"The origin of the sport is a subject of some debate. According to popular legend, Duckpin bowling began in Baltimore, Maryland around 1900, at a bowling alley owned by future baseball Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson. However, according to a 2005 baseball book by Howard W. Rosenberg (Cap Anson 3: Muggsy John McGraw and the Tricksters: Baseball's Fun Age of Rule Bending), an article from May 1894 in the Lowell (Mass.) Sun confirms the existence of duckpins as of 1894. Rosenberg traced the story of crediting the origins of duckpins to McGraw and Robinson as far back as Shirley Povich of the Washington Post in the late 1930s. In any event, the name supposedly comes from a remark by McGraw during the first game played with pins cut down from old standard pins. McGraw, an avid duck hunter, said that the flying pins looked like ‘a flock of flying ducks’; a sportswriter turned the remark into the word ‘duckpins,’ and the name stuck.posted by ericb at 8:00 AM on July 19, 2007
In 1985, an obscure 130-plus page publication called Duckpins: The Tenth Frame cited related Lowell, Mass., coverage of duckpin bowling back in May 1894. Writing in that publication, Bob Tkacz, of Newington, Conn., noted having found articles showing that a duckpin tournament was being held in Lowell at that time. The 1985 publication is not readily available in any U.S. library, which explains why Tkacz's finding was easy to miss as the earliest known ‘in print’ rebuttal of the Baltimore origin myth. Articles can be found in the Globe earlier than May 1894 showing the existence of the sport around Boston. According to Rosenberg, the earliest Globe reference to duckpins was apparently on January 2, 1893. Robinson, by virtue of having been born in Massachusetts, is plausibly the person responsible for introducing the sport to Baltimore; Rosenberg's book methodically accounted for Baltimore newspaper reporting in late 1899 and early 1900, when the sport seemingly was first played in Baltimore (at the McGraw-Robinson alleys, of course). Baltimore Sun next-day reporting seems to credit those alleys for introducing the sport to Baltimore the night before. Consistent with that, unpublished research by Tkacz in the 1980s unearthed the following gem from a 1909 Baltimore publication called Bowlers Guide: ‘The game of duckpins was first introduced in Baltimore about twelve years ago.’
On December 11, 2005, The New York Times, apparently for the first time in its reporting history, pointed to the apparent New England roots of the sport; The Times had previously reflexively recited the canard about the sport having originated in Baltimore. The article, by C. J. Hughes, was titled, ‘CONNECTICUT AT ITS BEST; Down at Memory Lanes, It's Duckpin Season.’"*
"...John J. 'Jack' Monsey took this idea, and with extremes in energy and vision, promoted this new game of Candlepins. He was able to convince other Worcester proprietors that making the game standard was necessary for it to proliferate. He is credited with standardizing the ball size to 4 1/2 inches, the same size in play today. He also standardized the required playing of deadwood, which up until this time could be played or removed at the bowler's discretion. Now the game was standard in Worcester. It wasn't until 1905 that Monsey helped form the The National Duckpin and Candlepin Congress, that Candlepin bowling became standard throughout. To become standard was the Boston pin, the 4 1/2 inch ball, the playing of deadwood and the bowling of 2 boxes at a time. In Worcester 5 boxes was standard, in Boston it was 2 boxes. From this point on, it became possible to have state and "world" championship competition."posted by ericb at 8:13 AM on July 19, 2007
"Ruth was also drawn to duckpin bowling, a sport born in his hometown of Baltimore."Picture of him bowling here.
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...and to southern New England. The only bowling I knew as a kid in Northwestern Connecticut was candlepin.
posted by ericb at 7:52 AM on July 19, 2007