Project COBB

This probably means a lot more to me than most people reading here, but this is a good project a few people have going on:

Aims of Project Cobb

The Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball (Project Cobb) was established in October 2008 with two overarching aims:

1. To unify and support the various efforts to publish historical details of baseball played in Britain under modern rules.

2. To promote the preservation of baseball history in Britain as it happens.

I'm into baseball, of course. Where ever it's played. While I prefer major league baseball, I've always participated in some form or other from t-ball up to semi-pro. These guys are dedicated to baseball in Great Britain. Showing how the game has been popular and developed over the years will only help it continue to grow.

Some of the achievements so far:

Creating an archive of standings, play-off results, and more for post-World War II baseball in Britain Mark Tobin is always looking to add and cross-check information in his invaluable online archive. If there are gaps that you can fill or facts that you can back up or dispute, please contact Mark here.

Creating an archive of domestic statistics and feats. This archive includes full southern top-tier stats back to 2001,additional, single-season and career records, a list of individual champions where known, and a catalogue of feats. If there are gaps that you can fill, please email the address at the top of this webpage.

Creating an archive for the Great Britain national team. Building on a large body of research by Josh Chetwynd, this archive includes a full year-by-year history, player biographies, and lists of performances and players. If there are gaps that you can fill,please email the address at the top of this webpage.

Detailing Britain's classic post-World War II finals. This subject has been covered in a 10,000-word article that draws together game reports and other details for a number of classic finals played since World War II.

Remembering the London Twilight Baseball League of 1976. A Project Cobb article looks at the London Twilight Baseball League of 1976, a project led by Jeff Archer. While the league was short-lived, its innovative nature gives it historical importance and also provides lessons for baseball today. Think of it along the lines of retrosheet and Baseball Reference for Great Britain.

I realize that baseball in the UK isn't every one's thing, but if you have a few minutes, check out the site. It's worth a few minutes of your time.

Additionally, here are some of their on-going projects:

Baseball in Folkestone and Hythe during World War I.
Andrew Taylor is gathering information on baseball played in the Folkestone and Hythe area during World War I.

Domestic baseball in the 1950s.
British Baseball Data is trying to gather as much information as possible on domestic baseball in the 1950s.

Individual British champions from 1890 onwards.
While it would be unrealistic to aim for a full list of batting and pitching category leaders back to 1890, the Great Britain Baseball Scorers Association hopes that some of the gaps can be filled.

Baseball in World War II.
Baseball in Wartime is collecting information on baseball relating to World War II, including that with a British connection

They also have some monitoring projects:

Preserving baseball history as it happens can include:
- scoring games;
- collating statistics;
- writing reports
- taking photos.
If there is a particular aspect of baseball in Britain that you wish to monitor or if you require advice on any of the above areas, please contact Project Cobb using the email address at the top of this webpage.

A discussion about a British Baseball Hall of Fame:

The idea of having a Hall of Fame for British baseball is one that has been discussed at various points in the past, but no formal plan has ever materialized. If you have any views on how a Hall of Fame could be set up and then maintained, please send your views to Project Cobb using the email address at the top of this webpage.

A links to books about baseball in Great Britain.

Personally, I would liken this to the efforts that are currently going to get the accurate history of Negro League baseball recorded in the states.