Abbeville Athletics

The Abbeville Athletics, also known as the Abbeville A's, were a minor league baseball team, based in Abbeville, Louisiana, that played in the Evangeline League from 1935–1939, 1946–1950, and 1952. The Athletics made it to the Evangeline League playoffs twice — in 1938 and 1946 — but never won the league pennant.

Abbeville Athletics
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class C (1949–1950, 1952)
  • Class D (1935–1939, 1946–1948)
LeagueEvangeline League (1935–1939, 1946–1950, 1952)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
Wild card berths (2)
  • 1938
  • 1946

In 1934, a group of local businessmen, including Abbeville Mayor Fred T. Schlesinger, formed the Abbeville Athletic Association with the aim of funding construction of a grandstand and sports park on the grounds of Abbeville High School.[1][2] The team name was chosen in 1935 after soliciting potential names from across Vermillion Parish.[3] Some 60 names were proposed with "Athletics" being selected via a drawing.[4]

1934–1940

In late 1934, the Abbeville Athletic Association was accepted into the year-old Evangeline Baseball League as one of two expansion teams or the league's second season. At the same time, the club accepted an offer from the Nashville Vols, an affiliate of the New York Giants to establish a training camp and affiliation agreement.[5] For the 1936 season, the Athletics affiliated with the Fort Worth Panthers of the Texas League,[6] but in 1937 the Athletics changed owners and announced they would field an independent, unaffiliated team, saying that the Nashville and Fort Worth affiliations had not proved "satisfactory from a financial standpoint" and failed to deliver the talented players the team needed.[7] Player turnover was extraordinarily high for the 1936 Athletics with more than 50 players rotating through the team's rooster during the season.[8]

In March 1940, the Athletics' owner I.M. Goldberg, in a dispute with the Evangeline League's leadership, surrendered the team's franchise.[9] A group of local citizens sought to raise funds to keep the team in Abbeville and in the league, but ultimately the franchise was lost.[10]

1946–1952

In September 1945, Goldberg was active in efforts to restart the Evangeline League, which had folded in 1942 due to the Second World War,[11] and when the league was reconstituted for the 1946 season, the Abbeville Athletics were again a participant.[12] But by 1950, the team was in disarray and the league looked to move the franchise out of Abbeville.[13] In January 1951, Goldberg abandoned his ownership of the Athletics and, despite an effort by local leaders to keep the team in Abbeville, the league welcomed the Crowley Millers into the league and the Athletics disbanded.[14]

In 1952, the Athletics rejoined the Evangeline League, taking over the Hammond Berries' franchise.[15] After a single season, however, the team lost the support of its affiliate, the Texarkana Bears, and ended up folding.[16]

1946 playoffs scandal

The Abbeville Athletics entered the playoffs in the number three slot, having ended the regular season 9.5 games behind the league-leading Houma Indians. After beating the Natchez Giants in the first round of the Evangeline League playoffs, the Athletics lost four games in the final seven-game post-season series against the Houma Indians. However, after the season ended, several Athletics and Indians players were investigated for throwing the playoff games.[17] Athletics owner I.M. Goldberg claimed that Houma players had thrown game four in the first round series against the Alexandria Aces, as well as the first game against the Athletics. He also accused his players of throwing game four in the series against Houma.[18] Four Houma players — Bill Thomas, Lanny Pecou, Alvin W. Kaiser, and Paul Fugit — along with Abbeville catcher Don Vetorel were suspended for conspiring with "New Orleans bookies" to manipulate the playoff series to benefit themselves "and their gambling friends."[19] The players all denied the accusations.[20] In August 1949, Thomas and Pecou were restored to eligibility and rejoined the Indians.[21]

Final standings by season
SeasonWinsLosesPercentageNotes
19355473.425
19364889.350
19376372.467
19387661.555Defeated the Alexandria Aces in the first round of playoffs, but lost the final series to the Lake Charles Skippers three games to four.[22]
19396570.481Nine wins were disallowed due to having played with an ineligible player, dropping the Athletics from fourth to sixth place in the league and keeping the team out of the Shaughnessy playoffs.[23]
19468248.631Defeated the Natchez Giants in the first round of playoffs, but lost the final series to the Houma Indians four games to one in a series marred by a gambling scandal.[24]
19475378.405
19485382.393
19496866.507
19505087.365
19526278.443

References
  1. "Launch Drive Monday for Funds to Build Athletic Park Here". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 84, no. 35. Abbeville, Louisiana. September 1, 1934. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Grand Stand and Park on the School Grounds Assured". Abbeville Progress. Vol. 27, no. 28. Abbeville, Louisiana. September 8, 1934. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Name the Abbeville Baseball Team and Win a $24 Season Ticket, Good for All of the Home League Games". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 85, no. 2. Abbeville, Louisiana. January 12, 1935. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Name 'Athletics' Chosen for Abbeville Team". Abbeville Progress. Vol. 27, no. 51. Abbeville, Louisiana. February 16, 1935. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Accept Nashville Proposition as Abbeville Is Voted in Evangeline Baseball League". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 84, no. 51. Abbeville, Louisiana. December 22, 1934. pp. 1, 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Abbeville Will Serve Ft. Worth Club as Farm". Abbeville Progress. Vol. 28, no. 50. Abbeville, Louisiana. February 8, 1936. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Abbeville Base Ball Club Will Be Independent". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 87, no. 8. Abbeville, Louisiana. February 20, 1937. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Altobello, Brian (1976). The Evangeline Baseball League, 1934–1948: the Story of a Class D Circuit (MA thesis). Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University.
  9. "Meet Monday to Raise Fund for Ball Club". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 90, no. 11. Abbeville, Louisiana. March 16, 1940. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Abbeville Is Out of Base Ball League". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 90, no. 12. Abbeville, Louisiana. March 23, 1940. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Evangeline League is One of the Liveliest in Minors, Says Keefe". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 95, no. 39. Abbeville, Louisiana. September 29, 1945. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Abbeville to Have Team in Evangeline League". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 95, no. 42. Abbeville, Louisiana. October 20, 1945. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "A's Franchise May Be Changed—Kibbe". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 97, no. 23. Abbeville, Louisiana. June 3, 1950. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Abbeville Loses Franchise". The Vermillion Post. Vol. 3, no. 45. Abbeville, Louisiana. January 26, 1951. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Vermillion Organization Backs Abbeville Re-Entry in League". Abbeville Progress. Vol. 99, no. 12. Abbeville, Louisiana. March 20, 1952. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Baseball Out for Abbeville". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 99, no. 43. Abbeville, Louisiana. October 23, 1952. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "'Scandal' Brewing in Evangeline League". The Shreveport Journal. Vol. 51. Shreveport, Louisiana. October 31, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. Ginsburg, Daniel E. (2004). The Fix Is In: A History of Baseball Gambling and Game Fixing Scandals. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. pp. 277–278. ISBN 0-7864-1920-2. OCLC 56579698 – via Google Books.
  19. "Evangeline Loop Scandal Report Still Incomplete". The Daily Advertiser. Vol. XXXIII, no. 238. Lafayette, Louisiana. Associated Press. January 30, 1947. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Abbeville Catcher, Four Houma Players Declared Ineligible". Abbeville Meridional. Vol. 97, no. 5. Abbeville, Louisiana. February 1, 1947. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. Hilton, George W. (1982). "The Evangeline League Scandal of 1946". Baseball Research Journal. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  22. "Skippers Are Loop Champs". The Rayne Acadian. Vol. 44, no. 51. Rayne, Louisiana. September 23, 1938. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Standings Shaken-Up in Evangeline League". The Monroe News-Star. Vol. 47, no. 198. Monroe, Louisiana. September 5, 1939. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. Leslie, Paul J. (1994). "'Say It Ain't so:' The 1946 Houma Indians and the Baseball Scandals". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 35 (2): 163–181. JSTOR 4233096.
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