So we arrived in Allentown, licking our wounds from yet another disappointing home stand! Our scout, John Mizer, as he always did, presented
us with an advanced scouting report on Allentown:
I liked the pitching matchups, and before I go over the results, here's a bit of history on baseball in Allentown, at least up to the early 30's.
Late 19th century
Professional baseball in Allentown dates to 1884, when the Allentown Dukes completed one season in the original Eastern League.
Four years later, the city fielded a Central League team, the Allentown Peanuts, which also folded after a season. The 1890s brought a series of ball clubs to the city.
The Allentown Colts played in the Pennsylvania State League from 1892-93. The next year, the team became Kelly’s Killers, named for its player-manager, future Hall of Fame member Mike "King" Kelly. Late in the season, Kelly moved the Eastern League’s Binghamton Bingoes here as the Allentown Buffalos. Kelly, the era’s most flamboyant figure, died of pneumonia that fall at age 35, and the Buffalos were dissolved. In 1895, the Allentown Goobers returned Pennsylvania State League play to the city for one season. In 1898, yet another team was formed, re-using the name the Allentown Peanuts. The Peanuts played for three seasons in the Atlantic League, which succeeded the Pennsylvania State League in 1896. The league and the team were dissolved in 1900.
Early 20th century
Over the next two decades, Allentown hosted only one professional team, a Tri-State League club which played from 1912-14. Then, in the 1920s, the name the Allentown Dukes was revived for a semi-professional team that played four seasons (1923–26) at Edgemont Field, a new field at Second and Susquehanna Streets. On September 7, 1923 the Allentown Dukes defeated the New York Yankees by a score of 8 to 7 at Edgemont Field. Babe Ruth struck out at bat in the ninth inning, with bases loaded. The semi-pro team led to the start of an Eastern League team under the same name in 1929. League champions the next year, the team was renamed the Allentown Buffaloes in 1931. At the end of the 1932 season, the league collapsed, and the Buffaloes folded.
6/20-6/23 - Well, we opened up our first game of this series, just like we did our last three, with a loss! Our ace, Denny White went seven and two thirds of four run ball, only to lose 4-2. And what's worse, we only mustered two hits, one a home run by Dale Roberson, his team leading eighth of the year!
One bit of good news, Powell Shoemaker, the catcher we took in the second round, signed on with us for $3,900 dollars. One down, four to go!
I did get word that Cornell Peel, the number one overall pick in the amateur draft, signed with Lebanon for $78,300 dollars. My owner would've had a heart attack, if that was us, but I mentioned it to him anyway. Also, two players that we had on our radar for the offseason, both signed extensions. Lee Walker, a stud starting pitcher, who was 9-3, with a 2.33 ERA, and third baseman Ken Martin, who has seven home runs and 30 rbi's. Oh well, I can take those two off my watch list!
Game two we battled and collected ten hits, and the "old man", 29 year old Tim Butler got his fourth win! And our team only "whiffed" twice in the game. And of course, we continue to be aggressive on the bases and won the game 6-4.
I will say one thing about this team, they all get along in the clubhouse, and on those long bus trips! At least I haven't heard of any major issues among the players on or off the field to this point! Unlike what I see in our "GM Newsletter", that I don't always share with our manager!
Or this "beaut" about a player getting injured:
