Blue Grass League
The Blue Grass League was a minor league baseball circuit at the Class D level that existed in the early 1900s. There were two incarnations of the league, one that ran from 1908 to 1912 and one that existed from 1922 to 1924. It consisted entirely of teams based in Kentucky.
| Classification | Class D (1908—1912, 1922—1924) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Inaugural season | 1908 |
| Ceased | 1924 |
| President | George L. Hammond (1908—1909) Dr. W.C. Ussery (1910—1911) William Neal (1911—1912) Thomas M. Russell (1922—1924) |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 4 Paris Bourbons/Bourbonites (1910—1911, 1922, 1924) |
1908–1912
Six teams played in the league's inaugural season: the Frankfort Statesmen, Lexington Colts, Richmond Pioneers, Shelbyville Grays, Winchester Hustlers and Lawrenceburg Distillers. The Statesmen finished in first place.[1]
In 1909, the Hustlers, Pioneers, Statesmen and Colts returned to the league, while Shelbyville dropped its nickname and the Lawrenceburg team departed. In its stead were the Paris Bourbonites. The Hustlers finished in first place.[1]
All teams from 1909 returned for 1910, though partway through the year the Shelbyville squad moved to Maysville to become the Maysville Rivermen. The Bourbonites finished first in the league.[1] Baseball Hall of Fame member Casey Stengel played for Shelbyville/Maysville in 1910.
All teams from 1910 returned for 1911, with the Bourbonites finishing in first place again. There was also a playoff held that season, with the Bourbonites winning the series.[1]
In 1912, the Statesmen became the Frankfort Lawmakers. Winchester moved to Nicholas and then Mt. Sterling to finish the season as the Mt. Sterling Orphans. Outside of those changes, the league remained the same. Frankfort finished in first place.[1]
1922–1924
The inaugural season of the second incarnation of the league featured the Paris Mammoths, Maysville Cardinals, Cynthiana Merchants, Mt. Sterling Essex, Winchester Dodgers and Lexington Reos. The Mammoths finished in first, though the league playoff pitted Maysville against Cynthiana, with the former winning the series.[1]
1923 saw multiple teams change names. The Merchants became the Cynthiana Cobblers and the Mammoths became the Paris Bourbons. The other teams remained the same. Cynthiana finished in first place.[1]
The league consisted of only four teams in 1924 — Paris, Cynthiana, Lexington (now called the Lexington Studebakers) and Winchester. The Bourbons finished in first place.[1]
Cities represented
- Cynthiana, KY: Cynthiana Merchants 1922; Cynthiana Cobblers 1923—1924
- Frankfort, KY: Frankfort Lawmakers 1908—1912
- Lawrenceburg, KY: Lawrenceburg Distillers 1908
- Lexington, KY: Lexington Thoroughbreds 1908; Lexington Colts 1909—1912; Lexington Reds 1922—1923; Lexington Studebakers 1924
- Maysville, KY: Maysville Rivermen 1910—1912; Maysville Cardinals 1922—1923
- Mount Sterling, KY: Mount Sterling Orphans 1912; Mount Sterling Essex 1922—1923
- Nicholasville, KY: Nicholasville 1912
- Paris, KY: Paris Bourbonites 1909—1912; Paris Bourbons 1922—1924
- Richmond, KY: Richmond Pioneers 1908—1912
- Shelbyville, KY: Shelbyville Millers 1908—1910
- Versailles, KY: Versailles Aristocrats 1908
- Winchester, KY: Winchester Reds 1908; Winchester Hustlers 1909—1912; Winchester Dodgers 1922—1924
Yearly standings
1908 to 1912
1908 Blue Grass League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort Lawmakers | 47 | 23 | .671 | — | N. G. Kennedy |
| Lexington Thoroughbreds | 37 | 31 | .544 | 9.0 | Thomas Sheets |
| Richmond Pioneers | 36 | 34 | .514 | 11.0 | William Parrish |
| Lawrenceburg Distillers | 33 | 35 | .485 | 13.0 | Guy Woodruff |
| Shelbyville Millers | 32 | 37 | .464 | 14.5 | Anton Kuhn |
| Versailles Aristocrats / Winchester Hustlers | 22 | 47 | .319 | 24.5 | NA |
No Playoffs scheduled.[1]
1909 Blue Grass League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester Hustlers | 75 | 44 | .630 | — | Daddy Horn |
| Richmond Pioneers | 75 | 45 | .625 | 0.5 | Al Grohe |
| Paris Bourbonites | 61 | 57 | .516 | 13.5 | Jeff Elgin / Henry Schmidt / James Barnett |
| Frankfort Lawmakers | 56 | 60 | .482 | 17.5 | N. G. Kennedy / Ben Marshall |
| Lexington Colts | 48 | 69 | .410 | 26.0 | Thomas Sheets / Cy Stout / Pat Downing |
| Shelbyville Millers | 39 | 79 | .321 | 35.5 | Anton Kuhn |
No Playoffs scheduled.[1]
1910 Blue Grass League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Bourbonites | 80 | 47 | .630 | — | Edward McKernan |
| Lexington Colts | 69 | 56 | .552 | 10.0 | Hogan Yancy |
| Winchester Hustlers | 63 | 59 | .516 | 14.5 | Newton Horn / Ed Coleman |
| Richmond Pioneers | 63 | 60 | .512 | 15.0 | William Maloney |
| Frankfort Lawmakers | 60 | 61 | .496 | 17.0 | Wallace Warren / Danny Harrell |
| Shelbyville Millers / Maysville Rivermen | 37 | 89 | .294 | 42.5 | Anton Kuhn / Daniel Collins |
No Playoffs scheduled.[1]
1911 Blue Grass League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Bourbonites | 71 | 44 | .617 | — | Edward McKernan |
| Lexington Colts | 65 | 50 | .565 | 6.0 | Thomas Sheets / Hogan Yancy |
| Winchester Hustlers | 59 | 59 | .500 | 13.5 | Ed Coleman |
| Maysville Rivermen | 55 | 63 | .466 | 17.5 | James Carmony |
| Frankfort Lawmakers | 48 | 65 | .425 | 22.0 | NA |
| Richmond Pioneers | 47 | 64 | .423 | 22.0 | Connie Lewis / Sylvester Olson |
Playoff: Paris 4 games, Winchester 0.[1]
1912 Blue Grass League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort Lawmakers | 85 | 42 | .670 | — | Ollie Gfroerer |
| Maysville Rivermen | 82 | 47 | .634 | 4.0 | James Carmony / Harry Kunkel |
| Richmond Pioneers | 66 | 64 | .508 | 20.5 | William Fisher |
| Lexington Colts | 60 | 65 | .480 | 24.0 | Hogan Yancy / Ted McGrew |
| Paris Bourbonites | 60 | 69 | .465 | 26.0 | Joe Lewis / Danning Harrell |
| Winchester Hustlers / Nicholasville / Mount Sterling Orphans | 31 | 97 | .242 | 54.5 | Harry Kunkel / McBrayer / Bob Spade |
No Playoffs scheduled.[1]
1922 to 1924
1922 Blue Grass League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Bourbons | 36 | 28 | .563 | — | B. Goodman / Harold Willis |
| Maysville Cardinals | 33 | 28 | .541 | 1.5 | Norbert Bosken |
| Cynthiana Merchants | 34 | 30 | .531 | 2.0 | Ernest McIlvan |
| Mt. Sterling Essex | 30 | 31 | .492 | 4.5 | Hod Eller |
| Winchester Dodgers | 28 | 36 | .438 | 8.0 | Howie Camnitz / Walter Van Winkle |
| Lexington Reds | 28 | 36 | .438 | 8.0 | Pat Devereaux / Jim Park |
Playoff: Maysville 3 games, Cynthiana 1.[1]
1923 Blue Grass League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cynthiana Cobblers | 54 | 43 | .557 | — | Bill Schumaker |
| Winchester Dodgers | 53 | 44 | .546 | 1.0 | Pat Devereaux |
| Maysville Cardinals | 48 | 45 | .516 | 4.0 | Norbert Bosken |
| Paris Bourbons | 45 | 47 | .480 | 6.5 | Nickholas Winger / Felix Cicona |
| Lexington Reds | 44 | 49 | .473 | 8.0 | Doug Harbison |
| Mt. Sterling Essex | 38 | 54 | .413 | 13.5 | Charles Ellis / Hod Eller |
No Playoffs were held.[1]
1924 Blue Grass League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Bourbons | 51 | 43 | .543 | — | Bob Corkhill / Pat Devereaux / Fritz Mueller |
| Cynthiana Cobblers | 50 | 43 | .538 | 0.5 | Bill Schumaker / John Koval |
| Lexington Studebakers | 43 | 50 | .462 | 7.5 | Jesse Young / Jim Viox |
| Winchester Dodgers | 43 | 51 | .457 | 8.0 | George Bell |
No Playoffs were scheduled.[1]
References
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Minor League Encyclopedia, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007.
- The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, editors (Third ed.). Baseball America. 2007. ISBN 978-1932391176.
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