Stanley Person Baseball Collection

The origins of baseball may trace to the games of cricket and rounders, played in Great Britain as early as the 15th century. British colonists began playing similar ball and bat games, with the first mentions of "baste ball" and "baseball" appearing in the United States the late 18th century. Abner Doubleday is often credited with inventing modern baseball in Cooperstown, New York, however it's now believed his involvement was exaggerated, perhaps in an attempt to establish baseball as a solely American sport. Modern baseball rules were written in 1845 by Alexander Cartwright, who also founded The Knickerbockers, a New York City baseball club that played in the first officially recorded baseball game on June 19, 1846 at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Over the next 30 years amateur teams were formed all over the country, leading to the creation of The National Association of Base Ball Players, which counted over 400 clubs by 1867. In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings were established as the sport's first professional team, causing a rift between the professional and amateur players. The National Association of Professional Baseball Players formed in 1871 as baseball's first attempt at an all professional league. Frustrations over rule breaking and contract jumping lead to the formation of splinter leagues, including the National Base Ball League in 1876 and the Western League, which became the American League in 1901. The National League and the American League currently make up Major League Baseball (MLB), the oldest professional sports league in the United States.

Baseball clubs were introduced to Kings County as early as the 1820s, with over 71 amateur teams playing in the county by 1851. Early prominent clubs included the Atlantics and the Ekfords, drawing players from the blue collar workforce and attracting thousands of fans to games played all over the borough. In 1883, Charles Byrne opened the Washington Park baseball field on 5th Avenue and 3rd Street in Park Slope and formed a team called the Brooklyn Grays. The team joined the American Association in 1884 and the National League in 1890, by which time they were known as the Bridegrooms.

In 1891 Washington Park burned down and the team was moved to Eastern Park, a 12,000 seat stadium in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood. The team was still known as the Bridegrooms but picked up several nicknames including the Superbas and the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, named after borough residents who had to "dodge" oncoming electric trollies. In 1898 Byrne died and was succeeded by his assistant, Charlie Ebbets. By 1899 Ebbets gained majority control over the team and in 1912 moved them to Ebbets Field, a new 37,000 seat stadium in Flatbush.

The team played and lost their first World Series game in 1916, in front of the largest crowd in baseball history. By 1920 the team was officially known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, but was also called the Daffiness Boys, a nickname reflective of their performance on the field and outrageous behavior of players and management. The death of Charlie Ebbets in 1925 left the team open to poor management and a series of disastrous trades that led to a drop in ticket sales and a field in need of repairs. Things began to turn around in 1938 when Leland MacPhail was brought in as General Manager. MacPhail got rid of the Daffiness Boys and replaced them with some of the Dodgers' most iconic players, including Pee Wee Reese and Pete Reiser.

When the U.S. entered World War II MacPhail and several players enlisted. Branch Rickey was brought in from St. Louis as the new General Manager. In 1947 he signed Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play on a major league baseball team. The 1947 season kicked off an era often called the "glory days" with star players including Roy Campanella, Duke Snider and Gil Hodges. Brooklyn supported their team with steady game attendance, merchandise sales and their own fight song, "Follow the Dodgers." After years of close-calls and near-misses the team finally captured a World Series title in the 1955 season.

After 43 years Ebbets Field was in a state of disrepair and team owner Walter O'Malley began to make plans for a new stadium in Brooklyn. O'Malley's plan for a city subsidized stadium at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue that would provide more seats, parking and access to public transportation was rejected by Robert Moses, who proposed an alternative location in Queens, the eventual site of Shea Stadium. O'Malley began negotiations with the city of Los Angeles, which promised a growing market and space for a new stadium. The National League authorized the move on May 28, 1957 and the Los Angeles Dodgers played their first game on April 18, 1958.

Stanley Person was born in the Bronx in 1934 to Leiser Louis Persokoff and Gussie Krasnick. After two years of military service, Person married Diane Goetz on June 7, 1960, welcoming daughters Hara and Jenni shortly after. Person was a founding member of Person and Co., CPAs, LLP and was active in several professional and philanthropic organizations. He was an avid collector of Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia, building a collection that included signed baseballs, programs, tickets, books, and photographs. Person died in New York City on November 1, 2003.