Brooklyn, Autumn 1916 The late-afternoon sun melted gold over the rooftops of Brooklyn, casting long shadows down Atlantic Avenue as the band, led by Bugsy Finn, exuberantly belted out a ragtag rendition of Cheatin’ Whales to the crowd’s great delight. It was Legacy Cup Parade day, and for the ninth time in their history, the…
Profile: Loy Oldfield Born: March 10, 1898 – Kaukauna, WI Position: Center Field Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height/Weight: 6’0”, 165 lbs Nickname: “The Kaukauna Comet” Loy Oldfield was born in the small paper mill town of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, along the banks of the Fox River. From an early age, it was clear that he was blessed with…
Harland Pritchard, Brooklyn Eagle BROOKLYN, May 22–In the great and noble game of baseball, where titanic batsmen duel with cunning pitchers and fleet-footed outfielders pursue looping flies, it is easy to overlook the humble yet indispensable figure of the groundskeeper. And yet, at Bromwich Park, the verdant home of our beloved Brooklyn Whales, one such…
He had been young then–so young–and, to any neutral observer, invincible. Every throw, every dive, every sprint came effortlessly, like his limbs were made for nothing else. The game was life, and life was in the early innings. The sun was setting over the field, casting long shadows that stretched across the infield dirt. The…
By Harlan Pritchard, Brooklyn Eagle Staff BROOKLYN, April 18 — There’s a peculiar tune echoing through Bromwich Park these days, and it has nothing to do with the umpire’s calls or the crack of a bat. During the opener of the home series against the Philadelphia Brewers, an impromptu amateur band stationed in the right-field…
By Harlan Pritchard, Brooklyn Eagle Staff BROOKLYN, April 6 — The grand pastime resumes this afternoon as the champion Whales, the pride of Brooklyn and the Legacy Baseball League’s top club, take the field at Bromwich Park to open their campaign for a second straight Legacy Cup. Under the expert guidance of their legendary skipper,…
In the early summer of 1911, at the age of 74 and with the end of his career in sight, Brooklyn Whales’ manager and GM Marques Williams did something that shook the baseball world. He made a blockbuster of a trade. In June of that year, Brooklyn (42-25 at the time of the trade) was…
In 1908, Madigan Hall had agreed to end its conservatorship of the Whales and grant control of the franchise to a local businessman named George Bromwich. Bromwich, as much a dreamer as an empire builder, saw an opportunity with the Whales. A firm believer in never paying full price, he saw an opportunity to buy…
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…