by Steve Meyers Julien Henri is sitting in his living room. The sun is setting and Julien turns on a lamp located on a table on his left side. Henri’s wife is busy tending to their two small children in another part of the home. Henri retrieves a cold one from the frig as he…
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…
Libby Hill is buzzing with activity above Richmond this week, as all rostered players reported to the ballpark in preparation for the upcoming homestand opener against Providence. After a disappointing 1906 run, the Red Rebels of Richmond saw a flurry of moves and signings this offseason aimed at improving offensive production and defense up the…
October 11th, 1906Manhattan, New York Baseball’s progressive faction under Commissioner Jacob Parker scored an undisputed political victory. Making good on his 1904 campaign promises, Parker convinced the General Managers of the Legacy Baseball League to support a significant increase in the league arbitration ballplayer salaries. With the threat of an organized strike hanging over the…
October 4th, 1906Manhattan, NY Just ahead of the 1906-7 LBL Meetings in Manhattan, Union President Thomas W. Hershey sent a letter to the Sporting Times detailing the increased membership of the LBL Players Union, including many popular stars across the league. Hershey included his “formal warning” to all LBL General Managers that anything but a…
For the first time in thirteen seasons, Robbie Salmon will not suit up for a Liberty Division ballclub. A man whose talents graced both the New York Bakers and Richmond Rifles since 1895, Salmon is one of the great LBL outfielders of the early era. He leads LBL Center Fielders in all-time RBIs and Hits,…
Camp Columbia, CubaSeptember 12th, 1906 Nate Kirby lifted the heavy bat from his shoulder and squinted, winnowing the well-worn column of ashwood and taunting the dark-skinned pitcher to send the baseball right down the middle of the pillow-buckle base. “Alright, you black son-of-a-bitch, throw that curve again.” The abandoned field was situated on the edge…
RECORD: 62-58 (.516)PLACE: 2nd Summary A down year for the Men in Maroon, the Rifles wandered through a frustrating spring and early summer behind a weak arsenal of bats and the devastating injury of rookie sensation Scud “Sweetheart” Scranton. Richmond managed the best ERA in the Eastern League, but allowed the third-most hits due to…
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…