Sorry for the delay, my Internet went kaput
1840s, Hoboken, NJ
Shank Jenkins kept returning week after week to play his favorite game of baseball on the Elysian Fields. He never grew tired of it, even though he still wasn't very good.
His team almost always lost, but sometimes they managed to pull a win out of thin air. Nobody, including the winners, knew how it happened. All they knew is that they were really happy that they actually won.
One day, Shank's team came to the fields ready to win a third straight game. That's right, three in a row. It was the first time it had ever happened. They were talking excitedly among themselves when a man came sprinting up to them shouting "Fellows, I have something for you!" He explained that he had just come from the home of Alexander Cartwright. Cartwright had a very important document that he addressed to them. It hadn't been open yet, but Shank fixed that, tearing the envelope open. He briefly skimmed it, and then announced proudly to his teammates that they were the official rules of baseball. Word got spread to the opposing team, and they all decided to play by Cartwright's rules.
Shank's team turned out to be winners, mostly because of the new rules, which favored their playing style.
By morning, word had spread of the new rules. The vast majority had deemed them 'Knickerbocker Rules'. The reaction to them appeared to be favorably.
With the next week came the ever-present baseball game. Or so they thought. As it turns out, the field was being occupied. Shank asked a man what was happening. He told them that two baseball clubs were playing here. They were the New York Nine and the New York Knickerbockers.
Shank settled in midway between third base and home plate to watch. He was astonished by the skill and speed of the players. He thought that he would never be as good as them. Even so, he was engrossed by the game and watched every pitch of a 23-1 blowout by the New York Nine.
He took his thoughts home. He had almost come to making a very important decision, but decided to sleep on it.
When he woke up the next morning, the choice was clear.
Wilson Albert 'Shank' Jenkins was quitting baseball.