Welcome to Borchert Field: Get Yer Tickets Here!

Welcome to Borchert Field: Get Yer Tickets Here!

New American Association Website

I'm pleased to announce a new domain name for my principal website concerning the history of the American Association. Because the registration on the old name (www.aaalmanac.com) expired July 3, I ran into quite a snag, and thought I had even lost my website .... again! Thankfully the problem has been solved and my website is now at

http://www.almanacfield.com

There you will find a plethora of information on a variety of levels, from stats to ballpark histories to listings on team managers. The site will be under construction for some time, but for now the basics are there. Please pay it a visit soon!

East Washington Street Park at Indianapolis

Last week my wife and I returned from a trip to Indianapolis where we both spent considerable time doing research at the city's new public library which is located just north of downtown. It is a marvelous facility, not without its problems, but overall it was a rewarding experience being there and I look forward to my next visit there.

The primary goal for my work at Indianapolis was to research the earliest ball park used by the Indianapolis Indians, the city's American Association franchise from 1902-62 (and brought back in subsequent reincarnations of the league). The park was known simply as Washington Park, but in light of the fact that another baseball park was built on Washington Street in 1931, distinguishing the two parks by a term other than merely "Washington" became necessary. The first Washington Park (my current focus) is referred to as East Washington Street Park in Michael Benson's landmark Ballparks of North America (1989) and was the home of the Indians from 1902-04. The second park, in used by the Indians from 1905-31, was also called Washington Park, but its location was west of central Indianapolis and hence is now referred to as West Washington Street Park.

In their essential work, The Magic of Indians' Baseball: 1887-1987, on the history of baseball in Indianapolis, Kim Rogers and David Reddick offer a comprehensive narrative documenting the evolution of the various Indianapolis teams, including their ownership, club leaders, and much more. But they aren't always as exact as would be preferred by those interested in nailing down specific dates. For example, it was difficult to determine just exactly when East Washington Street Park was built. Hence, my research at the Indianapolis Public Library commenced with a search for the answer to that basic question.

It was constructed on railroad-owned property during the winter of 1899-1900 at the intersection of East Washington and Gray Streets, south of Washington. The modest, all-wooden grandstand was built in the southwest corner of the lot, and was bounded on the south by Moore Avenue and the a large railyard. The railroad workers who would saunter by the ball field to watch the Indians practice became known as "railbirds."

The history of this park will be accounted for in a future issue of the American Associaton Almanac, likely during the summer of 2011.

Note: the image is from an original post card in my possession which depicts the park. The prevalence of cigar advertising along the outfield fence indicated a high degree of popularity of cigar smoking in Indianapolis during the turn of the century. It is not known whether the players on the field represent American Association teams or not; however, the appearance of two umpires suggest otherwise, as American Association contests at this time were likely to include one umpire.

Louisville's Parkway Field

Just finished the writing and producing the Spring issue (Vol. 8, No. 3) of the American Association Almanac on the topic of Parkway Field in Louisville, home to the Louisville Colonels from 1923-1956.

In many way it is a fun and fascinating story.

This issue is now on its way to the Almanac's 87 subscribers and is available to the general public at a cost of $10 postpaid.

Researched comprehensively throughout and containing numerous informative graphics, this issue of of the Almanac describes how Parkway Field came into being. Beginning with the early negotiations for land rights,this publication narrates the story of the Colonels’ home park from 1923-56.

A variety of pearls were unearthed in the telling of this story. The result is a 25,000-word edition filled with a variety of anecdotes and other "fun facts" sure to please even the most discriminating baseball history enthusiast. This is not a statistical compilation. Neither is it a picture book. It is baseball history at its leanest and meanest and includes the narrative of many “firsts” such as the pioneering of the legless seat in American baseball parks, the employment of the first female club treasurer and secretary (the Knebelkamp sisters) of a professional ball club, the appearance of five future Hall of Famers in one game, including Earle Combs, in the season’s home opener, and much more. Oh, and did I mention the Shannon brothers, Joe and Red? They were twins who opposed each other on the field during the Parkway Field inaugural against the Toledo Mud Hens on May 1, 1923.

Baseball fans will enjoy the expanse of details explored in this edition, including a detailed description of the Parkway Field opener, key dates during the 1923 season, critical physical features of Parkway Field, attendance patterns from 1923-56, and the four no-hitters, including the controversial performance by Tom “Lefty” Sunkel, the only no-hitter ever to occur during an American Association playoff game in September, 1946.

Numerous graphics, from photos to tables, enhance this high-powered edition. It may not be a Louisville Slugger, but its straight-grained, hardwood approach to baseball history will connect with your appetite for a good story that brings to mind the golden years of our grandparents' brand of baseball.

This limited edition of the American Association Almanac was originally published for subscribers, so please act promptly to insure your copy of this well documented and thoroughly researched account of early baseball in Louisville.

Please contact me at pureout@msn.com to find out how to order.

American Association Attendance Project

Thought it was time to give a quick run-down on the American Association attendance project I have underway concerning the early years of the American Association. Cumulative team data reflecting paid attendance for the years 1902-1907 were missing in the published league report, and with the exception of 1902 (I found attendance records in the Reach American Association Guide for that year), the remainder of the records are missing.

In order to obtain these records, a game-by-game listing of attendance figures must be collected and verified using comparative data from a variety of sources. This process has been rewarding, but it is laborious and time consuming. It promises to become even more so as time goes by. I am using microfilm at Wilson Library on the University of Minnesota campus.

Last summer I created a book proposal on the topic of the rivalry between the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints. The proposal described the importance of attendance patterns of the two teams. In December I set about compiling the attendance data and I am now midway through the 1907 season, having compiled records from four different sources. I originally was going to use only one source, but it soon became apparent how there really was no such thing as a verifiable number which one could look at and say, OK, there were 2,345 fans at the Saints game in St. Paul on August 18, 1902. A second source might easily give a different number. The project has evolved to include as many local sources from road games as I can put my hands on via interlibrary loan. So it takes me a few additional months (or years) to complete...

Now that I have the data entered for the 1902 St. Paul Saints, here's a brief summary of my findings. It includes home and away games and is largely complete.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press was a "reliable" record for the majority of the attendance figures for the 141-game 1902 season, reliable in the sense that it included data for 123 of 141 games, or 87%.

The Minneapolis Journal and Minneapolis Tribune were used to verify the figures used by the Pioneer Press. The process was straightforward. After compiling the data for every game from the Pioneer Press, I used the Tribune, compared the figures, listed them, and went on to the Journal with which I repeated the process. I will expand the list of newspapers used to for verification purposes to include the St. Paul Daily News, the St. Paul Dispatch, the St. Paul Globe and the Minneapolis Times. This will help establish a greater degree of reliability for each figure, as well as for the final annual total for both the team and the league.

As mentioned previously, 123 records were found in the Pioneer Press.

Seven records were found in the Minneapolis Journal which were not in the Pioneer Press.

Seven records were found in the Minneapolis Tribune which were not in the Pioneer Press.

Most often these combined 14 records included road games.

A combined 10 records from both the Minneapolis Journal and Tribune conflicted with the figure presented in the Pioneer Press. The nature of these conflicting records varied. The ranged from what appeared to be typos (e.g., 672 vs. 622) to unreliably distinct figures (e.g., 8,347 vs. 5,798).

Often, published figures were rounded, e.g., each figure ends in either one or two zeros. This tendency increased as time progressed; in fact, after 1902 attendance reporting became much less frequent, as papers would report the attendance for the home team and ignore the others (speaking here on the American Association alone).

At this time the St. Paul Saints played their weekday and Sunday games at Lexington Park. The largest verifiable figure for a home game at St. Paul in 1902 was found for the game of July 6 featuring the Millers and Saints. It was a Sunday game (Sundays were often a club's money maker) which was decided by a score of 1-0 in favor of Minneapolis.

The largest unverified attendance figure was reported in the Minneapolis Tribune for the game of May 18 (also a Sunday) against the Louisville Colonels. The Tribune reported 8,347 in attendance, while the Pioneer Press reported 5,798. I tend to support the notion that the local paper will be more reliable in such a case, but there are arguments both ways. This is an example of the need to look at several sources to determine which figure may be more accurate. It is also possible that both numbers were technically correct, as the latter figure may represent the seating capacity while the larger figure could include those who overflowed onto the playing field (a common practice at the time).

The smallest crowd at Lexington Park in 1902 came September 12 as the Saints hosted the Toledo Mud Hens. An attendance figure of 93 was reported for this Friday event. Could be the weather was bad. Imagine such a game going extra innings, as in all likelihood there may not have been anyone left by the time darkness finally descended! The Saints won, 8-6, in regulation.

The largest crowd drawn by the Saints on the road was in the early going at Indianapolis when 10,004 fans packed East Washington Street Park. The Indians went on to win the American Association championship in a nail-biter that year, the first season of the independent league's existence.

The Saints finished the season with a record of 72-67 in third place.

Order Your 2010 American Association Collectible Wall Calendar

For the past five years I've offered my subscribers a chance to order a wall calendar featuring vintage American Association photos for each month. This year I'm expanding my range by offering the calendar to readers of my online services, namely this blog and the blog I maintain at www.theoldaa.wordpress.com.

You are being hereby invited to order the 2010 edition of the American Association's Collectible Wall Calendar, so consider this your formal invitation!

The calendar, 11x17 in its finished format, is entirely designed, created, researched and produced by yours truly. I believe you will find this a handsome and unique addition to your wall space, one you'll enjoy using throughout the year. This year's calendar will be the most comprehensive and replete edition yet.

With gift-giving season approaching, now is the time to make those holiday plans. The uniqueness of this handcrafted item makes a suitable gift for the discriminating receiver in your circle of friends or family.

Boasting 12 exciting historical American Association photos, including stadiums, team photos, the story of this intriguing regional minor league will unfold before your eyes on a daily basis. It is highly unlikely you have ever seen even one of these photos in the past. One color photograph is included in the lineup for 2010, and each of the eight teams, including the Columbus Red Birds, the Indianapolis Indians, the Louisville Colonels, the Kansas City Blues, Milwaukee Brewers, Minneapolis Millers and Toledo Mud Hens is represented at least once. Each photo is chosen on the merits of its uniqueness in the photographic annals of baseball history.

The 2010 American Association Collectible Wall Calendar will make a useful and practical office adjunct, and is suitable as the ideal gift-giving option. Proceeds from the sales of the calendars help offset my research costs. As an independent researcher and writer, I am not paid by an entity of any kind, and in order to maintain my operations I must seek alternative funding methods, such as selling the calendars, as a way to offset my general costs.

The cost of this year's calendar is $20 including shipping. Multiple orders will require additional shipping, rate to be determined. Combine your orders with a subscription and save!

For those contemplating subscribing to the Almanac, you may purchase a calendar at 10% off for a single-year subscription ($18) or 15% off for two-year subscriptions ($36).

Order by December 1 to assure prompt holiday delivery. You will not be disappointed in this year's edition, with its plethora of fascinating facts, player birthdays, player death days, and your traditional calendaric information.

I strongly recommend placing your orders soon as I print these on a very limited basis.

And thanks again for your interest in the old American Association!

Wrap Up on the 1909 American Association Season and Key Louisville Stats

Two games were played to wrap up the 1909 American Association season, both at Swayne Field in Toledo. The results from those games are provided here for the sake of completeness.

Game 1
Toledo Mud Hens.....5
Minneapolis Millers.....3
After jumping on Irv Young for four runs in the first inning, the Mud Hens kept the Millers at bay as Earl "Chink" Yingling picked up the win during Game one of this Monday doubleheader. Toledo first-baseman, and former Miller, Jeremiah "Buck" Freeman, homered for the Hens in that productive first frame.

Game 2
Minneapolis Millers.....5
Toledo Mud Hens.....3 (five innings)
The Millers flipped it around on the hosts in Game two in the league's season finale. After grabbing a two-run lead in the second, the Hens gave up a pair in the fourth, and reclaimed the lead in their half of the fourth with one run. But the Millers rallied with three runs in the fifth and final frame, and the Hens could not answer. Tom Hughes the winner for the visitors; lefty Frederick Donovan took the loss.

A note concerning the final standings. There is some confusion over the exact record for each of the three contending teams, as the running tally presented in this blog in the past week does not line up with the record posted in Sporting Life; likely, a few box scores were omitted at some point during the season.

Here are the final standings as published in Sporting Life and substantiated by Marshall Wright's American Association roster book (1994):

Louisville.....93-75
Milwaukee.....90-77
Minneapolis.....88-79
Indianapolis.....83-85
St. Paul.....80-83
Toledo.....80-86
Columbus.....80-87
Kansas City.....71-93

Here is a summary of the pennant race published in the October 9, 1909 edition of Sporting Life:

END OF THE CAMPAIGN

The Eighth Consecutive Race of the Great Organization Results in Louisville's Triumph After the Closest Race in the
History of the Association.

The eighth annual championship race of the American Association, which began April 14, ended September 27, during which time this organization achieved the unprecedented feat of crowding in and playing out a 168-game schedule. The 1909 race was the closest and most remarkable in the history of this organization. From start to finish four teams -- Milwaukee, Louisville, Minneapolis and Indianapolis -- made a desperate fight for the flag, and each in turn at some time seemed destined to land the prize. At the same time no a team was ever out of the race until towards the end. In the last month of the campaign the fight had apparently narrowed down to Milwaukee and Minneapolis, with chances favoring the former. But in the last week of the season Louisville took advantage of a temporary faltering of the leaders, brought itself abreast of them, and two days before the season closed the Colonels went to the front and remained there to the close, thus giving Louisville the American Association championship for the first time. Milwaukee's great work of 1909 under [Louisville native] John McCloskey's management, was rewarded with the [second] place -- a great gain over last year when the Brewers finished sixth. Minneapolis also made a tremendous gain in finishing third as against fifth last year. The champion Indianapolis team was left at the post, but later braced up and made a long and game struggle to overcome the handicap of a miserable start -- an effort which, contrary to expectations, was rewarded with the respectable fourth place. St. Paul, under Mike kelley's management, recovered much of its ancient power and prestige and finished a close fifth, as against last in 1908. Toledo and Columbus were the sole disappointments of the season, the Mudhens dropping from the first division to a sixth place finish this year and Columbus falling from third last year to seventh this season. The closeness of the race is demonstrated by the fact that there was a difference of only 121 percentage points between the championship team and the tail-ender. The high class of ball tendered the patrons of the American Association was appreciated and the attendance exceeded even the liberal total of last year, every club thus clearing more or less profit. The affairs of the league were well conducted by President [Joseph] O'Brien and there was general good order on the field and a remarkable absence of contention among the magnates.

###

Some Key Louisville Stats

Team vs. team won-loss records for 1909:
vs. Milwaukee: 9-15
vs. Minneapolis: 11-13
vs. Indianapolis: 15-9
vs. St. Paul: 14-10

Louisville Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Jack Dunleavy (OF), .244
Runs Scored: Orville Woodruff (OF/3b), 66
Hits: Emery Olson (2b), 151
Doubles: Emery Olson and Frank Delahanty (OF), 22
Triples: Emery Olson and Orville Woodruff, 7
Home Runs: Frank Delahanty, 3
Stolen Bases: Emery Olson and Jack Dunleavy, 34
Games Played: Emery Olson, 170
Games Played at Position: Emery Olson, 167 (2b)

Louisville Pitching Leaders
Wins: Orville Selby, 20
Winning Percentage: Orville Selby, .606
Games: Orville Selby, 41
Innings Pitched: Orville Selby, 305
Strikeouts: Bill Hogg, 125

Louisville Offensive Team Rankings
Runs Scored: 7th (511)
Hits: 6th (1,237)
Doubles: 7th (169)
Triples: 5th (42)
Home Runs: 6th (13)
Stolen Bases: 1st (203)
Batting Average: 6th (.233)
The cumulative league batting average: .237

Despite the statistical breakdown shown above, Louisville was able to use its strength in pitching to out-duel the other seven American Association teams. After its second-place finish in 1908 (88-65), the Colonels capitalized on a late-season surge to surpass the front-runners, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, pulling away in the final days of the season to nail down the American Association crown for 1909.

Hail to the Champs, the 1909 Louisville Colonels,
One Hundred Years ago Today!