By the start of the 1870s, the game of "base ball" had been building momentum for a couple of decades as the new national past time. From Boston to New York to Philadelphia, base ball "clubs" had been forming around the country. From the first game to be reported in a newspaper in 1853 to the first all-star game in 1858 to the first fully professional baseball team in 1869, minor and major milestones ultimately led to the formation of the first professional...