Growing up in Avon Ohio the young Jocko Halligan had read stories of great ball players like Cap Anso. Halligan could only dream of playing ball at the highest level and even more so playing on the same team as Anson who also originates from Ohio.
Halligan was drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 1889 amatuer draft. His transition to the big leagues wasnt the easiest as the young star adjusted to life in the big city and away from home. Halligan talked about the player that took him under his wing and showed him the ropes,
"Billy Hamilton immediatelly helped me fit in with the team and took the time to show me the basics of playing at this level." said Halligan who couldnt break into the lineup in part due to Hamilton who was a star on the team. "I learned so much from Billy on and off the field and I owe him much of the credit for the player I have now become."
After the Hamilton injury Jocko was given the chance to play and after a couple of years of fighting injuries and inconsistency, he has now come well into his own and is a star of this league at 23 years of age. Halligan is batting .318 this season with 9 hom runs and has driven in 96 runs which is good enough for the league lead.
"There really is no telling how good he can be seeing how young he is" says Al Spalding, "Jocko if he stays healthy will be the next great star of the Chicago baseball."
Whatever the case Jocko has come a long way from his days of dreaming on the farm in Avon. Still one dream remains,
"I want to win that championship"
Cleveland and Boston Ready For Final Fight
With the Boston Beaneaters having wrapped up the pennant in one National Legue division the other is still well up for grabs.
The Cleveland Spiders had a very good August and have a one game lead over their rivals from Boston where the Americans look to finish strong and play their cross town rivals for the title. The Spiders have never won the championship despite being in the league since its inagural season. To say that the fans in Cleveland are hungry would be a gross understatement.
The teams will only face off twice in the month of September so the usual tension of waiting for telegraphs about the other team is going to be in full effect. The Spiders as usual are led by who is a 5 time MVP winner. Oyster Burns has also put together a good year for Cleveland. The powerful Jerry Denny is the big bat for the Americans, Denny has hit 24 home runs and has a chance at the alltime record of 31 held by Ed Swartwood.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
League Notes