The 1884 Maroons: The Best Contest They Had Ever Witnessed

Over 7,000 persons witnessed yesterday's game at the Union Grounds.  Strengthened by the Cleveland trio the Crincinnati Unions undoubtedly present the strongest team that has visited St. Louis this year, and, while they are a magnificent appearing lot of men, the League discipline has penetrated their ranks, and their movements on the field now resemble those of a military organization rather than a ball team.  The sensational feature of yesterday's game was the appearance on the Union grounds of Tom Dolan, who for so many years has rendered the Brown Stockings good service.  The game was not called promptly, and the crowd fretted and fumed for ten or fifteen minutes.  They were not aware of the fact that Dolan was dressing preparatory to taking the place of Baker behind the bat.  Baker was not feeling well, and so Dolan's services were brought into play.  As Tom walked out of the Union club house, accompanied by Sweeny, a small boy shouted: "There's Tom Dolan.  He is coming out to catch Sweeny."  The news spread like wildfire, and as Dolan walked across the field a cheer was sent up the like of which has not often been heard on the grounds.  It told that Dolan was a prime favorite with the people, and that if a quarrel had taken place between him and his old employers the base-ball-loving public were willing to take his side of it.  He was not only cheered when he crossed the field, but given a genuine ovation when he went in to face Sweeney, when he put on his mask, when he went to bat and when he made the hit which brought in the only run the St. Louis team scored in the game.  Early yesterday morning Dolan told Mr. Lucas that he has severed all connection with the Brown Stocking Club. 

Dolan's Explanation.

"I and my friends said he believed that I have been doing as good work behind the bat and with the stick as Deasley, and though he is paid nearly twice as much as me I have not complained on that score, but only asked that I be allowed to alternate with him in the catcher's position.  This privilege is granted on all nines, and that I was able to hold my own I think was proven on the late trip, as I caught in the two games we won from Colombus, while Deasley caught the two we lost at Louisville.  It was fairly and squarely my turn to catch to-day, and I asked to be allowed to do so, but both Von der Ahe and Williams refused me that privilege.  Being tired of being made a fool of I told Von der Ahe that I was done working for him."

Dolan, after making this statement, offered his services to Mr. Lucas.  The latter declined to sign Dolan then but asked him to call at the Union Grounds before the game in the afternoon, which he promised to do.  Then Dolan consulted a lawyer, who is also a personal friend, by whom he was advised to ask of Mr. Von der Ahe that he be allowed to catch in the game against the Indianapolis Club and in the event of a refusal, to at once sever his connection with the Browns and join the Unions.  According to Dolan's story he went to Sportsman's Park yesterday afternoon and said to Mr. Von der Ahe, "Are you going to let me catch," to which that gentleman replied, "Put on your uniform."  This Dolan accepted as an order to go on the field as tenth man, and, instead of complying, he suggested that the President of the Browns should visit the infernal regions.  Mr. Von der Ahe retorted, "I'll put you through for that," and Dolan walked out of the grounds, boarded a streetcar and rode down to Union Park, where he arrived just in time to take part in the game.  He signed no contract, but was taken at his word that he had left the Browns for good and was looking for employment, and was sent out in Baker's place to support Sweeny.  Mr. Lucas left with his team for Pittsburg last night.  Before going he told Dolan not to act hastily, and promised to engage him on Thursday next for the Union team, provided he still felt like signing with that organization.  If he signs he will be taken on the Eastern trip.

A Great Game.

The home team were the first to bat and were retired without scoring.  In the second inning, after Harbidge had made a safe hit, Sylvester reached first but forced Harbidge at second, Sweeny getting the ball and throwing to Dunlap.  McCormick then hit hard to right field for two bases, sending Sylvester to third.  McQuery, the new man, followed with a bounding hit along the foul line, which the crowd pronounced foul, but which Seward said was fair.  Two runs crossed the plate, and they were the only runs the visitors got in the game.  In the fifth inning, after two men were out, the local nine scored their only run.  Boyle made a terrific hit to center and Burns, who ran well for the ball, just reached and muffed it, Boyle going to second on the drop.  Dolan then hit a hot grounder at Crane.  The latter let the ball get by him and Boyle scored.  From the fifth to the ninth, the home nine worked like Trojans to score.  Dunlap drove the ball away over the left field fence, and it seemed to sail safe, but the umpire called "foul."  Other long hits were made, but the fielders took in everything that happened along.  In the ninth Shaffer hit a beauty to left for two bases, Rowe sensibly sacrificed and Shaffer trotted to third.  Then Gleason went to the bat and a hit to the outfield on which Shaffer could score was looked for, but instead the ball was sent rolling to Crane, who threw home and Briody caught Shaffer at the plate.  Boyle was the last chance, but he proved an easy victim for McCormick, who struck him out, and the game was at an end.  Sweeny and McCormick both pitched in grand form.  On total bases Sweeny was the most effective.  Briody and Dolan both caught magnificently.  The game as a whole was both brilliant and exciting, and the spectators were constantly manifesting their enthusiastic appreciation of the exhibition.  As a matter of fact, some of the oldest patrons of the national game in the city declared it was the best contest they had ever witnessed on any ball field.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 24, 1884


There's so much going on in this article that I have to go to the bullet points:

• With the addition of the three National Leaguers, Cincinnati was every bit the club that St. Louis was and their record the rest of the way proved that.  If Cincinnati had started the season with this roster, there would have been a serious pennant race.
• The argument that the UA was a one team league doesn't stand up.  Yes, it took Cincinnati until August to put their team together but, again, Cincinnati was the equal of St. Louis.  
• But the league was a mess.  The weakness of the rosters were a direct result of Lucas' decision not to sign players who were already under contract.  This was a noble decision but, in the end, it hurt the quality of league.  By August, when Lucas and the rest of the UA got tired of the NL and AA poaching players from their rosters, that policy was thrown out and Cincinnati was able to strengthen their club.
• And the Maroons were able to add a catcher.  If Lucas had stuck to the old policy of not signing players already under contract, he never would have signed Dolan.
• But, seriously, what kind of league allows a guy to walk in off the street, tell them he just quit his old club and then starts him without even signing him to a contract?  That's about as bush league as it gets. 
• Dolan's explanation of why he quit the Browns was also kind of weak.  He basically said that he was better than Deasley, didn't get to play enough and wasn't happy with his pay.  So he quit and ran over to the Union Grounds looking for a new job.
• Also, it should be noted that this was an exhibition rather than a league game.     

More On Dolan

I have to pass this along because it's full of awesome:

A master of deception his entire career, Tom Dolan claimed to be 17 when he caught for the independent St. Louis Reds in 1876, but he was really 21.  He then spent the next dozen years deceiving ML teams into believing he was a good player even though most of the evidence was to the contrary.  His grandest deception of all was actually not of his making - seemingly not, anyway.  For a number of years The Sporting News Official Baseball Record Book recognized him as the record holder for the most outfield assists in a season with 63 in 1883 even though most of his assists that year came as a catcher.

Nevertheless, Dolan truly does own some significant distinctions.  Beginning in 1877, he was Jim Galvin's most frequent catcher until Galvin became an established ML pitcher in 1879.  Later in his career he became the only man ever to catch for three different St. Louis teams in three different major leagues in three different seasons (1883-1885).  But perhaps his chief claim to sports fame is that in the mid-1880s he was the best handball player in baseball, so good that even Fred Dunlap, who fancied himself the kingpin, assiduously avoided playing Dolan.  Finally, Dolan perpetrated one of the bloodiest on-field fights in baseball history on May 11, 1887, while playing for Lincoln of the Western League, when he and Denver's Pat Tebeau went at it so savagely that each was fined the munificent sum of $5.  It was his customary way of taking care of business on and off the field.  Soon after joining the Browns in 1883, Dolan, according to the St. Louis Republican, hired a teammate to beat up first-string catcher Pat Deasley so that he could obtain the job.

The son of John Dolan, a saloonkeeper whose business catered to a rough, working-class crowd that disregarded the racial boundaries then in sway in St. Louis, Dolan and his father openly bankrolled a local "colored" team in St. Louis called the Black Stockings in the early 1880s after he had already begun to play professionally.  Dolan remained an active player until 1890, when his 3-year-old son died while he was playing in the Western Association.  The following year he joined the St. Louis fire department, having earlier been a fireman during the off-season.  Seriously injured in an electrical accident in 1894, he recovered to captain the fire department team for several more years.  Never one for taking great care of himself, Dolan died in St. Louis in 1913 of cirrhosis of the liver.

-Major League Baseball Profiles, 1871-1900, Volume 1


I have absolutely no problem admitting that this brief but wonderfully witty biography of Dolan, written by David Nemec and David Ball, is substantially better than any biography I contributed to the project.  If you've yet to pick up the two volumes of MLB Profiles or the companion The Rank and File of 19th Century Major League Baseball, you're missing out.  They're just full of great stuff like this.       

The Breach Has Been Greatly Widened

A Globe-Democrat reporter, who was at the Sportsman's Park, interviewed Mr. Von der Ahe, President of the St. Louis Club, upon Dolan's jump.  He did not appear to be greatly disgruntled at the jump, and explained the matter so far as he could, as follows:

"Dolan's work so far as his catching was concerned was all satisfactory, but his throwing to bases was getting worse and worse, and cost us so many games that the other men did not feel safe with him behind the bat, and urged that Deasley catch on all occasions.  Dolan has been very hard to please.  When he did not catch he complained, and when he was put on to catch he kicked.  He was of little service to us of late, and men ran bases on him with impunity, and while making an occasional hit his batting and base running were ordinarily very poor.  We are through our hard work and with Deasley and Krehmeyer we can get along very well without him.  I had no thought of re-engaging him next year.  To-day I told him to put on his uniform when he objected and said he was going to quit.  I told him what the consequences would be to him and he made no answer, and I presume went straight from here to the Union Park.  He wanted to catch more and the men felt safer with Deasley - that was all there was in it.  He will never play on the St. Louis Browns again, even if he were younger and more capable."

Mr. Von der Ahe showed no feeling in the matter whatever, and smiled at the indignation expressed by the friends of the club, who were loud in their denunciation of Dolan's conduct, and openly expressed opinions that the jump was not the result of an impulse, but of a tempting offer from the Unions.  The breach between the two local professional base ball organizations has been greatly widened by the occurrence.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 24, 1884


I love that last sentence and find it to be a tasty bit of understatement.  You have to wonder if Dolan's name came up in the fall when Von der Ahe and Lucas where negotiating the Maroons' entry into the NL. 

Tom Dolan Jumps To The Maroons

Thos. Dolan, Outlaw

Dolan, of the St. Louis Browns, caught for the St. Louis Unions to-day and says he will play with the Browns no longer in consequence of the alleged ill-treatment by the management.  His action produced quite a sensation in baseball circles and a great crowd greeted him at the Union park, this afternoon.  It is said to-night that he will sign with the Union next week.

-Milwaukee Sentinel, August 24, 1884

About four years ago, while writing about the St. Louis Whites, I wrote the following about Mr. Dolan:

[Tom Dolan] played seven seasons in the major leagues between 1879 and 1888; played with the Browns in 1883 and 1884 before jumping to the Maroons (for whom he played in all three seasons of their existence); after the breakup of the Whites, Dolan rejoined the Browns; played baseball in St. Louis in four different leagues: the AA, UA, NL, and WA; after he retired from baseball, Dolan served as a fireman in St. Louis...

His first game as an outlaw was on August 23, when the Maroons played Cincinnati in an exhibition game.  

Hitting Wind

There was a lot of other stuff going on during the 1883/84 offseason besides the Maroons putting together a team and I've mostly glossed over it in a desperate attempt to get to the 1884 season itself. If I remember correctly, I wanted to cover the Maroons' 1884 season but having spent months now covering the (very interesting) offseason, I've forgotten what it is that I'm really doing.

Regardless, one of the more interesting events of that offseason was the Von der Ahe/Oberbeck trial, which I've probably mentioned at one time or another over the years. On March 1, 1884, the case went to the jury and, during this period, there was a great deal of coverage about it in the Globe. While I don't really want to get into the details of the case, there was some testimony from the trial that appeared in the Globe on March 2nd and I thought I'd pass it along:

Thomas Dolan testified that Oberbeck was a very weak batsman; that "he hit wind nearly all the time."

"Mr. Dolan,"

Did You Ever Hit Wind?"

asked Newton Crane, sarcastically. Dolan replied: "Well, yes; but not all the time." Dolan's testimony was corroborated by George McGinnis, the pitcher.

I love the fact that Jumbo McGinnis had to corroborate Dolan's testimony. But was he corroborating the fact that Henry Oberbeck was a lousy hitter or that he was a worse hitter than Dolan? And really, Tom Dolan (a career .204/.242/.256 hitter) didn't have any room to be calling anybody a lousy hitter. Glass houses, rocks and all that.

Sweeney And Dolan Released

The management of the Maroons yesterday took a step in the right direction, and released a member of the club who has for some time past been bringing the team into disrepute. It was Charles Sweeney who got his walking papers, and his catcher, Tom Dolan, accompanied him. It is said that the cause of their release was for a disgraceful exhibition of themselves at Sportsman's Park Sunday. It appears that they were "guying" one another over their respective abilities as ball tossers, and were so loud and abusive in their use of language as to attract the attention of the occupants of the grand stand. The other members of the Maroons were also present at the time. Sweeney has been playing miserably all season, and his pitching has been such that any amateur might be ashamed of. This he accounted for "owing to the bad condition of his arm." Sweeney has been played out for some time and there is but little doubt that his ball-playing days are over. His release yesterday was no surprise, as Manager Schmelz has been contemplating letting him go for some time past, and it is only a wonder that he has hung on as long as this. The release of Dolan, however, was something of a surprise. He is a fair ball player, and his catching this season had greatly improved. Both players were also fined $50 apiece.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 29, 1886

The Most Disgusted Lot of Ballplayers That Ever Stood Before A Bar

A bout of rage swept through Sportsman's Park today until Von der Ahe threw up his hands in desperation and fled from the scene. The association champions are the maddest, most disgusted lot of ball-players that ever stood before a bar and cursed a manager. The trouble is this: At the annual meeting of the association $1,200 of the money received from minor league clubs was set aside as a prize to be divided among the players of the team winning the association championship. The Browns won it. When the series with New York was arranged, the players allege, a contract was made, which is now in possession of Mutrie, setting forth that the players of each team should receive $200 each, win or lose. The Browns lost. After the series a benefit game was arranged which knotted the players of each team $28 each. The New Yorks received their share, but the Browns have not received the association prize money, nor the $200 for the world series, not the $28 benefit. Von der Ahe, they claim has pocketed everything in sight and told them they were "chumps." King says: "I will never pitch another ball for that fellow if I can help it. He has gouged every player in the club out of $300, for that is what is coming to us." Tom Dolan, the catcher, gave Von der Ahe a terrible roasting to his face, while Big Jack Milligan, Robinson, and O'Neill threatened to make a slaughter-house of the office on Grand Avenue.

-The Chicago Daily Tribune, November 1, 1888

Rudy Kemmler

Rudy Kemmler played in thirty-five games for the World's Champion Browns in 1886 as a catcher and first baseman. What's notable about Kemmler's stint with the Browns is that over one hundred and twenty-three at bats, he posted a remarkable OPS+ of nine. That's nine (9), as in one short of ten. So I think the question that needs to be asked is was Kemmler the worst player ever to play for a championship team?

Interestingly, the fourth most similar player to Kemmler (according to Baseball Reference) is Charlie Sweasy, the manager and second baseman of the 1875 St. Louis Reds. The tenth most similar player was Tom Dolan, who played with the Browns, Maroons, and Whites. The list of Kemmler's comps is not exactly Murderer's Row.

Still On Vacation

A quick and lazy post while I'm on vacation. Here's pictures of Ed Herr, Jim Devlin, and Tom Dolan's Old Judge baseball cards-three members of the 1888 St. Louis Whites who also played for the Browns that season.

Too Wild And Jovial

In the race for catching honors in the National League in 1882 Tom Deasley, then catching for Boston, tied Bennett of Detroit.

A great catcher and thrower was Deasley, so great indeed that Ted Sullivan brought him to St. Louis and here he really wound up his career.

Deasley was a fine receiver and thrower, but too wild and jovial a fellow to last long in league company. His life on the center of the baseball stage was brief.

-The National Game

The description of Pat Deasley as "too wild and jovial a fellow" wins the award for best euphemism of the week. Deasley was an alcoholic whose escapades were part of the Browns' "team discipline" problem in 1884.

On a trip to Indianapolis that year, several members of the team were, as the Post-Dispatch said at the time, "(pouring) liquor down their throats." A drunken Deasley, according to Jon David Cash, "approached two women on the street. He apparently propositioned them, and, when his overtures were rejected, Deasley grabbed one of them by her arm. Both women escaped to the safety of a store that sold women's hats. Deasley steadfastly pursued them, and the Indianapolis police quickly arrived to arrest him 'for drunkenness and insulting ladies.' After being convicted on charges of drunkenness and assault, Deasley paid a ten-dollar fine and court costs for each offense."

Later, when the team was in Toledo, Deasley was beaten up by teammates Joe Quinn and Tom Dolan. Deasley was injured in the fight and was unable to play in "an embarrassing 16-2 shellacking at the hands of the first-year Brooklyn Trolley-Dodgers..."

On July 2, Deasley showed up drunk for a game against Baltimore. Held out of the game by Jimmy Williams, Deasley, according to Cash, "bitterly condemned the team's manager to the crowd" while his teammates were in the process of losing the game. As a result of his "jovial" antics, he was fined by the team and forced to sign an affidavit stating that he would refrain from alcohol for the rest of the season.

Late in the season, Deasley got into another fight with a teammate. This time it was Daisy Davis who Deasley battled in the dinning room of the Louisville Hotel. Deasley may also have been responsible for the Tom Dolan jumping to the Maroons. It seems that Dolan, who didn't much care for the "wild and jovial" Deasley, was unhappy that Deasley was starting at catcher ahead of him.

At the end of the 1884 season, the Browns sold Deasley to New York for $400 (although Baseball Reference states that Deasley was released by the Browns and signed with New York as a free agent). The Browns were on the verge of putting together their championship run and didn't need the kind of problems that Deasley brought. In a concise summation, Comiskey stated that Deasley was "a continual source of trouble to the team."

A Kind Of Farm Team-The 1888 St. Louis Whites, Part 5

I'm done speculating on the nature of the Whites. Let's take a look at the roster.

The following players were members of the St. Louis Whites in 1888:

Tug Arundel: catcher; played on and off in the major leagues between 1882 and 1888; after the breakup of the Whites, Arundel was released and received an offer from the Kansas City Association team although he ended up with the Washington Nationals.

Jake Beckley: first base; a heck of a player, Beckley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971; he played 20 seasons in the major leagues between 1888 and 1907, ending his career with the Cardinals; after the breakup of the Whites, he was sold, along with Harry Staley, to Pittsburgh for $4500.

Ernie Burch: outfielder; played with Cleveland in 1884 and Brooklyn in 1886 and 1887.

Bart Cantz: catcher; played three seasons in the major leagues between 1888 and 1890; has a career batting average of .157; The Sporting News reported in June of 1888 that, after the breakup of the Whites, Cantz was going to join the Browns but it appears that he was sold to the Baltimore Association team.

Jack Crooks: third base; played eight seasons in the major leagues between 1889 and 1898, including two stints with the Browns (1892-1893 and 1898); was the manager of the Browns in 1892; led the NL in walks in 1892 and 1893, finished second in the AA in walks in 1890 and 1891; his 136 walks in 1892 set a major league record that stood until 1911; Crooks was sold to Omaha for $500 upon the breakup of the Whites.

Jim Devlin: pitcher; played four seasons in the major leagues between 1886 and 1889; played with the Browns after the breakup of the Whites and ended his major league career with the team the next year; I wrote a little bit about Devlin before.

Tom Dolan: catcher; played seven seasons in the major leagues between 1879 and 1888; played with the Browns in 1883 and 1884 before jumping to the Maroons (for whom he played in all three seasons of their existence); after the breakup of the Whites, Dolan rejoined the Browns; played baseball in St. Louis in four different leagues: the AA, UA, NL, and WA; after he retired from baseball, Dolan served as a fireman in St. Louis; I've written about Dolan a few times, most notably here.

Ed Herr: shortstop; played three seasons in the majors between 1887 and 1890; played with the Browns after the breakup of the Whites (and again in 1890); after he was finished with baseball, Herr worked as a carpenter in St. Louis; he died in 1933, drowning in the Mississippi.

Hunkey Hines: outfielder; born Henry Fred Hines; played one season in the majors with Brooklyn in 1895; after the breakup of the Whites, Hines was released and signed with a club in Rockford, where he lived the rest of his life.

Jerry McCormick: outfielder; played two seasons in the majors in 1883 and 1884.

Parson Nicholson: second base; born Thomas C. Nicholson, also called "Deacon"; played three seasons in the major leagues between 1888 and 1895; after the breakup of the Whites, he was released and it appears that he then signed with Detroit.

Harry Staley: pitcher; played eight years in the majors between 1888 and 1895; he finished his career playing with the Browns; after the breakup of the Browns, Staley was sold to Pittsburgh, along with Beckley, for $4,500; when Von der Ahe was attempting to sell the club, the player that most teams wanted to buy was Staley.

C. Alcott: shortstop; some sources list his first name as Charles.

Kenyon: outfielder; some sources list him as J.J. Kenyon or O.J. Kenyon; after the breakup of the Whites, Kenyon remained in St. Louis although it was expected that he would sign with a team in the Ohio League.

Fred Nyce: outfielder, pitcher; after the breakup of the Whites, Nyce received offers Kalamazoo and Canton and it was assumed by TSN that he would sign with the Kalamazoo.

Sproat: pitcher.


I put together this roster based on box scores, articles in TSN, and the Old Judge baseball card series. All players on this list either played in a game for the Whites, was mentioned as a member of the team, or were identified in the Old Judge set as a member of the Whites. I can state with certainty that the following players played in games for the Whites: Nicholson, Beckley, Crooks, Burch, Herr, Hines, Kenyon, Dolan, Staley, Sproat, Gantz, and Nyce. There is no record that I've found of Alcott, McCormick, Devlin, or Arundel playing in a game for the club.

Looking at the roster, it doesn't seem to be that bad of a team. There was a nice mix of veterans and youth. I would say that if the intent was to create a farm team and develop talent then the Browns did a good job putting the team together. Out of the sixteen players identified as members of the Whites, Beckley and Staley were outstanding young players who the Browns would have been wise to hold on to. Ed Herr looks like a good young prospect and I know that many clubs were interested in him. What happened to his career, I can't say but I'd certainly like to find out. Jim Devlin also was a young guy who looked like a promising major leaguer and then disappeared. Jack Crooks was twenty-two years old in 1888 and went on to have a nice career. So by my count and evaluation, that's five legitimate major league prospects on a sixteen man roster, three of whom went on to have better than average major league careers and one of whom was a Hall of Famer. I don't think you can do better than that and it speaks to the Browns' outstanding scouting ability.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try and wrap this thing up.

Person Jack Crooks

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A Kind Of Farm Team-The 1888 St. Louis Whites, Part 3

We can see evidence of a farming relationship between the Browns and Whites, with players moving between the two teams, and Peter Morris has written that this relationship fits within a general 19th century trend towards the establishment of the farm system. This seems sufficient to declare that the Whites were indeed a Browns' farm club. However, there is some contradictory evidence that most be dealt with.

In the November 9, 1887 issue of Sporting Life, there is an article that discusses Von der Ahe's purchase of the Whites and mentions that Tom Loftus would be the club's manager. In this article, Von der Ahe explicitly states that the Whites would not be run as the Browns' farm club. What are we to make of this? It's possible that Von der Ahe was simply being disingenuous. Some of the farming relationships developed by major league clubs in 1887 had been controversial and many stated at the time that they were illegal. So Von der Ahe, in denying a farming relationship between the Browns and Whites, may have simply been trying to cover up the true nature of the relationship in an attempt to avoid controversy. It's also possible, however, that Von der Ahe was stating the truth and that while there may have been the appearance of a farming relationship, the intent to establish a farm club did not exist.

If Von der Ahe did not intend for the Whites to exist as a farm club, what was the purpose of his ownership of the club? It is entirely possible that the Whites existed for their own sake-to play baseball, to win games, to capture a pennant, to draw fans to Sportsman's Park. On February 25, 1888, The Sporting News wrote that "Talking of the coming season's prospects Mr. Von der Ahe said they were unusually bright. He will have two splendidly equipped teams in the field, and when one is away the other will be found at work entertaining the local patrons." I don't think then that it's outside the realm of possibility that Von der Ahe established the Whites simply as another tenant for his ballpark. St. Louis had shown to a certain extent that it was able to support two teams. In 1884, the Browns and the Maroons finished first and fourth among all major league teams in attendance. While the Maroons' attendance fell off in their final two years, between 1884 and 1886 the two clubs drew over 800,000 fans between them. With the Browns drawing almost 250,000 fans in 1887, it's conceivable that Von der Ahe believed that there was room in the St. Louis baseball market for another team and that he could profit from the addition of that team.

However, the Whites, most likely as a result of their poor play, did not draw well and, at the same time, the Browns' attendance fell by almost 100,000 due to the St. Louis fans' displeasure over Von der Ahe's fire sale after the 1887 season. The market was unable to sustain both teams and Von der Ahe quickly decided to dispose of the Whites. It's Von der Ahe's quick decision to sell the Whites and the manner in which he went about it that casts a great deal of doubt on the status of the Whites and Von der Ahe's original intent with regards to the team.

The Whites first game was played against Milwaukee at Sportsman's Park on April 28, 1888. Less than a month later, Von der Ahe was actively attempting to sell the team. By May 27th, Von der Ahe was in serious negotiations with both "Mr. McClintock of Denver and Mr. Keith of Lincoln" to sell his Western Association franchise and all of its players. The Sporting News explained that Von der Ahe had received "good cash offers for several members of the team and notably for (Harry) Staley. He had not accepted any of those for the simple reason that he did not care to break up the team, a move that would be of irreparable damage to the Western Association. He believed that the only fair thing to do was to transfer the team bodily to some other city and he would only do this after receiving fair compensation."

This raises several questions. If Von der Ahe was operating the Whites as a farm club, why was he attempting to sell the franchise and the players less than four weeks after the club began playing? If the goal of owning the Whites was to operate a reserve club and develop players for the Browns, why was Von der Ahe pulling the plug in May? I understand that the Whites were drawing poorly and Von der Ahe was running the operation at a loss but wouldn't that loss have been acceptable to a certain extent if the Whites were operating as a farm club for the Browns? Even if the Whites were losing money, how substantial could the loss have been after only four weeks of operation? As far as selling the players is concerned, if the Whites were simply a farm club for the Browns why would Von der Ahe not simply sell off the players and fold the team? He had offers on the table for the players so why not take them? Why was he concerned about the viability of the Western Association? Why was his original intent to sell the franchise and the players?

While Von der Ahe originally wanted $10,000 for the franchise and players, by the first week of June he had reached an agreement with James Keith to sell the team for $7,000. At the time of the agreement, Von der Ahe had offers on the table from various teams to purchase members of the Whites. These included offers from Louisville, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Wilkes-Barre. If he had wanted to, Von der Ahe could have sold off the players at the beginning of June and received more money than Keith was offering him.

In the end, the agreement with Keith fell apart and McClintock never raised his offer over $5,000 so Von der Ahe, on June 20th, disbanded the Whites and sold off several of the players. He received $4500 from Pittsburgh for Jake Beckley and Harry Staley and sold Jack Crooks to Omaha for $500. Tom Dolan, Ed Herr, and Jim Devlin all joined the Browns. Bart Cantz also was assigned to the Browns but was transferred to Baltimore in a transaction for which I have no details. So out of the breakup of the Whites, Von der Ahe received, at the very least, $5,000 plus Dolan, Herr, and Devlin. If he had sold those three players, Von der Ahe would have most likely gotten well over the $7,000 that Keith had offered him for the entire franchise. The rest of the players were released.

It's Von der Ahe's own words and actions in 1887 and 1888 that raises doubts about the status of the Whites. While his comments that the Whites were not a farm club can be dismissed, he also stated in late May of 1888 that he saw no difference between the Whites and Browns and that he treated both clubs the same. At no time did Von der Ahe ever state or imply that the Whites were a farm club and were subservient to the needs of the Browns-this at a time when farming relationships were accepted and in the open.

Von der Ahe's attempts to pursue the viability of the Western Association is rather fascinating and the possible explanation for this also cast doubt about his intent regarding the Whites. I'll talk about this tomorrow.

A Kind Of Farm Team-The 1888 St. Louis Whites, Part 1

So top-heavy were the Browns with raw and untested players in the spring of 1888 that Von der Ahe formed the St. Louis Whites as a kind of farm team to play in the Western Association.

-David Nemec, The Beer & Whiskey League


I was recently involved in a very pleasant conversation about Chris Von der Ahe over at Baseball Fever when the subject of the 1888 St. Louis Whites came up. It was the contention of one of the posters that the Browns had developed the first minor league system and that the Whites were the farm club in that system. While I was aware of Nemec's statement regarding the Whites, I thought that the idea that the Whites were a farm club and represented one of the first steps in the development of the modern minor league system to be overstated. However, I soon realized how little I really knew about the Whites (and don't think for a minute that just because I don't have all the facts I won't opine on a subject).

If the Browns were operating the Whites as a farm club, I thought that we would be able to see some player movement between the two clubs. That seemed logical. If there was a farming arrangement between the clubs, one would think that players would move from the Browns to the Whites and vice versa just as players today move between the parent club and the AAA club. While I didn't think the arrangement would be as tidy as it is today, I wanted to see that sort of player movement before I was willing to declare the Whites a Browns' farm club.

So I started doing some research.

The St. Louis Whites were a Western Association club, owned by Chris Von der Ahe and managed by Tom Loftus, that operated during the 1888 season. They had a 10-18 record before disbanding on June 20th.

The first reference to the Whites that I'm aware of comes from the November 9, 1887 issue of Sporting Life. In an article, it states that Loftus was to be the manager and that some Browns' players could be transferred to the club. Interestingly, Von der Ahe denied in the article that the Whites would be run as a Browns' farm club.

Von der Ahe had gone East in the Fall of 1887 selling off the rights to Doc Bushong, Curt Welch, Bill Gleason, Dave Foutz and Bob Caruthers in the Browns' great fire sale. In the process, he created holes in the Browns roster at catcher, pitcher, and in the outfield. To fill those holes, Von der Ahe received some players back from Philadelphia in exchange for Gleason and Welch and he and his agents signed numerous players. Eight of the players that Von der Ahe signed in the Fall of 1887 would play for the Whites.

A question that goes directly to Von der Ahe's intent in 1887 regarding the Whites is whether he signed the players to compete for roster spots on the Browns or whether they were signed specifically for his new WA club. In the December 3, 1887 issue of The Sporting News, Von der Ahe, in an article where he addresses the fire sale and the make-up of the 1888 Browns, mentions the players that he had signed and states that "Out of them, have you or anyone else the idea that we will not be able to pick a good player of two?" He specifically mentioned Parson Nicholson and stated that he would be playing second base for the Browns in 1888. The fact that Nicholson and most of the others Von der Ahe mentioned in the article ended up playing for the Whites in 1888 implies that he was signing players for the Browns, the players failed to make the team, and they were then assigned to the Whites.

There is other evidence that the players Von der Ahe was signing in the Fall of 1887 were to compete for roster spots on the Browns and only after failing to make the club were assigned to the Whites. In the February 18, 1888 issue of The Sporting News, Tom Loftus stated that he had signed Ernie Burch specifically for the Whites. The implication here is that Loftus and the Whites were in the process of stocking their own roster. There was no mention of the players signed in 1887 playing for the Whites. What we see is the Browns signing players and the Whites signing players-each team attempting to fill out their roster independently of the other.

If one accepts this logic then the players signed by the Browns in the Fall of 1887 who end up playing for the Whites in 1888 are evidence of player movement from the parent club to the farm club. Harry Staley, Jim Devlin, Hunkey Hines, Tom Dolan, Jerry McCormick, Bart Cantz, Parson Nicholson, and pitcher Sproat, one can say, were demoted to the "minor leagues" after failing to make the Browns.

There is also evidence of player movement in the opposite directions-from the Whites to the Browns. After the Whites were disbanded in June, The Sporting News reported in their June 30, 1888 issue that "Cantz and Dolan have been doing such splendid work behind the bat that President Von der Ahe has signed both for the Browns. Cantz has been hitting the ball hard and
is a good fielder, while Tom Dolan’s ability is well known." While it appears that Cantz was either traded or sold to Baltimore before he had a chance to play for the Browns, Dolan appeared in eleven games for the Browns in 1888.

Besides Dolan, two other members of the Whites played for the Browns in 1888. While it's unknown under what circumstances the two were transferred, Ed Herr and Jim Devlin were members of both the Whites and the Browns in 1888. I have found boxscores of Whites' games were Herr was playing with the team as late as May 2nd and Devlin is mentioned as a member of the team as late as May 5th. It's insinuated by The Sporting News that both were with the Browns prior to the Whites being disbanded on June 20th.

So the evidence of player movement between the Browns and the Whites exist. This was the minimum threshold of evidence that I thought had to be established before I could accept the idea that the Whites existed in 1888 as a Browns' farm club.

There also exists a great deal of evidence that this relationship was part of a general trend in 1887 and 1888 towards the establishment of farm clubs. I'll address that tomorrow.

A First-Class Police Officer

Long John Healey makes a first-class police officer. Captain O'Malley shows his confidence in him by keeping him on the toughest beat in the city and the Egyptian makes the evil-doers keep in line, or treats them to a ride in the patrol wagon. John is in splendid condition physically. He says that he is satisfied with his position, but his friends declare that he is growing restive as reporting time approaches and that they will be surprised if he does not return to the game. He spends an hour or more each day in the gymnasium at the Four Courts and he is considered one of the best athletes on the force. His arm is all right and in two weeks preparation he could pitch as good ball as he ever did. Jack Kirby, another old Maroon pitcher, is walking a West End beat. Sergeant Cal Watson, who has charge of the district in which Healey is stationed, was once a professional ball player. It is announced that there will be a game in the spring between teams representing the police and fire departments. Tom Dolan, Jack and Bill Gleason and other retired ball players are firemen, and good ones too. The proceeds of the game will be devoted to charity.

-From Sporting Life, February 6, 1897

Person Tom Dolan

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Tom Dolan

"Thomas J. Dolan, at one time one of the very best known catchers in the National League, now drives a fuel wagon for the St. Louis Fire Department.

Dolan learned to play ball with the old St. Louis 'Reds' and he was graduated from there to the Buffalo National League team, where he handled the terrific delivery of Jimmy Galvin.

Ted Sullivan brought Dolan back to St. Louis in 1883 to play with the St. Louis Browns and he left the latter team in the middle of the playing season of 1884 to play with the St. Louis Unions.

On the Browns, Dolan caught the speedy pitching of George McGinnis, Silver King, Elton Chamberlain and Tony Mullane and for the Unions he caught Boyle and Healy.

Before then Dolan faced the best League pitchers and had won a reputation of being one of the best and most reliable receivers in America."

-From The National Game

A couple of quick notes:

• I've yet to find a baseball player or person that Al Spink didn't just love and praise to high heaven. But I'm still looking and will be highly amused when I find the player that Al Spink didn't like.
  
• Happy 87th birthday to Stan Musial, the one and only. Baseball's perfect warrior, baseball's perfect knight.


• I read in the paper today that there is a global shortage of hops. This is nothing but bad. Combine this with a poor global barley harvest and the price of beer is going to go through the roof. These are dark days indeed.


• Things are probably going to be a little slow around TGOG the next day or two with the holiday and all that. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and a perfect time to reflect on all the things that God has given us-plus there's lots to eat and football on tv. The only thing that would make Thanksgiving better is if we held it in early October and we had a baseball playoff tripleheader. But I'm thankful for what I have.

The Glorious Uncertainty Of Baseball

On May 30, 1875, a baseball game was played at the Compton Avenue Ballpark in which, according to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, "the glorious uncertainty of base ball was never more thoroughly illustrated..." The Reds regulars took on "a picked nine sailing under Empire colors" that included Pud Galvin, Tom Dolan, Charlie Levis, and Jim Spaulding. Spaulding was the only player on the team that I can confirm was a member of the Empire Base Ball Club.

The Reds, who had jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first, were cruising along with an 11-3 lead when the wheels came off in the bottom of the seventh inning. The first seven men the Empires sent up to the plate reached base. A poor throw by Art Croft turned a lead off single into a double. A grounder to pitcher Joe Blong should have resulted in a out at third but umpire Lip Pike called the runner safe. A runner reached first on a strikeout when the ball got away from Silver Flint. There was three passed ball and four stolen bases. The Empire scored ten runs, five of them unearned, and took a 13-11 lead. To add injury to insult, Flint took a foul ball to the face and was down for fifteen minutes.

The Empire overcame an eight run deficit and ended up winning the game 16-12.