The Red Rebels of Richmond dealt a fatal blow to their oldest cross-division rival, the Brooklyn Whales, in an exciting five-game series that concluded in late-inning heroics by a relatively unknown pinch hitter. When Rifles pinch hitter Okey Sibthorp approached the plate in the top of the ninth inning on August 31st, his name was…
New Leadership, New Horizons: The 1909 Pittsburgh Oilers under their new Manager
It was a quiet afternoon in the office of the new General Manager of the Pittsburgh Oilers, inside the office was the desk where the General Manager, Mr. Saylor sat. To the left of him was some shelf of what looked to be old memorabilia some items of note on that shelf were a white…
Once (Again) Upon A Time in Brooklyn
Sometimes, you have to take the long way to get back home. Two local boys who won a high school state championship in the shadow of the Field of the Whales will get the opportunity to live out their dream and play for the local pro club. The first is a clairvoyant wizard with the…
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…
Protests Distract Whales, Delay Ballpark Construction
During the 1909 off-season, the GM/Manager of the Brooklyn Whales, Marques Williams, made the calculated decision to trade star centerfielder Hyman Rickward to the Western League. The decision may have made sense from a baseball perspective–CF Elroy Soame has dazzled with the glove in his debut as a regular starter in Brooklyn–but one group of…
Kensington Jones calls it a career
Kensington Jones calls it a career Twin City Empire’s GM John Meeker sat in his seat , looking out the window of the lounge car of the train as the countryside went by. Opening Day 1909 had come and gone, and the Empire was off to a 4-3 start, and were on their way to…
St. Louis Reds 1909 Preview
HI Folks! It has been awhile but it is Harry Musgrave back once again to shed some light on 1909 St. Louis Reds. They had a surprisingly good season last year, one in which they finished with the second best record in the Western League but a quite a distance behind Cleveland. If it had…
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….
Winds of Change Sweeping Through Detroit
On June 14th, 1908, a crowd of about 3,000 spectators witnessed a comeback victory for the Chicago Doves over Great Lakes Division rival Detroit at The Old Grounds. The famous baseball stadium, at less than half-capacity, was missing an unmistakable energy. An energy that was once familiar to The Old Grounds and the city of…
Victory Bread
(Written by Steve M.) Victory BreadBy Moe Nash Dear Mr. Henri,It was with regret that I retired from the Legacy Baseball League at the youthful age of twenty-six years.It became clear that my rookie season at age 20 was a happenstance of luck more than skill as mynumbers would never come close to the .726…