Archive for April, 2011

 

New York Daily Graphic, Monday, July 8, 1889

 

 

 

E.C. Voltz is listed as the umpire in three games in the National Association in 1871 (8/30) and 1872 (6/15 and 6/22) - all played in Cleveland.

Retrosheet.org lists him as Earnest C. Voltz, born 11/13/1848. He was a medial student at the time (1868-1872) at Western Reserve Medical College in Cleveland.

More likely, perhaps, E.C. Voltz was Edward Charles Voltz born in 1845 in Ohio. He was a well-known stage manager and actor at Cleveland’s Opera House. 

Edward had umpired many baseball games in the Cleveland area, even prior to the National Association’s creation – as described on page 38 of James Egan’s Baseball on the Western Reserve in a game recap from 7/8/1869. Edward is also listed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on 7/23/1869: “Umpire – Mr. Ed. Voltz, of the “Ours” club, of Philadelphia.”

Egan lists and “E.C. Voltz” from “Ours” club as umpire in a 6/29/1869 game on pp. 34-35. NOTE: The Ours club stemmed from Philadelphia, Ohio, located about 70 miles from Cleveland.

Further, E.C. Voltz is listed as a scorer for a game between newspapermen on 9/23/1867 in the Plain Dealer. Earnest would have been only 18 years old at the time. He umpired another writers game in the 8/10/1868 issue of the Plain Dealer.

Edward died 12/2/1875 in Cleveland.

 

1956 Willie Mays All-Stars

Baseball teams have barnstormed since the earliest days of the game. The first extensive, multi-city tour was embarked upon by the Excelsiors of Brooklyn in 1860, a decade before the formation of the game’s first professional league.

Professional athletes took to touring with gusto – before, during and after the regular season. Management saw it as a way to mitigate costs during the spring and on off days throughout the summer. Players found they could make a few extra bucks before they had to fall into their winter routines which typically included an odd job or two.

The men played anytime and anywhere they could make a few dollars. The term barnstorming refers to hopping from one small rural town to another, but teams hit the big cities, popped in and out of Canada and Mexico and even took extensive trips to Latin America and Asia. World tours by major leaguers were conducted after the 1888 and 1913 seasons and another to the United Kingdom in 1874. Japan later became a favorite destination. Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republican and other Latin destinations attracted some of the best talent the game had to offer during the winters.

Since the first successful black leagues didn’t take hold until the 1920s, the genesis of black baseball is rooted in barnstorming. The more successful clubs of the 19th century – the Cuban Giants and Page Fence Giants – were well-organized, itinerant squads that jumped from gig to gig without home grounds. By the turn of the century, African Americans were intentionally and systematically barred from Organized Baseball; though in truth, they never really established a foothold.

Even after the black leagues were firmly established in the 20^th century, teams typically played more barnstorming games than league contests. Those against white squads could be quite profitable.

After nearly a century though, the allure of barnstorming was waning amid Organized Baseball nines. Despite the slow death of the Negro Leagues during the 1950s, it was still a staple of black baseball. Satchel Paige had perennially led a group of black all-stars throughout the south, west and into Latin America, playing white and black teams alike – including a popular jaunt with a Bob Feller in 1946.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson very dramatically cracked the majors with Brooklyn. With his new-found popularity, he headlined a barnstorming tour after the 1948 season (and had done so in 1946 after his first season in Organized Baseball with the Montreal Royals). It created a tradition of postseason barnstorming tours by African American “major leaguers” – through 1959. The quotes around major leaguers  indicate that the nines had to be filled with minor or Negro leaguers since black players merely trickled into the majors, especially the American League.

Robinson continued to headline the events through 1953. The following year, Roy Campanella’s name filled the marquee. In 1955, Willie Mays and Don Newcombe jointly led the “Negro Stars.”

1955

The 1955 troupe was exceedingly successful, from the east coast to the west (mainly in the south). Not coincidentally, it included a who’s who of the era: Hank Aaron; Gene Baker; Ernie Banks; Joe Black; Campanella; George Crowe; Larry Doby; Junior Gilliam; Monte Irvin; Connie Johnson; Sam Jones; Brooks Lawrence; Newcombe; Hank Thompson; Charlie White.

Mays’s crew went undefeated (around 30 games) against an array of black and white opponents. Many games were sold out and the men earned between $2000 and $4000 for the month – roughly 50% of their major league salaries for the 154-game season. In one game, Mays clocked the longest homer seen at the Atlanta stadium, a reputed 460 feet. In his hometown of Dallas, Ernie Banks was presented with a new automobile.

1956

The 1956 jaunt wasn’t as successful; it marked the beginning of the end of major league barnstorming. In September, the Chicago Defender announced that the latest version of the Major League All-Stars would be managed by Chicago Cubs outfielder Monte Irvin. In truth, the team was managed by Irwin but Mays received top billing. The tour was actually promoted and booked through future Hall of Famer Alex Pompez and his network who had been the organizer for years. A long-time Negro league owner, Pompez was currently a scout for the New York Giants. He saw the tour as part of his year-round scouting effort, that took him throughout the nation and into Latin America.

The group was more popularly known as the Willie Mays’ All-Stars or simply Negro Stars or Negro All-Stars. Their opponents would be a group of Negro and minor leaguers. They were dubbed the Negro American League All-Stars since more than a few of the men were members of the Detroit Stars, Kansas City Monarchs, Birmingham Black Barons and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League.

ROSTERS

The padded major league squad boasted a stunning outfield of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and National League Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson (named so while on tour). The infield included Elston Howard and Charlie White at catcher, Harry Simpson at first, Al Smith at second, Gene Baker at shortstop and Hank Thompson at third base. The pitching was handled by Brooks Lawrence, who won 19 games that summer, and Joe Black of the Reds, Connie Johnson of the Orioles and Sam Jones of the Cubs. Irvin filled in as a utility, as did Al Smith.

George Crowe and Jim Pendleton joined the major leaguers at some point. Frank Robinson, sprained wrist, and Simpson, broken finger, abandoned the tour around the midpoint. Crowe and Smith took over much of the first base duties. Likewise, Irvin played more than expected in the outfield. Glaring omissions included Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe and Junior Gilliam of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ernie Banks. The tour would be a financial flop, in part due to the omission of a Dodger on the major league roster.

The American League nine was managed by Baltimore Orioles first baseman Bob Boyd and included:

• Former major league pitcher Jay Heard who played for Tulsa and Havana in 1956
• Detroit Stars pitcher Ace Robinson, losing pitcher in the 1956 East-West Negro League All-Star Game
• Pitcher Frank Barnes who would soon be on the Cardinals’ roster
• Young Kansas City Monarchs pitcher A.J. Jackson
• Orioles’ minor league lefthanded pitcher Kelly Searcy
• Outfielder Lonnie Harris
• Fargo-Moorhead second baseman Leroy Hancock
• Sherman Jones, 21 year old pitcher for Topeka
• Birmingham native and Black Barons’ center fielder Jesse Mitchell
• Infielder John Kennedy, soon to make his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies
• New Orleans native and third baseman Eugene Elliot
• Birmingham Black Barons shortstop Bill Wyatt
• Detroit Stars catcher Charlie Jennings
• Double-A lefthanded pitcher Marshall Bridges, who would pitch in the majors from 1959-1965
• James Hall
• Big Evansville righthanded pitcher Ollie Brantley, who would play 17 years in the minors (after two seasons with the Memphis Red Sox) before retiring at age 37 in 1969 –
• Kansas City Monarchs captain and infielder James Robinson
• Pitcher and future Country music icon Charley Pride

Each man wore his regular season uniform, whether it represented a major, minor or Negro league club.

SCHEDULE

The tour kicked off on October 11, the day after the World Series ended with a 4-games-to-3-victory, New York Yankees over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Willie Mays and Monte Irvin had just put their Brooklyn liquor store up for sale (which opened the previous year).

At least one game was scheduled everyday through November 7, thirty-three in total. The men hopped from town to town and state to state (as highlighted in bold). Thus, rainouts couldn’t be replayed and were a total loss.

DATE	CITY	NOTES
October 11	Charlotte, NC
October 12	Knoxville, TN
October 13	Nashville
October 14	Memphis
October 15	Sikeston, MO
October 16	Fort Smith, AR
October 17	Greenville, MO	Irwin team victory 14-9Attendance: 1444
October 18	Little Rock, AR
October 19	Memphis, TN
October 20	Chattanooga
October 21	Birmingham, AL
October 22	Columbus, GA
October 23	Birmingham, AL
October 24	Montgomery
October 25	Columbus, MS
October 26	Greenwood
October 27	Shreveport, LA
October 28	Houston, TX
October 29	Austin
October 30	Victoria(orig. scheduled San Antonio)	Boyd 4-2Attendance: 940
October 31	Corpus Christi	Irwin 9-6Mays stole home
November 1	Brownsville(orig. Harligen, TX)	Irwin 8-5Attendance: 300
November 2	Victoria
November 3, AM	Beaumont
November 3, PM	Lake Charles, LA
November 4	New Orleans	Irwin 4-3Attendance: 5330
November 5	Mobile, AL
November 6	New Orleans, LA	Rained outRescheduled for Nov. 9
November 7	Hazlehurst, MS
November 8	Los Angeles, CA	Game skipped
November 9	San Francisco	Game skipped
November 10	Oakland	Game skipped
November 11	Los Angeles	Game skipped
November 9	New Orleans, LA

 

RACIAL INCONGRUITY

Despite the inroads made by black ballplayers in the majors and minors since 1947, they were in the end viewed as African Americans in a country that clung to its racial prejudices, biases and discriminatory practices. At Rickwood Field in Birmingham, for example, the men could not shower at the park. Also, the white press rarely covered their comings and goings. Even the baseball bible, The Sporting News, viewed black ballplayers as separate and distinct. It issued two hypothetical All-Star teams while the men were touring, one encompassing African Americans, the other Caucasians.

The state of Louisiana made it even clearer. Just as Mays’ crew hit the area, a law took effect barring white and black players and spectators from intermixing at sporting events.

Mason City (IO) Globe-Gazette 10/15/1956

In Birmingham, Mays ran afoul of other sensibilities. There, he met his siblings and took them shopping. At a department store, he pulled a wad of hundreds from his pocket to pay for some merchandise and was immediately descended upon by two store detectives.

Chicago Defender 12/8/1956

CONTESTS

Alex Pompez did a decent job getting local newspapers to advertise the upcoming contests. Typically, a small article appeared under a “Willie Mays” or “Negro All-Stars” headline listing the prominent members of the troupe. However, game recaps or box scores were few and far between. (I only found one box score.)

Attendance dropped dramatically from 1955. After 12 games, only 14,843 paid to see the contests, a full 20,000 less than the previous year. In total, seven games were rained out. On October 29, the Chicago Defender flatly declared, “Willie Mays’ barnstorming tour a flop.”

Mays jammed his shoulder sliding on October 29 in Austin, his team’s 16^th straight victory. He played sparingly thereafter and missed the next day’s game in Victoria, Texas. That contest may have been the highlight of the tour. His opponents won for the first time since at least 1954. Ollie Brantley of the Americans ceded two runs before Charley Pride took over in the fifth and shut the major leaguers down, securing the 4-2 victory.

Victoria Advocate (TX) 10/31/1956 (Headline “Minor Leaguers Spill Major All-Stars, 4-2”)

Mays pinch hit and stole home in Corpus Christi on the 31^st: Corpus Christi Times 11/1/1956 – “His brief appearance set the fans buzzing when he whacked a double into left field in the sixth inning and also stole a base,”

With a long and expensive trip to the west coast approaching, Mays and crew decided to throw in the towel. According to the Chicago Defender on November 5, “Willie Mays will junk the barnstorming tour at the end of the present financial flop.”

Total attendance fell a pathetic 60%+ from the previous season. Mays’ teammates made $1226.31 a man minus $400 in traveling expenses. Considering that the gate split with the minor leaguers was 70/30, Boyd’s men took home around $350.

Mays admitted that his men were worn out after a long, hot summer but didn’t blame their effort. Alex Pompez saw it a little different: “Alex Pompez…says colored fans in the Deep South are virtually 100 percent Dodger fans, hence the indifference to the Mays entourage.” (Baltimore Afro American 11/10/1956) Mays continued:

Chicago Crusader 11/23/1956

BEYOND

Mays and men continued to barnstorm through 1959. In 1957, they headed south of the border to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Panama City – finishing in California. Over the 15 games, they averaged a healthy 10,000 in attendance. The touring had come to an end; Pompez put his tour bus up for sale in February 1958. In 1960, Mays opted to travel without his squad to Japan, effectively ending his barnstorming days.

SOURCE LIST

Advocate, 28 October 1956, 31 October 1956, Victoria, Texas

Baltimore Afro-American, 15 October 1955, 6 October 1956, 10 November 1956, 17 November 1956

Brownsville Herald, 2 November 1956, Texas

Bryant, Howard. The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron. New York: Pantheon Books, 2010.

Burgos, Adrian, Jr. Cuban Star: How One Negro-league Owner Changed the Face of Baseball. New York: Hill and Wang, 2011.

Chicago Crusader, 23 November 1956

Chicago Daily Defender, 5 November 1955, 12 November 1955, 29 September 1956, 29 October 1956, 5 November 1956, 10 November 1956, 8 December 1956

Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 21 October 1956, Texas

Corpus Christi Times, 26 October 1956, 31 October 1956, 1 November 1956

Delta Democrat-Times, 15 October 1956, 18 October 1956, Greenville, Mississippi

Hirsch, James S. Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. New York: Scribner, 2010.

Mason City Globe-Gazette, 15 October 1956, Iowa

New Orleans Times-Pickayune, 19 October 1956, 31 October 1956, 1 November 1956 to 9 November 1956

Ogden Standard-Examiner, 19 October 1956, Utah

Ratliff, Jason, “Baseball Set Stage for Country Pride Crooner Aimed for Cooperstown, Landed in Nashville,” Milb.com, 23 February 2006

San Antonio Express, 2 October 1956

 

Ezra Sutton

Cap Anson

 

(Part 2 of 2)

1906 

In Albany on February 8, 1906 Donlin and two other ballplayers were arrested for being drunk and disorderly and beating up a train conductor. On the train a bunch of ballplayers started through ball around and smacking them with suitcases. When the conductor tried to quell the riot, Donlin slugged him in the face. He then drew a pistol on a porter. Other passengers disarmed him though. A New York congressman arranged for a quick bail so the players could play indoor baseball game and attend a banquet that night. 

On March 14 in Memphis John McGraw suspended Donlin for violations of training methods – a.k.a. boozing. Donlin apologized and was reinstated on the 16^th. 

Donlin married 21-year-old Broadway musical and comedy actress Mabel Hite (daughter of Elsie Hite born in February 1864 in Michigan) during spring training on April 11 in New York City. Hite and Donlin met each other at a dinner party only a few months before they married. 

Hite was born in Kentucky in May 1884 and began acting at age 11 and professionally soon thereafter. She was married before at age 18 to the son of a New York millionaire who became enamored with her during a performance, following her from show to show until she agreed to marry him. When the millionaire’s father found out, he bought his son out of the marriage. 

Donlin broke his ankle sliding into second base in the seventh inning on May 15 in Cincinnati. He didn’t return to the lineup until August 10, though he was used mainly as a pinch hitter for the rest of the season. 

1907 

Donlin held out in 1907. He wanted the same salary as the previous season, $3,300, plus a $600 bonus for abstaining from alcohol. Giants owner John Brush decided the figure was too high coming off a season in which he could barely walk after the ankle injury. As a bargaining ploy, Donlin claimed to own a part of the St. Joseph team of the Western League. The implication being that he had other places to go. 

In late March manager McGraw caved (without Brush’s permission) and agreed to give Donlin the extra $600. Donlin reported to camp in New Orleans on March 26. However, he jumped the club in Louisville on April 3 not to return. His wife was pressuring him to leave baseball and join her; he did, signing a contract to appear on stage at the Whitney Opera House in Chicago. Hite made herself clear, “I’ll guarantee that he will remain here. I’ve got something to say and am glad Mike quit the game for good. He can find more pleasant employment in the theatrical business.” 

Whether Donlin was in baseball, at home or working in the theater, there was one constant, alcohol. He was arrested again on August 23. He fell asleep in a cab and couldn’t be revived. A policeman finally woke him at which time Donlin started to fight the officer. He was bailed out by ex-big leaguer Jimmy Callahan. 

Donlin showed up to watch his ex-teammates at the Polo Grounds on August 26, leading to a great deal of speculation as to his intentions. Hite had sent her husband out of town to dry out. She was fed up with all his drinking at this point and publicly threatened that a divorce was eminent if he didn’t change his ways. As she notes, “I can’t stand it any longer. Now you don’t think it’s such a dreadful thing for a woman’s husband to get drunk and in the newspapers, do you? But it means so much when you love a man and he’d promised not to do it. And every time it happens it’s so much worse and it worries me so I can’t sleep and I have to go out before that audience and act like a fool and make them laugh, and sing my songs and dance, and my heart is breaking…he’s good to me, except when he forgets himself.” 

Donlin didn’t sign at that time but he did after McGraw traveled to Champaign, Illinois to ink a deal at the end of November. Part of the lure, McGraw named Donlin captain for the 1908 season at a salary of $5,000. 

1908 

Donlin reported to camp in 1908 lighter and in better shape than the previous few season. First though, he had to pay a $100 fine imposed by the National Commission for playing ball with an outlaw team – Callahan’s Chicago-based Logan Squares. 

He had another stellar season; once again he finished among the leader in the significant batting categories. Some sportswriters even mentioned the lefthander as one of the best players in the game – in Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner’s company. 

The season was not without controversy though as Donlin went into the stand and fought a heckler. In all he was ejected from 23 games in his career. 

1909 

On October 26, 1908 Stealing Home, Donlin and Hite’s one-act play, opened at the Hammerstein Theater in New York City. The duo would perform the skit on and off for the next three years before packed houses from coast to coast. Donlin was now making so much money ($1,000 to $2,000 a week, depending on venue) that baseball became a distant memory. 

In January 1909 Donlin signed a theatre deal that would begin around opening day; therefore, he announced his retirement from baseball. His agent, M.S. Bentham, announced that he would soon book Donlin and Hite for the entire summer. Dolin did say that he wanted $8,000 for 1909; a figure he probably knew would be rejected. 

The Giants had enough of their “flaky” centerfielder. McGraw traded him to the Phillies on July 24 for Sherry Magee. Philadelphia had plans to make him their manager. The club even requested the resignation of current field manager Billy Murray. Of course, the deal was called off a week later as Donlin refused to report. 

McGraw then decided to let other clubs deal with Donlin. If they could convince him to report he would work out a trade. Brooklyn also wanted him as manager and tried to woe him. The Highlanders also sought his services. However, it was all to no avail. Donlin wouldn’t play again until 1911. 

Donlin was arrested again in September for fighting with an attorney in New York. 

1910 

In mid-February Donlin agreed to terms with Brush for the 1910 season; however, the centerfielder was at the time unsure what his exact plans for the year would be. He would let Brush know by March 10. Donlin wired Brush on March 19 stating that he would be unavailable to play baseball in 1910. 

1911 

Hite and Donlin’s show was petering out by 1911 and Hite’s career was fizzing as well. Thus, Donlin decided to play in 1911. In January Boston Braves manager Fred Tenney began seeking the centerfielder. 

Donlin applied to the National Commission for reinstatement which was granted in June. Hite is adamant to the press that Donlin will not play ball unless it is for the Cubs, as her home is in Chicago. On June 7 he reported to McGraw and was in uniform practicing with the Giants, as baseball rules insisted that the player must report to his assigned team prior to being dealt. 

The Reds, Cardinals and Phillies also make offers for Donlin. He rejoined the Giants’ lineup on June 28. After appearing in twelve games for the Giants, he is sold to the Boston Braves on August 1. Donlin battled umpires all year and was ejected four times in a mere 68 games. 

In the fall Hite was diagnosed with cancer of the intestines. Her career was over as would be her life a year later. The Giants had a change of heart in November and sought to repurchase Donlin from the Braves. That December, he played with the Giants in Cuba. 

1912 

On February 17, 1912 Donlin was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Vin Campbell. The trade involved two disgruntled players. Donlin had been unhappy in Boston, disappointed that he wasn’t named manager. 

Hite was operated on in June but given little hope for recovery. She died on October 22 at age 28 at her mother’s home in Chicago. 

1913 

In December the Pirates asked waivers on Donlin, selected by the Phillies on December 24. He supposedly came to terms with Phillies manager Charlie Dooin in January for $3,500; however, a month later Donlin announced his retirement once again. He was headed back to the stage. Actually, he never left the stage, taking engagements whenever he could. 

On August 14 the Phillies released Donlin outright. He then joined Jersey City of the International League for 36 games. McGraw took Donlin on his world tour at the end of the 1913 season. He hit so well that the Giants decided to sign him for 1914. 

1914 

Donlin spent the entire season with the Giants (last game October 1), being used scantily as a pinch hitter. After only 31 at bats in 35 games, Donlin was released by the Giants at the end of the year. His active baseball career is now over. 

Donlin had a stellar baseball career – on the field at least. He played in parts of twelve season in a 15-year stretch; however, he really only appeared in about seven full seasons. His overall numbers rank him very high, favorable to the top players in the game during the Deadball Era. He was one of the best curveball hitters of his time plus he hit with power to all fields. The only knocks on him (besides his drunkenness, combativeness and lack of focus) are the facts that he rarely walked and was not known for his fielding. Donlin was a flashy dresser, partier and a playboy. He used those skills to parlay a second career, one in which he may have felt better suited his skills and temperament. 

BASEBALL CONTINUED 

Donlin wanted to manage a baseball team. He wanted to do it for years. He would oversee the B-teams during spring training for McGraw and he also ran an exhibition club known as the Mike Donlin All-Stars. 

After being released by the Giants in late 1914, he offered his services as player to the St. Louis club of the Federal League, hoping to also secure a managerial post. St. Louis wasn’t interested though. 

In 1916 Donlin managed a semi-pro outfit in New Jersey. He spent the following winter in Havana running baseball clinics and promoting boxing tournaments. He returned to New York as an agent for boxing promoters in Cuba. 

Donlin started 1917 managing the Memphis Chicks of the Southern Association at a salary of $3,000. He quit on May 28 due to an illness in the family. Others reports suggest that he was fired which is more in line with the fact that he brought suit against the club for $1,600 he felt he was still owed. 

In May 1918 he was hired as a baseball coach by the War Department. He was appointed to teach the sport to servicemen in France. On July 22, 1918 Donlin umpired in an American League game. At game time in New York in a game involving the Yankees and Browns, umpires Billy Evans and George Hildebrand were no where to be found. Donlin was pulled from the spectators and given the duties on the bases (Browns’ trainer Bits Bierhalter, a former American Association umpire, manned the clicker). 

In May 1922 Donlin was hired by the Boston Red Sox as a scout to cover California and other western leagues. 

ETC. 

On October 20, 1914 Donlin married 26-year-old Vaudeville actress Marguerite “Rita” E. Ross (born in West Long Branch, New Jersey on November 28, 1887) in Asbury, New Jersey. She worked for the popular Ross & Fenton musical comedy troupe. Ross had also been previously married, at age 17. The couple had no children. She was the niece of Charles J. Ross, head of Ross & Fenton. 

In 1915 Donlin kicked off his movie career with Right Off the Bat, a silent, semi-autobiographical piece about his youth.  

Donlin dove head first into movies, aided by his friend and film legend John Barrymore. He acted, consulted (in baseball flicks) and was assistant director in numerous films: 

Despite the Hollywood work, Donlin was always scraping for cash to maintain his and Rita’s lifestyle. In 1927 he was diagnosed with “athlete’s heart.” Fellow actors threw a benefit to raise money so he could undergo an operation at the Mayo Clinic. After that, he was forced into semi-retirement. 

Donlin died of a heart attack in his sleep in the early morning of September 24, 1933 at his home on Hollywood. He was 55 years old. He was cremated and interred at Glenwood Cemetery in West Long Branch, New Jersey (Plot: Cremated, Section 8, Lot 10-A (Fenton Plot), Rita family plot. Rita Donlin died on December 13, 1979 in Los Angeles.

 

Turkey Mike Donlin, A Reluctant Ballplayer (Part 1 of 2) 

Michael Joseph Donlin 

Michael Joseph Donlin was born on May 30, 1878, in Peoria, Illinois but moved to Erie, Pennsylvania before his second birthday (All the other Donlin children were born in Pennsylvania which may suggest that the family was merely traveling when Mike was born). He was perhaps one of six children (can only locate three in Census records) of John and Margaret Donlin. 

John Donlin was born circa 1843 in Ireland to Michael and Margaret Donlin. The family immigrated to the United States between 1850 and 1855, first settling in Erie, New York. He worked as a railroad conductor, a job which took him away from his family for chunks of time (He was not listed with the family in the 1880 U.S. Census). 

Margaret (Maggie) Donlin, born circa 1849 as Margaret Clayton in Pennsylvania to Thomas, a railroad dispatcher, and Sarah Clayton, grew up in Schuylkill, Pennsylvania. 

• John and Maggie’s children:
• Mary Ann, born circa 1870
• James, born circa 1875 (died July 31, 1909)
• Michael
• Joseph
  ??
  ?? 

Mike attended elementary school in Erie. When he was about eight years old, his father was killed when a bridge collapsed (The SABR biography mentions that both parents were killed but the Sporting Life makes repeated comments about Donlin’s mother in 1902). Donlin, often in poor health as a child, found odd jobs befitting his age and even worked as a machinist as a teenager. About 1893, he was hired as a candy hawker aboard a western-bound train. He landed in California and settled there. 

Donlin had little money and seemingly few prospects after departing from the train. His was however extremely fast. He hired a manager and began running races for cash. Eventually, they found their way to Santa Cruz, a resort town. At a track in Pacific Grove, outside Santa Cruz, his racing career ended due to a freak accident. Winning the race, Donlin turned to catch sight of his opponent, Tommy Simms, just as Donlin was about to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, one of the tape holders didn’t let go as the runner passed the finish. Donlin was sliced about the face and strangled (which might be a problem for someone finishing a foot race) as he tumbled. 

MINOR LEAGUES 

Donlin, a 5’9”, 170 lb. lefty, also played baseball as a pitcher and outfielder, on the west coast. In 1897 he played for Los Angeles in a year that no league existed in California. 

The following year Donlin joined the Santa Cruz club of the new Pacific States League. For 1898, Fred Swanson, the owner of a Santa Cruz semi-pro team called the Beachcombers, entered his club into the Pacific States League. A month into the season the Pacific States League merged with the California League to form a new league, called the Pacific Coast League. 

Donlin started 1899 still as a member of Santa Cruz, now a member of the California League. He was batting .402 after 29 games in July when he was bought by Patsy Tebeau, manager of the St. Louis Perfectos (now named the Cardinals) of the National League for $500. A California correspondent for the Sporting News, a St. Louis-based magazine, passed along a tip about Donlin to editor Joe Flanner who in turn notified Tebeau. At the time of his sale Donlin was sitting in a Santa Cruz jail for being drunk and disorderly. 

ST. LOUIS 

Donlin showed up at League Park in St. Louis with a newspaper photo of himself pinned to his shirt (to facilitate his entry to the clubhouse). He debuted on July 19, relieving starter Willie Sudhoff in an 8-1 loss to Boston. The lefthander then volunteered to play shortstop while Bobby Wallace was injured. He put in one game of excellent fielding, but then booted nearly every chance in his next game. 

In all Donlin appeared in 65 games for St. Louis in 1899, 50 in centerfield, 1 in left field, 13 at first base, 3 at short and 3 on the mound. His wildness on the mound on August 29 versus Washington ended his pitching career (he would pitch in one more game for Cincinnati in 1902). He was removed from the mound after eight innings after walking nine batters, hitting one, throwing two wild pitches and balking in a 13-7 loss. 

However, he hit a home run, stole a base and scored twice that day. Tebeau decided to keep the rookie; he just couldn’t figure where to play him. His speed eventually settled Donlin in centerfield though. 

Donlin appeared in 78 games for the Cardinals in 1900, mainly in centerfield and at first base. Donlin’s speed gathered him ten home runs in 1900, ranking third in the league. He was recruited to umpire on the bases on September 15 during a doubleheader in Brooklyn. 

While in St. Louis, Donlin was in numerous off-the-field altercations; most were alcohol-related. He was cut one time in a midnight brawl, leaving a scar he would carry throughout his life. 

BALTIMORE 

Like many National Leaguers, Donlin jumped the Cardinals for the American League in 1901. He was first listed on Cleveland’s roster but by March 25 had signed for $2,800 with his old teammate from St. Louis, John McGraw, now manager of the Baltimore Orioles. 

On May 31 in Detroit Donlin further endeared himself to the fiery McGraw by throwing a bat at umpire John Sheridan’s back. He did it in the ninth inning of a tie game after pitcher Harry Howell and catcher Wilbert Robinson were ejected. Sheridan forfeited the game to the Tigers. On August 23 he sent one up the middle that broke White Sox’s pitcher Clark Griffith’s finger. 

Nineteen-One was Donlin’s breakout year. He placed second in the American League in batting average with a .340 mark and finished in the top ten in on-base percentage, slugging average, OPS, runs, total bases, triples, walks, stolen bases, and runs created. 

In March 1902 Donlin went on a bender, by his own admission drinking for ten days to two weeks. On Thursday March 13 in Baltimore Donlin tied one on and went to the theater. At the theater’s bar he got into an altercation with a man, Ernest Slayton, and they began to fight. Minnie Fields, an actress with the Ben Hur Company and Slayton’s date, came to Slayton’s defense and Donlin thrashed her as well. 

Fields was knocked down and out and given two black eyes. A warrant was issued for Donlin by a Justice Goldman who just happened to be an officer of the Orioles. Donlin then left the city. He participated in another fight on March 15 in D.C., among a group of three that beat up a street car conductor. After questioning and identification was established, Donlin was shipped to Baltimore to answer the assault charges. 

The Orioles fired Donlin on the 14th, releasing him from his contract. His was indicted on March 18 and pled guilty the next day. He was given a six month sentence and a $250 fine. During Donlin’s jail sentence, ballplayers and clubs throughout the game sent money to his sister and mother to aid in their support. 

CINCINNATI 

On May 20, 1902 Donlin, while still in jail, signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds for $3,000. Donlin was ill much of the time in prison. He also worked in the boiler room and took part in regular exercise. He was released a month early for good behavior. Joining the Reds on August 25, Donlin also signed for the 1903 season. 

In 1903 Donlin shined, hitting .351 (four points off Honus Wagner’s lead) and finishing in the top five leaders of many batting categories. 

Donlin fell in trouble again during spring training in Augusta in 1904. Out painting the town with teammates, he began singing loud and persistently. Another bar patron pulled a revolver which quieted him down (Manager Joe Kelley quickly ushered Donlin from the premises). Amusing, he had promised the club less than a month prior that he would lay off the sauce. Also during training camp, he entered a fight as a peacemaker and wrestled a gun from one of the combatants. 

After sixty games with the Reds, Donlin was hitting .356 in early July. However, Kelley had enough of the sot and suspended him for thirty days on July 8 and fined him $25 for insubordination. Team president Garry Herrmann decided to trade him. 

GIANTS 

After the suspension was up, Herrmann asked waivers on Donlin, seeking to trade him to an American League club; however, the Giants claimed him on waivers. From August 5-7 a three-way deal was worked out which sent Donlin to New York, reuniting him with McGraw. 

Donlin appeared in the first box score for the Giants on August 8, striking out as a pinch hitter for Joe McGinnity in the eighth inning. During his rocky ride with the Giants, Donlin appeared in the following number of games due to injuries, suspensions, contract disputes, vaudeville engagements and a general lack of interest in the rigors of baseball:

• 1904 – 42
• 1905 – 150
• 1906 – 37
• 1907 – 0
• 1908 – 155
• 1909 – 0
• 1910 – 0
• 1911 – 12

Again in 1904 and ’05 Donlin was among the league leaders in many batting categories. In the World Series of 1905 he placed five hits in 19 at bats, including a double and a RBI. After midnight on October 22, 1905, Donlin was involved in another brawl in Trenton, New Jersey. This time he and several Giants fought a group of waiters after Donlin refused to settle his tab.

 

An outline of Judy Gans’ life and career:

Judy Gans

Robert Edward Gans

Also known as Edward Gans

Batted and threw lefthanded

Primarily a left fielder but also played the other outfield slots and pitcher 

Robert Edward Gans was born on July 16, 1886 in Washington, Pennsylvania (A Pittsburgh suburb) to Pennsylvania natives. 

FOOTBALL 

Began career as an assistant trainer for the football team at Washington and Jefferson College in his hometown of Washington, PA in 1904 or ‘05 

Played professional football: 

1905-06 Fighting Tenth, a Pittsburgh-area club whose main competition was the East Liberty A.C. – baseball players Nate Harris and Pete Hill were also with the club 

1908-10 played with two Buffalo-area white clubs, the Oakdales and the Black Rock Cycle Club 

BASEBALL 

Started baseball career as a trainer for white Pittsburgh-area and Ohio clubs in 1906 

1906 trainer for Steubenville Stubs of the POM (PA-OH-MD) League, a Class-D League 

1907 trainer for Canton Chinamen of the Class-B Central League – the club included Rube Marquard and Bill McKechnie 

During an exhibition game with the Nebraska Indians in 1907, Canton inserted Gans on the mound in the fourth inning, per McKechnie’s request. He immediately gave up a double, a walk and hit a batter. He quickly settled down and struck out the next 12 batters. A Canton newspaper the next day displayed the headline, “Whitewash the Trainer and Let Him Pitch, as He is the Best Pitcher in the League.” McKechnie then encouraged Gans to begin his active career as a ballplayer. Gans played out the season with the Indians billed as “The World’s Greatest Colored Pitcher.” 

1907 Nebraska Indians

1908 Cleveland Giants, Cuban Giants

1909 Cuban Giants

1910 Cuban Giants

1911 New York Lincoln Giants

1912 Smart Set of Paterson, NJ, New York Lincoln Giants

1913 Mohawk Giants, New York Lincoln Giants

1914 Chicago American Giants

1915 New York Lincoln Stars, Chicago American Giants

1916 Chicago American Giants

1917 Chicago American Giants, Cuban Giants

1918 Chicago American Giants

1919 Chicago American Giants

1920 Chicago American Giants

1921-25 New York Lincoln Giants

1926 Chappie Johnson’s Stars

1927 Chappie Johnson’s Stars, Cuban Stars 

Played with clubs that defeated the New York Giants, Pete Alexander, Chief Bender, Rube Marquard and Jack Warhop. 

At the end of 1913 Gans with Pop Lloyd, Francis and Wade jumped to Rube Fosters Chicago American Giants. 

About August 24, 1915 Pop Lloyd and Gans jumped the Lincoln Giants for Chicago. 

A part of the 26,000 barnstorming trip with Rube Foster’s club in the fall of 1915 with Dizzy Dismukes, Bruce Petway, Pete Hill, Pop Lloyd and others 

1919-20 was a part of one of the greatest outfields in Negro league history with Christobal Torriente and Oscar Charleston 

Broke left leg in 1921 

Broke right leg (triple compound fracture) running the bases on April 22, 1923 and was out the rest of the year 

WINTER BALL 

Played in Cuba over the winter of 1908-09 with the Royal Giants

Played in Cuba over the winter of 1909-10 with the Cuban Giants 

Played in Puerto Rico, immigration records show his arrival in New York from Puerto Rico on January 20, 1926 

MANAGER 

1924-25 New York Lincoln Giants

1927 Cuban Stars 

Named Lincoln Giants manager in early 1924

Resigned as Lincoln Giants manager on August 18, 1925 

UMPIRE 

Began career as major Negro league umpire on April 27, 1929

Umpired through 1938

By 1938 Gans was living and umpiring in Philadelphia 

Umpired in:

American Negro League

East-West League

Negro National League 

MILITARY 

In military during WWI from July 31, 1918 to May 19, 1919 – per U.S. Veterans Gravesite database, served as a U.S. Army Sergeant – newspaper reports clearly show that Gans was with his club by April 4, 1919 though 

Chicago American Giants teammates Bobby Williams, Leroy Grant and Frank Wickware were order to report for military service by at the same time as Gans 

Served with the 803^rd Pioneer Infantry Regiment, a black unit administered by white officers 

Transferred to a Army gas school stateside with fellow ballplayer Bobby Williams 

Transferred to Army gas school in France, serving with the 59^th French Division where he served as an instructor until the armistice 

Released from Army in May 1919 from the base hospital at Fort Sheridan, Illinois 

OUTSIDE BASEBALL 

The 1920 U.S. Census shows Gans living on Wabash Avenue in Chicago with his wife Emma (an Alabama native born circa 1890). He was renting a room to teammate Joe Mendez. 

Gans and Emma were married at least as early as July 1918 

At the time he filled out his WWII registration card he was still married to Emma. They were living in Philadelphia. 

Gans died on February 13, 1949. He is buried on the 17^th at Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey (Section E, Site 2155).