Who’s the real founder of America’s pastime?

Baseball is a favorite pastime of many Americans. For nearly 160 years, people from all around the nation have gathered to watch greats like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Roger Clemens play a game that originated in the very country we call home.

The sport as we know it now was thought to have been originally created in 1860 by a New York man named Alexander Cartwright. According to history.com, Cartwright organized the field into a diamond shape with foul lines and the three-strike rule. He also abolished the dangerous practice of tagging runners by throwing balls at them — a change for which all players of the game are no doubt grateful.

Recent documents dated three years earlier in 1857, however, have surfaced and been authenticated, proving there was yet another founder of the game. These documents were titled “Laws of Base Ball” and were authored by Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, making him the founding father of this all-American game, according to the Associated Press.

Even with the news of the documents that were recently purchased at a California auction for $146,410, the Baseball Hall of Fame says it has no plans to make an official change or remove the plaque naming Cartwright as the founder.

Could there be more founding fathers?

While they might not be “official” founding fathers, a couple of others have made a big impact on the game, namely, Jackie Robinson and Marvin Miller.

For the first 90 years, not only did baseball remain an American sport, but a white-American sport. In 1947, all that changed when Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate.

With his athleticism, charisma and humility, Robinson won over the masses, breaking the sport’s, as well as much of society’s, color barrier, paving the way for players of all races to live the major league dream.

And while the rules and players ultimately make the game, people behind the scenes keep it running — people like Marvin Miller.

Until the mid-1960s team owners were making bank, leaving players little to bring home. In addition, contracts bound players to teams and situations that were often toxic.

However, when MLB executive director Miller entered the scene in 1966, all that changed. A union man, Miller set out to fight for what was right for his players, with modern free agency resulting in 1975. If it hadn’t been for his focused vision, major leaguers might be earning a fraction of today’s wages — and the current state of corporate baseball would be very different.

At the same time that Cartwright and Adams were studying and perfecting a game they hoped would last through the ages, Jacob and Frederick Beringer were doing the same … with wine.

And much like perfecting the sport of baseball has required many seasons of patience and perseverance through trials, the same has rung true in wine country. Beringer Founders’ Estate honors the pioneering sense of discovery that brought baseball to America and great wine to California.

Beringer Founders’ Estate honors the pioneering sense of discovery that brought founding brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer to California with dreams of crafting fine wine and led them to found Beringer Vineyards in 1876. Today the Beringer Founders’ Estate line of wines offer concentrated expressions of the most popular varietals, steeped in quality that comes from Beringer’s history of crafting great wines from all over California for over 130 vintages.

This March, Beringer Founders’ Estate is giving fans the chance to blow off work and enjoy nine innings with friends at an exclusive ‘Ditch Day’ experience!  Head to your local retailer and look for the Beringer wine displays or text ‘wine’ to 620-620 for information on how to register to win this VIP baseball experience.