Ted Sullivan

[Brian McKenna]

just thought this guy should get a thread - never see him talked about - was around promoting the game for over 40 years - played college ball with comiskey - signed commy to his first pro contract - started the first true minor league - the northwestern lg in 1879 - big in the union association - any one have info on him

[runningshoes]

Was he from Ireland?

[Brian McKenna]

nineteenth century stars say probably yes around 1851 - family came to us in 1860

[runningshoes]

You may already know this, but I have him referenced in a book as the manager of the traveling Rabbits of Dubuque that.........once had a league to play in but had beaten all other clubs so badly that the league had collapsed around them. Ted Sullivan, one of baseball's entrepreneurs (he discovered Old Ross Radbourne), a pitcher had become a manager. Born in County Clare, Ted had played baseball since school days with a big Chicago-born Irishman named Charles Comiskey, and now he had Charles on his club (at $50 a month) as center fielder, third baseman and occasional pitcher.

That's all this book has on him.

Baseball Almanac has him as not having attended college.

If I find anything else I'll let you know.

[Brian McKenna]

1878 started the dubuque rabbits - signed commy to first contract - started northwestern league to have consistent competition for rabbits - joined commy in stl in aa as mgr for chris von der ahe - then became investor, manager, promoter and recruiter for union assoc in '84 - around minors until about 1920

[runningshoes]

Nothing in The Sporting News or proquest?

[Hoyfan]

I have found some info on him, since he was responsible for bringing "Dummy" Hoy to the Washington Senators in early 1888. He published "Reminiscences of a Scout" in Baseball Magazine, February 1910. (I hope to read it at the NBL's Giamatti Librarty.)

He appears to have been a colorful character. A conversation with Chris Von der Ahe, the buffoonish owner of the St. Louis Browns, gave rise to the indispensible term "fan." (According to one etymology, that is!) In The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, there's a passage quoting some vintage references to that conversation. (See pages 185-187.)