La Crosse Pinks
| La Crosse Pinks | |
|---|---|
| |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | None |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (2) |
|
| Team data | |
| Name | La Crosse Pinks (1905–1908) La Crosse Outcasts (1909–1911) La Crosse Outcats (1912) |
| Ballpark | League Park (1905–1913) |
The La Crosse Pinks were a
The La Crosse "Pinks" first played under the nickname as members of the Class D level
The La Crosse "Pinks" nickname was given to the team after their manager Pink Hawley, who served as the La Crosse manager from 1905 to 1908.
The La Crosse teams hosted minor league home games at League Park.
History
1905 to 1907 Wisconsin State League
Minor league baseball began in La Crosse in 1886, when the
In 1905, the
The "Pinks" were nicknamed named after the manager of the team, Pink Hawley. Hawley managed La Crosse from 1905 through the 1908 season.[4] Hawley had moved to La Crosse following his major league career where he opened a cigar store. Hawley also was involved in the organization of the Wisconsin State League.[5]
The 1905 La Crosse Pinks ended their first season of Wisconsin State League play as the league champions.[6] With a record of 68–41, the Pinks placed first in the Wisconsin State League standings, finishing 7.0 games ahead of the second place Oshkosh Indians (60–47). Pink Hawley led the team to the championship as manager.[7][8][3]
In their second season of minor league play, the 1906 La Crosse Pinks won their second consecutive championship as members of the six-team Wisconsin State League.[9] The Pinks ended the 1906 season with a 76–42 record, finishing first in the league standings under manager Pink Hawley. La Crosse finished 2.0 games ahead of the second place Freeport Pretzels in the final standings. The La Crosse nickname was continued in reference to manager Pink Hawley.[7][10][11]
Frank Schneiberg won 22 games for La Crosse in 1906. His contract was then purchased by the Detroit Tigers for the 1907 season.[12]
The La Crosse continued play as the 1907 Wisconsin State League expanded to eight teams, adding the
Pinks player Ed Konetchy was a La Crosse native, who was signed by the team after a tryout with Pink Hawley at age 19. Konetchy had played for factory teams in the city as a teenager. St. Louis Cardinals manager John McCloskey sent scouts to La Crosse to evaluate Konetchy.[17] After the scouts recommended Konetchy to McCloskey, His contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals from the La Crosse Pinks during the 1907 season for $1,000. Konetchy then signed a contract with the Cardinals for $275 per month and made his major league debut the next day. After his lengthy major league and career ended with 2,175 hits, Konetchy later returned to his hometown as a manager, leading the 1940 La Crosse Blackhawks to the Wisconsin State League championship.[18]
1908 Wisconsin-Illinois League
La Crosse continued play as the Wisconsin State League changed names to become the
The 1908 La Crosse Pinks ended the Wisconsin-Illinois League season in third place and finished the season with 66–57 record.[20] The Pinks played just one season in the eight–team Wisconsin-Illinois League in their final season under manager Pink Hawley. The La Crosse Pinks ended the season 7.0 games behind the champion Wausau Lumberjacks.[7][19][21]
1909 to 1912 Minnesota-Wisconsin League
In 1909, Pink Hawley left La Crosse and became the manager of the
Beginning play in the new league, La Crosse finished in third place in the Minnesota-Wisconsin League final standings.[23] The Outcasts ended the 1909 season with a record of 69–56 in the six-team league. The 1909 La Crosse manager was Joe Safford, replacing Pink Hawley, as La Crosse ended the season 4.5 games behind the first place Duluth White Sox, no playoffs were held.[7][24][22] La Crosse player Mike Malloy scored 75runs to lead the league.[7]
The 1910 Minnesota-Wisconsin-League was expanded to become an eight-team league adding the Red Wing Manufacturers and Rochester Roosters teams.[7] Continuing play in the 1910 eight-team Minnesota-Wisconsin League, the La Crosse Outcasts ended the season in fifth place.[25] La Crosse finished with a record of 56–68, playing the season under manager Joe Safford. The Outcaste ended the season 23.5 games behind the first place Eau Claire Commissioners in the final standings.[7][26]
La Crosse again placed fifth in the 1911 Minnesota-Wisconsin League final standings. The Outcasts ended the season with a record of 47–68 playing under managers Bumpus Jones and Carl Bond.[27] The Superior Red Sox won the championship with a record of 72–46 and finished 28.5 games ahead of fifth place La Crosse.[7][28]
On May 27, 1912,
Continuing play to begin the 1912 season, the La Crosse "Outcats" played the final season of the Minnesota-Wisconsin League, which reduced to a four-team in the league's final season.[30][7] On July 1, 1912, the Minnesota-Wisconsin League folded with La Crosse in third place. La Crosse finished 13.5 games behind the first place Winona Pirates in the Class D level league. The Outcats ended the season with a record of 15–26 under manager Carl Bond.[31][7] The Eau Claire Commissioners folded from the league to poor finances due to low attendance. The other league teams were unstable and the remaining league members decided to fold the league.[29]
La Crosse did not have a minor league team to begin the 1913 season, but gained a team for a partial season after the season had started. The St. Paul Colts of the
La Crosse next hosted minor league baseball in 1917, when the
The ballpark
The La Crosse teams hosted home minor league games at League Park in La Crosse.[18][35]
Timeline
| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905–1908 | 4 | La Crosse Pinks | Class D |
Wisconsin State League | League Park |
| 1909 | 1 | La Crosse Outcasts | Wisconsin-Illinois League
| ||
| 1910–1911 | 2 | Minnesota-Wisconsin League
| |||
| 1912 | 1 | La Crosse Outcats |
Year-by-year records
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 68–41 | 1st | Pink Hawley | League champions No playoffs held |
| 1906 | 76–42 | 1st | Pink Hawley | League champions No playoffs held |
| 1907 | 67–50 | 3rd | Pink Hawley | No playoffs held |
| 1908 | 66–57 | 3rd | Pink Hawley | No playoffs held |
| 1909 | 60–56 | 3rd | Joe Safford | No playoffs held |
| 1910 | 56–68 | 5th | Joe Safford | No playoffs held |
| 1911 | 47–68 | 5th | Bumpus Jones / Carl Bond | No playoffs held |
| 1912 | 87–45 | 5th | Carl Bond | League folded July 1 |
| 1913 | 40–78 | 7th | Charlie Jones / Frank Kurke | St. Paul (28–54) moved to La Crosse July 23 |
Notable alumni
- Art Bues (1908)
- Ed Cermak (1907)
- Crazy Dolan (1906)
- Pink Hawley (1905-1908, MGR)
- Bumpus Jones (1912, MGR)
- Ed Konetchy (1905-1907)
- Jeff Pfeffer (1909)
- Frank Schneiberg (1906)
- Bill Schardt (1909)
- Doc Watson (1908-1910)
- Jack Zalusky (1910)
References
- ^ "1887 LaCrosse Freezers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1905 Wisconsin Association (WA) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "1905 Wisconsin State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Pink Hawley Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c "Pink Hawley – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "1905 La Crosse Pinks Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (November 6, 2008). "Wisconsin State League".
- ^ "1906 La Crosse Pinks Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1906 Wisconsin Association (WA) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1906 Wisconsin State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "La Crosse Pinks". Baseball History Daily.
- ^ a b "1907 Wisconsin State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1907 Wisconsin State League (WSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1907 Wisconsin State League (WSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1907 La Crosse Pinks Statistics".
- ^ "Ed Konetchy – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ a b "La Crosse Public Library Archives :: The Candy Kid: La Crosse's Own Ed Konetchy". archives.lacrosselibrary.org.
- ^ a b "1908 Wisconsin-Illinois League (WWL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1908 La Crosse Pinks Statistics".
- ^ "1908 Wisconsin-Illinois League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "1909 Minnesota-Wisconsin League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1909 La Crosse Outcasts Statistics".
- ^ "1909 Wisconsin-Illinois League (WWL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1910 La Crosse Outcasts Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1910 Minnesota-Wisconsin League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1911 La Crosse Outcasts Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1911 Minnesota-Wisconsin League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Burleigh Grimes and the 1912 Eau Claire Commissioners – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "1912 La Crosse Outcats Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1912 Wisconsin-Illinois League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1913 Northern League (NL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1913 St. Paul/La Crosse Colts minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1917 La Crosse Infants Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "The La Crosse Tribune from La Crosse, Wisconsin". Newspapers.com. June 22, 1912.