Ernest Lanigan
Encyclopedia
Ernest John Lanigan was an American
sportswriter
and historian
on the subject of baseball
. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and historian of his day. He was a pioneer at gathering information about baseball statistics and about the players themselves, and was the author of the first encyclopedia of the subject.
In addition to having parents who were both writers and editors, Lanigan was the nephew, on his mother's side, of The Sporting News
founders Al Spink and Charles Spink, and one of five men in his family, including J. G. Taylor Spink
and C.C. Johnson Spink, to gain acclaim as a newspaperman.
Shortly after The Sporting News was launched in the mid-1880s, 15-year-old Lanigan went to work for his uncles. He served three years at the paper, then made a career change and became a bank clerk for the next eight years. His knowledge of baseball and writing, and his passion for numbers, accrued from those two jobs, would serve him well in the future. However, he also came down with a lung infection, possibly pneumonia, which affected his health for the remainder of his long life.
During a two-year convalescene in the Adirondack Mountains
, he continued his baseball stat gathering for The Sporting News, as he had during his banking career, and began inventing new statistics. The best known of these were the RBI and the CS
, which he researched and catalogued, and which were eventually adopted as official major league statistics. He also developed a more comprehensive list of Winning Pitcher and Losing Pitcher compilations.
Over the course of his career he also worked for the New York Press
as sports editor until 1911, and was the official scorer for some of the early World Series
; as sports editor for the Cleveland Leader.
He worked as secretary and information director of the International League
around the time when they were reorganizing from their previous incarnation as the Eastern League. At one time he was also the business manager of a couple of St. Louis Cardinals
farm teams.
Lanigan also wrote for Baseball Magazine, and it was under that banner that he compiled and published the first baseball encyclopedia, which he called the Baseball Cyclopedia, in 1922. The publisher advertised on the book's title page that it "comprises a review of Professional Baseball, the history of all Major League Clubs, playing records and unique events, the batting, pitching and base running champions, World's Series' statistics and a carefully arranged alphabetical list of the records of more than 3500 Major League ball players, a feature never before attempted in print."
In 1946, Lanigan was named curator of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and later served as its historian. He held that post until he retired in 1959, when he was replaced by Lee Allen
, who continued Lanigan's work in compiling biographical stats on players.
Lanigan was called "Ernie" by his friends. He was also given the not-necessarily-flattering nickname of "Figure Filbert" (or "Figger Filbert") by Damon Runyon
, as a more poetic way of saying "numbers nut".
Lanigan affirmed that characterization, as he once confided to fellow baseball writer Fred Lieb
: "I really don't care much about baseball, or looking at ball games, major or minor. All my interest in baseball is in its statistics. I want to know something about every major league ball player, not only what he is hitting, but his full name with all middle names and initials, where they were born, and where they live now." Lieb, who was still among the living at Lanigan's centennial in 1973, called him "the patron saint of SABR".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportswriter
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
and historian
History of baseball in the United States
The history of baseball in the United States can be traced to the 18th century, when amateurs played a baseball-like game by their own informal rules using improvised equipment...
on the subject of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and historian of his day. He was a pioneer at gathering information about baseball statistics and about the players themselves, and was the author of the first encyclopedia of the subject.
In addition to having parents who were both writers and editors, Lanigan was the nephew, on his mother's side, of The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
founders Al Spink and Charles Spink, and one of five men in his family, including J. G. Taylor Spink
J. G. Taylor Spink
John George Taylor Spink was the publisher of The Sporting News from 1914 to 1962.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he inherited the newspaper from his father and ran it from April 22, 1914 until his death...
and C.C. Johnson Spink, to gain acclaim as a newspaperman.
Shortly after The Sporting News was launched in the mid-1880s, 15-year-old Lanigan went to work for his uncles. He served three years at the paper, then made a career change and became a bank clerk for the next eight years. His knowledge of baseball and writing, and his passion for numbers, accrued from those two jobs, would serve him well in the future. However, he also came down with a lung infection, possibly pneumonia, which affected his health for the remainder of his long life.
During a two-year convalescene in the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
, he continued his baseball stat gathering for The Sporting News, as he had during his banking career, and began inventing new statistics. The best known of these were the RBI and the CS
CS
-Companies and organisations:* Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles, a catholic religious congregation, also called Scalabrinians* Cultural Survival, an American nonprofit group dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples...
, which he researched and catalogued, and which were eventually adopted as official major league statistics. He also developed a more comprehensive list of Winning Pitcher and Losing Pitcher compilations.
Over the course of his career he also worked for the New York Press
New York Press
New York Press was a free alternative weekly in New York City, that was published from 1988 to 2011. During its lifetime, it was the main competitor to the Village Voice...
as sports editor until 1911, and was the official scorer for some of the early World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
; as sports editor for the Cleveland Leader.
He worked as secretary and information director of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
around the time when they were reorganizing from their previous incarnation as the Eastern League. At one time he was also the business manager of a couple of St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
farm teams.
Lanigan also wrote for Baseball Magazine, and it was under that banner that he compiled and published the first baseball encyclopedia, which he called the Baseball Cyclopedia, in 1922. The publisher advertised on the book's title page that it "comprises a review of Professional Baseball, the history of all Major League Clubs, playing records and unique events, the batting, pitching and base running champions, World's Series' statistics and a carefully arranged alphabetical list of the records of more than 3500 Major League ball players, a feature never before attempted in print."
In 1946, Lanigan was named curator of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and later served as its historian. He held that post until he retired in 1959, when he was replaced by Lee Allen
Lee Allen (baseball)
Leland Gaither "Lee" Allen was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was known for an accessible writing style that made history more interesting, typically focusing on the people in the stories as much as the events. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Allen was the son...
, who continued Lanigan's work in compiling biographical stats on players.
Lanigan was called "Ernie" by his friends. He was also given the not-necessarily-flattering nickname of "Figure Filbert" (or "Figger Filbert") by Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
, as a more poetic way of saying "numbers nut".
Lanigan affirmed that characterization, as he once confided to fellow baseball writer Fred Lieb
Fred Lieb
Frederick Lieb was an American sportswriter and baseball historian. He and his wife Mary were especially close to Lou Gehrig. Walter Brennan's character in the movie The Pride of the Yankees was loosely based on him...
: "I really don't care much about baseball, or looking at ball games, major or minor. All my interest in baseball is in its statistics. I want to know something about every major league ball player, not only what he is hitting, but his full name with all middle names and initials, where they were born, and where they live now." Lieb, who was still among the living at Lanigan's centennial in 1973, called him "the patron saint of SABR".
Primary source
- The Baseball Cyclopedia, 1922, available as a reprint from McFarland & CompanyMcFarland & CompanyMcFarland & Company, Inc. is a book publisher of primarily academic and adult nonfiction based in Jefferson, North Carolina. Its president and editor-in-chief is Robert Franklin, who began the enterprise in 1979...