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Showing posts from 2016
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Just for fun: It stood for over 50 years as host to the American Association's Milwaukee Brewers. Built in 1888, Borchert Field, originally Milwaukee Athletic Park, had a storied past. This photographic image served as the basis for one of the most attractive ballpark postcards of the pre-War era. Here is the photo, followed by the postcard. This little item can cost you big time if it's a seller's market. Just ask me. It appears on the back of my book, The American Association Milwaukee Brewers, published by Arcadia in 2004. And always remember: The past did not take place in black and white....

Colorful Firsts (...names, that is)

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Just for Fun After finishing up the task of compiling the complete player roster for each Season Opener for American Association teams from 1902 to 1911, the notion of doing something "light" crossed my mind. It occurred to me that the first names of this era were often colorful ones. Here is a sampling of some of a handful of them. All told, 438 players (pitcher included) comprised the Opening Day rosters for the eight teams comprising the American Association during the league's first decade. (Please note: each name appears as it is listed on baseball-reference.com ): Chick, Jap, Shad, Quait, Heinie, Rivington, Bruno, Sylvester, Rip, Chappie, Pep, Boileryard, Bunk, Gavvy, Dode, Jiggs, She, Hobe (HO-bee), Peaches and Steamer. The corresponding surnames: Chick Autry (see photo below), Jap Barbeau, Quait Bateman, Heinie Peitz, Rivington Bisland, Bruno Block, Sylvester Loucks, Rip Cannell, Chappie Charles, Pep (Harry) Clark, Boileryard Clarke, Bunk Congalton, Gavv

The Season Openers: 1902 to 1931

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Work began in September for the Spring 2017 issue of the American Association Almanac (paper; $24/yr or $42/2 yrs by subscription). It will present a detailed analysis of both the player records and team records for 120 American Association Season Openers during the period 1902 to 1931. The following 30 years will be published the following year. Here is a listing of the results of those contests, followed by a sample section from the main database. American Association Results of Season Openers: 1902 to 1931* April 23, 1902 Columbus 5 vs. Minneapolis 0 Indianapolis 5 vs. Milwaukee 4 Kansas City 16 @ Louisville 6 Toledo 8 vs. St. Paul 7 (10.5.2) April 22, 1903 Columbus 2 @ Toledo 0 Indianapolis 4 @ Louisville 2 (10) Kansas City 8 vs. Minneapolis 4 Milwaukee 10 vs. St. Paul 7 April 20, 1904 Indianapolis 6 vs. Kansas City 3 Louisville 9 vs. Milwaukee 1 Minneapolis 5 @ Toledo 4 St. Paul 7 @ Columbus 1 April 19, 1905 Columbus 6 vs. Minneapolis 1 Kansas City 8 @ Toledo 3 Louisville

Ballparks of Indianapolis, Part 3

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Hot off the presses! (actually, just my faithful -- usually -- little laser-jet printer) This issue of the American Association Almanac breaks new ground, offering a statistical record of the American Association games played at West Washington Street Park, home of the Indianapolis Indians from 1905 to 1931. Three back pages are dedicated to the all-time records achieved at Washington Park. Finally, a "Gone With the Great Majority" section provides a brief necrology of former American Association players. Here's a pair of sample pages which accurately represent the entire contents:  __________________________________________________________ And here's a look at the front cover: __________________________________________________________ The back cover is informative as well, with a focus on the role played by the Indianapolis Indians in the very first American Association night game: _________________________________________________________

Ballparks of Indianapolis, Part 2

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In January, 2016 the American Association Almanac published Vol. 12, No. 1 covering West Washington Street Park, the home of the Indianapolis Indians from 1905 to 1931. It focused on the 1905 season and provided considerable details on how the park evolved during the course of its lifetime. Here are a few peeks at its contents. Front Cover Back Cover Sample Pages Promotional Flyer  Copies Available, Order Yours Today! Combine with a two-year subscription ($42.00) and receive one issue free! Rex Hamann pureout@msn.com

Ballparks of Indianapolis: Part I of a Series

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This week I am publishing (on paper) the third in a series on the American Association Ballparks of Indianapolis. Volume 12, No. 2 of the American Association Almanac for Summer 2016 will be mailed to subscribers in a few days. But because I've been so delinquent posting on this website, I wanted to provide some background on the series The first of the set (Vol. 11, No. 2) discusses East Washington Street Park (which would have been known at the time as simply Washington Park or Gray Street Grounds). The inside front cover lists the topics and provides a diagram of the playing field and stands. Here is an excerpt: Introduction     One of the shortest-lived ball parks in American Association history, East Washington Street Park, or simply Washington Park, had a colorful history. It was located on the far east side of Indianapolis and hosted the to the Association’s Indians from 1902 to 1904. The home venue of the league’s first champion, it became the stage for advancing t