The (English) Baseball League (est. 1888): A History

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
First Division League Leaders

Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
First Division Top Game Performances

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
First Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
First Division Top Systems

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
First Division Financial Report

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Results

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Promoted Club

Rotherham County Millers

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Promoted Club

Aston Villa Villans

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Final Table

Four non-league sides challenged the four clubs seeking re-election to Division 2 of the Baseball League. Voting -

31      Arsenal	                Elected to the League
23	Preston North End	Elected to the League
20	Manchester City	        Not re-elected to the League
10	Stockport County	Not re-elected to the League
0	Wolverhampton	        Not elected to the League
0	Barnsley	        Not elected to the League
0	Middlesbrough	        Not elected to the League
0	Huddersfield Town	Not elected to the League

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Team Batting and Pitching

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Award Winners



Baseballer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year: William Addison




Batsman of the Year: Cecil Ward




Pitcher of the Year: Bill Ellis

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division League Leaders

Batting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Top Game Performances

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Top Systems

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1919
Second Division Financial Report

[chucksabr]

Hodder Retires From League Baseball.

One of the greatest players in Baseball League history, Frank Hodder, has announced that he will leave the game.

Hodder entered the League in 1893, twenty six years ago, as a diminutive eighteen year old short stop for Owls of The Wednesday, and he became the regular starter in this third season and proceeded to author the greatest career of anyone playing his position to date. He spent his entire time in the League with The Wednesday, the first eleven seasons in the top flight and the remaining twelve in the second division.

A durable player who started every game for Owls during ten of his seasons played, he led his division in base hits four times and hits average three times, including his greatest season of 1898 in which he bat .400, only the seventh batsman in the League to have done so at that time. He was a prolific hitter of twos, placing amongst the top ten "doubles" hitters of his loop eight times, as well as in all base hits in twelve separate seasons

Hodder will be remembered as much for his durability as for his accomplishments. He is the only player in the League thus far to have played League ball both at age eighteen and as late as age forty four, which led to his tremendous career totals. Even with four years subtracted for War, Hodder placed second in League career at bats (8,427), base hits (2,948) and two base hits (462); third in games played (2,070); fourth in runs scored (1,306), and ninth in batting average (.350). In the new statistic of “runs batted in”, which includes all runs scored whenever a batsman gets on base in any way except by fieldsman error, Hodder places first all time with 1,302. Had the War not occurred, and the League suspended, he may well have left the game first in all categories save batting average.

Hodder served his King and Country during the War as a telegraph operator in France and Germany, and returned “as fit as a fiddle” and played a full season’s slate this season past, playing in the most games in a season of his career (125), batting a respectable .297 with 137 base hits, 61 runs scored and even stole six bases at the ripe old age of forty four. Nevertheless, he has decided to leave the game and concentrate his efforts on his fledgling wireless telegraphy concern, having become keen on the innovation during his time in Europe. Good luck, Mr. Hodder!

[chucksabr]

Baseball League
First Division
Single Season and Career Records
1888 through 1919

[chucksabr]

Baseball League
Second Division
Single Season and Career Records
1888 through 1919

[chucksabr]

The Baseball League.

Changes and Prospects for 1920.

(From a Special Correspondent.)

Monday inaugurates the second season of League Baseball after resumption following the end of the War. Preparations for the new season have gone on without cessation since the awarding of the EOI Cup to Walsall Swifts last October 3, the latest date on which consequential baseball has ever been played in this country, and the changes decided upon the brief period in which the game is prohibited are more important than for many years past.

Extension of the Baseball League.

The extension of the Baseball League to a membership of 66 clubs came as a complete surprise during the winter, but has caused little comment, though the ready consent of the Baseball Association was not expected by people who thought that the ruling body would not agree to a sudden enlargement by 50 per cent. of the former number with the possibility of further growth in the near future. The northern clubs who broached the subject did not commend themselves as of sufficiently good standing, but they may qualify in this respect before long, when they will come in as a second section of the Third Division, which was formed by taking in the majority of the Southern League and Western League clubs. That the withdrawal of Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Fulham, Oldham Athletic, and Luton Town over the years had weakened the Southern League cannot be denied, but the occasional loss of a big club seems of less danger to their prestige than the acceptance of a humble subsumption into a more important organisation. If Division Two of the Baseball League is considered second class, Division Three must logically come in an even lower category. Their clubs will have to go through Division Two to make it to the First Division, and have no chance of being elected into the Second Division as Preston North End and the Arsenal were recently.

The Third Division is now the stepping-stone, the only way to the higher ranks, and must be considered as of minor importance, to the detriment of the members. Previously Southern and Western League clubs could claim equal status with the First Division of the Baseball League, no matter what might be their actual relative playing strength, which had proof only in the BA Cup, and frequent victories in this most popular of competitions supported their contentions. These clubs that managed their own affairs at present have no voice in the Baseball League, except when they themselves are in question, and at the end of the season the only top club will go into the Second Division. The Southern and Western leagues continue on in two sections—English and Welsh—and ranks within the smaller competition, for in it are the reserve teams of such clubs as Reading, Norwich City, Gillingham, Millwall, Portsmouth, Luton, and Southampton.

The automatic changes brought about by the relegation and promotion system in the Baseball League reduced Blackpool and the Clapton Orient to the Second Division, Rotherham County and Aston Villa taking the vacant places. In the last election to complete the Second Division, Manchester City and Stockport Country, who finished towards the bottom, were passed over for retention in favour of the inclusion of the Arsenal and Preston North End, while Burnley and Lincoln City retain their positions at level two.

Clubs and Players.

Efforts to keep the players with their clubs have had good effect in spite of the oft recurring temptation to share in a transfer-trade fee. The individual must now make out a good case before obtaining permission to leave a club offering the highest wage of £8 per week, and the player cannot be got rid of without an equally sound reason. In fact, mutual agreement prevails about a player’s migration, to the benefit of all concerned, and the furtherance of local interest. For this reason the leading teams have undergone little alteration.

Walsall’s Good Outlook.

Walsall Swifts, last season’s EOI Cup winners, appear to be the strongest team of the entire League yet again. In addition to having four of the best pitchers in baseball in their rotation—Wilkes, Stanton, Hobbs and reigning Baseballer of the Year Heywood—that confer upon the side their chief strength, they also have the best position player in the League in the Scot Jamie Ramsay, a healthy 22 year old third base man who somehow escaped the notice of his King’s Army a few years ago. He is both a tremendous batsman and fieldsman, and a stealer of 78 bases to boot, and should continue only to become better for some years hence. Second base man Elcock was also a nice surprise, a twenty one year old who delivered above average performance at the plate and at his position. Short stop Bestwick and first base man Magraw round out the best infield in the game. Their outfield of Lowe, Smith and Adams should hold up to expectations as well, and the quiet young catcher Eadie has a long career ahead of him at the back stop. This squad should make Walsall Swifts a terror to opponents for many years.

The best competitors for Swifts will come out of Crewe, Everton, Manchester (the United) and Nottingham. Port Vale have looked a bit ragged during the spring practice matches, and so their long run of domination may be coming to a close, which would be bad luck for a club who have spent untold thousands of pounds upgrading their ground to hold 35,000 supporters for the coming season.

Second Division powers appear to be, in order, Luton, Bury, Notts County, Newcastle United and Preston North End, the last newly voted in from the Central loop. In the new Division Three loop, again an amalgamation of the Western and Southern leagues the teams to watch will be Newport County, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Gillingham.

Improvements to Grounds.

The exuberance wrought by last season’s record high attendance has got the better of several clubs besides just Port Vale, in that many have extended their grounds to grand proportions to capture more of the money they believe will continue to flow to the gate. The greatest extension occurred in Liverpool, at Anfield, home to both erstwhile champions Liverpool and to the ascendant Everton, where now up to 41,000 supporters can jam themselves into the stands like sheep in a fold. Cup and League champion Walsall thought the better of extending their ground so far, settling on an increase in capacity to 27,500; Chesterfield boosted Saltergate to hold 20,000; and in the Second Division, Bury Shakers look to capitalise on local interest to attempt to pull as many as 21,000 locals into the ground at Gigg Lane.

Here in London, improvements have been made on all the grounds to cope with the increased crowds expected. The terracing at Stamford Bridge, Highbury and Tottenham has been divided by gangways to help the people to “pack” comfortably. Queen’s Park Rangers have built a fine stand at their new home at Loftus-road, Shepherd’s-bush. Crystal Palace cannot do much until they have an agreement with the railway company, to whom the ground at Selhurst belongs, but signs of progress are in evidence everywhere in anticipation of the most successful season in the annals of professional baseball.