Said to have been the first official scorer, Rankin had a bitter running argument with Henry Chadwick over who deserved the title “Father of Baseball.” Rankin claimed he began writing about baseball while Chadwick was still covering cricket, but Chadwick gained the greater recognition. Rankin was with the New York Clipper for 30 years, succeeding Al Wright as editor. He left an extensive baseball library, having saved everything of interest from the time he first covered the game.