Jimmy Hart Is Not Impressed - Picture Series Part III

Jimmy Hart played predominately at first base for the 1897 Wahpeton-Breckenridge Methodists. Hart, pictured here as a member of the 1906 Minneapolis Millers of the Western League, seems unenthusiastic about the idea of taking a team photo. As Terry Bohn writes, Hart was not always the easiest man to get along with. 

1907 Spalding Baseball Guide

On This Date: Fargo Players Appear; Millers' Home Finale

Sept. 19, 1897 - Trying to squeeze in just a little more summer, the workers of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railroads scheduled a game in St. Paul. Slated to appear for the Northern Pacific team were three players who appeared for Fargo earlier in the season. The most notable of these was Jimmy Banning, the only man to appear on both the 1887 and 1897 Fargo league teams. Banning made a few playing and umpiring appearances in Fargo earlier in the summer of 1897. Also appearing for the NP were Frank Schumansky, who was slated as the starting pitcher, and the unfortunate Hornsby, whose brief appearance for Fargo had been an embarrassment.

An awful weather day greeted the railroad men on the afternoon of Sunday, September 19. The cold conditions made controlling the ball a difficult task for Schumansky, who walked ten Great Northern batters. But he may have survived his wildness if not for the eighth inning. In the eighth frame, Schumansky allowed five consecutive singles as the Great Northern club extended their lead from two runs to six. The Northern Pacific men couldn't make up any of the deficit, and fell 12-6.

Meanwhile, the woeful Minneapolis Millers scored two ninth inning runs to defeat the equally woeful Kansas City Blues in the Millers' home finale. The teams finished sixth and seventh respectively in the standings of the eight team Western League. Minneapolis would lose its season finale 20-3 to Connie Mack's Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 21, the season's final day. Deacon Phillippe pitched poorly for the Millers, though only seven of the runs he surrendered were earned. The St. Paul Saints held onto third place in the standings, just a half game ahead of the Brewers.

The final Western League standings
1) Indianapolis 98-37
2) Columbus 89-47
3) St. Paul 86-51
4) Milwaukee 85-51
5) Detroit 70-66
6) Minneapolis 43-95
7) Kansas City 40-99
8) Grand Rapids 35-100.

St. Paul Globe Sept. 19, 1897 p.8 "Fun for Railway Fans"
St. Paul Globe Sept. 20, 1897 p.5 "Safe on Third" and "Great Northern Won"
St. Paul Globe Sept. 22, 1897 p.5 "It Was Sufficiently Easy"

On This Date: Lucky 13 for Munch; Phillippe Hit Hard in Loss

Sept. 6, 1897 - Gus Munch took the mound for the Brainerd, MN team as they hosted Staples, MN. In a 9-5 Brainerd win, the crafty young lefty allowed just three hits and struck out an impressive 13.

In Indianapolis, the Minneapolis Millers faced a tough test in a doubleheader against the first place Indians. After being blown out in the first game 14-1, the Millers hoped their luck would turn with Deacon Phillippe on the mound in game two. It was not to be, as Phillippe surrendered 16 hits, and the defense behind him committed eight errors. The Indianapolis club scored just six earned runs, but Phillippe put an additional five men on base with walks. Being swept in the doubleheader by a combined score of 30-6, Minneapolis fell to a record of 40-84.

St. Paul Globe Sept. 7, 1897 p.5 "Munch's Good Record"; "Millers Drop Two"

On This Date: Phillippi Plays Right Field in a Pinch

Sept. 2, 1897 - Minneapolis traveled to Columbus to face the second place Senators, putting Bill Hutchison on the mound. Hutchison didn't last long, giving up five runs in the first inning, and adding insult to injury, "Wild Bill" was ejected for talking back to the umpire. Since the Millers planned to start Deacon Phillippe in the next game, pitcher Art Herman was brought in to replace Hutchison. However, when right fielder Art Ball couldn't continue playing due to a previous injury, Phillippe was called upon. He played right field from the third inning on, going 1 for 3 at the plate with two strikeouts. Amazingly, the Deacon went the remainder of the game without a single ball being hit his way. The Millers lost the game 14-9, falling to a record of 39-80.

St. Paul Globe September 3, 1897 p.5 "Willie Bill Fired"

On This Date: Phillippe Helps His Own Cause in Win

August 15, 1897 - Deacon Phillippe went the distance for the Minneapolis Millers, scattering ten hits and allowing just three runs to the Columbus Senators in a 9-3 win. The Senators, from Columbus, OH, featured a club filled with former and future major leaguers, and stood in second place in the Western League standings coming into the game. The Millers, conversely, were sitting in sixth place out of eight teams, nearing the end of a disappointing season in which their manager was fired. But Minneapolis was the superior team in this Sunday afternoon match up, giving the home fans at Nicolett Park plenty to cheer. Phillippe helped his own cause by garnering three hits in four at bats, including a double for the Millers, who jumped out to a 7-0 lead after four innings and never looked back.

Things wouldn't get better for the Millers and the Nicolett faithful, however. Hosting first place Indianapolis August 16-18, the Minneapolis nine quickly found themselves on the losing end of a three game sweep. Phillippe pitched the August 18 contest for the Millers, and allowed only three earned runs, but the Miller defense made six errors and Indianapolis prevailed 12-8 to complete the series sweep.

The Sporting Life August 28, 1897 p.12 "Western League"

On This Date: Steele Loses, Wahpeton Saga Continues, Wilmot Fired

July 22, 1897 - Fred Steele fared better in his second start for the Divorcees, but still ended up on the losing end of a 8-3 game against Wahpeton-Breckenridge. Steele, the 21-year-old pitcher from Neola, IA, had a terrible debut for Fargo against Moorhead on June 12th, giving up six runs and lasting just two innings. On this day, Steele was a bit erratic, throwing a wild pitch, walking six, and hitting a batter, but he and the Fargo club entered the ninth inning tied 3-3. The final inning was disastrous,though,  as Steele gave up four hits and the team committed four errors.

Though Wahpeton-Breckenridge certainly enjoyed their come from behind win on the Fargo grounds, it still appeared that all was not well for the Methodist franchise. The uncertainty surrounding the future of the W-B team was addressed publicly by Manager Ed Corbett. In the Forum, (July 23) Corbett denied rumors that the Methodists were to be transferred to Crookston to finish out the season, and reasserted clearly that his team was perfectly stable. The coming days would prove otherwise.

Also on this date, Walter Wilmot, player/manager of the Minneapolis Millers of the Western League, was relieved of his duties. The Forum cited the Minneapolis Journal, who accused Wilmot of "poor fielding, poor batting, and worse management in releasing good players." A rumored theory was that Wilmot was trying to devalue the franchise to allow his old friend and Chicago Colt manager Cap Anson to take ownership of the team at a discount rate. Throughout 1897, Anson had worked with Wilmot in the development of a quasi-farm system between Chicago of the National League, Minneapolis of the Western League, and the teams of Red River Valley League. This working relationship is what led Deacon Phillippe and other Western League players to the valley in 1897. With Minneapolis struggling in the standings after some questionable personnel decisions, Wilmot quickly fell out of favor with the Miller magnates. Though Wilmot would return to the Minneapolis franchise the following season, Anson moved on to manage the National League's New York Giants, ruining any future hope of a farm system involving teams in the Red River Valley.* Without big-league backing, the RRVL never got off the ground for the summer of 1898.

*Wilmot, who played six years for Anson in Chicago, spent 35 games as a player for Cap's Giants team in 1898.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 23, 1897 p.4
"Lost in the Ninth" and "After Wilmot" 

On This Date: Western League Notes (Post #50!)

Thank you all for reading! This is post #50!

July 18, 1897 - Though the Fargo team began a stretch of three scheduled days off, there was still baseball news of interest to the local fans. The Forum reported on Deacon Phillippe's first start on his return to Minneapolis, giving his Red River Valley fans a glimpse of his work in the Western League. The paper's account said Phillippe pitched well, giving up only eight hits, and went on to blame Minneapolis second baseman Fred Roat's two errors for the loss. Not entirely surprisingly, the Forum account was a bit biased, omitting the fact that Phillippe gave up five runs. However, according to the game box score, none of the runs allowed were earned. The Miller fans were likely pleased with the Deacon's performance.

On the same day, player/manager Connie Mack's Milwaukee Brewers, also of the Western League, won a 15 inning marathon against the Indianapolis Indians by a score of 4-3. Born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, Mack is best known for his incredible longevity as a major league manager. He went on to win 3728 games in the major leagues, managing the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-1950. The "Tall Tactician" was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, while still a manager, and would not retire from his post with the A's until age 87. Remarkably, Mack began his playing career during Chester A. Arthur's presidency and retired during Harry S. Truman's presidency. Truman was born in 1884, the year Mack began his professional baseball career as a player.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 20, 1897 p.4 "Doing Good Work"
Box score information from The Sporting Life July 24, 1897 p.15
Connie Mack's statistics found at http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mack--001con

On This Date: Fargo Pounded, Protested Game Settled

July 17, 1897 - Fargo failed to capture a series win against Grand Forks, surrendering 14 runs to the Senators in the finale of a four game home stand. Oscar Peterson was on the mound for Fargo, and struggled mightily, allowing eleven to score while recording only nine outs. The knockout punch for Peterson was a mammoth three-run home run smashed by Sid Adams to begin the fourth inning. The young southpaw Gus Munch came in to relieve Peterson and pitched well, striking out seven in six innings of work. Fargo had to settle for a 2-2 series split with the Senators.

Some bad blood between first baseman Peaceful Valley Brown and Umpire Arthur Lyons came to the surface in the eighth inning. Presumably a rift had developed between the two while Lyons was playing for Fargo early in the season. With Brown at-bat, Lyons made a strike call that Brown clearly disagreed with. Later in the at-bat, Brown slashed a ball down the third-base line that got by Grand Forks third baseman Joe Marshall. The problem for Brown was that the ball had failed to stay fair, and the general consensus was that Lyons had made the correct call in ruling the hit foul. Nonetheless, Brown was angered by the call and barked at Lyons for some time before being ejected. Some fans who had a bad angle on the play also gave ol' "Tige" an earful, and one crank was rowdy enough for a policeman to be summoned. The Divorcees could not afford to lose Brown, since Deacon Phillippe had just returned to Minneapolis, Fred Steele was playing in Sheldon, and Catcher Hayes hadn't yet arrived from Omaha. Luckily for Fargo, team captain George Keas was able to convince Lyons to let Brown remain in the game. It wasn't much help for Fargo, though, who already trailed by double digits at the time of the ejection, and they lost 14-3.

The game wasn't a total loss for the Divorcees. Fargo's nomad second baseman, Josh Reilly, apparently had made quite an impression on the local fans by mid-July. Before one of Reilly's at-bats, a female admirer gave him a bouquet of flowers as a sign of appreciation. Reilly doubled in the at-bat.

Also on July 17, RRVL officials and managers met to discuss the matter of several protested games. While two decisions regarding protests were referred to National League President Nick Young for further review, the league board did rule on one game. The result of the June 26 Fargo vs. Moorhead match up featuring Umpire Tupper's egregious missed call was thrown out by the board, and the game was set to be replayed at a later date (see "It Was Larceny" for more details on the June 26 contest). 

Sunday Argus July 18, 1897 p. 8 "It Was Awful" 

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 19, 1897 p.4 "We Were Easy"

On This Date: Phillippe Pitches Final Game for Fargo

July 16, 1897 - Charles "Deacon" Phillippe played his final game with Fargo, as the Minneapolis Millers of the Western League had called the right-hander back to their club. Phillippe said his farewell to Fargo by giving the home fans a victory over Grand Forks. He went nine innings for the Divorcees, surrendering seven hits and five runs. In the ninth inning, Fargo was down 5-3 and had two men on base, but were down to their final out. Josh Reilly stepped to the plate and blasted a triple against the left field fence, scoring two men to tie the game. Bill Zink followed with the game-winning single that sent the Fargo fans into a frenzy. Though the Deacon hadn't pitched great, his teammates helped give him a great sendoff with the walk-off win.


The Forum lamented Phillippe's departure and correctly predicted he "...will be a world beater someday." The pitcher took the No. 4 rail the next night to Minneapolis and rejoined the Millers. Despite not making his major league debut until age 26 (with Louisville in 1899) Phillippe would go on to win 189 big league games.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 17, 1897 p.25 "A Garrison Finish"

Where Did Everyone Go?

Minor league baseball players in the late 19th Century often led a nomadic life. Minor leagues and teams were independent, not having the direct support of a Major League club as they do today. A league or a team that failed to draw enough fans and remain financially solvent couldn't hang on for very long without folding. As a result of this constant state of flux, players could not always count on staying in the same city throughout the summer. Even if their team and league were stable, it was still common for players to play a few games with other local teams when their league team was idle. For the Fargo Divorcees in 1897, these factors, along with a late start to the season (late May), the July 31st folding of the Red River Valley League, and the craving of baseball fans in the valley produced a perfect storm in which Fargo's players appeared in many different uniforms throughout the summer.

A working list of teams that featured Fargo players sometime during the summer of 1897:

Jimmy Banning - Umpired in the RRVL
Bergstrom - Minnehahas (MN)
Flannery - Perham, MN
Jimmie French - Hope, ND (2 games)
Reilly Green - Kenyon, MN
Haverty - Detroit Lakes, MN
Hayes - Omaha, NE (Western Association)
A. J. Hessler - Foster County, ND
C. R. Hickey - Wadena, MN (1 game)
Henry "Harry" Howe - Moorhead Barmaids and Denison-Sherman/Waco, TX (Texas League)
Charles Jahnke - Moorhead Barmaids
George Keas - a team in Southern Minnesota (after the league folded)
Arthur "Tige" Lyons - Sheldon, ND, Perham, MN, and served as umpire for RRVL games
Gus Munch - St. Paul Saints (Western League), Staples, MN (1 game)
Oscar Peterson - Minneapolis Millers (Western League), Wadena, MN (1 game), Wheatland, ND (1 game)
Charles "Deacon" Phillippe - Minneapolis Millers (Western League)
Josh Reilly - Kansas City Blues, Indianapolis Indians (both Western League), Springfield, IL Governors (Interstate League), Kenyon, MN
Lee Roberts - Mandan, ND (several games), Sheldon, ND, Detroit Lakes, MN
Fred Steele - Milnor, ND (1 game), a team in Western Iowa possibly
Bill Zink - a team in Western Iowa possibly

Player Profile: Big Bill Zink

The Tuesday, June 15th Forum brought news that Fargo had signed three players, including a second baseman. A Grand Forks observer touted the second baseman as "one of the best ever seen in the northwest." He compared the young player favorably to Willie Murphy, who played for Fargo in 1887. Murphy spent part of the 1887 season in Minneapolis, hitting .313 for the Millers, and batted .254 in 189 at-bats in one major league season (1884).

William Henry Zink, better known as Bill Zink, debuted at second base that Tuesday afternoon, playing second for Fargo as they faced Wahpeton-Breckenridge. The Iowa native did not disappoint, going 2 for 5 with a home run, two runs scored, and no errors in five chances in the field. If it weren't for a nice play by the W-B shortstop, Zink would have debuted with three hits. The performance of Fargo's second baseman proved to be no fluke. Over the next two months, the then 23-year-old Zink would hit .300 for the Fargo team. Including his time in Fargo, Zink went on the play over 1,000 games in 15 minor league seasons.

Level of Play

It's hard to definitively describe the level of play in the Red River Valley League in 1897, but an educated guess can be made. A few facts to make up our formula:

First, consider that Fargo's team had two former major league players (Jimmy Banning and Josh Reilly) and one future major league player (Deacon Phillippe). Grand Forks and Moorhead each had one future major league player on its 1897 team. Wahpeton-Breckenridge featured no past or future major league players. There were a few stars on each team that also enjoyed long minor league careers, often with higher-level leagues.

With the promising young stars and baseball veterans, however, were a mixture of local players whose baseball resumes were not impressive.

Also consider that the Red River Valley League was considered an informal "farm" league of the 1897 Western League. The Minneapolis Millers, St. Paul Saints, and other Western League teams sent players to the RRVL for parts of the 1897 season. The Western League could fairly be called what we would consider a AAA level league today.


With these facts taken into consideration, it would probably be fair to describe the 1897 RRVL as a A or AA level league - probably something in between these two modern designations. In fact, most of Fargo's minor league teams over the last 125 years would be described similarly in terms of level of play.

Player Profile: Charles "Deacon" Phillippe

The most well-known player of the 1897 Fargo team was future major leaguer Charles "Deacon" Phillippe. In 13 major league seasons, Phillippe went 189-109 with a 2.59 ERA. He pitched a record five complete games in the 1903 World Series (a best of 9 series), winning 3 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series. The Pirates lost to the Boston Americans in this inaugural World Series, five games to three.

In the summer of 1897, while on loan from the Minneapolis Millers baseball team, the 25 year old posted a 3-4 record for Fargo before finishing the season with the Millers. The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican regularly praised his level of play and his promise as a young talent. During his time in Fargo, Phillippe pitching style was "of the 84 vintage, when the under-handed ball was in its prime."* He would later switch to a more conventional overhand delivery, which he used while pitching in the major leagues.

Interestingly, a teammate of Phillippe's on the 1903 Pirates team was Joe Marshall, who played for Grand Forks in 1897.

*The Moorhead Independent June 25, 1897 "First Game at Fargo" Front Page