Quote:
Originally Posted by prewinter
Gen. Urell's obituary in the Washington Herald (died 1910) mentions he played baseball with Nick Young, so he is likely the Olympics player by that name. When the Olympics went on a trip through Ohio in July 1869, M.E. Urell is listed as in the hotel with the club, but Emmett shows up in the box score, so that supports that he was referred to as Emmett. On the other hand, on that same trip, D. Barrett is listed at the hotel while Billings shows up in the box scores... but I found one box score with both a Billings and a Barrett.
I'm also not sure how much, if any, overlap there was between McLean and Urell, at least in box scores. McLean umpired some games later in the season, and he was identified as a member of the Olympics, but I haven't found a box score yet with both players. (I also haven't scoured the full season yet.) "Billings" seems to show up more often with Urell, and maybe Hurley.
As far as the timing of the photos, an article in April describes the Olympics uniforms as having a red and white check shirt, and the photos certainly don't look like that.
Late in August, or more likely early September, the club was set to get new uniforms, with shirt and pants of white flannel, a blue cord down the leg, blue stockings, blue belt, and white skull cap trimmed with blue, and an Old English letter O on the breast. The photos do not have an "O". There was one description in mid-September in the papers that did not include the "O", so maybe that didn't happen. But a new uniform would be an occasion to have photos taken.
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Here's some reports on the uniforms from after August according to the Threads of Our Game 19th C. Uniform Database:
September 1869: “The Olympics [of Washington] are going to change their uniform (dark pants, red striped shirt and caps) for a white suit, yellow belt and blue stockings and a flaming pink on their manly ‘buzzums’.” From the Cambridge (IN) City Tribune, September 9, 1869, reported as correspondence from ‘Washington City’, September 2, 1869. Research from Don Stokes. Note, belt color does not match the National Republican report from August 30.
September 9, 1869, Olympic, Washington DC, v. Jefferson, Washington DC, at Washington, National’s grounds: “The Olympics appeared, for the first time, in their new uniform of white caps, shirts and pants, with blue trimmings, namely, a blue cord down each outside leg of the pants, blue stockings, blue belt, and shirt and trim trimmed in blue. […] Heavy bedding added to the score of the ‘blue legs.’” From the National Republican, Washington DC, September 10, 1869. Research from Paul Winter.
September 15, 1869, Olympic, Washington DC, v. Alert, Washington DC: “Olympics new uniform, white flannel shirt and pants, blue cord down pants leg with buckle just below the knee, light blue stockings, white skull cap trimmed with blue cord, blue belt, old English ‘O’ on breast.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1845-1881 From Newspaper Accounts (1961). No specific reference given.