Libby Hill, VirginiaAugust 21st, 1907Morning of the Eastern League Cup Opener Ivy Maw, the Iron Horse of Halifax, emerged into the morning light of Libby Hill from the shrouded clubhouse concourse. A leather bag full of baseballs thrown loose over one shoulder, his eyes adjusted to the light as an echoing chorus of applause from…
Brooklyn Whales: Comings and Goings
So Long, Farewell August 5, 1907 Today, 40 year old Creighton Lucas, an icon in St. Louis baseball (having played for both the Beavers and the Reds) and a stabilizing member of the Brooklyn Whales in the wake of the 1902 game fixing scandal, was released by the Jersey City Chicks today. The 13 year…
Bigger Boats
As Overheard in an Anonymous Irish Pub between the docks and Telegraph Hill: (Mustached Man, with rosy cheeks, clearly past his 6th pint)MM: The reason they call ‘em Banshees isn’t because they’re scary, I’ll tell you that. The middle of that batting order is literally transparent. Now, I told them damn reporters, I don’t have…
Fresh Wind in Philadelphia
July 22, 1907 – by Ronald Schmidt 1906 gave Philadelphia a taste of what was coming. An aging team that spectacularly won two championships suddenly struggled to the postseason. The disadvantage was too significant without Leo McKenzie and Alfred Gilling, and the Brewers finally lost to the Empire. In a recent meeting with the club…
The End of Scouting Season
May 24, 1907 Malcolm Franklin was tired. He and his team had spent the better part of the last year travelling the country and evaluating, cross-checking, and then re-evaluating and re-cross-checking the 1907 draft class. As he boarded the eastbound train back to Brooklyn, he looked forward to the quiet of the carriage car and…
George Cook Gets the Call
Written by Sean, GM of the St. Louis Reds. The plan was to allow George Cook to play this season in Lafayette and then give him a chance to make the Reds next season or even more likely the season after that. What was the rush? Cook was the Red’s first ever draft pick – 7th overall…
Exclusive Interview with Manager Kevin Bentley
Written by Sean, GM of the St. Louis Reds Hello there Red fans! It is a very exciting day as today yours truly, Harry Musgrave, has a one on one interview with Reds manager Kevin Bentley. He rarely does one on one interviews so it is quite an honour for me to be able to…
Reflections from the Station
It was a cold, rainy day in New York when the train from Chicago arrived at Grand Central Station. The basic structure of the station, which he had visited for the first time many years prior, remained the same. However, layers of smoke and soot from the endless parade of locomotives had stripped the place…
1907 Philadelphia Brewers Season Preview
Troy Bujak and Martin Pitsch reviewed their opening day options in the manager’s office. Unfortunately, the offseason wasn’t as pleasant as the Brewers’ leadership hoped, but the roster would still be strong enough to compete for the division title. A knock on the door interrupted the deep conversation. Pitsch and Bujak looked up, and the…
1907 Organizational Overview: Brooklyn Whales
Below is an excerpt from the 1907 OSA Eastern League Guide. Brooklyn Whales – LBL No significant changes have occurred to the major league roster with the off-season focused on talentacquisition for the farm system. The plan appears to be to continue to feature strong infield defensebehind the gloves of Tinker Taylor, Clovis Juby and…