Watching the 1921 World Series

UPDATE: Rob Frost posted a much cleaner image on the Facebook group, Knoxville Tennessee History & Memories.  He lays out in his post why he believes that this photo was taken on October 6, 1921.  I have to agree with, and support, his analysis.  I've updated my story and links to correctly reflect his findings.  Thanks, Rob.

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Tonight is the first game of the 2015 World Series.  Many of us are watching the television or an app on our phone to follow the game.

94 years ago in Knoxville people thronged to So. Gay Street to keep up with the action.

1921 World Series baseball game reported at the Knoxville Sentinel
part of the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

In October of 1921 the Yankees and the Giants battled it out over eight games.  Knoxvillians seemed to be very interested in the results.

I don't know if that is a PlayOGraph scoreboard, but it was on the front of a building on the NW corner of South Gay and Main streets.  

The box score (and more) about the game shown can be found here.  A story about the game and the crowd gathered in Knoxville can be found here.

The Auto Tire Co.? That was actually the Tinsley Tire Co.

Knoxville, Tennessee, City Directory, 1925
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line].

Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Knoxville, Tennessee, City Directory, 1925
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

So let's look at some maps to see where Tinsley Tire Co. was located.

from AmericanRoads.us

Zooming in a bit, I've added a bit of Google Maps.  This is just south of the Bijou Theatre.

from AmericanRoads.us

 And this is what that corner looks like today.

Google Maps

Times have changed.

The Giants won the 1921 Series.

1925 Knoxville Colored High School baseball team

I was able to make a return trip to the Beck Cultural Exchange Center on Saturday afternoon. I was seeking baseball info from African-American newspapers that they have in their collection.  They're currently undergoing some rearranging and that resource wasn't available to me.  So I turned to their local yearbooks.

Knoxville Colored High School was formed in 1916.  Robert Booker wrote about the history of the Austin schools in a Knoxville News Sentinel column in 2009.

This team photo came from The Echo (vol. III), the KCHS yearbook of 1926.

I think that the coach, O. C. Twyner, was Olger Conelius Twyner.  I have found him in the both the 1927 and 1928 Knoxville City Directories.

1927 - Twyner, Olger C (c) (Mary H) sec-genl mgr Western Heights Merc Co  r 1817 College
1928 - Twyner, Olger C (c) (Mary H) tchr r 1817 College

That address today is at College and Jourolman, just north of Knoxville College.

Below is his draft registration card for World War One.

 Description: Registration State: Illinois; Registration County: St Clair; Roll: 1613396; Draft Board: 3
Description: Draft Card: T
Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.

Searching through the public family trees at Ancestry, it appears that Coach Twyner passed away in May of 1975.

I'm assuming that Greeneville College is somehow associated with Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee.  Nelson Merry College, an African-American school, was located in Jefferson City, Tennessee.  Walnut Hill High?  There is a Walnut Hill in Sullivan County, Tennessee.  There was a Langston High School located in Johnson City.

baseball images from the Beck Cultural Exchange Center

East Tennessee SABR Meeting in Bristol

On August 29, 2015, the East Tennessee Chapter of SABR had their summer meeting on August 29, 2015, in Bristol, Virginia.  Lucas Hobbs, the Vice President of Bristol Baseball, Inc., worked with the Bristol Pirates to make our memorable.

Bristol has a varied baseball history.  Some of the highlights are winning the Appalachian League title in 1922, 1942, 1950, 1972, 1974, 1985, 1998, and 2002.  They also had a player named Ron Necciai who struck out 27 batters in a single game.

There were three SABR members in attendance, with two guests.

The meeting started at 6pm, with Jeff Johnson, the Pirates pitching coach, talking with us about his time as a player and then as a coach.  The audio clip can be found on the audio page.  If that doesn't work (and I've been experiencing some issues with it, try this direct link to the mp3 file).

The meeting was cut short as Lucas had duties to attend to and I had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.  Let's just say it was a bit low and inside.  Or maybe I was channeling what Jeff Johnson said about teaching his pitchers to throw down and tight.

The Pirates were hosting the Pulaski Yankees in the final game of the season at Boyce Cox Field.  The baseball was enjoyable.  One of the guests at the meeting was Tony Hightower, father of the Pirates pitcher Scooter Hightower.  Unfortunately, Scooter got his second loss as a Pirate that evening as they fell to Pulaski 6-1 (box score).

The night was beautiful.  The following is an untouched photo from my cell phone.

Marshall Adesman and I sat in the reserved seats on the first base side and spent most of the game talking baseball and swapping stories.  We ended up running into Lee Landers, president of the Appalachian League.  More swapping of stories.

All in all, a nice night.

Base Ball Park, Knoxville, Tenn.

Over the years I've had the pleasure and privilege of meeting people involved with, or interested in baseball in east Tennessee.  One of those is Walter "Hawkeye" Bates.  I met Hawkeye through his involvement with the Knoxville Holstons Vintage Base Ball Club.  He's a member and I'm a fan.  Several months ago he mentioned to me that he had a photo/postcard of an old baseball ground in Knoxville.  My interest was immediately piqued.

We talked about it off and on through the summer and he finally got tired of me pestering him and sent a photo my way.

I looked through my reference notes and by the date that Hawkeye shares this would most likely be Chilhowee Park Base Ball Park.

I did see a listing on ebay for this postcard and a date of 1913 was attached.  I don't know if that was the date that the postcard was mailed or if there's some other info that indicates that this park was in use that year.  If it does depict a park in 1913 that might have been Caswell Park.

Thanks for sharing this, Hawkeye.  Keep your willow supple.

Wonder how this worked out...

We've all wondered what the skipper and the ump are actually saying when they get together and express their displeasure for a call or each other. 

Athletes and coaches are "mic-ed up" in current sporting events, why not do it 57 years ago?

The Sporting News - April 30, 1958

Well, as the photo caption says, the placing of the microphone enabled "...fans to hear the managers and umpires discuss ground rules in pre-game huddles and for the announcing of lineup changes after the game is underway."

I guess they didn't get to hear the juicy stuff.  Unless the coaches were really loud.

Early Standings of the 1902 City League

Following up on the City League of 1902, I next found mention of the league in the paper a few weeks after they started.  Two games each have been played.  And the C.M. McClungs are on top of the standings.

Knoxville Journal and Tribune - July 27, 1902
image from the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

Constable Doyle, who broke his left arm, was Perez Dickson Doyle.  He appears in the 1903 Knoxville City Directory.

Knoxville, Tennessee, City Directory, 1903

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Perez Doyle was born in 1872, being 30 years old when he managed the South Knoxville team.  According to his death certificate he died of "cancer of stomach" in 1939.  He's buried in the New Prospect Presbyterian Church cemetery just off of Sevierville Pike, behind Chapman Ford Crossing in south Knoxville.

Singleton's Tigers Win

113 years ago today John Singleton's Tigers played the colored team from Chattanooga at Baldwin park and beat them 9-5.  Another game was scheduled for the 25th.

Knoxville Journal and Tribune - July 25, 1902
image from the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

Baseball between colored teams was not uncommon in and around Knoxville at this time.  But who was John Singleton?  In the 1900 US Census there's a John Singleton who was 28.  No occupation is listed for him.

In 1910 we find a John Singleton who is now 38.  He's a city policeman, married with a daughter.  Ten years later he's 48 and a city detective. 

Chicago's Broad Ax, a black paper, carried the story of his appointment.

The Broad Ax (Chicago, IL) - April 28, 1917
image from GenealogyBank.com

I think that John Singleton the policeman/detective was also the John Singleton that ran a baseball team in 1902.

Foreign Born Players for Knoxville teams

For the summer meeting of the East Tennessee Chapter of SABR, I took a bit of time and assembled a list of players born outside of the United States that have played for a Knoxville team according to Baseball-Reference.com  

I assume that this list is not complete as there are some limitations on Baseball-Reference.  Some of the data just isn't there. 

The players are listed in chronological order of playing time.  I decided to stop at 1965 as the influx of foreign born players started to greatly increase and time was running out to do the research for the meeting.

Phil Nadeau - born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1872
Played outfield for the 1909 Charleston Seagulls / Knoxville Appalachians of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1894 to 1914

Dutch Schesler - born in Frankfort, Germany in 1900
Pitched for the 1936 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association
His minor league career spanned from 1920 to 1943
He played 17 games for the 1931 Philadelphia Phillies

Jack Aragon - born in La Habana, Cuba in 1915
Played catcher for the 1939 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association
He was back with the 1950 and 1951 Knoxville Smokies as both player and manager
His minor league career spanned from 1937 to 1951
He played 1 game for the 1941 New York Giants

Earl Cook - born in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada in 1908
Pitched for the 1941 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association
His minor league career spanned from 1932 to 1946
He played 1 game for the 1941 Detroit Tigers

Al Campanis - born in Kos, Dodescanese, Greece in 1916
Played infield for the 1942 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association
His minor league career spanned from 1940 to 1948
He played 7 games for the 1943 Brooklyn Dodgers

Lou Polli - born in Baveno, Italy in 1901
Pitched for the 1942 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association
His minor league career spanned from 1922 to 1945
He played 5 games for the 1932 St. Louis Browns
He played 19 games for the 1944 New York Giants

William Casanova - born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1930
Played outfield for the 1956 Montgomery Rebels / Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1951 to 1956

Jacques Monette - born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1930
Played outfield for the 1956 Montgomery Rebels / Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
Played outfield for the 1957 Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1950 to 1958

Bill Diemer - born in Woodslee, Ontario, Canada in 1931
Pitched for the 1957 Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1951 to 1957

Dave Roberts - born in Panama in 1933
Played for the 1957 Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1952 to 1966
He played for three seasons in the Majors (Houston and Pittsburgh)
He later played for seven seasons in two different Japanese Leagues

Arnold Hallgren - born in Winfield, Alberta, Canada in 1933
Played outfield for the 1959 Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1952 to 1961

John Ryan - born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada in 1939
Played infield for the 1961, 1962, and 1963 Knoxville Smokies of the South Atlantic League
His minor league career spanned from 1960 to 1971

The 1963 season saw six foreign born players. The Smokies were part of the Detroit Tigers’ organization.

• Pete Craig - Canada 
• Mike Cuellar - Cuba 
• Ricardo Delgado - Puerto Rico 
• Chico Fernandez - Cuba 
• Larry Rojas - Cuba 
• John Ryan - Canada 

The 1964 season saw two foreign born players. The Smokies (Southern League) were part of the Detroit Tigers’ organization.

• John Hiller - Canada 
• Larry Rojas - Cuba 

The 1965 season saw two foreign born players. The Smokies (Southern League) were part of the Cincinnati Reds’ organization.

• Rogelio Alvarez - Cuba 
• Francisco Obregon - born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1936 

Because some people like numbers -- from 1897 to 1965 there were 20 different foreign born ball players associated with the Knoxville team.

• 9 players from Canada
• 5 players from Cuba
• 1 player from Germany
• 1 player from Greece
• 1 player from Italy
• 1 player from Panama
• 1 player from Puerto Rico
• 1 player from Venezuela

The McClung's Baseball Team

On July 9, 2015, the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture put the following on its facebook page.

The post was accompanied by the following photo.

Courtesy McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

It got me thinking about the team.  I'm familiar with most of the major teams in the region during that time, and it didn't ring any bells.  The McClung family was prominent in the physical formation and the economic life of Knoxville.  I assumed that the the team pictured was part of an industrial or city league.  I'm haven't sharpened my equipment or uniform dating skills in quite some time, but the style looked like it could have been from the late 1890s to the early 1900s.

I was able to make my way to the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection to do some research in their holdings.  I first looked in the vertical file stacks.  Thanks to the wonderful staff downtown I finally found some folders about the C. M. McClung company.  Newspaper clippings, anniversary booklets, things like that.  Interesting stuff, but nothing that talked about a company baseball team.

Then to the newspaper microfilm.  I first looked at the Knoxville Tribune from the summer of 1898.  I found some baseball articles, but nothing on the McClung's team.

Then I started searching the Journal & Tribune from the summer of 1902.  Bingo!

On page 5 of the July 18th edition of the Journal & Tribune I found a schedule for the City League.

Six teams would be playing forty five games from the middle of July to the middle of October.

The teams were:

• Brookside
• Knoxville Foundry and Machine Company
• Shamrocks
• South Knoxville
• C.M. McClungs
• Y.M.C.A.

They would spend their Saturdays playing on the grounds of Brookside Mills, Somerset, and Chilhowee park.

Journal and Tribune - July 18, 1902

Looking through the 1901 Knoxville City Directory I found that H.C. Gildard was probably Henry C. Gildard, a foreman at the Brookside mills.  He lived at 1347 Chestnut.

J.T. O'Connor is a bit harder to identify.  There were several James and Johns.  The only J.T. was a John T. O'Connor.  He worked as a driver (and later a clerk) at the Jung Brewing Company.  He boarded at 304 N. Central.

T.P. Condon might have been Thomas P. Condon, who I found in the 1901 Knoxville City Directory.  He was working for the So rwy (Southern Railway) and was boarding at 931 Asylum Ave.  Something in my gut tells me this isn't the guy.  I don't find him in the 1900 US Census in Tennessee nor in other local City Directories.


Looking through the 1902 Knoxville City Directory I found an advertisement for C.M. McClung & Co.

Knoxville, Tennessee, City Directory, 1902

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

In the near future I'll share how the McClung's team fared and how the league finished.

You'll note that I didn't directly answer the question that was posed.  I know that a baseball team sponsored by C.M. McClung & Co. played in the 1902 Knoxville City League.  I don't know if the above photo is of that team. 

My new mantra is: There's more research to be done.

My thanks goes to Linsday Kromer of The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture for permission to use the team image and to the staff of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection for their assistance (and patience) in helping guide me in my research.

UPDATE (July 24, 2015): Christine Johnson from the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture shared this additional information:

On the back of the negative are the words,
"McClung Baseball Team
3/24/23
Glass Plate Neg.
Orig. Photographer - McCoy
313 Gay St."

1950 Tri-State League All-Star Game

It is currently the All-Star Break for the Southern League. While doing some research for foreign born players for Knoxville teams I came across Jack Aragon.

Angel Valdes (Reyes) Aragon was born in Cuba in 1915.  According to Baseball-Reference.com his minor league career started with the 1937 Greenwood Giants of the Cotton States League.  He caught for the 1939 Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association.  He was back in Knoxville in 1950 and 1951 as a player / manager.  The following article lists Aragon's first name as Art.  I don't know why.

In 1950 his team went 0-12 to start the season.  By the time that the Tri-State League had their All-Star game in July the they had improved to a very respectable 49-36, hanging on to second place, right behind Spartanburg.

I'm not sure how the All-Star team was selected in that league, but it looks as if the first place team played the All-Stars.  Maybe a Best versus the Rest.

Greensboro Daily News - July 14, 1950

According to the newspaper Knoxville had four players on that All-Star team.  Al Neil and Harvey Gentry were scheduled to play in the outfield and Hugh Oser and Joe Asbill were lined up to pitch.


The reporting of the All-Star game was very slim at GenealogyBank.com.  This was the only note I found.  The All-Stars pummeled the Spartanburg Peaches 19 to 4.

Greensboro Daily News - July 18, 1950

The Sporting News, from the PaperofRecord.com site, came through with some game details.

The Sporting News - July 26, 1950

The only player of the Knoxville All-Stars to make it to the major league was Harvey Gentry who played in five games for the New York Giants in 1954.  He came to bat four times and got one hit for a .250 BA. 

Note: Selection to an All-Star game does not guarantee any future success in the sport.

Chattanooga sent a large sized pudding to Knoxville

I try to keep up with a "This Day in Knoxville Baseball History" to feed to Mick and Justin over at the Smokies Radio Network.  They like to add the stories to their pregame show for some color and stretch.

This post isn't exactly a "it happened on this date" but to celebrate the Lookouts are coming to town today.

Back in August of 1889, the Knoxville Reds hosted the Chattanooga team, at the time known as the Chattanoogas.

The local press tried to set the expectations, letting fans know the Reds would have a tough go with the visitors.

The Knoxville Journal - August 7, 1889

The press wasn't so kind after the games.

     The proof of the pudding is in chewing the string.  Last Thursday Chattanooga sent a large sized pudding to Knoxville, in the shape of a base ball team.  The Knoxville Reds sized up the pudding, gave it six or seven white washes and gulped it down with as much ease as an anaconda would swallow a mouse.

The Knoxville Journal - August 10, 1889

The Reds won all three games and the sportswriter saw fit to put their fielding and batting averages for the series in the paper.  He also included the a zinger to close.

     Following is the latest catechism that every Knoxville boy repeats before going to bed:
     "Where is Knoxville?"
     "Knoxville is situated in East Tennessee, of which is is the emporium, on the Tennessee river."
     "For what is it noted?"
     "For being the home of the Knoxville Reds, a base ball organization."
     "Where is Chattanooga?"
     "Chattanooga is a country village situated one hundred miles from Knoxville."
     "For what is it noted?"
     "It is chiefly noted for being the home of an alleged lot of ball players who were eaten up by the Knoxville Reds"

The Knoxville Journal - August 12, 1889

You may note several of the Reds players are the same as those featured in this photo, specifically:

• James Waters
• Please McClung
• Deadrick McClung
• Guy McCaffry

images from GenealogyBank.com

1930s Stein's Baseball Team

Earlier today MLB Historian John Thorn tweeted:

That reminded me of a team in Knoxville, probably in the early 1930s.  Stein's.

image N-4677 "Stein's baseball players showing backs of uniforms."

from The Thompson Photograph Collection

part of the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

The player on the front row, left (below), reminds me a bit of Ted Kluszewski, what with his torn sleeves and all.

image N-4678 "Stein's baseball players wearing uniforms with $12.50 on front."

from The Thompson Photograph Collection

part of the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

I haven't yet researched the team in the local newspapers.  My assumption is that it was one of many factory teams that played in the city leagues.

Another photo from the Calving M. McClung Digital Collection shows the Stein's store, but by 1937 the suit prices had risen to $16.50

image N-5904 "East side of Market Square from Union Avenue to Wall Avenue, Knoxville, TN. October 28, 1937.
Partial view of Market House at left. T.E. Bruns Co. in center. At left: Corkland's, Stein's All Wool Clothes, Miller's Annex, French Booterie. Trucks and cars parked in front of stores. Ordered by Wallace & Wallace."

from The Thompson Photograph Collection

part of the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

The 1933 Knoxville City Directory shows that Stein Brothers was located at 10 Market Square.

Knoxville, Tennessee, City Directory, 1933
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Stein's was a staple across the nation, at least in principal cities.

The Augusta Chronicle - November 1, 1931

A few years later we learn that Steins had two factories.  One in Knoxville and the other in Syracuse.  I have yet to determine the location of the Knoxville factory.

The State-Times (Baton Rouge) - April 18, 1933

If Stein's were around today, I'd support them.  A suit for $12.50?  And they have a baseball team?  I'll take two.

Newspaper images from GenealogyBank.com

Too Hot for Base Ball

Summer is coming soon. That means the temperature will be rising. Some things don't change.

Press and Messenger (Knoxville) - June 30, 1875

image from GenealogyBank.com

The Holstons first game?

Adam Alfrey, co-captain of the modern day Knoxville Holstons that play as part of the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, transcribed the following story on the team's website.

The Knoxville Whig - May 8, 1867

I think that Adam correctly says that to date this is "the the earliest reference to the Holston Base Ball Club playing a match in Knoxville...".

The club itself is mentioned the week before in a story about a Base Ball Convention that was held in Chattanooga.  It was published in the Nashville Union and Dispatch on May 3, 1867.

Keep up the good work, Adam.

image from Chronicling America

1982 Strohs & WOKI Beer Night

As time allows I've been slipping some "This Day in Smokies' History" to Mick Gillispie and Justin Rocke for their radio broadcasts of the Smokies games. I thought I'd feature this one here.

The end of April, 1982, saw the Smokies Blue Jays in first place in the Western Division of the Southern League.  Promotions are always a part of minor league play, so why not partner with Strohs and radio station WOKI and celebrate baseball and beer?

The Knoxville News-Sentinel - April 27, 1982

Really, what could go wrong?  Fortunately, nothing like that.  The Blue Jays beat the Savannah Braves, 5-4.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel - April 29, 1982

DH Vernon Ramie, who finished the season with a .285 BA, homered that night.  Verne never made it out of the minors.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel - April 29, 1982

I guess the promotion worked, as there were 867 fans in attendance.  That's up 707 from the night before when they beat Savannah 19-5.

The Blue Jays went on to finish the regular season with a 73-71 record, just behind Nashville Sounds (77-67).

Knoxville Reds photo - mid 1880s

The Knoxville Sunday Journal - April 26, 1936

     The Knoxville Reds, more than 50 years ago, was one of the most famous baseball teams ever to play in the South, at that time.  Standing, left to right: Link Houk, James Waters, Dave Thomas, Lon Fiske, Please McClung.  Seated: Deadrick McClung, Guy McCaffry, Dutch Roth, Joe Wilson, Hugh Rogers.
     Joe Wilson, who recently retired as chief of traffic police, tells with pride of their trips and victories over the state and through the south.  The members of the team paid their own expenses, the uniforms were made at home and that shield so proudly displayed was hand-embroidered by a fond mother or sweetheart.
     One of the big games was played at Cleveland, Tenn., for a grand prize of $75 and Knoxville won.  "That was a mountain in those days," says Captain Wilson, "and we thought we were mighty lucky."  The greatest victory was the defeat of the Cincinnati Shamrocks.  Admission was charged for that game, a custom which not usual.  Captain Wilson would not divulge anything about the heart secrets of this handsome group, except to admit that his wife did come to see him play, but the girls never followed the team out of town, as is the custom for the football games of today.

Charles Pleasant "Pleas" McClung was born ca. 1864.  Deadrick McClung was born ca. 1867.  If these men were about 21 years old in the photo, it would have been taken roughly in 1885-1889, which matches up with the line in the newspaper article, "The Knoxville Reds, more than 50 years ago...".

Steve Cotham, the McClung Collection Manager, has graciously given me permission to reproduce some baseball images from their digital site on this blog.

image N-0401 "Unidentified baseball team.  'R' on uniforms."
from The Thompson Photograph Collection
part of the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

Just to make things a bit easier, I've added names to the photo.

So, this victory over the Shamrocks of Cincinnati?  They came to town in early August.

Knoxville Daily Journal - August 8, 1890

It could have been the game of August 8, 1890 to which Captain Wilson was referring.

Knoxville Daily Journal - August 9, 1890

From the tabulated score, it would appear that only Deadrick McClung, Pease McClung, and Guy McCaffry from the photo were involved in the game against the Shamrocks.

But a bit more research reveals that the Reds beat the Shamrocks on the 6th of August as well, 4-1 in six innings.  Rain stopped the continuation of that game.

The unusual custom of charging admission for the game?  Well, they did it just the month before when the Louisville Deppens came to town.


Curious to see what the Shamrocks looked like?  Here's a photo of them from a few years before they came to Knoxville.

1886 Cincinnati Shamrocks
image from Lelands' November 2009 Auction Catalog

1936 newspaper clipping from the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

clear image of the Knoxville Reds from the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection

1890 newspaper clippings from GenealogyBank.com

Shamrocks photo from Lelands.com