The 1888 Colonels-June Takes a Turn for the Better Amidst Turmoil

The beginning of June saw the crises of the 1888 season come to a head. The ownership of the Louisville changed hands to Mordecai Davidson, manager John Kelly resigned, and the Colonels suffered a disastrous eastern road trip.

The battered Falls City aggregate arrived home on June 8 and at that time John Kelly formally handed in his resignation as manager and immediately accepted a job as umpire in the National League. Club owner Mordecai Davidson stated he'd assume the day-to-day responsibilities of running the Colonels.

The Courier-Journal conducted a postmortem of the season thus far and acknowledged bad luck, and most especially injuries to the catchers contributed mightily to the failures faced by the Louisville nine. The paper stated Louisville's pitchers could not throw as hard as usual due to injuries faced by the catchers. While the start proved discouraging, the paper seemed hopeful for a turnaround in the Colonels' fortunes.

The future indeed seemed brighter on June 9, as the Kansas City Cowboys arrived at Eclipse Park and promptly received a 14-4 thrashing by the Louisvilles. The game proved close until the sixth inning, when Louisville blew the game open. The Colonels played with the "old time vim and dash" exhibited by Falls City's clubs in years past. All Louisville players except Hub Collins got a hit and the crowd of 500 went home happy.

The next day saw another win for the Derby City boys, as they won 5-1 in a rain-shortened, six inning contest. 

They missed a sweep the next day, as Kansas City won 8-7.  Both clubs played well, but the Cowboys timed their hits just a little better. 

Considering the other world news of the day, things weren't so bad. Germany's Kaiser Frederick lay dying, the sovereign only recently assuming the throne from his father, Kaiser Wilhem I. Beloved American poet Walt Whitman fell ill and the nation feared the author of Leaves of Grass would soon join Kaiser Frederick in death. The fate of a ballclub in Louisville didn't seem so momentous in comparison.

After a short, three-game home stand, the Colonels boarded a train westward to face the St. Louis Browns and the Cowboys.

Louisville lost the first game against St. Louis 3-2 on June 13, after leading most of the day. A gruesome injury to Guy Hecker compounded the sorrowful tidings of the loss. He received a spike wound on his left hand in a play at the plate and subsequently fainted as a result of blood loss. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch stated Hecker would leave for Louisville that night to have a specialist look at his crippled hand.

In the words of the Post-Dispatch, Hecker's injury would "hurt Louisville's strength, if indeed such a thing be possible."

The next day, St. Louis again defeated the Falls City crowd 13-7 as Ramsey received "wretched support" from the Colonels. This defeat indeed seemed small, as news of the death of Kaiser Frederick reached America. Frederick's death meant Kaiser Wilhem II assumed the throne of Germany, as 1888 became the "Year of Three Emperors." The new Kaiser's policies in time helped contribute to the First World War, but that was 25 or so years in the future.

Back in Missouri, the Browns completed their sweep of the Colonels the next day, as they thumped the Colonels 12-3. St. Louis chased Ice Box Chamberlain out of the box in the second inning, and Louisville played in a "half-spirited, listless manner."

Louisville couldn't leave the Mound City fast enough, and the next day (June 16) they played the one team that almost guaranteed a break in a Colonel slump, Kansas City. Chamberlain again started and again got hit hard, but today he held on. In spite of being on the receiving end of a four-run first, the Colonels won 6-5. 

The Courier-Journal reported that day President Davidson lowered prices for all seats to $.50, with boys under 12 admitted for $.25, and ladies free on Thursdays when accompanied by a man. 

On June 17, the Colonels managed a two-game sweep of the Cowboys by the narrowest of margins, winning 7-6 as timely hitting saved the day for the Falls City club. 

After their 2-3 "Show-Me State" excursion, the Colonels made for the Queen City to play a four game tilt against the Reds, with two games in Cincinnati and two in Louisville.

The first game, played on June 21, shared headlines with the Republican National Convention, who set about determining their candidate for president. Being out of the White House, there was much more division than the Democrats encountered earlier in the month.

Louisville proved more decisive than the GOP as they defeated the slumping Reds 15-9. The Colonels took advantage of the Reds' suspect pitching and shoddy defense. Louisville hit well and in the words of the Cincinnati Enquirer, "presented a marked and favorable contrast to the banged-up, crippled, and dilapidated team" they'd played a month before.

The Reds evened the series the following day in dramatic fashion in the eleventh inning 10-8. This game surged back and forth (I would love to have seen a win percentage graph from this game) with the game being tied twice. Cincinnati took a 8-5 lead to the ninth, where Louisville promptly tied the score. The Colonels could do no more, however, and Cincinnati pushed two runs across in the top of the eleventh.

The next day, the series shifted to Louisville amidst a steady drizzle which fell upon the field all day. Rain stopped the game for 30 minutes during the third inning. The wet grounds and soggy ball contributed to the lackluster performance of both clubs and darkness mercifully put an end to the 10-10 game after the Reds scored two runs to tie it in the ninth. 

As a bit of an aside, Cincinnati's uniforms proved the second most interesting part of the "dreary, drawn out battle." I won't go into detail here, as the 19th Century base ball uniform database "Threads of Our Game" does a much better job of documenting the Reds' togs from that game than yours truly, though I'm happy to say my research of the Courier-Journal archives found a gem of a quote from this game about the Cincinnati uniforms, which certainly made me chuckle.

(Cincinnati's sartorial choices didn't elicit mockery alone, as the  Colonels' maroon uniforms elicited similar sneers, you can see their finery on "Threads of Our Game" as well. You're welcome in advance for all the valuable time you'll spend seeing the wonderful uniforms worn by base ball clubs in the 19th Century.)

The most interesting aspect of the third game in he series revolved around Pete Browning, who made his grand arrival in Louisville on June 23.  He'd lapsed from his temperance pledge made at the start of the season and got "roaring drunk" in Kansas City during the recent series with the Cowboys.

Browning got so intoxicated he bought a fishing pole and began fishing in a gutter in front of Louisville's hotel. As Louisville left for Cincinnati, Browning stayed and further enjoyed what Kansas City had to offer. 

Browning, "as is his usual" apologized and asked for mercy from Louisville's management, which was granted at a cost of a $100 fine (over $2,500 in 2018). As funny as this episode may sound, Browning's alcoholism had left a streak of such incidents through his playing career and would sadly contribute to an untimely and unfortunate death in the future for the "Gladiator."

Cincinnati closed out the series with Louisville in fine fashion, winning 11-4. The Colonels looked poor, as Scott Stratton got hit hard. Cincinnati pitcher Tony Mullane managed to stymie all but three Louisville batters that day. Browning, Chicken Wolf, and Joe Werrick all managed two hits apiece, but unfortunately the rest of the Louisvilles could do little against "The Count."

The generally listless showing this day infuriated President Davidson, as the defeat coupled with Browning's alcoholism and Toad Ramsey's mysterious illness which somehow managed to go away when he went to a saloon, proved too much. 

Shortstop Bill White became the target of Davidson's ire as he was suspended for his subpar performance in the recent days. However, in White's defense, he didn't carouse (at least not openly) and had been playing with a high fever the last few days. An indignant White demanded his release and if he could not obtain it, he'd retire to his Ohio home to run a general store. 

White's suspension wasn't the only personnel matter on the day, as the Colonels signed pitcher John Ewing and catcher Henry "Farmer" Vaughn from Memphis of the Southern League. The battery proved one of the best in the loop and the Courier-Journal hoped the duo would bolster the improving Louisville club.

In spite of the difficulties of the previous days, the Colonels had indeed played better than at any point during the season. Their better play came as a nasty surprise to the next club to come to the Falls City, the Association-leading Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

On June 26, the day after Benjamin Harrison won the Republican nomination for President, Louisville defeated Brooklyn 7-6.

A crowd of 1,000 saw Ice Box Chamberlain outduel Bob Caruthers, who uncharacteristically walked four batters. Louisville played a few men out of position, with Chicken Wolf at short, pitcher Scott Stratton in centerfield, and local amateur standout Hercules Burnett in right. In spite of the rearranged state of the club, the Colonels superbly supported Chamberlain and came back from an early deficit in the win. The win vaulted them out of the cellar, as the bumbling Kansas City Cowboys took possession of that exalted position. 

The Bill White situation further developed, as Davidson stated he'd attempt a trade with St. Louis for shortstop Joseph Herr.

Brooklyn evened the series the next day, winning 9-7. The Bridegrooms hit hard and often, and Brooklyn's pitching proved too tricky for the Colonels to fully overcome, as a late rally came up short.

Louisville won again the next day 6-1, dropping Brooklyn out of first place. The Courier-Journal stated "Chamberlain was invincible" and he received first-rate support from the rest of the club, especially Lave Cross at catcher. Wolf, still at shortstop and played it "as if he had been in that position all his life.

Louisville's new battery of John Ewing and Farmer Vaughn debuted in the closing match of the Brooklyn series and indeed the month of June. They performed well, with work that "was all that could be desired." Ewing's out curve and drop ball confounded the Brooklyn batters throughout the contest. However, Browning's sprained ankle and two runs scored off of errors by Chicken Wolf proved the difference in the 3-2 loss.

After a tumultuous start, June ended much more optimistically for Louisville. As June waned and July began, the American Association standings looked as such:

Club	W	L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn	39	18	.684	-
St. Louis	35	15	.700	.5
Philadelphia	32	19	.627	4.0
Cincinnati	32	22	.593	5.5
Baltimore	25	27	.481	11.5
Cleveland	17	35	.327	19.5
Louisville	16	38	.296	21.5
Kansas City	14	36	.280	21.5

Many valuable resources contributed to this post. Special thanks to Craig Brown at "Threads of Our Game" for allowing me to link to his pages on the uniforms for the 1888 Colonels and 1888 Reds. The Louisville Courier-Journal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, www.newspapers.com, and www.baseball-reference.com all proved incalculably vital in compiling this post.

Thank you again for looking!

The 1888 Colonels- A Disastrous May Ends

When we left the Colonels, they'd just been swept handily by the Reds and limped out of the Queen City, on its way to the "City of Brotherly Love" to face the Athletics

On May 19, the Colonels opened the Athletic series with a 6-5 win. Louisville native Gus Weyhing took the box for the Athletics, Ramsey for the Colonels and both pitchers commenced to mow down each batting order. Ramsey struck out 11, Weyhing 13. Philadelphia took an early lead, but the Colonels promptly roared back, aided by two walks and a wild pitch by Weyhing that allowed three Louisville runs. The Courier-Journal, somewhat hyperbolically stated "All in all, the Louisvilles put up a game that was well-nigh invincible.

Falls City fans should've savored the win, they wouldn't see another the rest of the month.

The next game occurred Monday, May 21 as Philadelphia, like many cities east of the Alleghenies prohibited amusements of any kind on Sundays. These local "Blue Laws" determined to keep the Sabbath holy and had immense sticking power. Philadelphia clubs wouldn't play Sunday ball until the 1930s.

On that Monday, Louisville lost more than just 14-4. Catcher Lave Cross went down with a split finger that tore off his nail and opened it to the bone. The Courier-Journal reported Cross would be out a month and departed for Louisville to recuperate. John Kerins replaced him but was in no better condition. He had two sore fingers and a game leg.

The injuries forced a rash of position changes for the Colonels. Kerins disability contributed to the shellacking "Ice Box" Chamberlain and Scott Stratton took that afternoon. Descriptions of Louisville's effort that day varied depended on what city's paper one read. The Courier-Journal said the Colonels played "pluckily" while the Philadelphia Inquirer stated they "gave a wretched exhibition."

With Cross lamed and Kerins not at full tilt, Louisville determined to find a "first-class man" to sign as a fill-in. 

The next day saw Louisville put up a fight with the Athletics, but still come up short 6-5. Louisville's shoddy defense undercut their effort and Pete Browning's offensive heroics (3-3 with a triple) and stellar defense (outfield assist to first for a double play) could not make up for it.

In spite of the lackluster field work, Louisville had the lead until the eighth inning, when a three-run Athletics rally doomed the Colonels.

The Falls City Nine departed Philadelphia to go to Brooklyn, to face the surging Bridegrooms (so called after a season where many of their players got married).

The first tilt (May 25) between the Colonels and Bridegrooms fell to the Brooklyn club, 4-1. The "Red Devils" as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle referred to the Louisville club in its crimson uniforms "played ball like a lot of cigar signs," according to the Courier-Journal. A steady rain fell throughout  the game, more than likely contributing to the defense's less-than-stellar support of Toad Ramsey.

The next day, Brooklyn pitcher William "Adonis" Terry added to Louisville's spring of woe, as he no-hit the flailing Colonels in front of 4,875 "intensely gratified spectators" as the Bridegrooms won 4-0.

Toad Ramsey pitched for the second time in two days for the Colonels, as he was the only man the hobbled John Kerins could catch effectively. Ramsey pitched well in the losing effort, but second baseman George Mack's error in the sixth inning gave Brooklyn a lead Terry wouldn't let them relinquish.

The Courier-Journal mentioned the no-hitter in passing, as no-hitters in that era didn't get a lot of publicity, though they were rare. The reporter with the Courier-Journal had to telegraph the game report back to Louisville, and he tried to keep it short and cheap. Also, with the malaise surrounding a 9-20 start, a no-hit loss was just one more misery for the Louisville fans.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle gave the event more attention, and rejoiced in the win, but the hoopla that surrounds such doings in this modern age didn't avail itself in 1888.

Louisville performed much better the next day as a steady rain fell, but still came up short to the Bridegrooms 6-5. The Falls City contingent held a 5-1 lead going into the seventh, but a Brooklyn rally in the eighth cut the lead to 5-3. The rain fell harder in the ninth and made the ball difficult to grip, with Brooklyn taking advantage as they scored three runs and avoided a "signal defeat." The win propelled the Bridegrooms to second in the American Association standings.

According to the Courier-Journal, Ice Box Chamberlain pitched well, but the Colonel defense-as it had all year-looked poor, with Browning fielding "like a blind man" and Chicken Wolf not looking "lively enough" and allowing two pop flies to drop as hits.

Brooklyn swept Louisville the next day. Smelling blood in the water from the wounded Colonel nine, the Brooklyn manager refused to allow a Toad Ramsey for Guy Hecker substitution. Paul Cook, the Louisville catcher, who was hurt (of course!) had difficulty catching Hecker, but could catch Ramsey. Seeing how this could hurt his odds of winning, the Brooklyn manager didn't allow it, as was his prerogative. He did allow Kerins (hurt too) to replace Cook, but after one inning Kerins left the game as his injuries prohibited him from competently playing.

Chicken Wolf came in to catch, and pitcher Scott Stratton went to the outfield in his place. Stratton proved a bright spot on the day, going 3-3 with a walk. One of the few bright spots of the day for Louisville.

On the whole, this trip had been a nightmare so far for Louisville, Browning had gone hitless against Brooklyn and that was merely a symptom of the problems bedeviling the Louisville nine. No one knew exactly what was wrong, but the Courier-Journal stated "they seem, each and all, the pitchers excepted, to be listless before the game commences."

Defeats will do that, losses pile up and a previously confident team will go from optimism and pessimism in short order. Add injuries and slumps into the mix and the ingredients are all too perfect for a horrendous stretch of play, as evidenced by the record up to this time. However, that alone couldn't explain what was going on, the team did seem dissatisfied.

Louisville happily put Brooklyn, with its bridge, Navy Yard, and overwhelming ballclub (but no hipsters at this time) behind them as they rode the rails south to Baltimore, where they'd face the Orioles.

"The Louisville Club came upon the Baltimore grounds yesterday for the first time this year, casting a lurid glare over the place by the intense brilliancy of their cardinal costumes," stated the Baltimore Sun. This comment really proved the most memorable thing about the game for the Falls City faithful, as Louisville played its last game of May, losing 7-3.

Rain mercifully cancelled a game the next day, ending the month in appropriate fashion for the flatlining Colonel nine.

The end of May saw a fierce struggle at the top of the Association standings, Louisville did its part by losing a total of 12 games to league leaders Brooklyn, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Louisville wasn't last, they could thank the still-worse Kansas City club for taking that honor by a half game, but things looked bleak. The Colonels seemed dead in the water, with most of the season yet to play.

Something seemed terribly wrong.

American Association Standings- 05/30/1888

Club                W     L   Pct   GB

Brooklyn        25     9   .735

Cincinnati      23     9   .719    1

St. Louis        19     8   .704    2.5        

Philadelphia  14     15  .483   8.5

Baltimore      13     15  .464   9

Cleveland      11     20  .355  12.5

Louisville       9      23  .281  15

Kansas City   7      22   .241  15.5

The 1888 Colonels-A Difficult May Begins

When we last left the Colonels, the Reds had just polished them off in Eclipse Park in Louisville. 

Life didn't get easier for the Colonels, as the three-time defending champion St. Louis Browns arrived at the Falls City.

The Colonels, behind the formerly recalcitrant "Ice Box" Chamberlain, surprised the Browns in the first game, winning 7-4. According to the Courier-Journal, they played almost perfect ball and Chamberlain would "win it or pitch his arm off."

The performance proved an anomaly, as the Louisvilles lost 7-5 in front of a small crowd as foul weather threatened throughout the day. However, those who did show up were "rewarded by witnessing a sharp and exciting game of base-ball."

Scott Stratton started for Louisville and pitched well, as the vaunted Browns lineup made "spasmodic but vain attempts to smash the ball." In the end, his efforts weren't enough, as St. Louis held the edge that afternoon after a four-run fifth inning. 

The next day could not be called a fine ballgame, as Louisville put on a "sorry exhibition of base-ball" according to the Courier-Journal, losing 18-1 to St. Louis.

"Toad" Ramsey took the box for the Colonels and didn't pitch badly, but the rest of the team fielded poorly. St. Louis took full advantage of every Louisville miscue and made no miscues in the field.

But facing the champs and poor fielding alone couldn't explain the shoddy play of the Louisville Club. The club had talent, but as The Courier-Journal stated "there is something radically wrong with the club," and dissention seemed to rack the team. The article pointed out that when Toad Ramsey and Scott Stratton pitched, the Louisville fielders performed poorly, but Ice Box Chamberlain benefitted from a seemingly competent Colonel defense. Things would not get better in the coming days.

On May 6, Louisville lost 4-2 to St. Louis as the Colonels ran themselves off of the bases. Ice Box Chamberlain again pitched well, but critically walked three and hit one batter. All of those contributed to the loss. Luckily for the Louisville fans, only 2,500 turned out on a perfectly fine Sunday to see the effort. The club's previous ineptitude kept many at home.

After an off day, the battered Colonels welcomed the Kansas City Cowboys to Eclipse Park. There were almost more participants than spectators present as only 500 bothered to show up. Those who did show saw Louisville win 6-3.

Guy Hecker pitched well and helped his own cause with a three-run single. Pete Browning, well-renowned for his hitting but not his fielding prowess, killed a Cowboy rally with a crucial assist from centerfield that put out Henry Porter at the plate.

The Colonels lassoed the Cowboys again the next day (May 9) as they won 18-6. Kansas City pitching walked eight Louisville batters and their "rotund catcher" Charles "Fatty" Briody (The 19th Century wasn't a period for those who were overly sensitive) allowed two passed balls.
 

Louisville hit, pitched, and fielded well. William "Chicken" Wolfe and George Mack both had three hits, and Pete Browning struck two doubles. 

Chamberlain started for Louisville and pitched well and "had the big Kansas City batters at his mercy." He pitched so well that he did so with both hands. He pitched right-handed the first five innings and with Louisville up by an almost insurmountable margin, pitched the sixth and seventh innings left-handed. Ambidexterity is a rare trait among pitchers, as it's difficult pitching well period, much less with both hands, but some players can do it. 

That was the good news, the bad news for the day featured Toad Ramsey. Manager John Kelly suspended him indefinitely and without pay. Ramsey quickly gave up the temperance pledge he'd made early in the season and routinely drank and showed up in no condition to pitch. 

The next day (May 10), Scott Stratton pitched well, but lost 2-1 to the Cowboys. Stratton pitched well, issuing no balls and giving up three hits. However, catcher John Kerins allowed three passed balls, which proved devastating to the Colonels. The Colonels hit well, but ran themselves off the bases. All-in-all, a frustrating day on the field.

The next day featured heavy hitting and four double plays between the two combatants and it looked like yet another defeat for Louisville, but a three run ninth tied the game and sent it to extra innings. Unfortunately, about half of the crowd left in frustration and didn't see the rally.

Pete Browning saved the game in the tenth, once again displaying his unheralded defensive prowess, making a circus catch for the third out, stranding two Kansas City players in scoring position.

"Chicken" Wolf drove in the winning runs in the eleventh, and Louisville eked out the win. 

After the game, the Colonels departed Louisville and went up the Ohio to the Queen City, to pay a visit to the Reds.

In the first game of the four game tilt, "The Louisville Club added another chapter to its spring serial of base-ball ill luck" as it lost 8-3 to the Reds.

The Colonels, in desperate need for help, met with Toad Ramsey and successfully came up with an agreement, lifting his suspension. Ramsey "looking fresh as a buttercup" pitched well, but not as well as Cincinnati's Lee Viau, who also had strong support from his Association-leading Reds. 

A steady rain fell the next day (May 15) as both teams hit well, but Cincinnati hit better, winning 8-4. Tony Mullane started for the Reds and the Colonels hit "The Apollo of the Box" hard (Browning going 4-4), but the Reds defense bailed him out throughout the contest.

The Cincinnati Enquirer stated the Colonels, "disgusted with Ramsey's conduct" were entertaining offers for Toad Ramsey. Louisville wanted $10,000.00 for their former ace, whom the Enquirer implied had seen better days. Even though the Colonels and Ramsey had came to an amicable agreement, Louisville felt they could lose as easily without their former star as with him. This was another indicator of the ill-mood of the club.

Louisville closed out the series on the business end of the broom as the Reds swept them with a 5-3 win. Despite Guy Hecker's pitching, "poor old Louisville (was) again the sufferer" according to the Enquirer. Hecker had good speed and Cincinnati had difficulty with his deliveries, but they managed to hit him nonetheless.

As May passed it's midpoint, the Colonels were in trouble, they stood seventh in the eight team American Association with an 8-16 record. Only the hapless Cowboys played worse ball at this point. As the Colonels chugged east to play Association stalwarts in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, things looked bleak indeed.

The Louisville Courier-Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, www.newspapers.com, and www.baseball-reference.com all contributed mightily to this article.

The '88 Colonels-April 1888, or Blue Ribbons, Pig-Stickers, and Bull Rings

As I stated in my previous post, unfortunately, an insanely busy April and May of this year prevented me from properly researching and posting about the 1888 Colonels. I've been working extra innings to rectify this, here's my first post to catch up with our friends from Gilded Age baseball.

When we last left the Colonels, they'd been mostly breezing through their spring exhibition schedule. Louisville scheduled a game against the defending National League Champion Detroit Wolverines, but April showers prevented the interleague encounter.

Louisville vented their frustration at missing an opportunity at playing the NL champs by sweeping two games against the Western Association's Milwaukee Brewers.

On April 16 and 17 Buffalo and Louisville split a two game series, Louisville's starters, Guy Hecker and Scott Stratton performed well in both games, Hecker didn't get support, Stratton, Louisville's "veritable wonder," did.

Before the April 16 game, an evangelist preached a temperance sermon, and according to the Courier-Journal, got every Colonel to sign an oath to abstain from alcohol, including the champion drinker/batsman, Pete Browning.

As base ball solidified its grasp as the National Game in the years following the Civil War, the temperance movement in America gained steam. Americans had earned a reputation for overconsumption of alcohol and the ill effects of drink worried many in the nation. A strong prohibition movement grew in an attempt to dry the nation out. Many people signed the pledge to stop drinking, this drive came to Eclipse Park on April 16 and at least for a time included the Falls City's beloved Colonels. The local press called them the "Blue Ribbon club," as the blue ribbon denoted one who'd taken the temperance pledge.

Pete Browning, certainly enjoyed a "drink of an eve" to quote Johnnie Parsons, it seems his drinking started as an attempt to dull the pain of mastoiditis, a painful, debilitating ear ailment. This self-medication grew into a fondness for drink, which was well-known to just about everyone in the city of Louisville and the American Association. His future endeavors indicated he didn't keep his pledge long.

The Colonels left Louisville on the evening of April 17 for St. Louis, where they'd face the three-time defending American Association Champion Browns to open the 1888 campaign.

St. Louis brewer, Chris Von Der Ahe built a dynasty in short time. They had such stalwarts as Arlie Latham, Charles Comiskey (the future owner of the Chicago White Sox), and Tip O'Neil. In 1887, O'Neil hit for the highest average in the history of Major League Baseball when he bat .435. This is incredible at first glance, however this number is inflated by the fact that in 1887 walks counted as hits. This is one of the many statistical anomalies of the game's history, one that I'd like to explore more later, but for now will just present to you in this truncated form.

It's safe to say the Colonels faced a formidable opponent to start the season.

On April 17, the Courier-Journal optimistically predicted a split for the St. Louis series. In my readings of the Louisville paper, it's safe to say the local writers didn't hide their partisanship and as a result overestimated the capabilities of the Colonels. The four-game tilt with the Browns proved this point.

St. Louis blanked Louisville in the opener 8-0 in front of 5,000 on a day that "was bright and sunshiny, a marked contrast to Manager John Kelly's face at the end of the ninth inning."

Louisville had trouble with every facet of the game, only eking out three hits, sloppy defense, and poor pitching.

The next day proved little better, Guy Hecker got hit hard, giving up 24 hits in a 13-7 loss. Pete Browning managed a triple in spite of a cold, but the Colonels performance proved forgettable otherwise.

Sports fans and the sporting press can be fickle, today's hero is tomorrow's goat. It's always been that way, as the Courier-Journal stated Guy Hecker was a "trifle too fat" and he "should condition himself better." The week before the same paper defended Hecker's apparent 30-pound weight gain from the writers of the Baltimore Sun, stating he was not "too fat" after he'd pitched well against Buffalo. How soon we forget!

After an off-day, the Colonels lost yet again to the Browns, 11-7 in spite of a strong outing by Scott Stratton. Louisville's defense again appeared to have stayed in the Falls City, as the Colonels committed many errors.

St. Louis completed the sweep the next day as the Browns pounded Toad Ramsey, who had difficulty commanding his drop curve. Once again, the Colonel defense did little to aid Ramsey's pitching woes and in spite of good base running, Louisville lost 11-6.

Louisville limped out of St. Louis and headed west to Kansas City for a four-game roundup with the Cowboys.

The hefty Guy Hecker took the mound against the Cowboys in what the Louisville press called the "bull ring" on the 24th and he got lit up a second time and the Louisville defense, as usual so far for 1888 didn't show up. However, the Colonels made a game of it, losing 15-13. Pete Browning came up a double short of the cycle and Reddy Mack homered, but the offense couldn't make up for a losing effort in the field and on the mound.

Scott Stratton and Pete Browning led the Colonels to their first victory in 1888, winning 15-6. The Colonel offense stayed hot, as Browning went got five singles in five at-bats and Stratton helped his own cause with two hits.

Louisville made it two in a row on April 25 as they stampeded the Cowboys 18-6. Toad Ramsey found the command of his drop curve he so sorely lacked in his previous start, and the offense continued to click on all cylinders.

Guy Hecker closed out the Kansas City series with a solid 7-3 win on April 26. He had control issues, but also scattered only four hits over the first eight innings.

Admittedly the Cowboys weren't as good as St. Louis, but the Colonels looked good in the 3-1 series win. As the Derby City boys pulled out of Kansas City for their home opener, they and the City of Louisville had high hopes for the next series against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati had just taken a series from St. Louis, three games to one and over their years in the American Association proved one of the best teams in the circuit. The proximity of the Falls City and the Queen City made the two teams bitter rivals. The Louisville press especially spewed invective against their foes up the Ohio. In the coming series, the Courier-Journal called Cincinnatians and their club chumps, "beer drinkers and pretzel eaters" in a slur on the city's German heritage (which is strange, as Louisville has a strong German history as well), and "pig stickers," as Cincinnati was a major pork processing center.

A strong crowd of 3,000 filled Eclipse Park on Saturday, April 28 and the Colonels didn't disappoint, winning 6-4 on the strength of a four-run second and the arm of Toad Ramsey.

An enthusiastic throng of 7,000 Derby City and Queen City residents showed up the next day of the second game. Three boats from Cincinnati brought 1,500 supporters, so a goodly mix of supporters filled the stands.

The Courier-Journal stated "the game was a contest for blood from the start" as the young Scott Stratton faced Cincinnati's "Apollo of the Box" Tony "The Count" Mullane. The handsome Mullane proved a stalwart of the Association and his record made him a formidable opponent for all AA clubs. Stratton found that out this day, as the Reds played well in every particular, winning 8-3.

On a cold close of the month of April, a small crowd of roughly 500 braved the weather to see Louisville go into the bottom of the ninth with a 5-3 lead and two outs. (Note, until 1950 the home team could pick to bat first or second, so Louisville batted first this game, giving the Reds the last at-bat.) Hecker, who'd pitched well, subsequently put two men on as second baseman Bid McPhee came to bat. The future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame subsequently hit a triple, tying the game 5-5. The next batter singled McPhee in and the Colonels lost in crushing fashion.

The Colonels closed out the Cincinnati series in abysmal fashion, as Tony Mullane scattered four hits, leading the Reds to an entirely dominant 18-2 victory. The painful loss of the day before apparently hung over the Louisville nine as the Colonels committed a ghastly 13 errors, and Toad Ramsey proved entirely ineffective in the box.

The end of the first three series of the season saw Louisville sit at a 4-8 record. So far the pitching proved uneven and the defense shoddy at best, while the offense for the most part proved highly competent. Baseball's a long season, and so far, while discouraging, nothing seemed to indicate the Colonels couldn't have a good season.

The coming days soon tested that notion.

The '88 Colonels-Exhibitions Begin

In the days before all teams went south for spring training, clubs often played local or minor league nines to get into shape for the coming campaign.

The beginning of April 1888 saw the resumption of base ball activities in the Falls City. On April 1, the Memphis Club of the minor league Southern League made April Fools of the Colonels, defeating them 8-6.

John Ewing pitched for the Memphis club, and his curve ball gave Louisville fits all afternoon. The Courier-Journal bemoaned the "inability of Louisville batters to hit at the proper time the swift curves delivered by Ewing." The Louisville paper complimented the 25 year-old's skill, stating he struck out seven and fielded the position well. The Courier-Journal stated John Ewing had the potential to be as good a player as his brother Buck Ewing.

Buck Ewing was one of the finest players of the 19th Century, playing a multitude of positions, and playing all of them well. His best renown came as a catcher for the New York Giants, had a career 47.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), one of the best of the decade. His exemplary play led him to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

Time would tell if John could match his brother Buck and Louisville would hear more from him later on in 1888. But on this day, he did quite well.

The local press tried minimizing the defeat of the Derby City nine, as the Courier-Journal stated,"the playing yesterday should not be taken as an example of what the Louisville team can do." The the paper said Colonels took little to no outdoor practice at this point in the season, while the Memphis club had a few weeks worth of outdoor practice in order to shake off the rust of a long winter's layoff.

According to the Courier-Journal, the Memphis Nine included Davy Force, a stalwart second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop of both the National Association and the National League. Force began his professional career in 1871 with the Washington Olympics of the National Association. Historians consider the National Association baseball's first professional league and Force lasted the entirety of its existence from 1871 to 1875. The Association died after the 1875 season, and Force joined the NL after its founding. He spent the bulk of his time there playing for the Buffalo club. His career in the NL ended in 1886. Like many players then and now, he apparently didn't stop when his time in the show ended. Against Louisville, Force collected one hit in five and played shortstop and right field.

Louisville's star, Pete Browning, didn't take the field against Memphis.

The first game didn't go well, but baseball's a daily game, and the next days brought success to the Colonel nine.

On April 3, The Colonels played a local amateur nine called the Deppens and decisively defeated them, 9-0. Louisville pitching walked nine, but struck out ten. Outfielder Hub Collins went 3 for 5 and Louisville committed no errors (a rare occurrence in this era). Pete Browning made his first appearance in this game, going 1-5.

The next day, Louisville soundly defeated the Deppens again, this time neither team played as tightly, as the Colonels won 19-9. The solid defense of the day previous didn't hold, as both teams gave up only four earned runs a piece.

The Courier-Journal advertised a visit by the defending National League champion Detroit Wolverines in games for Saturday, April 7 and Monday, April 9.

A good crowd of 2,000 showed up on Saturday April 7, but didn't get a chance to see the Wolverines square off against the Colonels. A train accident in Nashville prevented Detroit from making it to Louisville on time. As fortune would have it, the St. Paul Apostles of the Western Association arrived in Louisville from Cincinnati and agreed to play the Colonels and satisfy the crowd with a game (and ensure a pay day for both clubs).

Louisville handled the Apostles with relative ease, 11-3. Browning paced the Colonel attack, going 3-5 with two doubles and one single. Pitcher Toad Ramsey scattered five hits. It's safe to say the Louisville fans went home happy, even if they didn't see the NL champs.

Louisville still had rust to knock off in advance of a difficult AA season, but they'd generally played well, even if it wasn't against big league competition. The biggest challenges laid ahead.

Resources for this post came from articles in the Courier-Journal from April 2, April 4, April 5, and April 8, 1888. Information on Davy Force came from pages 94-95 of Nineteenth Century Stars: 2012 Edition, edited by Robert Tiemann and Mark Rucker and published by the Society for American Baseball Research. Buck Ewing's career information came from his page on Baseball-Reference.com. (As a history major, I apologize for not having my sources in the Chicago Manual of Style!)

April 1, 1888-Introducing the 1888 Louisville Colonels

One goal I have for this blog is to introduce the reader to Louisville's history in Major League Baseball. Louisville has a strong minor league tradition and of course has the Louisville Slugger bat. What many fans do not realize is Louisville had major league teams throughout the 19th Century.

In 2018, I want to focus on the 1888 Louisville Colonels club of the American Association. I will follow the Courier-Journal and attempt to make a weekly blog post regarding the 1888 club. Before I do so, a brief background is in order.

Louisville was a founding member of the National League (NL) in 1876, it lasted two seasons and contended for the pennant in 1877 before an unfortunate (in many ways) losing streak caused the Grays to fade from contention. Sadly, it turned out that four prominent players on the team threw the results of games for money. One of baseball's first gambling scandals came from Louisville, of all places. The NL banned the four players from professional baseball for life. The Louisville team also didn't survive past 1877 and didn't field a major league team again until the advent of the American Association in 1882. We'll cover that scandal in-depth in a later post, this requires a great deal of research.

The American Association came about as a response to the demand for professional baseball and the fact the NL had a more puritanical view of the sport that caused trouble. The League prohibited alcohol sales and Sunday matches, charged higher prices, and generally appealed to a more upper crust clientele. The NL brooked no disobedience from its rules, for instance, they banished the Cincinnati club for renting its home grounds to amateur clubs for Sunday baseball games and alcohol sales. (The current Cincinnati club returned to the NL in 1890 after an eight-year stint in the American Association).

Other cities had been banished and men with means who desired to participate in baseball took the steps to initiate a rival organization to the NL. In 1882 they founded the American Association, with Louisville being a charter member. The AA allowed liquor sales and cheaper admission to games, and had a vibrant history from 1882 to 1891. Louisville was in the Association its entire existence, and after its collapse in 1891 (more on that in a later post).

Louisville returned to the NL in 1892 and stayed in the League until 1899, when it contracted from 12 to eight clubs.

Now that I've given a (very) brief introduction to Louisville in the majors, it's time to go back in time 130 years to 1888. Grover Cleveland's in the White House, but would lose his seat in that year's election to Indiana's Benjamin Harrison. There are 38 states in the Union, the Great Blizzard of 1888 killed 400, and the great captains of industry made money hand over fist as the Gilded Age roared on.

In Louisville, the Colonels finished fourth in the eight team AA, with a 76-60 record. They had one of the strongest offenses in the American Association, Louisville looked to improve on a strong 1887 campaign with the 1888 team.

In the April 1, 1888 Louisville Courier-Journal ran an introduction to the club, stating "there are but few persons in this city to whom the faces of the players of the Louisville club are not familiar." In addition to the incomparable Browning, other notable players of the Louisville nine included some of the below names. We'll become familiar with them over the next few months.

Undoubtedly, Pete "The Gladiator" Browning boasting a beefy .402/.464/.547 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging average), paced the Colonel attack. Browning, a Louisville native and "the ideal of every small boy in the country" according to the Courier-Journal, was in my opinion, the AA's premier batsman. Unfortunately, his outfield defense was truly horrific, even by the standards of the era of rudimentary gloves (or none at all).

Tom "Toad" Ramsey headed the rotation in 1887 and looked to do the same in 1888. In 1887 he won 37 games and lost 27 with a 3.43 ERA over 561 innings pitched. These are extreme numbers to a 21st Century eye, but were common in the 19th Century. Penny-pinching clubs carried 15 or so players and the limited amount of arms meant pitchers took more innings than the modern counterpart. This is not an indictment on the modern player, pitchers of that era tended to burn arms out at a quicker rate, and lengthy careers for pitchers weren't common.

In addition to Ramsey, Guy Hecker and "Ice Box" Chamberlain bolstered the rotation. Hecker went 18-12 with a 4.16 ERA in 1887, he'd been one of the Association's premier pitchers, with a 52-win season for Louisville in 1884. He was towards the twilight of his career, as seasons of heavy workloads took their toll.

Chamberlain came to Louisville in 1886 and had a good campaign for Louisville in 1887, with the Courier Journal stating "he was one of the surprises of the year." However, he proved difficult to sign over the winter, with the Courier-Journal reporting "it is by no means certain he will play ball this season."

Scott Stratton was another pitcher on the opening day roster for the Louisville club, a young lad of 18, called a "promising young pitcher." He would have some impressive seasons in the future for the Falls City.

Lave Cross came to Louisville as the backup catcher, another young talented player with a massive career ahead of him. However, he was still just a prospect for the coming season.

Jim "Chicken" Wolf, a native of Louisville and childhood friend of Browning, patrolled the outfield with his fellow Falls City colleague. He had a tendency to overeat and be overweight (the nickname "Chicken" came from his penchant for stewed chicken). Despite his extra baggage, he proved a fully competent big league player.

The Louisville Courier-Journal had nothing but effusive praise of the Colonels for the coming season (the press tended to be on poles of praise or contempt of clubs in those days), the next few months would be a test as to whether the club deserved the kind words.

(To help me complete this introductory look at the Colonels of '88, I used the April 1, 1888 article titled "Louisville's Players" and the 1887 and 1888 Louisville Colonel team pages on baseball-reference.com)