August 23, 1906. It was noon when McKenzie woke up. He wasn’t in his bed, and his body ached from sleeping in a sitting position. The 35-year-old tried to get up but only managed to grunt. After his injury early in the season, he couldn’t do much and was in bad shape. Last night didn’t…
If you casually perused the game log of the 1906 Western League Cup opener, you may have asked the same question I did: “Why in the world did Cleveland pinch Constant Payne, the roadrunner of the Frontier, for hapless backup tortoise (and Catcher) James Beverly?“ The Short Answer is “injury.” But the detailed story is…
Preston T. Kirby, 57, sat in the shade of a weary willow oak, no longer attempting to fan himself with a crumpled program featuring old the Iron Horse, Ivy Maw. The fading sun set the apex of Libby Hill in a scarlet shroud, nearly matching the sagging Rifles banners that loomed like gallows over the…
An excerpt from the personal diary of Brooklyn Whales’ scout Malcolm Franklin. June 18, 1906 Heading into the draft, Skip [ed note: Whales’ GM/Manager Marques Williams] had made clear his wishes. Top-to-bottom throughout the organization, he wanted to emphasize players with strong fundamentals with the glove and to be opportunistic with any pitchers with projectable…
June 25, 1906 – by Ronald Schmidt Since this season, Philadelphia Brewers General Manager Martin Pitsch has faced more challenges by fielding a complete team of prospects rather than having a bunch of worn-out reservists. Philadelphia could sign three players for this draft in the first two rounds. In late November 1905, Philadelphia sent Junius…
In the concrete bunker in Brooklyn doubling as GM/Manager Marques Williams’ office beneath the Field of the Whales, two men with an uneasy history sat across from another. Like two boxers, they were sizing up their adversary for any sign of weakness. Williams, the legendary baseball man and profane giant charged with running the Brooklyn baseball operations…
Below is an excerpt from the seminal account of the tenure, trials, and tribulations of the second Commissioner of the Legacy Baseball League, Jacob Parker, from esteemed baseball historian Richard Abbott. This excerpt is published with the permission of the author in connection with the release of a new edition with an all new foreword….
After the 1904 Legacy Cup was placed in the trophy room at Boeselager Stadium, many fans wondered if the four trophies would need rearrangement. Philadelphia’s front office failed to sign significant improvements. Bradley Miller was the only free agent joining their ranks. The biggest Eastern League rivals stepped up. Many saw Brooklyn’s signing of Jackie…
July 17, 1905 – by Ronald Schmidt It is challenging to stand out in a team with stars like Leo McKenzie, Moriarty Stapleton, Stephen Millington, or Enrique Johnson. It’s easy for bystanders not to notice players at all. One severely underrated player is Lambert Holmes. When Holmes joined the Brewers for the 1900 season, he…
by Steve M. The Bakers are ‘rolling’ out their new rotation and the theme is “kiddie corps’. The senior of the group is 22 years old Caleb Cooper with one year of pro ball under his belt. Caleb was a free agent signing in 1901 and is considered a true ‘dirt dog’. One of the…