Gehrig
08-10-01, 11:19 PM
I've taken it upon myself to try and do a little historical research (OK...alot :lol: ) On the Yankees roots...
I'm going to do a few posts (spreading them out of course) beginning with the original Baltimore Oriole Franchise of the American League in 1901. I'm not going to get too crazy as information is a bit scarce on these guys. But I'll go far enough to "paint a picture"
So, without any further rambling...On with the show... :lol:
1901 Orioles:
First Stadium – Oriole Park 1901-1902
Spring Training History: Baltimore, MD 1901
First Game: April 1901
Managerial History:
John McGraw 1901-1902
Wilbert Robinson 1902
1901 Baltimore Orioles Team Roster: Many played several positions including P in those day’s
Roger Bresnahan – C
Steve Brodie – OF
Mike Donlin – OF
Jack Dunn – 3B
Frank Foutz – 1B
Jim Jackson - OF
Slats Jordan – 1B
Bill Keister - SS
Tacks Latimer - C
John McGraw – 3B / MGR
Wilbert Robinson
George Rohe – 3B / 1B
Cy Seymour - OF
Chappie Snodgrass - OF
Jimmy Williams – 2B
Joe McGinnity - P
Jack Dunn - P
Frank Foreman - P
Harry Howell - P
Jerry Nops – P
Crazy Schmit – P
Stan Yerkes - P
A Little History:
1890's: Under the savvy tutelage of Ned Hanlon, the Orioles line-up of John McGraw, along with the likes of Wee Willie Keeler, Hugh Jennings, Wilbert Robinson, and Joe Kelley defined and dominated the NL in the 1890s. Keeler would hit in 44 straight in 1896 a record that would only be topped by Joe DiMaggio's 56, and equaled by Pete Rose in 1978. These Orioles that won 3 straight pennants in 1894, 1895, and 1896, were practitioners of Hanlon's "scientific" or "inside" baseball, an aggressive brand of the game that celebrated the hit and run, the Baltimore chop (which earned its name from this Orioles edition), hidden baseballs and phantom runners, along with stealing and hustling, in every sense. However, the good times for Baltimore in the NL would not last. The NL wanted to get rid of 4 teams, and made arrangements in which Ned Hanlon would move North to Brooklyn take the Orioles core talent with him. The Orioles leftovers had a respectable finish in 1899, but were still a victim of NL contraction after the 1899 season.
1901: Ban Johnson had saw what happened in 1899, and decided to take advantage. Johnson was president of the Western League a minor league in the Central region of the country. Johnson decided it was time for a step up and decided to add teams in a few of the cities victimized by the NL's actions including Baltimore. With the new teams in the NL disposed cities of Washington, Cleveland, and Baltimore Johnson encouraged the teams to raid NL rosters and the American League was born.
1901: In their first season, the Orioles showcased a number of former NL star players, including the notoriously intense 3rd baseman-manager John McGraw, catcher Roger Bresnahan ( First Catcher Elected to the Hall of Fame ), 2nd baseman Jimmy Williams, and legendary pitcher 'Iron Man' McGinnity. The new Orioles Led by McGraw, would finish that first season with a respectable 68-65 record .511 / 5th place and 13.5 games out of first.
1902: On April 29th, Player-Manager John McGraw was plunked five times by Boston hurler Bill Dineen. Apparently home plate umpire Jack Sheridan didn't think Mr. McGraw was making a game attempt to avoid the pitches, because the Bird's skipper was never awarded first base. After he was plunked for the fifth time, McGraw sat down in the batter's box and refused to get off the field. Because of McGraw's "sit-down" protest, American League President Ban Johnson then suspended McGraw for five games. Old Oriole Park was the site of the next imbroglio when McGraw and Joe Kelley of the Orioles got into a heated discussion with umpires Tom Connolly and Jimmy Johnstone. The Orioles manager was ejected and Kelley let his feelings be crystal clear. The Birds forfeited the game, and both Kelley and McGraw were suspended indefinitely. "Little Napoleon's" days in Baltimore and in the American League were now numbered. By early July, John McGraw was the manager of the New York Giants, and shortly there after several of the Orioles stars would join him. The Orioles were left in a shambles. AL President Ban Johnson picked up the scraps and took over operation of the Birds for the rest of the season. It would be these incidents that would lead in part to there being no World Series in 1904.
** Before and during the 1902 season, the National League launched attacks against the Orioles by re-signing many of their former players and Baltimore collapsed to 50-88, 34 games behind the first place Philadelphia Athletics. Fan interest fell off and then AL president Ban Johnson decided the new league needed a team in New York, so after the 1902 season the club moved to N.Y. and became ..… (Drum Roll)
THE NEW YORK HIGHLANDERS
There be Highlanders here !!
1903:
A peace summit commences between the American and National Leagues in an attempt to unite the two under similar rules, and establish a “World Series”. AL President Ban Johnson lets it known he wants a team in New York. Johnson got 15 of the 16 Major League owners to agree the lone dissenter was John T. Bush owner of the New York Giants. Johnson arranged to have Frank Farrell and Bill Devery buy the struggling Baltimore Orioles and move them to Manhattan.
January 9, 1903 Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase Baltimore franchise of American League for $18,000, and move team to New York City.
On March 12, 1903, The New York Club is approved as members of American League and the two new owners quickly secure a piece of land on Broadway between 165th and 168th street and quickly put together a hastily constructed, all-wood ballpark known as Hilltop Park. Since the stadium sat on one of the highest points in Manhattan the nickname “Highlanders” was chosen as the new club's name.
The Highlanders took the field for their first game on April 22nd, and lost to the Nats in Washington 3-1 with future Highlanders Ace “Happy” Jack Chesbro taking the Loss. The Highlanders would win their very first game the next day 7-2 behind the strong pitching performance of Harry Howell.
April 30th 1903 Opening day at Hilltop Park for the very first Highlanders home game, Jack Chesbro, facing the Nats again, made their home debut a success with a 6-2 win.
That first year was a success for New York, as they would finish a respectable 72-62 under Hall of Fame Manager Clark Griffith.
The New York Highlanders would soon evolve into the most fabled sports franchise in American sports history.
1903 New York Highlanders:
Monte Beville – C
John Ganzel – 1B
Jimmy Williams – 2B
Wid Conroy - 3B
Herman Long – SS
Willie Keeler – OF
Herm McFarland – OF
Lefty Davis – OF
Kid Elberfeld – SS
Dave Fulz - OF
Jack O’Conner - C
Ernie Courtney - INF
Pat McCauley
Jack Zalusky
Paddy Greene
Tim Jordan – 1B
Fred Holmes –
Jack Chesbro – P (Won 21 games for the Highlanders in their 1st Season !!)
Jesse Tannehill - P
Clark Griffith – P
Barney Wolf – P
Harry Howell – P
John Deering - P
Snake Wiltse - P
Ambrose Putnam – P
Elmer Bliss – P
Doc Adkins – P
Edie Quick - P
The first Uniform...
I'm going to do a few posts (spreading them out of course) beginning with the original Baltimore Oriole Franchise of the American League in 1901. I'm not going to get too crazy as information is a bit scarce on these guys. But I'll go far enough to "paint a picture"
So, without any further rambling...On with the show... :lol:
1901 Orioles:
First Stadium – Oriole Park 1901-1902
Spring Training History: Baltimore, MD 1901
First Game: April 1901
Managerial History:
John McGraw 1901-1902
Wilbert Robinson 1902
1901 Baltimore Orioles Team Roster: Many played several positions including P in those day’s
Roger Bresnahan – C
Steve Brodie – OF
Mike Donlin – OF
Jack Dunn – 3B
Frank Foutz – 1B
Jim Jackson - OF
Slats Jordan – 1B
Bill Keister - SS
Tacks Latimer - C
John McGraw – 3B / MGR
Wilbert Robinson
George Rohe – 3B / 1B
Cy Seymour - OF
Chappie Snodgrass - OF
Jimmy Williams – 2B
Joe McGinnity - P
Jack Dunn - P
Frank Foreman - P
Harry Howell - P
Jerry Nops – P
Crazy Schmit – P
Stan Yerkes - P
A Little History:
1890's: Under the savvy tutelage of Ned Hanlon, the Orioles line-up of John McGraw, along with the likes of Wee Willie Keeler, Hugh Jennings, Wilbert Robinson, and Joe Kelley defined and dominated the NL in the 1890s. Keeler would hit in 44 straight in 1896 a record that would only be topped by Joe DiMaggio's 56, and equaled by Pete Rose in 1978. These Orioles that won 3 straight pennants in 1894, 1895, and 1896, were practitioners of Hanlon's "scientific" or "inside" baseball, an aggressive brand of the game that celebrated the hit and run, the Baltimore chop (which earned its name from this Orioles edition), hidden baseballs and phantom runners, along with stealing and hustling, in every sense. However, the good times for Baltimore in the NL would not last. The NL wanted to get rid of 4 teams, and made arrangements in which Ned Hanlon would move North to Brooklyn take the Orioles core talent with him. The Orioles leftovers had a respectable finish in 1899, but were still a victim of NL contraction after the 1899 season.
1901: Ban Johnson had saw what happened in 1899, and decided to take advantage. Johnson was president of the Western League a minor league in the Central region of the country. Johnson decided it was time for a step up and decided to add teams in a few of the cities victimized by the NL's actions including Baltimore. With the new teams in the NL disposed cities of Washington, Cleveland, and Baltimore Johnson encouraged the teams to raid NL rosters and the American League was born.
1901: In their first season, the Orioles showcased a number of former NL star players, including the notoriously intense 3rd baseman-manager John McGraw, catcher Roger Bresnahan ( First Catcher Elected to the Hall of Fame ), 2nd baseman Jimmy Williams, and legendary pitcher 'Iron Man' McGinnity. The new Orioles Led by McGraw, would finish that first season with a respectable 68-65 record .511 / 5th place and 13.5 games out of first.
1902: On April 29th, Player-Manager John McGraw was plunked five times by Boston hurler Bill Dineen. Apparently home plate umpire Jack Sheridan didn't think Mr. McGraw was making a game attempt to avoid the pitches, because the Bird's skipper was never awarded first base. After he was plunked for the fifth time, McGraw sat down in the batter's box and refused to get off the field. Because of McGraw's "sit-down" protest, American League President Ban Johnson then suspended McGraw for five games. Old Oriole Park was the site of the next imbroglio when McGraw and Joe Kelley of the Orioles got into a heated discussion with umpires Tom Connolly and Jimmy Johnstone. The Orioles manager was ejected and Kelley let his feelings be crystal clear. The Birds forfeited the game, and both Kelley and McGraw were suspended indefinitely. "Little Napoleon's" days in Baltimore and in the American League were now numbered. By early July, John McGraw was the manager of the New York Giants, and shortly there after several of the Orioles stars would join him. The Orioles were left in a shambles. AL President Ban Johnson picked up the scraps and took over operation of the Birds for the rest of the season. It would be these incidents that would lead in part to there being no World Series in 1904.
** Before and during the 1902 season, the National League launched attacks against the Orioles by re-signing many of their former players and Baltimore collapsed to 50-88, 34 games behind the first place Philadelphia Athletics. Fan interest fell off and then AL president Ban Johnson decided the new league needed a team in New York, so after the 1902 season the club moved to N.Y. and became ..… (Drum Roll)
THE NEW YORK HIGHLANDERS
There be Highlanders here !!
1903:
A peace summit commences between the American and National Leagues in an attempt to unite the two under similar rules, and establish a “World Series”. AL President Ban Johnson lets it known he wants a team in New York. Johnson got 15 of the 16 Major League owners to agree the lone dissenter was John T. Bush owner of the New York Giants. Johnson arranged to have Frank Farrell and Bill Devery buy the struggling Baltimore Orioles and move them to Manhattan.
January 9, 1903 Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase Baltimore franchise of American League for $18,000, and move team to New York City.
On March 12, 1903, The New York Club is approved as members of American League and the two new owners quickly secure a piece of land on Broadway between 165th and 168th street and quickly put together a hastily constructed, all-wood ballpark known as Hilltop Park. Since the stadium sat on one of the highest points in Manhattan the nickname “Highlanders” was chosen as the new club's name.
The Highlanders took the field for their first game on April 22nd, and lost to the Nats in Washington 3-1 with future Highlanders Ace “Happy” Jack Chesbro taking the Loss. The Highlanders would win their very first game the next day 7-2 behind the strong pitching performance of Harry Howell.
April 30th 1903 Opening day at Hilltop Park for the very first Highlanders home game, Jack Chesbro, facing the Nats again, made their home debut a success with a 6-2 win.
That first year was a success for New York, as they would finish a respectable 72-62 under Hall of Fame Manager Clark Griffith.
The New York Highlanders would soon evolve into the most fabled sports franchise in American sports history.
1903 New York Highlanders:
Monte Beville – C
John Ganzel – 1B
Jimmy Williams – 2B
Wid Conroy - 3B
Herman Long – SS
Willie Keeler – OF
Herm McFarland – OF
Lefty Davis – OF
Kid Elberfeld – SS
Dave Fulz - OF
Jack O’Conner - C
Ernie Courtney - INF
Pat McCauley
Jack Zalusky
Paddy Greene
Tim Jordan – 1B
Fred Holmes –
Jack Chesbro – P (Won 21 games for the Highlanders in their 1st Season !!)
Jesse Tannehill - P
Clark Griffith – P
Barney Wolf – P
Harry Howell – P
John Deering - P
Snake Wiltse - P
Ambrose Putnam – P
Elmer Bliss – P
Doc Adkins – P
Edie Quick - P
The first Uniform...