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 fans that have been less-than-impressed with the calculated decision-making of the Brooklyn front office has been the Jewish community in Brooklyn.
Upon signing a lucrative contract with Brooklyn, Rickward had become a benefactor of the Temple Israel and a hero to local Jewish fans. His newfound absence in 1909 has been met with plummeting attendance and local protests of the Whales’ games in New York City, led by Rabbi Elijah Rosenblum, and disruptions to the construction of the Whales’ new ballpark. The ballpark, which was set to open prior to the 1909 season, has met substantial delays as a result of the very active protests.
When reached for comment, Brooklyn’s Williams said, “I will leave matters of the […] afterlife to […] Rabbi Rosenblum. He should […] leave matters of […] baseball to me.”
With the timeline for completion of the ballpark now in disarray, new owner George Bromwich will have to hope that the new facility–which he hoped would redefine the ballpark experience for LBL rooters–is ready before the start of the 1910 season and that it won’t be completely empty as the result of personnel moves from his General Manager.
Through June 7, 1909, Cleveland CF Hyman Rickward is batting .252/.307/.329 with 25 stolen bases (2.0 WAR). New Brooklyn starter Elroy Soame is batting .226/.330/.316 with 17 stolen bases (2.1 WAR). Each has led their teams to the top of their respective Divisions.