“I’m not even sure what happened,” Leo McKenzie told the Boeselager brothers. “We were celebrating the victory, and then they were there.” “Who was there?” Karl Boeselager asked the team captain. “We need to know if we ever ask the league for investigations.” Along with Leo McKenzie, Karl, and Walther Boeselager, Martin Pitsch, the GM…
Author: Martin Pitsch
Spotlight: Milan Featherstone
Unexpectedly, the Philadelphia Brewers have a successful season. The offense is back and among the best in the Eastern League. The team is second with just a half-game behind the Brooklyn Whales. One face of the resurgence is Leo McKenzie. The 40-year-old captain enjoys his best season since his severe injury in 1906. Philadelphia, maybe…
April 1911 – The Surprise
May 1, 1911 – by Ronald Schmidt Philadelphia is worried. Things are not going according to plan. The self-declared goal at the beginning of the season was to rebuild and strengthen efforts to lower the average age of the organization. The Philadelphia Brewers are now fighting for a qualifying spot in the postseason. Just before…
Blood, Sweat, and Hops: The Boeselager Story – Emigration
The sea was calm for once. The Atlantic Ocean was rough, the waves shaking the cruiser around like a child trying to get sounds from a rattle in the past days. But today, the sails moved gently with the wind. Passengers walked on the deck, chatted, or just enjoyed the view and fresh air. Who…
Brewers Select Duerden in First Round of the 1909 Draft
July 1, 1909 – by Ronald Schmidt The 1909 draft is over, and the Brewers faithful look at the results with mixed feelings. Last season’s draft left a bitter taste after two first-round picks left unsatisfying results. Philadelphia always stared at the draft with suspicion. Successful seasons meant lower positions in the draft order. But…
The League vs The Brewers
When the OSA published their annual preseason predictions, most Brewers fans raised their eyebrows: Bottom last of the division with a 49-71 record. But it was strange that they were almost correct in their assumption. The Preseason October 1907 had two significant events for the Brewers. Outfielder Arnold Hill signed a contract worth nearly $67,000….
The Lost Son
As the train chugged along the tracks, Rusty Hall gazed out of the window, lost in his thoughts. The invitation from his former baseball club, the Philadelphia Brewers, had stirred up a mix of emotions within him. It had been only a few months since he retired at the end of the 1907 season. Since…
Hunting the Rifles? – A 1908 Season Preview
The night before Opening Day. As usual, the Boeselager brothers, their general manager Martin Pitsch, and manager Troy Bujak sat in the Boeselager’s office in their own ballpark. They talked about the upcoming season and the work that still needs to be done but also chatted over some beers. All were excited to finally play…
Frühschoppen or What went wrong in 1907?
It was a cold and windy Sunday in October 1907. Clouds hovered over the Philadelphian roofs, and the rain kicked in just as the mass ended. People left the church and immediately sinned by mumbling curses about the weather. Pitsch didn’t care. The walk to the German Corner Pub would be brief. Once a month, he tried…
Paid in kind
It was 1907, and the Philadelphia Brewers were reeling from yet another loss to their archrivals, the Richmond Rifles. The game had been close, but the Brewers fell short in the end, losing 4-3. The last bit of hope vaporated into the Philadelphia sky. It was the week to catch up to Richmond, but the…