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"

Metaphorically Speaking

The baseball accounts from the dead-ball era were often unusually and excessively descriptive. The writing certainly played an important role regarding perceptions of baseball in an era before radio and television. The newspaper descriptions about the games of the Red River Valley League are a key piece in understanding the flavor of the league. Here are some of the more entertaining gems:

During the summer of 1897, several pitchers who struggled to control their pitches were deemed to be "as wild as a March hare" by the Sunday Argus. Among the out of control rabbits were Wahpeton-Breckenridge's Ollie Berg, Grand Forks pitcher Charlie Hutton, and Fargo's Gus Munch. On a separate occasion, during a particularly poor weather day in which Ollie Berg surrendered 15 runs, the weather was described as "being as wild and wooly as Berg's delivery."*

Solid pitching performances elicited even richer descriptions. Deacon Phillippe was credited for being "as steady as a clock" in a game in late June. Wahpeton-Breckenridge pitcher O'Donnell's alertness in a game in late May caused The Moorhead Independent to credit him for watching base runners "like a hungry hyena".** Moorhead's Pike Mullaney was complimented for a start in which he "shot the ball over the plate with Denzer-like steam," a reference pitcher Roger Denzer, who threw for the St. Paul Saints and Chicago Colts in 1897.*** Moorhead's other ace, Bob Brush, pitched an impressive game allowing hits and runs "as scarce as mosquitoes in January."**** Perhaps the most creative embellishment of a pitcher's dominance came courtesy of the Sunday Argus. The paper remarked that Pike Mullaney's pitching against the Wahpeton-Breckenridge club "had the Methodists feeling around as aimlessly as pedestrians trying to escape the Fargo street sweeper, or huge cats from whose muzzles the whiskers had been cleanly shaven."*****

*The Moorhead Independent June 11, 1897
**Independent May 28, 1897
***Independent June 25, 1897
****Independent June 11, 1897
*****Sunday Argus May 30, 1897

Top 5 "Good Guys" from the 1897 RRVL

In a season filled with plenty of bad behavior, here are five of the most gentlemanly personalities from the Red River Valley League of 1897:

1) George Challis - umpire; Fargo manager
It is nearly impossible to find a single bad word written about George Challis. His umpiring work was unanimously considered to be the best in the region. Challis was so respected that after he became Fargo's manager during the 1897 season, he was called upon to finish umpiring one of Fargo's own games after umpire O'Donnell quit the game. A benefit game was played after the season to raise money and show appreciation for Challis.

2) Deacon Phillippe - Fargo's promising young pitcher
Phillippe, on his way to stardom, was by all accounts a humble player during his time in Fargo. His disposition made him instantly popular among local fans, and his work ethic eventually made him a star pitcher in the majors. 

3) Umpire O'Donnell - umpire in 1897
O'Donnell regularly had to deal with nonsense while umpiring league games, particularly from Moorhead catcher Tim Keefe. Early in the season, O'Donnell fined but did not eject Keefe in back-to-back games for arguing and foul language. Later in the season, Keefe's antics caused O'Donnell to leave the field rather than finish umpiring a game between Moorhead and Fargo. Earlier in that game, O'Donnell had ejected Fargo catcher Hartman and had a cop escort him from the field. Impressively, O'Donnell didn't respond in anger at any point despite dealing with plenty of reckless behavior.

4) Peaceful Valley Brown - popular Fargo player
Despite an incident in which he vociferously argued with umpire Tige Lyons and was ejected, Charles "Peaceful Valley" Brown generally lived up to his nickname. He was a consistent player, generally considered to be a gentleman, and became a fan favorite after first playing for Fargo in 1896.

5) Sheriff Bodkin - Moorhead manager
The local sheriff and Moorhead team manager was well-respected in the community. A Civil War veteran who fought for the 104th Illinois infantry, Bodkin achieved the rank of sergeant, spent over three months as a prisoner of war, and was wounded on two separate occasions. In 1876, he began the first of two stints as Clay county sheriff. In 1897, Bodkin took on additional responsibility as manager of the Barmaids. In this role, Bodkin was a strong advocate for the RRVL and his team, the pennant winners for the season. (The Record Vol 3 Issue 8 p. 152 Feb. 1898).

Coming Attractions

After some brainstorming, I have some ideas for upcoming posts that I thought I would share. In no particular order:

- The top 5 "Good Guys" of the 1897 Red River Valley League
- The top 5 jerks of the 1897 Red River Valley League
- A collection of all reported attendance numbers from the season's games
- A comprehensive list of the ejections and fines for bad behavior
- An 1897 RRVL political cartoon and illustrations from the Grand Forks Herald of games from the 1896 season

Feel free to comment with any suggestions. Thanks!

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"

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