The Union Blues

The Union Blues, the new team which is to hold forth at the Union Grounds during the absence of the regular team, met yesterday and effected a permanent organization.  Among the players present were Clark, Boils, Lancaster, Lee, Daily, Wipps, Gartland, Murphy, Whelan, Shields and several others.  All of these report for duty at the Union Grounds on Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock, and the playing team to play the St. Gotthards willl then be selected.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 27, 1884

The Union Blues would be a great title for a book about Lucas and the UA.  Feel free to steal the idea.  Just give me credit in the introduction.

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.

The Waltons

"The Walton nine held a meeting Wednesday evening, March 24, at Walton's express office, No. 212 North Sixth street every member being in attendance. Most of the players are old 'vets' in the business, and having played together for a long time they always play a good steady game of ball. Andy Kolley has covered first base for the past seven years. He played one season with Waite's Warriors. Genins is also an old timer and plays second base for all he is worth. He will be captain of the nine. Coffey is a regular veteran and one of the best fielders in the city. He will be placed in the left garden. Ehrhardt is a little daisy and has played with the Walton's for the last three years and will attend to all balls going in right field. Albrecht has played with several of the crack semi-professional clubs for several seasons past, and will cover third bag in his best style. Haber, the center fielder, is a lightening thrower and a good base runner. Reinagle, late of the Jacksonvilles and the St. Gotthardts, is to cover short and he knows how to do it right up to the handle. Healy, one of the speediest pitchers in town, will do the twirling. He has pitched several seasons, and is well known as one of the best amateur pitchers that ever occupied the box. Goodeli, late of the St. Gotthardts and Papins, will support Healy behind the bat in Bushong style. Dreckage the tenth man, late of Cincinnati, is a rattling all-around player, and will fill any gap that may occur at any time. This completes the nine, and they are ready for challenges."

-From The Sporting News, March 29, 1886

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.