It was a cold and windy Sunday in October 1907. Clouds hovered over the Philadelphian roofs, and the rain kicked in just as the mass ended. People left the church and immediately sinned by mumbling curses about the weather. Pitsch didn’t care. The walk to the German Corner Pub would be brief. Once a month, he tried…
There are low expectations in Pittsburgh going into the 1908 season, then there always are no matter what the year. 13 seasons of never having a winning record will do that to a ball club, however there is a glimmer of hope. They haven’t even hit the heady heights of a .500 season since there…
by John (Chicago Doves) The Walnut Room, inside Marshall Field’s department store, is something of a curiosity, being the first restaurant ever opened within a department store. A number of noted Chicagoans have dined there since, and two of the most recent were Chicago Doves pitchers Clayton Cooper and Sylveste Osler. The two have spent…
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…
It was 1907, and the Philadelphia Brewers were reeling from yet another loss to their archrivals, the Richmond Rifles. The game had been close, but the Brewers fell short in the end, losing 4-3. The last bit of hope vaporated into the Philadelphia sky. It was the week to catch up to Richmond, but the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…