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legendsport · 06-18-2007, 09:48 AM

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, April 14, 1879:

PROFESSIONAL BASE BALL IS BACK IN TROY!
The city of Troy is back in the business of base ball. The Trojan Club of Troy, New York is one of the four new members of the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs. Three of the quartet come out of the state of New York - Troy being joined by two of the better teams from the International Association: Buffalo and Syracuse. These additions to the League bring the total number of member clubs to eight. Two of the franchises, the much-maligned entry from Milwaukee and, surprisingly the 1878 championship club from Indianapolis. Both have folded due to financial problems, though the Milwaukee club was conclusively proved to have not been talented enough to keep up with the top League clubs. Where the Troy club will fit in remains to be seen, though it is unlikely that this former amateur club (bolstered by a few veteran professionals) will be ready to compete with the Boston-Chicago-Cincinnati axis of power. The fortunes of the Troy club will rest largely upon the arm of Renew "Iron Man" Jones, their pitcher and best player. Jones is certainly good enough to pitch in the League - the question is whether his mates are good enough to hit in the league...

RENEW JONES

ARE BISONS TOUGH ENOUGH FOR LEAGUE PLAY?
The Buffalo Bison club made light work of the majority of their International Association opposition a season ago. Now they have been accepted into the National League, where the competition is fiercer. Can the team hold together? The bigger question in the mind of the team's owner, Mr. Phillip Standish, is whether the population of Buffalo can afford the league-mandated admission price of 50 cents. Standish tried, unsuccesfully and with the assistance of his opposite number from Syracuse, to get the League to waive this rule. The club itself is solid, and should hold up against League competition. The pitcher, Bob Wilson, is proven and the Bison feature one of the most promising youngsters in the game in shortstop William Hill. Both will need to perform at a high level for the Bison to keep up with their new competition.

WILLIAM HILL

CUBANS RETURN TO BOLSTER SYRACUSE'S ENTRY IN LEAGUE PLAY
After spending a winter in the warmth of their home island of Cuba - and playing in the brand-new Cuban League - Cavetano Blanco and Arturo Villanueva have returned to Syracuse to take their spots in the starting nine for the Stars. Their presence certainly bolsters the Syracuse club as it prepares to move into the National League. Both are proven performers at the professional level and with other Star players such as third-sacker Frank Coolbaugh and outfielders Frank McGrath and Grant Conley, Syracuse should be a competitive club.

CAVETANO BLANCO

NEW CLUB IN CLEVELAND FACES DAUNTING TASK
The Cleveland club - the Blues - will face a daunting task upon its jump to the top level of base ball professionalism. It certainly helps that the club signed the pitcher of the former champion Indianapolis club, Clifford Langton, to bolster their squad. They also tendered contracts to several other League veterans, though the best of the bunch may be a non-league veteran in former Ladies Man (of Lowell, Mass): Horatio Smith. Called the "Duke of the Wabash" Smith is a flashy and talented player who will be the anchor for the Blues' lineup.

HORATIO SMITH

PITMAN RETURNS TO LEAD RED LEGS
Rube Pitman was so disappointed with the placing of his Cincinnati Red Leg club last season that he openly discussed retiring from the game to go into the Sporting Goods business with his brother. But, as winter turned to spring, there was Pitman, back with his club, boiling off the winter doldrums in preparation for another campaign on the diamond. The club is largely unchanged - Pitman, outfielder Emil Tsamis and pitcher Will Mireles remain the trio to watch in Cincinnati - which indicates that the Red Legs may once again come up short in League competition.

EMIL TSAMIS

PROVIDENCE QUIETLY LOOKS FOR SUCCESS
In all the furor which annually surrounds the "big boys" of the National League - that'd be Boston and Chicago for the uninitiated - the overlooked Providence club may prove to be the best of the bunch. The Grays are a talented team - probably as talented as either Boston or Chicago and added a second baseman in Claud Mackinson, who hit for .406 last year for the Indianapolis club. Could be an interesting season in Rhode Island...

CLAUD MACKINSON

WITHERS IS BIGGEST QUESTION IN BOSTON
Rit Withers has been a staple of base ball for the last two decades, going back to his days with the original Cincinnati Red Stockings. Now 40 years of age, the question has become: for how much longer can Withers continue to produce? Provided the answer isn't that he can no longer produce, the Boston Red Stockings again look like the League's best club. Still anchored by the young talents of Fred Morton, John Mahoney and Mike Feldbush, Boston has plenty of proven talent. If Withers can eke one more good summer out of his aging body, this could be the year Boston resumes the mantle of the World's champions.

RIT WITHERS

HARRELL'S WHITE STOCKINGS READY FOR RENEWAL
With Ben Harrell's now-famous tirade still echoing around Lake Front Park after his team's disappointing campaign in 1878, the team (and League) President went out and made some changes, notably acquiring shortstop-star-to-be Titus Kelley and shipping Klu Dolce off after signing a better right fielder in Canadian Fred Cadoneau, formerly of Rochester. With a starting lineup that shapes up as Walker Rhoades (P), Zane Guenther (C), Ken Swacina (1B), Jim McGregor (2B), Clifford Campbell (3B), Titus Kelley (SS), John Young (LF), Mark Hewitt (CF) and Fred Cadoneau (RF), the White Stockings have accumulated the greatest assemblage of base ball talent the world has ever known. Whether that will translate to success afield remains to be seen as there are some strong personalities at play on this club, Harrell's notwithstanding.

THE 1879 CHICAGO WHITE STOCKINGS (l. to r. Rhoades, Guenther, Swacina, McGregor, Campbell, Kelley, Young, Hewitt, Cadoneau)

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NON-LEAGUE PRO LANDSCAPE GROWS CLUTTERED
With the success of the National League, more and more so-called competitors are popping up around the country. The International Association, dating back to its time as the Canadian Association, has always been one of the best - but with the loss of both of its Canadian clubs, the Association dropped the "Inter" and is now known simply as the National Association. Boasting ten member clubs, it is the most talented of the circuits outside the League itself. Other entries include the newly formed Northwest League, which refused offers of affiliation from both the League and National Association. With four clubs centered in Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, this midwestern loop will most likely serve as a venue for those dreamers who wish for a professional career to garner a glance from the League. And in far-off California, a four-club circuit playing exclusively in San Francisco and calling itself the "California League of Professional Base Ball Clubs" has set up shop, playing solely on Sundays. Though these clubs will most likely not leave a lasting impression on the history of our beloved pastime, the players therein may move on to greater things after proving themselves in these base ball wildernesses.

06-18-2007, 09:48 AM	#97 (permalink)
legendsport Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Behind The Lens Posts: 2,158 Thanks: 3 Thanked 8x in 8 posts	1879 Season Preview The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, April 14, 1879: PROFESSIONAL BASE BALL IS BACK IN TROY! The city of Troy is back in the business of base ball. The Trojan Club of Troy, New York is one of the four new members of the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs. Three of the quartet come out of the state of New York - Troy being joined by two of the better teams from the International Association: Buffalo and Syracuse. These additions to the League bring the total number of member clubs to eight. Two of the franchises, the much-maligned entry from Milwaukee and, surprisingly the 1878 championship club from Indianapolis. Both have folded due to financial problems, though the Milwaukee club was conclusively proved to have not been talented enough to keep up with the top League clubs. Where the Troy club will fit in remains to be seen, though it is unlikely that this former amateur club (bolstered by a few veteran professionals) will be ready to compete with the Boston-Chicago-Cincinnati axis of power. The fortunes of the Troy club will rest largely upon the arm of Renew "Iron Man" Jones, their pitcher and best player. Jones is certainly good enough to pitch in the League - the question is whether his mates are good enough to hit in the league... RENEW JONES ARE BISONS TOUGH ENOUGH FOR LEAGUE PLAY? The Buffalo Bison club made light work of the majority of their International Association opposition a season ago. Now they have been accepted into the National League, where the competition is fiercer. Can the team hold together? The bigger question in the mind of the team's owner, Mr. Phillip Standish, is whether the population of Buffalo can afford the league-mandated admission price of 50 cents. Standish tried, unsuccesfully and with the assistance of his opposite number from Syracuse, to get the League to waive this rule. The club itself is solid, and should hold up against League competition. The pitcher, Bob Wilson, is proven and the Bison feature one of the most promising youngsters in the game in shortstop William Hill. Both will need to perform at a high level for the Bison to keep up with their new competition. WILLIAM HILL CUBANS RETURN TO BOLSTER SYRACUSE'S ENTRY IN LEAGUE PLAY After spending a winter in the warmth of their home island of Cuba - and playing in the brand-new Cuban League - Cavetano Blanco and Arturo Villanueva have returned to Syracuse to take their spots in the starting nine for the Stars. Their presence certainly bolsters the Syracuse club as it prepares to move into the National League. Both are proven performers at the professional level and with other Star players such as third-sacker Frank Coolbaugh and outfielders Frank McGrath and Grant Conley, Syracuse should be a competitive club. CAVETANO BLANCO NEW CLUB IN CLEVELAND FACES DAUNTING TASK The Cleveland club - the Blues - will face a daunting task upon its jump to the top level of base ball professionalism. It certainly helps that the club signed the pitcher of the former champion Indianapolis club, Clifford Langton, to bolster their squad. They also tendered contracts to several other League veterans, though the best of the bunch may be a non-league veteran in former Ladies Man (of Lowell, Mass): Horatio Smith. Called the "Duke of the Wabash" Smith is a flashy and talented player who will be the anchor for the Blues' lineup. HORATIO SMITH PITMAN RETURNS TO LEAD RED LEGS Rube Pitman was so disappointed with the placing of his Cincinnati Red Leg club last season that he openly discussed retiring from the game to go into the Sporting Goods business with his brother. But, as winter turned to spring, there was Pitman, back with his club, boiling off the winter doldrums in preparation for another campaign on the diamond. The club is largely unchanged - Pitman, outfielder Emil Tsamis and pitcher Will Mireles remain the trio to watch in Cincinnati - which indicates that the Red Legs may once again come up short in League competition. EMIL TSAMIS PROVIDENCE QUIETLY LOOKS FOR SUCCESS In all the furor which annually surrounds the "big boys" of the National League - that'd be Boston and Chicago for the uninitiated - the overlooked Providence club may prove to be the best of the bunch. The Grays are a talented team - probably as talented as either Boston or Chicago and added a second baseman in Claud Mackinson, who hit for .406 last year for the Indianapolis club. Could be an interesting season in Rhode Island... CLAUD MACKINSON WITHERS IS BIGGEST QUESTION IN BOSTON Rit Withers has been a staple of base ball for the last two decades, going back to his days with the original Cincinnati Red Stockings. Now 40 years of age, the question has become: for how much longer can Withers continue to produce? Provided the answer isn't that he can no longer produce, the Boston Red Stockings again look like the League's best club. Still anchored by the young talents of Fred Morton, John Mahoney and Mike Feldbush, Boston has plenty of proven talent. If Withers can eke one more good summer out of his aging body, this could be the year Boston resumes the mantle of the World's champions. RIT WITHERS HARRELL'S WHITE STOCKINGS READY FOR RENEWAL With Ben Harrell's now-famous tirade still echoing around Lake Front Park after his team's disappointing campaign in 1878, the team (and League) President went out and made some changes, notably acquiring shortstop-star-to-be Titus Kelley and shipping Klu Dolce off after signing a better right fielder in Canadian Fred Cadoneau, formerly of Rochester. With a starting lineup that shapes up as Walker Rhoades (P), Zane Guenther (C), Ken Swacina (1B), Jim McGregor (2B), Clifford Campbell (3B), Titus Kelley (SS), John Young (LF), Mark Hewitt (CF) and Fred Cadoneau (RF), the White Stockings have accumulated the greatest assemblage of base ball talent the world has ever known. Whether that will translate to success afield remains to be seen as there are some strong personalities at play on this club, Harrell's notwithstanding. THE 1879 CHICAGO WHITE STOCKINGS (l. to r. Rhoades, Guenther, Swacina, McGregor, Campbell, Kelley, Young, Hewitt, Cadoneau) \|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\| NON-LEAGUE PRO LANDSCAPE GROWS CLUTTERED With the success of the National League, more and more so-called competitors are popping up around the country. The International Association, dating back to its time as the Canadian Association, has always been one of the best - but with the loss of both of its Canadian clubs, the Association dropped the "Inter" and is now known simply as the National Association. Boasting ten member clubs, it is the most talented of the circuits outside the League itself. Other entries include the newly formed Northwest League, which refused offers of affiliation from both the League and National Association. With four clubs centered in Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, this midwestern loop will most likely serve as a venue for those dreamers who wish for a professional career to garner a glance from the League. And in far-off California, a four-club circuit playing exclusively in San Francisco and calling itself the "California League of Professional Base Ball Clubs" has set up shop, playing solely on Sundays. Though these clubs will most likely not leave a lasting impression on the history of our beloved pastime, the players therein may move on to greater things after proving themselves in these base ball wildernesses. __________________ The Baseball Chronicle - Swinging thru History! The Football Chronicle - Hitting Hard Historically (PFS - 1962) Alternate Universe Football (FOF - 1994)