Misplaced Pages

#616383

147-463: Muskogee teams played as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns in 1932, New York Giants in 1936, Cincinnati Reds from 1937 to 1939, Chicago Cubs in 1941, Detroit Tigers in 1946, St. Louis Browns from 1947 to 1949 and New York Giants from 1951 to 1957. Three Baseball Hall of Fame inductees played for Muskogee. Bill Dickey played for the 1926 Muskogee Athletics. Bobby Wallace played for

294-416: A 3-foot 7-inch, 65-pound dwarf , to bat as a pinch hitter . When Gaedel stepped to the plate, he was wearing a Browns child's uniform with the number 1 ⁄ 8 . Knowing that Gaedel had no strike zone to speak of, Veeck ordered Gaedel to keep his bat on his shoulder, and Gaedel walked on four straight pitches. The stunt infuriated American League President Will Harridge , who voided Gaedel's contract

441-657: A Willard Mullin illustration of the Brooklyn Bum. Perhaps the highlight of the Daffiness Boys era came after Wilbert Robinson left the dugout. In 1934 , Giants player/manager Bill Terry was asked about the Dodgers’ chances in the coming pennant race and cracked infamously, "Is Brooklyn still in the league?" Managed then by Casey Stengel , who played for the Dodgers in the 1910s and went on to greatness managing

588-572: A World Series. By comparison, the other seven American League teams had won at least three pennants. In the 1944 World Series , the Browns were decided underdogs against their tenants, the Cardinals . It would be the last World Series played entirely in one stadium until the 2020 World Series played in Arlington, Texas . While the Browns lost in six games, they won two of the first three games, and

735-497: A chance to buy land somewhat suitable for building a ballpark, and the chance to own that ballpark, giving him complete control over all its revenue streams. At the same time, the National League was not willing to approve the Dodgers' move unless O'Malley found a second team willing to join them out west, largely out of concern for travel costs. Meanwhile, Giants owner Horace Stoneham was having similar difficulty finding

882-518: A city which had lost their previous team in 1903 after the second incarnation of the Orioles had moved to New York City as the Highlanders (later Yankees). He was rebuffed by the other owners, still seething over the publicity stunts he pulled at the Browns home games, and also opposed proposals Veeck had made to pool revenues from broadcasting. The revenue-sharing idea was particularly abhorrent to

1029-427: A contending club first by general manager Larry MacPhail and then the legendary Branch Rickey . Led by Jackie Robinson , Pee Wee Reese , and Gil Hodges in the infield, Duke Snider and Carl Furillo in the outfield, Roy Campanella behind the plate, and Don Newcombe , Carl Erskine , and Preacher Roe on the pitcher's mound, the Dodgers won pennants in 1941 , 1947 , 1949 , 1952 , and 1953 , only to fall to

1176-538: A contract in Cleveland in 1948, amid much criticism. Paige was 45 when he returned to the mound in a Browns uniform. Veeck was criticized among baseball's owners, but Paige finished the season with a respectable 3–4 record and a 4.79 ERA. Veeck believed that St. Louis could no longer support two franchises, and planned to drive the Cardinals out of town. He signed many of the Cardinals' most popular ex-players and, as

1323-582: A deal that would have paid him almost four times what he was earning in New York. However, as part of the settlement that ended the war with the National League, Hedges and Mathewson tore up the contract. Years later, Hedges said that while he knew he was likely giving up a pennant by relinquishing Mathewson to the Giants, it was more important to bring peace to the game. Although the Browns had only four winning seasons from 1902 to 1922, they were very popular at

1470-498: A downturn in the Cardinals' fortunes after Rickey left them for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942 . It initially appeared Veeck had won the war when Cardinals' owner Fred Saigh was charged with massive tax evasion late in 1952. He pleaded no contest and put the Cardinals up for sale rather than face certain lifetime banishment from baseball. For a time, it looked almost certain that the Cardinals were leaving town, as most of

1617-551: A facility, but many felt it was too far from the city center. Benson Park not only had a remote location, but also had taken the name Dean Park after the African-American neighborhood now surrounding it and was by that time used largely by "colored teams." Pioneer Park had a central location, but after the lease expired the owners sold the land and it was developed for other purposes. Beginning in 1911, therefore, Muskogee teams started playing weekday games at Owen Field, which

SECTION 10

#1732798393617

1764-399: A hitless at-bat. O'Connor and coach Harry Howell tried to bribe the official scorer, a woman, to change the call to a hit – even offering to buy her a new wardrobe. Cobb won the batting title by just a few thousandths of a point over Lajoie. But it was later reported that one game may have been counted twice in the statistics, and there were rumors about the attempted bribery, causing

1911-479: A lack of talent, the Brewers made a wretched showing. They never recovered from an 0–5 start, and crumbled to last place for good on June 30. They finished 48–89, the worst record in baseball, 35.5 games behind the pennant-winning Chicago White Sox . It did not help matters that Matthew Killilea spent most of the season battling tuberculosis , which he died from on July 27. Henry was forced to become operating head of

2058-462: A new park on the site of the original Browns' former venue, Sportsman's Park . In their first season in St. Louis, the Browns finished second under manager Jimmy McAleer , five games behind Philadelphia. This was mainly because Hedges and McAleer persuaded six Cardinals to jump to the Browns. They looked to become even more powerful in 1903 when Hedges signed New York Giants ace Christy Mathewson to

2205-424: A new, more accessible and better ballpark than Ebbets Field . Beloved as it was, Ebbets Field had grown old and was not well served by vehicular infrastructure, to the point where the Dodgers could not "sell out" the park to maximum capacity even in the heat of a pennant race, despite dominating the league from 1946 to 1957 . New York City Construction Coordinator Robert Moses sought to force O'Malley into using

2352-581: A noted sports cartoonist , fixed the Brooklyn team with the lovable nickname of "Dem Bums". After hearing his cab driver ask, "So how did those bums do today?", Mullin decided to sketch an exaggerated version of famed circus clown Emmett Kelly to represent the Dodgers in his much-praised cartoons in the New York World-Telegram . Both image and nickname caught on, so much so that many a Dodger yearbook cover, from 1951 through 1957, featured

2499-540: A replacement for his team's antiquated home stadium, the Polo Grounds . Unlike O'Malley, Stoneham did not engage in a serious effort to identify a location for a replacement for the Polo Grounds. Stoneham was considering moving the Giants to Minneapolis, but was persuaded instead to move them to San Francisco, ensuring that the Dodgers had a National League rival closer than St. Louis. So the two arch-rival teams,

2646-535: A result, attracted many Cards fans to see the Browns. Notably, Veeck inked former Cardinals great Dizzy Dean to a broadcasting contract and tapped Rogers Hornsby for a second stint as manager. He also re-acquired former Browns fan favorite Vern Stephens and signed former Cardinals pitcher Harry Brecheen , both of whom had starred in the all-St. Louis World Series in 1944. Veeck stripped Sportsman's Park of all Cardinals material and dressed it exclusively in Browns memorabilia, even moving his family to an apartment under

2793-584: A scandal about the rankings. After news broke of the scandal, a writer for the St. Louis Post claimed: "All St. Louis is up in arms over the deplorable spectacle, conceived in stupidity and executed in jealousy." The resulting outcry triggered an investigation by Johnson. At his insistence, Hedges fired O'Connor and Howell; both men were informally banned from baseball for life. After several pedestrian seasons, Hedges hired former Browns catcher Branch Rickey as business manager (de facto general manager ) midway through

2940-482: A site in Flushing Meadows , Queens – the eventual location of Shea Stadium (which opened in 1964), the home of the future New York Mets , who began play in 1962. Moses' vision involved a city-built, city-owned park, which was greatly at odds with O'Malley's real-estate savvy. When O'Malley realized that he was not going to be allowed to buy a suitable parcel of land in Brooklyn, he began thinking of moving

3087-540: A week of each other in 1925, and Robbie was named president while still field manager. Upon assuming the title of president, however, Robinson's ability to focus on the field declined, and the teams of the late 1920s were often fondly referred to as the "Daffiness Boys" for their distracted, error-ridden style of play. Outfielder Babe Herman was the leader both in hitting and in zaniness. The signature Dodger play from this era occurred when three players – Dazzy Vance , Chick Fewster , and Herman – ended up at third base at

SECTION 20

#1732798393617

3234-516: Is known as the Shot Heard 'Round The World . In 1955, by which time the core of the Dodger team was beginning to age, "next year" finally came. The fabled "Boys of Summer" shot down the "Bronx Bombers" in seven games, led by the first-class pitching of young left-hander Johnny Podres , whose key pitch was a changeup known as "pulling down the lampshade" because of the arm motion used right when

3381-668: Is the location of the Muskogee Civic Center. The address is 425 Boston Street, Muskogee, Oklahoma. St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns was a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , as the Milwaukee Brewers . A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri , after the 1901 season , where they played for 52 years as

3528-653: The 1889 championship tournament to the New York Giants and tied the 1890 championship with Louisville . Their success during this period was partly attributed to their having absorbed skilled players from the defunct AA New York Metropolitans and one-year Players League entry the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders . The middle years of the decade were disappointing, a slump the Spalding Guide rather primly ascribed to management tolerating drunkenness among

3675-747: The American Association in the 1940s. However, the Brewers were now the top affiliate of the National League's Boston Braves , and therefore had first claim on the major league rights to Milwaukee. Veeck offered to pay Braves owner Lou Perini $ 700,000 as compensation. Perini stalled on the deal before abruptly moving the Braves there in March 1953, three weeks before opening day. Undaunted, Veeck got in touch with Baltimore Mayor Tommy D'Alesandro and attorney Clarence Miles , who were leading an effort to bring Major League Baseball back to Baltimore,

3822-522: The Billy Joel single " We Didn't Start the Fire ", which included the line, "Brooklyn's got a winning team." Lawyer and real estate businessman Walter O'Malley had acquired majority ownership of the Dodgers in 1950, when he bought Rickey's 25 percent share of the team and secured the support of the widow of another equal partner, John L. Smith . Soon O'Malley was working to buy new land in Brooklyn for

3969-778: The Brooklyn Grays . In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn , New York, until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles , California, where it continues its history as the Los Angeles Dodgers . The team moved west at the same time as its longtime rival, the New York Giants , moved to San Francisco in northern California as

4116-611: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . Catcher Roy Campanella , left partially paralyzed in an off-season automobile accident on January 28, 1958, was never able to play for the Dodgers in Los Angeles. After the 1957 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated from New York to California to become the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants , leaving the largest city in

4263-732: The Muskogee Navigators , playing in the Western Association, disbanded on July 22, 1910. The Muskogee Indians folded, along with the entire league, when the Oklahoma State League disbanded on June 29, 1912. The Muskogee Mets lost in the league finals in 1914, 1915 and 1922. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Wallace was a player/manager for the Muskogee Mets in 1921, hitting .368 in 13 games at age 47. The Muskogee Athletics lost in

4410-709: The National Baseball Hall of Fame . In the late 19th century, the team was formed as the Milwaukee Brewers in the Western League . For the 1900 season, the Western League was renamed the "American League", and in 1901, league president Ban Johnson declared it a major league. The team was originally owned by Milwaukee lawyers Matthew and Henry Killilea . As a minor league team, the Brewers had usually fielded subpar teams until Connie Mack became manager in 1894. The Killileas were among

4557-488: The National Football League 's Baltimore Colts , considered buying the Browns and moving them to Baltimore. However, this hinged on the Cardinals buying Sportsman's Park, and Rodenberg withdrew his offer when the Cardinals expressed little interest. After another abysmal season in 1948, in which the Browns struggled to attract crowds over 3,000, Muckerman sold the team to DeWitt and his brother Charley,

Muskogee, Oklahoma minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

4704-519: The New York Yankees in all five of the subsequent World Series. The annual ritual of building excitement, followed in the end by disappointment, became a common pattern to the long suffering fans, and "Wait ’til next year!" became an unofficial Dodger slogan. While the Dodgers generally enjoyed success during this period, in 1951 they fell victim to one of the largest collapses in the history of baseball. On August 11, 1951 , Brooklyn led

4851-540: The New York Yankees , the 1934 Dodgers were determined to make their presence felt. As it happened, the season entered its final games with the Giants tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the pennant, with the Giants’ remaining games against the Dodgers. Stengel led his Bums to the Polo Grounds for the showdown, and they beat the Giants twice to knock them out of the pennant race. The " Gashouse Gang " Cardinals nailed

4998-497: The New York Yankees , including most former Browns of note still on the Baltimore roster, dramatically changing the team. This remains the biggest trade in baseball history. Though the deal did little to improve the short-term competitiveness of the club, it helped establish a fresh identity for the Orioles franchise. The Orioles make almost no mention of their past as the Browns. However, in 2003, when they returned to St Louis for

5145-614: The San Francisco Giants . The team's name derived from the reputed skill of Brooklyn residents at evading the city's trolley streetcars . The name is a shortened form of one of their former names, the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers , and they later earned the respectful nickname Dem Bums . The Dodgers played in two stadiums in South Brooklyn , each named Washington Park , and at Eastern Park in

5292-664: The Sooner State League from 1955 to 1957. The Giants were a minor league affiliate of the New York Giants (1951–1957) and lost in the league finals in 1952 and 1955. Muskogee folded when the Sooner State League permanently folded after the 1957 season. The earliest Muskogee teams played at Benson Park. Named after two of the three principal investors in Muskogee's streetcar system, Benson Park

5439-547: The Yankees to a pennant. The club was boasting the best players in franchise history, including future Hall of Famer George Sisler and an outfield trio of Ken Williams , Baby Doll Jacobson , and Jack Tobin , who batted .300 or better from 1919 to 1923 and in 1925. In 1922, Williams became the first player in Major League history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season, something that would not be done again in

5586-432: The "Grandstand Managers" voting (against his own team). After the 1951 season, Veeck made Ned Garver the highest-paid member of the Browns. Garver went on to win 20 games, while the team lost 100 games. He was the second pitcher in history to accomplish the feat. Veeck also brought Satchel Paige back to major league baseball to pitch for the Browns. Veeck had previously signed the former Negro leagues great at age 42 to

5733-550: The 1913 season, and made him manager as well in September. Although Rickey had been a mediocre player at best, he had a keen eye for spotting talent. His greatest find was George Sisler , who had played for Rickey at Michigan . They fell back to sixth in 1914, but won 79 games in 1915, their first winning record in eight years. In 1916 , as part of the settlement that ended the war with the Federal League , Hedges sold

5880-701: The 1921 Muskogee Mets, as a player/manager. Rube Marquard managed and pitched for the 1933 Muskogee Oilers. Professional baseball began in Muskogee in 1905, with the Muskogee Reds playing as a member of the Missouri Valley League . The Muskogee Redskins played as members of the Oklahoma-Arkansas-Kansas League (1907), Oklahoma-Kansas League (1908) and the Western Association (1911). In 1910,

6027-540: The 1925 Western Association league finals. Baseball Hall of Fame member Bill Dickey played for the Muskogee Athletics in 1926, hitting .283 with 7 home runs in 61 games at age 19. 1931 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals Manager Gabby Street managed the Athletics for the 1924 and 1925 seasons. Owned by local drugstore operator Joe Magoto, the Athletics disbanded on July 18, 1926. Magoto later owned

Muskogee, Oklahoma minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

6174-481: The 1933 Oilers at age 46. The Muskogee Tigers were minor league affiliates of the New York Giants in 1936. The Muskogee Reds lost in the 1947 Western Association League finals. The Reds were affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds (1937–1939), Chicago Cubs (1941), Detroit Tigers (1946) and St. Louis Browns (1947–1949). The Muskogee Giants were members of the Western Association from 1951 to 1954 and

6321-410: The 1940s, described the Cardinals as being "our old rivals." During this period, the Cardinals won the National League pennant 4 times (with the Dodgers finishing 2nd twice) and the Dodgers won the National League pennant 3 times (with the Cardinals finishing 2nd each time). In 1942 the Cardinals overcame a 10 game Dodger lead in early August to win the pennant. In 1946 the Cardinals and Dodgers finished

6468-462: The 1942 season. Los Angeles was already the fifth-largest city in the United States, and was larger than any major-league city except New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. The Browns got tentative approval from the league, which went as far as to draw up a schedule accounting for transcontinental train trips, though the Browns suggested that teams could travel by plane, a new concept at

6615-539: The 1957 season, the rivalry was easily transplanted, as the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco have long been economic, political, and cultural rivals, representative of the broader Southern / Northern California divide. Manager Wilbert Robinson , another former Oriole , popularly known as "Uncle Robbie", restored the Brooklyn team to respectability. His "Brooklyn Robins" reached the 1916 and 1920 World Series , losing both, but contending perennially for several seasons. Charles Ebbets and Ed McKeever died within

6762-745: The Atlantics in favor of the Mutual Club of New York who had shared home grounds with the Atlantics. When the Mutuals were expelled by the league, the Hartford club moved in, the press dubbing them The Brooklyn Hartfords , and played its home games at Union Grounds in 1877 before disbanding. The team currently known as the Dodgers was formed in 1883 by real estate magnate and baseball enthusiast Charles Byrne , who convinced his brother-in-law Joseph Doyle and casino operator Ferdinand Abell to start

6909-480: The Ball estate withheld badly needed capital that could have been used to get better players. Attendance sagged to the point that the other American League teams could not meet their travel expenses. In 1936, Rickey helped broker a sale to investment banker Donald Lee Barnes . Cardinals treasurer Bill DeWitt , Barnes' son-in-law, bought a minority stake in the Browns and became the team's general manager. To help finance

7056-493: The Brewers could not be viable in Milwaukee, and originally intended to move them to St. Louis, a larger market. At the time, St. Louis was the fourth-largest city in the nation, while Milwaukee was the 15th. However, Matthew Killilea persuaded Johnson to give the Brewers what amounted to a one-year trial in Milwaukee, saying that he would agree to move to St. Louis if the team didn't make a good account of itself that year. Due to

7203-470: The Bronx as announcer. The first major-league baseball game to be televised was Brooklyn 's 6–1 victory over Cincinnati at Ebbets Field on August 26, 1939. Batting helmets were introduced to Major League Baseball by the Dodgers in 1941. The Cardinals–Dodgers rivalry was particularly intense from 1941 through 1949. In his autobiography written in 1948, Leo Durocher , who managed the Dodgers for most of

7350-410: The Browns had crested. They would never have another winning season in St. Louis. Indeed, 1944 and 1945 were two of only six winning seasons they enjoyed in the 31 years after nearly winning the pennant in 1922. They were also two of only seven seasons finishing fourth or better. Matters were not much better at the gate. 1944 and 1945 would also the only two seasons after 1922 in which they did not have

7497-462: The Browns had the best record in the league from the time Muckerman closed on his purchase, the hole from earlier in the season was too much to overcome, and they finished in third place with an 81–70 record. Despite fielding less than top-level talent, they were only six games behind the Tigers for first. The 1945 season may be best remembered for the Browns' signing of utility outfielder Pete Gray ,

SECTION 50

#1732798393617

7644-402: The Browns to refrigeration magnate Philip DeCatesby Ball , who had owned the defunct league's St. Louis Terriers . Concluding that Rickey's talents were better suited to the front office, he named Fielder Jones as manager, while Rickey remained de facto general manager. Under Ball's early tenure, the club had its first sustained period of success on the field; they were a contender for most of

7791-482: The Browns were on the brink of insolvency. At the same time, prospective buyers began circling the Browns. During the season, Chicago businessman Emory Perry considered buying the Browns and moving them to Los Angeles, but the effort foundered when Perry learned that any major league team moving to California would have to compensate every team in the PCL for invading their territory. After the season, Bob Rodenberg, owner of

7938-476: The Browns. As a first step, he sold Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals for $ 800,000. He would have likely had to sell it in any event. The 44-year-old park had fallen into disrepair, and even with the rent from the Cardinals, Veeck wasn't bringing in nearly enough money to bring the park up to code. Veeck first attempted to move the Browns back to Milwaukee, where he had owned the Triple-A Brewers of

8085-482: The Cardinals dominated St. Louis baseball, while still technically tenants of the Browns. Meanwhile, the Browns rapidly fell into the cellar. They had only two winning records from 1927 to 1943, including a 43–111 mark in 1939 that is still the worst in franchise history. As a measure of how rapidly St. Louisians shifted to the Cardinals, the Browns set a franchise record for attendance in 1922, attracting over 712,000 people. This figure would never be approached again for

8232-462: The Cardinals in St. Louis, and was relieved when brewery president Gussie Busch jumped into the bidding with that in mind. Veeck quickly realized that he was finished in St. Louis. He knew that with Anheuser-Busch's corporate wealth behind them, the Cardinals now had more resources than he could ever hope to match. Unlike most of his fellow team owners, he had no income apart from the Browns. Reluctantly, Veeck concluded he had no other option but to move

8379-523: The Cardinals play suffered on the field tremendously in the 1950s. Meanwhile, with the success of Robinson, the Dodgers doubled down on the opportunity to sign players of color from the Negro leagues . In the subsequent years after their pennant-winning season in 1947 , they would sign Don Newcombe , Roy Campanella , and Jim Gilliam from the Negro leagues, adding to an already tremendous team. The Dodgers made

8526-671: The Dodgers and Giants, moved out to the West Coast together after the 1957 season. The Brooklyn Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field on September 24, 1957 , which the Dodgers won 2–0 over the Pittsburgh Pirates . On April 18, 1958 , the Los Angeles Dodgers played their first game in L.A., defeating the former New York and newly moved and renamed San Francisco Giants , 6–5, before 78,672 fans at

8673-466: The Dodgers and the Giants is more than a century old. It began when the Dodgers and Giants faced each other in the 1889 World Series, the ancestor of the Subway Series, and both played in separate, neighboring cities. Brooklyn and New York were separate cities until 1898, when they became neighboring boroughs of the newly consolidated New York City. When both franchises moved to California after

8820-541: The Dodgers won 2–0. Although the Dodgers lost the World Series to the Yankees in 1956 during which the Yankees pitcher Don Larsen pitched the only World Series perfect game in baseball history and the only post-season no-hitter for the next 54 years, it hardly seemed to matter. Brooklyn fans had their memory of triumph, and soon that was all they were left with – a victory that was remembered decades later in

8967-450: The Dodgers' general manager. In 1947, after Rickey broke the color line by signing Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers, there were rumors that southerners playing for the Cardinals were planning to boycott games against the Dodgers, although the players later denied it. In general, the Cardinals were latecomers to integration. Front-office executive Bing Devine said the owner from 1947 to 1953, Fred Saigh , refused to sign black players. There

SECTION 60

#1732798393617

9114-488: The Dodgers' lead announcer in 1939, just after MacPhail broke the New York baseball executives' agreement to ban live baseball broadcasts, enacted because of the fear of the effect of radio calls on the home teams' attendance. MacPhail remained with the Dodgers until 1942, when he returned to the Armed Forces for World War II. He later became one of the Yankees' co-owners, bidding unsuccessfully for Barber to join him in

9261-592: The Dodgers. Their original target had been the Washington Senators franchise, which eventually moved to Bloomington, Minnesota to become the Minnesota Twins in 1961 . At the same time, O'Malley was looking for a contingency in case Moses and other New York politicians refused to let him build the Brooklyn stadium he wanted, and sent word to the Los Angeles officials that he was interested in talking. Los Angeles offered him what New York did not:

9408-448: The Majors until 1956 . The following year , they crumbled to fifth, partly because Sisler missed the entire season due to sinus problems. At the same time, Ball, already a very hands-on owner, became even more so after Quinn left to buy the Boston Red Sox . Ball confidently predicted that there would be a World Series in Sportsman's Park by 1926 . In anticipation, he increased the capacity of his ballpark from 18,000 to 30,000. There

9555-520: The Muskogee Chiefs. The second 1932 Muskogee Chiefs were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns . Notably, The second 1932 Muskogee Chiefs traded George Hubbell to their old team, the Hutchinson Wheat Shockers, in exchange for four new baseballs. The Davenport Blue Sox replaced Muskogee in the Western Association in 1933. However, the Muskogee Oilers rejoined the Western League when the Wichita Oilers moved to Muskogee on June 6, 1933. Baseball Hall of Fame member Rube Marquard managed and pitched for

9702-424: The Muskogee Reds. The Muskogee Chiefs moved to Maud, Oklahoma on August 29, 1929, to complete their season as the Maud Chiefs . They returned to Muskogee in 1930. On June 8, 1932, Muskogee moved to Hutchinson, Kansas to become the Hutchinson Wheat Shockers , playing in the Western League . However, the Fort Smith Twins of the Western Association moved to Muskogee on July 1, 1932, to complete their season as

9849-404: The National League by an enormous 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 games over their archrivals, the Giants . While the Dodgers went 26–22 from that time until the end of the season, the Giants went on an absolute tear, winning an amazing 37 of their last 44 games, including their last seven in a row. At the end of the season the Dodgers and the Giants were tied for first place, forcing a three-game playoff for

9996-469: The Red Sox or Tigers in order to pay the bills. In 1951 , Bill Veeck , the colorful former owner of the Cleveland Indians , purchased the Browns from DeWitt, who stayed on as team vice president. In St. Louis, he extended the type of promotions and wild antics that had made him famous and loved by many and loathed by many others. His most notorious stunt in St. Louis was held on August 19, 1951, when he ordered manager Zack Taylor to send Eddie Gaedel ,

10143-437: The St. Louis Browns. After the 1953 season , the team moved to Baltimore, Maryland , where it became the Baltimore Orioles . As of October 2024 , there are only three living former St. Louis Browns players: Billy Hunter , Ed Mickelson , and Frank Saucier . The St. Louis Browns had an overall win–loss record of 3,414–4,465–96 (.434) during their 52 years in St. Louis. Two former St. Louis Browns players were elected to

10290-444: The Superbas from being toppled from first place was that the Phillies lost one of the two games played." Most baseball statistics sites and baseball historians generally now refer to the pennant-winning 1916 Brooklyn team as the Robins; on the other hand, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle used "Superbas" in its box scores that season. A 1918 New York Times article used the nickname Robins in its title "Buccaneers Take Last From Robins", but

10437-400: The U.S. Army in his decision, since he knew that boos , taunts, and criticism were going to be directed at Robinson, and that Robinson had to be tough enough to withstand abuse without attempting to retaliate. The inclusion of Robinson on the team also led the Dodgers to move its spring training site. Prior to 1946, the Dodgers held their spring training in Jacksonville, Florida . However,

10584-483: The United States with no National League franchise and only one major league team, the New York Yankees of the American League (AL). With the threat of a New York team joining the new Continental League , the National League expanded by adding the New York Mets following a proposal from William Shea . In a symbolic reference to New York's earlier National League teams, the new team took as its primary colors

10731-509: The Yankees, whose broadcast income dwarfed most other franchises. Although there was never any official word that the 1953 season would be the Browns' last in St. Louis, enough unofficial indications leaked out to erode what support the Browns still had. Attendance fell to 3,860 per game, last in Major League Baseball. Under the circumstances, the Browns made a wretched showing, finishing 54–100, 46 games out of first. Not only

10878-517: The alley was closed and telephone poles and other structures that interfered with play were removed. By the 1926 season, the last remaining structure on the block, a house at 4th and Boston, had been removed. The grandstand and bleachers were moved northward to the corner of 5th and Boston to take advantage of this additional space. Later, the Owen Field property became known as League Park and Athletic Park. From 1921 to 1926 Muskogee teams played at

11025-571: The amateur championship after the Civil War (1861–1865) and never entered the professional NAPBBP (aka NA). The Eckfords and Atlantics declined to join until 1872 and thereby lost their best players; the Eckfords survived only one season and the Atlantics four, with losing teams. The National League (NL) replaced the NAPBBP in 1876 and granted exclusive territories to its eight members, excluding

11172-417: The ball was released. Podres won two Series games, including the deciding seventh. The turning point of Game 7 was a spectacular double play that began with left fielder Sandy Amorós running down Yogi Berra 's long fly ball, then throwing to shortstop Pee Wee Reese , who relayed to first baseman Gil Hodges to double up a surprised Gil McDougald to preserve the Dodger lead. Hank Bauer grounded out and

11319-474: The big club. Although the Dodgers ultimately built Dodgertown and its Holman Stadium further south in Vero Beach , and played there for 61 spring training seasons from 1948 through 2008, Daytona Beach renamed City Island Ballpark to Jackie Robinson Ballpark in his honor. This event marked the continuation of the integration of professional sports in the United States, with professional football having led

11466-482: The blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants, both of which are colors also featured on the flag of New York City . The nickname "Mets" was adopted: being a natural shorthand to the club's corporate name, the " New York Metropolitan Baseball Club , Inc.", which hearkened back to the " Metropolitans " (a New York team in the American Association from 1880 to 1887), and its brevity was advantageous for newspaper headlines. The historic and heated rivalry between

11613-633: The board. His first act was to request permission to move the team to Baltimore, which was swiftly granted. With this, the Browns' 52-year history in St. Louis came to an end. The St. Louis Browns were unique among 1950s baseball teams in that they moved eastward, not westward, and changed their name to make a deliberate break with their history. (Other teams that moved kept their nicknames: Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers , New York / San Francisco Giants , Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves , and Philadelphia / Kansas City / Oakland Athletics .) In December 1954, General Manager Paul Richards traded 17 players to

11760-540: The city's stadium refused to host an exhibition game with the Montreal Royals – the Dodgers’ own farm club – on whose roster Robinson appeared at the time, citing segregation laws. Nearby Sanford similarly declined. Ultimately, City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach agreed to host the game with Robinson on the field. The team traveled to Havana, Cuba for spring training in 1947, this time with Robinson on

11907-423: The club's performance rebounded somewhat. When Robinson retired in 1931, he was replaced as manager by Max Carey , who had played for the team from 1926 until 1929. Although some suggested renaming the "Robins" the "Brooklyn Canaries", after Carey, whose last name was originally "Carnarius", the name "Brooklyn Dodgers" returned to stay following Robinson's retirement. It was during this era that Willard Mullin ,

12054-553: The clubs represented at the first convention of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic , Eckford , and Excelsior clubs that combined to dominate play for most of the 1860s. Brooklyn helped make baseball commercial, as the locale of the first paid admission games, a series of three all star contests matching New York and Brooklyn in 1858. Brooklyn also featured

12201-439: The continuing difficulties with Pioneer Park's ownership prompted the construction of a new ballpark on the east side of Muskogee. This new facility, called Athletic Park (not to be confused with the latter ballpark of the same name in downtown Muskogee), was located immediately to the east of the car barn for the streetcar system, which maps show to be located where North Street crosses the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway line on

12348-555: The credible bids came from non-St. Louis interests. The most promising offer came from a group based in Houston, Texas , where the Cardinals operated a Triple-A farm team. Under the rules of the time, the Cardinals also owned the major league rights to Houston. However, just when it looked like the Cardinals were about to move to Texas, Saigh accepted a somewhat lower bid from St. Louis-based brewery Anheuser-Busch . Saigh had intended all along to sell to any credible buyer who would keep

12495-598: The deal fell apart. According to the Los Angeles Daily News and Los Angeles Times , the American League owners unanimously rejected the proposal after league officials expressed concerns that travel restrictions would be too stringent for a prospective Los Angeles-based team to be viable. However, according to the Society for American Baseball Research , Barnes himself pulled the proposal off

12642-459: The early 1920s. However, analysts think Ball made a series of blunders that would ultimately doom the franchise. Shortly after buying the team, he allowed Rickey to accept the presidency of the Cardinals. When Johnson got wind of this, he told Ball in no uncertain terms that Rickey could not be allowed to go to the National League. However, since Rickey had a signed contract, Ball was only able to keep Rickey on his payroll for another 24 hours; Rickey

12789-584: The eight-year-old NL for the 1884 season. After winning the American Association league championship in 1889, the Brooklyn club (very occasionally now nicknamed the Bridegrooms or Grooms , for six players having wed during the 1888 season) moved to the competing older National League (1876) and won the 1890 NL Championship, being the only Major League team to win consecutive championships in both professional "base ball" leagues. They lost

12936-572: The final three games were very close. Despite losing the Series, Barnes took heart in outdrawing the Cardinals by almost 40,000 fans. It would be the only time after 1925 that the Browns would outdraw the Cardinals. The 1945 Browns muddled through much of the early part of the season. However, in August, Barnes abruptly sold his stake in the team to minority owner and refrigeration magnate Richard Muckerman , who retained DeWitt as general manager. While

13083-410: The first African-American to play Major League baseball in the 20th century when he played his first major league game on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson's entry into the league was mainly due to General Manager Branch Rickey 's efforts. The deeply religious Rickey's motivation appears to have been primarily moral, although business considerations were also present. Rickey

13230-584: The first team manager, and they drew 6,431 fans to their first home game on May 12, 1883, against the Trenton, New Jersey team. The Grays won the league title after the Camden Merritt club in New Jersey disbanded on July 20 and Brooklyn picked up some of its better players. The Grays were invited to join the two-year-old professional circuit, the American Association (founded 1882) to compete with

13377-408: The first time since they moved, they wore throwback Browns uniforms. In August 1979, new owner Edward Bennett Williams bought back the shares Barnes had sold to the public in 1936, returning the franchise to private control and removing one of the last remaining links to the Browns era. The buyout price was not published. However, given the Orioles' prosperity over their then-25 years in Baltimore,

13524-665: The first two enclosed baseball grounds, the Union Grounds and the Capitoline Grounds ; enclosed, dedicated ballparks accelerated the evolution from amateurism to professionalism . Despite the early success of Brooklyn clubs in the NABBP, which were officially amateur until 1869, they fielded weak teams in the succeeding National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), the first professional league formed in 1871. The Excelsiors no longer challenged for

13671-567: The franchise that finally came to be called "the Dodgers" were the Atlantics (1884, not directly related to the earlier Brooklyn Atlantics ), Bridegrooms or Grooms ( 1888 – 1898 ), Ward's Wonders , the Superbas ( 1899 – 1910 ), and the Robins ( 1914 – 1931 ), named for longtime manager Wilbert Robinson. All of these nicknames were used by fans and newspaper sports writers to describe

13818-404: The gate during their first two decades in St. Louis. They trounced the Cardinals in attendance; in 1908, for instance, they attracted four times as many fans as the Cardinals. Pitcher Barney Pelty was a workhorse for the Browns, and a member of their starting rotation from 1904, when he pitched 31 complete games and 301 innings , through 1911. In 1909 , the Browns rebuilt Sportsman's Park as

13965-474: The hearts of his countrymen"). A spin-off joke was coined for the Browns: "First in shoes , first in booze , and last in the American League." (On October 2, 1944, cartoonist Amadee drew the St. Louis Weatherbird in a Browns uniform, standing on its head, with the legend "And first in the American League!") Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as

14112-445: The last ball used was gashed from seam to seam. After the season, Veeck cut a deal with Miles to move the Browns to Baltimore. Under the plan, Veeck would remain as principal owner, but would sell half of his 80% stake to a group of Baltimore investors headed by Miles. Despite assurances from Harridge that approval would be a formality, only four owners voted in favor – two short of passage. Reportedly, Yankees co-owner Del Webb

14259-400: The military. As a result, many of the Browns' best players were classified 4-F (unfit for military service). Years of having to live a hand-to-mouth existence actually served the Browns well during the war years. They were better prepared to adjust to the effects of the draft, while wealthier teams like the Cardinals were caught unawares when their best players were drafted. The Browns spent

14406-442: The neighborhood of Brownsville before moving to Ebbets Field in the neighborhood of Crown Heights in 1912. The team is noted for signing Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the first black player in the modern major leagues. The Brooklyn Dodgers had an overall win–loss record of 5,624–5,290–133 (.515) during their 68 years in Brooklyn. Eight former Brooklyn Dodgers players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame . Many of

14553-563: The new name which eastern baseball cranks [fans] have given the Brooklyn club." In 1895, Brooklyn played at Eastern Park, bounded by Eastern Parkway (now Pitkin Avenue), Powell Street, Sutter Avenue, Van Sinderen Street, where they had moved early in the 1891 season when the second Washington Park burned down. Some sources erroneously report that the name "Trolley Dodgers" referred to pedestrians avoiding fast cars on street car tracks that bordered Eastern Park on two sides. However, Eastern Park

14700-423: The next 48 hours, Miles lined up enough support from his group of investors to buy out Veeck's entire stake for $ 2.5 million. Facing threats to cancel the franchise and having sold his only leverage (the renamed Busch Stadium), Veeck had little choice but to take the deal, and the sale was duly approved. While Baltimore brewer Jerold Hoffberger became the largest shareholder, Miles was named president and chairman of

14847-542: The next day. Gaedel was by far the shortest person ever to appear in a major league game. Veeck also promoted another publicity stunt in which the Browns handed out placards – reading "take, swing, bunt", etc. – to fans and allowed them to make managerial decisions for a day. Taylor dutifully surveyed the fans' advice and relayed the sign accordingly. The Browns won the game against the Philadelphia Athletics , whose venerable owner Connie Mack took part in

14994-403: The only one-armed major league position player in history. However, the players felt that Gray was dragging down the team. After Muckerman bought the team, he signed manager Luke Sewell to a two-year contract, and Sewell significantly cut back Gray's playing time. Gray was sent to the minors after the season, and never played in the major leagues again. Although it was not apparent at the time,

15141-554: The original plans would not be enough to bring the park up to code. He also built a new stadium for their top farm team, the San Antonio Missions of the Texas League . After a slow start to 1947, he hurriedly signed two Negro league stars, Willard Brown and Hank Thompson . They only lasted a month when it became clear they neither improved attendance or the team's on-field record. Only three years after winning

15288-405: The owners likely made a considerably large return on their investment. The Browns, like the Washington Senators , were associated mostly with losing. The Senators became the butt of a well-known vaudeville joke, "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League" (a twist on the famous "Light Horse Harry" Lee eulogy for George Washington : "First in war, first in peace and first in

15435-483: The pennant by beating the Cincinnati Reds those same two days. One key development during this era was the 1938 appointment of Leland "Larry" MacPhail as Dodgers' general manager. MacPhail, who brought night games to Major League Baseball as general manager of the Reds, also started night baseball in Brooklyn and ordered the successful refurbishing of Ebbets Field. He also brought Reds voice Red Barber to Brooklyn as

15582-542: The pennant, the Browns posted the worst record in the majors, at 59–95. After the season, Muckerman was forced to sell Vern Stephens , Jack Kramer and Ellis Kinder , three stars from the 1944 pennant season, to the Red Sox. Years later, DeWitt revealed that between cost overruns from renovations to Sportsman's Park, cost overruns for building the new Mission Stadium in San Antonio, and a marked drop in attendance,

15729-581: The pennant. The Giants took Game 1 by a score of 3–1 before being shut out by the Dodgers' Clem Labine in Game 2, 10–0. It all came down to the final game, and Brooklyn seemed to have the pennant locked up, holding a 4–2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson , however, hit a stunning three-run walk-off home run off the Dodgers' Ralph Branca to secure the NL Championship for New York . To this day Thomson's home run

15876-554: The players. Over the 1890s, Charles Ebbets accumulated shares in the club, owning 80% of it by decade's end. Other shares were held by Harry Von der Horst —owner of the Baltimore Orioles team that won consecutive championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896—and Orioles manager Ned Hanlon . In 1899, Von der Horst and Hanlon moved most of the Orioles' stars from Baltimore to join the Grays (Bridegrooms) in Brooklyn; Hanlon became

16023-448: The poorer owners in the league, and did not have the wherewithal to take advantage of the large number of National League players bolting to the league. Of the 100 frontline players who switched leagues, only three signed with the Brewers. When Mack transferred to the Philadelphia Athletics at Johnson's behest as manager and part-owner, one of the three players who jumped to the Brewers, Hugh Duffy , became player-manager. Johnson knew

16170-423: The purchase, Barnes sold 20,000 shares of stock to the public at $ 5 a share, an unusual practice for a sports franchise. Soon afterward, he fired Hornsby after learning he was placing bets on horse races during games. By 1941, Barnes was convinced he could never make money in St. Louis. After interests in Los Angeles approached him about buying a stake in the team, he asked AL owners for permission to move there for

16317-519: The regular season tied for first place but the Cardinals won the pennant when they prevailed in the first ever playoff tiebreaker in the National League. Cardinal Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter said during this period of the Cardinals–Dodgers rivalry that "We loved to hate them and they loved to hate us." During this period, after the 1942 season, Branch Rickey , who had built up the Cardinals farm system as their general manager moved to become

16464-550: The rest of the franchise's tenure in St. Louis, and would remain the franchise record until 1954, the team's first year in Baltimore. Ball had previously spent lavishly on the Browns, but gradually cut that spending to the bare minimum. He died in 1933, and his estate ran the team for three years, with Ball's former right-hand man Louis Von Weise as team president. The Ball estate mostly left the baseball side to player-manager and former Cardinals great Rogers Hornsby , whom Ball had hired in one of his last acts before his death. However,

16611-405: The same time. The play is often remembered as Herman "tripling into a triple play", though only two of the three players were declared out and Herman was credited with a double rather than a triple. Herman later complained that no one remembered that he drove in the winning run on the play. The incident led to the popular joke: After his removal as club president, Robinson returned to managing, and

16758-429: The season in a vigorous three-way race with the Tigers and Yankees for the pennant. On the final day of the season, before a sellout crowd of 35,518–their first sellout since 1924–they defeated the Yankees 5–2. Minutes earlier, the Tigers lost 4–1 to the Washington Senators , giving the Browns the pennant by a single game. They thus became the last of the 16 teams that made up the major leagues from 1903 to 1960 to play in

16905-482: The series as "Dodgers vs. Indians", despite the fact that the Robins nickname had been in consistent usage at this point for around six years. For most of the first half of the 20th century, no Major League Baseball team employed a black player. A parallel system of Negro leagues developed, but most of the Negro league players were denied a chance to prove their skill before a national audience. Jackie Robinson became

17052-466: The site, renamed League Park. Beginning in 1934, the site was renamed Athletic Park and hosted the Muskogee Tigers, Muskogee Reds and Muskogee Giants. The ballpark had a capacity of 4,500 (1939); 6,000 (1940); 2,400 (1936) and 3,500 (1950). It had dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of 298-415-334 (1939) and 300-385-334 (1940). Athletic Park was bounded by Boston Avenue to the north, Fifth Street to

17199-407: The stands. The Browns never came close to fielding a winning team during this time. In Veeck's three years as owner, they never finished any closer than 31 games out of first, and twice lost 100 games. But Veeck's showmanship and colorful promotions made Browns games more fun and unpredictable than the conservative Cardinals were willing to offer. Veeck's all-out assault on the Cardinals came during

17346-451: The subtitle of the article reads "Subdue The Superbas By 11 To 4, Making Series An Even Break". Space-conscious headline writers still used "the Flock" (derived from "Robins") during the Dodgers' last decade in Brooklyn. Another example of the interchangeability of different nicknames is found on the program issued at Ebbets Field for the 1920 World Series , which identifies the matchup in

17493-483: The table when he realized that a potential Japanese attack on the West Coast–a concern in the time immediately after Pearl Harbor–would make large-scale events on the West Coast too great of a risk. During World War II, in 1944 , the Browns won their only American League pennant in St. Louis. Due to the draft decimating the minor leagues, Barnes and the Browns pursued a strategy of pursuing players who couldn't serve in

17640-529: The team bore the name "Dodgers". Examples of how the many popularized names of the team were used interchangeably are available from newspaper articles from the period before 1932. A New York Times article describing a game the Dodgers played in 1916 starts out by referring to how "Jimmy Callahan, pilot of the Pirates, did his best to wreck the hopes the Dodgers have of gaining the National League pennant", but then goes on to comment, "the only thing that saved

17787-402: The team with him. Byrne arranged to build a grandstand on a lot bounded by Third Street, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Street, and Fifth Avenue, and named it Washington Park in honor of first president George Washington . Nicknamed by reporters the "Grays" for their uniforms, the team played in the minor league Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs that first season. Doyle became

17934-468: The team's manager. The press, inspired by the popular circus act The Hanlons' Superba , dubbed the new combined team the Brooklyn Superbas . In 1899 and in 1900, they were the champions of the National League . The name Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers was first used to describe the team in 1895. The nickname was still new enough in September 1895 that a newspaper reported that "'Trolley Dodgers' is

18081-415: The team's traveling secretary, mainly because they were the only credible buyers willing to keep the team in St. Louis. However, they financed the purchase with notes totaling $ 1 million that were due in 1954, and the team's attendance over the next two years was nowhere near enough to service the debt. Under the circumstances, DeWitt was unable to reverse the slide, and was forced to sell any good prospects to

18228-409: The team, and found it in a syndicate headed by an old friend from his days as a sportswriter, Kansas City carriage maker Robert Hedges , who moved to St. Louis soon after the purchase closed. Hedges became team secretary while ceding the presidency to St. Louis businessman Ralph Orthwein. However, Hedges was the undisputed head of the franchise long before taking the presidency himself in 1903. He built

18375-574: The team, often concurrently, but not in any official capacity. The team's legal name was the Brooklyn Base Ball Club . The "Trolley Dodgers" nickname was used throughout this period, along with other nicknames, by fans and sports writers of the day. The team did not use the name in a formal sense until 1916, when the name was printed on home World Series programs. The word "Dodgers" appeared on team jerseys in 1932. The "conclusive shift" came in 1933, when both home and road jerseys for

18522-590: The team. Under the circumstances, a move to St. Louis was a foregone conclusion. At a league meeting in Chicago, the Killileas requested and received permission to move. Soon after moving, the team changed its name to the Browns, a reference to the original name of the St. Louis Cardinals , who were known from the 1880s until 1900 as the Brown Stockings . Johnson then set about finding local ownership for

18669-588: The team. O'Malley was free to purchase land of his own choosing, but wanted Robert Moses to condemn a parcel of land along the Atlantic Railroad Yards in downtown Brooklyn under Title I authority, after O'Malley had bought the bulk of the land he had in mind. Title I gave the city municipality power to condemn land for the purpose of building what it calls "public purpose" projects. Moses' interpretation of "public purpose" included public parks, housing, highways, and bridges. What O'Malley wanted

18816-483: The third concrete-and-steel park in the major leagues. During this time, the Browns were best known for their role in the race for the 1910 American League batting title . Ty Cobb took off the last game of the season, believing that his slight lead over Nap Lajoie , of the Cleveland Naps , would hold up unless Lajoie had a near-perfect day at the plate. However, the Browns players decided to help Lajoie win

18963-587: The time. Under the deal, the Browns would buy the Chicago Cubs ' top affiliate, the Los Angeles Angels ; in those days, whoever owned a minor league team owned the major league rights to that city. The deal was slated to receive final approval at a league meeting on December 8. The deal was disrupted by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , which took place on December 7. Sources differ on how

19110-460: The title over the unpopular Cobb. Browns' manager Jack O'Connor went along with the plan, since the game would have no bearing on the pennant race. O'Connor ordered rookie third baseman Red Corriden to play on the outfield grass. This all but conceded a hit for any ball Lajoie bunted. Lajoie bunted five straight times down the third base line and made it to first easily. On his last at-bat, Lajoie reached base on an error – officially giving him

19257-585: The way east toward Green Hill Cemetery. The car barn was immediately adjacent to the Hyde Park streetcar line, providing access for fans attending games there. Athletic Park ultimately was limited to hosting Sunday games after a deal was struck to hold weekday games in 1910 at Pioneer Park. Because of its location outside city limits, Sunday games continued to be held at Athletic Park through at least 1911. Each of these early Muskogee baseball venues had significant drawbacks. Athletic Park "could not be excelled" as

19404-671: The way in 1946, with the concomitant demise of the Negro leagues , and is regarded as a key moment in the history of the American civil rights movement. Robinson was an exceptional player, a speedy runner who sparked the team with his intensity. He was the inaugural recipient of the Rookie of the Year award, which is now named the Jackie Robinson award in his honor. The Dodgers' willingness to integrate, when most other teams refused to,

19551-551: The west, Columbus Avenue to the south, and Fourth Street to the west. In April 1923, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees with Babe Ruth , played an exhibition game at Owen Field. Later, Mickey Mantle played for the Joplin Miners in games at Athletic Park in 1950. Because of its location near Owen Field/Athletic Park, visiting teams stayed at the Severs Hotel . Today, the site of Owen Field/Athletic Park

19698-451: The worst attendance in the American League. Indeed, after 1945 the Browns would struggle to attract more than 300,000 in a season. With the return of peace in 1946, the Browns found themselves in over their heads competing against teams augmented by stars returning from the war, and tumbled to seventh place. In response, Muckerman budgeted $ 300,000 to renovate Sportsman's Park. However, the bill swelled to $ 700,000 when it became apparent that

19845-472: The years since the Second World War. Teams were no longer bound by much slower railroad infrastructure. Because of advances in civil aviation, it became possible to locate teams farther apart – as far west as California – while maintaining the same busy game schedules. When Los Angeles officials attended the 1956 World Series looking to entice a team to move there, they were not even thinking of

19992-492: Was a World Series in Sportsman's Park in 1926  – but it was the Cardinals who took part, upsetting the Yankees . Meanwhile, the Browns slumped to seventh in the American League. More importantly, the Cardinals outdrew the Browns by more than 400,000. St. Louis had been considered a "Browns town" until then; as late as 1925, the Browns outdrew the Cardinals by more than 50,000. After their 1926 Series victory, however,

20139-490: Was Veeck forced to sell off top-drawer players to keep the team afloat, but late in the season, the Browns were running so low on baseballs that they were forced to ration them during batting practice. When what would be the Browns' last game in St. Louis (a 2–1 loss to the White Sox) went into extra innings, the Browns had so few baseballs on hand that the umpires were forced to recycle the least damaged used ones. Reportedly,

20286-461: Was a key factor in their 1947–1956 success. They won six pennants in those 10 years with the help of Robinson, three-time MVP Roy Campanella , Cy Young Award winner Don Newcombe , Jim Gilliam , and Joe Black . Robinson eventually became the first African-American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. After the wilderness years of the 1920s and 1930s, the Dodgers were rebuilt into

20433-800: Was a member of the Methodist Church , the antecedent denomination to the United Methodist Church of today, which was a strong advocate for social justice and active later in the Civil Rights Movement . Rickey saw his opportunity with the 1944 death of Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis , an arch-segregationist and enforcer of the color barrier. Besides selecting Robinson for his exceptional baseball skills, Rickey also considered Robinson's outstanding personal character, his UCLA education and rank of captain in

20580-458: Was a widespread belief that St. Louis was, in many ways, a Southern city. In the mid-1950s many of its stores and restaurants refused to serve black customers. The Cardinals, with baseball’s largest radio network blanketing the Midwest and South, had cultivated white Southern fans. Their ballpark was also the last in the majors to abolish segregated seating. Because of their lack of black players,

20727-425: Was drumming up support to move the Browns to Los Angeles, where Webb held extensive construction interests. However, talk of a Los Angeles move may have been a bluff – many owners believed that travel and schedule considerations would make having only one franchise on the West Coast unsustainable. Veeck, Miles, and D'Alesandro realized that the other AL owners were simply looking for a way to push Veeck out. Over

20874-403: Was for Moses to use Title I authority, rather than to pay market value for the land. With Title I the city via Robert Moses could have sold the land to O'Malley at a below market price. Moses refused to honor O'Malley's request and responded, "If you want the land so bad, why don't you purchase it with your own money?". Meanwhile, non-stop transcontinental airline travel had become routine during

21021-454: Was located near 5th Street and Boston Street. Owen Field was named after landowner Robert Owen, whose home was on the property that adjoined the ball field. Although the open space at Owen Field had previously been used for other community events, it initially had significant drawbacks as a baseball field, including an alley running through the middle of the field. There was also significant opposition from neighboring residents. Gradually, however,

21168-468: Was located near the end of streetcar line that ran down South 21st Street. Early maps show the exact location as a block bounded by Garrett Street (now 22nd Street) on the east, Virginia Avenue (now Maryland Avenue) on the north, and Border Avenue on the south. In 1908, the Muskogee Redskins began to play most of their schedule at Pioneer Park. Sunday games were still held at Benson Park, which

21315-412: Was not bordered by street-level trolley lines that had to be "dodged" by pedestrians. The name "Trolley Dodgers" implied the dangers posed by trolley cars in Brooklyn generally, which in 1892, began the switch from horse-power to electrical power, which made them much faster, and were hence regarded as more dangerous. The name was later shortened to Brooklyn Dodgers . Other team names used to refer to

21462-540: Was outside city limits and thus not subject to municipal restrictions on Sunday play. Pioneer Park was located at the intersection of Fourth and Court Streets in downtown Muskogee. Although Pioneer Park's central location was considered a plus, the viability of this arrangement was regularly threatened by ongoing disputes between the team and the ballpark owners. Nonetheless, the Muskogee Navigators continued to play games at Pioneer Park through 1909. In 1910,

21609-522: Was replaced by Bob Quinn . Four years later, Ball allowed the Cardinals to move out of dilapidated Robison Field and share Sportsman's Park with the Browns. Rickey and owner Sam Breadon used the proceeds from the Robison Field sale to build baseball's first modern farm system . This effort eventually produced several star players who brought the Cardinals more drawing power than the Browns. The 1922 Browns excited their owner by almost beating

#616383