Ollie Berg Accomplishes Incredibly Rare Feat

Wahpeton-Breckenridge pitcher Ollie (or "Allie") Berg received mention in the September 16, 1902 edition of The Minneapolis Journal for an incredibly rare feat: an unassisted triple play. The unassisted triple play occurs when a fielder is responsible for recording three outs on one batted ball, without any assistance from the other fielders. The play is so incredibly rare that it has happened only 15 times in the history of Major League Baseball. Berg turned his triple play in 1901 when he was pitching for a Langdon, North Dakota town team against a town team from Cavalier, North Dakota. 

Unassisted triple plays in Major League Baseball: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/?feature=unassisted_triple_plays

Perham Team Had Ties to 1897 Fargo Divorcees

The 1901 Perham baseball team had two players who likely had ties to the Red River Valley League of 1897. The catcher on the team is listed as H. Howe, and I believe this is Henry "Harry" Howe, who played for the Fargo Divorcees after several years playing for other Midwest clubs in both the Western League and Western Association. The pitcher on the Perham club is listed as C. T. Roberts, and I believe this is Charles "Tad" Roberts, brother of Lee Roberts, the player and manager on the Fargo club of 1897. Lee and Tad often played together on Fargo nines during the other summers of the 1890s. The picture explains that all of the Perham players were local men, except for the battery (the pitcher and the catcher). Tad Roberts hailed from Fargo and Harry Howe was likely from the Twin Cities, so that piece of the puzzle seems to fit.

The Minneapolis Journal, August 26, 1901

The Perham club of 1901 participated in a loose organization of clubs, a common occurrence among town teams of the era. Unlike the Red River Valley League of 1897, Perham's league was not officially recognized by the National or American Leagues. Nevertheless, the club certainly reveled in its success.

Former Lakota Manager Ernie Kent Dies - 8/18/1912

Though not directly involved in the 1897 Red River Valley League, Ernie Kent was a prominent name in local baseball in the 1890s. The league and Kent's Lakota club crossed paths on July 13, 1897 when the Grand Forks Senators defeated Lakota 11-1 in an exhibition game. Kent also managed Fargo catcher Jack Ryan in 1897, for which he deserves our sympathy.

Grand Forks Herald, August 18, 1912

Pandemonium in Enderlin! - An excerpt from the upcoming book

As I continue progress toward completing the chronicle of the 1897 Red River Valley League, I thought I would share a fascinating aside to the story. Here's a sampling:

Despite a late 6 pm start, the fans in Enderlin were itching for more baseball and savored the championship game to be played between the rival towns, the winners going away with a cash prize. As the teams took the field, “pandemonium reigned”, and a group of especially passionate Enderlin fans in the grandstand roared with insane fervor, amplified by dog whistles and six foot long tin horns, among other noisemakers. Sheldon’s club was up to the challenge and rose above the intimidation, taking a 2-0 lead after two innings to quiet the crowd somewhat. At that point, it was time for the estimated 1,500 Sheldon supporters to show their enthusiasm, as they “filled the air with hats, coats, fans, yells and parasols” and their team held off a late Enderlin rally to win 11-7. Lee Roberts was reported to have “pitched the game of his life”, and the Sheldon club returned to their town heroes, greeted by the “blaze of trumpets and the boom of cannon”.  The Red River Valley League clubs should have envied the display of enthusiasm, particularly those teams struggling to draw even a fraction of the fans seen in Enderlin that weekend. (Forum June 21, 1897)