Cup of Coffee Baseball League

[ukhotstove]

I was going to start my Northern Territories Baseball Association but the lack of a response to my request for logos and uniforms put that on hold, anyway I've decided to start the Cup of Coffee Baseball League

The Cup of Coffee Baseball League consists of the players that had just one moment in the sunshine, they may have only played one game in the majors but I bet everyone of us would have swapped places with them in that one moment in time. Some players became famous in that moment, one found himself not only being a cup of coffee player but also imortalised in book and film. Some even played on the same team in that same moment in time, one would play one game then found himself giving the ultimate sacrifice for his country. All the players played from the years 1901-2010, I didn't include players after 2010 simply because their dream of a second cup of coffee maybe still alive, I was going to include players before 1901 but found too many didn't have the years they played nor their full names so decided the start year would be 1901.

I'll not be taking over a team but will be drafting a team, the league will start with an inaugural draft, but because the lack of stats is a factor and simming x years to gain stats would defeat the object of the league. Anyway I've decided to draft players with a story or just what I would call a baseball name or shouts baseball to me an example being "Lefty", the league will be based in 1957 the year that imo baseball died a little when the Dodgers and Giants moved someone else came up with a line like that least I think they did .

The rosters are a 25 man roster with a 16 man reserve roster, which after the inaugural draft left 11 players as free agents but hopefully they'll still get a shot at playing.

I intend on doing a write up for every player, those drafted in the first round will have their write ups done before the season starts the others during the season. The teams have been taken from the Pacific Coast League and Western Canada Baseball, so let the first round of the draft begin.

If you click on a players name this will take you to their baseball reference page, if you click on their full name it will take you to an article link if one exsists.

[ukhotstove]

Salt Lake City Bees
Moose Jaw Millers
Lethbridge Miners
Edmonton Eskimos
Denver Bears
Winnipeg Maroons
Calgary Cowboys
Medicine Hat Mad Hatters
Hollywood Stars
Seattle Rainiers
Regina Bonepilers
North Battlefield Beavers
Portland Beavers
Oakland Oaks
Sacramento Solons
Tacoma Giants

[ukhotstove]

Bob Dresser

Robert Nicholson Dresser

Boston Beaneaters 1902

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: Weight:

Born: October 4, 1878 in Newton, MA. USA
Died: July 27, 1924 Duxbury, MA. USA (45)
Buried: Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA. USA

Debut: August 13, 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates @ Boston Beaneaters (23)

Dresser's one game came in a 6-1 defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a double header at Boston's South End Grounds where he gave up all 6 runs 3 of them earned 3 unearned, who knows maybe if Dresser had pitched in the first game which the Beaneaters won 8-6 he may have stuck around in the majors. Bit of a story surrounding Dresser as it turns out the Northern New York League where he had come from actually expelled Dresser for being a contract jumper, maybe that was his downfall and the reason he is now plying his trade in the Cup of Coffee Baseball League.

[ukhotstove]

Red Long

Nelson Long

Boston Beaneaters 1902

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6'1" Weight: 190lb

Born: September 28, 1876 in Burlington, Ontario. Canada
Died: August 11, 1929 in Hamilton, Ontario. Canada (52)
Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario. Canada

Debut: September 11, 1902 St Louis Cardinals @ Boston Beaneaters (25)

Red Long made his debut and last game in a double header against the St Louis Cardinals, just like the frist pick Bob Dresser he also played for the Boston Beaneaters at the South End Grounds. Unsure which game he played in, the first game Boston won 4-3 the second was tied 2-2 but baseball reference doesn't have him getting the win so I'm thinking it was the 2-2 tie as they gave him a complete game and he's credited with 2 runs with one of them being earned. Can't find an article for Long as it'd be interesting to find out why he didn't stick around the majors as he as a 1.13 era in his only game.

[ukhotstove]

Eric MacKenzie

Eric Hugh Mackenzie

Kansas City Athletics 1955

Positions: Pinch Hitter & Catcher
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6'0" Weight: 185lb

Born: August 29, 1932 in Glendon, Alberta. Canada

Debut: April 23, 1955 Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Athletics (22)

MacKenzie was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1951 and waited four years to make his bow in the majors for the Kansas City Athletics, he played against the Chicago White Sox at Municipal Stadium and must have taken all the blame in a 29-6 defeat yes you read correctly a 29-6 defeat. To be fair to Eric the game was over when he came to bat in the bottom of the 8th pinch hitting for Joe Astroth with the score 29-6, makes you wonder what was going through his head as he approached hoe plate "29-6 down and I'm making my major league debut" or "least they can't blame a rookie like me for this score". who knows if anyone lives in or near Bright's Grove, Ontario maybe they could go and ask him as he becomes the first player drafted who is still alive aged 81.

[ukhotstove]

Ed Wingo

Edmund Armand Wingo born Edmond Armand La Riviere

Philadelphia Athletics 1920

Position: Catcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5'6" Weight: 145lb

Born: October 8, 1895 in Ste. Anne de Bellvue, Quebec. Canada
Died: December 5, 1964 in Lachine, Quebec. Canada (69)
Buried:

Debut: October 2, 1920 Washington Senators @ Philadelphia Athletics (24)

First two drafted players were Boston Beaneaters the second two both played for the A's, old Ed Wingo may have paid the price for being only 5'6" or the fact that the A's finished the season or the fact they finished the season 48-106. He may have gone 1 for 4 in his one game but can hold his head high as he chalked up an rbi in a 7-5 defeat, he mustn't have felt it would be his last game in the majors though having gotten that rbi but alas it was.

[ukhotstove]

Monty "Dazzy" Swartz

Vernon Monroe Swartz

Cincinnati Reds 1920

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height; 5'11" Weight: 182lb

Born: January 1, 1897 in Farmsville, OH. USA
Died: January 13, 1980 in Germantown, OH. USA (83)
Buried: Germantown Cemetery, Germantown, OH. USA

Debut: October 3, 1920 St Louis Cardinals @ Cincinnati Reds (23)

Another player who made his one and only appearance against the Cards in a 6-3 defeat in the last game of the 1920 season at Redland Field, he gave up 6 runs off 17 hits so may point to the reason he never pitched again although he maybe able to claim the man of steel crown in the Cup of Coffee League as he pitched 12 innings against the Cards that day. I have a bit of a problem with OOTP as it claims players like Swartz are relief pitchers but he was and always will be a starter, they also may have missed a trick with Swartz as he went 2 for 4 with the bat, maybe just maybe he was an hitter and not a pitcher.

[ukhotstove]

Shorty Dee

Maurice Leo Dee

St Louis Browns 1915

Position: Shortstop
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5'6" Weight: 155lb

Born: October 4, 1889 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada
Died: August 12, 1971 in Jamaica Plain, MA. USA (81)
Buried: St. Patrick Cemetery, Lowell, MA. USA

Debut: September 14, 1915 (25) St louis Browns @ Philadelphia Athletics

Shorty Dee becomes the first player to be drafted who made his one and only appearence in the majors on the road at Shibe Park, the previous drafted players all played their one and only game at home. Must have had a bit of speed about him as Branch Rickey his manager that day let him attempt a steal, only an attempt as he was caught stealing, sadly though an 0 for 3 outing put paid to his time in the majors.

[NYY #23]

This is a really interesting idea, and I like the brief bios that you are including. It's nice to learn a little bit about the guys that didn't get much of a chance, and to see them get a "real" shot. Good luck and I'll be following along.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

This is a really interesting idea, and I like the brief bios that you are including. It's nice to learn a little bit about the guys that didn't get much of a chance, and to see them get a "real" shot. Good luck and I'll be following along.

Much appreciated, I started a thread ages ago about the cup of coffee players but always wanted to have them on teams in game so to say. We all know the stuff about Ruth, Cobb, DiMaggio etc but some of these guys have interesting and sometimes sad stories to tell.

[ukhotstove]

Mel Kerr


John Melville Kerr

Chicago Cubs 1925

Position: Pinch Runner
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 5'11" Weight: 155lb

Born: May 22, 1903 in Souris, Manitoba. Canada
Died: August 9, 1980 in Vero Beach, Florida. USA (77)
Buried: Cremated

Debut: September 16, 1925 Boston Braves @ Chicago Cubs (22)

Mel Kerr just like the most famous of the cup of coffee players Moonlight Graham never faced a pitcher or batter. I couldn't find the boxscore for the game but with a bit of detective work I'm thinking that Kerr was a pinch runner in the bottom of the 9th, I do know that he replaced Tommy Griffith who was pinch hitting for Cubs pitcher George Milstead. Although he didn't hold a bat during the game he did help his team by crossing the plate on a hit by more than likely Gale Staley or maybe Cliff Heathcote, however the Cubs still lost the game 8-6. Kerr if you don't read the article link was a multi sport hero by all accounts, batting over .400 multiple seasons, won two Western Canada junior football championships, won two individual track and field honours and also won two tennis titles. Just think if he'd have gotten more at bats we maybe saying Mel knows instead of Bo

[Papi]

Are you going to be limiting it to players who had one game? I was always intrigued by Jim Baxes. He played one season, 1959, hit 17 homeruns and never played again.

Jim Baxes Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

[ukhotstove]

Bert Sincock

Herbert Sylvester Sincock

Cincinnati Reds 1908

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 5'10" Weight: 165lb

Born: September 8, 1887 in Barkerville, British Colombia. Canada
Died: August 1, 1946 in Houghton, MI. USA (58)
Buried: Lake View Cemetery, Calumet, MI. USA

Debut: June 25, 1908 Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs (20)

Sincock is another who played his one and only game on the road at the West Side Grounds in Chicago in a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Cubs, he gave up 3 of the 7 runs himself in 4 2/3 ip and didn't trouble the pitcher on his two at bats. Probably one of those games you'd love to forget, unless that game was your only game. Unlike most if not all of the drafted players so far Sincock does have a decent wiki page, like all other links to articles and such the link is in his full name.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Papi

Are you going to be limiting it to players who had one game? I was always intrigued by Jim Baxes. He played one season, 1959, hit 17 homeruns and never played again.

Jim Baxes Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

Just one game hence the cup of coffee. had a quick look about Baxes and nothing about why it was just one season. Same as the cup of coffee players nothing is really said why they only played one game, I know why one of them only played once but some had decent debuts but never got another chance like Red Long surely worth another game, wasn't he?

[ukhotstove]

That's all for today folks, I'll finish the first round off tomorrow then get started on the games with the first one being the Denver Bears @ Tacoma Giants where one of the first round picks will take the mound for the Tacoma Giants.

[Hendu Style]

Heheheheh... Regina.

If anyone here lives in the Pacific Northwest, they know how it's pronounced. It makes me laugh everytime.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Hendu Style

Heheheheh... Regina.

If anyone here lives in the Pacific Northwest, they know how it's pronounced. It makes me laugh everytime.

I've become a big fan of Western Canada Baseball since I stumbled upon it a couple of years ago looking for league ideas, I love old time baseball, the names and such and the Regina Bonepilers became my favourite team in Western Canada Baseball, whats not to love about a name like that.

[ukhotstove]

Hal Schwenk

Harold Edward Schwenk

St Louis Browns 1913

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6'0" Weight: 185lb

Born: August 23, 1890 in Schuykill, PA. USA
Died: September 3, 1955 in Kansas City, MO. USA (65)
Buried: Memorial Park Cemetery, Sadalia, MO. USA

Debut: September 4, 1913 Chicago White Sox @ St Louis Browns (23)

Schwenk made his one and only appearence against the Chicago White Sox at St Louis Sportsman's Park III, he finished with a win % of 1.000 after pitching in a 5-4 win which had gone to extra innings. He also had 3 at bats which he managed 1 hit and 1 run, couldn't find a boxscore and hopefully I never will because I'd like to think that Schwenk crossed the plate for the winning run or who knows maybe his one hit was the winning hit we can only dream.

[ukhotstove]

Doc McMahon

Henry John McMahon

Boston Red Sox 1908

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Unknown Throws: Unknown
Height: Wight:

Born: December 19, 1886 in Woburn, MA. USA
Died: December 11, 1929 in Woburn, MA. USA (42)
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Woburn, MA. USA

Debut: October 6, 1908 New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox (21)

Well if your going to play just one game in the majors then it can't get any better than your local team against their biggest rivals specially if your the winning pitcher, Doc ticked all those boxes when he pitched in an 11-3 win against the New York Yankees at Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, doesn't get any better does it?

[ukhotstove]

The next team to pick are the Regina Bonepilers, as I stated before Idrafted for them but am not managing them, I wanted a team with names, characters and stories.