Baseball History

Born in Peoria- Daniel Dugdale- “Father of Seattle Baseball”

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Born in Peoria- Daniel Dugdale- “Father of Seattle Baseball”

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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 Major League Debut- Eric Weaver (Springfield)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Central Illinois Major League Debut- Eric Weaver (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)

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 Major League Debuts- George Radbourn (Bloomington)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Central Illinois Major League Debuts- George Radbourn (Bloomington)

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 Major League Debuts- Emmett Seery (Princeville)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Emmett Seery (Princeville)

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.

 

Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Carl Vandagrift (Cantrall)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History

Check out previous Central Illinois Debuts

Carl Vandagrift

Major League Debut May 19, 1914

He was born Carl William Vandagrift on April 22, 1883, in Cantrall, Illinois. He went on to enjoy his time in baseball as he made his major league debut with the Indianapolis Hoosiers on May 19, 1914. Primarily a second baseman, he played in 43 professional games. In his first at-bat, he produced a single. He hit in his first seven games in the major leagues and was batting .417 on June 23rd. Things went south from there and by the end of the season he was hitting a dismal .245 and he had no homers or triples. He did get four doubles but he was just a singles player. That was the end of his professional career.

 

He moved to Ft. Wayne Indiana and owned and operated a bowling alley in the city. He died on October 9, 1920, due to complications from appendectomy surgery. He was 38 years of age and left behind a wife and six-year-old son.

Career Numbers

Batting average .250
Home runs 0
Runs batted in 9
Teams
Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914)

Where is Cantrall, Illinois?

Cantrall is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 139 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area is located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Cantrall, on the banks of the Sangamon River.

Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Fred Beck (Havana)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History

Fred Beck

Major League Debut April 14, 1909

    He was born Frederick Thomas Beck on November 17, 1886, in Havana, Illinois. He spent all of his life in and around Havana when he wasn’t gone for baseball. His start came in the Illinois 3-I League which consisted of teams from Illinois-Iowa-Indiana. He was expected to pitch for the team from Bloomington, Illinois. He had trouble throwing strikes and was converted to the outfield to keep his strong bat in the lineup.

He was sold in the middle of the 1908 season for $750 to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League and played outfield and first base for them. He was signed in 1909 by the Boston Doves and made his major league debut on April 14th of that season. He was 2-for-5 in the game with one run scored. He got his first home run on October 2, 1909, which was a game winner as his team won 1-0 against Philadelphia. He went on to be the home run leader in 1910 with TEN home runs.

The Cincinnati Reds purchased him in February of 1911 and he played for them for part of the season before being sold to the Philadelphia Phillies. He stumbled a bit with them and was in the minor leagues until 1914 when he was signed by the Chicago Whales of the Federal League. He went back to the minors and played ball until 1918 when he joined the service during World War I.

He officially announced his retirement in 1926 and finished his professional career with a .262 batting average. He also had 33 home runs and 251 runs batted in. He went back to his hometown in Havana and became a clerk at the Taylor House. He died at the age of 75 on March 12, 1962, and is buried in Havana at Laurel Hills Cemetery.

 

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)

Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Allan Simpson (Springfield)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Allan Simpson (Springfield)

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE!

 

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 

 

 

Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Allyn Stout (Peoria)

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
Central Illinois Major League Debuts- Allyn Stout (Peoria)

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)

 

Allyn McClellan Stout

born in Peoria, Illinois on October 31, 1904

MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT May 16, 1931

He was brought in to the game in the bottom of the 8th inning to pitch for the first time. The Cardinals trailed the New York Giants 7-5. He pitched a perfect inning as all three batters ground out to the infield. It was a success for the righthander from Peoria. BOXSCORE

In his first season, he pitched in 30 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and finished with a perfect 6-0 record. The first win of his career came on June 9, 1931, facing the Brooklyn Dodgers at home. He tossed 6.2 innings and allowed five hits, one earned run, 3 walks and he fanned four batters. He pitched his first complete game on September 14, 1931, facing Philadelphia. He finished with 9IP/14H/5ER/3BB/5K.

He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and Boston Braves after being traded for future Hall of Famer Leo Durocher. His career numbers have him winning 20 games and losing 20 games. He struck out 185 batters and sported a 4.5 ERA. He played his final game on June 27, 1943 while with Boston.

He died on December 22, 1974, and is buried in Sikeston, MO.

 

 

 

 

Commissioner of Baseball – Ford Frick – Part 3 of 6

Tom Knuppel Baseball History ,
Commissioner of Baseball – Ford Frick – Part 3 of 6

Part One – Judge Kenesaw Landis

Part Two – A.B. “Happy” Chandler

 

Ford Frick Become Baseball Commissioner

In 1951, some baseball owners had become displeased with Happy Chandler’s service as the commissioner and did not want to renew his contract. In September, the owners elected Frick to replace Chandler in a twelve-hour meeting that the Chicago Tribune called “their all-time peak in dilly-dallying”. The owners were able to quickly narrow the candidates down from five unnamed candidates to two frontrunners, Frick and Warren Giles. The owners deadlocked until Giles decided to remove his name from consideration. Giles, who had been president and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, succeeded Frick as NL president.

Frick agreed to a seven-year contract worth $65,000 each year. When he assumed the office, Frick said that he was surprised to be elected even though he knew he was a candidate for the position. Just before his announcement, the major league team owners voted that the commissioner’s office should be located in a city with two major league teams. Frick decided to relocate the office from Cincinnati to New York.

Removed Two from All-Star Team

In 1957, Frick addressed an organized campaign of ballot stuffing for that year’s All-Star Game in which most of the ballots originated from Cincinnati and had stacked the NL team with Reds. In response, Frick overruled the fan vote, removed two Reds from the starting lineup and appointed two replacements from other teams, and then took the vote away from the fans and kept it that way for the remainder of his tenure.

Frick presided over the expansion of the American and National Leagues from eight to ten teams. Faced with a Congress threatening to revoke baseball’s antitrust exemption, Frick had initially favored the development of a third major league within organized baseball but relented when the established league owners objected and pursued their own expansion plans. Following expansion, the regular season was extended to 162 games from 154 in order to maintain a balanced schedule.

Known as the Asterisks Commissioner

Frick’s most highly criticized decision as commissioner was to request baseball record-keepers to list the single-season home run records of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris separately in 1961, based on the length of the season played. Frick called a press conference to issue a ruling that a player must hit more than 60 home runs in his first 154 games in order to be considered the record holder. Writer Allen Barra points out that MLB had no direct control over any record books until many years later, and within a few years, all listed Maris as the single-season record holder. He writes that Frick and Ruth had been friends and that Frick was with Ruth on the player’s deathbed.

In 1960, Frick said that he would probably retire when his contract expired in 1965. He said that his remaining goals for his term as commissioner were to complete the expansion process and to convince Congress to allow each baseball league to set its own television policies.

 

Frick’s Early Life

commissioner of baseball #3  Frick was born on a farm in Wawaka, Indiana, and went to high school in Rome City, Indiana He took classes at International Business College in Fort Wayne, then worked for a company that made engines for windmills. He attended DePauw University, where he played first base for the DePauw baseball team and ran track. He graduated in 1915. He had been a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Frick came to Colorado to play semipro baseball in Walsenburg.

 

After his stint as a baseball player, Frick lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He taught English at Colorado Springs High School and at Colorado College. Frick moonlighted for The Gazette, covering sports and news until he left to work for the War Department near the conclusion of World War I. When the war was over, Frick worked in Denver for the Rocky Mountain News. Frick returned to Colorado Springs to take a job with the Evening Telegraph, which later merged with The Gazette. Around this time, he had given some thought to starting his own advertising agency.

In 1921, a flood devastated much of Pueblo, Colorado. When other reporters had flown in to cover the flood, their airplanes had become stuck in muddy conditions and they had been stranded in Pueblo. Frick had a pilot fly him there, but instead of landing, they circled low over Pueblo while Frick took notes and photographs. He was able to file his story a day earlier than other reporters. The recognition from the Pueblo flood helped Frick get a position with the New York American in 1922.

In 1934, he became the NL’s public relations director, and then became president of the league later that year.

In June 1937, Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean began to publicly criticize the NL and Frick. In response, Frick said that he was suspending Dean until the pitcher issued a written apology. Dean indicated that he would not apologize and that he would boycott the 1937 All-Star Game, suspended or not. The Cardinals made peace with Frick so that Dean could return to play. He appeared in the All-Star Game, but he sustained a toe injury in the game. The injury altered his delivery and he later injured his arm, never returning to All-Star form.

An American Communist Party newspaper known as the Daily Worker asked Frick in 1937 about the feasibility of racially integrating baseball. Frick said that there was no rule discriminating against players on the basis of race. He said that professional baseball required ability, good habits and strong character. He asserted that he was not aware of a case in which race had played a role in the selection of a major league player.

In the late 1930s, Frick played a central role in establishing the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. He gathered a team of representatives from the major news wire services, including Davis Walsh of the International News Service, Alan J. Gould of the Associated Press, and Henry L. Farrell of United Press International. They took the idea to the Baseball Writers Association of America and that organization became the voting body for Hall of Fame elections. Later, during his tenure as NL president, when several members of the St. Louis Cardinals planned to protest Jackie Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier, Frick threatened any players involved with suspension.

 

Baseball Commissioners – A.B. “Happy” Chandler – Part 2 of 6

Tom Knuppel Baseball History ,
Baseball Commissioners – A.B. “Happy” Chandler – Part 2 of 6

Part One- – Judge Kenesaw Landis

 

A.B. “Happy” Chandler

After the first commissioner of baseball, Judge Kenesaw Landis died on November 25, 1944, a new one was needed. Leslie O’Connor was named as the interim commissioner until a permanent replacement could be named. Many felt the job would easily go to O’Connor. After all, he was an assistant for 24 years and was instrumental in all aspects of the game.

A three-man council was appointed to name the replacement and after five months A.B. “Happy” Chandler was given the position. O’Connor stayed on for about a year to ease the transition. Prior to becoming commissioner of baseball, Chandler was a US Senator from Kentucky. Everyone expected the job to be a seven-year position but things didn’t go well. The one thing that got him in trouble was he was ready to integrate baseball and sided with Branch Rickey to put a black player in the major leagues.

Chaos ensued. Many of the owners and general managers balked at this as they voted to not allow Jackie Robinson into baseball by a 15-0 vote. Another issue that got Chandler in hot water was his intolerance for gambling around the game. Yankees Larry MacPhail is to have had several known gamblers in the executive box during baseball games. Chandler went about putting an end to that. He suspended Leo Durocher for one year and fined the Yankees $2000 for the connection to gambling. All involved were ordered to remain silent and the true story never was made public.

2nd baseball commish

Players that jumped to the Mexican League were given a five-year ban from major league baseball which included Mickey Owen and Sal Maglie but it was lifted after three seasons. One progressive thing in Chandler’s wheelhouse was the restructuring of the pension fund for players and working on the first contract with the television industry.

 

 

 

 

Part 3- Ford Frick on September 30, 2018