Misplaced Pages

#80919

41-628: The Davenport teams hosted Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League home minor league games at Municipal Stadium, known today as Modern Woodmen Park . Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Bunning played for the 1949 Davenport Tigers at age 19. Minor league baseball began in Davenport, Iowa in 1879, when the Davenport Brown Stockings played the season as charter members of the four-team independent Northwestern League . The Davenport team began Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play in 1901, when

82-642: A 2-run home run to win the pennant for Davenport. In the four-team playoffs that followed, the Cubs lost in the first round to eventual champion Evansville 3 games to 1. After leading Davenport to the 1946 pennant, Bill Kelly began a tenure as manager of the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League in 1947. In the 1947 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, Davenport placed sixth in the final regular season standings, and did not qualify for

123-572: A 22-year playing career (1915–17, 1919–35, 1937–38). He pitched for all or parts of 12 straight seasons, between 1923 and 1934, for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association . In Major League Baseball , he appeared in 66 career games for the 1920–21 St. Louis Browns and four contests for the 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates . In his 70 MLB games , six as a starting pitcher , he won nine games and lost eight, with

164-664: A 4.37 earned run average . He posted six saves and one complete game , allowing 253 hits and 79 bases on balls , with 49 strikeouts , in 218 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched . He also fashioned a lengthy post-pitching career as a minor league manager (including two seasons, 1945–46, as skipper of the Indianapolis franchise) and Major League coach . He worked in the latter role for the Boston Red Sox (1944) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1947–48; 1958–62). While serving as pitching coach on Danny Murtaugh 's staff, Burwell

205-486: A gravel area along the left-field foul line and planted field corn; by mid-season the corn grows high enough so that the home-team players are introduced at the beginning of the game and come running out of the corn field, just like in the movie Field of Dreams . For 2009, Main Street Baseball continued to make improvements, adding a new 80-foot-long (24 m), 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) HD ribbon board along

246-503: A new nickname, the 1948 Davenport "Pirates" ended the season in last place in the eight-team league. The Pirates ended the season with a 41–85 record, playing the season under manager Ival Goodman . The Pirates finished 40.0 games behind the first place Quincy Gems in the final regular season standings. Davenport did not qualify for the playoffs, won by the Evansville Braves Rebounding from a last place finish in

287-878: Is a minor league baseball venue located in Davenport, Iowa . It is home to the Quad Cities River Bandits , the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals . Since 1987, St. Ambrose University plays all of its home baseball games there as well. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River , in the shadow of the Centennial Bridge , home run balls to right field often land in the river. As night games became more necessary, Davenport teams were playing at

328-422: Is one of the oldest ballparks still in use in all of the minor leagues, although it underwent a major renovation before the 1989 season, lowering the seating capacity to 5,200 and before the 2004 season that brought the ballpark up to modern professional baseball standards and a seating capacity of 4,024. On May 27, 1971, the stadium was renamed John O'Donnell Stadium in honor of the longtime sports editor of

369-623: The Davenport Times-Democrat , shortly following his death. John O'Donnell Stadium was renamed Modern Woodmen Park on December 12, 2007, after Rock Island -based Modern Woodmen of America purchased the naming rights to the facility. O'Donnell's name remains on the ballpark's press box. For many years, Modern Woodmen Park played host to football games in the fall. Both Assumption High School (a private Catholic high school in Davenport) and Saint Ambrose College called

410-698: The Davenport River Rats were charter member of the league. The 1937 Davenport Blue Sox , who played the season as members of the Western League were the team immediately preceding the Davenport Cubs in minor league play. In September 1945, businessman Paul Lagomarcino represented Davenport at a league meeting to reorganize the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League , as it was one of many minor leagues that were reforming after

451-543: The Peoria Chiefs franchise. Davenport did not field a minor league team until resuming Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League membership in 1957. After losing their minor league team for four seasons, minor league play returned to Davenport in 1956, as the Davenport "DavSox" resumed play in the six-team Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The DavSox ended

SECTION 10

#1732801281081

492-643: The Quad Cities River Bandits of the Class A level Midwest League . The Davenport Cubs and the subsequent Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League teams hosted home minor league games at Municipal Stadium. The ballpark is still in use today and was constructed in 1931. The ballpark is located at 209 South Gaines Street and today is renamed to Modern Woodmen Park , hosting the Quad Cities River Bandits . List of Professional baseball teams based in Davenport, Iowa Modern Woodmen Park Modern Woodmen Park (known previously as John O'Donnell Stadium and Municipal Stadium)

533-478: The 1949 season, up from 45,711 in 1948. Davenport was unaffiliated in 1950 and continued Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League membership, playing the season as the Davenport "Quads." As the only unaffiliated team in the eight-team league, Davenport ended the season in last place. In the 1950 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League final standings, the Quads ended the season with a record of 49–75 and placed eighth, missing

574-667: The 1952 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, the Class B league again expanded to resume play as an eight-team league, adding the Keokuk Kernels and Burlington Flints teams. Davenport continued play and ended the season in sixth place, finishing the season with a 54–69 record. Marv Owen served as manager, as Davenport ended the season 21.0 gamed behind the first place Evansville Braves. Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Milo Hamilton announced Davenport Tigers' games on local radio for KSTT . Harvey Kuenn hit .340 for Davenport in 1952 and

615-583: The 1958 season, the Davenport franchise was relocated by the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and became the Lincoln Chiefs , managed by Ira Hutchinson. Davenport remained without a minor league team until the 1960 Davenport Braves began play as members of the Midwest League . Between 1901 and 1958, Davenport teams played 23 seasons as members of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. Today, Davenport continues to host minor league play as home to

656-464: The Davenport Cubs won the league pennant. The Cubs ended the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League regular season tied for first with the Danville Dodges. The Cubs ended the season with an identical record to Danville, at 76–44, playing the season under manager Bill Kelly . Danville and Davenport ended the regular season 7.5 games ahead of the third place Evansville Braves. Cubs player Rube Walker won

697-665: The Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, without lights. The city of Davenport realized a lighted stadium, downtown, on the riverfront, would be ideal. Proposed by the Davenport Levee Commission, Municipal Stadium opened May 26, 1931, within LeClaire Park . The ballpark was built at a cost of $ 185,000. The first night game was June 4, 1931. Expansions in the 1940s and in 1962 brought capacity up to 6,200 and 8,500 respectively. It

738-578: The Swing of the Quad Cities) defeated the Burlington Bees , 1–0, in the first game at the renovated Modern Woodmen Park on April 29, 2004. The 2006 and 2011 Midwest League All-Star Games were held at Modern Woodmen Park. Previously, the ballpark hosted Midwest League All-Star Games in 1964, 1968, 1975, 1980, 1982 and 1990, giving the facility a total of eight. In summer 2007, portions of

779-419: The ballpark and the franchise. They sold naming rights to Modern Woodmen in a record 20-year deal, changed the name of the franchise back to "River Bandits", and made numerous improvements to the ballpark. In 2008, the club added a hot tub deck in right field, as well as a " tiki village", featuring three tiki bars, a covered tiki lounge, and a king-sized tiki bed beyond the right field wall. They also excavated

820-523: The conclusion the end of World War II . When Madison, Wisconsin failed to renew their Madison Blues franchise, Davenport was approved to join the league. In 1946, the newly formed Davenport "Cubs" resumed minor league play as members of the reformed Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League . The Danville Dodgers , Evansville Braves , Decatur Commodores , Quincy Gems , Springfield Browns , Terre Haute Phillies and Waterloo White Hawks teams joined Davenport in league play. In their first season,

861-446: The field home until 1987, when both schools began playing at Brady Street Stadium in 1988. The football bleachers and press box along left field were removed in 1989. Renovations done before the 2004 season included a nine-foot-high berm that provided a lawn seating area for fans. The berm also acted as a flood wall around the entire stadium. Until that point, the facility had no protection from Mississippi River flooding, which caused

SECTION 20

#1732801281081

902-613: The film Sugar were shot at the park. This included 800–1,000 people a night showing up to be extras. The movie follows the path of a young man from the impoverished Dominican Republic as he chases dreams of baseball stardom in America. The stadium was the site of the "Rumble on the Riverbank" boxing match on May 10, 1991. Michael Nunn , a Davenport native, lost the IBF middleweight title to James Toney . "Mississippi River Jam II"

943-537: The final, Davenport won the league championship in sweeping Evansville in 3 games. In 1949, the franchise hired William "Perk" Purnhage, a veteran minor league executive and promoter to become general manager of the Pirates and target increased attendance. The result was on field success and record attendance for the season. Boosted by a championship team, the Davenport Pirates drew a record 133,530 fans for

984-400: The league batting title, hitting .354, while teammate Jean Davison led league pitchers with both a 2.28 ERA and 13–2 record. After the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League regular season ended in a tie between Danville and Davenport, a one game playoff was held at Davenport to decide the pennant winner. With the score tied at 2–2 in the bottom on the 9th inning, Davenport first basemen Paul Swoboda hit

1025-406: The league with 97 RBI. During the 1951 season, the team did local marketing celebrating 50 years since beginning Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play in 1901 and promoted the team using the "Quad City Tigers" nickname. Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Bunning pitched for the 1951 Davenport Tigers at age 19. In his second season of professional play, Bunning had an 8–10 record with a 2.88 ERA. In

1066-551: The park was voted as the top minor-league ballpark in the United States in a USA Today and 10best.com reader poll. Modern Woodmen Park beat second place Louisville Slugger Field by around 2,000 votes. In 2018, Modern Woodmen Park finished third in the "Best View in the Minors" competition, finishing behind El Paso's Southwest University Park and Altoona's Peoples Natural Gas Field . The River Bandits (then known as

1107-463: The playoffs. Gene Hasson was the player/manager for Davenport. In the eight-team league, Davenport ended the season 28.0 games behind the first place and eventual champion Terre Haute Phillies in the final regular season standings. Davenport continued Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play in 1951 as an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers with a future Baseball Hall of Fame player on

1148-475: The playoffs. The Cubs ended the season with a record of 55–70 and were managed by Morrie Arnovich and Dickey Kerr . Davenport finished 23.5 games behind the first place Danville Dodgers. Waterloo was the league champion. Davenport became a minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1948 and continued Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play. Continuing Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play under

1189-492: The previous season, the 1949 Davenport Pirates won the Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League championship. Davenport ended the regular season in fourth place with a record of 67–59, qualifying for the playoffs in finishing 7.5 games behind the first place Evansville Braves. Bill Burwell served as manager. In the first round of playoffs, Davenport defeated the Waterloo White Hawks 3 games to 2 and advanced. In

1230-578: The right field fence and installing four new concourse-level "loge boxes" to accommodate small groups of people. Prior to the 2010 season, the City of Davenport and Main Street Baseball replaced the entire field, to facilitate proper drainage and minimize rain-outs. Other changes for 2010 included a new concession stand on the Picnic Plaza level and a new group terrace next to the Tiki Village beyond

1271-503: The right-center field fence. In 2014, the facility received another addition, as a 110-foot (34 m) Ferris wheel was constructed just beyond the left field wall. In 2017, the park added a double-decker carousel purchased from Pier 39 in San Francisco . For both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Modern Woodmen Park won the "Best Ballpark Improvement" Award from Ballparkdigest.com, the industry's leading publication. In 2013,

Davenport Cubs - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-613: The roster. As the league reduced to six teams, the Davenport "Tigers" ended the season in last place and did not qualify for the four-team playoffs. Managed during the season by Marv Olson , the Tigers ended the season with a record of 56–74. Davenport finished 19.0 games behind the first place Terre Haute Phillies in the final regular season standings. In the playoffs, the Quincy Gems won the league championship. Davenport had home season attendance of 100,328 and Robert Erps of Davenport led

1353-499: The season in third place in their return to the league. With a final record of 65–65, Davenport was managed by Skeeter Scalzi , finishing 16.0 games behind the first place Evansville Braves who won the championship as no playoffs were held. Pitcher Hal Trosky Jr. of Davenport led the league with 204 strikeouts. In their final season, the Davenport DavSox ended the 1958 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League season in second place in

1394-472: The six-team league before losing in a playoff final. The DavSox ended the season with a 71–58 record, as Ira Hutchinson served as manager. Davenport finished 5.5 games behind the first place Cedar Rapids Braves in the regular season and Standings. Davenport and Cedar Rapids then met in a playoff for the championship. Davenport lost in the playoff, losing 3 games to 2 to the Braves in their final games. After

1435-582: The subject of a book. Baseball historian Tim Rask wrote Baseball at Davenport's John O'Donnell Stadium , released in 2004. Bill Burwell As manager William Edwin Burwell (March 27, 1895 – June 11, 1973) was an American professional baseball player , manager and coach . Born in Jarbalo, Kansas , Burwell was a right-handed pitcher who stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). In 1917, Burwell

1476-494: The team to play home games at other parks during river floods. During the Great Flood of 1993 , photos of water creeping across the playing field at the ballpark made national publications and became somewhat of a symbol of the flood. In spring 2019, the surrounding area was flooded but the ballpark remained above water. After the 2007 season, new owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt of Main Street Baseball reinvigorated both

1517-556: Was a member of the Pirates' 1960 world championship team . Burwell was acting manager of the Pirates for the final game of the 1947 season, after player-manager Billy Herman resigned with one game remaining. Under Burwell, the Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 7–0. He also was a longtime scout and roving minor league coach for the Pirates. While working as pitching instructor in the Pirate organization in 1949, Burwell

1558-581: Was called up to the Detroit Tigers after the Davenport season ended. Kuenn had been signed by the Detroit Tigers and received a $ 55,000 bonus before reporting to Davenport to begin his professional career, which included an 18-game hitting streak in 1952. Kuenn won the 1953 Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award . After the 1952 season, the Davenport franchise did not return to the 1953 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, replaced in league play by

1599-568: Was drafted into the United States Army. During the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in 1918, Burwell volunteered for the dangerous mission of attacking German machine gun nests, and his pitching hand was injured by a bullet. One of his fingers was shattered and the tip of the finger was lost, causing his fingers to have a slight curl. He'd discover after his hand healed that he could throw a sinker . Burwell won 239 minor league games during

1640-686: Was held on June 3, 1979, featuring AC/DC , Heart , UFO TKO and Nazareth . The facility has hosted many concerts by many artists, including: Johnny Cash , The Beach Boys , Johnny Winter , Bryan Adams , Def Leppard , REO Speedwagon , Blue Öyster Cult , Eddie Money , Edgar Winter Group and Lonestar . Johnny Cash played at the stadium twice, in 1974 and 1976, drawing over 10,000 each time and playing for free. On October 1, 1936, an exhibition game featuring major-league players and Negro National League All Stars included Baseball Hall of Fame players Satchel Paige , Cool Papa Bell , Rogers Hornsby and Johnny Mize . The stadium and teams were

1681-518: Was instrumental to the development of pitcher Vern Law , then toiling for the Class B Davenport Pirates of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League . Burwell taught the 19-year-old Law how to change speeds and throw the change-up . Law — winner of the 1960 Cy Young Award as the top pitcher in the majors — later cited Burwell as the coach who most helped him during his time in the minor leagues. Burwell died at age 78 in Ormond Beach, Florida , and

Davenport Cubs - Misplaced Pages Continue

#80919