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Showing posts from 2008

Pitcher Rollie Stiles, 1906-2007

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Rollie Stiles, RHP 1932 and 1934 Milwaukee Brewers 1934-36 Kansas City Blues b. November 17, 1906 at Ratcliff, Arkansas d. July 22, 2007 at St. Louis, Missouri Resurrection Cemetery, St. Louis For some time, Rolland Mays “Lena” Stiles, or “Leapin’ Lena,” held a unique distinction among former major league ballplayers. With the passing of former Pittsburgh Pirate infielder Howdy (Howard) Groskloss on July 15, 2006, Stiles became the reigning dean of the major leagues, the oldest living former big leaguer. With his passing, Billy Werber (TOL-31), who turned 100 on June 20, 2008, took over as the oldest living major league player. At the time of Stiles’ death, the oldest former professional player alive was, and still is, former Negro Leaguer Emilio Navarro at 102 year of age. But how did he get that nickname? According to Joan M. Thomas, who interviewed Stiles in 2004, it originated with catcher Paul Richards (MIN-32): "When Rollie leapt to catch a batted ball, Richards, an oppos

Chasing the Colonels: Compiling the Early Stats

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Today is Saturday, October 18, 2008. I have just spent the last eight days developing a comprehensive roster listing for the 1903 Louisville Colonels. I’ve been doing nearly nothing but working on this. But that’s how long it takes. And there are portions of the record which remain incomplete. But more on that later. Roughly 14 months ago I began the task of compiling the complete rosters for the American Association’s Louisville Colonels form 1902-1954. After completing the initial steps in the process, I was able to advance through the 1915 season before it was time to begin “fleshing out” the roster for each year. A few weeks ago I started with the 1912 season because I knew it would be one of the most demanding, considering that the team had nearly 50 players on its roster at one point or another (at this point I should define “complete roster” -- the approach I’m taking involves establishing the record for each active player, so anyone who did not actually

Lally and Marion Gravestones in Place

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As published in the Volume 7, Number 2 edition of the American Association Almanac: After over 70 years, there are now grave markers in place at the graves of Dan Marion and Dan Lally. Please see the April 15 edition of this blog. On July 30, my wife, Keitha, and I oversaw the grave marker dedication for these two pro ballplayers whose careers were outstanding and whose lives were tragic. A fund-raising effort by the subscribers to my American Association Almanac resulted in the purchase of the granite gravestones now in place at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My dedication address which follows was read at the graves of each player. For more information on Dan Lally and Dan Marion please see www.baseball-reference.com or you may purchase a copy of the recently released edition of the American Association Almanac through the store at www.AmericanAssociationAlmanac.com The Dedication Address was given July 30, 2008 at Milwaukee: On July 30, one of the warmest days in Mi

Hank Gehring, Savvy St. Paul Spitball Artist

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I'm currently working on a short biography of Henry "Hank" Gehring, a pitcher during the early years who pitched in various leagues, including the American Association. I wanted to write about him after being invited to write a different bio for a book the local SABR chapter is preparing on Minnesota-born ballplayers. It took some doing, but I convinced the group that Gehring was someone who should not be left out of this compendium, despite his limited experience in the major leagues. His story is both relevant and poignant. Gehring became a major leaguer in 1907 when he was called up to the American League's Washington Senators. He'd been with Des Moines of the Western League where the manager, Mike Kelley, had a connection with Joe Cantillon, the manager of the Senators. Born in the heart of St. Paul to a family of Swiss immigrants in 1881, Gehring was the sixth born of nine children, the first U.S.-born son of John and Annie Gehring. He was married to Bertha H

Red Bird Stadium Issue

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It's been a few weeks since I was finally able to get Volume 7, Number 1 of the American Association Almanac out the door. The big surprise was that I just happened to hit the exact first date of the new postal rate hike increase. So instead of it costing me 80 cents to send each issue to my roughly 100 subscribers, it cost me $1.38. Not sure how long I can sustain this business with costs like those. Needless to say there will be a rate increase starting with the summer issue which will be announced in a future blog here. This is a very dense issue. Basic Facts for Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2008 The title is "Red Bird Stadium in Columbus, Ohio: A Comprehensive Early History." 63 pages; 34,000+ words Set in Garamond 10 pt. One-column format; a departure from the two-column format I've been using the last few years. 35 separate references listed. Cost: $8.00 (you're getting your money's worth) Table of Contents includes: Player Introductions Attendance Trends Backg

Red Bird Stadium in Columbus, Ohio: Day 1

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KEN ASH “And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are your starting lineups for this afternoon’s ball game...” The deep-voiced public address announcer sent his richly hued sound waves reverberating through the humming grandstand on a sweltering late spring day at Columbus’s brand new ballpark. Calling fans to its attention, the resonant voice was as welcoming as a lighthouse spotlight to a wayfaring ship. It welcomed baseball fans from near and far who were milling about the grandstand, settling into their seats, and waiting expectantly for the grand occasion of the day to get underway. It represented the start of a new and hopeful era in Columbus as played out upon a virgin sea of green. Friday, June 3, 1932. The day had finally arrived. A heat wave engulfed the city. Temperature reports on city streets reached the mid-90’s by midday, although the

Born on this Date: Nick Polly

Slugger Nick Polly was born on this date, April 18, 1917, in Chicago. He joined the American Association as a Louisville Colonel in 1944, leading the league in RBI with 120 and walks with 147 while posting a batting average of .290. He led the third-place Colonels with 20 home runs while covering the hot corner 142 games. In 1945, Polly's second and final season in the Association, he split between Louisville and Toledo, appearing in 118 games while doing outfield duty (33 games) and covering third base (79 games) while chalking up a .314 batting mark with nine home runs. Born Nicholas Joseph Polachanin, the 5' 11", 190 lb. third baseman/outfielder made his major league debut on Sept. 11, 1937. Polly died January 17, 1993 in Chicago. For more on Polly, go to: http://minors.sabrwebs.com/cgi-bin/player.php?milbID=polly-001nic visit the Almanac's home website: www.americanassociationalmanac.com

Grave Markers for Dan Lally and Dan Marion

All the details have now been finalized, including the design for each grave marker selected. Payment has now been made. Last week I met with Ed Thompson of the Milwaukee Archdiocese Cemeteries at Mount Olivet Cemetery and discussed the arrangements with him. There will be an hour-long ceremony at Mount Olivet Cemetery on July 30 at 3 p.m. The cemetery is located at S. 35th and Morgan. It will honor the memory and baseball playing career of each player, Dan Lally and Donald "Dan" Marion. Marion was a pitcher who died in 1933. Lally was an outfielder who died as a resident of the Milwaukee County Insane Asylum (county grounds) in 1936. The major league record of both players may be accessed through baseball-reference.com. Each player had a career in the American Association, Lally with Minneapolis and Marion with Milwaukee. According to Minor League Registry, Lally was committed to the Wisconsin State Asylum in 1910, located in what is known as the Milwaukee County Grounds. I

Death of Tommy Holmes

The baseball world lost one of the grand survivors of the golden age of baseball when Tommy Holmes died. Although his career in the American Association was scant, the former Dodger and Brave had played under Bill Meyer as a Kansas City Blues outfielder in seven games, hitting .150 in 20 at-bats before moving on to the Newark Bears. Both teams were double-A affiliates of the New York Yankees. The Brooklyn, NY native was 22 as a Kansas City Blue. At the time of his death, Holmes had celebrated his 91st birthday only a two weeks prior.

Contact the American Association Almanac

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If you wish to contact the American Association Almanac for answers to questions or comments you might have, please email me at pureout@msn.com There is no advertising accepted in the American Association Almanac. To subscribe to the American Association Almanac, you have a few different options. Option 1: Subscribe for one year. You get three issues, Spring, Summer and Fall. The cost is $18.00. Option 2: Subscribe for two years. You get six issues. Cost is $32.00. Option 3: Become a Lifetime Subscriber. Ten years guaranteed. Cost: $150.00. Option 4: Become a Benefactor of the Almanac. Minimum donation: $200.00. Monies donated to the American Association Almanac are used to further the cause of researching the information used in this publication. Starting with the Spring issue of 2008, all benefactors will have their name published in each subsequent issue. Back issues are available on a per unit basis or as a complete set. Please contact me for details.

Spring 2008 Almanac in Progress

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The spring 2008 edition of the American Association Almanac is well underway and should be in the mail in two weeks, gods and goddesses willing. It will contain numerous photos and other graphics, including editorial cartoons published in local period newspapers. The topic of the spring issue centers on Red Bird Stadium in Columbus, Ohio which was built in 1932. This ballpark is still in existence and is in its last year of use by a professional baseball team. Now the home of the Columbus Clippers, an affiliate of the National League's Washington Nationals, the park is known as Cooper Stadium after a city father who helped promote the rejuvenation of the park some years back. As an American Association venue, Red Bird Stadium was in use from 1932 through the 1954 season when the Columbus Red Birds played there. The club was originally known as the Columbus Senators as an inaugural member of the American Association in 1902. They initially played their games at Neil Park, but the st