The American Association Almanac

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 bas...

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

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 ...

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

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

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

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...