100 Years Ago Today 8/31/1920: Brooklyn Robins Take Back First Place As September Looms

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS
1920 National League Champions

Game #126: Tuesday, August 31, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Sportsman's Park

First Place Brooklyn Robins Achieve Victory Number Seventy with Twenty-Nine Games Left to Play 

Message to Uncle Robbie: Don't look back or you just might see who is behind you.

After all, New York City is still John McGraw's empire.  But it's also a not so subtle reminder that the National League pennant is up for grabs. 

If over these last five months you've remained a member of the staunch Brooklyn skeptics and Robins naysayers, then perhaps Tuesday's contest finally swayed you into believing this surprisingly irrepressible team - virtually unchanged from last season - genuinely stands poised to win another National League pennant.  From the lips of yours truly to the ears of Charlie Byrne!  But the McKeever Brothers and Charlie Ebbets himself believe this to be true.  Fans filing into 55 Sullivan Place in exponentially record numbers are all the proof they need.

With Tuesday's 5-2 victory at Sportsman's Park the Robins finish the month of August with a modest 14-13 record.  However, the true significance of Tuesday's game is that it marks Brooklyn's seventieth victory of the regular season.  It's one win above last season's total; thirteen more than achieved in 1918; and presently matches their 1917 output.  Only difference being this year's Robins still have twenty-nine games left to play.  Everything now points back to 1916 when the Robins win 94 games and capture the pennant by a 2.5 game margin over Philadelphia.  It may take that many wins if not more in order to keep at bay the defending champion Cincinnati Reds and surging New York Giants.  But make no mistake, the road to the pennant presently courses through Brooklyn, as both Cincinnati and the New York Giants visit Ebbets Field in late September.

Back on the field, the Robins lose their series against St. Louis but at least salvage a victory in their final visit this season to Sportsman's Park.  Unlike yesterday Brooklyn stays a step ahead of the Cardinals with a 2-1 lead after three, trading runs in the sixth, then closing with two more runs in the seventh en route to a 5-2 final.  Bernie Neis getting a start in center field goes 2 for 5 with two runs batted in.  Hi Myers, Ed Konetchy and Pete Kilduff also drive in a run apiece.  Starter Jeff Pfeffer improves to 12-8 with a 2.90 ERA, after yielding two runs on seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts through a full nine.  Boston's extra-inning triumph over Cincinnati coupled with Brooklyn's victory once again gives the Robins a half-game lead over the Reds. 

Meanwhile, the New York Giants lose yet again at Forbes Field placing them two games out of first.  We know Wilbert Robinson and John McGraw are no longer the close friends they once were.  It seems the only things they have in common theses days are their respective issues playing Pittsburgh.

• RECORD: 70-55 (.560)
• 1st Place; 0.5 GA

Ebbets Field ~ 100th Anniversary

 

55 Sullivan Place

Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

Picture From Brooklyn Spectator

 

100th YEAR ANNIVERSARY

1913  ~  2013

 

By 1912, Charles Ebbets entered into partnership with brothers, Stephen and Edward McKeever.  The three bought out departing partner, Henry Medicus.  Mr. Ebbets and the McKeever Brothers then entered into a 50/50 partnership and established the Brooklyn Baseball Club, Inc.  The team's nickname widely became recognized as the Dodgers (shortened from Trolley Dodgers) around this time.

 

On April 9, 1913, the gates opened to the newly completed Ebbets Field; the Brooklyn Dodgers new home.  Roughly 12,000  fans  endured rain to witness their Brooks lose 1-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Dodgers posted a 65-84 record in 1913, finishing  sixth in the circuit.  Inside their new park and in front of Brooklyn's faithful, they only managed to play .382 baseball, with a 29-47 mark.

BROOKLYN'S STARTING NINE

C - Otto Miller

1B - Jake Daubert

2B - George Cutshaw

SS- Bob Fisher

3B - Red Smith

OF- Casey Stengel

OF - Zack Wheat

OF - Herbie Moran

*

SP - Pat Ragan

SP - Nap Rucker

SP - Frank Allen

SP - Cliff Curtis

 

 

Ebbets Field originally opened to accommodate 18,000 patrons, with standing room for 3,000 more.  The Dodgers drew 347,000 fans during Ebbets' inaugural season.  By the 1950's, up to 32,000 fans could fit into an increasingly undersized Ebbets Field.  Of course, the park famously opened with no flag to run up the pole.  Apparently, no one considered building a press box.  And someone forgot the keys to unlock the bleacher section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1925, owner Charles Ebbets passed away.  Eleven days later, Edward McKeever passed away as well.  Both rest eternally in Brooklyn.  Charles Ebbets is buried at Greenwood Cemetery; Edward McKeever at Holy Cross Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above, blueprint representation of Ebbets Field.  Below, seats from Ebbets.

 

 

 

Stephen McKeever continued running the club until his passing after the 1937 season.  With his death came the end of an era, and the beginning of another.  The regime that brought the Dodgers into a new century gave way to the Branch Rickey-Walter O'Malley era that would transform the Dodgers into baseball's World Champions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On September 24, 1957, roughly 6,700 fans showed up to watch the last ever Brooklyn Dodgers game at Ebbets Field.  Danny McDevitt pitched a complete game, five hit shutout.  He walked one and struck out nine batters.  In the line-up playing for Brooklyn that day, was Roberto Clemente.  The 1957 team was minus the retired Jackie Robinson.  However, many of Brooklyn's favorites would go on to continue their careers in Los Angeles.  The 1957 team also had on it a young Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
 

 

In the winter of 1960, Brooklyn's beloved old ballpark arrived upon its fateful date with the same  wrecking ball that destroyed the Polo Grounds.  Ebbets was unmercifully reduced to rubble forty-eight years after hosting its first baseball game.  Within two more years, an apartment complex came to dominate the former parcels of land Charles Ebbets spent a small personal fortune amassing in an area of Brooklyn, not too kindly referred to as Pigtown.

 

 

 

 

The view down Bedford Avenue today.

 

 

 

The Bedford Avenue Bums may have moved three thousand miles away to Los Angeles.  The spirit of the Brooklyn Dodgers however, is still very strong throughout the Borough of Kings..

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Earlier this year, the flagpole which stood atop the Ebbets Field scoreboard made a grand re-appearance in the Borough, and now resides at its new home in front of Barclays Center; Brooklyn's new arena which occupies the location Walter O'Malley wanted to build a new park for the Dodgers.  Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie and Rachel Robinson, was on hand for the flagpole dedication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

Remembering Gil Hodges

When my team (NYM) fades in the standings, I usually go running for the shelter of the Past to feed my baseball fix.  Yesterday I was in the neighborhood of Ebbets Field (I usually always speak of her in the present *sigh*).  I also visited Holy Cross Cemetery later that afternoon.  Gil Hodges and Edward McKeever rest there.

Back in the early and mid-70's I lived on a block (a dead-end block as we call it ~ GREAT For StickBall!!  I digress) that bordered the cemetery; East 45 Street.  I don't remember, but my neighbors in the years since 1972 told me of the incredible sight which was the procession bringing Gil to Holy Cross.  It passed our block.  I was 5 yrs old when he left us.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I played games at Gil Hodges Little League Field on Shell Road.  I used to hang out as a teenager and actually bowled (just because it was close to the house I suppose) in Gil Hodges Lanes, when it was still located on Ralph Avenue.  Upon entering the Bowling Alley and immediately on the left was a display case with some memorabilia including one of Gil's GOLD GLOVE awards.  Gil Hodges Lanes is in a different part of the neighborhood now, over on Mill Lane.  I plan on checking to see if they brought the display case over to the new place.  When I speak the old lanes of Ralph Ave, I'm speaking 25+ years ago.  So I'm going to look into that.

I used to and still go to Jacob Riis Park/beach in the Rockaways.  It's just on the other side of the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge.  That bridge connects Brooklyn with the Rockaways/Queens.

Gil Hodges still remains a real part of our lives in Brooklyn.  OldBrooklynFan ~ Don't you agree?

A drive down Bedford Avenue towards SheepsHead Bay to get some clams or fried Calamari? -  Are you kiddin me?  Fugheddaboudit!  Every time I drive on Bedford Avenue my mind wanders to another time and place; back to Bedford and Sullivan.  The grip is strong on this Grasshopper. 

Bedford Avenue is named Gil Hodges Way.

Joan Hodges, his beloved wife, still manages to attend a Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM-class A) in Coney Island every once in a while.  Gil Hodges' number 14 is also proudly retired and displayed over the lux boxes at MCU Park along with a few other fellow Bums.

Yeah...he managed my Miracle Mets to a championship, and of course that just adds to his Legend around here.

It's easy to tell Gil Hodges still continues to enrich our lives on a daily basis throughout Brooklyn.

As a 5 year old and a 6,7,8 and 9 year old I couldn't have been any closer to him, or him to me, literally.  He remained a part of my life as I previously explained.   And I feel every drive down Bedford Ave is an opportunity for me to express my unyielding and never ending respect for the person they called,

The Quiet Man.

I've been feeling a little 55 Since 55 ' ish lately.

This is also another opportunity to thank Emma over at:

http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

for sending me the patch.

The Cyclones remember Gil.

*wiki pic ~ Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

One of my most prized posessions.

*****************************************************

Here Rests Edward J. McKeever;

Dodgers Baseball Club of Brooklyn

Born 1859; Brooklyn ~ Passed 1925; Brooklyn

For OldBrooklynFan, Emma

and Everyone blogging over on

"Inside the Dodgers"

...for your eyes only (kinda).

Mike.BTB