The 1884 Maroons: Omaha Claims The Championship Of St. Louis

Three weeks ago the Omahas beat the St. Louis Browns by a score of 7 to 0.  On Saturday they beat the Prickly Ash by a score of 11 to 1, and on Sunday they beat the Prickly Ash again, this time by a score of 13 to 3.  Yesterday to add to their laurels they won a game from the St. Louis Unions in the presence of 1,500 persons and by a score of 3 to 2.  Although the home team outbatted and outfielded the visitors the latter won, but by a very close shave.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 19, 1884

As I was reading through the August 1884 editions of the Globe, I saw Omaha beating the Browns and the Prickly Ash and then saw that they challenged the Maroons to a game.  I was actually hoping that they beat Lucas' pets because it made for a better story.  By beating the three best teams in St. Louis, Omaha had a legitimate claim to the baseball championship of St. Louis and that's an interesting little wrinkle to the story of the 1884 baseball season in St. Louis. 

That's Just Mean

A delightful change in the weather has had a most salutary effect upon the attendance at Sportsman's Park.  Added to the influence of the weather has been the realization of the fact that after the Browns leave for the East there will be no more first-class ball played in St. Louis this season.  The Maroons will, of course, be here ere long, but they do not play base ball of any consequence.  So great and so general is the disgust expressed here for the Maroons that it would not be difficult to find plenty of men who would back the Prickly Ash nine to win three out of four games.  

-Sporting Life, August 12, 1885

Braggin' Rights

The Pana Meteors, champions of Illinois, play the Prickly Ash, champions of Missouri, to-day at Amateur Park.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 1, 1884

I post this in honor of the Braggin' Rights basketball game that was held yesterday.  Can't beat a good Illinois/Missouri game.  And I don't even want to talk about the SIUC/SIUE game.

Pana, by the way, is about a hundred miles or so northeast of St. Louis, in the central part of Illinois.

The 1884 Maroons: A Good, Honest Fight

Until after 1 o'clock yesterday it was a matter of uncertainty whether the game announced to take place at the St. Louis Athletic Grounds between the Union and Prickly Ash nine would be played or not.  There were puddles on the ground, but a wet spot behind second base was planked and carpeted and the gates were thrown open a little before 2 o'clock.  Before they were opened fully 500 persons went away, thinking there would be no game.  Nevertheless, when play was called a gathering of nearly, if not quite, 5,000 occupied seats in the stands and positions around the field.  The pitchers had difficult work from the start, and it was impossible for them to do themselves justice, owing to the moisture and mud that gathered on the ball whenever it struck the ground.  Three balls were used in the game.  One went over the fence on a foul hit and was carried off by a young hoodlum.  Some time afterward another ball was hit over the fence and a chap about 26 years old undertook to run off with it.  Delegate Sullivan, who happened to be near by, gave chase to the young thief and fired a couple of blank cartridges after him.  The boy ran into the brickyard north of the grounds and then dropped on his knees, held him his hands, and trembling with fear, cried out:  "Oh!  don't shoot, mister!  Here's the ball.  Oh!  don't shoot; please don't!"

The Game. 

The Prickly Ash team proved themselves worthy the name of local champions, and it was only after a good, honest fight that the professionals won the ball.  In the P.A. B. ranks there are several old-time local players who occasionally play ball in a manner that would honor distinguished professionals.  That they have some reputation was proved by the crowd that assembled to witness their contest, and that they have many friends was also established by the shouts that went up when, in the final inning, their chances for victory were steadily increasing.  For the first six innings the fight was a pretty one, each side scoring a single.  In the first half of the seventh the professionals commenced to drive the ball about and five runs crossed the plate before the local cracks had recovered themselves.  In the Unions half of the ninth inning Dickerson drove the ball too far right and Carey went out and made a grand catch, and then made a beautiful throw to first, cutting off Dunlap, who had started for second when the hit appeared a safe one.  The double play was the feature of the game, and created great enthusiasm.  The city champions went to the bat in their last half feeling very happy indeed.  Werden, who had been sending the sphere very fast, now slackened his pace, for the ball was heavy and hard to handle.  As a result, he pitched wild, and one man walked to first, while another struck at three wild pitches, the last ball getting away from Brennan.  After these two had reached first there came a hit or two and aided by errors on the part of the infield the local champions got in six runs. At this juncture the excitement was something wonderful, the friends of the nine at the bat fairly screaming with delight as the last runs were tallied.  It wanted but a single run to tie and there was a man on second and two out.  Decker who was at the bat drove the ball hard toward third base, and another shout went up.  Jack Gleason, however, dove after the ball, gathered it cleanly, ending the struggle by cutting Decker off at first.  The play on both sides from first to last was spirited and interesting  The lion of the day was young Brennan who faced Werden's terrific pitching, he catching in great style, although all through the ball was wet and heavy and very difficult to handle.  Besides that he batted splendidly.  Dickerson and Shaeffer also did good work with the stick.  For the P.A.'s Peterson's work at third, Walsh's play at short, Decker's catching and the outfielding of Cunningham, Rodemacher and Carey were the best features.  

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


I'm going to guess and say that, after this game, the Maroons didn't have any more problems with people trying to run off with foul balls.

But the more important thing here is What Did Dunlap Do?

Well, he didn't do much.  Hitless in four at-bats, he did reach base twice (probably on a walk and an error).  He also got doubled up at second and it looks like he had three errors.  Not a great day for teh Fred.  And, yes, I think I will be referring to Dunlap from now on as teh Fred or, even better, Teh Fred (with an exclamation point).  

Teh Fred!

     

A Busy Day

April 6, 1884 was a busy baseball day in St. Louis.

Besides the Maroons' first game, the Browns played their reserve club at Sportsman's Park, the Western Brass Manufacturing Company club played an amateur club from East St. Louis, the East St. Louis Club played the Belleville Standards at National Park in East St. Louis, the Papins played the Eclipse, the Ely-Walker's Packing-room nine played the Ely-Walker's Porters, the Kemper Grocery nine played the Southerns, the Prickly Ash played the St. Gothards, the Jolly Knights played the Martin Neiser "Ice-water nine," the CBC club played a club made up of college students at the Compton Avenue Grounds, and the Western Railroad nine played the Missouri Pacific Railroad nine, also at Compton Avenue.

The Globe-Democrat noted that the Browns had 5,000 people at their game and the doubleheader at the Compton Avenue Grounds drew 500 fans.  They also mentioned, of course, that the Maroons had around 10,000 people at the Union Grounds.  The Cleveland Herald, on April 9, stated that "[in] St. Louis last Sunday 20,000 people took part in base ball either as players or spectators of the many games played on that day."  They also noted the attendance at the Maroons' game, which must have truly galled them.

The 1884 St. Louis baseball season was in full swing.

So General And So Great Is The Disgust

A delightful change in the weather has had a most salutary effect upon the attendance at Sportsman's Park. Added to the influence of the weather has been the realization of the fact that after the Browns leave for the East there will be no more first-class ball played in St. Louis this season. The Maroons will, of course, be here ere long, but they do not play base ball of any consequence. So great and so general is the disgust expressed here for the Maroons that it would not be difficult to find plenty of men who would back the Prickly Ash nine to win three out of four games.

-Sporting Life, August 12, 1885

More On The Organization Of Amateur Clubs In 1886

"The amateur clubs of St. Louis will outdo themselves this year in the number and character of their players, clubs and leagues. The Amateur Park Association of clubs will, of course, be first in point of quality and general excellence. The League formed will be the first and only one ever formed in St. Louis on a solid basis. The players will all be required to sign regular contracts with the clubs they join, and should they break any of the rules they will be forever disbarred from taking part in a championship struggle, and also from playing in any St. Louis park: and, moreover, the members of all clubs belonging to the League will be prohibited from taking part in any game where any player under suspension from the League is engaged. This rule will have a tendency to make the sore-heads come to reasonable terms and will prevent all revolving from one club to the other as has been the case in the past, and always to the detriment of strictly amateur ball playing."

"The Business League profiting by past experience will no doubt make some iron-clad rules to prevent clubs from grabbing up such semi-professional players as may chance to be out of an engagement. In fact, all amateur organizations in St. Louis have made a careful study of the word amateur, and they intend to carry out the meaning to the letter. The right men are now at the helm, and, with proper encouragement, will bring out the latent qualities of who now are compelled to play second fiddle for the benefit of older players of reputation."

"The Amateur League will have the following clubs represented: Amateur Park Club, St. Gotthard's, Drummand's, Enterprise, St. Louis Amateur, West Ends, and Union Blues. This will make eight evenly matched teams, and the winners of the bunting will have many a hard fight before securing the trophy."

"The Business League will open the season with six clubs and will try and keep this number as they are anxious to finish the schedule, which would be impossible with more members. The clubs likely to be selected from the score of applicants are as follows: Crow, Hargadine & Co., Sam'l C. Davis & Co., St. Louis News Co., Wm. Barr Dry Goods Co., Rice, Stix, & Co., and Brown, Daughaday, & Co. This will insure good games, as all of the teams will be equal in playing strength, and the struggle for supremacy will be long and hard."

"In fact, from the present outlook, amateur base ball will be a feature in St. Louis this year, something it never has been before. The managers have the correct idea and have only to carry out the policy laid down at the recent meeting to meet with the success their efforts deserve."

-From The Sporting News, March 17, 1886

It's interesting to see the machinations of the smaller clubs in St. Louis as they organize for the season. Groups and leagues and associations are being formed as clubs compete for players, fans, money, and survival. These clubs are competing against not only each other but also the bigger clubs in St. Louis. In 1886, there was not only the Browns and the Maroons in St. Louis but also the Peach Pies, the Prickly Ash, and the Reds while just across the river were the Madisons of Edwardsville, the Alton Club, the Belliville Club, and the East St. Louis Club.

In the face of such competition, organization had to have been crucial for the clubs to survive. Reading between the lines of the above article and some of the other ones posted this week, it's clear that these clubs were in the habit of raiding each other for players. Revolving was obviously a major problem. Making and keeping a schedule also must have been difficult. Arranging games so that they were economically beneficial to both teams was also an issue.

The Sporting News, as an advocate of the game, was not only reporting on these undertakings but was actively encouraging them. They toted the beneficial nature of such organizations and chided the poor management that often stood in the way of achieving them.

One interesting note about the above article is the quote at the end about the status of amateur baseball in St. Louis. Al Spink, of all people, should have known better then to write something like that, given the tradition of 19th century amateur baseball in St. Louis. The "Golden Age" of St. Louis amateur baseball had certainly passed but it had passed only a scant eleven years previous to this article being written and certainly within the living memory of most of the readers of The Sporting News in 1886.