Thursday, October 7, 2010

The 1886 World Series: So Much Glory

The St. Louis Browns have proven themselves, this year, the best ball club in the country. They won the championship of St. Louis, hands down, from the strong local League team; won the championship of the American Association for the second successive time very easily, with a margin of about a dozen games, and then topped all by rather easily defeating the supposed-to-be invincible Chicago Club, champions of the National League, in a series of games for the championship of the world and gate receipts aggregating $14,000. It is seldom, indeed, that so much glory falls to a club in a single season. Indeed, in all these particulars the record of this team of live young players has never been equalled. Carping critics may decry their achievement and pick and find fault as much as they please, and envious rivals may theorize and analyse, but the great record of the club stands out in bold relief before the public eye, and nothing injudicious friends and jealous enemies may say or do can wipe it out. Nothing succeeds like success, as has been amply demonstrated by this club for the last two years. The team stands pre-eminent for evenly-balanced strength, accurate, machine-like fielding, unequalled base-running and very fair batting ability.
-Sporting Life, November 3, 1886

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