In 1901, shortly after the offseason began in the LBL, Philadelphia Brewers General Manager Martin Pitsch went on a crusade to significantly improve the roster and the staff. Pitsch sacked Jeff Asher, who acted as the Scouting Director since 1895, and attempted to hire Frank Letwin. The Rifles snagged him with a $10,000 contract, but Pitsch found Kirby Hocking for $8,500 less. Hocking, a Californian residing in San Diego, immediately suggested two players who played for the Santa Cruz Athletics, an independent league team.
Before Hocking departed to Philadelphia, he took the train north to Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Athletics had a game, and Hocking wanted to see if he could convince Junius Bembridge and Albert Walker to join him on a train ride to Boeselager Stadium.
While on the train, Hocking closed his eyes and recalled his conversation with Martin Pitsch after agreeing on Hocking’s employment. “Mr. Hocking, the Brewers are looking for defense,” Martin Pitsch explained when they talked about his duties. “We have a strong offense but a weird stadium which requires opponent batters to hit the ball on the ground. In the past years, we didn’t have the infield to support our pitchers.” Pitsch sighed. “At the same time, we want good personalities for a reasonable price. So if you have a terrible feeling, don’t waste your time. We trust in your abilities, and we will grant you special privileges to hire players up to a certain salary. But that we will discuss once you arrive here.”
Local Talent
Mr. Hocking understood. Mr. Hocking remembered the words. He followed the game along with about 200 people and saw Bembridge and Walker on the field, and he knew he was right about them. Albert Walker was the perfect backup for Moriarty Stapleton, while Junius Bembridge fielded the entire outfield. Both are positive characters who constantly cheer their teammates up.
“Mr. Walker, Mr. Bembridge! Please wait,” Hocking ran towards the dugout as the Athletic players came off the field after the game ended. After dusting off his hat, which fell on the ground as he started to sprint, he looked up and saw the two players looking at him curiously.
“How can we help you,” Bembridge asked.
“I’m the Kirby Hocking, Scouting Director of the Philadelphia Brewers Baseball Club…”
It didn’t take much to convince the Californians that the Philadelphia Brewers Base Ball Club is the perfect employer. After Mr. Hocking sat down with each of them to talk about contract details, he decided to spend the night at the Sea Beach Hotel in Santa Cruz.
The three latest Brewers employees stumbled on the train in the early morning hours, bringing them to Oakland. From the Oakland Pier, they would go on a long journey to Philadelphia.
War Memories
Mr. Hocking stared at the countryside and wondered what his life would have been without baseball. Kirby Hocking, born in 1848, joined the Union Army at age 17. He never saw combat. Instead, he played a lot of baseball within the 1st California Infantry Battalion. After the war, two teammates formed a club that participated in many short-lived leagues in California and invited him to play for them.
Unfortunately, this activity didn’t cover the costs of living. So Kirby Hocking wrote a bestselling book about his war experiences. But the story wasn’t about the many difficult 9th inning situations. To ensure that his memoirs became a bestseller, he lowered his enlistment age to 15 and was a member of units that fought in some of the fiercest battles. Surprisingly, nobody ever questioned this great patriotic account.
“Mr. Hocking,” Junius Bembridge stepped into the compartment. “I noticed we’ll spend two days in Chicago. Can’t we get to Philadelphia sooner?”
“Have you ever heard of Mose Rylance or George Singleton?”
“No, Mr. Hocking. Are you attempting to sign them, too?”
Hocking nodded and took a sip from his flask. “Yes, both play in Chicago. Mr. Rylance is unknown, but many teams will be after Mr. Singleton, who might be one of the league’s best shortstops should he find a team.”
“Oh, this sounds exciting. I will head back to Albert. If you like, feel free to join us for a bite to eat.”
“Thank you, I’ll consider it.”
Bembridge left, and Hocking turned to the countryside again.
The Scandal
The royalties of his semi-fictional book allowed him to focus on baseball. He traveled around the West Coast and watched many baseball games. He studied players, their batting, pitching, and fielding. In addition, Hocking paid close attention to players’ body language and how they affected their teammates.
In 1884, Kirby Hocking traveled to Washington DC, where President Chester A. Arthur presented a unique award for his accomplishments as a writer and as a great patriot. Kirby Hocking attended some baseball games after the celebrations, dinners, and many handshakings. He saw games in Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Out of all towns, Kirby Hocking enjoyed Philadelphia the most. The city, the stadium, the Boeselager beer. And so it happened that he spent three months with the Philadelphia Athletics and helped the manager find local talent. It was a successful stay, but Hocking pushed the Athletics to give him a contract for his services. But, packed with freshly acquired talent, they didn’t feel the need to put Hocking on the payroll.
In Chicago, Hocking asked his companions to take care of his suitcase, wait at the hotel and ask for additional rooms. Immediately, he headed to West Side Park to watch Singleton and Rylance in action. After the collapse of the National League and since the Chicago Doves and Packers play in other ballparks, West Side Park became the home of the Chicago Championship, a minor and local league. Eight teams played their season in one place. Among the teams was the Chicago Woodpeckers.
Mose Rylance grew up in Chicago, and George Singleton moved to Chicago when the National League folded. Since then, both have played for multiple teams in Chicago, but they always played together. Hocking knew that he could only sign Singleton if Rylance joined the Brewers. This wasn’t a problem because there was use for a player like Rylance. While many teams wanted George Singleton for his abilities on shortstop and at the plate, Mose Rylance was on Hocking’s list for his ability to play the whole outfield and first and second base.
Kirby Hocking continued to write about his adventures while he was with the Athletics. After the failed contract negotiations, Hocking approached a publisher in Philadelphia. His second novel looked like a bestseller until a newspaper labeled him a fraud. A Civil War veteran noticed some discrepancies about the Battle of Gettysburg in Hocking’s book. Immediately, the publisher canceled the contract, and bookstores removed the few remaining copies of Hocking’s work. Veterans gathered for a protest march, but the turmoil calmed quickly because Hocking had already departed to California.
At the Woodpeckers
Hocking waited outside of the locker room. Rylance and Singleton retreated to discuss the offer they received. Hocking insisted that they had to respond immediately. Singleton revealed that other teams approached him but wouldn’t offer deals to Rylance. Hocking declared that he couldn’t provide Rylance the same salary, but he could guarantee that the Brewers would sign him.
The hot weather made him sweat underneath his suit. He looked around the clubhouse. There was a wall with letters, and Hocking walked over to take a closer look. A letter from Leonard Kindall in which he wished his former team the best of luck. Wasn’t Kindall with the Brewers? His eyes wandered to a barely readable letter. It was old, and he was baffled when he looked at the signature. Tommy Hershey also played for the Woodpeckers? How old was this ballclub? He wondered how this Chicago team would do without their star players. The players here must be eager to be discovered by the Chicago Doves or the Chicago Packers since they pay their players.
Suddenly the locker room door swung open. Singleton, Rylance, and a disgruntled older man in a baseball uniform stepped out. This must be the manager.
“We agree to your contract offers, Mr. Hocking,” Mose Rylance smiled. “But our manager, Mr. Bubbles, has a request.”
Rylance turned away and chuckled while Singleton shook his head.
“Mr. Hocking, I will only let them go if you can send us five barrels of Boeselager brew. I’m sure you can arrange that,” Mr. Bubbles turned to Rylance. “Are you happy now?”
“Eh, yes, I believe that should be doable,” Kirby Hocking reached out and shook Mr. Bubbles’ hand.
Kirby Hocking sat on the train with his four new acquisitions the next day. It was a calm ride. The new players had a few beers, and they were asleep now. He looked outside. There it is, Philadelphia. What would his return look like?
After the scandal about his second book, Hocking avoided public life for a whole year. In California, the news didn’t cause any waves. The people loved Hocking, and he was still a war hero. Luckily for him, nobody could question anything about his first book. Barely any records were available that could counter Hocking’s story. Still, Hocking stepped away from writing fiction (or his memoirs in the eyes of others). Instead, he now focused on baseball. He evaluated players for baseball teams and did reporting for newspapers.
Returning to Philadelphia
When Karl Boeselager traveled through the United States to discover markets for the Boeselager Brewery in 1901, he bought a newspaper and found an article written by someone familiar. Karl remembered Hocking, his story, and his scouting work for the Athletics. During Hocking’s stay in Philadelphia, they even had beers a few times. So, they met for lunch in a restaurant and talked about baseball.
Karl put the fork on the empty plate, took the napkin, and brushed off his mustache. Then he talked business. “Kirby, do you miss Philadelphia? I think we could use someone like you in the Brewers organization.”
“You mean… Looking for players?”
“Yes. We had a horrible season, missed the playoffs, and I will have to talk to Mr. Pitsch about some changes. I’m not sure what needs to be done as I couldn’t follow our season as much as I wanted, but I believe there is a lot of work, and we don’t want Brooklyn to pass us in terms of championships,” Karl raised his hand to catch the waiter’s attention.
“I have to admit, I miss Philadelphia, and I would love to see what followed after the Athletics are gone now. I also want to see Leo McKenzie play,” his excitement faded. “But I’m sure I’m a persona-non-grata in the East.”
“Kirby, that was six years ago. We have plenty of other things happening. Your return will be unnoticed.”
“I’ll think about it. Maybe suggest my name to your general manager, but first,” Hocking held his glass of red wine and stared at the last sip. Then he finished it off and put it back on the table. “I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure if I can return.”
It’s not my staff
The train came to a stop, and Hocking woke up. The new players were awake and grabbed their backpacks and suitcases. As they stepped out of the train, Hocking recognized Karl Boeselager and a few other men.
“Kirby, old friend, welcome back,” Karl shook Kirby’s hand, then pointed to the rest of the company. “This is my brother Walt, and this is our general manager, Mr. Pitsch. You didn’t tell us you would bring a staff.”
Kirby Hocking put the suitcase on the ground, turned around, and spread his arms like a ringmaster. “It’s not my staff. These are your new players.”