The 1884 Maroons Lose And A Kid Baldwin Story

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 19, 1884

While in Boston last week, "Kid" Baldwin, of the Kansas City base ball team, was victimized to the extent of $250.  He had a check for that amount forwarded to him, and he gave it to a fellow named E. Craig to cash for him.  This Craig promised to do, but since receiving the check he has not been seen by Baldwin.  Craig is said to be a drummer for a New York house, and Baldwin was but slightly acquainted with him.

-St. Louis Globe Democrat, September 19, 1884


The Maroons' fifteen game winning streak ended in Washington on September 18 and, as they traveled to Boston for the last leg of their road trip, they were about to experience their longest losing streak of the season.

As to Kid Baldwin, somebody should write a book about that dude. 

You Knew Where You Stood With Kid Baldwin

The Cincinnati Enquirer of Saturday says "Kid" Baldwin, the clever young catcher of the Kansas City Unions, received a telegram from Manager Barnie, of the Baltimore Americans, yesterday, offering him $500 to play with them for the balance of the season.  "Kid" handed the message to Manager Sullivan, who answered in this wise: "Yours received.  Thank you very much for the interest you take in the welfare of our club and players."  Manager Ted was very angry over this attempt to steal Baldwin, who is very well satisfied with his present engagement.  The funny part of the whole business is that Sullivan is paying him more than Barnie offered to pay.  A report comes from Cincinnati to the Globe-Democrat saying that the St. Louis Club is also after Baldwin to fill Dolan's place.  There is a slight inconsistency in American Association managers offering Baldwin engagements, since he jumped his contract with the Quincy Club.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 31, 1884


I find Kid Baldwin rather fascinating.  Our old friend, David Ball, wrote about Baldwin for SABR's Bio-Project and summed him up nicely: "For all his flaws, the Kid had more positive qualities, as yet less evident to those who knew him only through the newspapers.  Baldwin could be impulsive and self-centered when under pressure, but for the most part he was an open and uncomplicated soul; you knew where you stood with Kid Baldwin, and if you weren't certain he would gladly tell you." 

After Patience Had Ceased To Be A Virtue

It makes a wonderful difference whose ox is gored.  Quincy, under the iniquitous reserve rule, stole Baldwin from the Unions, and also subscribed to the national agreement, a narrow-minded device designed to crush out the Unions and monopolize the base ball business.  The Unions, however, were not crushed, but after patience had ceased to be a virtue, retaliated by fighting the national agreement associations with their own disreputable weapons, especially contract breaking, whereupon there is a howl as if virtue had been supplanted by vice.  Such hypocritical canting is valueless in the light of past events, and having hot only endorsed but practiced contract-breaking under those contemptible subterfuges, the reserve rule and national agreement, it may as well swallow its own vile medicine without even making a wry face.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 29, 1884

That Was All

Baldwin only made three errors in the game at Kansas City on Tuesday.  That was all.  Kansas City will be likely to set down on him.  

-Quincy Daily Herald, July 31, 1884

Man, they just couldn't let it go.  The interesting thing is that the paper reported that Bob Black did not sign with the KC Unions and that he played with the Quincy club on July 30.  Now, the point is not whether or not Black signed and played with KC, because he did end up on the club.  The point is, after all the crap the paper wrote about Baldwin and Black, when they believed that Black was going to stay in Quincy, they commended his actions and called him honorable.  Not like that piece of sh*t Baldwin, who was a lecherous traitor and a mouthy drunk.

Poor Kid

Poor Black.  Poor Kid. 

Josh Billings must have meant Black and Baldwin when he said, "Put a beggar on horseback and he will ride to the devil..." 

Black and Baldwin cursed the newspapers of the city yesterday. 

The "Kid" played with the Kansas City Unions Sunday.  For this he ill be blacklisted.  Poor Kid.
Black abused the Quincy newspapers yesterday.  And yet had it not been for the newspapers of the city Black would be very near a pauper to-day. 

The nine men form the Gem Citys played a better average game yesterday afternoon than the "pony" battery of Black and Baldwin.  That "pony" battery would break up any club in the league.  What Black's pitching couldn't do Baldwin's mouth could.

-Quincy Daily Herald, July 29, 1884


I have to admit that I got a kick out of the Quincy paper's coverage of Baldwin jumping to the KC Unions.  There's nothing like bitterness and anger fueled by provincial insecurity.

Quincy Has Had Enough Of Kid Baldwin

"Kid" Baldwin, one of the players of the Quincy club, left town last night and the report was that he had jumped the club to join the Kansas City Unions.  This means that the "Kid" will be blacklisted.  Those who have been familiar with the "Kid's" goings-on of late will not be surprised at this announcement.  The "Kid" was picked up by Overrocker last year after he had been fired by Springfield on account of his mouth.  When he came here he was made a pet of, and was spoiled.  He is a good player, but his tongue demoralizes the club he plays with, and to him, as much as to any one else, the recent defeats of the Quincy club can be attributed.  He got the idea into his head that he was the whole club, and his egotism ruined him.  Besides, this year he has been associating with lewd women and drinking.  In one of the Saginaw games he was with two disreputable women up to the time of going to the ground, and drank enough beer to render him unfit to play.  for some time past notorious women have been associating with him.  The "Kid" plays well, but his conceit kills him.  He has scarcely a friend among the players in the League.  He will, if he joins the Kansas Citys, burst up the club before the season is through.  Quincy has had enough of him, and Kansas City can take him and welcome.  It was reported that Black was to jump at the same time, but the report was not confirmed.  If Black wants to go, and be blacklisted, by all means let him go.

-Quincy Daily Herald, July 27, 1884


Dang.  That was a bit harsh, don't you think?  So according to the Quincy paper, Baldwin was a mouthy, conceited, egotistical, drunken, spoiled kid who associated with loose women.  He was a loser and nobody liked him.  One has to believe that the paper's opinion of Baldwin was colored, just a bit, by bitterness and, possibly, anger.   

Kid Baldwin Jumps To The Kansas City Unions

Ted Sullivan on yesterday signed Black and Baldwin, the "kid battery" of the Quincy Club, to play with the Kansas City Unions.  This jump will about break up the Quincy Club.  "Kid" Baldwin is one of the pluckiest catchers that ever stood behind a bat and will no doubt be valuable acquisition for the Kansas Citys.  Last Winter he signed with the St. Louis Unions and accepted $200 advance money, but afterwards signed a second contract with the Quincy Club, which had "reserved" him, and failed to return the advance money.  President Lucas says he is glad Sullivan has taken him away from the Quincy's, but Ted will have to settle that $200.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 25, 1884

While Baldwin was born in Kentucky, his family moved to St. Louis when he was still young.  He made a name for himself as a ballplayer while playing for various St. Louis amateur clubs, including one of the later incarnations of the Red Stockings.

Kid Baldwin

Clarence G. Baldwin, according to the June 1, 1889 edition of the Clipper, "first attracted attention as a player in 1881, when he was a member of the St. Louis Reds, a noted organization of the Mound City at that time." SABR's Biography Project essay on Baldwin seems to contradict this.

According to David Ball, "(the) young Baldwin began to play baseball after his family moved to St. Louis, where he attracted attention catching for a crack local club called the Stars. St. Louis journalist Al Spink would later remember picking up Baldwin, "a spare built lad of sixteen"...on a North St. Louis lot one Sunday to fill in when a visiting team of semiprofessionals called the Eckfords came in from Chicago without a battery."