116 Years Ago Today

The F-M Redhawks of the American Association just completed a 6-3 comeback win against the rival Winnipeg Goldeyes on a 9th inning grand slam from Jeremiah Piepkorn. The win keeps the Redhawks in first place in their division, as they seek another playoff appearance.

The Fargo Divorcees were in a much different situation 116 years ago today. Despite a great pitching performance from Gus Munch, Fargo fell to rival Moorhead 4-2 in 16 innings. Postseason hopes were non-existent for the 1897 squad, not only because of their poor record, but because the Red River Valley League had folded just days earlier.

Fargo baseball fans should be grateful for the relative stability of the minor leagues of today.

Crookston Hoped for League Membership

The city of Crookston, MN was excited about its prospects to field a team in the Red River Valley League. Coming off a successful summer of 1896 playing various local teams, the Crookston community treasured the possibility of membership in an organized league for the 1897 season. There were promising signs that this dream would be fulfilled. The community had pledged sufficient financial support, and the city’s cranks were working on a new ball park for the team.

 

As late as May 19, Crookston looked like a lock to become part of the league. They had posted the $250 in forfeit money necessary to gain admittance, money that would be returned to the team as long as they stayed together and completed their entire schedule. Unfortunately, the news brought to fans the next day by the Crookston Daily Times explained with disappointment that the team would not be a Red River Valley League member after all. Unable to secure a sixth club for the league, officials meeting in Fargo decided it would not be feasible to attempt to form a schedule for five teams. Such a schedule would leave one team idle at all times. With a thin margin for error regarding finances, the clubs could not afford extra days without gate receipts coming in. As a result, Crookston was the odd man out, and the league would proceed with just four teams.

 

Taking Trash Talk to New Heights

Back on May 5th, I gave you a sampling of some of the trash talking from the Fargo Sunday Argus, some of it even directed toward the home team. It turns out that the critical tone of the Argus paled in comparison to the weekly across the river, the Moorhead Independent. In its June 4 edition, the Moorhead paper took several nasty shots at the city of Fargo, its baseball team, and some of the players on the club. A 27-6 exhibition loss to Moorhead gave the Independent a perfect opportunity to add insult to injury. The paper kicked off its account of the game by referring to Fargo as the "Divorce colony." It then proceeded to mock Fargo pitcher Lee Roberts, calling him the "only invincible", and suggesting he write a book called "My After Fame." The paper then inexplicably labeled the Fargo team the "yellow ball team from over the creek." Finally, a shot was taken at Fargo's Hornsby, taunting him for breaking several teeth in an attempt to catch a fly ball. The Independent jokingly argued that the right fielder ought to be "arrested for attempting to practice dentistry." Considering Moorhead's great start to the season, and Fargo's struggles early on, the Independent displayed a poor sense of sportsmanship in its writing that went beyond the normal banter between rivals.

June 4, 1897 Moorhead Independent "The Exhibition Game", "Notes of the Diamond" p. 1

On This Date: Season Ends With Another Moorhead Win

Sunday, August 8, 1897 - A shocking thirteen errors plagued Fargo in their season finale loss to Moorhead. Amazingly, none of the Barmaids fifteen runs were earned. Bill Zink started at shortstop for the Divorcees, and made four errors as Moorhead scored ten runs in the third inning. Manager George Challis then moved the stocky Iowan to second base, where he didn't stay long, finally ending up in left field. In total, Zink committed six errors out of seven chances, a remarkably bad performance uncharacteristic of one of Fargo's most consistent players. Lee Roberts chipped in an additional three errors playing out of position in right field. Fred Steele managed first base splendidly in the absence of Peaceful Valley Brown, who had left for Dubuque late Tuesday night to be with his ailing mother. Steele also went two for four at the plate with a run scored, making his showing one of the few bright spots for Fargo. Within a week, the players of the defunct Red River Valley League were searching for teams to join, if only for a game or two, to earn a few more paychecks before the end of summer.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
August 4, 1897 p.4 "Notes"
August 9, 1897 p.4 "The Last One"

On This Date: Bad Blood Boils Over

Saturday, August 7, 1897 - Tige Lyons apparently was not satisfied with just arguing with Fargo's catcher Ryan at Haas's saloon in downtown Moorhead Friday night. The Red River Valley League umpire and former Fargo player got into a disagreement with Ryan at the bar, and Ryan (or someone with him) knocked Lyons to the floor. The catcher may have hoped he had seen the last of "Tige", and migrated to Murphy's saloon later that night. But Lyons made an unwelcome appearance again, found Ryan, and knocked him out with a "blunt instrument." Interestingly, if it weren't for a followup confrontation Saturday afternoon between the men, the story may never have surfaced.

At about 2:30pm on Saturday, Lyons found Ryan on Broadway in Fargo. On this occasion, he had former Fargo catcher Hartman with him, who was no doubt recruited due to his reckless nature and the fact that Ryan had displaced him as the Fargo backstop. The two men ganged up on Ryan, and Hartman pulled out a razor while Tige cheered him on. As Hartman chased Ryan into Alex Stern's clothing store, Ryan picked up a brick and hurled it at Hartman in self-defense. By this point, officer Bingham of the Fargo police department was on the scene and arrested Hartman. Meanwhile, Lyons took off towards Moorhead in an attempt to escape arrest, but was chased down near the Great Northern bridge and taken in. Later that day, awaiting their appearance before municipal judge Hanson, Hartman made his own escape attempt, but was tracked down by Bingham in a slough on First avenue north.

The two embittered former Fargo players appeared in court before judge Hanson on Monday, but the bizarre chain of events would have a very anti-climactic ending. The cases against both men were dismissed, oddly, because Ryan failed to appear at the hearings. No reason was given for Ryan's absence, and the specific reasons that precipitated the assault were also unclear. The previous week Hartman had been let go in favor of Ryan. After this, Lyons apparently took a barrage of verbal abuse from the new Fargo catcher at the August 2 game between Fargo and Moorhead. What Ryan specifically did or said to Lyons during the game is unclear, but the Moorhead Independent amusingly observed that "the freak catcher yelled and gyrated like an escaped lunatic." The sole reason given in the Forum for the attack was the fact that Ryan had been bad-mouthing Lyons, who apparently was trying to stir up discord among the Fargo players. Ultimately, the resentment among the men, along with a likely liberal flow of alcohol, played a role in spurring the violence.

Lyons and Hartman left the area, and the following June, the men were said to be trying out for a Seattle club. Tige had not made the team, but Hartman was playing "magnificent ball" and had reportedly quit drinking.
 
Also on Saturday, August 7, second baseman Breuer's four errors hurt the Divorcees in a loss to the Barmaids. Breuer deserves some sympathy as he was likely a local man, called on to fill in after the release and blacklisting of Josh Reilly. The Forum also blamed poor umpiring as a contributing factor in the loss, though they shouldn't have expected much. The game was officiated by a Western Union operator who hadn't umpired a game all year in the Red River Valley League. The Moorhead nine scored two runs in the ninth inning to give pitcher Pike Mullaney yet another win, which fit the mold of a season in which the Barmaids dominated while Fargo struggled to find consistency. The loss went to Gus Munch, who surrendered just five hits, struck out six, and gave up no earned runs. 

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
August 7, 1897 Front page "Baseballists Scrap"
August 9, 1897 p.3 "City Locals"; p.4 "Saturday's Game"
August 10, 1897 p.3 "City Locals"
June 20, 1898 p.4 "Baseball"

Moorhead Independent
August 6, 1897 Front page "A Battle Royal"

Sunday Argus
August 8, 1897 p. 6 "Two Home Runs"

On This Date: Another Close One vs. Moorhead

August 6, 1897 - Oscar Peterson and Bob Brush both got roughed up on the mound, but only Brush survived nine innings as Moorhead bested Fargo 12-9. The Barmaids hung seven runs on Peterson in the fourth inning, and forced Fargo Manager George Challis to bring in Fred Steele in relief with two outs in the inning. Brush was not much better for Moorhead, as the Divorcees tallied thirteen hits off the 5'10" Iowa native, though he did strike out 11 Fargoans. The difference in the high scoring affair was sloppy play by the Fargo defense, specifically shortstop Bill Zink. He made two costly errors in the sixth inning that led to three unearned Barmaid runs, which proved to be enough as Moorhead made it four wins in the last six games against their crosstown rivals.

Though the afternoon game provided plenty of excitement, a story of even greater intrigue developed that evening, one that provided a fitting ending to a chaotic season of baseball in the Red River Valley...

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 7, 1897 Front page "12 to 9"

On This Date: Munch Shuts Down Moorhead

August 5, 1897 - Left-hander Gus Munch held Moorhead to just four hits and one run and struck out eight as the Divorcees stopped a three game skid with a 5-1 win. The Fargo lineup put three runs on the board in the first inning against Moorhead's Ed Jess, sparked by a home run from center fielder Hopkins on the first pitch of the game. Errors by the Barmaids' middle infielders led to two more tallies for Fargo in the first.

A three game weekend series between the crosstown rivals would wrap up the season for Fargo, Moorhead, and the now defunct Red River Valley League.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 6, 1897 "The Wind-Up" p.4

On This Date: League's Last Ditch Efforts

August 3, 1897 - Tuesday, August 3 was the beginning of the end for the Red River Valley League. Wahpeton-Breckenridge was scheduled to play its first game representing Crookston at YMCA park in Grand Forks against the Senators. It never happened. Manager Ed Corbett brought his team to Morris, MN instead, apparently to complete the season playing independent ball. In response, on August 4 an unnamed official was sent by Moorhead's manager Bodkin to Morris in an effort to try to convince the W-B team to come to Crookston (without Corbett, who stubbornly refused to compromise). The hope was to enlist Moorhead pitcher Ed Jess to manage the players in Crookston. However, Corbett's actions, coupled with the inaction of the Crookston magnates, equaled the death knell for the newly-formed league. On August 6, the Forum finally conceded the fact that the league was dead. Fargo and Moorhead would play out their scheduled six-game set, and thereafter, organized baseball in the Valley would be done for 1897.

The recent developments were especially disappointing for Red River Valley fans in light of the competitive and balanced play in recent weeks. On Tuesday afternoon, amidst the chaos concerning the future of W-B, Fargo again played Moorhead tough in a game on the Fargo grounds. With the score 6-4, Fargo scored two runs in the ninth to force extra innings, but Moorhead struck back with the winning run in the tenth.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
August 3, 1897 p. 4 "Stuff Is Off"
August 4, 1897 p. 4 "Patching It Up"
August 5, 1897 p. 4 "Chaotic"
August 6, 1897 p. 4 "The Wind-Up"

On This Date: Munch Battles Jess for 16 Innings

Monday, August 2, 1897 - Despite Josh Reilly's erratic play, which ultimately meant the end of his career in Fargo, the Divorcees played well against the recent league champions from Moorhead. After three innings, the two teams were tied 2-2, but it would require thirteen additional innings to break the deadlock. For Fargo, Gus Munch started and pitched the entire sixteen innings, scattering nine hits and allowing four runs, just one of which was earned. Ed Jess was the marathon twirler for Moorhead, also going the distance, allowing eight hits and two runs, with neither run earned. Former Fargo outfielder Charles Jahnke helped break the tie in the sixteenth, doubling off Munch, moving to third on a sacrifice, and scoring on a Jack Page triple. Page later scored on an error by Fargo shortstop Bill Zink, one of four the husky Iowan made on the day. The contest was an exciting opener for the new version of the Red River Valley League.
 
Also on August 2, the Grand Forks Senators expected to host the Wahpeton-Breckenridge team, now set to be sponsored by the city of Crookston, MN. Manager Ed Corbett telegraphed the Senators in the morning, indicating he would not be able to have his team in Grand Forks to play the opening game until Tuesday afternoon. Though the series was scheduled to begin Monday, the W-B team's transfer apparently was not yet completed. To make up for lost time, the two teams would play a doubleheader Wednesday.

In other news, Lee Roberts was scheduled to return to pitch for the Fargo team August 4 or 5.


Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 2, 1897 p.4 "Notes"; August 3, 1897 p.4 "Stuff Is Off" and "Sixteen Innings - 4 to 2"

On This Date: Hartman Ejected, O'Donnell Quits

August 1, 1897 - Fargo's 7-4 win over crosstown rival Moorhead was only part of the story on this date. Overshadowing Oscar Peterson's great pitching performance for the Divorcees was some extra-curricular nonsense from the game's catchers. Hartman started at catcher for Fargo, and wasted no time getting into trouble. He began arguing with the umpire, O'Donnell, for an unknown reason, and became so incensed that a policeman was called. The cop escorted Hartman, known to be a fan of hard drink, off the field. Hayes finished the game as the Fargo backstop.

In the fifth inning, Moorhead catcher Tim Keefe similarly lost his composure. According to the Forum, Keefe's conduct was even worse than Hartman's (however, bias from the home team's newspaper in its account is a distinct possibility). Again, the precipitating factor for Moorhead catcher's behavior is unknown. The Fargo paper criticized O'Donnell for not ejecting Keefe from the game, as he had with Hartman. At this point, the embattled umpire was fed up enough to quit the game. The well-respected George Challis assumed the umpiring duties for the remainder of the game, despite the fact that he was also Fargo's manager.

Meanwhile, a game was played, and Fargo hit Pike Mullaney hard, tallying 13 hits and five earned runs off the Moorhead ace. The Divorcees were led by center fielder L. D. Hopkins, who went three for four with two doubles and three runs scored. Fargo's starter Oscar "Pete" Peterson surrendered just eight hits and two earned runs to the Barmaids. The rivarly would continue for the next three days, as Fargo and Moorhead were scheduled for three games in Fargo, followed by three games in Moorhead. The Grand Forks-Crookston series of six games was also scheduled to get underway. Only one of these series would be played...

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 2, 1897 p. 4 "Easy for Fargo"

On This Date: Moorhead Awarded Pennant, New Schedule

July 31, 1897 - Officials from each team met at the Columbia hotel in Moorhead to nail down details concerning the future of the Red River Valley League. A newly constructed league would play through September 11, with the existing Wahpeton-Breckenridge franchise being transferred to Crookston. The four teams re-committed to finishing the season by putting up $50 in forfeit money, helping ensure all the franchises would finish the season. The schedule would kick off August 2, with Fargo playing Moorhead in a six game series (three games in each city), and Grand Forks battling Crookston in the same six game format. As for the previously constructed league, Moorhead was awarded the pennant after building a large lead in the standings.

Meanwhile, in their final game in Wahpeton-Breckenridge, the Methodists hosted Fargo for an afternoon contest. The Divorcees put twelve hits on the board, while W-B drew six walks off Fargo pitcher Fred Steele. Third baseman George Keas went 4 for 4 (all singles) with a sacrifice fly for the visiting team. The game was tied 5-5 in the eighth inning when play was suspended to allow Fargo to catch the train back home. It was an inauspicious ending to a very eventful week for the league. The coming days would hold more surprises for the troubled RRVL.

Sunday Argus August 1, 1897 p.8 "All Fixed Up"

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: Fargo Rebounds, Defeats Senators

Fargo enjoyed redemption in game two of their four game series with Grand Forks, winning 6-3 to even the series at a game a piece. Shortstop Bill Zink was the star for the Fargo nine, pounding out a home run and a double, while pitcher Oscar Peterson surrendered just three hits in nine innings of work. Peterson struck out the side in the fifth inning and added three hits of his own batting ninth in the lineup for the Divorcees. Deacon Phillippe showed his versatility and athleticism by manning right field for Fargo, helping in the absence of the team's outfielder Hopkins, who continued to recover from an injury sustained three days earlier against Moorhead. The umpire for the contest was Arthur "Tige" Lyons, who would officiate all four games of the series.

Standings published by the Forum

Team                      W-L          PCT
1. Moorhead          18-8           .692
2. Grand Forks      16-13         .552
3. Wahp-Breck      12-16         .429
4. Fargo                 10-19         .345

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 16, 1897 p.4 "Easy For Us"

On This Date: Aces Duel in Fargo

The RRVL game in Fargo on July 14th featured two great pitching performances, as Fargo put Deacon Phillippe on the mound, while Grand Forks countered with Charlie Hutton. Phillippe pitched very well, allowing just ten hits and two runs and going the distance for the Divorcees. But Hutton was better, and Fargo suffered its sixth shutout of the season, despite two hits each from Peaceful Valley Brown and Reilly Green. A run in the first and a run in the eighth were all the Senators needed to take down the rival Divorcees in the opener of a four game series.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican - July 15, 1897 p.4 "Shut Out Again"

On This Date: Munch Mows Down Moorhead

July 11, 1897 - Gus Munch held the Barmaids to just four hits and Peaceful Valley Brown stole two bases and scored twice as the Divorcees took a 6-1 exhibition win. Moorhead had Charles Lamont on the mound, and he struggled, walking five and uncorking three wild pitches before he was removed in favor of Andy Anderson after just two innings of work. Surprisingly, despite Lamont's wildness, Fargo managed just two runs in the first two innings. The Barmaids, who started former Divorcee Charles Jahnke in center field, were also sloppy in the field. The team had seven defensive miscues, led by Bob Brush's three errors at second base.

Interestingly, Bob Brush would be the only Moorhead player from the 1897 team to ever play in the major leagues. He appeared in two games for the Boston Doves of the National League in 1907, going hit-less in two at bats. The Doves finished 47 games behind the Chicago Cubs, who won 107 games and swept the Detroit Tigers four games to none in the World Series. That same year, thirty-five year old Charles Deacon Phillippe won 14 games for the second place Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League, who finished 17 games behind the Cubs.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 12, 1897 p.4

On This Date: Forum Responds to Criticism, Herald Worries

Apparently, the Moorhead News accused the other newspapers in the region of not being fair to Barmaids pitcher Pike Mullaney. The Forum shot back, saying the News was off base, and that its sportswriter had to have been "eating green apples and...suffered the attendant consequences."  The Forum contended that the local papers had always been complimentary of the "plucky little pitcher." They had no reason not to be charitable towards Mullaney, who finished with a record of 14-3 for the season.

Also on this date, the Grand Forks Herald worried about the other Red River Valley League teams bolstering their rosters. The paper explained that the fans would be happy if the Senators could come away with a split in their coming series with Moorhead. Fargo, for its part, had released Reddy Hill, as well as Hornsby and Frank Schumansky, as they attempted to move up in the standings after a slow start. The Divorcees were excited about adding outfielder Hopkins, shortstop John Murphy, and a talented young second baseman from Iowa, Bill Zink. Pitcher Fred Steele would make his way to Fargo from Nebraska within the week.

June 16, 1897 Fargo Forum and Daily Republican p. 4

June 16, 1897 Grand Forks Herald Front page

Banning Ripped by Forum

Sometimes it takes a second look at the research to find a gem. This is one I overlooked when making my first pass through the pages of the Forum from June 1897. I picked up the story while scouring the Grand Forks Herald today, which noted some harsh criticism that the Fargo Forum had directed toward RRVL umpire Jimmy Banning.

Banning began the year playing for the Fargo team, but switched to the role of umpire just a few weeks into the season. He had played on Fargo's minor league team in 1887, which the June 19th Forum mentioned in its front page rant. My favorite part of the not so veiled criticism was this line, in which the writer may have wanted to show impartiality, but just couldn't hold back: "...Personally Jimmie is a nice fellow, and he has hosts of friends here from his good work behind the bat in the old Red River league. But with all due respect to the memory of his rapidly fading glory - as umpire - he's the rottenest specimen that ever came over the pike..." Wow.

Interestingly, it wasn't unfair treatment of the Fargo team that spurred the sportswriter's diatribe. Instead, it was Banning's work in a game between Grand Forks and Moorhead that prompted the criticism. It makes you wonder if there was some bad blood between the writer and the former Fargo shortstop. Especially when you consider he described Banning's worst call as the "...crown piece of idiocy...".

On This Date: Sloppy Game Ends in a Tie

June 8, 1897 - The Fargo Divorcees met the Grand Forks Senators in a poorly played afternoon match up. Backed by a seven run 5th inning, Fargo led 12-5 after five and a half. Sloppy defense in the 8th and 9th squandered a certain Fargo victory - Hartman and Reddy Hill had errors in the 8th, but it was Fargo's shortstop Russell whose misplay proved most costly. With two outs in the ninth, Grand Forks right fielder Rudge hit a "little grounder" which Russell couldn't handle cleanly, allowing the tying run to score. With the game tied 12-12, the teams went to extra innings. After neither team scored in the 10th, the game was called a tie at 5 p.m. to allow the Grand Forks team to catch their scheduled train home. The game was slated to be completed at a later date. In all, the game featured four hit batters, two passed balls, and 15 errors, Fargo with seven and Grand Forks eight. Remarkably, only one of Fargo's runs was earned, while Grand Forks tallied six earned runs.

Charles Jahnke homered for Fargo and future major leaguer Joe Marshall went deep for Grand Forks. (Incidentally, Marshall later became known as "Home Run" Joe, despite hitting no home runs in 118 major league at-bats. Marshall earned the nickname for his minor league work, which included a very impressive 25 homers for the San Francisco Pirates of the Pacific National League in 1903.)

Gus Munch pitched all ten innings for Fargo and struck out eleven Senators, but did allow fourteen hits. Grand Forks pitcher Harris went the distance, striking out only three Divorcees, but scattering ten hits over his ten innings of work. In the end, the Senators' miscues in the field sabotaged his solid pitching performance.

Moorhead's Aces

The Moorhead team finished the 1897 RRVL season with a record of 32-12, including a 6-2 record after the official season ended prematurely. Behind their star pitchers, the Moorhead club left no doubt regarding who was the superior team in the league. Pitcher "Pike" Mullaney went 14-3 for the club, including a 2-hit shutout against Fargo on June 24th and a 4-hit shutout against Fargo on July 3rd. Bob Brush was also impressive for the Barmaids with a record of 11-4 on the season..

Rivalries and Trash Talking

Arguments and insults between fans of rival teams are normally confined to blogs, online forums, and talk radio. This was not the case in 1897. Newspapers carried the load of hyping (or criticizing) the home team and tearing down the opponents. In particular, Fargo's Sunday Argus took special liberty to publish antagonistic jabs at opposing cities and their teams - both openly and with subtlety.


A sampling of some interesting criticisms:
May 30th - The Argus says the Wahpeton-Breckenridge team, in losing to Moorhead, was "feeling around as aimlessly as pedestrians trying to escape the Fargo street sweeper..." The same article refers to the Moorhead team as the "Barmaids", a moniker that in no way could be considered complimentary. Fargo was an dry city, so Moorhead was the place to drink in 1897. And, apparently, referring to the other team as a bunch of girls is not a new phenomenon in competitive sports - today, though, it is typically reserved as the insult of elementary-aged children.

June 6th - After a win for Fargo against Grand Forks, the Argus simultaneously insulted both the home team for their slow start, and jabbed at the visitors, proclaiming: "Strange! Fargo has won a game! And it was easy at that!"

June 13th - Umpires rarely escaped the wrath of the papers. The Argus claimed in a game between Grand Forks and Moorhead, that "Umpire O'Donnnel's (sic) work was rank, and he received a great deal of roast from the crowd."

July 11th - Speaking of Moorhead's Frank Kulp: "When Kulp can't hit the ball he blames the umpire... Anyhow, it's a case of Kulp-able carelessness."