Providence Chronicle, Saturday, May 6, 1916 YESTERDAY – The great and the good of Providence gathered before the Friday afternoon ballgame in Cartwright Stadium to bid a fond farewell to Angels great, Rufus ‘Rattler’ Burnell. Among the over 2,500 loyal rooters in attendance were local dignitaries representing our fair community, including Mayor Joseph H. Gainer,…
Shadows over Home: A Nation in Transition
The Sporting TimesManhattan, NYMay 8, 1916 Manhattan–As America’s ballparks fill with the sounds of cheering rooters and cracking bats, there’s no mistaking the whispers of change beyond the diamond. While fans debate whether Bobby Batkin and the New York Bakers have the moxie to surpass the leviathans of Brooklyn or the Banshees of Boston, newspapers…
Twelve Years On: Commissioner Parker and the Middle Way
The Sporting TimesMay 1, 1916 Manhattan, NY Manhattan–Twelve years ago, few believed the Legacy Baseball League would ever need a second Commissioner. Alexander Madigan, the league’s larger-than-life founder, loomed immortal—until a rainy August night in 1904 proved otherwise. The loss of baseball’s godfather left a power vacuum, soon filled by an unexpected candidate: Jacob Parker,…
If You Can Trust Yourself When All Men Doubt You
Into the dimly lit main hall of Union Station burst a young man, cases under each arm, he resisted the urge to run and cause a commotion. Wet shoes squeaking on the marble floors, a rushed exchange with a porter to confirm the platform of the ‘Angels Special’ without breaking his stride. Familiar faces of…
Opposites Attract?
NEW YORK CITY: Yesterday, New York Kings Owner and CEO Alexander Bingley announced the hiring of Scott Thomas as the team’s new general manager. Bingley continued. “We are excited with the scouting and player development experience that Scott brings to the organization.” “Fans know the high expectations that I demand for the Kings: Win today….
Into the Shadows
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…
Brewing Trouble: Anti-German Protests Threaten Baseball in Richmond
The Sporting TimesApril 23, 1916Manhattan, New York Richmond, Virginia—Baseball, America’s favorite pastime, has become an unexpected battlefield for rising nationalist fervor in the River City. With the Richmond Rifles’ recent homestand against the Philadelphia Brewers from April 21–23, tensions brewed over the Philly club’s ownership by the German-born Boeslager brothers. As anti-German sentiment surges across…
“Cheatin’ Whales” a Hit with the Brooklyn Faithful
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…
Richmond’s Radio Revolution: Michael Monroe and WLBL Make History with First Live Baseball Broadcast
The Sporting TimesApril 11, 1916Manhattan, New York Richmond, VA – History was made yesterday as WLBL, the first-ever sports broadcasting station, successfully aired a live play-by-play account of the Richmond Rifles’ 7-1 victory over the Brooklyn Whales. This monumental event was made possible by the vision of Michael Monroe, owner of the Rifles and a…
No More German Corner Pub – A 1916 Preview
Philadelphia, April 1916—It became a tradition for the Philadelphia Brewers Front Office to meet and discuss the immediate start of the season at the German Corner Pub. The infamous backroom where the Boeselager brothers and their general manager would spend hours drinking beer and playing cards was the starting point for every season. Only in…