Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Menard, Sangamon)

NOTE: This is posted on June 13th, 52 years after his death. 

 

Richard Wendell Reichle was born in Lincoln, Illinois, on November 23, 1896, to George and Anna. His family resided on a farm in Logan County in Illinois after immigrating over from Germany. He had three sisters and a brother that all worked on the farm along with a servant named Samuel.

Dick graduated from Lincoln High and went on to the University of Illinois where he played baseball and football. He was part of the 1921 championship baseball team in 1921. He did have some time away and he served in World War I. After his graduation from college, it didn’t take long before his baseball talent was discovered and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 7th.

He began in the lower levels by playing first base in the Three-I League (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana) and hit .337 with six homers and 11 stolen bases in 93 games. He was brought up, thanks to scout Mike Donlin’s insistence, to the Brooklyn team on August 17th. He made his major league debut on September 19th in the first game of a doubleheader.

He went 0-for-4 in the contest but got two hits the next day and a double the game following. He batted .250 in six games before the season ended. He had no errors in those games. In 1923, he became the regular center fielder and on May 18th drove in three runs with a triple and a double. He had another game where he was 4-for-5 and knocked in two runs.

During the offseason, he played in the National Football League in six contests at the end position (he was named 2nd team all NFL pros by Colliers Magazine) and in 1924 he played for the San Antonio Bears. However, he broke his leg at Spring Training and it appeared to heal quickly but his baseball abilities appeared to diminish. He retired in 1925.

Not content to lie around during the winter reflecting on a good first season of major-league baseball, Reichle trained with the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League and played as an end in six of the team’s games, one of the few men to play both baseball and football at the highest level of play.

Reichle lived his retirement years in the St. Louis area with his wife and three children until his death on June 13, 1967.

 

Check out more Central Illinois biographies HERE.

 

 

Who Was Eliza Green?

Note: The Chicago White Stockings in this biography eventually became what is known today as the Chicago Cubs. 

 

 

 

 

  Eliza Green was born in 1852 in Rochester, New York to parents that migrated to the United States from Nottinghamshire, England which is the home of Robin Hood. On her street in Rochester was the Anthony family where she was taught by the youngest sister of the group Mary (she went on to be a headmistress at several schools). Eliza became close friends with Mary’s sister Susan B. Anthony. Later in life, Susan B. Anthony would become a leader of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. It is documented through newspaper articles that Eliza was a frequent visitor at the Anthony home and quite possibly had some pointers on women’s rights.

 

In 1869, Eliza married Silas Grover Williams who was a decorated Civil War veteran as he served with General William Sherman and was part of the “March to the Sea” led by the general. After the war, they moved to Chicago, Illinois and purchased a house that was directly across from the baseball field where the Chicago White Stockings played baseball. They had two children, Charles Green Williams in 1871 and Sarah Estella in 1876. “Stella”, as she was called, died in her youth. Charles would become treasurer of the ball club in his later years.

Eliza loved baseball and would attend as many games as she could. She would always strike up conversations with people and they would debate whether plays were to be deemed a hit or an error. These people were known as “kickers.” She was so knowledgeable about the game that Eliza was on a first name basis with owner Albert Spalding. He noticed that even the players that were complaining would seek out Eliza and ask her thoughts on the scoring of certain plays. Spalding had the idea that maybe he should name her the official scorekeeper of the team. There had never been a female in the role in the major leagues. The issue for Spalding was that Eliza was a female and fans, news reporters and the entire world would ridicule him if he hired her to be their scorekeeper. So they concocted a plan that would allow her to do the job without anyone else knowing it. Eliza became the official scorekeeper for the Chicago Cubs and she filed her scorebook as E.G. Green (no one seemed to know that Green was her maiden name).

Cap Anson, the manager of the team, was not given the details of who the scorekeeper was and Eliza would sit at most games with Cap’s wife, Virginia, and discuss the game without any notice of her doing the job. She always kept the score even before being hired. After the games and when she went home, she would have her son take an envelope to be mailed and it went back to the stadium as the official scorekeeper’s decision. He didn’t know until years later that his mom was doing the job. She did the job from 1882 through 1891. During that time, many players would still seek her out to see if she agreed with the scorekeeping decisions being made. She would give her rationale and the players went away satisfied. They had no clue that they were talking to the actual scorekeeper of the team.

Eliza’s husband died in 1895 and she married John Albert Cole Brown in 1896. He was Secretary-Treasure of the team at the time of her marriage. He died two years later and her son, Charlie, had the fortune of being Secretary-Treasure for the Chicago Cubs when they won the World Series in 1908.

She married Homer M. Daggett in 1903 who came from a prominent political family in Massachusetts. Eliza had always had a keen interest in politics and was National Secretary of the Women’s Relief Corps for seven terms and was its president in 1918-1919. She became an alternate delegate to the 1920 Republican Convention which was being held in Chicago and was selected to be part of the committee to inform Warren G. Harding he had the nomination for President of the United States. Women received the right to vote on August 26, 1920.

 

Following the teachings of her best friend Susan Anthony, she became the first woman to run for mayor in Massachusetts but lost. She has been photographed in front of the White House with President Coolidge. Her husband died in 1925 and she continued her cause for women until she died in 1926 of breast cancer. She is buried in Chicago, Illinois.

 

 

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Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Knox, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Sangamon)

Daniel Dugdale “Father of Seattle Baseball”

Major League Debut May 20, 1886

 

   Dugdale was born in Peoria, Illinois, on October 28, 1864, to Irish immigrants (they are on this ships list of passengers coming to the United States) Edward Dugdale and Rebecca Lyons. His youth is not documented until he begins playing baseball. In 1884, he signs as a catcher for the Peoria Reds of the Northwestern League. From there, he lays on a multitude of teams (Hannibal, Leavenworth, Keokuk, and Denver) in the Midwest League. It was in 1886, he signs a major league contract with the Kansas City Cowboys in the National League. In his debut, he collected two hits as the Cowboys won 5-4 despite three passed balls from “Dug”.

 

 

His defense behind the plate wasn’t very good and he converted to third base and the outfield. But at 5’8″ and 180 lbs., he had trouble moving around the field. It was his bat that kept him employed. He was able to stick around the game through the 1895 season. He was a back-up player and that gave him a reason to leave. He was also unhappy with the sportswriters talking about his weight which had ballooned to almost 300 lbs. He left the major leagues and return to his hometown in Peoria.

Back home, he purchased a share of the Peoria Distillers and became their manager and they finished second in his first year. He spent some time in Minneapolis in the off-season but returned to Peoria to manage again. The Distillers did poorly and Dugdale decided to move west and follow the gold where he was part of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. His move to Alaska stopped in Seattle and he took a job as a brakeman for the railroad. While there, he made several attempts to begin a baseball team in Seattle.

By 1902, he was deeply entrenched in Seattle baseball and got a team in the Pacific Coast League. He became a celebrity and a successful baseball owner. He funded the construction of Yesler Way Park in 1907 and became friends with Connie Mack. This got him into the door of the major league ownership group. Things were moving and it wasn’t long before Seattle had a major league franchise. This was all due to the work and money of Daniel Dugdale. Those efforts afforded him the title of “The Father of Seattle Baseball.”

 

 

 

 

 

He got involved in politics and was appointed to the Washington Legislature in the 34th District from the Democratic Party. His wife Mary died in 1933 and he moved in with his sister for a short period of time prior to his death.

On March 9, 1934, he was crossing the street on Fourth Avenue South in Seattle when he was hit by a city light truck and died at Providence Hospital three hours later. He was 69 years of age at his death.

 

For more information, check out the Society of Baseball Research information on Dugdale.

 

Other Central Illinois Bios:

Allyn Stout (Peoria)   Larry Simpson (Springfield)  Fred Beck (Havana)  Carl Vandagrift (Cantrall)

Emmett Seery (Princeville)

 

 

Bios Coming:

George Radbourn (Bloomington)

Eric Weaver (Springfield)

Daniel Dugdale (Peoria)

Billy Rogell (Springfield)

Harry Staley (Jacksonville)

 

 

Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Menard, Sangamon)

Previous Articles:

Allyn Stout (Peoria)

Allan Simpson (Springfield)

Fred Beck (Havana)

Carl Vandagrift (Cantrall)

 

Eric Weaver

Major League Debut May 30, 1998

 

James Eric Weaver was born August 4, 1973, in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Illiopolis High School where he excelled in athletics. In basketball, he averaged 35 points per game and 22 rebounds in his senior season. He was the quarterback of the Illiopolis Pirates and many feel he was the best all-around athlete in their high school history. He turned down a baseball scholarship from Bradley University and went to the minor leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He began his minor league career in Vero Beach, Florida at age 18 and after several seasons in the minor leagues, Weaver was called up and made his major league debut for the Dodgers on May 30, 1998. He pitched 3.1 innings in that game he replaced Hideki Nomo and allowed 3 hits, one walk, and one strikeout before giving way. Dmitri Young was his first struck of the game in the 5th inning. Also, in the 7th inning, Young hit a solo home run off of Weaver.  Game Box Score Here.

In seven games during the 1998 season, he finished with a 2-0 record. On October 12, 1998, he was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Seattle Mariners for Scott Prouty (minors). He went 0-1 for Seattle in eight games and a high ERA. He signed with the Angels for the 2000 season. He was in 17 games and finished 0-2 with no saves. His last game in the major leagues came on August 17, 2000. He was granted his free agency after the season.

Weaver has left professional baseball and spent many years as the pitching coach for Lincoln Land College and then moved to coach his son and teammates at Auburn High School in pitching. Last known information has Eric Weaver working for the Bank of Springfield.

 

Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Menard, Sangamon).

Check out previous Central Illinois Debuts

 

 

George Radbourn

Major League Debut May 30, 1883

 

George B. Radbourn was born on April 8, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois to George and Emily Radbourn. The family left Bristol, England in the summer of 1851 along with George’s brothers James and Charles and his wife Caroline. They came on the ship Mary Ann Peter and arrived on August 22, 1851. This was several years before George was born.

They took up residence in Rochester, New York until the entire family group moved to McLean County, Illinois in 1855. George and Emily located in Bloomington, Illinois, and Charles and Caroline and their newborn son Charles (later became Old Hoss Radbourn) were in Martin, Illinois. The family soon bought a farm on West Washington Road near Bloomington when George was born in 1856.

George began to play baseball with his cousin Charles. In 1883, George made his debut with the Detroit Wolverines and played in 3 career games and finished with a 1-2 record and a 6.55ERA. Little is written about the years after baseball.

His cousin Charles would go on to a long and illustrious baseball career. George moved back to Bloomington and died on January 1, 1904. He is buried in Bloomington at the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

 

There is a children’s book called, “How George Radbourn Saved Baseball” that has nothing to do with the actual player. It is a highly illustrated book and has the use of his name in the title.

 

Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Menard, Sangamon)

Previous Articles:

Allyn Stout (Peoria)

Allan Simpson (Springfield)

Fred Beck (Havana)

Emmett Seery

Major League Debut on April 17, 1884

 

He was born John Emmett Seery on February 13, 1861, in Princeville, Illinois. From there, little is known of his life until he started playing baseball. He began playing in a semi-pro ball in Waltham, MA and then became a professional for the Baltimore Monumentals in 1884 where he hit .313 and was included in the top five of many statistical categories.

The next season saw him head to Kansas City and play for the Cowboys. He was a league leader again with nine triples and 43 runs scored. He pitched some games for them that year. In 1886, he rostered with the St. Louis Maroons for one year where he hit only .159 and was the subject of ridicule from some of his teammates. His main antagonist was Charlie Sweeney who was a known guzzler of whiskey.

Seery and Sweeney got into a huge fight in the dugout with many siding with Seery, even though Seery was 5’7″ and 145 pounds.  Later on during the season, Sweeney was walking down the street in St. Louis late at night and a band of thugs beat him an inch from his life. Many felt Seery hired the guys to beat him up.

He then played for several more teams which included Indianapolis Hoosiers, Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders, Cincinnati Kelly’s Killers, and Louisville Colonels from 1884 to 1892. In 916 career Major League games, Seery batted .252 with 893 hits.

Seery made his last professional appearance on June 12, 1892, for the Louisville Colonels.

After Baseball

Seery retired to Florida and began an orange grove which became very profitable. He died on August 7, 1930, and is buried in Jensen Beach, Florida.

 

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Central Illinois has had many major league baseball players in history. Let’s look at them from the 12 counties that we have selected to become Central Illinois. (Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Knox, Woodford, Fulton, Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, Cass, Morgan, Sangamon)

 

Larry Allan Simpson

MLB Debut May 17. 2004

BOXSCORE

Simpson was born in Springfield, Illinois on August 26, 1977. It appears he moved out of the area before he got to high school. Records show he attended high school in Las Vegas and was drafted out of Taft College in California in the 8th round of the 2017 draft by the Seattle Mariners. He labored in the minor leagues with Seattle as a righthanded pitcher for about 6 years before getting to move to the Rockies where they gave him the call to the major leagues.

He played for Colorado in 2004 and 2005 before going to the Cincinnati Reds late in the 2005 season. He hooked up with the Brewers in 2006 then played two more years in the minor leagues before retiring from baseball. He ended his career with a 2-2 record with 57 strikeouts and a 6.06 career ERA. He played his final major league game on June 6, 2006.

 

Coming Soon

May 19- Carl Vandagrift (Cantrall)

May 20- Dan Dugdale (Peoria)

 

PREVIOUS DEBUTS

May 15 Debut- Allyn Stout