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News & Updates

The Fall 2012 edition of the American Association Almanac, Vol. 10, No. 2 was released one week ago; extra copies are available. Please contact me at pureout@msn.com should you be interested in purchasing a copy. The cost is $10.00 plus $2.00 shipping.

Here are the basics. You can learn more under the Back Issues section.

Title: A Chronicle of the 1912 American Association Championship Season • Three Baseball Lives

Sub-title: Cutting Short the Mortal Coil: When Death and Loss Pervade the Elysian Fields

Number of Pages: 60

Format: Paper; Page size 5.5" x 8.5"

Font: New Times Roman in 10 pt.

Issued: October 10, 2012

Overview: Covers the theme of the American Association's 1912 season on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. A summary of each team's progress throughout the year is covered. Milwaukee and Columbus receive an in-depth look courtesy of guest authors Dennis Pajot and Chris Gallutia. This covers pages 1-42. Following each team summary is a listing of their club leaders in hitting and pitching.

A survey of three baseball lives is next. First is a look at the life of Milwaukee Brewers' owner Otto Borchert for whom Borchert Field is named. Next is an article on Milwaukee's second female owner, Florence Killilea who passed away in 1931. Both articles are written by award-winning author Dennis Pajot. Finally, a summary of the career of Doc Buckner, Milwaukee's African American trainer during the 1920s and '30s, is provided, courtesy of collector and researcher Paul Tenpenny.

The back cover features color photos of the grave site of Ed Kenna, pitcher for the Louisville Colonels during the early 1900s, and St. Paul pitcher Hank Gehring who pitched during the first decade of the 20th century. Both died within one month of each other during the spring of 1912.

The inside back cover features color photos of Gehring and Kenna, plus Florence Killilea and her father Henry (one of the founders of the American League), as well as Doc Buckner and Charles Havenor, the Brewers' first owner.

Supplies are limited so order soon. Contact me at pureout@msn.com
Volume 10, Number 2 of the
American Association Almanac: DUE OUT OCTOBER 1


Among the variety of topics coming up in the Almanac's next issue, you'll read about the 1912 Columbus Senators. In an article written by Chris Gallutia, one of the foremost experts in the history of Columbus (OHIO) baseball history, the story of the Senators' 1912 campaign comes to light. A young and hard-nosed bunch, Bill Friel's 1912 Columbus Senators had five of the league’s Top Ten position players in games played and the Association’s youngest pitching staff. With that combination they kept their eye on the top spot all season long, never remotely out of the rear view mirror of the Minneapolis Millers.

Appearing in a second-ranked 168 games, Ray Miller’s dedication and steadfastness at the first sack was a tribute to the club’s tenacity, but Skeeter Shelton (OF - 167 g), Wally Gerber (ss - 166 g), George Perring (3b - 164 g) and Bill Hinchman (OF - 161 g) were nearly his equal in the “iron man” category.

But perhaps more importantly, the Senator’s perennial backstop, 28-year-old Sydney Smith from Smithville, South Carolina, was one of the club’s most vital assets. Smith had the longest string of consecutive games played in American Association history during the course of the 1912 season while catching in 155 games, more than any former Association catcher in one season.

Arrange now to receive your copy of the Fall issue of the American Association Almanac, the most comprehensive publication available with respect to minor league baseball history. Get your box seat to baseball history and subscribe today! Contact the publisher at pureout@msn.com and see what special offers apply on current subscription rates. Standard rates are published on this website.
Please visit my blogsite at http://almanacpark.blogspot.com/ to view the ongoing series I started several weeks ago to commemorate key anniversaries of player deaths. For example, today is the 100th anniversary of the death of Edward Benninghaus Kenna, son of a West Virginia statesman, who had the unique distinction of being known as "the Pitching Poet." You will read about Kenna and his accomplishments at the "Almanac Park" blogsite, as well as those of several others, dating from roughly mid-February of this year. Please leave a comment and "follow" me on my blogsite. And enjoy baseball history!
Two weeks ago I released Vol. 10, No. 1 of the Almanac on the subject of the 1903 championship season of the St. Paul Saints. This 56-page edition contains the following principal sections:

1. An overview on the formation of the American Association dating back to its organizational meeting in November of 1901;

2. A section dealing with the queston of the relevance of major league experience on the part of the players of the 1903 St. Paul Saints, esp. in comparison with its upriver rival, the Minneapolis Millers;

3. A description of St. Paul's Downtown Park, a freshly constructed baseball facility which earned the ignominious nickname of "Pillbox Park" owing to its limited dimensions and its impact on the pennant drive of the Saints that year;

4. An overview of the St. Paul pitching staff in 1903;

5. An overview of the St. Paul position players of 1903;

6. A detailed chronology of games played by the Saints in 1903;

7. St. Paul's head-to-head results vs. the seven other entrants of the American Association;

8. A listing of general patterns comparing home vs. road performance statistics such as longest winning streaks, most runs allowed, runs scored, scoring differentials, etc.

9. A necrology of players from the American Association through 1952.

The text is accompanied by a small sampling of tables and selections from Sporting Life, a national magazine which covered the 1903 American Association campaign in 1903. Endnotes are supplied. References for this edition are contained on this website. Total length of content roughly 28,000 words.

Copies are available for $10 plus $2 shipping; contact Rex Hamann at pureout@msn.com for information on senior and group discounts.
Volume 9, Number 3.......Summer 2011

Part II of an American Association Necrology: Pitchers

In April 2011 I published an American Association Necrology, Part I, devoted to the position players of the Association who have passed on, or as they say, "gone to the great majority."

A few weeks ago I mailed the 40th edition of the American Association Almanac to my subscribers. It was truly a milestone to celebrate. But it is a pale contribution to the annals of baseball history in comparison with the athletic achievements of the ballplayers who toiled upon summer fields and helped bring success to their team.

This issue is devoted to the baseball lives of 37 former American Association pitchers who passed away in 2010 and early 2011. More will be written concerning the contents of this issue in the Back Issues section of this website.

I began compiling the data for this issue back in January, and it's a good thing I got such an early start because getting the Almanac out by the time we were expecting to leave for a visit to my wife's father in Michigan was a challenge all summer, especially in light of the fact that I took several days off in June to embark on a solo excursion to Wisconsin where I did some visiting and some grave hunting.

"From the Mound to Mortality" is the subtitle of this issue and features 37 abbreviated biographies of pitchers who played in the American Association from 1942-60. Each player's American Association statistical summary is included. The end of the volume contains a section detailing the necrological data I used to support the biographical sketch of each player and frames the discussion along statistical lines for the reader to achieve a broader perspective on the deaths of these players.

This is a 60-page volume, totalling over 34,000 and qualifies as perhaps my largest single contribution to the lexicon of baseball history to date. Specific information about the exact contents of this issue can be found in the Back Issues section. Please email me at pureout@msn.com with any questions.
Another issue of the American Association Almanac is out. It deals with the 34 former American Association players who passed away in roughly the last year. This issue is Vol. 9, No. 2 of the Almanac and is entitled, "Gone With the Great Majority: An American Association Necrology, Part I."

Because over 65 players who performed in the American Association at one time or another within the last 15 months (roughly), I had to decide to break the issue into two parts in order to adequately cover each player's career in pro ball as it related to the American Association, and so I decided to break it down between two distinct groups, position players and pitchers. Interestingly, the split was nearly even. Pitchers will be examined in the next issue.

This 56-pageissue (over 21,000 words) combines a variety of internet and traditional resources to compile a clear look at each player's career, noting highs and lows, military intervention, key injuries, career after baseball, and much more. In addition, each player's American Association batting line is presented.

There are over a dozen player photos (including one of former Milwaukee Brewer George "Bingo" Binks in Brewers uniform, circa 1944, from the tremendous snapshot collection of Milwaukeean Paul Tenpenny whose website, Welcome To Borchert Field (www.borchertfield.com) presents an ongoing look at the old Brewers and their home for 51 seasons in Milwaukee, Borchert Field) and a variety of other graphic elements.

Among the more prominent players included in this issue are George Crowe, Don Lang, Roy Hartsfield, Walt Dropo and of course, Ron Santo. Please contact me at pureout@msn.com with any questions on how you can receive an issue of the Almanac or how you can subscribe.
The second part of the Parkway Field set is now complete and was prepared for mailing over the Labor Day weekend. Its contents focuses on the performance of the Louisville Colonels at their new ballpark, Parkway Field. The first half deals with the inaugural season, 1923 and contains a special section on the value of home runs hit in Louisville that season. It contains a thorough statistical component which supports the narrative without becoming an obstacle to the overall story. In addition, spotlights on key players are provided, including biographical details, including future Hall of Famer Earle Combs, and ace starting pitchers Nick (Norman Andrew) Cullop and Wayland Dean.

The second half of this issue deals with the Colonels' 1925 Championship season at Parkway Field. It contains much of the same information as covered in the first half but does not go into quite the same detail regarding home runs. Instead, a game-by-game account of the Colonels' 14-game winning streak which began June 1 when the Colonels hosted the Columbus Senators. It kicked of an amazingly successful (and long) homestand which set the wheels in motion for their dominating pennant run. A statistical summary of this vital two-week stretch is provided.

This 31,000 word document is thoroughly researched and well-documented. It views the Colonels through the perceptive pen of Louisville Courier-Journal sports editor Bruce Dudley, offering many verbatim examples of his descriptions.

Also included are numerous photos and tables. One key highlight from a design standpoint is a double-page photograph of Parkway Field under construction which was purchased through the University of Louisville for use in the Almanac.

You won't want to miss what I consider to be my best issue yet.

This latest edition of the American Association Almanac is perhaps my best issue yet. Please contact me at pureout@msn.com for ordering details.
The most recent issue of the American Association Almanac is now available to the general public. This issue deals with Louisville's Parkway Field, home of the Louisville Colonels from 1923-56. Focussing on the early history of the stadium, the narrative begins as club President William F. Knebelkamp must deal with the effects of losing Eclipse Park to fire in November 1922.

A discussion of the various plans brought forth via the club's general manager, Cap Neal, and architect Leslie Abbott emerges as a central aspect of the Parkway Field story, and the construction process resulted in unexpected challenges which caused President Knebelkamp serious concerns. The Almanac deals with questions surrounding the Eclipse Park fire and examines possible motives for why the fire may have been intentionally set.

As in past issues of the series on American Association Ballparks, this Almanac presents a close look at the opening game as the Colonels hosted the Toledo Mud Hens on May 1, 1923. The Almanac extracts a variety of topics from local reports reflecting on the home opener with a spotlight on the local reaction to the Colonels new playground.

You'll read about Earle Combs, the Kentucky Colonel, who cut his teeth on American Association baseball, first at Eclipse Park and then at Parkway Field. You'll learn about the five future Hall of Famers on the field during the home opener, representing a collision of fate in the extreme, the sort of irony adored by baseball historians no matter the color of their flag. Other pearls line the walls of this issue, as well.

A detailed description of the Parkway Field physical plant and playing follows. Subsequent sections examine key dates of the 1923 season with a focus on events which involved action on the field; the post-1923 season is covered as well, including the first night game, and the four no-hitters tossed there.

Finally, a focus on attendance patterns during the park's lifetime is presented, first by looking at general attendance patterns during the first season, followed by a homestand-to-homestand look at daily attendance patterns at Parkway Field, and finally attendance patterns by season through 1956.

A colorful sampling of graphics enhances the content of this issue. Using photos and graphs, the reader will be well acquainted with the history of Parkway Field as these devices help bring out the highlights and reinforce general concepts regarding quantitative aspects of the park's history.

In all, this issue represents the culmination of hundreds of hours of work, distilled into a highly readable format containing over 25,000 words in this 48-page edition. The Almanac continues to bring out the best of the history of the American Association through original research and collaboration with local baseball historians.

You won't want to miss out on this one. Contact me at pureout@msn.com for details on how to order a copy for yourself or as a gift.
Visit www.baseball-almanac.com today for the most up-to-date baseball records on a variety of topics. Click the title for details!
Earlier this week I was finally able to dedicate some time to get this website back up for its originally intended purpose, to provide the essential background information on the topic of the American Association from 1902-52. Of course each time I come to the site to add content or adjust the layout it feels like pulling teeth. But the point is that we're now in the rebuilding phase after my unfortunate episode last September when I successfully eradicated the entire site. How did I do it? I was attempting to install a new website with a different name, one dedicated to the ball player grave sites I've visited and photographed these past several years. In the process, I simply replaced everything I'd spent the entire month of August putting up on this site, and at the time I simply didn't have a spare moment to put everything back where it belonged. Fortunately I had saved most of the data, but the simple process of getting started back up again after several months, especially as challenging as these last few months have been for me personally, has been not at all simple. I've decided to take a different approach to the batting data where you'll find tables showing the season leaders for each season through 1952. I am currently developing that database and hope to have the entire thing posted by mid-week next week. Please bear with me while I attempt to build what will be a quality place to visit on the web for years to come. And consider subscribing to the Almanac and supporting this worthwhile endeavor of exploring this vital regional minor league!
T h e  A m e r i c a n  A s s o c i a t i o n   A l m a n a c

Dedicated to Preserving the History of a Premier Midwestern Minor League, 1902- 1952

Ballplayer Grave Sites

(grave photos are found at http://www.lostengraving.deviantart.com/gallery/)


I use the website "deviantart.com" to provide an avenue for viewing my photographs of the grave sites of the players who called the American Association their home at one time during their career.


Many of these players also had an active playing career in the major leagues, and you will find there is considerable overlap. Other websites, such as deadball.com (which I highly recommend) are dedicated primarily to major league players, in particular, those who were famous -- for one reason or another. The photos are intended to spotlight those players who may not have gained fame in the major leagues but who excelled in the American Association.


Many of the graves I've visited were of players who flew below the radar. If they were part of the American Association family at any time, I will seek out their grave and attempt to provide a photographic document of it.

 

In many cases I have attempted to show not only the actual gravestone, but also the setting in which the grave is found. For that reason there will often be numerous photos identified with one player. The purpose for this is to give the viewer the opportunity to see the grave as I saw it and thus to be able to "travel" to the grave and be there in spirit.


The intention is to provide the viewer with the widest possible perspective of each ballplayer's final resting place.

 

It will take time for me to complete this website, as my wife and I have traveled to over 400 graves in the past ten years.


My most recent foray into the cemeteries of middle America came during the summer of 2011. First I traveled to southern Wisconsin where I located the graves of the following players (discovering them in the following order):


June 2011

 

1. Willis Cole, Indianapolis Indians outfielder (1914-16) in Milton, Wisconsin

2. Joe Cantillon, Milwaukee Brewers manager (1902-05) and Minneapolis Millers manager (1910-23) in Janesville, Wisconsin

3. Stan Sperry, Louisville Colonels third-baseman (1942-43) in Evansville, Wisconsin

4. Braggo Roth, Kansas City Blues third-baseman and outfielder (1913-14; 1923); St. Paul Saints outfielder (1923) in Burlington, Wisconsin

5. Frank Roth, Indianapolis Indians catcher (1905); Milwaukee Brewers catcher (1906-08); Louisville Colonels catcher (1913) in Burlington, Wisconsin

6. Bob Steele, St. Paul Saints pitcher (1915) in Burlington, Wisconsin

7. Ginger Beaumont, St. Paul Saints outfielder (1911) in Rochester, Wisconsin

8. Anton "Tony" Kubek, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder (1931-35) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

9. Joe Just, Milwaukee Brewers catcher (1938-39; 1941; 1949-50) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

10. Bruno Block, Minneapolis Millers catcher (1908-09); Milwaukee Brewers catcher (1912; 1916) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

11. Mandy Brooks, Columbus Senators outfielder (1924) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

12. Joe Hauser, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and first-baseman (1920-21; 1929); Kansas City Blues first-baseman (1927); Minneapolis Millers first-baseman (1932-36) in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

13. Stoney McGlynn, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher (1909-12) in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

 

Then my wife, Keitha, and I located the following graves in August 2011


14. George Perring, Toledo Mud Hens third-baseman (1907; 1916); Columbus Senators infielder (1910-13) in Beloit, Wisconsin

15. Elmer Miller, St. Paul Saints outfielder (1919-21) in Beloit, Wisconsin

16. Bill Killefer, Milwaukee Brewers manager (1941) in Paw Paw, Michigan

17. Harry Niles, Toledo Mud Hens outfielder (1911-12); Indianapolis Indians outfielder (1913-14); St. Paul Saints outfielder (1914-16); Kansas City Blues outfielder (1916) in Sturgis, Michigan

18. Jack Wisner, Indianapolis Indians pitcher (1926-27); Toledo Mud Hens pitcher (1927) in Marshall, Michigan

19. Walter Anderson, Louisville Colonels pitcher (1919) in Grand Rapids, Michigan

20. Walt Wilmot, Minneapolis Millers outfielder and manager (1902-03) in Plover, Wisconsin

 

As of October 18, 2011 roughly half of these 20 player graves have been posted.

Soon afterwards I visited the grave of Wilbur "Wib" Smith who was a catcher for the Minneapolis Millers.

Smith's grave is located at the picturesque Lakewood Cemetery on the southside of Minneapolis.


My original inspiration for grave hunting came from learning about the efforts of Stew Thornley who was, at the time, attempting to visit the graves of all the members in the baseball Hall of Fame. I thought the idea was a novel one, and I wondered if I might be able to find any of the old Milwaukee Brewers graves I'd become interested in.


My first grave hunt was in July, 1999 when I was still living in Milwaukee. Using a death certificate, I was able find the grave of one of the old American Association Milwaukee Brewers' most outstanding pitchers, Ulysses S. Grant "Stoney" McGlynn, who is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc, Wisconsin (a grave I revisited in June 2011).


Since then we have sought to locate graves from Minnesota to Kentucky in an attempt to locate ballplayer graves, no matter how obscure the player. While this takes considerable resources to accomplish, the reward from such an activity is incomparable. Ask any grave hunter and they may tell you the same thing. The thrill of the chase, the often spontaneous "find" that occurs, the tramping through old cemeteries which seem like forgotten places, these are all part of the grave hunter's delight. I hope you will find delight in viewing these pages, and that you might become interested in grave hunting as well.

 

My baseball history journal, inspired by a trip to the grave of Nick Cullop in 2001, has grown in scope over the last eight years. The American Association Almanac, as it is known, first began by describing the adventure I had when traveling from Mogadore, Ohio (where I moved after living in Milwaukee for 15 years) to the Columbus area in search of Cullop's grave.


Having never encountered an unmarked grave in the past, I was struck by the fact that a player of Cullop's renown could lie in such an anonymous state. Then again, once we're gone, does our name matter much? I came to the conclusion that it does matter, and my efforts were subsequently directed toward constructing a wooden marker which I was allowed to have planted at Cullop's grave site. I was quite unprepared for the small media storm that ensued, as the case drew national attention.


Thanks in large part to the personal generosity of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, there is now a marker at the grave of ol' Tomato Face, as he was known. Flimsy as it was at the get-go, my "newsletter" (as it was then known) was well-received, and through the support of a small cadre of avid baseball historians, the American Association Almanac now has 80 subscribers, including a smattering of institutional supporters.

 

More information can be found at either of my two blog sites, www.almanacpark.blogspot.com or www.theoldaa.wordpress.com. Grave photos can be viewed at www.lostengraving.deviantart.com/gallery.

 


If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please use the contact form or contact me directly at pureout@msn.com

 

 

 

 

 
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