The American Association Almanac

Welcome to Borchert Field: Get Yer Tickets Here!

2011-10-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Borchert Field: Get Yer Tickets Here!

New American Association Website

2010-07-13T23:32:00.004-05:00

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

2010-07-05T09:21:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-12T09:07:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-24T16:23:00.003-06:00

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

2009-10-31T09:05:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-28T22:42:00.005-05:00

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!

Vintage Baseball Cards from 1909

2009-09-28T13:01:00.003-05:00

The American Association is fairly well-represented in the T-206 set of vintage tobacco cards from 1909. Here is a link for some Louisville samples, in celebration of their magical capture of the American Association flag..."one hundred years ago today!"

http://baseballcards.galib.uga.edu/cgi/bball?action=query&term_a=louisville&index_a=kw&grid=3&format=_contact&_cc=1

Games of Sunday, Sept. 26, 1909

2009-09-27T20:11:00.003-05:00

With the pennant sewn up by the Louisville Colonels, it's a moot point to include the scores but for the sake of completeness, here are today's games for the top three finishers:

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Game 1
Louisville Colonels.....6
Kansas City Blues.....5
The Colonels surmounted a rally after being down 4-0 after one inning of play, scoring three in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth frames. Hippo Vaughn the winnder, Gus Dorner the loser.

Game 2
Kansas City Blues.....5
Louisville Colonels.....3 (seven innings)
Again the Blues scored four in the first inning as John Clayton, appearing in only his fourth game of the season (his first was August 23), lasted only two-thirds of an inning before Gene Packard came on in relief. The Blues' "Vinegar Bill" Essick was the winner in a complete game performance against the champion Colonels. This was the final game of the season for both teams.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Game 1
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Nick Altrock contained the Hens on five hits as the Millers scored single runs in each of the first three innings in this inconsequential battle. Catcher Joe Rapp had three hits for the visitors.

Game 2
Toledo Mud Hens.....10
Minneapolis Millers.....3
The Hens had their whoopin' sticks out against Lou Fiene in this six inning game. Eight Minneapolis errors contributed to their loss, but Toledo won by "hard, consecutive hitting," according to Sporting Life.

At Neil Park in Columbus
Game 1
Milwaukee Brewers.....10
Columbus Senators.....9
Despite seven late-inning runs posted by the home team, the Brewers held on for the win in a game featuring offense, the Senators with 14, Milwaukee with 15. A home run by catcher Tony James was a highlight for Columbus. The Brews sent six runs across the plate in the sixth.

Game 2
Columbus Senators.....5
Milwaukee Brewers.....4 (five innings)
The Senators evened things up with a rally in their last inning, scoring three off Frank Schneiberg, despite 14 Milwaukee safeties. This game ended the season for both teams.

And that's your American Association scoreboard for the final Sunday games of the 1909 Championship campaign. Tomorrow a summary of the season presented in Sporting Life will be provided.

Louisville Clinches!

2009-09-26T22:13:00.005-05:00

Games of Saturday, Sept. 25, 1909

At Eclipse Park, Louisville
Louisville Colonels.....4
Kansas City Blues....2
Jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning set the Colonels up for the most important victory in the history of their American Association franchise. Jake Thielman held the Blues scoreless until the sixth, making it a one-run game. In the Louisville eighth the hosts padded their lead with a pair, and KC answered with a lone tally in the ninth. But it wasn't enough, as the Louisville Colonels nailed down the victory and clinched the American Association pennant in the process, the Brewers splitting their doubleheader in Columbus. It was an unusual contest, the Blues out-hitting the Colonels 11-4. But things were going Louisville's way the past two weeks and this game was no exception. Former Colonel hurler Patsy Flaherty the unlikely loser in this one.

At Neil Park, Columbus
Game 1
Milwaukee Brewers.....6
Columbus Senators.....0
Milwaukee native Lou Manske shut down the hosts on four hits while the Brewers ganged up on Rube Geyer with five runs in the third inning. The victory was Milwaukee's first of the 1909 campaign in Columbus.

Game 2
Columbus Senators.....4
Milwaukee Brewers.....3
The Brewers needed this game to stay in contention for the pennant, but the Senators pulled out a win with a two-out run in the ninth, dashing Milwaukee's hopes for their first American Association pennant. Stoney McGlynn, the iron man of the Milwaukee mound corps, was the loser, getting little support as the Brewers had only two hits; they took advantage of Columbus' five errors in scoring three runs to tie the game in the fourth. Clyde Goodwin brought home the win in the Senators' spoiler role, not only by pitching well, but by scoring the winning run. Sporting Life: "Goodwin beat McGlynn in the second game, scoring the winning run himself in the ninth on a lucky single and Josh Clarke's hit to the fence. Milwaukee got its three runs without the aid of a hit."

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Game 1
Toledo Mud Hens.....7
Minneapolis Millers.....2
Dan McSurdy the winner, Tom Hughes the loser. The hosts put up four runs in the second to seal their advantage.

Game 2
Toledo Mud Hens.....6
Minneapolis Millers.....2 (five innings)
By dropping both games of the twin-bill the Millers took themselves out of contention and allowed Louisville to clinch. Toledo scored in each of the four innings they took their at-bats off Roy Patterson. Ray Hancock the winning hurler for the Hens.

By clinching the pennant, Louisville would have their first league championship in the American Association. And that's your update for Saturday, Sept. 25, 1909, one hundred years ago today! More to follow.....stay tuned!

The 1909 Championship Race Winds Down

2009-09-25T21:57:00.004-05:00

Friday, September 24, 1909

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Louisville Colonels.....4
Kansas City Blues.....1
The Colonels gain a game over the Brewers in the pennant race by defeating Kansas City. The Blues jumped out to an early lead against Jack Halla in the second, but the Colonels come back in the third with a pair. Those runs proved all they'd need in wrapping up another win. Halla was relieved in the second by Gene Packard who sewed up the victory for the hosts. Colonels center-fielder Frank Delahanty hit a home run to thrill the home crowd and boost the club's chances against a tough left-hander, Billy Campbell. It was an important win for Louisville in combination with the Milwaukee loss in Columbus.

At Columbus' Neil Park
Columbus Senators.....4
Milwaukee Brewers.....2
The Senators dampen Milwaukee's chances in the pennant race by scoring three runs in the eighth frame off Brewer starter Charlie Wacker who absorbed the loss in this critical game. The Brewers fall to 88-75 and are now a game and a half behind the Colonels in the race for the flag. According to Sporting Life, "Al Nelson (RHP), who should have been scored upon, started a batting rally in the eighth that gave Columbus the first game of the series. He sent a two-bagger to left centre. Bill Ludwig erred when Josh Clarke bunted. Quinlan sacrificed. Art Krueger went out, but Bunk Congalton and Fred Odwell made singles, putting the game out of reach of the second place club." (first names added; note spelling of "center").

Minneapolis was off today.

And that's your scoreboard for Friday, Sept. 24, 1909 as this thrilling pennant race begins to wind down! Stay tuned.......

And that's y

Pennant Race Update for Thursday, Sept. 23, 1909

2009-09-24T20:31:00.003-05:00

At Swayne Field, Toledo
For the second straight day a doubleheader was on the docket against the Mud Hens and Milwaukee Brewers but the second game was called because of darkness after six inning with neither team scoring.
Game 1
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Milwaukee Brewers.....1
Milwaukee's Stoney McGlynn held the Hens to four hits in eight innings but yielded two runs in the fourth which proved the deciding factor in the loss, the Brewers getting nine scattered hits of Toledo's Karl Robinson.

Game 2
Called due to darkness after six innings.

At Eclipse Park in Louisville
St. Paul Saints.....3
Louisville Colonels.....1
St. Paul scored a pair in the third and were never behind after that. Louis Leroy the winner, Bill Hogg the loser as both pitchers went the distance. The Saints outhit the front-running Colonels, 11-4.

At Neil Park in Columbus
The Minneapolis Millers and Columbus Senators game was washed out by rain. The Millers gain a half-game on Louisville in the standings.

And that's your abbreviated American Association scoreboard for Thursday, Sept. 23, 1909, one hundred years ago today!

Pennant Race Update for Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1909

2009-09-23T20:29:00.003-05:00

The Louisville Colonels take over first place with a sweep of their doubleheader against the St. Paul Saints.

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Game 1
Louisville Colonels.....4
St. Paul Saints.....2
By the time the Saints scored their runs in the sixth, the Colonels already had three, tacking on an insurance run in the eighth to get the "W" for Hippo Vaughn, Elmer Steele the loser. Vaughn had a home run on his own behalf.

Game 2
Louisville Colonels.....8
St. Paul Saints.....4 (seven innings)
Louisville bats busted out in the first inning with six runs, deciding the game early as Frank Decanniere went the whole route in this abbreviated contest, Hank Gehring the loser. The Colonels take over first place from Milwaukee with wins 87 and 88.

At Toledo's Swayne Field
Game 1
Toledo Mud Hens.....6
Milwaukee Brewers.....2
The Hens score a pair in the first inning and go on to take the first game of a doubleheader, Hi West the winner, Paul Stowers the loser as the Brewers lose ground to the Colonels in the great pennant race of 1909.

Game 2
After six innings the came was called due to darkness with no runs being scored by either team.

At Neil Park in Columbus
Game 1
Columbus Senators.....4
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Sporting Life: "Columbus practically spoiled the pennant chances of Minneapolis by takng both games of the double-header. Shortstop Andy Oyler, of Minneapolis, was hit in the head by a pitched ball in the eigth inning of the first game and was taken to the hospital. He will be laid up for some time. The Minneapolis third baseman, Jimmy Collins, injured a shoulder sliding to second in the seventh, but kept at play until the tenth inning when hits by Clyde Goodwin and Larry Quinlan decided the game." Clyde Goodwin the winner, Irving Young the loser.

Game 2
Columbus Senators.....5
Minneapolis Millers.....4
Sporting News: At intervals in the second game, which Columbus won by a narrow margin, Umpire Hayes was busy having particiapants removed from the field. President Mike Cantillon and player Otis Clymer, of the Minneapolis Club, were banished. Outfielder Josh Clarke, of Columbus, was benched in the eighth. Quinlan and Congalton made hits in the seventh, giving Columbus the deciding run. Fred Link the winner, Lou Fiene the loser.

The second-division teams play spoiler in the race for the flag today, the Brewers and Millers being victimized and getting knocked down a few pegs in the standings. Here's how the standings look including games played today:

Louisville.....88-72..... .550
Milwaukee....88-73.... .547
Minneapolis...85-73.... .538

And that's your update for Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1909, as the race stays tight and the Colonels grab the top rung...one hundred years ago today!...to be continued.....

1909 Pennant Race Update: Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1909

2009-09-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Game 1
Louisville Colonels.....2
St. Paul Saints.....1
Both clubs mustered only four hits each in a classic pitcher's duel, as the Colonels maintained their surge in the standings. A recent arrival (9/14), center-fielder Ernie Diehl, belted a home run, no easy task at Eclipse Park. Louisville's two-run first held for pitcher Bill Hogg; Charlie Chech was the loser.

Game 2
Louisville Colonels.....3
St. Paul Saints.....2
A three-run rally in the seventh frame sealed the tilt for the Colonels as they completed the sweep against the Saints in another very close game. Orville Kilroy was the loser as Gene Packard the winner in this abbreviated affair, as darkness descended. The Colonels gain a half-game on Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

At Toledo's Swayne Field
Milwaukee Brewers.....6
Toledo Mud Hens.....1
With the win the Brewers lost only a half-game to the sizzling Colonels. Posting three in the first and two in the third put the game out of reach from the outset, Tom Dougherty the winner, Frank Owen the loser. Sixteen hits erupted from Brewer bats, nine off Owen in three innings. The Milwaukee offense featured two doubles by third-baseman Harry "Pep" Clark and a triple by center-fielder Amos Strunk.

At Columbus' Neil Park
Minneapolis Millers.....2
Columbus Senators.....1
The Millers scored their pair in the first frame and pitcher Nick Altrock held the locals to one tally in the fifth on four hits. Bill "Duke" Kenworthy took the loss for the Senators. Five Columbus errors, three by second-baseman John Cullen, gave Kenworthy fits.

The Louisville Colonels continue their charge up Pennant Hill, but remain in third-place, one percentage point behind the Millers. The Brewers are atop the standings with a record of 88-72 (.555), two games in front of the Millers.

And that's your update for games played Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1909, one hundred years ago today in the American Association!

The 1909 Pennant Race: Games of Monday, Sept. 20

2009-09-21T23:19:00.002-05:00

At Louisville's Eclipse Park:
Louisville Colonels.....5
Minneapolis Millers.....3
The Colonels outhit the Millers 14-7 as Frank Decanniere defeats spitball artist Roy Patterson in the final game of the series. Despite the advantage in the hits column, it was a close game throughout. Louisville played errorless ball, and catcher Johnny "Runt" Hughes went four-of-four with a home run for the hosts.

At Indianapolis' Washington Park:
Milwaukee Brewers.....1
Indianapolis Indians.....0
Stoney McGlynn tosses another shutout on his way to another of his league record 14 blankings, stopping the Indians on two hits. McGlynn had a double against the Tribe, showing he could still wield the willow well for an old-timer! Indianapolis threatened in the ninth by putting two runners on base with one out, but the magician of the mound for Milwaukee put out the fire to enable the Brewers to keep pace with the Colonels who defeated Minneapolis.

And that's your update for the 1909 pennant race, 100 years ago today in the American Association!

The 1909 Pennant Race Update for Sept. 19

2009-09-21T00:27:00.003-05:00

From now until the end of the American Association season, only scores involving the pennant contenders will be listed here.

Here is the scoreboard for Sunday, Sept. 19, 1909

The Louisville Colonels hosted the Minneapolis Millers in a doubleheader at Eclipse Park:

Game 1
Louisville...8
Minneapolis...3
The Colonels had their way with Lou Fiene, smacking 14 hits on their way to a win. Orville Selby was relieved by Gene Packard for Louisville in the sixth; Selby was the winner. Louisville posted two runs in both the third and fourth frames, and the Millers were unable to mount a sufficient comeback, scoring two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. Louisville third-baseman Orville Woodruff went 3-for-5, all singles, while the lower five in the lineup all had two hits each. The Millers left 11 on base and made five errors.

Game 2
Louisville...3
Minneapolis...2
Again the defensive work of the Millers was lacking, three errors enabling the Colonels to take Game 2 for a sweep at Eclipse Park. The Colonels jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with a run, but Minneapolis tallied twice in the second for a short-lived lead as the hosts posted three runs in the third. At that rate the scoring could have mounted considerably! But there were no more runs scored, and the game was called on account of darkness after the Miller seventh. Hippo Vaughn was the winner, with Tom Hughes taking the loss as the Colonels came to within a game of first place.

At Washington Park, Indianapolis
Indianapolis...2
Milwaukee...0
The Brewers saw their fortunes dip as they were victimized by Larry Cheney who held them to two hits while walking two and striking out three. The fourth-place Tribe had eight safeties off Brewer starting pitcher Tom "Sugar Boy" Dougherty, who also had one of the Brewers two hits, who suffered the loss. Four Brewer errors but they did not directly impact the scoring.

Louisville gains momentum in the pennant race!

Standings and Scoreboard for Sept. 18, 1909

2009-09-20T00:20:00.002-05:00

Here are the standings for Sept. 18, 1909 inclusive of the day's games, as appeared in Sporting Life. Venues hosting pennant contenders are highlighted in yellow.

Minneapolis.....84-68..... .553
Milwaukee.....86-71..... .548
Louisville.....81-72..... .529
St. Paul.....74-77..... .490
Indianapolis.....77-81..... .487
Columbus.....78-82..... .478
Toledo.....72-81..... .470
Kansas City.....69-86..... .445

====================
At Eclipse Park, Louisville
Minneapolis Millers.....2
Louisville Colonels.....1
The Millers won the second game in the series in a squeaker, posting one run in the ninth for which Louisville could not answer against Nick Altrock. Bill Hogg was the loser despite allowing only five hits.

At Washington Park, Indianapolis
Game 1
Indianapolis Indians.....6
Milwaukee Brewers.....5
The Indians rallied against Frank Schneiberg to score two runs with two out in the ninth to take game one, Oscar Graham the winner in relief of Vive Lindaman.

Game 2
Indianapolis Indians.....5
Milwaukee Brewers.....0
Oscar Graham held Milwaukee in check with three hits when the game was called in the eighth on account of darkness as the Brewers lose first-place to the Millers.

At Neil Park, Columbus
Game 1
Columbus Senators.....7
Kansas City Blues.....1
Clyde Goodwin the winner over Gus Dorner.

Game 2
Columbus Senators.....1
Kansas City Blues.....0
Fred Link held the Blues to two hits in posting the shutout.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Toledo Mud Hens.....3
St. Paul Saints.....2
Karl Robinson the winner, Charlie Chech the loser.

Scores for Friday, Sept. 17, 1909

2009-09-19T00:17:00.002-05:00

Today's games had a substantial effect on the American Association pennant race of 1909. A shift in the standings is the result of the day's actions, as the battle for the top spot continues to heat up. Venues hosting pennant contenders are highlighted in yellow.

At Eclipse Park, Louisville
Louisville Colonels.....3
Minneapolis Millers.....1
The Colonels score twice off "Long Tom" Hughes in the first inning. Hughes settles down and held them to only four hits on the day, but Louisville's Frank Decanniere is on his game as well, scattering six hits during the opening game of the series.

At Washington Park, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians.....5
Milwaukee Brewers.....2
The fifth-place Indians have their way with Charlie Wacker in securing the first game of their series. The Brewers were ahead 2-1 until Wacker unwound in the eighth as the hosts scored four runs, enabling Oscar Graham, in for starter Walt Slagle, to pick up the win. Milwaukee continues its late-season slide.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
St. Paul Saints.....3
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
The Hens score twice in the ninth but it isn't quite enough, as Orville Kilroy nails down the victory in a complete game four-hitter.

At Neil Park, Columbus
Kansas City Blues.....2
Columbus Senators.....0
Veteran Patsy Flaherty contains the Senators, scattering seven singles in a game which transpires in one hour, 19 minutes.

And that's your complete American Association scoreboard for Friday, Sept. 18, one hundred years ago today!

Scores for Thursday, Sept. 16, 1909

2009-09-17T23:25:00.003-05:00

The pennant race heats up!

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Louisville Colonels.....4
Milwaukee Brewers.....0
The Brewers gift-wrap this one, committing six errors. Gene Packard allows only four hits as his Colonels make the most of their five hits. Stoney McGlynn is pulled after two innings as Milwaukee's lead over Louisville slips a game.

At Washington Park, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians.....9
Minneapolis Millers.....2
The Indians turn the tables on the Millers, defeating them by the same score as the previous day's. Tribe's manager/first-baseman Charlie Carr hits a home run.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Kansas City Blues.....1
Again the Hens win, 2-1, this time in dramatic style by tallying with two outs in the ninth. With Frank Owen on the hill for the Hens, the Blues muster only four hits, one a seventh-inning home run by second baseman Jack Love. By taking four-straight from KC they climb above Columbus in the standings and now occupy sixth place.

At Neil Park, Columbus
St. Paul Saints.....9
Columbus Senators.....0
With a decisive seven-hit shutout authored by Louis Leroy, the Native American pitcher for St. Paul, the Saints cap their trip to Columbus before heading for Toledo. St. Paul shortstop Al Boucher has two triples in the affair. Leroy is in peak form, never allowing more than one hit in any inning.

And that's your American Association scoreboard for Thursday, Sept. 16, 1909, one hundred years ago today!

Scores for Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1909: The Pennant Race

2009-09-17T22:56:00.005-05:00

Venues hosting American Association pennant contenders are highlighted in yellow.

The premier event takes place at Louisville:

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Game 1
Milwaukee Brewers.....5
Louisville Colonels.....2
Stoney McGlynn comes away with the win, allowing only four hits.

Game 2
Louisville Colonels.....1
Milwaukee Brewers.....0
McGlynn is the pick for the second game and permits only four hits, as the contest is called after seven frames. The Colonels lose no ground to the front-running Brewers.

At Washington Park, Indianapolis
Minneapolis Millers.....9
Indianapolis Indians.....2
Minneapolis scores three in the second inning and coasts to a win, picking up a half-game on Milwaukee. Starting pitcher Lou Fiene gets two hits and holds the Tribe to five hits, as the Millers win their third straight behind solid hitting. Center-fielder Bill "Tip" O'Neill, hitting out of the lead-off spot, goes three-for four with three triples, becoming the first American Association batter to accomplish this feat (which does not happen to appear in the American Association record books). O'Neill shares this distinction with nine other players. American Association history uncovered after 100 years!

At Neil Park, Columbus
Game 1
St. Paul Saints.....5
Columbus Senators.....3
The visiting Saints pull out a win with a two-run rally in the ninth frame.

Game 2
St. Paul Saints.....6
Columbus Senators.....1
With four runs in the first inning, the Saints sat in the catbird seat for this seven-inning event which was called because of darkness.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Kansas City Blues.....1
Ohio native Earl "Chink" Yingling pockets a "W" as the Hens stay out of the cellar.

Eye on the Race: Scores for Tuesday, Sept. 14, 1909

2009-09-15T22:07:00.001-05:00

Venues hosting pennant contenders Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Louisville are highlighted in yellow.

Games of Tuesday, September 14, 1909

At Eclipse Park in Louisville
Game 1
Louisville Colonels.....7
Milwaukee Brewers.....3

Game 2
Louisville Colonels.....2
Milwaukee Brewers.....1
(eight innings; called on account of darkness)

The Colonels pick up two games on the first-place Brewers.
Bill Hogg is the winner in Game 1 behind perfect defense.
In Game 2, Jack Halla halts the Milwaukees despite only four Louisville hits, two of which were his own!

At Neil Park in Columbus
Columbus Senators.....5
St. Paul Saints.....0
Clyde Goodwin shuts down the Saints on six hits as the Senators play errorless ball.

At West Washington Park, Indianapolis
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Indianapolis Indians.....2
The Millers pick up a game and a half on the Brewers as Nick Altrock pockets the win over Oscar Graham.

At Swayne Field, Toledo
Toledo Mud Hens.....7
Kansas City Blues.....6
The Mud Hens flap 14 hits in support of pitcher Hi West. Sporting Life: “In a game replete with sensational fielding and heavy hitting, the Toledo team won again from Kansas City to-day.” West triples on his own behalf.

And that’s your updated American Association scoreboard for Tuesday, September 14, one hundred years ago today!

Scores for Monday, Sept. 13, 1909

2009-09-14T20:56:00.001-05:00

Site of games hosting pennant contenders is highlighted in yellow.

At Toledo's Swayne Field
Toledo Mud Hens.....4
Kansas City Blues.....2
Sebron Booles gets the "W" for the Hens, his only victory of the season.

At Columbus' Neil Park
Columbus Senators.....5
St. Paul Saints.....0
Glenn Liebhardt masters the Saints on four hits, striking out eight and walking two.

At Indianapolis' West Washington Street Park
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Indianapolis Indians.....2
The Millers stage a dramatic three-run ninth inning rally to upstage the host Indians, picking up a half-game on the Brewers.

At Louisville's Eclipse Park
Milwaukee Brewers.....0
Louisville Colonels.....0
Play was called after 11 frames on account of darkness. Milwaukee iron man Stoney McGlynn was still in the box for the Brewers, having allowed only four hits; Frank Decanniere yielded seven hits and was the only Colonel pitcher.

And that's your scoreboard for Monday, Sept. 13, one hundred years ago today!

Pennant Race Summary of Week Ending September 11, 1909

2009-09-14T08:57:00.002-05:00

There was little movement among the contenders in the American Association standings ending the week of Sept. 11, 1909. With three weeks to play, the record stood as follows:

Milwaukee Brewers.....85-63
Minneapolis Millers.....80-64....3 games back
Louisville Colonels.....75-69....8 games back

Playing all games at home, the Brewers won six, lost four. After losing a doubleheader to the Millers, Milwaukee took the remaining two games in the series ending Sept. 8. Their 7-1 win over St. Paul on Sept. 11 helped them maintain their lead over both the Millers and Colonels who suffered defeats.

After beating St. Paul to end their homestand Sept. 5, the Millers headed for Milwaukee and Kansas City. They won five, lost four during the week.

The Colonels won five games on the road, and finished the week with six wins, four losses. Losing both ends of a doubleheader Sept. 6 at Indianapolis, they bounced back to sweep the Indians in their Sept. 7 twin bill in a game featuring two shutout performances, the first a six-hitter by Hippo Vaughn, followed by Orville Selby's four-hitter.

Louisville was not going away, and the Millers were still hot on the heels of the Brewers. How would the remaining weeks play out? Daily updates will be recorded here for American Association followers to keep up with the developments as they took place one hundred years ago this week. Please see earlier blogs for the preceding daily scoreboard results in the American Association.

Scoreboard for Sunday, September 12, 1909

2009-09-13T23:36:00.004-05:00

Pennant contenders are highlighted in yellow:

Association Park, Kansas City
Game 1
Kansas City Blues.....4
Minneapolis Millers.....2
Veteran Patsy Flaherty picks up the win in the opening game.

Game 2
Kansas City Blues.....4
Minneapolis Millers.....1
The Millers' pennant hopes darken after being swept by the last-place Blues.

Athletic Park, Milwaukee
St. Paul Saints.....5
Milwaukee Brewers.....3
The Saints score three in the first inning and preserve their lead for the victory. Brewer pitcher Paul Stowers is the unlikely owner of a home run.

Eclipse Park, Louisville
Game 1
Louisville Colonels.....5
Toledo Mud Hens.....3
The Colonels pick up a game on the Brewers by capturing the first game in their pair with the Hens. A three-run fourth inning sets the table as Hippo Vaughn picks up the win.

Game 2
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Louisville Colonels.....1
Louisville left fielder Frank Delahanty hit "a clean home run" but owing to the ground rules in place because of the overflow crowd, it was ruled a double and the the Hens salvage a split in the five-inning affair. The game ended early in order to allow the Toledo team to catch their train back home.

West Washington Street Park, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians .....5
Columbus Senators.....4
The Tribe holds on for the win despite a two-run rally by the Senators in the ninth.

That sums up the American Association scoreboard for September 12, one-hundred years ago today!

Scoreboard for Sunday, September 12, 1909

2009-09-13T23:36:00.001-05:00

Scoreboard for Saturday, September 11, 1909

2009-09-12T23:05:00.003-05:00

West Washington Street Park, Indianapolis
Game 1
Indianapolis Indians.....7
Columbus Senators.....6
The Indians grab game one of a doubleheader in 12 innings.

Game 2
Indianapolis Indians.....7
Columbus Senators.....2
Indians complete a sweep of the twin bill in a five-inning affair halted by darkness. The Senators commit five errors in each contest.

Association Park, Kansas City
Kansas City Blues.....4
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Paul Carter pitches a complete game for the Blues.

Athletic Park, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers.....7
St. Paul Saints.....1
Brewers tighten their grip on first-place with a win in a game that was decided in the second frame, scoring three runs off Louis Leroy.

Eclipse Park, Louisville
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Louisville Colonels.....0
The Colonels drop a game in the standings as Toledo's Frank Owen twirls a six-hitter.

That's the wrap for the Saturday scoreboard, Sept. 11, 1909, one hundred years ago today!

Scoreboard for Friday, September 10, 1909

2009-09-11T22:06:00.003-05:00

The American Association pennant race heats up! Here is your scoreboard Friday's games, with contenders highlighted in yellow:

Athletic Park, Milwaukee
St. Paul Saints.....4
Milwaukee Brewers.....3
The Brewers swat 16 safeties but submit to St. Paul. Recent call-up Sylvester Breen hits a home run for the Saints. Charlie Chech goes seven innings for the win.

West Washington Park, Indianapolis
Indianapolis.....6
Columbus Senators.....4
The Indians survive a 4-run fifth by the visitors as Walt Slagle earns the win.

Association Park, Kansas City
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Kansas City Blues....2
Third-baseman/manager Jimmy Collins swats a circuit drive, the deciding run, against veteran pitcher Ducky Swann. The Millers gain a game on the front-running Brewers. The game was attended by the nation's Vice President, James S. Sherman.

Eclipse Park, Louisville
The game between the Toledo Mud Hens and Louisville Colonels was postponed by rain.

And that's your American Association scoreboard for Friday, September 10, 1909, one hundred years ago today!

American Association Scoreboard for Thursday, Sept. 9, 1909

2009-09-10T23:12:00.002-05:00

Please refer to earlier blog for a summary of the American Association 1909 pennant race. Here are the scores for Sept. 9. Contenders are highlighted in yellow.

At Eclipse Park in Louisville
Louisville Colonels.....8
Toledo Mud Hens.....2
Colonels second-baseman Emery Olson hit a rare home run. Toledo committed five errors, as Bill Hogg came away with the win.

At Association Park in Kansas City
Minneapolis Millers.....3
Kansas City Blues.....0
Spitball artist Roy Patterson tossed a two-hit shutout.

At Athletic Park in Milwaukee
St. Paul Saints.....3
Milwaukee Brewers.....2
Orville Kilroy came away the winner for the Saints.

At Indianapolis
Columbus Senators vs. Indianapolis Indians was postponed due to rain.

Both Louisville and Minneapolis gained a game on the first-place Brewers.

And that's your scoreboard for the games of Thursday, Sept. 9, 1909, one hundred years ago today!

American Association Scoreboard for Wednesday, September 8, 1909

2009-09-09T21:07:00.000-05:00

Your American Association Scoreboard for
Wednesday, September 8, 1909

At Kansas City's Association Park
Game 1
St. Paul Saints.....6
Kansas City Blues.....1

Game 2
St. Paul Saints.....4
Kansas City Blues.....3 (seven innings)

At Columbus' Neil Park
Columbus Senators.....8
Toledo Mud Hens.......1

At Milwaukee's Athletic Park
Milwaukee Brewers.....2
Minneapolis Millers.....0
Despite a two-hitter by Irving "Young Cy" Young, the Brewers score one in the first and one in the third as Tom "Sugar Boy" Dougherty picks up the win

At Indianapolis' West Washington Street Park
Louisville Colonels.....7
Indianapolis Indians.....1
Aided by the strong pitching of 21-year-old Gene Packard and a 13-hit spree (all singles) by the Colonels, Louisville kept its pennant hopes alive

And that's your American Association scoreboard for September 8, one hundred years ago today!

American Association Scoreboard for Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1909

2009-09-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Here is your complete American Association scoreboard for September 7. Does the pennant race heat up or just simmer a bit?

At West Washington Park, Indianapolis
Game 1
Louisville Colonels........2
Indianapolis Indians.....0

Game 2
Louisville Colonels.......2
Indianapolis Indians.....0
21-year-old Hippo Vaughn and 20-game winner Orville Selby combine for a pair of shutouts, allowing the Indians ten hits on the day.

At Athletic Park, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers.....6
Minneapolis Millers.....5
Brewers score a pair of 2-out runs in the ninth to overtake the Millers. Miller centerfielder Bill "Tip" O'Neill homered in the game.

At Neil Park, Columbus
Columbus Senators.....7
Toledo Mud Hens.....6
The Senators score in the tenth to pull out a win.

At Association Park in Kansas City, wet grounds prevented baseball action between the St. Paul Saints and Kansas City Blues today.

And that's your update for Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1909.

American Association Scoreboard for Monday, Sept. 6

2009-09-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

Here is the updated scoreboard for the games played Monday, Sept. 6. Pennant contenders are highlighted in yellow.

At Neil Park, Columbus
Game 1
Columbus Senators.....8
Toledo Mud Hens.......2

Game 2
Toledo Mud Hens.......7
Columbus Senators.... 3

At West Washington Street Park, Indianapolis
Game 1
Indianapolis Indians.....3
Louisville Colonels........2

Game 2
Indianapolis Indians.....7
Louisville Colonels........1
Vive Lindaman stops the Colonels with five hittter

At Athletic Park, Milwaukee
Game 1
Minneapolis Millers.....8
Milwaukee Brewers......2
Millers jump on Stoney McGlynn with four in the first

Game 2
Minneapolis Millers.....1
Milwaukee Brewers......0
Tom Hughes blanks the Brewers on eight hits

At Kansas City's Association Park the Saints and Blues were rained out

American Association Scoreboard for Sunday, Sept. 5, 1909

2009-09-06T22:16:00.001-05:00

Please see previous blog for the full report on the 1909 American Association pennant race, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this exciting campaign. In order to help recapture the thrills of this long-forgotten championship run, daily updates will be presented here, and will continue throughout the 1909 battle. Louisville, Milwaukee and Minneapolis will be highlighted in boldface.

Update: Sunday, September 5, 1909

With the Milwaukee Brewers in front of the second-place Minneapolis Millers by 3.5 games and the Louisville Colonels behind by eight games to start the new week of play, here is the scoreboard for Sunday, September 5:

At Neil Park in Columbus:
Game 1
Columbus Senators 8
Louisville Colonels 3

Game 2
Louisville Colonels 5
Columbus Senators 4

At West Washington Street Park in Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians 9
Toledo Mud Hens 7

At Lexington Park in St. Paul
Minneapolis Millers 1
St. Paul Saints 0
Nick Altrock throws two-hitter

At Athletic Park in Milwaukee
Game 1
Milwaukee Brewers 7
Kansas City Blues 6
Win results from 2-run rally in 9th

Game 2
Milwaukee Brewers 9
Kansas City Blues 2
Home Run: catcher Charlie Moran of Milwaukee

The 1909 Championship Race, Week Ending Sept. 4

2009-09-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

As the American Association pennant race for 1909 continued along its tenuous course during late August and early September, here’s a look at how things shaped up between the principal contenders. From the above standings from the Sept. 11, 1909 issue of Sporting Life, the Brewers were still holding on to their perch, with the Millers and Colonels close behind. Note that the graphic's top section shows the won/loss record for each team in the league, while the standings are presented below.

The Brewers, winding up the week ending Sept. 4 with a 3.5 game lead over the Millers, were successful in maintaining their late season momentum by winning six, losing two, and outscoring opponents 52-35. Starting out against the Millers at Nicollet Park on Saturday, Aug. 28, Milwaukee took one on the chin, 17-10 (see details below). Then it was on to St. Paul where the Brewers took four of five from the fifth-place Saints in a series which included a four-hit shutout by Frank Schneiberg on Aug. 29. That contest featured three triples by Milwaukee third-baseman Harry “Pep” Clark. The Saints managed to salvage some respect by defeating John McCloskey’s Milwaukeeans 7-3 in the last game of the series. Entertaining Kansas City, the Brew Boys won three more games to end their nine-game week of play. In the second contest of their series with the last-place Blues, the Brewers served notice by blanking the visitors, 8-0, as Brewer ace Stoney McGlynn (age 37), landed his 12th shutout of the season, a four-hitter. Sporting Life reported, “McGlynn was in perfect form and master at all times.” With a 7-2 win against KC the next day, McCloskey's men capped a good week on the upswing by winning seven of nine. The momentum belonged to Milwaukee to start the month of September. Their record stood at 80 wins, 59 losses.

The Millers had an abbreviated schedule during which they won three, lost three. They had a productive offense during their homestand, outscoring their opponents 32-22, but could only win three of six meetings. The week started out with a resounding 17-10 trashing of the visiting Brewers, as the Millers pounded out 15 hits at Nicollet Park on Aug. 28. The game featured successive six-run innings for Minneapolis in frames four and five, sending Tom “Sugar Boy” Dougherty scurrying in the fourth. Reliever Charlie Wacker didn’t fare much better before Frank Schneiberg came on to stop the bleeding. The Millers came away with a win despite five errors; the Brewers committed seven in a wild affair. Manager/third-baseman Jimmy Collins had a perfect day with four singles in four at-bats, while second-sacker Jerry Downs had a 3-for-6 performance, including a double and a stolen base. A home run by Gavvy Cravath punctuated the victory as Irving “Young Cy” Young, the Millers' "Maine Man," came away with the win. Taking on the lowly Blues, the Millers won the first two outings but dropped the final pair to wind up their week, and the month of August. After “Long Tom” Hughes shut out the Blues on five hits, 8-0, in the first game of the set, the Millers were blanked on five hits in the fourth game by “Vinegar Bill” Essick, the second of two contests on Aug. 31 to end the series. Their final game of the week came Sept. 4 against their crosstown rival, the Saints. It resulted in a 4-0 shutout by St. Paul's veteran hurler, Charlie Chech, who allowed four hits while striking out only one. The Millers lost ground to the Brewers that week, and now had a record of 75 wins, 61 losses.

Starting out the week at home, Louisville wrapped up a series with the fourth-place Columbus Senators in a 6-3 loss at Eclipse Park. The Colonels then traveled to Toledo for a four-game set against the Mud Hens in which they took three of four at brand new Swayne Field. Each game at Toledo was decided by one run. In the finale, the Mud Hens shut out the visiting Colonels, 1-0, on a three-hit gem by righty Karl Robinson. Having scored only 12 runs in five games, Louisville finally showed some offense Sept. 2 at Neil Park in Columbus with a 9-6 win, keeping the Colonels within striking distance of the Brewers. A five-run eighth-inning rally highlighted the tilt for the visitors as reliever Frank Decanniere, in for Orville Selby, came away with the victory. Left-fielder Art Fenlon led the hitting attack for Louisville with three hits in five trips. The game featured two rare home runs (two in one game was exceptional), one by Louisville’s spunky catcher Johnny “Runt” Hughes and the other by the Senators left-fielder Josh Clarke. Columbus catcher Lee Fohl had four hits on the day for Bill Clymer’s Senators who remained out of contention with a record of 67-72. On Sept. 4, the Colonels made it five of seven by defeating Columbus, 3-2, despite Glenn Liebhardt's seven-strikeout performance. The Night Riders, as they were known in Louisville, had outscored their opponents by a slim margin of 24-21 It was the 70th win for Heinie Peitz and the Louisville Colonels, now five games over .500, and they were still in the hunt. Their record stood at 70-65. There was plenty of baseball left for 1909!

That’s the update for the week ending September 4, 1909, one-hundred years ago in the American Association.

Website Down!

2009-09-03T19:23:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, my brand new website at www.aaalmanac.com is sidelined for the time being. In my attempt to create a new website to host my many ballplayer grave photos, I over-wrote the content of the aaalmanac.com site and it all went kaput. The host site, justhost.com, is very unwieldy when it comes to such things, and I'm now searching for a new host site. Thankfully, I kept back-up files of most of the content I'd posted, so I hope to have aaalmanac.com up and running again in the very near future. Thanks for your patience!

New American Association Websites

2009-09-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

The new and substantially improved American Association website has been up and running for a few weeks now. Please pay it a visit at

http://www.aaalmanac.com/

It includes tabs on teams, hitters, pitchers, managers, ballparks and products available for sale. It's a work in progress, so bear with me while I finish up the details. As of this writing the ballparks section isn't yet complete, but you'll get the idea.

In addition, I'm now periodically publishing my ballplayer grave photos at

http://www.lostengraving.deviantart.com/gallery/

While I do not consider this to be the permanent home of my collection of grave photos, it's the best thing I've found so far, and you can't beat the price (free). Hope you'll pay it a visit.

Eventually there will be a new site devoted to the grave photos, but I'm too busy to put it together right now. I'm currently working on the 2010 American Association Wall Calendar, and getting my notes together for next Almanac on the topic of Parkway Field in Louisville which I'm hoping to have out by Nov. 1. As if that weren't enough, I've completed my book proposal for the University of Minnesota Press on the topic of the rivalry between the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints. Data collection for that project has begun in earnest. It promises to be a very thorough treatment of the subject, but it may not be done in the amount of time they'd like it to be...

In other news, I've had a few hits on the items I'm selling on eBay, but it's slow going, as one might imagine. Just picked up a complete 1929 Minneapolis Millers ticket, and will post that here when it comes. Other than that, summer is drawing to a close with my Brewers looking not-so-good. High expectations at the start of the season have dissipated weeks ago, so now we're just along for the ride and hoping they can salvage some respect in the waning weeks.

Be sure to visit the new websites!

100 Years Ago This Week in the American Association

2009-08-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

The week ending August 14, 1909 found the Minneapolis Millers in first place by a game and a half over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Millers had a record of 67-50 and were in the midst of a homestand at Nicollet Park.

On August 7, they defeated seventh-place Toledo for the fourth straight time, by a score of 8-2, in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. The locals narrowly out-hit the Mud Hens 14-13 as pitcher Bill "Kiddo" Wilson teetered in the early going, Toledo scoring a run in the first and one in the third. Allowing only two hits, Wilson was relieved prematurely by Nick Altrock after one inning.

The Millers tallied four in the third against Toledo ace Hi West, the staff workhorse who wound up the season with a record of 18 wins, 14 losses. West, who allowed 13 hits in six innings, was apparently off his game a little, taking the loss. He was relieved by John Bushelman. According to the Sporting Life report in its August 21 edition,

"Minneapolis had better luck in bunching hits in both games and made it four straight from Toledo. Altrock relieved Wilson in the second inning of the first game and, although hit freely, kept the safeties scattered."

The Millers took the second game of the twin bill by a score of 4-2, completing the home sweep against the Mud Hens. The winning streak was stopped the next day by the Columbus Senators, the Association's fourth-place team, 7-5.

These were the days when the odd practice of beginning a new homestand mid-weekend were the norm.

On Monday, August 9, Minneapolis overwhelmed Columbus, 8-1, on a six-hitter by Fred Olmstead, the Miller ace who wound up the season with the league’s best winning percentage, .667 with his 24 of 36 decisions.

Their most decisive game of the week was followed by another win, as “Pongo Joe” Cantillon’s men capped Columbus again, 4-3, assuring themselves of a series win. The finale of the five-game set went to the Senators, as Bill “Derby Day” Clymer had salvaged a game against the steaming hot Millers, taking the August 11 contest, 8-4.

Cantillon’s crew wound up the week involved in a pair of shutouts against the visiting third-place Louisville Colonels led by catcher/manager Henry “Heine” Peitz. The Millers held on to win 1-0, behind the six-hit pitching of Irving “Young Cy” Young. Then on Friday, August 13, the Millers, whose .241 team batting average ranked second-best in the league in 1909, were blanked by Colonel starter Orville Selby “in a drizzling rain,” a four-hitter which resulted in a 1-0 win by the visitors.

None of the week’s Millers games included a home run...by either team at Nicollet Park. In fact, only 133 home runs were hit by American Association hitters all season in 1909, with fifth-place St. Paul leading the pack with a meager 26 long balls in 163 games. Again from the August 21 Sporting News:

“The hitting in the American Association is very light. never before in the A.A. history has there been such a low general average of batting as at the present time. Kruger [Arthur, outfielder, Columbus] is the only man in the Association hitting more than .300 for the season at the present time.”

After a 5-win week, Minneapolis still had a handle on the throne in the American Association, although its grip was tenuous.

The Milwaukee Brewers were not going away. Having held the top-spot for much of the season, the Brewers were now hanging on for dear life, managing to stay close in the race by winning four of six. Brewer pitcher Stoney McGlynn notched his ninth shutout of the season on August 9 against the Colonels. Louisville was in the thick of things as well, staying afloat despite losing four of its last seven.

The race was shaping up to be an exciting three-way entanglement, a battle which provided gripping entertainment to baseball fans across the midwest all summer long, 100 years ago this week.

100th Anniversary of Swayne Field in Toledo, Ohio

2009-07-07T10:46:00.001-05:00

This past weekend was the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first double-decked stadium in the American Association, Swayne Field in Toledo, Ohio. Built to replace Armory Park which served as the home of the Toledo Mud Hens for seven-plus seasons since 1902, Swayne Field opened in historic fashion when it hosted the Columbus Senators on July 3, 1909.
With umpires Clarence “Brick” Owens and Ed Eckman officiating, the Mud Hens were first to score, thrilling the Toledo throng of 9,350 in a game which lasted three hours, thirty-five minutes. It was a battle for the ages between two closely matched teams.
In the first inning, Toledo posted three runs off Columbus starter Jacob “Lefty” Geyer. Center-fielder Homer Smoot, hitting third, scored on a two-run single by second-baseman Harry Hinchman, first-baseman Jeremiah Freeman following. Hinchman had five hits in seven at-bats on the day. The third run of the frame was scored by Charlie “Piano Legs” Hickman who crossed the plate on a ground ball by catcher Fred Abbott.
The Senators tallied next in the top half of the fourth, putting up four runs against Toledo starter Frank M. Owen.
Not to be out-done, the Hens stormed back with five runs in the fifth, making the score 8-4 in favor of the locals. Hinchman’s triple highlighted the frame.
Adding a pair in the seventh, Toledo padded their lead.
But then the barn doors blew open as the Senators scored five runs of their own, chasing Owen after 6 1/3. Adding another pair of in the eighth, Columbus had a 9-8 lead. But it didn’t last long.
In the Toledo half of the seventh, Hickman greeted reliever Clyde Goodwin with a Swayne Field salute, the first home run at the new digs, scoring Freeman. Hickman’s drive sailed over the right-field parapet 325 feet away,” according to the Toledo Blade, and gave the Hens a 10-9 lead.
Again Columbus mounted a comeback, scoring twice to recapture the edge in the eighth. A lone Toledo tally in the bottom of the ninth tied the game, breathing new life into the frenzied crowd.
A long string of zeros followed, but, amidst the early evening shadows, Columbus finally scored in the eighteenth inning. Center-fielder Art Kruger tripled to left for his sixth hit in nine at-bats! With two out, shortstop George Moriarty singled to bring home Kruger. The lead held, as Goodwin finished his 11 2/3 inning stint by shutting down the Hens in their half of the 18th. The Senators were the winner in a dramatic, high-potency contest. What a way to open a new ball park! After a 3 p.m. start, the game was finally completed at 6:35 p.m., the longest American Association game on record to date.
The line:
Columbus: 12 runs on 23 hits with 2 errors
Toledo: 11 runs on 16 hits with 3 errors.

Located at the corner of Detroit Avenue and Monroe Street, Swayne Field was named for long-time baseball enthusiast Noah H. Swayne (1847-1922), a Toledo lawyer and banker. constructed at a cost of $300,000. It was likely the largest venue in the American Association with an original capacity of 11,800 (West Washington Street Park at Indianapolis was on par with this figure, but the exact capacity is not known). The iron beam-and-concrete park, patterned after Forbes Field in Pittsburgh which had opened only weeks earlier, had a grandstand seating 4,800, while its upper deck could hold 1,000. The bleachers in left- and right-field held 2,500 and 3,500, respectively. Each original wooden bleacher section was replaced with a concrete-and-steel structure in 1928 as the overall capacity increased to 14,800; that included a new center-field bleacher section.

The original dimensions at Swayne Field:
382 feet down LF foul line
505 feet to dead CF
326 feet down RF foul line
72 feet between home plate and grandstand backstop

The park cost $300,000.
Principal Source: The Toledo Baseball Guide of the Mud Hens by Ralph LinWeber (1944).
Photo: Postcard published in 1909 depicting a capacity crowd at Swayne Field during its inaugural season as an American Association park.

Grave of Hugh Hill

2009-05-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were able to visit Spring Hill Cemetery in Charleston, WV, on May 17 and found the grave of Hugh Ellis Hill, pictured here. The top view shows the landscape behind Hill's grave, second marker to the right in the foreground; the next shows a similar view for panoramic perspective.

Born July 21, 1879 at Ringgold in northern Georgia, Hill began his professional baseball career at the age of 21 with the Nashville Volunteers (or Vols) of the Southern Association in 1901 as a pitcher. The following season he plateaued as a moundsman, compiling a record of 22 wins, seven losses. Why his pitching career didn't develop after such a successful start is not immediately known.

In 1903 he played in his first season in the American Association, performing for both Nashville and the Kansas City Blues, when he showed considerable acumen for hitting. He posted a .400 mark in 75 at-bats for the Volunteers, and a .280 mark under Dale Gear in KC where he was used only as an outfielder.

A dependable performer with the Blues in 1904, Hill showed his speed as well as his durability, appearing in 140 games with 567 at-bats and a .261 batting average. He was among the leaders in various offensive categories, leading the league with 39 doubles; he out-paced his teammates with 148 hits and 21 stolen bases.

In 1905 Hill split the season between the Blues and the Buffalo Bisons of the Eastern League, appearing in a total of 96 games.

Returning as a full-timer to KC in 1906, Hill had a breakout season. He led the Association by appearing in 156 games (two beyond what was scheduled) and swatted .284 in 598 at-bats, ranking 20th in the league among hitters with 300+ official trips. Again he showed his fleetness afoot with 35 doubles and 32 stolen bases; in addition, he led the Blues with 10 triples and tied for the team lead with three home runs. His fine slugging average of .391 was a strong measure of his value to the team. The Blues finished sixth in '06 under manager Jimmie Burke at 69-79.

The 1907 season was Hill's last complete term with Kay-see. Showing remarkable stamina, he appeared in 152 games and hit .267 with a .376 slugging average. The lefty-bat/righty-throw Georgian led Burke's Blues with seven home runs and 30 stolen bases as the Kansas Citians elevated their league standing to the first division with a 78-76 record, finishing fourth.

Hill's career was on the decline after that. He appeared in only 33 games as a Blue in 1908, while playing for no other sanctioned teams. In 1909 he took up with the New Orleans Pelicans and Mobile Sea Gulls of the Southern Association for a combined 78 games, hitting .220 in 286 at-bats. At the age of 34 he attempted resurrecting his pro career with the San Antonio Bronchos of the Texas League, hitting a meager .154 in 39 at-bats.

Hill also played in the major leagues early in his career, performing for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1904 and the Cleveland Naps in 1903. He was the brother of another major leaguer, Bill Hill.

How he wound up buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Charleston is a bit of a mystery, born in Georgia and dying in Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 1958. The Almanac will keep readers informed should any information come to light as to how he came to his final resting spot; could have been something to do with his wife. More to come.

Opening Day in the American Association -- 100 Years Ago Today!

2009-04-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

The 1909 American Association season opened with a bang around the circuit. Who could have predicted that the Milwaukee Brewers would contend the entire season, battling the Louisville Colonels for the pennant as the league's premier team until the final days of the season. The Colonels, with Jimmie Burke at the helm and playing third-base, came within 4 games of the championship in 1908 with a convincing record of 88-65, finishing second in a close race with Charlie Carr's Indianapolis Indians Under manager Barry McCormick, who played in every game at second-base in 1908, the Brewers completed the season with a record of 71-83 in sixth place. But in the final days of the 1909 campaign, the Suds Men succumbed to the saber-rattling Colonels who took the crown by just 2.5 games!

It was a strange year in the American Association. Pitchers held the reigns, as the league's cumulative batting average was a paltry .237, down from .246 in 1908. League-leading Louisville had one of the worst team batting marks at .233, while the Brewers posted an ugly .232, a mere percentage point lower than their 1908 mark! Such bizarre numbers the Association never saw, and never would see again...in 1910, league hitting climbed to .243, the two lowest marks in league history!

Here's how the 1909 American Association Championship season began on April 14, 1909, one hundred years ago today:

The Toledo Mud Hens opposed the reigning league-champions, the Indianapolis Indians on the Tribe's home grown, West Washington Street Park. Hens' hurler Hi West faced off against Ralph Glaze, but first-baseman/manager Charlie Carr's Indians prevailed, 4-2, as Glaze struck out 8 and held the visitors to 6 hits before one of the largest crowds ever assembled there since its inception as an A.A. ballpark in 1905. Right-fielder Jack Hayden went 3-for-4 on the day with a double and a triple.

At Louisville's Eclipse Park, Jack battled Jack as the Columbus Senators were defeated by the Colonels of Louisville, 6-1, as Jack Halla squared off against the visitors' Jack Taylor. It was Ohio-native Taylor's only outing of the year. Halla allowed but five hits in the easy win in the only errorless opener. New player/manager Henry "Heinie" Peitz was off to a good start; Louisville won their first six games of the season.

Up at Milwaukee's Athletic Park, it was a battle of the "Louis'" as the Brewers took on the St. Paul Saints before a large and raucous crowd on the near-north side. Pitching for the Saints was the Wisconsin-born Native American hurler Louis LaRoy who was matched on the mound by Milwaukee native Louis Manske. The Brew Crew took the opener, 9-5, smashing out 15 hits and putting up a 5-spot in the seventh frame. The Saints made a valiant attempt at a come back, scoring 5 runs of their own in the ninth. The contest featured two home runs, the only long balls on the day: an unlikely shot by St. Paul shortstop Joe Bean and another by Milwaukee second-baseman Barry McCormick who went 3-for-5. McCormick was no longer the Brewer manager, his former role being taken on by J.J. McCloskey. Ill-fated league veteran shortstop Clyde "Rabbit" Robinson, hitting out of the lead-off spot, went 4-for-5 on the day. Robinson's death by blood poisoning in 1915 took him out of the game permanently, but he was active as a professional ballplayer up until the time of his premature demise.

At Kansas City's Association Park under Jimmy Collins (third-baseman/manager) the Minneapolis Millers defeated the Kansas City Blues behind a three-hitter by Fred Olmstead, 2-0. Held to just four hits off the perennial Ducky Swann, the Millers made 'em stick when they scored a pair in the seventh frame of the contest which took 1 hour, 35 minutes, the swiftest event of the day. Four Kansas City errors aided the Millers' cause.

Please write me at pureout@msn.com with any questions or comments.

Almanac Back Issues: Set 1

2009-04-03T23:38:00.000-05:00

The Almanac is offering back issues for sale to readers with an interest in the old American Association. Included in this three-volume set are issues dedicated to three stars of the American Association, slugging Nick Cullop, home run hero Bunny Brief and pitching ace Stoney McGlynn. Format features: 5.5 x 8.5" booklet, stapled binding; color cover; self-published in 2001 and 2002. Set 1 sells for $10.00 including postage. Direct all inquiries to Rex Hamann at pureout@msn.com or mail a check to Rex Hamann, 14201 Crosstown Blvd. NW, Andover, MN 55304-3311. Paypal also accepted.

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Vol. 1, No. 1 November 2001: Nick Cullop

7 pages

Features overview of the American Association career of perennial minor league outfielder Nick Cullop

This seven-page look at the career of Nick Cullop features a statistical summary of the outfielder's American Association career and explains the search for Cullop's unmarked grave in the Columbus, Ohio area, an event which took place in 2001. Find out more about the great minor league career of Nick Cullop (born Heinrich Nicholas Kohlhepp).

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Vol. 1, No. 2 December 2001: Bunny Brief, Hitting Hero

8 pages

This introduction to one of the most feared hitters in league history features an eight-page summation of the American Association career (1913-1928) of Bunny Brief, an outfielder/first-baseman who ranks as perhaps the most potent all-around hitter in the history of the league. With a career which spanning the deadball era's last years and the start of the live-ball era in 1920, Brief showed great skill in his ability to adapt to professional pitching. In over 6,600 at-bats, Brief batted a career .331. You'll want to read more about this impressive hitting hero of old.

====================

Vol. 1, No. 3 January 2002 Stoney McGlynn, Milwaukee's Master Moundsman

8 pages

Describes the short but memorable record-setting American Association career of Milwaukee Brewers' pitcher Stoney McGlynn (1909-12), considered ''past his prime''...

This 8-page volume summarizes the pitching career of the legendary Stoney McGlynn who holds the all-time American Association record for shutouts in a single season. Learn about his fabulous 1909 season during which he almost tossed his arm off while the Milwaukee Brewers competed for the league championship. Features a complete record of the day-date, opponent and score of each shut-out he threw in 1909 and box score of McGlynn's first American Association game.

Ed Kenna, the Poet Pitcher

2009-03-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

In 1905, the Louisville Colonels signed 27-year old Edward Benninghaus Kenna, a pitcher who started his professional career with the Toledo Mud Hens of the Interstate League in 1900. Kenna was an interesting figure in baseball's early days. He grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, the son of John Edward Kenna, a U.S. Congressional Representative and Senator (a sizable collection of his personal photographs may be viewed at the website for the West Virginia Historical Society through www.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/photointro.html).

A most intriguing aspect of Kenna's life was his ability as a writer. He was known in baseball circles as the "poet pitcher," something I've known for some time. Not until I was researching my latest issue of the Almanac did I discover that he was actually a published poet. After his baseball career ended in 1907 he became an editor at the Charleston Gazette. He would succumb to a heart condition at the age of 34.

Kenna's baseball career wasn't notable for any particular reason, but he stood out for his literary talents. Amidst a rough and tumble throng of players who occupied mainly blue collar professions, Kenna was a sort of flower in the pasture. His poetry reflects a strong love of the outdoors, and is full of romantic verse which characterizes much of the poetry of the early 20th century. By today's standards it might seem superficial, but he was a prolific writer and was obviously dedicated to furthering his writing abilities.

While with Louisville in 1905 he established himself among the professional ranks with a record of 16-13. The following season he wasn't as successful from the mound, but he somehow managed to hit with grand authority, compiling a batting average of .325 while slugging .440, marks which distinguished him as an aggressive competitor in the American Association. Having suffered extensive injuries during a trolley car accident which took place at Kansas City in August, 1905, Kenna recovered miraculously after a dismal prognosis and he assembled a record of 12-21 with over 300 innings of work in 1906.

Prior to pitching for Louisville, Kenna played for Toledo before moving on to the Western Association's Wheeling Stogies in 1901. He was with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics for a short time in 1902; he spent the majority of that season with the Western League's Milwaukee Creams to which he would return in 1903. He was then signed by the Denver Grizzlies of the Western League in 1904. Finally, he wrapped up his career as a Louisville Colonel in 1907 when he won three, lost seven in 17 games, but he was unable to muster the batting strength which had highlighted his previous year's work.

Kenna's book of poetry, published posthumously in 1912, is entitled "Songs of the Open Air and Other Poems." I was recently able to acquire a near-perfect copy of this tribute to the poetic life of the former ballplayer. It was published through the efforts of his wife, Frances B. Kenna (nee Beardsley), and is dedicated, simply but poignantly, "To Our Boy." Among the selections included in this 138-page volume are such poems as "Awakened," "Ballad of the Maine," "Fall Time in the Country," "Father Tabb," "Huntin' Time is Comin'," "Inspiration," "I Want to go Afishing" "Real Raggedy Man (to James Whitcomb Riley)," "Supplication," and "Roses of Kanawha."

Here is one of his shorter poems:

To A Butterfly

Whence comest thou?
Art thou born of earth,
So fragile, fair and featly wrought?
Or hast thus in Love's brain found birth
A child of beauty and of thought?
Or art thou waft through summer skies
An earth blown bloom of paradise?

Edward Benninghaus Kenna died while attempting to recuperate from his illness at Grant, Florida, on March 22, 1912.

Pitcher Rollie Stiles, 1906-2007

2008-12-03T12:34:00.000-06:00

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 opposing team's player, exclaimed, “Leapin' Lena!" And the name stuck.

Stiles took good care of himself as a devoted husband and family man, and his mind was completely in tact until the end. He worked for many years for the Procter & Gamble Company in St. Louis. During a lengthy interview with the American Association Almanac in 2005, Stiles was a cordial and frank while sharing some of the intimate details of his life in baseball, occasionally pausing to share weighty personal information, such as the suicide of an adopted son. For this reason the loss of this fine old ballplayer from the golden years of the minor league was more deeply felt.
The 6-1, 180-lb hurler was farm-raised, athletically talented and good with the books, attending Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College in Durant concurrently with his first few season in organized ball. In his debut season, he appeared first with the Western Association’s Muskogee Chiefs (C) under Otto Williams (IND 06-12; KC-13) in 1928. There he performed with such future Association stars as Red Badgro, Tedd Gullic, Paul Richards, Lin Storti and Bill Swift. His 16-13 record for a last-place team helped push him up to the Western League (A) where he took the hill for Marty Berghammer (STP 16-25; mgr. MIL 29-31) and his Tulsa Oilers, going 2-0 to wrap up the ’28 season. His outstanding SO/BB of 117-91 was a landmark for the youngster, an early pinnacle he was unable to replicate as his career progressed.
Then came Stiles’ Grade A season with Class-A Tulsa in ‘29 when his team-leading 22-11 paved the way to a league championship for the Oilers (95-66) and their managers Berghammer and Nick Allen (MIN-12; STP 21-24/26; mgr. STP 24-28)...and to a promotion to the big time. Stiles earned a distinctive feather for his cap by tossing a nine-inning no-hitter against the Des Moines Demons on June 30, 6-0.
In 1930 Stiles was in the American League and handed a set of St. Louis flannels, with skipper Bill Killefer at the helm. Stiles was the second-youngest mate on the good ship Brownie whose senior staffer that season was a big Texan named Harry “Rip” Collins. The Browns finished sixth, slipping two spots in the standings, sandwiched between Detroit and Chicago. Stiles was 3-6 in 20 games (102 innings) during his break-in as a Brown.
The same year Stiles headed for the alter with Margaret Edna Herget, he was also headed for the American Association. By the 1932, he had some serious seasoning under his belt, but his introduction with the Brewers was inauspicious, posting a 1-5 record in 16 appearances. Part of his season was spent with the Longview Cannibals (Browns) of the Texas League (A) that year; he put up a 2.70 ERA in 12 games, assembling a 3-7 record.
Returning to the Browns fold in 1933, Stiles appeared in 31 games, posting a 3-7 record with a 5.01 ERA for a team in transition. The Browns finished last in defense and pitching, and runner-up to the basement in batting.
Stiles was back in the American Association in 1934 as a Milwaukee Brewer but his season under Al Sothoron (LOU-23; mgr. LOU 29-31 and MIL 34-38) was short-lived, as an early-season trade took him to Roger Peckinpaugh’s (mgr. KC-34) Kansas City Blues in exchange for Bryan Harriss (STP 29-33; KC-34; MIL-34), an aging left-hander who had authored a no-hitter against KC on May 18, 1932 as a member of the St. Paul Saints.
During our interview in 2005 Stiles was still perplexed over the reasoning behind the trade. To say that he continued to harbor bitterness about it is an understatement. While he seemed to understand the complex nature of baseball as a business, his general take on the decision was that, not only was it unnecessary, it was unwarranted. To some extent, he perceived it as personal, as an insult, as rejection. Perhaps feelings of such intensity are common when a player of his potential, so completely devoted to his game, winds up taking a hit. He and his wife were suddenly thrown into transition, and it isn’t surprising that residual resentment was the result. Stiles made his feelings clear, over 70 years later, that he was disillusioned by the move that sent him to the Blues, a team that finished in the Association basement that year; Milwaukee finished in third.
Despite the angst, Stiles salvaged the season with 10 wins against 12 losses, but he had developed a new nemesis in the process...the Milwaukee Brewers.
The following season the Blues had a new manager, Dutch Zwilling (IND 16-20; KC 21-23; mgr. KC 27-32 and 35-37), and the club reversed course. Stiles had a hand in the club’s improved fortunes, winning 13 games and lowering his ERA to an impressive 3.39. That showing is even more noteworthy in light of the increase in team batting in the Association that year, from .291 in ‘34 to .293, in a league that had its share of swatsmiths during the 1930’s.
Stiles’ did not star as a hurler in the American Association, but his years in the league were vital to his development. In his 240 minor league career decisions, 53, or 22%, were in the Association where he finished with a 24-29 (.453) record, slightly lower than his overall winning percentage of .471 (113-127). In the Association his hits allowed/game of 5.97 compared well with his overall 6.47. His runs allowed/game in the Association was 1.86 while his overall r/g was 3.26.
Primarily with the Dallas Steers (White Sox, A-1) of the Texas League during the 1936 season, Stiles produced a 7-9 record in 18 games under Alex Gaston (MIL-20; TOL 24-25; STP 27-28; KC 33-34) as part of pennant winning squad, but his ERA was on the rise again, settling in at 4.58.
Stiles became property of the New York Giants for the final few laps of his career, spending three straight years with the double-A Jersey City Giants (International League) from 1937-39. He struggled considerably during his first season on the east coast, going 8-19 in 36 game for Travis Jackson’s cellar dwellers, despite a solid 3.60 ERA. During his final stint with Jersey City in 1939, Stiles showed, perhaps, the type of pitching skill he knew he was capable of. With an 11-8 record, the steady Arkansas farm boy was as true as a country road, honing down his ERA to a glinting 2.86 in 31 games (167 innings), including 22 starts, under Bert Niehoff (IND-11; LOU-13), helping send the Giants to the IL pennant along with their ace Roy Joiners, long time PCL stud, who went 21-8 with a league-leading five shutouts and 2.53 ERA.
A final round with the Chattanooga Lookouts under Kiki Cuyler in the Southern Association (Senators, A-1) in 1940 capped a yeoman-like career for Rollie Stiles.
With his 113 wins and 127 losses, his time in baseball may have been disappointing, but that’s not what Stiles would have said. He knew the pain real losing, about taking your hits in life, that baseball was just a game, that if you could go .500 in the game of life, you’d deserve a tip of the cap.
After living for many years at the Oakdale Retirement Home at Oakdale, Missouri, just south of St. Louis, he passed away in his sleep at the Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home in St. Louis.
Historically, Stiles had a weight that made put him in a higher class. He was the only player still living to pitch to Babe Ruth. Still adored by many, Stiles “got the nod” and joined the Great Majority at the age of 100. For this writer, it was a sublime honor to have spent some quality time with such a class act.

*

Chasing the Colonels: Compiling the Early Stats

2008-10-18T19:24:00.000-05:00

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 appear in a box score isn’t part of this project; I am using a complete set of box scores I photocopied from Sporting Life microfilm). The process of completing the basic stat line for each player during the 1912 season occupied roughly 60 hours, and that was after completing preliminary work which involved going through the 1903 box scores to make sure I had all the names, positions, etc.

Proceeding in a rather roundabout way, I tackled the 1902 season next. This went fairly well; I was able to reconcile the sum of the pitchers’ wins and losses with those of the official team record with ease. I completed a separate data sheet for each individual player, entered the data into my database and made adjustments for all of the new information, relying upon the text covering the rosters of each American Association team by Marshall Wright and the newly accessible database of minor league rosters at www.minors.sabrwebs.com.

Then last Friday I started to complete the record for the 1903 Louisville team.

There were a lot of problems getting the numbers to justify for 1903, and I finally realized last night that I would not be able to reconcile the official number of the team’s wins because, apparently, there was a game played sometime between June 26 and July 2, 1903 that was never added to the published record, not in Sporting Life or in the Sporting News. There was also no record of any forfeit that I hadn’t already noted.

I was simply unable to account for this game.

The final official record for the second-place Colonels was 87-54 (they played 143 games in a 140 game season, two of them being withheld from the final record for whatever reasons); the final record I was able to come up with, by various means, was 86-54. Sporting Life had them at 87-53, so perhaps somewhere along the line they got it wrong. The Sporting News has a different record yet.

I’ve been over my game-by-game record file many times and I can account for 87 wins, but my pitchers account for 86. There were two forfeits to be included as wins for the Colonels, but that’s figured into the 87 wins.

So for now I’m leaving things the way they are.

My record is not perfect, but it fills in the blanks for each player for whom there never was a published record (principally because they didn’t play in enough games to get published by the guides of the time).

I was also able to verify changes in a few pitchers’ records, something I consider notable. For example, the league’s leading pitcher, Tom Walker, is listed with a record of 26-7 in standard sources. By going over (and over and over...) each box score I was able to substantiate that Walker actually finished the 1903 season with a record of 27-6 with the league’s highest winning percentage as well as number of wins. This compares with a 26-7 record.

Here is a summary of the step-by-step process I use for each season:

1. Print published roster (with stats).

2. Using collection of Sporting Life box scores, use highlighter to indicate all games for Louisville.

3. Complete “Season Index of Games” file to account for all games played in published box scores. This has proven to be an invaluable tool for cross-checking pitchers' won-loss info.

4. Compare pitchers’ #W/L with Team #W/L.

5. Compare Season Schedule of Games with published box scores.

6. Note games which were called or forfeited.

7. Create Listing of Players absent from published records.

8. Complete/Revise Record for Player Batting (for multi-team players and “less thans”) and add player position for each game.

9. If not completing a BATTING Record for a particular player, complete Fielding Record as necessary.

10. Complete/Revise Record for Pitchers, esp. games started and complete games and shutouts.

11. Complete Missing Data form for all blanks and question marks.

12. Enter data into Data Form for Base Roster.

13. Check for errors:

--compare Pitcher Record with Season Index of Games for each pitcher to help reconcile team/pitcher W/L record.
--look for blank spaces in the batter records and make sure any blank has a corresponding notation for either the “Trouble Board” or my list for requests to the libraries for research assistance for which a dedicated clipboard is prepared.

I’ve just started using a “Trouble Board.” It’s a dedicated clipboard I use to make make notations on outstanding questions. I started using it as a way to keep track of unresolved questions arising toward the end of the roster compilation process. The Trouble Board helps me cross-check information which was absent from the box score summary.

One thing I’ve found especially valuable as a cross-checking tool is the file I call the “Season Index of Games,” a game-by-game record of the season I use a spreadsheet for. It includes the date, opponent, runs scored by Louisville, runs scored by opponents, starting pitcher and winning pitcher. For the 1903 record, I used this file extensively to help me determine the date of the missing game I was searching for. I was able to determine that the missing game took place between June 26 and July 2, where Sporting Life’s won/loss record in the standings differed from my record. As of this writing that game remains a question.

Pertaining to the photo of the 1903 Louisville Colonels, most of the players are unidentified. But there is certainty for the following: back row center is Louisville outfielder Fred Odwell who was quite a slugger despite his boyish demeanor in the photo. He led the American Association in triples with 19 in 1903 and hit .317 while leading Louisville with 8 home runs.

In the center row, second from left is team manager and outfielder Bill “Derby Day” Clymer who was nearly 30 years of age at the time of the photograph. Second from right is the league’s top winning pitcher, Thomas William Walker who posted a 27-6 record (contrary to the published record of 26-7) in over 300 innings of work. It was his grandson, Ted Walker of Pennsylvania, who supplied this photograph and ID notes. To the right of Walker is Wish Egan who entered the Detroit organization and excelled as a scout, named such after his first name Aloysius. Despite Egan’s published 24-16 record, my efforts declare he won 25 while losing 15. This difference may be attributable to a difference in how the rules of the day were interpreted.

A photograph (not too good) from the microfilm of the Minneapolis Journal depicting the 1903 Colonels with each of the players identified. Each player shown is wearing a ball cap which is characterized by a colored stripe between the bill and the cap.

In the above photo there is no one wearing a ball cap. It’s amazing how a player’s persona, based upon their facial appearance, changes upon the wearing of a cap. The players appear older with a cap on.

The images of the remaining players in the above “cap-less” photo who remain nameless at this point are difficult identify in the semi-corresponding Journal photo because of their caps. However, it is plausible that the player lying to the right in the front is outfielder Dan Kerwin who led the league with 141 games played (a 140-game season) and in at-bats with 70. Kerwin hit .273 while swiping 33 bases and leading the Louisvilleans with 192 hits. Opposite Kerwin is likely the outstanding Louisville third-baseman Suter Sullivan who led the club with 33 doubles.

Lally and Marion Gravestones in Place

2008-09-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

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 Milwaukee all summer, a
small gathering of American Association supporters, including Bob Buege, Stephanie London and Paul Tenpenny, assembled at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee to celebrate the newly-installed grave markers for the graves of two find old ballplayers from an earlier era, Dan Marion and Dan Lally. These graves lay anonymous for over 70 years.

It was a toasty, breezy day, ideal for such an event. The grave markers were in place, paid for by a host of American Association Almanac subscribers (see below). Upon our arrival at the cemetery, my wife, Keitha Hamann, and I proceeded to cover the grave markers, which had been installed several weeks earlier, with a dignified “tent” style covering (a forest green-colored bedsheet over a tripod) so that an actual “unveiling” could take place. I prepared the following words to accompany this event:

Dedication Address

We are assembled here this afternoon, in this unlikely setting, for a festive occasion. For those who love baseball and have a passion for baseball history, there is a sort of untold devotion to those men who played America’s game during the early days, men such as Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie and Christy Mathewson. But there were untold number of characters upon the stage of baseball during that time, people we may unduly glorify yet who we hold in high esteem decades after their deaths even, for they represent a time when things were, perhaps, more pure, more transparent, more real in a way.
When I discovered two professional, and high level, former baseball men had graves here in Milwaukee, historically a rich baseball city, it seemed incongruous that their graves should remain with no marker, a seemingly anonymous patch of turf.
I never knew Dan Lally or Dan Marion, at least not during their lifetime. But I felt as though I made some sort of contact with them while engaged in this project. In 2003 I first visited Mount Olivet Cemetery. Interestingly I worked right up the block as a teacher at public school in Milwaukee for 3 years, never once during that time ever entering this cemetery. During that visit, I discovered that Marion’s grave was unmarked. Later that year I constructed a wooden marker and placed it at the grave site on my return to Milwaukee. One year later I returned and noticed the marker was still there but that the glass was broken. But the following year I found the marker was gone and it was at that point I realized there should be a permanent marker here.
It was during my third visit to Mount Olivet that I made a specific effort to locate the grave of Dan Lally. Imagine my surprise when I realized that it happened to lie roughly 90 feet from Marion’s! Imagine, two graves of such immediate importance as far apart as home plate is from first base. Were these two somehow tied into the cosmically oriented universal family of baseball?
Last September I came to Milwaukee to see a few Brewers games and it was at that point that I resolved to determine the exact location of both the Lally and the Marion grave. With the help of one of the employees here, I roped off the graves using stakes and twine before photographing them as a way of proving the location of the graves. I then used those photographs to inform my readership that I intended to raise the money necessary to fund the installation of two permanent granite markers, one for Dan “Bud” Lally and one for Dan “Rube” Marion.
The story of Lally is a particularly poignant one. After a long “journeyman” career in baseball from 1887 through 1905 as both an outfielder and an umpire, Lally was reportedly committed to the Wisconsin Insane Asylum, now known as the County Grounds in Wauwatosa. Lally passed away in 1936 having lived to the age of 69. I have not been able to learn the particulars behind his commitment. A look at his playing record reveals that he had immense talent both as a baseball player and as a capable athlete. (He hit .400 for Minneapolis of the Western League in 1897.)
According to cemetery records, Mount Olivet Cemetery donated his grave; there is no record of a benefactor. Now, thanks to Fred and Joan Budde of Waverly, Minnesota, Lally’s grave will be marked. He will not be forgotten and his legacy will remain in tact for future generations to discuss and recall.

Now if you will accompany me over to the grave of Dan Marion:

Dan Marion’s premature demise is just plain tragic. He was a successful baseball pitcher during the deadball era. Some years after he hung up his spikes, a Milwaukee observer acknowledged that his fastball was compared with that of Walter Johnson, a highly esteemed compliment. But Johnson’s career was characterized by clean living; Marion’s was not. After marrying in a surprise ceremony while the Milwaukee Brewers were in Minneapolis in 1912, Marion had a successful season and used it as a springboard into the majors. But his success was short lived. He and his wife divorced around 1919, and he returned to the Milwaukee area to work at a roadhouse called the Maple Leaf north of town on Cedarburg Road (I believe this is now State Hwy. 57). Despite the fact that this was the era of prohibition, Marion’s alcohol problems did not abate at this time. Finally, he succumbed to the disastrous effects of alcohol upon his body, as the former star baseball hurler collapsed, penniless, outside his apartment on N. 4th Street before being taken by ambulance to the hospital. He died enroute. It was January 18, 1933.
The Brewers made it publicly known, according to a report published in The Sporting News at the time of Marion’s death, that they would rally behind Marion’s memory to spare their teammate from being buried in a potters field. But they never followed through, nor, apparently, did any of his professional friends. After all, this was the depression and cash was in short supply. Still, the circumstances lead to questions. According to cemetery records, Mount Olivet Cemetery donated his grave plot; there is no record of a benefactor.
Now, 75 years later, Marion’s grave is marked. Thanks to the subscribers of the American Association Almanac, Rube will not be forgotten. His accomplishments upon the diamond will remain for future generations to recall and explore.
Milwaukee is a rich city in so many ways. But it was made that way, in part, through the work of countles personalities such as Dan Marion and Dan Lally. Marion and Lally are no longer buried anonymously in this small patch of Cream City ground. They have been given a small measure of acknowledgment by true supporters of baseball history through this project. May the names Dan “Rube” Marion and Dan “Bud” Lally always provoke positive enthusiasm for the game of baseball, the city of Milwaukee, and the spirit of the old-time ballplayers upon whose lives the game became great.

=================================

The Almanac Extends a Gracious Thank You
to the following fans of baseball history
who donated generously to make the
Lally and Marion Gravestone Project possible:

Fred Budde, of Waverly, Minnesota
Bob Buege, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dave Chase, of Memphis, Tennessee
Michael Frank, of New York, New York
Chris Gallutia, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Don Garrison, of Sun City West, Arizona
Ted Gibson, of Farmington Hills, Michigan
Rex and Keitha Hamann, Andover, Minnesota
Lou Hernandez, of Pembroke Pines, Florida
Denver Howard, of Andrews, Indiana
Frank Kearney, of Plano, Texas
Ken Kopydlowski, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Bill Lee, of La Feria, Texas
Jim Mogan, of Circleville, Ohio
Neil Raymond, of Toronto, Ontario
Jeanne Squires, of West Plains, Missouri
Paul Tenpenny, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hank Gehring, Savvy St. Paul Spitball Artist

2008-06-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

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 Horman sometime before the birth of their first child, Florence, in 1904. Hopefully the specific marriage date will be found at the Minnesota History Center when I go down there next week.

Gehring was a spitball artist who was quite successful with the pitch. Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes credited Gehring with inspiring him to use the spitter when he was a youngster growing up in northwestern Wisconsin near Emerald/Clam Lake. Grimes had attended a St. Paul Saints game at Lexington Park (sometime after mid-season 1909) with his uncle when he witnessed Gehring's work on the mound.

Gehring's American Association career began in 1906, somewhat ironically, as a pitcher for the Minneapolis Millers (being a St. Paul kid, Gehring was likely aware of the intense crosstown rivalry between the two river towns). He had a modestly successful season that year, winning 12 while losing 13. He tossed three shutouts and 20 complete games, showing maturity with excellent control in over 220 innings of work that season.

After a substantial stint with the St. Paul Saints, the talented righty was purchased by the Kansas City Blues in November, 1911 for the 1912 season. Spring training that year was going well, but during the week before the season opener, Gehring stayed in Kansas City, not feeling well. He was suffering from what was known then as Bright's disease, a combination of factors which leads to sudden kidney failure. He died just past his prime as a professional pitcher on April 18, 1912, leaving behind his wife Bertha and 8-year-old daughter Florence.

Bertha remarried, Florence grew up, and a new family was started. Florence married and adopted a son name Maurie, the grandson of Hank Gehring. Maurie lives with his wife Connie in Forest Lake, Minnesota, 30 miles west of wear I live. I've had a chance to visit with them twice, as they've graciously shared their family history with me through photos and stories. The photograph above is one of the items they donated to me.

Further information on the exploits of the savvy St. Paul spitballer will be contained in the Summer issue of the American Association Almanac, due out September 1, 2008.

Red Bird Stadium Issue

2008-06-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

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
Background Check
Pushed and Pulled
April Showers Bring
Excitement Building
Getting Underway
Game On!
The Post-Game Show
The Fences, Home Runs and League Attendance
Columbus and League Attendance
Run Scoring and Home Runs
Red Bird Stadium Season Summary in 1933
Statistical Breakdown of 1933 Home Season
A New Era: Night Baseball
Epilogue
References
Dedication and More
Player Birthdays Ahead

Centerfold
Firsts at Red Bird Stadium
Columbus Newspaper Headings
A Record of the First 100s

Illustrations
Pat Crawford
Phil Weinert
Nick Cullop
Ken Ash
Site of New Baseball Park
Red Bird Stadium and Surroundings
Box Score: June 3 Game vs. Louisville
Bevo LeBourveau
Table A: Field Distances
Attendance Patterns
Red Bird Attendance Rankings
Joe Hauser
Table B: Runs Per Game, 1920-33
Phil Todt
Bill Lee Autograph
Office Building
Footprint of Red Bird Stadium
Birds Eye Views
Photos of Otto Bluege, Mickey Heath, Terry Moore and Doug Taitt
Cartoon from the Columbus Citizen

This issue begins with a fictional public address announcer providing the player introductions for the Opening Game on June 3, 1932 between the Columbus Red Birds and the Louisville Colonels.

In the next section on "Attendance Trends" the following paragraph is provided:

"In fact, Columbus had not shown support for its home town team, contrary to later claims made by the front office. Attendance records from 1920-31 indicate the club ranked a cumulative average of 6.83 out of eight teams during that time frame at Neil Park, a nearly perfect correspondence to the 6.75 place they occupied in the standings, averaged over 12 seasons (1920-31). Its low point was during that dismal 1926 season when 93,000 fans attended Senators games. At the same time, Columbus finished in seventh or eighth place on eight occasions."

Following is a section concerned with the politics of site selection:

"To that point, the cost of the operation stood at $363,000, including the property, with a final price tag expected in the range of $400,000. The actual cost landed in the $450,000 range, a sum considerably higher than the original $350,000 projected, especially considering the value of 1932 dollars. But Cardinals president Sam Breadon had initiated this endeavor and was using his own money, the resources of the St. Louis Cardinals. It appeared he wasn’t about to cut corners building Red Bird Stadium."

The human interest element is fairly strong in this issue:

For some, crossing the emotional bridge between the old and the new, the familiar and the strange, just wasn’t done yet.
Consider the penultimate Columbus baseball fan. His name was Charles W.
Medick, Jr., age nine, and he admitted to Sarah L. Dush, sports reporter for the Ohio State Journal that he dreaded to leave the old field. Blind since birth, Charlie had stood witness to the finale at Neil Park and was very direct when he made it known he was dreading “saying good-bye to the old place.” A self-proclaimed Pat Crawford fan, he had missed only a handful of games in the past four years. Charlie was practically an icon at Neil Park, and he possessed unique talents to support his popularity.

Looking at the statistical component of this issue, great care was taken to establish the home record for offense by the Columbus Red Birds. Here is an example from page 47:

A breakdown of the 56 Red Bird wins at Red Bird Stadium illustrates how well the home team balanced its attack. By scoring an average of 5.94 RPG (394 runs/72 games) and holding the opposition to 2.67 RPG (282 runs), Columbus was dominant at home, both offensively and defensively. The Birds scored 495 runs in 80 games on the road, or 6.19 RPG, a very strong mark. Their combined RPG of 5.81 (889) holds up well in light of the figures achieved by these previous American Association champions, in the years following the advent of the live ball era (see table A). The Columbus offensive attack included 31 home runs which were reciprocated by 20 opponent home runs. For the Red Birds this averaged .55 home runs per game. The Birds ranked second with their 889 runs scored; only the Millers crossed the dish more often with 993 runs, a 6.49 RPG.

Overall, this is my best effort to date. Purchase a copy by July 1 and you will be able to subscribe at the current level of $18/year or $32/2 years. After that date it will be $22/1 year or $36/2 years. Get yours today!

Red Bird Stadium in Columbus, Ohio: Day 1

2008-04-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

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 official high was 88˚, more like mid-July than early June. Dressed in flannel garb and seated in their respective dugouts were the members of the starting cast for the day’s drama to be contested between the Columbus Red Birds and Louisville Colonels. They’d be fanning themselves into delirium on such a day, both on the field and off, on this festive occasion. A predicted storm heads for central Ohio, that should cool things down, just as long as it waits until boys have put in their nine innings...This was one time when a hot day along with a hot dog and a cool drink was the nearest thing to heaven.

“Pitching for your Columbus Red Birds, hailing from Anmoore, West Virginia, number twenty-two, KENNY ASH....

A cheer loud enough to be heard for several blocks would likely have been the crowd’s reply to this announcement.
Born Kenneth Lowther Ash on September 16, 1901, Ash was baptized in major league waters in 1925 as a member of the Chicago White Sox after attending West Virginia Wesleyan College. As a member of the Petersburg Broncos of the Virginia League (B) in 1927, Ash established a minor league record for strikeouts in a season (155 games or less) with 209; that same year Pat Malone of the Indianapolis Indians in the set down 214 batters in a 168 game year to set the American Association record. For his feat, Ash was named to the minor league roll of honor for greatest performances in a single season.
He moved up to the National League as a Cincinnati Red in 1928. That same year he entered the American Association when he joined the Columbus Senators, compiling a record of 12-10, pitching at old Neil Park II (built in 1905). The 5’11 righty would not become a fixture in the Arch City until 1931, the first year the club became known as the Red Birds, when he added 16 wins to the Columbus coffers under Harry “Nemo” Leibold while leading the staff in wins, innings (201) and games (37) as the Red Birds finished in the first division as fourth-place finalists with a record of 84-82. Likely his career finish that year influenced Leibold’s decision to start the veteran hurler on this gala day.
Ash made appearances in each of the final two games of the 1931 season, fully expecting them to be his last ever at the historic Neil Park which was built in 1905. Those games, both dropped to the Toledo Mud Hens, were expected to be the swan song for Neil Park as a venue for the American Association, but political wrangling delayed site selection of the new park and construction started late.

Contact the American Association Almanac at pureout@msn.com to find out how to receive a copy of the entire story of the early history of Red Bird Stadium.

Born on this Date: Nick Polly

2008-04-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

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'm not sure if he was ever released, but I believe he was. However, according to the death notice in the Milwaukee Journal, he died at the county hospital on April 14, 1936 and was, I believe, a registered patient/inmate there.

Marion died after collapsing behind his home, a rooming house located at 814 N. 5th St. (downtown) in Milwaukee on January 18, 1933 as the result of an internal hemorrhage.

Both players were penniless at the time of their death.

Anyone interested in contacting me about this event may contact me directly at pureout@msn.com

I am still in need of donations.

I discovered that the grave of Marion was unmarked when I first visited the Mount Olivet cemetery in 2004. At the time I place a temporary marker there built of wood and glass. After revisiting the cemetery the following year, the marker was still in place but the glass was broken. The following year the marker was gone. In the interim time period I learned that Lally was also buried there, only about 50 yards from the site of Marion's grave, if that. Last December I started a fund raising effort through my baseball history journal, the American Association Almanac. Many people came forward within the next few weeks to show their interest in helping preserve the memory of these two early 20th-century ballplayers, both of whom wound up in Milwaukee because of their baseball career.

Now there will be a permanent reminder of the baseball career of each player, and for those interested in pursuing baseball history through the visitation of cemeteries will have a new destination to pursue, thanks in large part to the subscribers of the American Association Almanac.

Death of Tommy Holmes

2008-04-15T05:53:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-14T20:58:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-14T13:13:00.001-05:00

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 structure was completely rebuilt in 1905 and was still known as Neil Park, but is also referred to as Neil Park II to distinguish it from its predecessor.

My base website, www.americanassociationalmanac.com contains broader descriptions of each issue dedicated to these parks, as well as numerous other topics, from managers to team histories of the American Association.

Complete issues of the Almanac have been devoted to both incarnations of Neil Park. There you can find complete details as to the persons behind the actual construction of the stands, the key players of the Columbus Senators at the time, along with numerous other information.

The Spring issue will again offer a replete history of the origins of this fascinating Columbus ballpark, Red Bird Stadium. A full description of its contents will likely follow on this blog site.

The American Association Almanac is dedicated to preserving the history of the American Association minor league baseball organization from 1902 through 1952, occasionally going outside these boundaries when relevant. It included high level (A and AA) minor league teams in Columbus, Indianpolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Toledo.

I have just elected to try the format at blogger.com in order to take advantag of its simplicity in mounting photographs that pertain to historical baseball, particularly with respect to the American Association.