BBF VC Progressive HoF Contributors Election: 1941

[jjpm74]

Deleted/////////

[SavoyBG]

MY BALLOT:

Ed Barrow
Charles Conlon
Tom Connolly
Barney Dreyfuss
Jack Dunn
Al Munro Elias
Bob Ferguson
Clark Griffith
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Ring Lardner
Tommy McCarthy
Al Reach
Chris von der Ahe
John Ward

[Brad Harris]

Ed Barrow
Fred Clarke
Jack Dunn
Clark Griffith
Garry Herrmann
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Kenesaw Landis
Tim Murnane
Francis Richter
Arthur Soden
J.G. Taylor Spink
C.I. Taylor
John Ward
George Wright

[jalbright]

Barrow
Connolly
Dunn
Griffith
Huggins
Klem
Landis
Richter
JG Tyler Spink
C. I. Taylor
Warfield

[jjpm74]

///////////////////////////

[jjpm74]

deleted................

[dgarza]

Cap Anson
Morgan Bulkeley
Frank Chance
Charles Conlon
Candy Cummings
Clark Griffith
Miller Huggins
Kenesaw Landis
Ring Lardner
A.G. Mills
Al Reach
Francis Richter
Alfred H. Spink
C.I. Taylor
John Ward

[Paul Wendt]

dupli-post

[Paul Wendt]

(I voted for all four of the 1936 winners. Here are the leftover eleven from that ballot.
The typographic code is too bold, at least with my settings, but my rate of experiment here is too low to improve it quickly.)


Key
: underline marks important field managers
: bold marks important higher roles in clubs, for field managers
: brown represents the color line
: blue means professional journalism
: (*) means a little writing on the side

Frank C. Bancroft -- also led traveling teams West, South, and to Cuba
Ed Barrow
Tom Connolly
Candy Cummings
Bob Ferguson
Clark Griffith
Bill Klem
Tim Murnane -- also founder & president of minor leagues
Frank Osborn -- Osborn Engineering, ballpark design & construction
Al Reach -- early pro player, Reach Sporting Goods and publications, Philly clubs
Francis Richter -- Sporting Life :bowdown:
Al Spink -- The Sporting News
--also one organizer of St Louis ballclubs and one initiator of Sportsman's Park and the major AA
C.I. Taylor
John Ward (*)
Sol White (*)

edit:
I have added two from high in my consideration set, longtime umpires Connolly and Klem. They are listed in italics.

edit:
I have added two from high in my consideration set, Ed Barrow and Al Spink. They are listed according to the key.

[DoubleX]

For reference, it might be helpful to make a note of candidates who have been elected as players. Some voters may not differentiate their player/non-player accomplishments enough to vote them in as both. On the current ballot, Cap Anson, Frank Chance, Fred Clarke, John Ward, and George Wright have been elected as players, and Clark Griffith is actually above the line in the current VC election.

Ed Barrow
Tom Connolly
Barney Dreyfuss
Al Munro Elias
Clark Griffith
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Al Reach
Francis Richter
J.G. Taylor Spink
Sol White

[Cowtipper]

Frank Bancroft
Tom Connelly
Barney Dreyfuss
Garry Herrmann
Bill Klem
Kenesaw Landis
Tommy McCarthy
Ben Shibe
Charles Somers
Sol White
Horace Wilson

[BlueBlood]

15 Suitable Candidates ("My Ballot"):

Frank C. Bancroft
Ed Barrow
John T. Brush
Morgan Bulkeley
Tom Connolly
Candy Cummings
Barney Dreyfuss
Jack Dunn
Bob Ferguson
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Kenesaw Landis
Francis Richter
Ben Shibe
Sol White

[philkid3]

Wow, I totally didn't notice this was up.

I, uh. . . don't have a ballot readily available. I'll work on that.

[PVNICK]

Caylor
Dunn
Ferguson
Griffith
Huggins
McCarthy
Murnane
Reach
Richter
Spink
von der Ahe

[leecemark]

Ed Barrow
Barney Dreyfuss
Miller Huggins
Al Reach
Francis Richter
Ben Shibe

[jjpm74]

removed................

[SavoyBG]

Guys, are you all going to stand there and tell us that in 70 years of professional baseball that we don't have a single umpire that belongs in the hall of fame yet? This is preposterous. Bill Klem has retired as of the end of this season, and Tom Connoly has been retired for several years now. There's also Bob Ferguson, who belongs in the hall of fame for many reasons, not the least of which is his excellent career as an umpire.

Please, let's get a couple of these important figures inducted before we start inducting men whose biggest achievement was merely being a member of the lucky sperm club......men who owned baseball teams because they were lucky enough to have been born into wealthy families.

Here is some info on Connoly, Ferguson and Klem:

CONNOLY
An umpire for 34 years during the roughest era in baseball history, Englishman Tom Connolly gained players' respect as an impartial and fair-minded arbiter. Connolly umpired in the National League for three years before switching in 1901 to the new American League, where he would stay for 31 years. In contrast to the abrasive Bill Klem, Connolly was a calm and dignified disciplinarian who once went 10 consecutive seasons without ejecting a player. He umpired in the first modern World Series in 1903 and in eight overall.

Any umpire who can go ten staright seasons without an ejection during the days of Ty Cobb must have been amazing.


FERGUSON
Ferguson had, on numerous occasions during his playing and managerial career, served as a substitute umpire, but did not start doing it full time until after his departure from Philadelphia. In 1888, he became a full-time professional umpire, working in the American Association, and later in the Players' League in 1890.[1] By the end of the 1890 season he had passed Kick Kelly to take over the record for career games as an umpire with 650; John Gaffney surpassed his final total of 786 in 1893. Ferguson officially umpired 804 games if his National Association games are taken into account, and his career came to a close after the 1891 season.[1] On his umpiring philosophy, he once stated "Umpiring always came as easy to me", he said, "as sleeping on a featherbed. Never change a decision, never stop to talk to a man. Make 'em play ball and keep their mouths shut, and never fear but the people will be on your side and you'll be called the king of umpires."[


KLEM
William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm, known as the "father of baseball umpires", was a National League umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941. He had the longest career of any major league umpire (37 years) and was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67. Klem was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as for his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire; he was the first major league umpire to use arm signals while working behind home plate, and was one of the first umpires to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside of the shirt – a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the NL. He was the first to straddle foul lines for better perspective and stand to the side of the catcher for a better look at pitches. Finally, he was the last umpire to routinely work the plate in all games.

Born in Rochester, New York, he worked a record 18 World Series:[3] 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934 and 1940. No other umpire has worked in more than ten Series. Of the 16 major league teams in existence during his career, all but one – the St. Louis Browns, appeared in a World Series that he officiated; the only other teams which did not win a championship with Klem on the field were the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, and the Detroit Tigers. He was also one of the umpires for the first All-Star Game in 1933, and worked behind the plate for the second half of the game; he later umpired in the 1938 All-Star Game as well.

Below are pictures of Connoly, Ferguson and Klem, in that order.

[Brad Harris]

Guys, are you all going to stand there and tell us that in 70 years of professional baseball that we don't have a single umpire that belongs in the hall of fame yet?
You got it.

[jalbright]

Guys, are you all going to stand there and tell us that in 70 years of professional baseball that we don't have a single umpire that belongs in the hall of fame yet? This is preposterous. Bill Klem has retired as of the end of this season, and Tom Connoly has been retired for several years now. There's also Bob Ferguson, who belongs in the hall of fame for many reasons, not the least of which is his excellent career as an umpire.

Please, let's get a couple of these imporatnt figures inducted before we start inducting men whose biggest achievement was merely being a member of the lucky sperm club......men who owned baseball teams because they were lucky enough to have been born into wealthy families.

Here is some info on Connoly, Ferguson and Klem:

CONNOLY
An umpire for 34 years during the roughest era in baseball history, Englishman Tom Connolly gained players' respect as an impartial and fair-minded arbiter. Connolly umpired in the National League for three years before switching in 1901 to the new American League, where he would stay for 31 years. In contrast to the abrasive Bill Klem, Connolly was a calm and dignified disciplinarian who once went 10 consecutive seasons without ejecting a player. He umpired in the first modern World Series in 1903 and in eight overall.

Any umpire who can go ten staright seasons without an ejection during the days of Ty Cobb must have been amazing.


FERGUSON
Ferguson had, on numerous occasions during his playing and managerial career, served as a substitute umpire, but did not start doing it full time until after his departure from Philadelphia. In 1888, he became a full-time professional umpire, working in the American Association, and later in the Players' League in 1890.[1] By the end of the 1890 season he had passed Kick Kelly to take over the record for career games as an umpire with 650; John Gaffney surpassed his final total of 786 in 1893. Ferguson officially umpired 804 games if his National Association games are taken into account, and his career came to a close after the 1891 season.[1] On his umpiring philosophy, he once stated "Umpiring always came as easy to me", he said, "as sleeping on a featherbed. Never change a decision, never stop to talk to a man. Make 'em play ball and keep their mouths shut, and never fear but the people will be on your side and you'll be called the king of umpires."[


KLEM
William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm, known as the "father of baseball umpires", was a National League umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941. He had the longest career of any major league umpire (37 years) and was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67. Klem was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as for his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire; he was the first major league umpire to use arm signals while working behind home plate, and was one of the first umpires to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside of the shirt – a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the NL. He was the first to straddle foul lines for better perspective and stand to the side of the catcher for a better look at pitches. Finally, he was the last umpire to routinely work the plate in all games.

Born in Rochester, New York, he worked a record 18 World Series:[3] 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934 and 1940. No other umpire has worked in more than ten Series. Of the 16 major league teams in existence during his career, all but one – the St. Louis Browns, appeared in a World Series that he officiated; the only other teams which did not win a championship with Klem on the field were the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, and the Detroit Tigers. He was also one of the umpires for the first All-Star Game in 1933, and worked behind the plate for the second half of the game; he later umpired in the 1938 All-Star Game as well.

Below are pictures of Connoly, Ferguson and Klem, in that order.

At least for me, the problem with umpires is how to distinguish them except in time of service? Any decent ump will get some testimonials. Of the info you provided, Klem is the most interesting. Was umping the World Series an indication by the League Presidents/Commissioner of exceptional merit? Today, it's on a rotation system under the umpire union contract. If so, I'm more impressed--but I would like a cite for that. Similarly, if there's a cite for the straddling the foul line/looking over a catcher's shoulder claims, which are now accepted umpiring techniques, I'm impressed by that. I've seen claims for Cal Hubbard that he created the techniques for four man umpiring crew positioning on the field, but I've never seen any support for the claims. If I see support for such claims, I'm impressed--but without the support, well, pretty much anybody can make a claim. Give me that kind of info, and I'll be happy to not only vote for the guys supported by that info, but I'll even stump for them. Until then, though, I have little taste for what feels like giving a gold watch for umping a long time.

[SavoyBG]

At least for me, the problem with umpires is how to distinguish them except in time of service? Any decent ump will get some testimonials. Of the info you provided, Klem is the most interesting. Was umping the World Series an indication by the League Presidents/Commissioner of exceptional merit? Today, it's on a rotation system under the umpire union contract. If so, I'm more impressed--but I would like a cite for that. Similarly, if there's a cite for the straddling the foul line/looking over a catcher's shoulder claims, which are now accepted umpiring techniques, I'm impressed by that. I've seen claims for Cal Hubbard that he created the techniques for four man umpiring crew positioning on the field, but I've never seen any support for the claims. If I see support for such claims, I'm impressed--but without the support, well, pretty much anybody can make a claim. Give me that kind of info, and I'll be happy to not only vote for the guys supported by that info, but I'll even stump for them. Until then, though, I have little taste for what feels like giving a gold watch for umping a long time.

Yes, Klem was assigned the world series so often because it was felt that he was the NL's best umpire. To catch up on this you can start by reading the following things:

http://www.stevetheump.com/umpiring_history.htm

http://www.stevetheump.com/umpiring_timeline.htm

http://www.stevetheump.com/All_time_WS_umpires.htm

Bill Klem
Generally regarded as the greatest umpire in the game's history, Klem umpired exclusively behind the plate his first 16 years because of his acknowledged superiority in calling balls and strikes. As a plate umpire, he pioneered the inside chest protector. Until Klem, all plate umpires wore the outside protector, commonly called the "balloon." Klem said the inside protector gave him a better look at the pitch because he could move in closer behind the catcher. He took a catcher's protector, added shoulder pads, and wore it under his shirt instead of outside. Since he was the dean of NL umpires, the senior circuit adopted the inside protector years before the AL.
Klem worked a record 18 WS, a total of 104 games, including five straight assignments from 1911 to 1915. His first WS was 1908 (Cubs-Tigers) and his last 1940 (Reds-Tigers). Klem also umpired the first All-Star Game in 1933. In 36 years, he was behind the plate for five no-hitters, the last being Paul Dean's over Brooklyn (9/21/34). He even officiated a race around the bases between Hans Lobert and a horse in 1914 at Oxnard, California. He declared the horse the winner by a nose.

Among the many memorable games Klem umpired was Opening Day at the Polo Grounds in 1907. A winter storm left piles of snow around the field. In the eighth inning, with New York leading the Phillies 3-0, spectators began bombarding the visting Phillies, umpires, and each other with snowballs. Klem forfeited'c-(((the game to Philadelphia because it was up to the home team to keep order.

Early in Klem's career, Giants manager John McGraw threatened to get him fired. Klem replied: "Mr. Manager, if it's possible for you to take my job away from me, I don't want it." His integrity helped secure the reputation of umpires as honest and impartial. He brought dignity to the game, along with competence and pride. Shortly before he died, he described the last game he ever worked. "I walked away from the beefing ballplayer, saying to myself, `I'm almost certain Herman tagged him.' Then it came to me and I almost wept. For the first time in my career, I only `thought' a man was tagged." Klem retired that afternoon.

[philkid3]

I'm pairing down my ballot from the past, but I may yet expand this.

Frank Bancroft
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Ben Shibe

[SavoyBG]

For those who may not know that much about Ferguson's immense contributions....

He was the only person to umpire in four leagues in the 19th century as well as the only person to be an umpire, player, manager and league official at one time.

http://www.19cbaseball.com/players-bob-ferguson.html

Bob Ferguson
1845–1894
By Eric Miklich

n June 14, 1870 the Brooklyn Atlantics were playing host to the powerful Cincinnati Red Stockings at Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, NY. The Red Stockings last loss occurred on October 1, 1868 to the same Atlantics of Brooklyn, on the same field. Since then the Red Stockings managed to win 89 straight games (the August 26, 1869 match against Troy is considered a forfeit win since the Haymakers walked off the field). At the end of nine innings, the Atlantics walked off the field proudly with a 5-5 tie. The crowd of between 9,000 and 20,000, who paid 50 cents to watch, was thrilled to see the Atlantics come from behind to tie the historic game.

The Captain of the Red Stockings, Harry Wright, claimed the game was not over. He said the rules stated that "unless it be mutually agreed upon by the captains of the two nines to consider the game a draw," a tie game must continue into extra innings. Atlantics Captain, BOB FERGUSON, announced that they were more than happy with a draw and perhaps thinking of the money that could be made for a second match.

Wright consulted Henry Chadwick, Chairman of the Rules Committee of the newly formed National Association, who was in attendance. Chadwick ruled the game should continue.

In the top of the 11th the Red Stockings pushed across two runs. In the home half of the inning, Cincinnati's pitcher Asa Brainard gave up a single to first baseman Charley Smith and allowed him to move to third on a wild pitch. Joe Start hit a drive to right field that went into the crowd. Cal McVey managed to get the ball from the crowd but not before Start ended up on third. With Smith scoring, the Atlantics were down by one. Left fielder John Chapman grounded out to third but Start was unable to score. Third baseman Bob Ferguson hit a grounder to Charlie Gould at first base. Gould allowed the ball to go through his legs. Start scored the tying run and Ferguson rounded second and headed for third. Gould threw the ball over third baseman Fred Waterman's head and Ferguson scored the winning run.

Each Atlantic was paid $364 for their effort. The mighty Red Stockings continued to play, however, and after succumbing to five more losses the team disbanded six months later. Investors withdrew their support citing poor attendance and rising costs as the main reasons.

Robert Vavasour Ferguson was born on January 31, 1845 and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He was an overall average player. But it was his character and unquestioned honesty during a period when games were often decided by gamblers which made him different. His bad temper, stubbornness and honesty were traits that caused him to be disliked.


He became the first captain, and third baseman, of the New York Mutuals in the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, formed in 1871. In the first season the Mutuals would finish fourth. Ferguson who "insisted upon implicit obedience from his men" was forced to leave because of the heavy rumors of gambling surrounding the team. He was also a substitute umpire for the National Association that inaugural season.

The year of 1872 was a busy for Ferguson. He was a convention delegate for the Brooklyn Atlantics, the team he would return to as the player/captain, for the '72 season. During the convention, held in Cleveland, he would be elected president of the National Association. Some ball players felt this was only a figurehead position. Ferguson felt otherwise. He wanted the players to have a representative. He would hold that position until the collapse of the NA, in 1875. He also became a regular umpire for the NA. On September 1, 1872 Ferguson arranged a benefit game for Albert Thake, a 22-year-old left fielder for the Atlantics, who drowned off Fort Hamilton, in New York Harbor, while fishing. The old Brooklyn Atlantics and Members of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings played against each other in the benefit game. The Atlantics ended the season in 6th place; the first of three consecutive 6th place finishes.

In 1873, Ferguson was once again a convention delegate for the Atlantics during the meetings held in Baltimore, MD. He stayed on as a regular umpire for the NA but was involved in an incident during a game on July 24. While umpiring a game between the Baltimore Canaries and Ferguson's former team, the NY Mutuals, he was loudly abused throughout the game by notorious umpire-baiter, Mutuals catcher Nat Hicks. The game was close and the Mutuals produced a three-run rally in the ninth to win 11-10. Ferguson and Hicks got into an altercation at the conclusion of the game. Ferguson hit Hicks with a bat in the left arm and had to have a police escort to get to the clubhouse. Although Hicks ended up with a broken arm in two places and would not play for two months, he refused to press charges and the two reconciled after the game. As a result, Ferguson was only a substitute umpire in the '74 season.

In 1875, Ferguson again became a regular umpire but he left the Atlantics, along with pitcher Tommy Bond, to become the player/captain of the Hartford Dark Blues. This would be his first, and most successful, of three straight winning seasons with the Dark Blues. The team would finish in second place at 54-28, 18½ games behind Harry Wright's powerful Boston Red Stockings. As for the Atlantics, they started the season at 2-11 and finished with a 31-game losing streak and a 12th place finish.

Ferguson became a League Director when the National League was formed in 1876. He was involved in a landmark decision that season. Jim Devlin, a pitcher for the Louisville Grays, wanted to be released from his contract. He claimed that the team had failed to fulfill the terms of his contract. Surrounding Devlin were rumors of "hippodroming." Ferguson, along with fellow League Directors Nicholas Appolonio, Boston President and St. Louis club Secretary Charles Chase ruled in favor of the Gray's VP Charles Chase. Devlin was compelled to remain with the Grays. The following season, Devlin and three other teammates, SS/2B William Craver, OF George Hall and 3B Al Nichols would be suspended for life for throwing games. Devlin would attempt for a number of years to be reinstated, but never was.


In 1878, Al Spalding hired Ferguson to captain the Chicago White Stockings. Spalding openly said he admired Ferguson's style and leadership that made the Hartford teams successful. Ferguson personally had his most successful season as a player. He hit .351, third in the league, led the league in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in RBI and ranked fourth in hits. The supposedly high-powered White Stockings finished at .500. In Spalding's memoirs he called Ferguson "tactless" and hopelessly lacking any knowledge "of the subtle science of handling men by strategy rather than by force." Spalding's harsh words helped end Ferguson's career as a player and manager.

In 1879, Ferguson played in only 30 games and managed the last 29 games for the Troy Trojans. He also resumed umpiring for the National League. From 1880-1882 he managed and played full time for the Trojans but did not umpire. Ferguson played for and managed the Philadelphia Quakers in the National League in 1883, but was replaced by Blondie Purcell with just 17 games remaining.

On August 21, the Quakers traveled to Providence to play the Grays. He needed to increase ticket sales on the road because the American Association entry in Philadelphia had forced the Quakers to reduce prices to 25 cents a game. He gave the ball to Rhode Island native Art Hagen who had several rough outings during a recent road trip. Ferguson hoped Hagen's appearance would draw the locals. The people came in large numbers to watch the hometown hero. Hagen surrendered 28 runs and the Quakers made 20 errors behind him. Philadelphia didn't score and to this day it's still the most lopsided shutout in major league history. Ferguson was labeled a sadist for not relieving him.

Ferguson found work in the American Association in 1884 with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He would be the second of five managers for the team that season and he would also play the last 10 games of his career. He returned to umpiring in the National League for the first time in four years, working part-time in '84 and full-time during the '85 season.


In 1886, 17 games into the season, Ferguson took over the managing duties for the New York Metropolitans, in the American Association and finished eighth. He also became an umpire in the A.A. in 1886 and continued until 1889. Ferguson would begin the season managing the Metropolitans in '87 but was replaced 30 games into the season.

Ferguson would never again manage. He turned full-time to umpiring and was a replacement umpire in the first game of the first all-New York World Series in '89 between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. He worked for the Players league in 1890 and returned to the A.A. in 1891 and then retired. Ferguson would pass away in Brooklyn on May 5, 1894, at the age of 49.

Ferguson would play in 562 games and manage another 949. He was the only person to umpire in four leagues in the 19th century as well as the only person to be an umpire, player, manager and league official at one time. Unfortunately, he is mostly remembered for one thing:

Question: Who was the first switch-hitter in professional baseball?

Answer: Bob Ferguson.

[jjpm74]

removed and deletd

[jalbright]

Just a note that I have added Connolly to my ballot.

[Paul Wendt]

I have added two from high in my consideration set, umpires Connolly and Klem.

Klem retired from the regular staff more than a year ago although he works as chief of staff and that puts him back "in the game" occasionally.


What is the case for Jack Dunn? Is there more to it than the great success of the IL Baltimore Orioles? Anyway what is the early part of the Baltimore Orioles story? Last I know, they are in the American League led by Wilbert Robinson, holding the bag that his erstwhile partner John McGraw damaged pretty badly.

The transactions log shows, ironically to me, that his erstwhile overworked backup John Dunn fled to the New York Giants in advance of John McGraw and other Orioles, at the beginning of the 1902 season.

[jalbright]

I have added two from high in my consideration set, umpires Connolly and Klem.

Klem retired from the regular staff more than a year ago although he works as chief of staff and that puts him back "in the game" occasionally.


What is the case for Jack Dunn? Is there more to it than the great success of the IL Baltimore Orioles? Anyway what is the early part of the Baltimore Orioles story? Last I know, they are in the American League led by Wilbert Robinson, holding the bag that his erstwhile partner John McGraw damaged pretty badly.

The transactions log shows, ironically to me, that his erstwhile overworked backup John Dunn fled to the New York Giants in advance of John McGraw and other Orioles, at the beginning of the 1902 season.

The following argument got Jack Dunn elected to the BBF HOF as a contributor: http://baseball-fever.com/showpost.php?p=508643&postcount=245

[jjpm74]

removed.................

[Paul Wendt]

I have added Barrow and Spink.

Barrow is a grand old man of the game like Klem. He is 73 years old and Landis has put him on the Hall of Fame committee with Connie Mack and Bob Quinn.

--
From my high consideration set of ten years ago, three do not yet have my votes: Dunn, Landis, and Shibe.

[AG2004]

What is the case for Jack Dunn? Is there more to it than the great success of the IL Baltimore Orioles? Anyway what is the early part of the Baltimore Orioles story? Last I know, they are in the American League led by Wilbert Robinson, holding the bag that his erstwhile partner John McGraw damaged pretty badly.


After 1902, the AL moved the Orioles to New York, where they became the Highlanders.

The IL Orioles were established during the 1903 season, but didn't become a power until Dunn purchased them before the 1908 campaign. Dunn was GM, manager, and scout for the club, and deserves credit for the discovery of Babe Ruth and Lefty Grove.

My ballot contains:
Ed Barrow
Tom Connolly
Candy Cummings
Jack Dunn
Bob Ferguson
Miller Huggins
Bill Klem
Al Reach
Francis Richter
Ben Shibe

---

As for the umpiring in the World Series: The National League used a merit system at the time. The AL under Ban Johnson used a rotation, as he believed all of his umpires were good enough for the World Series. However, Connolly was the first AL umpire in a World Series. He was also given the assignment of the first AL game, the first game at Shibe Park, the first game at Fenway, and the first game at Yankee Stadium. Apparently Johnson considered him the first among equals.

[AG2004]

I won't be around this evening, so this will close at about 2PM today. If Henrich and AG2004 don't have their ballots in by that time, they won't be counted when I tally.

Which time zone?

[jjpm74]

removed..............

[jjpm74]

be kind rewind

[SavoyBG]

Can we get Lefty O'Doul added to the next contributor election? He doesn't deserve induction as a major league player, but he belongs in the hall as an overall baseball contributor.

[jjpm74]

deleted............

[jalbright]

I have Lefty listed in my project, so I would imagine he'll get listed in this one. However, he isn't eligible under my rules as a contributor until 1962, and I think he's not eligible for this project until the late 1950's.

[Paul Wendt]

Well, I'm glad I added Al Spink at the final hour, wish it had been Spink and another singleton, Charles Somers.

Effective at the conclusion of the 1941 election, any candidate receiving 1 or 0 votes will be eliminated from the master list. If a contributor is eliminated, they can be added later on by nomination.
OK, everyone named in red. (The explicit list of drops doesn't quite match.)

Frank Osborn 1
...
Charles W. Leavitt Jr. 0
I made time for some internet browsing on the two of them and concluded that Osborn was much the greater figure in baseball history. I was hoping to learn more about Harry M. Stevens, even if it wouldn't lead to casting him a vote. I wonder whether he invented the boiled wiener. (OOC: I'll get back to Osborn and Stevens, for sure, if we elect Topps Chewing Gum in a few years.)

[Paul Wendt]

Branch Rickey and Paul Krichell - is there a story?
Rickey, Browns catcher 1906 and manager 1913-15.
Krichell, Browns catcher 1911-12.

Barrow, Huggins, Ruppert, McCarthy, Krichell, Weiss, Stengel --we'll vote them all in, right?
Larry MacPhail, Lee MacPhail, Andy MacPhail, ...

[jjpm74]

thank you, come again

[AG2004]

I made time for some internet browsing on the two of them and concluded that Osborn was much the greater figure in baseball history. I was hoping to learn more about Harry M. Stevens, even if it wouldn't lead to casting him a vote. I wonder whether he invented the boiled wiener. (OOC: I'll get back to Osborn and Stevens, for sure, if we elect Topps Chewing Gum in a few years.)

I'm not ready to add Osborn yet.

OOC: Once we get the new stadiums of the early 1970s and see how bad they are, I'll be ready to add Osborn. The only good stadium of that era was Royals Stadium. Now that I think about it, the only new stadium of that era that wasn't used for football was Royals stadium (UT-Arlington used Arlington Stadium for a few years). I think there's a connection between the two.

[Brad Harris]

I'm not ready to add Osborn yet.

OOC: Once we get the new stadiums of the early 1970s and see how bad they are, I'll be ready to add Osborn. The only good stadium of that era was Royals Stadium. Now that I think about it, the only new stadium of that era that wasn't used for football was Royals stadium (UT-Arlington used Arlington Stadium for a few years). I think there's a connection between the two.
Yes, and it's a lesson Selig hasn't learned: there's baseball and other sports. Football is a corrupting influence.

[jjpm74]

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