1.
American League
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The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League, is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a league based in the Great Lakes states. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season,25 years after the formation of the National League. At the end of season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion. Through 2016, American League teams have won 64 of the 112 World Series played since 1903, the 2016 American League champions are the Cleveland Indians. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Originally a minor league known as the Western League, the American League later developed into a major league after the American Association disbanded, in its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League, babe Ruth, noted as one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League. The American League has one notable difference versus the National League, in 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. In 1902, The Cleveland Bluebirds were also renamed the Cleveland Broncos, in 1903, the Broncos were renamed the Cleveland Naps. In 1915, the Naps were renamed the Cleveland Indians, in 1903, the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York and were renamed the New York Highlanders. In 1913, the Highlanders were renamed the New York Yankees, in 1904, the Chicago White Stockings were renamed the Chicago White Sox. In 1908, the Boston Americans were renamed the Boston Red Sox, in 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed as the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and were renamed as the Kansas City Athletics, in 1961, the league expanded and added two teams as the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, expanding the league to 10 teams. The original Senators team moved to Minneapolis/St, Paul in 1961 and were renamed as the Minnesota Twins. The Angels team name changed to the California Angels in 1966, then to the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots were added to the American League, expanding the league to 12 teams. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1972, the Washington Senators relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. In 1977, the league expanded to fourteen teams, when the Seattle Mariners, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Rays was added to the American League and at the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers were switched to the National League, leaving the American League with 14 teams
2.
Boston
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Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County, although the county government was disbanded on July 1,1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles with a population of 667,137 in 2015, making it the largest city in New England. Alternately, as a Combined Statistical Area, this wider commuting region is home to some 8.1 million people, One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon U. S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education, through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year, Bostons many firsts include the United States first public school, Boston Latin School, first subway system, the Tremont Street Subway, and first public park, Boston Common. Bostons economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, the city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification, though it remains high on world livability rankings. Bostons early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the renaming on September 7,1630 was by Puritan colonists from England who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River. The peninsula is thought to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC, in 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colonys first governor John Winthrop led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history, over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their Indian allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in British America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-18th century, Bostons harbor activity was significantly curtailed by the Embargo Act of 1807 and the War of 1812. Foreign trade returned after these hostilities, but Bostons merchants had found alternatives for their investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the economy, and the citys industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance by the mid-19th century. Boston remained one of the nations largest manufacturing centers until the early 20th century, a network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a network of railroads furthered the regions industry. Boston was a port of the Atlantic triangular slave trade in the New England colonies
3.
Massachusetts
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It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named for the Massachusett tribe, which inhabited the area. The capital of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England is Boston, over 80% of Massachusetts population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution, during the 20th century, Massachusetts economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance. Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, in 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of Americas most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Armory, which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous important technological advances, in 1786, Shays Rebellion, a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention. In the 18th century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, which swept the Atlantic World, in the late 18th century, Boston became known as the Cradle of Liberty for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution. The entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts has played a commercial and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the abolitionist, temperance, in the late 19th century, the sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in the western Massachusetts cities of Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the state, including the Adams, both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world. Massachusetts public school students place among the top nations in the world in academic performance, the official name of the state is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While this designation is part of the official name, it has no practical implications. Massachusetts has the position and powers within the United States as other states. Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family such as the Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pocomtuc, Mahican, and Massachusett. While cultivation of crops like squash and corn supplemented their diets, villages consisted of lodges called wigwams as well as longhouses, and tribes were led by male or female elders known as sachems. Between 1617 and 1619, smallpox killed approximately 90% of the Massachusetts Bay Native Americans, the first English settlers in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, arrived via the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620, and developed friendly relations with the native Wampanoag people. This was the second successful permanent English colony in the part of North America that later became the United States, the event known as the First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World which lasted for three days
4.
Charles Somers
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Charles W. Somers was an American executive in Cleveland, Ohios coal industry who also achieved prominence in Major League Baseball. The financial resources from his business interests allowed Somers to become one of the founders of baseballs American League in 1901. At the insistence of league president Ban Johnson, Somers and Jack Kilfoyl, Kilfoyl was Clevelands first team president and treasurer, while Somers was its vice president and main financier. Somers was also the owner of the Boston Red Sox, a team which had no official nickname until 1908. Somers money helped keep some American League teams afloat in their first years, including the St. Louis Browns, Charles Comiskeys Chicago White Sox, Somers sold his interest in the Boston club in 1903 to Henry Killilea. In 1910 Kilfoyl took ill and sold his interest in Cleveland to Somers, facing pressure from the newly formed Federal League, in 1914 Somers transferred his Toledo Mud Hens to Cleveland to share League Park. This was done to keep the Federals out of Cleveland by ensuring there was already a ball game in Cleveland virtually every day of the season, in 1915 the American League team, previously called the Cleveland Naps in reference to player/manager Nap Lajoie, was renamed the Cleveland Indians. Although Somers had kept the Fed at bay, the new league still had its influence and this, combined with poor attendance at League Park, along with other investments that did not work out, put Somers in a precarious financial position. In 1916, although the Fed had disbanded, it was too late to save Somers financially. He went broke with debts exceeding assets of $1.75 million, the creditors did allow him to retain ownership of the Pelicans for sentimental reasons. The Mud Hens returned to Toledo in 1916, after selling the Indians he successfully rebuilt his business investments. At his death in 1934 his estate was worth approximately $3 million and he had a daughter, Dorothy from his first marriage. His second wife, Mary Alice Gilbert, survived him, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, SOMERS, CHARLES W. at ech. case. edu Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, last retrieved on June 26,2008
5.
Jimmy Collins
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James Joseph Collins was an American professional baseball player. He played fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball, Collins was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Collins was especially regarded for his defense, as of 2012, he is second all-time in putouts by a third baseman behind Brooks Robinson. At the plate, Collins finished his career with 65 home runs,1055 runs scored,983 RBI, Collins was also the first manager of the Boston Red Sox franchise, then known as the Boston Americans. He was the manager in the first-ever World Series, as Boston defeated the Pittsburg Pirates in the 1903 World Series. Jimmy Collins was born in Niagara Falls, New York, after graduating St. Josephs Collegiate Institute he went to work for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and played baseball in the Buffalo City League. Collins began his baseball career with the minor league Buffalo Bisons of the Eastern League. That season, he was used primarily as a shortstop, batting.286 in 76 games, in 1894, Collins was moved to the outfield by the Bisons. He batted.352 with nine runs in 125 games. Collins began his league career as a right fielder, playing ten games at the position with the Beaneaters in 1895. On May 19, he was loaned to the Louisville Colonels and he was soon made the teams starting third baseman, batting.279 over the remainder of the season. However, his impact was on defense, where he played in on the grass rather than back to cut down on the number of bunt hits. Collins was returned to the Beaneaters after the 1895 season, joe Harrington was the clubs starting third baseman at the beginning of the season, but Collins soon asserted himself as the starter, and Harrington was released in July. Collins asserted himself as a player in 1897 when he held a.346 batting average. He led the league in putouts and assists as well, a feat he would duplicate in 1900. He followed with an equally impressive 1898 season, in which he hit. 328—seventh in the league—drove in 111 runs and belted a league-high 15 home runs. Following the 1900 season, Collins, who was by now regarded as the best third baseman in the game, was offered the job with the Boston Americans of the new American League. He accepted the job, which came with a salary of $5,500, a $3,500 signing bonus, in 1902, Collins was limited to 108 games by injury, and the Americans finished third
6.
Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League East division. The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in 13, founded in 1901 as one of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the Red Sox home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The Red Sox name was chosen by the owner, John I. Taylor, around 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had known as the Boston Red Stockings. Boston was a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. Following their victory in the 2013 World Series, they became the first team to win three World Series trophies in the 21st century, including championships in 2004 and 2007. Red Sox history has also marked by the teams intense rivalry with the Yankees. The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Liverpool F. C. of the Premier League in England. The Red Sox are consistently one of the top MLB teams in road attendance. From May 15,2003 to April 10,2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games for a professional sports record. Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline has become an anthem for the Red Sox, the name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Sox had been adopted for the Chicago White Sox by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings. The team name Red Sox had previously used as early as 1888 by a colored team from Norfolk. The Spanish language media sometimes refers to the team as Medias Rojas, the official Spanish site uses the variant Los Red Sox. The Red Stockings nickname was first used by a team by the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings and earned the famous nickname, the Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. Other names were used before Boston officially adopted the nickname Braves in 1912
7.
1901 Chicago White Stockings season
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The 1901 Chicago White Stockings season was their first season as a major league team, and their second season in Chicago. It was also the season of American League as a major league. The White Stockings had a balanced lineup, which was led by outfielders Dummy Hoy and Fielder Jones. They relied primarily on speed, as Frank Isbell, Sam Mertes, the pitching staff was anchored by Clark Griffith, who went 24–7 with a 2.67 ERA. They won the pennant by four games, in 1900, the Western League changed its name to the American League. It was still officially a minor league, subject to the governing National Agreement, the NL actually gave permission to the AL to put a team in Chicago, and Comiskey moved his St. Paul club to Chicagos South Side. After the season, the AL declined to renew its membership in the National Agreement, after acquiring a number of stars from the older league, including pitcher and manager Clark Griffith, the White Stockings also captured the ALs first major-league pennant the next year, in 1901. May 9,1901, Earl Moore of the Cleveland Blues threw the first no-hitter in the history of the American League against the White Stockings, Chicago beat the Blues by a score of 4–2 despite not having one hit. baseball-almanac. com
8.
Buck Freeman
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John Frank Buck Freeman was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Freeman was one of the top sluggers of his era, his most famous feat being the 25 home runs he hit during the 1899 season, a native of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, Freeman showed talent as a pitcher from a young age. He made his league debut as a left-handed starter with the Washington Statesmen on June 27,1891. Freeman played in a four games during the season, finishing up with a 3-2 record. Following the 1891 seasons conclusion he did not play in the majors again for seven years and he played in the Eastern League with Toronto from 1896 to 1898 and returned to the Washington roster midway through the 1898 season. During the intervening time Freeman had bulked out and had begun to show real skill with the bat, in light of this the Senators decided to retrain Freeman as a right fielder, believing that he would be even more useful with the bat than he was with the ball. Albeit with only 107 at bats, he recorded a.364 batting average, following his strong showing with the bat, he was named as the Senators first-choice right fielder for the following season. The 25 home runs that Freeman recorded in 1899 were truly remarkable by the standards of the time, Freemans tally was not surpassed until 1919, when Babe Ruth scored 29 home runs with the Boston Red Sox. Following the disbandment of the Washington Senators at the end of the 1899 season and his offensive numbers for the season were well down on the year before, with him hitting 6 home runs and recording 66 runs batted in. At the end of the season he and teammate Jimmy Collins moved across town to the Boston Americans, the 1901 season was something of a return to form, he finished second overall in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage, finishing behind Nap Lajoie in all categories. In 1902 Freeman returned to playing as a fielder, which was his better position. On June 21, he hit for the cycle, the first Red Sox player to do so, in the three years following Bostons World Series success Freemans offense declined sharply. In 1906, he managed a.250 average with one run and 30 RBI. After that, he decided to play for one further season and he went on to finish the season with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, recording an average of.335 and scoring 18 home runs. Following this successful season he decided to spend a season with the Millers. The 1908 season was Freemans last in professional baseball, in which he managed to score 10 home runs albeit with an average of.218, Freeman died at the age of 77 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
9.
1901 Detroit Tigers season
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The 1901 Detroit Tigers season was the Tigers first in Major League Baseball. The team was a member of the American League, which was originally formed as the minor-league Western League. The Tigers finished in place with a record or 74–61. Most of Detroits home games were played at Bennett Park, with Sunday games played at Burns Park due to Detroits blue laws, roscoe Miller led the team in wins and was the Tigers first 20-game winner. His performance headlined a pitching staff that had the third lowest ERA in the American League. Joe Yeager had an ERA of 2.61, for the second best Adjusted ERA+ in the AL, the offense was not as strong however, scoring 741 runs – fifth among the eight teams in the league. The teams best hitters were shortstop Kid Elberfeld and center fielder Jimmy Barrett, the Tigers had played their games at Bennett Park since 1896, but the graduation to a major league meant that there would now be games scheduled on Sundays, which was forbidden by Detroits blue laws. In order to avoid running afoul of this stricture, owner James D. Burns built a ballpark on his own property in Springwells Township, named Burns Park, the Tigers would play their Sunday home games there for the 1901 and 1902 seasons. The following were key dates in the leading up to the Tigers inaugural season. The Detroit Base Ball and Amusement Company was incorporated for the term of 10 years, the stated purposes of the new company were the owning and improving of grounds and parks for base ball, foot ball, field-day sports, picnics and other forms of recreation and amusement. The capital stock was $50,000 in 2000 shares issued to James D. Burns, George Stallings, Kathleen Burns, Belle Stallings and these five also composed the board of directors. The composition of the American League circuit was confirmed as follows, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, ten years agreement signed and ground leases placed in Ban Johnsons hands. The following were key dates in the season of the Tigers inaugural season. After years in the Western League, the Tigers were scheduled to take the field for their first official American League game on April 24,1901, a standing room only crowd was anticipated at Bennett Park, but the Tigers inaugural American League game was postponed due to weather. In their first major game, the Tigers played in front of 10,023 fans in Detroit. Detroit entered the ninth inning trailing the Milwaukee Brewers 13–4, but scored 10 runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game. Third basemen Doc Casey started the rally with a ground rule double. The Tigers continued the rally to eventually reduce their deficit to one run
10.
1901 Cleveland Bluebirds season
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The 1901 Cleveland Bluebirds season was a season in American baseball. It was the franchises first in the majors, being one of the franchises of the American League. Unofficially known as the Blues, the finished seventh out of eight teams. As a result,1900 marked the first year since 1886 during which the city of Cleveland did not have an affiliated with Major League Baseball. During this time, Cleveland had a minor baseball team, known as the Bluebirds or Blues due to their all-blue uniforms. The American League became a major league before the 1901 season, as the American League made the jump to major league status, many players jumped ship, including Cy Young and Nap Lajoie, which led the National League to call them an outlaw league in November 1900. The Cleveland Blues played their first game of the season against the Chicago White Stockings on April 24,1901 and this was the first games in the history of the American League, three other games scheduled that day were rained out. The starting lineup consisted of, Ollie Pickering, Jack McCarthy, Frank Genins, Candy LaChance, Bill Bradley, Erve Beck, Bill Hallman, Bob Wood, and Bill Hoffer. Hoffer allowed seven runs in the first two innings and the Blues failed to recover, as they lost the game 8–2, earning the first loss in American League history. In the second game of the season, Beck hit the first home run in American League history off pitcher John Skopec, on May 9,1901, Earl Moore threw the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise and the American League. The Blues lost to Chicago by a score of 4–2 despite allowing no hits, on May 23, Cleveland scored nine runs with the bases empty and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Washington 14–13. Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, R = Runs, H = Hits, 2B = Doubles, 3B = Triples, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in, SB = Stolen bases Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, R = Runs, H = Hits, 2B = Doubles, 3B = Triples, Avg. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Indians Journal, Year by Year & Day by Day with the Cleveland Indians since 1901
11.
Road (sports)
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A road game or away game is a sports game where the specified team is not the host and must travel to another venue. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions, each team has a location where it practices during the season and where it hosts games. When a team is not the host, it must travel to games. Thus, when a team is not hosting a game, the team is described as the team, the visiting team, or the away team. The venue in which the game is played is described as the stadium or the road. The host team is said to be the home team, major sporting events, if not held at a neutral venue, are often over several legs at each teams home ground, so that neither team has an advantage over the other. Occasionally, the team may not have to travel very far at all to a road game. These matches often become local derbies, a few times a year, a road team may even be lucky enough to have the road game played at their own home stadium or arena. This is prevalent in college athletics where many schools will play in regional leagues or groundshare. The related term true road game has seen increasing use in U. S. college sports in the 21st century, while regular-season tournaments and other special events have been part of college sports from their creation, the 21st century has seen a proliferation of such events. These are typically held at sites, with some of them taking place outside the contiguous U. S. or even outside the country entirely. In turn, this has led to the use of true road game to refer to contests played at one home venue. In some association football leagues, particularly in Europe, the teams fans sit in their own section. Depending on the stadium, they will either sit in a designated section or be separated from the home fans by a cordon of police officers. However, in the leagues in England, supporters may be free to mix. When games are played at a site, for instance the FA Cup final in England which is always played at Wembley Stadium. This results in each team occupying one half of the stadium and this is different from other sports, particularly in North America, where very few fans travel to games played away from their home stadium. Home and away fans are not separated at these games
12.
Tommy Dowd (baseball)
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For years Dowd held the unofficial record time for circling the bases. Dowd made his debut on April 8,1891 for the Boston Reds of the American Association. He later played with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Spiders in the National League and he was a right-handed batter with a career batting average of.271, and stole 366 bases in his major league career. His final game was September 28,1901, during the 1891 and 1892 off-seasons, Dowd was the head football coach at Georgetown University. After his career, he coached at Amherst College and Williams College, in 1908 he was managing at Hartford, and signed Chick Evans to a contract. Dowd also studied law at Georgetown University and he was given credit for discovering Rabbit Maranville. In 1905, Dowd coached the team at St. Louis University, leading the Blue. Dowd died at the age of 64 in his hometown of Holyoke of accidental drowning and his body was found in the Connecticut River. He is interred at the Calvary Cemetery
13.
Charlie Hemphill
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Hemphill was listed at 5 ft 9 in,160 lb. Hemphill batted and threw left-handed. Hemphill was born in Greenville, Michigan and his younger brother, Frank Hemphill, also was an outfielder. Basically a line-drive hitter, Hemphill entered the leagues in 1899 with the St. Louis Perfectos. The Spiders folded at the end of the season and, Hemphill went to the Kansas City Blues of the newly created American League in 1900, in 1901, Hemphill became the first opening day right fielder in the history of the Boston Red Sox. After that he played for the Cleveland Bronchos, St. Louis Browns and his most productive season came in 1902, when he hit a combined.308 with Cleveland and St. Louis. He enjoyed another season in 1908 with the Highlanders, hitting.298 with a career-high 42 stolen bases. His final season in the majors came in 1911 with the Highlanders, where he was a teammate of Chet Hoff, in what would be Hoffs only big-league campaign. In an 11-season career, Hemphill was a.271 hitter with 22 home runs and 421 RBI in 1242 games, including 580 runs,117 doubles, triples,207 stolen bases, in 1175 outfield appearances, he played at center field, right and left. He also played three games at second base, Hemphill died in Detroit, Michigan, at age 77. List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
14.
Chick Stahl
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Charles Sylvester Chick Stahl was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who was among the most feared and consistent hitters in his time. In his rookie 1897 season with the Boston Beaneaters, he batted.354, in 1899, he had six hits in a game, and in the 1903 World Series, he hit three triples. By 1904, including his time with the Beaneaters and the Boston Americans and he was officially named player-manager on December 4,1906. Stahl committed suicide during the 1907 spring training season in West Baden, Indiana, the reasoning behind Stahls suicide has remained a mystery for over a century. He was known as a carefree, fun-loving man and had love affairs going on throughout the country. He mentioned suicide days before in Louisville, Kentucky, prompting some teammates to take the carbolic acid from him and his final words to some of teammates were Boys, I just couldnt help it. What it exactly was remains a mystery, a 1908 newspaper article claims that he was despondent because he had been tasked with discharging his friend Collins from the team. Cy Young reluctantly took over as manager to start the 1907 season, Collins was traded to Philadelphia in June 1907. Stahls widow mysteriously died a year and a half later, just prior to her death, Julia Stahl was seen walking in a poor area of Boston while lavishly dressed. However, no bystanders seem to have seen the events of the last moments of her life, Chick Stahl was not related to Jake Stahl, despite contemporary baseball sources listing them as brothers. Stahl gained popularity again in 2004 when he was mentioned along with teammates Bill Dinneen and Cy Young in the revival of the song Tessie by Dropkick Murphys
15.
Hobe Ferris
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Albert Sayles Hobe Ferris was a major league second baseman during the 1900s. He holds the record for the lowest on-base percentage of any player in Major League Baseball history with over 5000 plate appearances, despite this, his career slugging percentage is higher than the league average of the period. He was a shortstop in the minor leagues from 1898 to 1900 and he chose to jump to the newly formed American League instead, and signed with the Boston Americans. As the team had signed a shortstop in Freddy Parent. He made his league debut on April 26,1901. He committed 61 errors as a rookie for Boston in 1901, kid Gleason of Detroit made 64 errors, but Ferriss error total remains the second-highest total ever for a second baseman in the American League. He hit.250 with 15 triples and 63 RBI, the following season, he cut his error total to 39 and began to acquire a reputation as a stellar fielder with outstanding range. He was also one of the leagues feistiest players, being suspended in 1902 for an altercation with umpire Jack Sheridan, on September 11,1906, he got into a nasty fight with teammate Jack Hayden, whom he accused of lackadaisical play. Ferris kicked Hayden in the face, both were ejected from the game, and Ferris was suspended for the remainder of the season. This was the first time that teammates had been ejected for fighting each other and he was a member of the Boston side that won the inaugural 1903 World Series. He knocked in all of Bostons runs in the final game, Boston repeated as pennant winners in 1904, although no World Series was played that year. Ferris hit only.213 that season, and the team fell down the standings over the years as its star players began to show their age. By 1906, Boston was in last place with a 49-105 record, Ferris was one of the teams few bright spots, playing excellent defense and ranking among American League leaders in extra base hits. Prior to the 1908 season Ferris was traded to the St. Louis Browns in order to space for Amby McConnell. While at St. Louis, Ferris converted to become a third baseman and his first season with the Browns was the most productive of his entire career, he set new highs in OBP, batting average, and RBI and hit in 26 straight games. However, this successful season with the bat proved to be something of a blip — in 1909 his numbers plummeted as he recorded the worst season of his career. Following this poor season Ferriss contract was not renewed by the Browns, following his departure from St. Louis, Ferris could not find a Major League club willing to offer him a contract. This led to him signing with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association prior to the 1910 season, in his first season with the Millers, Ferriss performance with the bat improved slightly, however, the following year he exploded
16.
Lou Criger
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Louis Criger was a Major League Baseball catcher with the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and the New York Highlanders between 1896 and 1912. Criger became the first Opening Day catcher in Boston American League franchises history, a catcher for most of Cy Youngs 511 victories, he also caught every inning for eight games with Boston in the first-ever World Series in 1903, helping his team win the championship. In a 16-season career, he batted.221 with 11 home runs and 342 RBIs, Criger stole 58 career bases and scored 337 runs. He had 709 career hits in 3202 at bats, though never a major star, Criger received votes for the Hall of Fame in four BBWAA elections. He garnered as much as eight percent of the vote, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Bio on BaseballLibrary. com
17.
Nig Cuppy
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George Joseph Nig Cuppy was an American baseball pitcher during the 1890s. He spent nine years of his 10-year major league career as the two starter behind Cy Young. Cuppy was born George Maceo Koppe in Logansport, Indiana and his rookie season came with the Cleveland Spiders in 1892, two years after Cy Youngs debut with the team. In his first season Cuppy recorded an ERA of 2.51 and a record of 28–13, however, Cuppy was never able to match these figures. In 1893 the distance between the mound and home plate increased from 50 feet to 60 feet,6 inches. Although he remained a pitcher throughout the rest of his career, after this rule was enacted he never recorded an ERA under 3.00. On August 9,1895, Cuppy scored five runs against the Chicago Colts in an 18–6 victory, in 3 post-season appearances with the Spiders he compiled a 1–4 record. In three of his four losses, his teammates were shut out, Cuppy remained with the Spiders until March 29,1899, when the clubs owners transferred him, along with the majority of the roster, to their other team, the St. Louis Perfectos. He spent only one season with the Perfectos before being sold to the Boston Beaneaters on May 23,1900, the 1900 season was the only year of his career in which he did not pitch with Young. At the end of the season, during which he had recorded an ERA of 3.04, the 1901 season, Cuppys last in major league baseball, resulted in the only season in which he had a losing record, albeit he did have a career-low 13 appearances. Cuppy was released by Boston in August 1901, Cuppy died at the age of 53 in Elkhart, Indiana. He was interred at the Rice Cemetery in Elkhart and his nickname, Nig, is often adjudged to be a racist reference to his dark complexion. In the first half of the 20th century, before the game was integrated, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Baseball-Almanac. com
18.
Frank Foreman
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Francis Isaiah Monkey Foreman was a starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between 1884 and 1902. Listed at 6 ft 0 in,195 lb and he was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His younger brother, Brownie Foreman, also was a major league pitcher, a well-traveled fastball pitcher, Foreman played for 11 different clubs in five different leagues. He played later for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, Washington Statesmen, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Americans and Baltimore Orioles. Foreman enjoyed three years from 1889 to 1891, averaging 18 wins and 319 innings pitched per season. Following his playing career, Foreman scouted for various teams, according baseball sources, he discovered future Hall of Famer Eddie Plank while pitching at Gettysburg College. Foreman died in his home of Baltimore, Maryland at age 94, as of 2007, he ranks 23rd among major league pitchers with 142 batters hit-by-pitches. Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Baseball Library Retrosheet
19.
Edward M. Lewis
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Lewis was born in 1872 in Machynlleth, Wales. He came to the United States in 1880, nicknamed The Pitching Professor and Parson, Lewis was an ordained minister who earned a masters degree from Williams College. He was one of three Welsh-born players to break into major league baseball in the U. S and he was 23 years old when he debuted with the Boston Beaneaters on 6 July 1896. Lewis pitched a season in 1897 and earned 21 wins. He was one of three Boston pitchers to finish the season more than 20 wins. Boston won the pennant that season and repeated as champions in 1898. His 26–8 win-loss record in 1898 amounted to a winning percentage. Lewis earned a 17–11 record in 1899, followed by a 13–12 record in 1900 and he finished the 1901 season with a 16–17 record and a 3.53 earned run average. Lewis finished his career with a 94–64 record and a 3.53 ERA, after the 1901 season, Lewis retired from baseball to teach full-time at Columbia University. He was Instructor of Elocution at Columbia until 1904, when he returned to Williams College as a public speaking instructor and was made an assistant professor. Lewis later left for Massachusetts Agricultural College, where he served as an English professor, department head and he was the president of MAC between 1924 and 1927, and when his liberal philosophy created disagreements with the colleges trustees, he submitted his resignation. Lewis became president of the University of New Hampshire in 1927, the university credits him with continuing the development of the school despite the difficulties associated with the Great Depression. He oversaw the construction of new buildings and athletic fields during his tenure, a recreational area known as Lewis Fields was constructed at UNH between 1933 and 1936 and was named in his honor. He remained at UNH until his 1936 death and he is buried in Durham Cemetery in Durham, New Hampshire. Lewis was friends with poet Robert Frost, who contributed a reading at Lewiss memorial service, ffaith Baseball Almanac Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
20.
Fred Mitchell (baseball)
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Frederick Francis Mitchell, born Frederick Francis Yapp, was an American right-handed pitcher, catcher, first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He was noted for relieving Hall of Famer Cy Young in the first-ever Red Sox game, Mitchell was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1917, he joined the Chicago Cubs as team president, in his second year at the helm, he won the 1918 National League pennant, losing to the Red Sox in the 1918 World Series. However, in the middle of the 1919 season, he was relieved of his president duties and one year later, he was out of a job. The Boston Braves hired him as manager for the 1921 season, but his success in Chicago did not follow him to his hometown Braves, after he was fired by the Braves, he returned to Harvard University where he had previously coached baseball in 1916. He remained at Harvard for thirty years until his retirement, Mitchell was best known for his excellence in coaching. Mitchell died in Newton, Massachusetts at age 92 and he is buried in Brookside Cemetery in Stow, Massachusetts. Baseball-Reference. com – career managing record and playing statistics
21.
George Winter (baseball)
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George Lovington Winter, nicknamed Sassafrass, was a professional baseball pitcher. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1901 through 1908, for the Boston Americans/Red Sox, listed at 5 ft 8 in and 155 pounds, Winter batted and threw right-handed. Winter attended Gettysburg College, where he was a teammate of future Hall of Famer Eddie Plank, Winter was a member of the original Boston American League team, which joined the league in 1901 when it became a major league. The Philadelphia Athletics passed on signing him because their owner and manager, Connie Mack and he won 16 games in his rookie season for the second-place Americans, following up with 11 wins in 1902. Late in the season he became ill with typhoid fever. Winter was chosen to start on Opening Day of the 1903 Boston season, defeating Rube Waddell and the Philadelphia Athletics, 9–4, at Huntington Avenue Grounds. He also wound up pitching in the game in which the Americans clinched the pennant, although he did not play in the 1903 World Series as Boston used only Cy Young, Bill Dinneen, Winter worked as a ticket taker during the series. He was intermittently effective during the 1903 season, which the 1904 Reach Guide attributed to not being recovered from his illness. In 1904, Winter slipped down to the Americans fifth starter behind Young, Dinneen, Jesse Tannehill and he appeared in 20 games, going 8-4. In 1905, he equaled his career high, winning 16 games while losing 17 and he had perhaps the best game of his career that year in a losing effort. Against the Washington Senators, he pitched a one-hitter but lost the game, a single by his pitching rival George Mullin was the only hit. In 1906, Winters record slipped to 6-18 for the last-place Americans and he bounced back in 1907 to win 12 games and have a career-best 2.07 ERA. In 1908, Winter was the member of the 1901 team to remain with the team. However, he would not last the season in Boston, as he was claimed off waivers by the Tigers on July 26. After not appearing in the 1903 World Series, Winter made his last major appearance in 1908 with Detroit. The Tigers lost to the Chicago Cubs, four games to one, in what is, as of 2013, Winter played two seasons of minor league baseball with the Montreal Royals before retiring after the 1910 season. He helped himself with the bat, hitting.193 with one run and 20 RBI. He pitched 200 or more five times
22.
Cy Young
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Denton True Cy Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-season baseball career, he pitched for five different teams, Young established numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for a century. Young compiled 511 wins, which is most in Major League history and 94 ahead of Walter Johnson, Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. One year after Youngs death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the previous seasons best pitcher, in addition to wins, Young still holds the major league records for most career innings pitched, most career games started, and most complete games. He also retired with 316 losses, the most in MLB history, Youngs 76 career shutouts are fourth all-time. He also won at least 30 games in a five times. In addition, Young pitched three no-hitters, including the perfect game in baseball history, first in baseballs modern era. In 1999,88 years after his major league appearance and 44 years after his death. That same year, baseball fans named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, Youngs career started in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. After eight years with the Spiders, Young was moved to St. Louis in 1899, after two years there, Young jumped to the newly created American League, joining the Boston franchise. He was traded back to Cleveland in 1909, before spending the two months of his career with the Boston Rustlers. After his retirement, Young went back to his farm in Ohio, Cy Young was the oldest child born to McKinzie Young, Jr. and German American Nancy Mottmiller. The couple had four children, Jesse Carlton, Alonzo, Ella. When the couple married, McKinzies father gave him the 54 acres of land he owned. Young was born in Gilmore, a farming community located in Washington Township, Tuscarawas County. He was christened Denton True Young, Some sources later, and even today, list his middle name erroneously as Tecumseh, apparently as a result of being nicknamed The Chief by teammates. He was raised on one of the farms and went by the name Dent Young in his early years. Young was also known as Farmer Young and Farmboy Young, Young stopped his formal education after he completed the sixth grade so he could help out on the familys farm
23.
Ossee Schreckengost
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Ossee Freeman Schreckengost was a Major League Baseball catcher and first baseman. He played in the 1905 World Series for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Athletics lost the series 4-1 to the New York Giants. Schreckengost was born in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and he was also on the wrong side of Cy Youngs perfect game, pitched four years earlier. He may be best remembered for being Rube Waddells primary catcher, Waddells unpredictable and bizarre nature famously led to Ossee insisting on a no crackers in bed clause added to Waddells contract. Players at the time would bunk together while on the road, Schreckengost died of uremia at the age of 39 in Philadelphia. He was buried at Kittanning Cemetery in Kittanning, Pennsylvania
24.
Larry McLean
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John Bannerman McLean was a professional baseball catcher between 1901 until 1915. During his years in Major League Baseball, he played for five different teams, beginning his career with the Boston Americans, his final professional game was played with the New York Giants on June 6,1915. McLean was the tallest catcher in major league history, known for his heavy drinking and violent behavior, McLeans career ended after a 1915 brawl with New York Giants manager John McGraw and coach Dick Kinsella. He was fatally shot by a six years after his last major league appearance. McLean was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick and he earned the nickname Larry after the alternate moniker ascribed to Nap Lajoie, a star baseball player who McLean was said to resemble. In 1901, while McLean and Fred Mitchell were playing for a team in Saint John, New Brunswick. On December 12,1903, McLean was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals in what has been described as one of the worst trades in Cardinals history. McLean and Jack Taylor were traded to the Cardinals in exchange for future Baseball Hall of Fame member Three Finger Brown, McLean was known to chew large amounts of Browns Mule tobacco and was a heavy drinker of corn whiskey. When he signed with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1905, he became teammates with a pitcher who struggled with alcohol use. Baseball author Dennis Snelling said that this pitcher-catcher combination formed one of the most volatile batteries in the history of the game, in 1906, McLean signed with Portland again for a $1400 annual salary. McLeans wife publicly voiced her objection to the salary, and she said that Portland owner William Wallace McCredie was not paying McLean consistent with his value and she said that the minor-league team in Altoona was willing to sign him for $2400 per year. McLean did play in 88 games for the 1906 Portland Beavers, the team won the Pacific Coast League, the second-place team was 21 games out of first place. I can pitch to Larry real good, but I cant manage him worth a dime, before the 1910 season, the Reds suspended McLean after he violated team rules during spring training at Hot Springs, Arkansas. In response to the suspension, McLean wrote a letter of resignation from the club. His resignation was accepted, but he was allowed to rejoin the team with the caveats that he would play for a reduced salary. In August 1913, McLean was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Giants in exchange for Doc Crandall, chief Meyers was the Giants primary catcher, but he was injured during the 1913 postseason, so McLean played five games in the 1913 World Series. McLean was the first player born in New Brunswick to appear in a World Series, in June 1915, McLean engaged in a brawl with Giants manager John McGraw and scout Dick Kinsella. McLean had recently suspended for ten days for failing to stay in shape
25.
Eastern Time Zone
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Places that use Eastern Standard Time when observing standard time are 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. Eastern Daylight Time, when observing daylight saving time DST is 4 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, in the northern parts of the time zone, on the second Sunday in March, at 2,00 a. m. EST, clocks are advanced to 3,00 a. m. EDT leaving a one-hour gap, on the first Sunday in November, at 2,00 a. m. EDT, clocks are moved back to 1,00 a. m, southern parts of the zone do not observe daylight saving time. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 ruled that daylight saving time would run from the last Sunday of April until the last Sunday in October in the United States, the act was amended to make the first Sunday in April the beginning of daylight saving time as of 1987. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time in the United States beginning in 2007. So local times change at 2,00 a. m. EST to 3,00 a. m. EDT on the second Sunday in March, in Canada, the time changes as it does in the United States. However, a handful of communities unofficially observe Eastern Time because they are part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area – Phenix City, Smiths Station, Lanett, and Valley. Florida, All of Florida is in the Eastern Time zone except for the portion of the Florida Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River, as the Eastern–Central zone boundary approaches the Gulf of Mexico, it follows the Bay/Gulf county line. Indiana, All of Indiana observes Eastern Time except for six counties in the Chicago metropolitan area. Kentucky, Roughly, the half of the state, including all of metropolitan Louisville, is in the Eastern Time Zone. Historically the entire state observed Central Time, when daylight saving time was first introduced, the Lower Peninsula remained on DST after it formally ended, effectively re-aligning itself into the Eastern Time Zone. The Upper Peninsula continued to observe Central Time until 1972, when all, Tennessee, Most of the eastern third of Tennessee is legally on Eastern Time. Eastern Time is also used somewhat as a de facto official time for all of the United States, since it includes the capital and the largest city. Major professional sports leagues also post all game times in Eastern time, for example, a game time between two teams from Pacific Time Zone will still be posted in Eastern time. Most cable television and national broadcast networks advertise airing times in Eastern time, national broadcast networks generally have two primary feeds, an eastern feed for Eastern and Central time zones, and a tape-delayed western feed for the Pacific Time Zone. The prime time is set on Eastern and Pacific at 8,00 p. m. with the Central time zone stations receiving the eastern feed at 7,00 p. m. local time. Mountain Time Zone stations receive a separate feed at 7,00 p. m. local time, as Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, during the summer months, it has its own feed at 7,00 p. m. local time
