] , playing in right field, hitting .355, and finsihed ninth in the league with a .354 on-base percentage. On January 20, by|1874, the National Association's Judiciary Committee met to discuss, among other things, charges that Addy had joined the Boston Red Stockings before 60 days had elapsed since leaving his previous team, the Rockford club. He was acquitted of the charge and was allowed to play.cite web| title = 1874 Chronology | work = baseballlibrary.com | url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1874 | accessdate = 2008-02-17 ]

He did not play for the Red Stockings in 1874, as he signed to play for the Hartford Dark Blues, but his batting declined to .239, and his on-base percentage dropped to .243. For the by|1875 season, he re-joined the Philadelphia White Stockings, playing in a career high 69 games. He batted .258, and finished ninth in the league with 16 stolen bases.

At season's end, the Association folded, as was replaced by National League, and Addy joined the Chicago White Stockings. Chicago won the league title that season, with Addy playing 32 games, and hitting .282.cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1876.shtml|title=1876 Chicago White Stockings|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-08-17] Addy moved to his second Major League team in two years, and sixth team in seven years, when he joined the Cincinnati Reds, playing everyday in right fieldcite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1877.shtml|title=1877 Cincinnati Reds|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-08-17] , and later took over as the team's manager after Lip Pike quit the position.cite web|url=http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=31&pid=11267|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Lip Pike|last=Schaefer|first=Robert H.|publisher=sabr.org|accessdate=2008-08-17]

Post-career

Quote box
width=40%
align=left
quote=Bob Addy, who was one of the best of the lot, was a good, hard hustling player, a good base runner and a hard hitter. He was as honest as the day is long... He was an odd sort of a genius and quit the game because he thought he could do better at something else.
source="Cap Anson", 1900. [cite book|last=Anson|first=Adrian C.|title=A Ball Player's Career|publisher=Amereon Ltd|date=December 1900|pages=51|isbn=0848815408] |

Addy later tried and ultimately failed trying to generate interest in baseball played on ice.cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E3DE143BF930A25757C0A9659C8B63|title=The Forgotten Home Team in Hartford|last=King|first=Chris|date=April 13, 2003|publisher=The New York Times|pages=1|accessdate=2008-08-17] He died at the age of 65 in Pocatello, Idaho, and is interred at Mountain View Cemetery under the name of Eddy Addy with a birthdate of February 1838.cite web| title = Bob Addy at Find-A-Grave | work = findagrave.com | url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7381753 | accessdate = 2008-02-17 ]

References

Further reading

Utah State History/Utah Historical Quarterly: "Addy, Bob, baseball player, 52: 154-55"

External links

*findagrave|7381753

Persondata
NAME = Addy, Bob
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Addy, Robert; Addy, Robert Edward; Addy, Eddy
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Major League Baseball player, manager
DATE OF BIRTH = Febrauary 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH = Rochester, New York
DATE OF DEATH = April 9 1910
PLACE OF DEATH = Pocatello, Idaho