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…
Hello! Harry Musgrave with you again. The Reds finished the 1906 campaign at 60-60. In third place and a mile behind Cleveland. Today I am going to grade each position based on the season. Catcher – CHunter Vigors was solid offensively but pretty terrible defensively. Despite hitting .274 the team was disappointed since it was a big drop…
Overview of the 1906 Brooklyn Whales The 1906 Whales were a team hoping to professionalize. Rooters for the Whales had gladly cheered on the band of weirdos and misfits that characterized the team’s success in the early part of the decade. However, now under League ownership, word was that Madigan’s Hall had been hoping Brooklyn…
On August 24, 1906, after the fourth inning in game three of the League Cup series against the Brooklyn Whales, Alfred Gilling complained about back problems and didn’t return to the field. Gilling missed the remaining games, and the medical staff worked hard to cure him so he could step on the field again. Four…
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…