Andy Anderson Playing for Portland - Picture Series Part VI

The picture below is of the 1902 Portland Webfoots of the Pacific Northwest League. The player on the far left is Andy Anderson, who pitched and played second base for the 1897 Moorhead Barmaids. This picture was taken before the team boarded a train to travel to Tacoma, Washington for a game against the Tacoma Tigers.

Source: The Oregonian

Joe Marshall Running Home - Picture Series Part V

After the 1897 season, Joe Marshall spent most of his baseball career playing for minor league teams in the Mountain West and on the West Coast. One of his stops was Butte, Montana, where he played for the Miners in 1902 and from 1911 to 1913. The picture below shows Marshall running to home plate in a game against the Portland Webfoots of the Pacific Northwest League in 1902. The catcher is Sammy Vigneaux - also playing for the Portland club was Andy Anderson, a member of the 1897 Moorhead Barmaids.

Butte Inter Mountain 6-16-1902

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

Gus Munch in Chicago, 1907 - Picture Series Part II

Gus Munch, center, pitched for amateur clubs in St. Paul and had a brief stint with the St. Paul Saints before he became a member of the 1897 Fargo Divorcees. Munch went on to pitch several years for amateur teams in the Chicago area throughout the first decade of the 20th Century. 

SDN-052551, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Munch pitched primarily for the Chicago West Ends amateur team in the early 1900s. In this 1906 photo, Munch is pictured below wearing a dark shirt, along with teammates with the West Ends emblem on their shirts. He is the fourth man from the left. 

SDN-051940, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Phillippe and Marshall Reunite - Picture Series Part I

Over the next few weeks, I will periodically post pictures of interest relating to the 1897 Red River Valley League. These are pictures that did not fit into the context of my upcoming book: Divorcees, Barmaids, and Cranks: The 1897 Red River Valley Baseball League.

Fargo's Deacon Phillippe and Grand Forks' Joe Marshall, rivals in the 1897 Red River Valley League, became teammates just six years later in the major leagues. This photo was taken during Marshall's only year with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League, in 1903. Marshall was a reserve utility player who appeared in only ten games for the Pirates. Phillippe won a career high 25 games in his fourth year with the club, and he would play the rest of his career in Pittsburgh before retiring from baseball in 1911. The 1903 Pirates fell to the Boston Americans, five games to three, in the inaugural World Series. Deacon Phillippe won all three games for the Pirates, while Marshall did not appear in the series. 

As noted in the caption below the photo, Phillippe is standing in the back row, third from the left. Marshall is seated on the floor, furthest to the left.

The Pittsburgh Dispatch, September 20, 1903

Team information from http://www.baseball-reference.com/.

Steele and Zink Reunite

Teammates on the 1897 Fargo Divorcee baseball team, Fred "Jack" Steele and Bill Zink would cross paths again just three years later. Not only did the two men play on the same team, the 1900 Terre Haute Hottentots, they also lived at the same address. It was not uncommon at the time for players to board together in the same residence. The transient nature of minor league baseball players at the time meant such an arrangement make sense. The 1900 Federal Census lists Steele and Zink as being "roomers" at the residence of Albert Kohler in Bloomington, Illinois. Nine ballplayers are listed under the same Bloomington residence. Three of the men are designated as "boarders" and six as "roomers." The term boarder seems to suggest a more permanent status of residency, though at least one of the boarders played with Steele and Zink on the 1900 Hottentots. With the distance between Bloomington and Terre Haute being 140 miles, it is highly doubtful the men stayed at the Kohler residence during the summer baseball season of 1900.

See larger image here: http://historicbaseballfargo.blogspot.com/p/steele-and-zink-1900-federal-census.html

Fargo Raids Winona Supply

Fargo's 1897 club was the beneficiary of apparent financial instability on the part of the Winona, MN team. Though the Winona team continued to play late into the summer, in early June they lost three of their key players to the Divorcees of the Red River Valley League. Fargo, interested in bolstering its roster after a slow start, added Bill Zink, outfielder Hopkins, and infielder Jack Murphy to try to provide a boost in run production. All three men, likely seeking better pay, had starred for the Winona club earlier in the summer of 1897. Their departure left pitcher Ignatius Comiskey, brother of then St. Paul manager Charles Comiskey, to lead the Winona team.

Winona Daily Republican Summer 1897.

Random Fact of the Day (5)

Bill Zink and Fred Steele reunited as teammates in 1900, playing for the Terre Haute (IN) Hottentots of the Central League. In the 1900 Federal Census, both men were listed as boarders at the Bloomington, IL residence of Albert Kohler, who housed several players that season.

Best of the Hobos

Just a quick, fun list of some of the best player names featured in 1897 games between the various RRVL teams and a few different groups of hobos:

Hobos vs. Breckenridge - Aug 1897
Water Tank Frank - Pitcher
Holey Peter - Center Field

Hobos vs. Grand Forks Senators (partial squad) - Aug 2, 1897
Rusty Raggles - Pitcher
Bowlegged Pete - Catcher
Pie-faced Charley - First Base
Shorty Swatts - Second Base
Peggy McNabb - Third Base
Bunty Spikes - Right Field

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"

Player Profile: Gus Munch

Gustave E. “Gus” Munch made his Fargo debut on July 8, 1896 in an 8-7 ten inning loss against Crookston. The young left-hander went eight innings in the box for the Fargo club, giving way to manager/pitcher Lee Roberts, who pitched the final two innings. Despite giving up three runs in the eighth inning, Munch left the game with his team ahead 7-6, having struck out an impressive twelve Crookston players. The Crookston club scored once in the ninth to tie the score, and Ignatius Comiskey scored the game winning run after leading off the tenth inning, as he reached home on a triple and a throwing error.

The 1896 season was the beginning of a long career for Munch in professional, semi-pro, and amateur baseball in the Midwest. Leading up to the 1897 season, Munch was considered among the best young talent in the St. Paul area. The St. Paul Globe touted him as a “robust young fellow, with plenty of speed and good curves, and …a disposition to play ball.” (3-28-97)  He began the season with the St. Paul Saints of the Western League, pitching well in an exhibition win in mid-April. With this impressive performance, the fans were anxious to see the talented twirler make his regular season debut against the Minneapolis Millers on May 16. It was not a happy ending for Munch or the 5,500 home fans in attendance, as the Saints were pummeled 16-5. Munch was hit hard by the Millers, but didn’t receive any help from his defense, which committed an atrocious 11 errors. Despite only allowing five earned runs, the St. Paul Globe still was not convinced that Munch was ready to compete against the talent of Western League.

Munch’s poor debut for the Saints meant more seasoning in the Red River Valley League, and the beneficiary was the Fargo club. Munch made his 1897 debut for the Divorcees on June 4, facing the Grand Forks Senators in Fargo’s home opener. He pitched well, striking out nine men and allowing just eight hits, but the Senators’ F. W. Harris (a.k.a. Myers) was the better pitcher on that cold Friday afternoon in Fargo. Harris walked seven, and the Senators committed five errors, but Harris surrendered only two hits in the 4-2 Grand Forks win.

Munch pitched the remainder of the season with Fargo, and after the RRVL disbanded, he bounced around the region playing for town teams. On September 6, he was in the box for Brainerd, MN in a contest against Staples, MN. Munch was impressive and struck out 13 in his team’s win.  Later that month, Munch led the West Superior, WI amateurs to the interstate championship against the club from Marquette, MI. Impressively, the young lefty pitched complete games on both Saturday and Sunday in front of 3,000 excited fans.

Throughout the next decade, Munch played mainly for amateur teams in the Upper Midwest, including clubs from his home town of Chicago. Showing immense talent as a crafty left-handed pitcher, Munch’s best pitch was his curveball, and he also had a solid fastball and respectable changeup in his pitching repertoire. His deceptive sidearm delivery further fooled batters, who struck out against Munch often. He likely would have made the major leagues if he had devoted himself to baseball full-time. Instead, Munch was more satisfied with his job at a street lighting company in Maywood, IL. In 1900, he was treasurer of the company, and would eventually become its president. Seemingly not wanting to be tied to a contract with any single baseball club, Munch instead rented out his services to the highest bidder.

Munch became a coveted commodity for any club wanting to beef up its roster for a big game or series. This led him to appearances with amateur, semi-pro, and professional clubs in St. Paul, Chicago, Davenport, IA, Minneapolis, and Springfield, IL. During this stretch, Munch flirted with the idea of playing major league baseball, drawing strong interest from ­­­the New York Highlanders of the American League and their manager Clark Griffith. Though he never appeared in a major league game, Munch became part of a series in 1907 in Chicago that drew great interest in that city and beyond. Interestingly, his greatest moments in baseball would result from the dominance of Chicago’s talented all-black team, the Leland Giants.

Throughout the summer of 1907, the Leland Giants had dominated all competition in Chicago, leading the team to look for a more challenging opponent. As a result, a group of “All-Professionals” from the Chicago area was assembled by former major leaguers “Turkey” Mike Donlin and Jimmy Callahan. The select group of ballplayers would play a seven game series against the best team in the city not named the Cubs or White Sox. Negro League innovator Rube Foster was the star of the series, which went to the Giants four games to two. Foster was on the mound for all four of his team’s wins, pitching four complete games while allowing just seven runs to the All-Professionals. Though he didn’t face Foster head-to-head, Gus Munch pitched brilliantly in the two victories by the All-Professionals. In game two of the series, Munch scattered seven hits in a complete game win, 6-2. In that game, he picked off two runners, demonstrating another deceptive piece in his collection of pitching tricks. In game five, Munch was even more dominant, surrendering just two hits and striking out seven Giants in a 3-1 win. Despite Munch’s efforts, Rube Foster's Leland Giants became the “undisputed champions of Chicago” (p.115)

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican

July 3, 1896 “At the Ball Park” p. 8

July 9, 1896 “Played Ten Innings” p. 4

St. Paul Globe

February 14, 1897 p.9 “Drafting Local Ball Talent”

March 28, 1897 p. 8 “ ‘Commy’ Has Signed Munch – The ‘Packers’ Star Pitcher of a Year or So Ago”

May 17, 1897 p. 5

Sept. 7, 1897 p. 5 “Munch’s Good Record”

Sept. 28, 1897 p. 5 “Munch Was the Twirler”

The Sporting News

May 8, 1897

May 22, 1897 p.3

Andrew “Rube” Foster: A Harvest on Freedom’s Fields by Phil S. Dixon. p.109, 114-116

Let's Play Some Hobos!

The situation: You are a professional minor league baseball team and your league has ties to nationally organized baseball. You just finished your shortened season in a respectable second place. You are waiting for your league to transfer a team from one town to another, so you and the other clubs can continue playing.

So what do you do with your off-day? Well, its also 1897, so you play a game against some hobos, of course!

On August 2, 1897, the Grand Forks Senators and the other Red River Valley League teams were anxiously awaiting the transfer of the bankrupt Wahpeton-Breckenridge team to Crookston. The newly constituted league was scheduled to kick off with a game between Grand Forks and Crookston, a rivalry that promised to be exciting for both towns. While the Senators waited for the details to fall into place, they wanted to stay sharp, so they scheduled a game for Monday afternoon. Their opponent? Local hobos, or more specifically, migrant workers who were in the valley to assist with the harvest season. As strange as it may sound, Grand Forks took on a team with players claiming nicknames such as "Shorty Swatts", "Pie-faced Charley", and "Bowlegged Pete", among others.

Though the Herald took a shot at the work ethic of the region's migrant workers, the paper didn't have much to brag about in its account of the game. That is because, amazingly, the Senators lost the five-inning contest 3-2. How the Grand Forks club managed to lose the game is hard to conceive, but the hobos apparently had a fair amount of baseball talent. Pitcher "Milwaukee Mike" earned praise for having "as many graceful curves as a ballet dancer", and the game account also lauded the team's fielding and base-running abilities. Furthermore, without a box score, it is unclear whether the full squad of Senators joined in the challenge of playing against the "weary willies". Only pitcher Hoar and Joe Marshall are mentioned by name as participating in the game for Grand Forks. Hoar started on the mound for the Senators, and was later replaced by Marshall, who notably did not pitch in any other game for Grand Forks during the season. And to be fair to the hobos, minor league baseball players in the era were often equally nomadic and of questionable character. Also, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that some minor leaguers both played baseball and performed farm labor as means of income. In any event, the anonymous group of vagrants notched the win over the Senators in what the Herald reported simply as "a unique game of ball."

Grand Forks Herald August 3, 1897 p.4 "Hobos at Ball"

On This Date: Scattered Play Locally

August 13, 1897 - The Moorhead Independent reported in their Sunday weekly that, with the Red River Valley League now disbanded, six Barmaids had gone to play for a team in Perham, MN. Pitcher Bob Brush went to Winona to play for their local team, and several other Moorhead players were reported to have gone home for the summer.

On August 13, Moorhead ace Pike Mullaney pitched for Staples, MN against Wadena, MN, who put Fargo's Oscar Peterson on the mound. Mirroring the RRVL season, Mullaney's team bested Peterson's, as Staples won 4-0. Amateur games featuring town teams would fill the next few weeks in the Red River Valley, so hungry baseball fans weren't completely cut off. Also, a benefit game in appreciation of Fargo's Manager George Challis was scheduled, with local doctors slugging it out against the town's lawyers. But with a sparse schedule filled with exhibition games such as these, there is no doubt local "cranks" still lamented the loss of professional baseball that resulted from the RRVL's demise.

August 13, 1897 Moorhead Independent "Disbanded" Front page
August 14, 1897 Fargo Forum and Daily Republican p.5

A Few Reasons Why Baseball Was Better Then

There are plenty of things to like about baseball today. Anywhere we are, we can see our favorite major league team in action on television or online. The detailed statistics and rich history of the game make for great conversation and analysis. Baseball is still played outside on beautiful summer days and evenings. Discrimination doesn't keep certain players out of the big leagues. Despite all this, there is something to be said about the way baseball used to be. I would enjoy it if these aspects of the 1897 game were still prevalent today:

1) Pitchers pitched the whole game, nearly all of the time. None of this 5 1/3 innings and go to the bullpen stuff. You finished what you started. And you didn't get five days off between starts, either, despite pitching more innings per start. A three man rotation was a luxury. And no one knew what a pitch count was.

2) They only used a few baseballs per game, at the most. Going through three baseballs in one game was relatively unusual. Today, going through three baseballs in one inning is remarkably rare. The thing that might drive me the most crazy about major league baseball today concerns pitches in the dirt. Watch an inning on television, and you will see what I mean. When the baseball hits the dirt, its life in the big leagues is over. It is thrown out of play, automatically. They say it has something to do with the dirt not really being dirt and scuffing up the ball much more than natural stuff. (However, I will concede that one benefit of today's approach is it allows for fans to keep foul balls as souvenirs.)

3) Nearly all players, even major leaguers, played mostly for love of the game and not for insane sums of money. Fortunately, this is a characteristic that has endured in most minor leagues, and I think it adds a unique feel to those games. There are too many major league players who don't seem to really mind if they strikeout or give up a home run. They sometimes lack that competitive, scrappy edge that players of old had in abundance. And they seem less like "regular guys", which has always been a strength of baseball.

4) The players faced more adversity, in general. Long train rides, no air conditioning, frequent doubleheaders, no night games, no guaranteed contracts, primitive facilities and equipment, and the list goes on.

These are obviously fairly subjective items, but these are some of the things that I think baseball could benefit from still having. In a perfect world, perhaps.

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"

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

Former Major Leaguer Released and Blacklisted

If nothing else, William Henry "Josh" Reilly's 1897 season was an eventful one. He brought his brash personality and erratic play to at least three different Midwest cities during the summer, including a month long stop in Fargo to play second base for the Divorcees.

Reilly had appeared in nine games the previous season in the National League for the Chicago Colts (later the Cubs). It would be his only major league stint. He began the 1897 season with the Kansas City Blues of the Western League, but was released at the beginning of June after not playing up to Manager Jimmie Manning's expectations. In a June 12 Sporting News report on the Blues, Reilly was grouped with several other Kansas City players who were belittled as "a set of 'cattle drivers' who could not play ball as well as a ten-year-old 'kid' nine" (p.7).

By June 2nd, Reilly had signed with the Indianapolis Indians, also of the Western League. He was signed to fill a need that arose due to other players' injuries. After two weeks, Reilly, who had "showed while with Kansas City that he was not fast enough for (the) league," was released (July 19, 1897 TSN p.5). He likely then traveled to southern Minnesota to play with a team in the city of Kenyon that disbanded shortly after his arrival.

On June 30th, the Forum reported that Josh Reilly arrived in Fargo and would be given a tryout. Described as a great coach of players, Reilly made his debut for Fargo playing at second base on July 1st against the Barmaids and went 1 for 3. His strong character was evident in Fargo, and he even became an object of affection for some of Fargo's female fans. Over the next month, Josh would hit .307 for the team, but had a fielding percentage of just .882 (fielding had been a problem earlier in the season for Reilly). On August 3rd, after the RRVL had officially disbanded, Fargo was playing Moorhead as part of a revised schedule. The team's 4-2 loss in 16 innings to the Barmaids would be Reilly's last game with Fargo.

Angry at Manager George Challis for not advancing him a paycheck, Reilly responded with purposefully erratic play. According to the game summary from the Forum, he "carelessly muffed" an easy throw from a teammate in the first inning. In the second inning, Reilly moved non-nonchalantly toward a slow roller hit up the middle by former Fargo player Charles Jahnke. The last straw for Manager Challis was in the third inning, when Reilly half-heartedly handled a line drive, dropped it, and slowly pursued the ball, allowing Jack Page of the Barmaids to score. Challis took him out of the game and Reilly was released and blacklisted the same day.

The Fargo management should not have been surprised at Reilly's actions, however. They had played a part in helping Reilly come to Fargo despite a warrant for his arrest in southern Minnesota (likely from the town of Kenyon). Apparently, Reilly had been wanted for not paying a boarding bill while staying in the city (Forum Aug 3, 1897 p.4).

The Springfield Governors of the Interstate League picked up Josh Reilly for the remainder of the 1897 season. Interestingly, The Sporting Life reported on July 31st, while Reilly was still with Fargo, that Springfield "expected (him) to report this week..." (*p. 17). This raises the question of whether he intended to leave Fargo anyway around the time of his release. After all, the RRVL's future for 1897 was murky at best, with the league officially disbanding July 31st. Reilly may have simply been trying to squeeze some money out of Fargo's management before heading east for Illinois.

Before the 1898 season began, it was reported that Reilly wanted too much money from Springfield, and had begun playing baseball back home in California. In reality, Josh Reilly had burned many of his bridges in the Midwest. He would spend the next decade playing minor league baseball on the west coast, mainly for teams in his native San Francisco and in San Jose. 

(*There is some ambiguity concerning Josh's 1897 season. Box scores in late July that appeared in The Sporting Life indicated that a player with the last name of Reilly had been playing with Springfield while Josh was still playing for Fargo. There are also reports of a Reilly playing for Indianapolis after Josh was released June 19th. Neither of the accounts referred to the player's first name, however. Based on various newspaper reports, I believe that a different man with the last name of Reilly was playing for Indianapolis in July, and a different Reilly was playing for Springfield before Josh arrived there in early August.)

Player Profile: Lee "Reddy" Roberts

Fargo's 1897 team began the season with Lee "Reddy" Roberts as manager. Roberts was very involved in Fargo baseball in the 1890s, but in 1897, he left the Fargo team in early June after being dismissed as manager of the team. The Forum blamed the end of his managerial duties on the team's slow start. Roberts agreed to pitch a game for Fargo after his release as manager, but left the team about a week later. He signed on with the Sheldon, ND team, and also appeared with the Mandan, ND club at the end of June, according to a report in the Bismarck Tribune (Jun. 28, 1897 edition).

Lee Roberts was truly a native son of Fargo. Born Sept. 2, 1871, Roberts was the first child born in the city of Fargo, known as Centralia at the time of his birth. Roberts grew up in Fargo, and as a child enjoyed reading and playing baseball. Married in 1894, he made his home in Fargo, working as a building contractor and fathering two sons, Dana and Vernon. (*Information from WPA conducted interviews 1936-1940.)

Player Profile: Jimmy Banning's Journeys through Fargo

James M. "Jimmy" Banning stood 5'6" and weighed 150 pounds, batting left-handed and throwing right-handed in a major league career that spanned three games. Yes, three - one game in 1888 and two in 1889 as a catcher for the Washington Nationals of the National League. He had five chances in the field with no errors, and just one at-bat and no hits.

The year before his major league debut, Banning played for the Fargo club in the 1887 Red River Valley League that also featured teams from Fergus Falls, Wahpeton, and Grand Forks.

Fast forward to July 18, 1891, after his major league "cup of coffee" and time spent with Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario of the International League. Banning appeared in a contest between Fargo and Grand Forks that was played at Devils Lake, ND. The game was notable for lasting a remarkable 25 innings. Even more noteworthy is the fact that after 25 innings, the score was Fargo 0, Grand Forks 0. The game was called so that the teams could catch the trains home. Darkness, too, may have been a factor in a time before stadium lights. Banning had 0 hits in 11 at bats in that game. (Obviously, none of the hitters had very much success, though.) Another unique note is the fact that three baseballs were used in the game. Normally, one baseball sufficed for an entire game! (Impressive considering that at the major league level today, any ball that hits the dirt when pitched is immediately exchanged for a fresh one.)

In 1897, Banning again appeared for Fargo in the new Red River Valley League. Although only 31-years-old at the time, the Forum reported that Banning wasn't as swift as he was in the past. Banning appeared in just a few games as a player for the Fargo team in 1897, and spent part of the season umpiring other league games.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=bannin001jim