Deasley Out; Robinson In

A dispatch was yesterday received from President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Club, stating that he had released Tom Deasley, so that it may reasonably be surmised that the latter will go with the New York League Club next season.  Walter Latham expressed his willingness to catch if Deasley were released, and in that case the natty little third base-man will resume his old position as back-stop.  At Boston Mr. Von der Ahe engaged W.H. Robinson, who attracted so much attention last season while with the Baltimore Unions.  He will catch and alternate with Latham at third.  Krehmeyer will probably assist behind the bat, and another experienced catcher will be secured; also a noted infielder, who is a terrific batsman.  The Browns will go into the field better generally in shape than they ever were before, and will have certain positions capably filled for the first time.  At the same time the bad, unreliable and insubordinate element has been gotten rid of, and the team will be one of the best behaved and best disciplined in the base-ball arena.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 14, 1884


That last sentence was a shot at Deasley. 

Subjecting Her To Indignity

Ella D. Latham was awarded a divorce from Walter A. Latham, the base ball player. Mrs. Latham testified that she married her husband June 14, 1886; that shortly afterward, at Baltimore, Md., he knocked her down without provocation. Subsequently, in St. Louis, because she refused to submit to the gratification of unnatural desires he beat her so that she was confined to her room for several days. On another occasion, after she had retired to bed, he brought a man into her room, thereby subjecting her to indignity. On February 26 last, at Lynn, Mass., he struck and beat her and attempted to choke her, and on May 12 last he knocked her down on the street; and that he wholly failed to contribute anything toward her support. She was restored to her maiden name of Garvin.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 29, 1887

I know that I posted some stuff about Latham's domestic troubles before but this article goes into much more detail than anything I've read on the subject. This kind of stuff makes Latham rather unlikable but it's interesting how the historical image of Latham overwhelms the fact that he beat his wife. I knew this stuff and other negative information about him but I just think of Latham as a mouthy, scrappy ballplayer because that's the image that's been conveyed over the years. I tend to think of him as a loud version of David Eckstein. But he was much better ballplayer than Eckstein and a much worse person.

Some Notes From San Francisco

It may be interesting to note what the papers in San Francisco are saying of the ball players in their midst. Below may be found a few extracts from the coast papers:

Latham has his mother with him, bringing her all the way from Lynn, Mass.

Speaking of Latham, Curt Welch says: "You'll have to pour molten metal down his throat to shut him up..."

Doc Bushong is here. The celebrated catcher is considered the most scientific man in his line. He coaches his pitcher, signaling him how to throw the ball, and was the direct cause of the developing of many a colt.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 27, 1887

The Browns Were Still On Tour?

Although there was a counter attraction of a game between the New Yorks and the local club, the Greenhoods and the Morans, an enormous crowd gathered to see a game of base ball at Central Park [in San Francisco] this afternoon between the champions of the American Association, the St. Louis Browns, and the Philadelphias.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 25, 1887

I'm not going to give you all the game details because my point here is that, as the big deal was going down, the Browns were still traveling around the country playing baseball. Since the end of the 1887 world's series, they had travelled to Memphis, New Orleans, Charleston and El Paso. And they played a Thanksgiving Day game in San Francisco. That's crazy.

But the game got a nice crowd, reported to be over 20,000. There wasn't a box score but it was mentioned that Foutz (who hadn't been sold yet) pitched and Bushong (who the club had agreed to sell) caught. Latham and O'Neill also played in the game. And the Browns won 12-3.

Welch Vs. Latham

Since we've reached the point in our coverage of the 1887 world series where Detroit has clinched the World's Championship, I'm going to take a short break and talk about something that's been on my mind for a few days. I'll get back to the last few games of the 1887 series and try to wrap that up as quickly as possible but at the moment I want to talk about Curt Welch and Arlie Latham.

In game ten of the 1887 series, both Welch and Latham homered and I went to Baseball Reference to see how many home runs each had hit during the 1887 season. While looking at their career numbers, it occurred to me that Latham may have been a better player than Welch. This came as a surprise because I had always considered Welch the superior player. But is that actually true?

Who was the better player, Curt Welch or Arlie Latham?

It's a rather difficult question to answer and I think the final answer depends on what weight you give to the different kinds of evidence that one brings to the argument. There are a lot of ways to slice this pie and how you slice it or what piece you look at will influence how you answer the question.

I believe that, generally speaking, their contemporaries believed that Welch was the better ballplayer. He was regarded as an outstanding outfielder and many believed that he was the best defensive outfielder in the game. He was also considered to be a smart player, a great athlete and a good base runner. While not a heavy hitter, Welch was considered to be steady at the bat and a consistent offensive contributor.

As far as Latham is concerned, the contemporary record usually focused on his personality and his on-field antics rather than on his contributions as a player. His defensive reputation was mixed. Some considered him to be an outstanding fielder with a strong arm but others noted that he was often lackadaisical at third and that his arm never recovered from a throwing contest with Doc Bushong in 1885. Everyone agreed that he was very fast and an outstanding baserunner. Offensively, he was noted for having a "scientific approach" to hitting but also for being inconsistent.

Latham was probably the better teammate. His coaching and banter was an important part of the make-up of the Browns' championship club and he was probably one of the leaders in the clubhouse. However, he had serious personal problems that leaked into the press, was accused of throwing games in 1889 and had an up and down relationship with Chris Von der Ahe. Welch, on the other hand, was a drunk who wore out his welcome in St. Louis very quickly and drank himself out of the game. It's entirely possible that Charlie Comiskey ordered Tip O'Neill to "accidentally" hit Welch with a bat in 1887. Latham could be self-centered and childish but Comiskey never ordered O'Neill to assault him.

So looking at just the contemporary evidence, I think it's a fair conclusion to say that Welch was viewed as the better player. Looking at just their on-field abilities, it was believed that Welch was the more talented baseball player.

However, things aren't that simple. Welch was a center fielder while Latham was a third baseman. I think it's safe to say that in the 1880s, a third baseman was more valuable than a center fielder. So while Welch was a better player, would you trade Latham for Welch? I'm not sure that the Browns would have done that. Latham was perfect for the kind of game that Comiskey wanted to play and he was probably more valuable to the Browns than he would have been for anybody else. As a third baseman, a lead-off man and a rabbit on the bases, Latham was probable more valuable to the Browns than Welch. That has to count for something.

But what really got me thinking about this question was their statistics and how that data is interpreted by modern baseball metrics. And the modern metrics show Latham to be a much better player than Welch.

However, before I present that data, we need to get into the caveats. While there are a lot of very smart people working on this, 19th century statistical data is full of holes. We're lacking important pieces of information such as the caught-stealing and grounding into double play numbers. The defensive data, specifically, is terribly problematic and it's difficult to evaluate a player's defense when there are questions about the number of balls in play, how many left-handed batters are in the league and how errors are assigned. There are people doing great work with the 19th century data but I'd think that even they would say that the accuracy of their analysis is not the same as the analysis we now have in modern baseball.

Also, I want to add that I'm not a sabrmetrician. I'm a historian. So I'm a bit out of my comfort zone when attempting to explain the modern metrics. However, there's nothing wrong with that and I freely admit that I have nothing more than a layman's understanding of WAR, UZR and the like. I love that stuff and think that it's added to our understand of the game. I also love the fact that there are people who are applying it to 19th century baseball. But I'm not an expert and I'd love to hear from anyone who has a better understanding of all of this.

So having said that...

Just looking at the WAR numbers at Baseball Projections, Latham had 35.1 WAR in 7495 plate appearances while Welch had 21.0 in 4939. Fangraphs has slightly different numbers but not enough to comment on. Regardless, Latham appears to have been better than Welch over their careers.

Of course, Latham had a significantly longer career and that accounts for some of the differences in their WAR. If one looks at the numbers on a season by season basis, however, Latham still looks like the better player. His five best seasons, measured in WAR, are 5.7, 5.3, 4.7, 4.7, and 3.8. Welch's five best seasons are 4.4, 3.8, 3.6, 2.7, and 2.7. Welch does not have one season that was as good as Latham's top four seasons. Measured in WAR, Latham was the vastly superior player, not only over the course of his career, but also at his peak.

Breaking the numbers down, Welch was the vastly superior offensive player and it wasn't even close, although other metrics have Latham as a better offensive player than Batting Runs does. But the argument for Latham being better than Welch never rested on his being a great offensive player. Welch was just a better hitter. He had more power, got on base more and was more consistent season to season.

As base runners, Latham was clearly better but Welch was also a very good base runner. Base running runs, again, just tell us what we already know. Welch had 453 stolen bases for his career with 215 doubles and 66 triples. Latham had 742 stolen bases, 245 doubles and 85 triples. I don't think that there's any doubt that Latham was faster than Welch and more valuable on the bases.

Where it gets interesting is in the defensive numbers. Total Zone, measuring defensive range, has them both as superior defensive players but has Latham as a historically great defensive third baseman in 1883 and 1884. I think that the modern metrics have Latham as the best defensive third baseman of the 19th century while Welch is merely one of the best defensive outfielders of the era.

This obviously goes against the accounts of contemporary observers. Is there something in the data that could skew things in this direction? I'm not sure but it's possible that 19th century ground ball tendencies and an overwhelming number of right handed batters could make Latham's defensive numbers look better than they are. Also, we don't have any data on Welch's outfield arm which would probably have a positive impact on his numbers. But the fact is that modern metrics rate Latham as a better defender than Welch and as a historically great defensive third baseman.

What puts Latham ahead of Welch as far as the modern metrics is concerned, though, is the positional adjustments that are made when calculating WAR. For some reason that I can't explain and have not been able to find an explanation for, Welch has a positional adjustment of negative fifty-three runs. Basically, they're treating him like a modern corner outfielder and that makes no sense. On the other hand, Latham, as expected, receives a positional adjustment of fifty-two runs. Also, there's a relative positional adjustment based on a league average player at that position and a replacement player. Latham cleans up on this in the 1890s when, I guess, nobody could find a decent third baseman.

While I don't claim to really understand any of that, I think (and please, dear Lord, feel free to correct me) that the bottom line is that a third baseman, according to modern metrics, was substantially more valuable than a center fielder in the 19th century. And, therefore, a great defensive third baseman like Latham, who could run and occasionally hit, was much more valuable than a good defensive third baseman like Welch who could run and hit. I think that's likely true but I'm not sure I'd put as much weight on it as we do while calculating WAR.

So, bottom line: Who was better?

The honest answer is that I have no idea. Most of their contemporaries would say that Welch was, at his best, better than Latham. But, in the end, I think you have to come to the conclusion that Latham was the more valuable player for his era. If I was ranking the greatest St. Louis baseball players of the 19th century, I'd have to rank Latham higher than Welch. His skill set was more valuable and difficult to find in the 19th century than Welch's. Latham was irreplaceable and Welch wasn't.

The 1887 World Series: A Game Ten Post Full Of Luck, Nerve And Vim

On October 20th, St. Louis and Detroit played a world series doubleheader, with the first game in Washington, D.C., and the second in Baltimore. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the only World Series doubleheader in the history of baseball.

The Browns won a game from Detroit this morning. It was a long and weary wait for victory, but it came at last and was appreciated beyond measure by the admirers of the world's champions. The Browns played ball as of yore, and put up a game which could have beaten any club in the country. They knocked Getzein all over the field and practically knocked his pretzels out of the box. The game was full of incidents. Bennett's sore hand at last became so painful that he retired in favor of Ganzel. Dunlap was run into by Robinson and his broken leg again was hurt. The lively batting and sharp fielding dept up the interest to the close. Latham, Welch and Richardson made home runs and Foutz a three-bagger. Gleason's triple play was a magnificent piece of work, while his batting was a feature of the game. Brother Bill seems to have recovered his nerve, and much may now be expected of him. Caruthers, although suffering from a very sore arm, kept the Wolverines down in good shape. It looked as though they were going to knock him out of the box in the first inning, when they opened with a home run and a single, but after that they could do but little with him. The Detroits did not play with the same vim that has characterized their work on the trip, and seemed badly rattled by the Browns' new showing. Kelly called the balls and strikes and Gaffney took care of the field. Owing to the fact that the game took place in the morning, only about 3000 people attended. The grounds were soft from last night's rain and many of the errors were caused on this account.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 22, 1887

Only good things happen when a ball club recovers its luck and nerve and their opponent loses its vim. A couple of home runs and a triple doesn't hurt either. Where's Ken Tremendous and the boys when you need them?

Here's the Globe's description of the triple play, which occurred in the top of the third:

Richardson hit a high fly, which dropped between O'Neill and Gleason. Ganzel drove a corker to right for a base, Richardson going to second. Rowe also popped up a high fly and once more did the ball fall on vacant ground, this time between Foutz and Comiskey. The bases were full, and with Thompson at the bat the prospect looked blue for the Browns, but the St. Louis lads completed a play which happens but seldom on a ball field. Thompson drove a terrific liner at Gleason, who caught the ball. Richardson had started for home and Rowe for third, and the ball flew to Latham and then to Robinson and a triple play was the result. The crowd applauded vociferously.

Besides starting a triple play, Gleason, all full of newly recovered nerve, also had three hits.

Yank Robinson also had an interesting game. In the first, he took a ground ball to the mouth, off the bat of Thompson. Then in the fourth, he tried to advance from first to second on a passed ball and took out Dunlap, who had to retire from the game and was unable to recover for the afternoon game.

Dunlap, of course, suffered a series of leg injuries throughout his career and they eventually forced him to retire. I bring this up because I just noticed that Dunlap's number one comp at B-Ref is Fernando Vina, who also suffered numerous leg injuries throughout his career. With this being the dead of winter, I really have nothing else to do but wonder what Freddy Vina would have hit if he had played for the 1884 Maroons.

I guess I should also mention the home runs by Welch and Latham. Welch's was in the fifth and cleared the fence. Latham's was in the sixth and was an inside-the-parker. Welch hit three home runs in the regular season for the Browns in 1887 and Latham hit two so I guess you could say that both home runs were a pleasant surprise.

A quick bit of trivia: Who hit more home runs in their career, Welch or Latham? Don't cheat and go to B-Ref because I'll give you the answer in a second. But I was surprised by the answer. Welch hit 16 home runs in 1107 games over his career. Latham hit 27 in 1629 games. Latham also had more career doubles and triples than Welch, although Welch had a higher career slugging percentage.

It's always been my perception that Welch was a vastly better player than Latham but now I'm not certain that it's true. Over their careers, they created about the same number of runs (77 for Latham and 73 for Welch) and both averaged 4.0 runs created per game. Now RC is hardly the end-all and be-all of baseball analysis but it certainly gives us a good idea of the general value of a player and it has Welch and Latham as being equally valuable. If you measure them by WAR, I think Latham might come out a bit ahead.

I really am having a difficult time getting my head around the idea that Latham was measurably as good or better than Welch. There's a lot of ways to slice the pie and I can see both sides of an interesting argument here. I think I'm going to have to write up a post in the near future taking a closer look at this. While I'm at it, I should also do a Caruthers vs. Foutz post because I really don't see much difference between the two even though the general wisdom insists that Caruthers was the better player.

The 1887 World Series: Winners Make Their Own Luck

President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Browns, was in a happy frame of mind this evening just prior to his departure for Boston with his champions. The genial Chris did not seem disheartened by the defeat of his pets at the hands of the Michigan sluggers, and he smiled good naturedly enough when Arlie Latham chipped: "Hard luck, boss, that's what done it this trip."

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 18, 1887

I think this is probably evidence enough that the clubs made decent money on the series. If Von der Ahe was in a good mood after his club just lost and was now down five games to two in the series, he had to be making money.

The 1887 World Series: Audacity And Pure Cheek

"Whoap! Get up, Bill!-That's the way, Bob, let loose on them!-Whoa!-All pull together now, boys!-Now, Robbie, keep your eyes open!-Make 'em dance-that's it, whoa!-Look out for Mr. White, boys!-Whoap!-Doctor, line it out!-That's right, Bush, I'll bring you around, old man!-Take your time, Charley, only tire yourself out!-Whoa!" Thus chattered the exuberant third baseman of the Browns during the whole of yesterday's memorable contest. There is a blending of audacity and pure cheek in Latham's performance that amuses the crowd for a few innings and then makes it weary.-[Detroit Free Press.]

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 15, 1887

I think that Latham's act has now been mentioned in the coverage of all the world series that the Browns were involved in. We'll see about 1888. I also think that the coverage in all of the series was pretty much the same: the act is amusing for a short period but gets old quick. If this is an accurate portrayal of Latham's act, I think that's a fair point.

Latham's Second Divorce

Ella Latham commenced a suit to obtain a divorce from Walter A. Latham, the base-ball player, whom she married June 14, 1886, and with whom she lived until May 12 last. She alleges that he has beaten her on divers occasions; has called her foul and vile names and has failed to support her. The proceeding is not Mr. Latham's first divorce experience. He obtained a divorce from his former wife before Judge Horner in the latter part of 1885. He alleged desertion, and his wife filed an answer alleging all kinds of indignities. She, however, withdrew her answer and allowed a divorce to be granted against her by default, she being awarded the custody of the only child.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 18, 1887

I guess it's safe to say that Latham had some problems with women.

The Browns Refuse To Play

For the first time in the history of base-ball the color line has been drawn, the the "World's Champions," the St. Louis Browns, are the men who have established the precedent that white players must not play with colored men. There have been little dissensions before, but only about a player here and there. The Browns were in open revolt last night. There are times when even the well oiled machinery of so well disciplined a club does not work smoothly, and one of these times seems to have struck the St. Louis club. Some time ago President Von der Ahe arranged for his club to play an exhibition game at West Farms, near New York, with the Cuban Giants, the noted colored club. He was promised a big guarantee, and it was expected that fully 15,000 persons would be present. The game was to have been played to-day, and President Von der Ahe yesterday purchased railroad tickets for all his players and made all the arrangements for the trip. While he was at supper at the Continental Hotel last evening, thinking over the misfortune that had befallen Capt. Comiskey, he was approached by "Tip" O'Neil, the heavy-slugging left fielder, who laid a letter on the table and then hastily slipped out of the room.

The letter read as follows:

Philadelphia, September 10, 1887.-Chris Von der Ahe, Esq.: Dear Sir-We, the undersigned members of the St. Louis Base-ball Club, do not agree to play against negroes to-morrow. We will cheerfully play against white people at any time, and think by refusing to play we are only doing what is right, taking everything into consideration and the shape the team is in at present. Signed-W.A. Latham, John Boyle, J.E. O'Neil, R.L. Caruthers, W. Gleason, W.H. Robinson, Chas. King and Curt Welch.

President Von der Ahe did not wait to finish his meal. He left the table hastily and went down-stairs into the corridor, where he found the players talking in a group. The sudden appearance of their manager in their midst surprised the players, who acted like a ship's crew about to mutiny. When Von der Ahe asked the meaning of the letter he had just received nobody answered him. "Yank" Robinson hung his head and sneaked to the rear of the crowd. "Silver" King opened his mouth, but his tongue refused to move; and even Arlie Latham, whose jaws are always going, could not get out a world. Receiving no reply, President Von der Ahe said, quietly: "As it seems to be a matter of principle with you, you need not play to-morrow."

President Von der Ahe said to a Globe-Democrat reporter to-night: "I am very sorry to have disappointed the people at West Farm to-day, as I always fulfill my engagements. I was surprised at the action of my men, especially as they knew a week ago that the game was arranged, and yet they waited until the very last minute before they notified me of their opposition."

The St. Louis players were not disposed to talk of their action. Latham, Boyle and O'Neill were the leaders, it is said, and they had considerable trouble in securing the signatures of some of the men. Capt. Comiskey did not know anything about the matter, and Knouff refused to sign the letter. They had played with the Cuban Giants once before last season, and they seemed to enjoy it better than a contest with white players. Curtis Welch, the center fielder, played with the Toledo club when Walker, the colored player, was a member of the team.

"I think some of the boys wanted a day to themselves," said Capt. Comiskey. "They have played against colored clubs before without a murmer, and I think they are sorry for their hasty action already."

The Cuban Giants were originally organized at Trenton about two years ago as an independent club. This season they have been located at various places in close proximity to New York. They are good players, and the team has made money. They have played games with the Chicagos, Indianapolis, Detroits, Louisvilles, Athletics and other prominent clubs, and this is the first time that any club has refused to play with them on account of their color. The International League recently adopted a resolution prohibiting the employment of colored players by its clubs. This was caused by opposition from the players, who objected to playing with the colored Second Baseman Grant, of the Buffalo club, and colored Pitcher Stovey, of the Newark club.

The injury sustained by Capt. Comiskey in yesterday's game with the Athletics is even more serious than at first supposed. He had his broken thumb reset to-day, and the surgeon said he would not be able to go on the ball-field for a month. Comiskey and Secretary George Munson left for St. Louis to-night. The captain of the champions said he expected to stay in St. Louis until the team started for California, though if possible he hoped to be able to take part in the series for the world's championship at the close of the present season. Von der Ahe said to-day he would rather have lost $1000 than had this misfortune occur.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 12, 1887

A few notes before I get to what's bothering me about this whole thing:

-There's nothing really new here. I've posted accounts of this incident from other sources and most of the information is similar. I think the only real difference is that the Globe has a statement from Von der Ahe.

-Based on the Globe's account of Comiskey's injury at the end of the article, I think that Comiskey was in Philadelphia when all of this went down. I had believed that Comiskey had already left for St. Louis when the club gave their letter to Von der Ahe and had argued that this wouldn't have happened if Comiskey was still with the team. I may be wrong about that.

-I really like Von der Ahe's response to the players, who didn't have the courage to explain themselves. It drips with disappointment and irony.

Now here's the thing that's really been bothering me about the Browns' refusal to play the Cuban Giants. I have, on more than one occasion, argued Comiskey's point that the players simply wanted, and needed, a day off. I've argued that this incident was less about the relationship between blacks and whites in 19th century America and more about a beaten-up, short-handed, over-worked baseball club that needed a day off. I've argued that the players, after the actions taken by the International League, seized on the racial issue as an excuse to not play the game. And I believe that that argument is still valid. But regardless of intent, this incident can not be dismissed for one simple reason: the baseball club involved.

The St. Louis Browns were the best team in baseball. They were probably the most famous team in the country. This was a club with some of the biggest stars in the game. Comiskey and Latham and Caruthers and Foutz and King and Welch and O'Neil. These are some of the biggest stars of 19th century baseball. This is the FOUR TIME CHAMPIONS, in all caps. They fought the Chicagos to a draw in the World Series in 1885 and beat them handily in 1886. They were getting ready to take on Detroit in the series in October. These weren't just some guys saying they wouldn't play a black club. This was the best, most famous baseball club in the United States saying they wouldn't play a black club and, regardless of intent, that was a statement that made news across the country. That was a statement that reverberated throughout the history of baseball and helped change the development of the game for the worse.

In my thinking, the significance of the event is a result of who made the statement, not that the statement was made or why the statement was made. If the Madisons of Edwardsville had refused to play a black club, nobody would have cared. But the fact that it was the Four Time Champions who did "not agree to play against negroes" and signed their names to a letter stating that makes this a significant milestone in the development of baseball's racial policy.

I've argued against this incident being significant for reasons I've already stated but I've changed my mind. Putting the event in the context of the Browns' history and understanding that this was the best and most famous club in the country refusing to play against a black club forced me to re-evaluate the incident and reach a different conclusion. It's a shameful incident in the history of St. Louis baseball and the history of the St. Louis Browns.

Breaking Down The $15,000 Slide

I was going to do this big post breaking down the contemporary accounts of the winning play of the 1886 series and then contrast that with later accounts to show how the myth of the $15,000 Slide developed but Jon David Cash, in Before They Were Cardinals, has already done that and has done it better than I could have. So I'm just going to let him tell the story (and if you haven't read Cash's book, you really should; it's a good read and strong on the Four Time Championship era):

In a relatively recent publication, Lowell Reidenbaugh of the Sporting News described the winning play of the 1886 World Series: "The deciding run was scored in the tenth inning of the final game by Curt Welch. Newspaper accounts of the day reported that Welch scored on a wild pitch. [Modern] history has recorded the play as a steal of home."

The uncertainty surrounding the winning run apparently stems from an account given by Charles Comiskey. In a 1919 biography, Gustav Axelson included Comiskey's recollection of the decisive run. Comiskey stated that Welch was running on the pitch, drew a pitchout, and crossed home safely on a "$15,000 Slide" that gave St. Louis the entire gate receipts of the winner-take-all World Series. Later, Arlie Latham related a similar version of Welch's "steal" to author Robert Smith, who included it in his landmark 1947 work Baseball and other books he wrote on the history of the sport. Together, Axelson and Smith ensured that the former Browns' narrative of the "$15,000 Slide" passed into baseball folklore.

One contemporary newspaper report seems to corroborate part of the description offered by Comiskey and Latham. According to the Chicago News, as soon as third baseman Burns "gave Kelly a signal to catch Welch at third," the Chicago catcher responded by calling a pitchout. A mishap transpired, though, between the Chicago batterymates: "Kelly played away from the plate...but Clarkson put a ball over the plate which Kelly just touched with his fingers and bounded away to the grandstand, while Welch came in with the winning run."

Other nineteenth-century newspapers said nothing about a steal, but instead debated whether Welch scored on a wild pitch or a passed ball. While the Chicago Tribune considered the play a passed ball on the part of Kelly, three St. Louis publications-the Republican, Globe-Democrat, and Sporting News-claimed Clarkson had been guilty of a wild pitch. The Post-Dispatch tried to settle the question by simply asking Kelly. The Chicago catcher seemed willing to accept responsibility ("I would say it was a passed ball"), yet he also emphasized how difficult it was to catch this particular pitch: "I signaled Clarkson for a low ball on one side, and when it came it was high up on the other. It struck my hand as I tried to get it...Clarkson told me that it slipped from his hands."

One might suspect that Comiskey and Latham embellished their tales of the play when they later recalled it, some thirty-three and sixty-one years after Welch scored. But it would be a very smug act on the part of present-day historians to state definitively that they understood an event better than two eyewitnesses. Without photographic evidence of any sort, we must rely on the various first-hand accounts to recreate what may have happened on the "$15,000 Slide." Except for the reminiscences of Comiskey and Latham, no primary sources indicate that Welch was running with the pitch or ever slid across the plate. Still, Comiskey's detailed analysis of the play cannot be altogether dismissed as mere baseball mythology. In fact, the Comiskey/Latham explanation meshes well in some aspects with some of the contemporary newspaper reports. For example, the two old Browns agreed with the Chicago News' assertion that Kelly called for a pitchout. On Clarkson's first pitch to Bushong, Welch danced down the third-base line, straying so far from the bag that Kelly "could have nailed him easily" with a throw. Seeing this, Burns and Kelly cooked up a scheme to trap the reckless Browns' runner in the snare of a pitchout. Meanwhile, Comiskey, stationed at the third-base coaching box, encouraged Welch to take another long lead. This strategy distressed Clarkson, and it would have enabled Welch to get a great start for home on any grounder hit by Bushong.

As the scene actually unfolded, the first of these advantages came into play. Clarkson, aware of Welch's capability to steal home, certainly seemed to ponder the prospect. While Welch scampered down the third-base line, the Globe-Democrat observed the disturbing effect this exerted upon the Chicago pitcher: "Clarkson, who is usually so cool, was visibly nervous. He rolled and twisted the ball around in his hands several times before he got in position to pitch it." A distracted pitcher, under such circumstances, might balk in a run, uncork a wild pitch, or even miss his catcher's signal for a pitchout. It appears plausible that Clarkson simply missed the pitchout signal and later, rather than admitting his mental mistake to Kelly, presented instead the physical alibi of a pitch that "slipped from his hands." So at the same moment Kelly moved away from the plate in expectation of a low outside pitchout that would allow him to make a quick throw to third, Clarkson let go a high inside fastball designed to jam Bushong and force a futile infield pop-up. Kelly barely managed to reach back and get his fingers on the ball, but he could not prevent it from rolling all the way to the grandstand as Welch scored the winning run.

The only question left to resolve is precisely what Welch did once the pitch was released. It is possible to surmise that Welch instantly recognized the miscommunication between the Chicago batterymates, and as soon as the ball left Clarkson's hand, galloped ahead thinking he could reach home before Kelly ever got the errant pitch. However, Ed Sheridan, reporting in both the Republican and the Sporting News, strongly suggested otherwise with his brief notation: "Welch trotted home." This same comment also indicates that, in all probability, Welch did not slide home.

The 1886 World Series: Game Four

At least 12,000 people were at Sportsman's Park yesterday afternoon to witness the fourth game between the Browns and the Chicagos for the championship of the world. It was the most exciting game of the series played thus far. It was also one of unusual interest and import for capt, had the Chicagos won it, their chances for capturing the championship and the gate receipts would have been decidedly favorable. On the other hand, had the Browns not won they would have lost heart and confidence, and with such a big lead staring them in the face would have undoubtedly succumbed to their opponents without resistance. The result of yesterday's game was not altogether a surprise. The Browns were seen to have a slight advantage over the Chicagos, and the betting was accordingly regulated that way; $20 to $15 being the latest odds before the game. The Chicago management announced Wednesday that they would pitch Flynn yesterday. Probably because they thought that his curves might be batted rather freely, but possibly for the reason that Clarkson, like Caruthers, was anxious to have his name heralded through the country as having pitched two winning games on two succeeding days, the position in the box was, therefore, filled by Clarkson. The latter's work yesterday, or Caruthers' on Wednesday, plainly demonstrated that no pitcher can appear against a team that is equally matched with his own, two successive games, with any satisfactory results.

But one more hit was made off Clarkson yesterday than the Chicagos made off Foutz, but the latter's wildness and inability to control the ball properly at the most critical times lost the game for his club. The long hits were also equally divided. Three-baggers were made by O'Neil and Dalrymple, and doubles by Foutz and Burns. O'Neil's hit should have been a home run, but by a poor decision on the part of Umpire Quest he was put out at the plate. Foutz started out to pitch in precisely the same manner as Caruthers did Wednesday, and the chances for the home club's winning were decidedly blue. When the Chicagos had got three men in and Browns were unable to score a single run, the League club, of course, was the favorite in the betting and the Browns' backers hedged out all they possibly could at odds of 2 to 1. When the Browns were just two runs behind, however, at the end of the third inning the home club's stock took a decided rise, and even money was obtainable. When the Browns, in the fifth inning, took the lead by two runs there was a scene at the park that has never been equaled on similar occasions in the past. The yelling, hand-clapping and cheering, which made a deafening roar of applause, lasted for fully five minutes. Hats, canes and umbrellas were thrown in the air, men shook hands and embraced each other and the ladies showed their delight by waving their handkerchiefs. The game was stopped until the demonstration was over. When in the sixth inning, however, the Chicagos tied the score there was scarcely a ripple of applause, which showed very plainly that the visitors had but few admirers in the vast audience. In the same inning, though, when the Browns run three men across the plate, and made it a sure victory, there was a scene similar to that which marked the fifth. Both teams fielded in a remarkably fine style, brilliant catches being made by Ryan and Gore for the Chicagos, and Welch, O'Neil and Caruthers for the Browns. Four errors were made on each side.

It was 3:15 before the game was called. Under American Association rules Capt. Comiskey had the choice about taking ins or outs. He chose the field. Joe Quest, of the League staff, was drawn as the umpire. Foutz's work in the opening inning was anything but encouraging. Gore was the first batter, and after two strikes and four balls had been called on him, he made a safe ground hit to right good for only a single. Kelly then stepped into the batter's box. Foutz was unable to get the ball over the plate, and Mike was sent to his base on balls. Capt. Anson was the next man to handle the stick. After two strikes had been called he knocked the ball with great force between short and third. Gleason made a dive for it, and succeeded in getting it up, but could not throw to first in time to put Anson out, the ball reaching there but an instant later. This filled the bases, and with no one out the crowd and the Browns knew that it would be impossible to prevent scoring, but did not expect to see Foutz, who is usually so reliable, send Pfeffer to base on balls and force Gore across the plate with a run, as he did in this case. Dave worked hard to get them in over the plate, but could not do so. He sent in an easy one to Williamson, the next batter, who knocked a long high fly to right. Caruthers caught it safely, but Kelly, who was on third, scored before it could be thrown in to cut him off. Pfeffer started to steal down to second and Bushong threw down to Robinson to catch him, while Anson, who was on third, started for home. Robinson, in attempt to make a quick return of the ball to the plate, threw wildly, Anson scoring in safety and Pfeffer reaching third on the error. The latter was left, however, by Burns' foul fly to Comiskey and Ryan's out from short to first.

For the Browns Latham, after bunting the ball several times, finally struck out. Caruthers knocked a long fly to right which was captured by Ryan after a long run. O'Neil went out from short to first. Dalrymple opened the second with a fly to Caruthers and Clarkson went out from short to first. Gore got to first on Latham's fumble of his grounder to third, but Kelly's out from Foutz to Comiskey retired the side. The Browns secured their first run in this inning. Gleason led off with a slow grounder to second. Pfeffer fumbled it and Gleason got safe. Comiskey reached first in precisely the same manner, and, but for Pfeffer's blunder, a double play might have been made. Welch's grounder to Williamson forced Comiskey out at second, but sent Gleason along to third. Foutz then came to the bat, and about the third ball that Clarkson delivered the tall pitcher was sent whizzing out to the left field for two bases, Gleason of course scoring on the hit. Robinson succeeded in getting his base on balls, but Bushong's fly to Yore left him. The Chicagos were unable to score in the third. Anson was retired from second to first. Pfeffer went out on a foul tip to Bushong, and Williamson was sent to first on balls. Burns followed with a neat two-bagger. Neither base-runner, however, could get in, as Ryan's out from Foutz to first made the third one. The Browns got in another run in their half of the inning, Latham was the first batter. He successfully fouled no less than ten balls, had five balls called and but one strike, when a scarcely audible foul tip to Kelly retired him. Williamson fumbled Caruthers' grounder to short, letting Bobby to first safely. O'Neil, the heavy slugger, was the next man to face the pitcher. He knocked the ball with tremendous force to right. He started to make the circuit of the bases. He passed third in safety, and started on home and reached there certainly as quick as, if not before, the ball did, but Quest declared him out. Caruthers, of course, had come in. Gleason went out from pitcher to first, ending the inning.

Foutz struck out Dalrymple, the first man to bat in the fourth inning. Clarkson knocked a short high fly to Robinson at second. Gore was retired on a fly to O'Neil. The Browns also went out in quick order. Comiskey was thrown out at first on his grounder to Pfeffer, Welch fouled out to the catcher, and Foutz knocked a long fly to Ryan. The next inning, the [fifth], the Chicagos were again retired on easy plays. Kelly struck out. Anson got his base on balls and stole second. He got no further, though, as Pfeffer's fly to Caruthers and Williamson's grounder Comiskey made the three outs. The home club came to the bat and secured their three runs. Robinson was the first batter. His hot grounder to third was stopped in fine style by Burns and thrown to first in plenty of time to put Robby out. Bushong got first on bad balls and Latham hit safely. Bushong was advanced to third on Caruthers' sacrifice to Ryan. Then followed a most insignificant and contemptible play on the part of the Chicagos. As O'Neil came up to bat kelly walked up to Clarkson and whispered something in the latter's ear. As soon as Clarkson pitched the first ball Kelly's secret became known. He had instructed Clarkson not to give O'Neil a chance to hit the ball, but to give him his base, and it was speedily done. Kelly stepped at least five feet to the right from his regular position, and Clarkson commenced to toss the ball to him. The sphere, of course, didn't come near O'Neil, and the batter trotted to first after the six balls had been thrown in. This filled the bases. Two men were already out, and nothing but a hit or an error would bring in a run. Gleason was the batter upon whom so much depended. The game was to be won or lost right here.

As Gleason stepped up to the plate there was a marked stillness, both on the part of the spectators and the players. Even Latham became silent. Gleason struck at two balls, but without success, and all hopes of getting in any runs were abandoned. The next ball that was pitched Gleason hit squarely and drove it between second short to a safe place in the field. Bushong and Latham scored, and O'Neil got around to third base. Comiskey, the next man, knocked the ball to almost exactly the same territory as Gleason. The hit brought O'Neil in. The side was finally retired by Welch, who fouled out to Kelly. Gleason, for his good work, received a great ovation. Several pool tickets, amounting to over $100, were thrown at him from admiring spectators. Bushong also was presented with some. When the Chicagos retired in the sixth the score was tied. Burns led off with a hit to left, but he was forced out at second by Ryan. The latter scored on Dalrymple's drive to the right field seats for three bases. A safe hit to the right by Clarkson brought Dalrymple in. Gore went out on a fly to Welch, and Kelly from third to first. It was in this inning that the Browns won the game. Foutz made a rather bad opening by striking out, Robinson got his base on balls, and was advanced to second on a safe hit by Bushong. Robinson successfully stole third. Latham also was given first on six balls, filling the bases. Caruthers knocked a short fly to Pfeffer, which the latter purposely muffed, forcing everybody to run. Robinson and Bushong got in safely. Latham, however was thrown out at third. O'Neil again got his base on balls, but Clarkson this time tried hard to pitch them over the plate. Gleason again was the batsman at a critical time, and again he showed his reliability by knocking the sphere safely to center, sending Caruthers safely across the plate. Comiskey's fly to Burns finished the inning. It was now quite dark, but the Chicagos insisted on playing, and opened the seventh inning. They were retired in order on easy plays. As the Browns were making their way to the dressing-rooms a large crowd gathered around them and carried a number of the players on their backs off the ground.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 22, 1886

Where to begin?

-This was a rather poorly edited article and is a bit difficult to follow in places but I pretty much left everything as is except for one edit, fixing the confusion about whether the writer was talking about the fifth or sixth inning.

-The Globe contends that there were 12,000 people at the game and that seems a bit high. The Tribune, who's account of the game I'll post tomorrow, has the crowd at 8,000. Regardless of the exact number, it was a big crowd.

-The use of the intentional walk is reasonably rare in this era. It wasn't something new or unique but this was probably the first big moment when the strategy was employed. Peter Morris wrote in A Game of Inches that O'Neil was intentionally walked twice in this game but I don't see any evidence of a second intentional walk. Morris has the Globe's account of the game so there may be another source out there that mentions the second walk as being intentional. I don't know.

-I loved the Globe's description of the reaction of the crowd and I particularly loved the crowd throwing pool tickets at the players. Very nice. The Trib has a different take on the behavior of the crowd, as you'll see tomorrow.

-Best line in the article: "Even Latham became silent."

The 1886 World Series: Game Three

Caruthers was again put in to face the Chicagos from the pitcher's box to-day in the third game of the world's championship series, and had he pitched one-quarter as good a game as he did yesterday the Browns would have again come out victorious. No greater mistake could have possibly been made than in again allowing him to do the twirling. He felt so confident, though, of giving a repetition of his good work of yesterday, and was so certain of success, that President Von der Ahe was finally induced to grant his request. The score tells how the experiment worked. He was batted hard and often, a total of twenty-one bases being made off him. Home-runs were made by Gore and Kelly, a three-bagger by Burns and a double by Ryan, while every man in the Chicago team, with the exception of Clarkson, Anson and Williamson, made singles. The two runs which were given to the home club in the first inning by Caruthers' wildness, took the heart out of the Browns, and they played something after the style in which they handled themselves in Monday's game. They batted Clarkson hard though, but their hits were mostly unlucky ones and scattered badly. They also fielded in excellent style, making many remarkable catches, which were roundly applauded by the spectators. But two errors are placed against them and the Chicagos won simply through their batting. In the seventh inning Bushong retired to third base, and Latham came in and caught for the remainder of the game, doing very well. In the eighth, Anson relieved Kelly behind the bat, and Williamson succeeded Clarkson in the box. John Kelly officiated as umpire. The attendance was 5,000. Both clubs left for St. Louis this evening. It has been decided to play the odd game in Cincinnati.

The Browns won the toss for the first time, and went to the field. Caruthers pitched six bad balls to Gore, the first batter, giving him his base. Kelly got to the bag in the same manner. Anson went out on a grounder to first, sending both runners ahead a base. Pfeffer also got his first on balls, filling the bases, and Williamson then came to the bat, and much to the disgust of the audience Caruthers sent him to his base on balls, forcing Gore across the plate with the first run of the game. Burns knocked a grounder down to Robinson. The latter threw to first in time to cut him off; Pfeffer was playing quite a distance off third, and Comiskey threw to Latham, putting him out also. This double play retired the side, but not until Kelly scored. For the Browns, Latham struck out, much to the delight of the spectators. Caruthers got his base on balls. O'Neil also got his base on balls. Both men were sent ahead on a passed ball. Gleason went out on a fly to Pfeffer, who made a remarkable catch, running with the ball. Comiskey retired the side with a liner into Pfeffer's hands.

Ryan, in the second inning, made the first hit of the game. Dalrymple went out on a long fly to Hudson. Clarkson knocked the ball to Gleason, forcing out Ryan at second. Clarkson stole second, and Gore sent a fly to left, which O'Neil captured in good style.

For the Browns, Welch hit safely to right; Robinson made a single to the same field; Kelly missed Hudson's third strike, but threw Welch out at third, who was forced to run. A long wrangle and discussion followed between Anson, Umpire Kelly and others. The former claimed that Hudson was out for not running immediately after Kelly had dropped the ball. The umpire finally decided it a fair play. Bushong hit to center for a single, and Robinson scored. A wild throw in by Gore let Hudson to third. Latham struck out, and Caruthers went out from second to first, ending the inning and leaving two men on bases.

In the third Kelly was retired on a fly to Hudson. Anson went out from second to first, and Pfeffer went out on a grounder to Comiskey. For the Browns, O'Neil struck out, Gleason fouled out to Anson, and Comiskey also struck out.

In the fourth Williamson led off with a grounder to Comiskey, on which he was easily put out. Burns knocked the leather to center for three bases, and was only prevented from making a home run by the quick fielding of the ball on the part of Welch. Ryan went out on a long fly to Welch, and before it could be returned to the the plate Burns had scored. Dalrymple went out from short to first. Welch for the visitors secured his base on balls. Robinson knocked a fly to Dalrymple, who muffed it. A passed ball advanced both men a base, but Welch only got to third safely by one of his remarkable steals. On Hudson's grounder to Williamson Welch started to come in, but was thrown out. Bushong went out on a fly to center, on which Robinson tried to come in, but he was also retired. Kelly stood on the plate as Robinson came in, and the latter ran into him and doubled him up on the ground.

In the fifth Clarkson knocked a long fly to Welch, which the latter caught easily. Gore went out from second to first. Kelly knocked the ball over the right-field fence for a home run, amid great applause. Anson fouled out to Bushong. Latham, for the Browns, knocked a liner directly in Williamson's hands. Carruthers hit safely to left for a single, and got second on a passed ball. O'Neil knocked the sphere to right for a single, and Gleason was retired on a fly to Anson. Comiskey wound up the inning with a fly to Ryan, leaving two men on bases.

In the sixth Pfeffer opened with a fly to Robinson, and Williamson struck out. Burns hit the ball to right for a single and Ryan followed with a double to the same field. Dalrymple knocked a high fly back of first, which Comiskey muffed, and Burns and Ryan came home. Clarkson went out on a fly to center. For the Browns in this inning Welch made a single to center and Gore let the ball roll through his legs and Welch made third on the error, coming home on Robinson's short hit to right. Hudson flew out to Pfeffer. Robinson got third on a half-passed ball enabled him to reach third. Bushong was thrown out at first on his grounder to right field, but Robinson scored on it. Latham hit safely to left center. Caruthers went out on a grounder to Anson.

Gore opened the seventh by a base hit to Robinson, who could not recover himself in time to throw to first. Kelly hit safely, while Anson went out on a fly to Hudson, which advanced both men a base. Pfeffer hit safely and Gore scored. Williamson knocked a fly to Latham, which the latter purposely muffed, forcing Kelly out at third. Burns hit a hard grounder to second, which Robinson fumbled, falling down in attempting to get it up. Pfeffer crossed the plate on the play. Williamson also started to come in, and Robinson made a very bad throw to head him off, but he scored on the error and Burns reached third. Ryan retired the side with a fly to O'Neil. For the Browns, O'Neil went out from second to first, Gleason struck out, and Comiskey retired on a foul fly to Anson. In the eighth Dalrymple hit safely to center. Clarkson's long fly to O'Neil sent Dalrymple to second. Gore lifted the ball to center field far over Welch's head for a home run. Kelly hit safely to center. Anson went out to the catcher. Welch for the Browns led off with a two-bagger to left. He got to third on a passed ball, and came home on a wild pitch. Robinson got first on Anson's miss of his third strike, and stole second. Hudson struck out, Bushong flew out to Gore and Latham fouled out to the catcher. The game was then called on account of darkness.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 21, 1886

Kind of an interesting game, wasn't it? Some random stuff that jumped out at me:

-Von der Ahe made the call on who was going to start game three? I don't really see this as an instance of VdA meddling with the team but rather Caruthers going over Comiskey's head. Regardless, Caruthers wasn't too sharp to start the game.

-Even with Caruthers not pitching well, the Browns still had a chance to win the game. Two things did them in. They had two runners thrown out at the plate in the fourth and if both runners had scored, they would have tied the game up. In the seventh, Yank Robinson just killed them in the field.

-Lots of walks, strikeouts and home runs in this game. Combined with the errors and poor baserunning, it was kind of like a modern game, except that they played it in two hours and fifteen minutes. And Arlie Latham was running around like a maniac.

-Completely random but Yank Robinson led the AA in walks in 1888 and 1889. He also led the Union Association in walks in 1884 when he was playing with Baltimore. Don't let this one game color your opinion of him. He was a heck of a ballplayer and was a starter on all four of the Browns' championship teams.

The 1886 World Series: Latham's Coaching

The following comments from the leading Chicago dailies show what Latham's style of loud-mouthed coaching is thought of in the Windy City:

Times:-"Latham, of the visitors, made an antiquated idiot of himself in a vain attempt to rattle the veteran players of the Chicago team by continual loud-mouthed and useless 'coaching,' and the crowd got even with Latham by jeering at his bat plays, which were conveniently frequent."

Tribune:-"It was a good game, well played by both clubs, and chiefly remarkable for the coaching of Latham, a sawed-off Brown, with a voice that would put to shame the most ambitious fog-siren on the lakes. His incessant howling, a meaningless jumble of catch phrases, was funny for about fifteen minutes. Then it grew tiresome, and before the fourth inning he was universally conceded to be the worst nuisance ever inflicted upon a Chicago audience..."

News:-"We have purposely refrained from comment upon Mr. Latham's bar-room manners, because we knew that the Chicagos had undertaken to defeat the Browns at the Browns' own game, and had accepted the noisy, clamorous, jockey features permitted by the American Association as one of the inevitable penalties of meeting the representatives of that Association. Mr. Latham is a capital base ball player; he gains nothing but an evil reputation for himself by his tiresome exhibitions of alley wit-he certainly does not disconcert his opponents, and as certainly he does hurt base ball as a profession every time he emits his yawp."

-Sporting Life, November 3, 1886

Sporting Life also included the Inter Ocean's opinion of Arlie Latham, which we've already seen. It certainly appears that Latham made an impression on his Chicago audience during the series.

Peter Morris has much of this information in A Game of Inches, in the chapter about coaching. He writes that the American Association "was characterized by a brashness that contrasted dramatically with the more businesslike National League. One of the most conspicuous manifestations of this in-your-face attitude was the loud and annoying style of coaching. Many of the players who filled this role made little pretense of the fact that they went 'in line to disconcert the opposing players-generally the pitcher-not to 'coach' or assist the base-runner' (Sporting News, December 23, 1893)." He also writes that this "style of coaching became increasingly associated with the St. Louis Brown Stockings...Some went so far as to attribute the club's success to its style of coaching: 'It is a well-known fact that St. Louis won the pennant twice through this rowdyism on the field' (Philadelphia Press, reprinted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 7, 1887)."

The 1886 World Series: The St. Louis Players Mean Business

Painful as defeat is under any circumstances, it was doubly so yesterday when the St. Louis club pounded McCormick's pitching and outplayed the Chicagos at every point. There is no excuse to offer in extenuation of the severe defeat. The reasons for which are well known by President Spalding and Captain Anson. But what can they do to enforce discipline in this series, since the players are not under league rules and must govern themselves? The St. Louis players are in this for the money to be obtained and mean business. They play every point just as carefully one day as another. They made five errors yesterday and seven the day before. The Chicagos not only piled up twice the number of fielding errors made the first day, but they failed to hit Carruthers' delivery, with one exception, Gore making two singles. The St. Louis men, on the other hand, hit McCormick thirteen times for a total of twenty-six bases, and made six of their dozen runs, the other six being presented by the Chicagos. One feature of the St. Louis game might be eliminated with success, and that is the disgusting mouthings of the clown Latham. There was

A Universal Sentiment

of disgust expressed by the crowd that left the ball park at the close of the game at this hoodlum's obscene talk on the ball field. One well-known merchant remarked that he never would attend another game that Latham played in. The roughest element that ever attends a ball game in this city could not condone the offense of such a player as Latham. President Spalding should insist upon his being silenced; such coarse mouthings may pass in St. Louis, but will not be tolerated in Chicago.

There were fully 7,000 people present at the game yesterday, the weather being excellent for outdoor sport.

-The Daily Inter Ocean, October 20, 1886

Making Merry With Von der Ahe's Dignity

St. Louis has a champion base-ball club. This is not generally known outside the city limits, but nevertheless it has a club entitled to that proud appellation. For seven months the club has been assaulting the Poseyville Reds, the Smoky City Whites, and the Porkopolis Blues, and having more or less vanquished them all it has returned home full of honors and booze. Not only is this club unique, but it has a President who is the most eccentric of his kind. His name is Chris Von der Ahe, and to mention it in base-ball circles is to provoke a wide grin. The base-ball fraternity and even his own "champion" club make merry with Chris' dignity. Like many good citizens from the Rheinish provinces, Chris has found the English language as hard to conquer as many of the ball clubs. His knowledge of the beautiful points in the game is also quite limited, as the following story, told by his deceased secretary, Dave Reid, will attest: One morning when his club was practicing he approached Dave, and in a burst of confidence said:

"Dave, dis vas de piggest diamond in de country."

"No, Chris," replied Dave, "all diamonds are the same size."

"Vell," replied Chris,..."it vas de piggest infield, anyhow."

In the early part of the summer Chris called the boys together, and said: "See here, now: I don't vant some foolishness from you fellows. I vant you to stop dis slushing and play ball. Of you vin de scampinship I gif you all a suit of clothes and a benefit game extra, and of you don't you vill haf to eat snowballs all vintor." This ultimatum had the desired effect, and the players slugged the ball and stole bases until they were well in the lead. When the President saw that the coveted pennant was within his grasp he determined to get up a carnival procession that would make the Veiled Prophet sick and dwarf his parade into insignificance...

...It was called a reception and was ostensibly given by the public, but in reality by Von der Ahe in the name of the public. Chris skirmished around and got all the rowing clubs, amateur ball clubs, foot-ball clubs, and sprinters, engaged all the German bands within a five-mile radius of the courthouse and awaited the arrival of "de Prowns..." Chris was a stellar attraction all by himself, and immediately following him were "de Prowns." The champions were conscious that the eyes of the multitude were on them, and they bore themselves with becoming dignity. With feet occasionally elevated above their heads and cigars between their teeth, they showed by the expectorations which they showered on their admirers and emphatic cries of "Rats!" with which they returned all cheers, that they still retained their individual characteristics...

The procession wound up in Schneider's beer-garden, where Congressman John J. O'Neil, a stockholder in the Browns, welcomed them in behalf of the public. He told how the great heart of the city warmed toward her club and that the boys could have anything they wanted, and if they were too modest to ask for it he would ask for them.

"Well, give us a rest," shouted one of the champions...

Latham, who is described by Chris as "dot boy Latham, who can run like a cantelope," became quite obstreperous at the banquet...

-Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1885

This was a very long article that took plenty of shots at Von der Ahe and the players but I edited out a lot of the more uninteresting stuff. The article also contained the story about Vice-President Thomas Hendricks, who was in St. Louis at the time and believed that the championship parade was thrown in his honor.

The point of all of this is to note that Von der Ahe stories, which had begun to appear as early as 1883, were rather well-formed by 1885. You have the diamond story, the eating snowballs story and "de Prowns." The only thing missing is a reference to "de Poss President." The Latham cantaloupe story is a new one to me and it made me chuckle.

I think that 1885 marks an important moment in the evolution of the Von der Ahe stories. The Browns were successful and Von der Ahe was becoming better known. He had some very public domestic problems in August that had to have done some damage to his reputation. And after this article in the Tribune at the beginning of October, Von der Ahe stories begin to pop up in numerous newspapers throughout the month. It seems that beginning in October 1885 the Von der Ahe stories take on the form that they would retain to this day and become a staple in the sporting press.

St. Louis Badly Beaten: An Early Von Der Ahe Story

President Von der Ahe was almost heart-broken over the defeat of the St. Louis base-ball nine by the Athletic Club to-day. As he walked from the grounds a vision of the champion flag slowly fading away came before him and he wept. Dashing the tears away with a great effort he pulled his broad sombrero down over his face, jumped into a bobtail car, and went down town. Arrived at his hotel, he shot off a dozen electric bells and ordered the whole St. Louis nine to his room. The boys soon came up. There was not a smile. They arranged themselves around the room, some on te bed, others on chairs, and still others lounged on the velvet carpet of the wealthy President's room. Von der Ahe gazed upon the crowd and the crowd, with their still unwashed faces, glared back at him. By a great effort Von der Ahe spoke. "Boys, Von der Ahe is de President of de Cent Lewis Club. Von der Ahe is de manager of de Cent Lewis Club. Von der Ahe is de boss manager of the Cent Lewis Club. Vhy did you loose dot game to-day?"

Silence reigned all around. If the State House clock had been nearer it would have been heard to tick. Arlie Latham, from his downy perch on Von der Ahe's bolster, was the first to recover, and he answered: "Why, you see, boss, we had devilish hard luck."

"Yes," chorused the nine, "we had devilish hard luck." Von der Ahe gazed upon his nine. His nine stared back. He knew they had often won games for him. He also remembered how many fines he had paid and how many bad bonds he was on. He turned his eyes upon the stolid countenance of Lewis and then a smile ruffled across his Teutonic face as he said: "Vell, boys, if it was hard luck, dot settles it. You can't win a game ven you have hard luck. Dots so. Dat vas ail right." The nine felt relieved. They arose to a man, shook Von der Ahe's hand, and then filed down to the dinning-room, where they terrified the colored waiters with their orders for supper. The score of to-day's game was 11 to 1 in favor of the Athletics.

-The New York Times, September 5, 1883

Without doing any kind of search through my notes, I'd say that this is one of the earliest Von der Ahe stories that I've come across. For those who don't know what a Von der Ahe story is, I'd define it as any story that attempts to mine humor by portraying Chris Von der Ahe as a buffoon. The common elements in a Von der Ahe story include his German accent, his general ignorance (especially of baseball), and his emotional nature. Usually there is a foil, often Arlie Latham or Ted Sullivan (who specialized in telling Von der Ahe stories), who outwits an angry or confused Von der Ahe by some witty retort or action.

While this kind of humor, portraying immigrants as ignorant and finding humor in their "otherness," was common during the era, the result of all these stories over time has been to create an inaccurate picture of Von der Ahe. Von der Ahe was a self-made man, a successful businessman, and an innovative baseball magnate. But, thanks largely to these stories, he is remembered today as a clown and buffoon. Even if there is some truth in the stories (and many of them just seem to be yarns made up out of whole cloth), the way they are told, focusing on the accent and always presenting Von der Ahe as the butt of the joke, has had the effect of creating an inaccurate and on-sided portrayal of Von der Ahe.

Von der Ahe, like most people, was complicated and can't be captured by a one-dimensional portrayal. Could he be a buffoon? Of course. Did he have moments of genius? I think so. He was a womanizer and a spendthrift but he was also extraordinarily kind-hearted and innovative. There were many people that hated him and probably just as many that loved him. Many mocked him and many admired him. He was certainly more than the stupid clown who appears in the stories.

Chris Von Der Ahe And The Players League, Part Seven

Frank Brunell, Secretary of the Players' League, arrived here (in St. Louis) this morning from Kansas City. He stated that his errand here was to negotiate with St. Louis players and that his mission had been entirely successful. "We have been," said he, "after Comiskey for a long time and were anxious to secure him. I went to Denver some time ago on the same errand, but failed to come to an understanding. George Munson, then the Secretary of the Browns, and who is a warm friend of Comiskey, stood between me and the latter, and prevented my making terms with him. Now, however, Munson and Von der Ahe have parted company and Comiskey, feeling that the former was unjustly treated has agreed to play in Chicago. That is definitely settled. You can say positively that he will play in chicago next year. I will return to Chicago tonight bearing a letter from him, in which he states without qualification that he will leave St. Louis Thursday night and Friday will affix his signature to a contract to Captain and manage the Chicago brotherhood team for three years. We now have five of the St. Louis players-Comiskey, Latham, King, O'Neill, and Boyle-the four latter having already signed. Robinson I have also seen, and he has agreed to sign either with Cleveland or Brooklyn."

Comiskey was seen this evening, and when asked about his future movements said: "You are free to announce that I shall bid good-by to St. Louis and will go to Chicago Thursday to sign a contract to manage and captain the brotherhood team in that city. I have made an agreement to that effect and mean to carry it out to the letter."

-Chicago Daily Tribune, January 16, 1890

Capt. Comiskey said in an interview: "I take this step for the reason that I am in sympathy with the brotherhood. I believe their aims are for the best welfare and interest of the professional player. I believe that if the players do not this time stand true to their colors and maintain their organization, they will from this forward be at the mercy of the corporations who have been running the game, who drafted the 'reserve' rule and gave birth to the obnoxious classification list.

"I have taken all the chances of success and failure into consideration and I believe that if the players stand true to themselves they will score the grandest success ever achieved in the baseball world. But besides having the welfare of the players at heart. I have other reasons for wanting to play in Chicago. My parents and all my relatives reside here and all the property I own is in this city. I was raised here and have a kindly liking for the place."

-Boston Globe, January 18, 1890


I'm desperately trying to wrap all of this up as I have no doubt that you all are as tired of this topic as I am.

So by January, Von der Ahe has lost most of his players except for Icebox Chamberlain and Tommy McCarthy who had both signed early (and who, based on their statements at the time, would have jumped to the Players League with the rest of the team). There's no doubt that the PL was after the St. Louis players for some time. Certainly there had been talk of the players jumping to the PL since December, with Arlie Latham making the most noise (as usual). It makes perfect sense that the PL would be after the St. Louis players being as they were some of the biggest and most famous stars in the game.

For those who haven't been following the 27 part epic that is this series of posts, it's my contention that Von der Ahe was, in December of 1889, attempting to move the Browns into the PL. There are several reasons to believe this. First, the American Association had splintered in November of 1889 and was down to four teams. With the threat of a new league and the potential loss of star players, the AA was on the brink of falling apart. Second, there was a general belief that VdA was facing financial ruin. With his stars jumping to the new league, the loss to the AA of some good baseball markets, and the potential of a PL team in St. Louis, the Browns were looking at a tough financial situation. Lastly, I believe, with little support from the evidence, that VdA believed that he would be able to keep his players if he joined the PL. If, in December and before the players officially jumped, VdA was able to bring the Browns, in toto, into the PL it would have been a significant coup for the league. Having the Four Time Champions in the new league and a strong hold on the valuable St. Louis baseball market would have been a strong inducement for the league to allow VdA to keep his players.

Of course there are a couple of problems with that last part. As David Ball has been kind enough to point out, if the Browns had jumped into the PL there would have been nothing to stop the National League from raiding the team and stealing the Browns' stars. My argument against that happening is to basically point to the Comiskey quote above and say that the players were supporters of the Brotherhood and the PL and wouldn't have jumped to the NL. Now again, David makes a very good point that the Browns' players were sick and tired of Von der Ahe and I can't argue with that. There are enough quotes to fill a book about how sick and tired some of these guys were of VdA. If you search this blog, I'm sure you'll find a few of them. It's entirely reasonable to believe that regardless of what league the Browns played in, the players, given an opportunity, would have jumped to another one to get away from VdA and make more money.

But I don't think that these two points change my thinking on the bigger issue of what Von der Ahe was trying to do in December of 1889. Facing the loss of his players, the possible collapse of the AA, and an uncertain financial situation, VdA made an attempt to move the Browns to the Players League. If the Pittsburgh club had been willing to step aside or had not been able to secure financial backing, he would have succeeded in doing so. While things may not have worked out as VdA planned, I have no doubt that this is what he was trying to do and I have little doubt about why he was doing it.

So I think I'm pretty much done with this. I have more stuff in the files but I've beaten this dead horse enough and really want to move on with my life.

Arlie Latham, Song And Dance Man

Arlie Latham-he of the glass arm-informs me that he will again be an actor the coming season. Arlie's first stage experience was with an opera troupe. Now he branches out as a burnt-cork artist. He has made an engagement already to travel with Doakstader's Minstrels next season. Arlie will sing in the first part and fill out in the big clog dances in the second.

-The Sporting News, May 16, 1891


Seriously now, who wouldn't want to see The Freshest Man On Earth in a vaudeville show?

A Portrait Of Arlie Latham

This picture of Arlie Latham appeared on the front page of The Sporting News on October 18, 1890.