Road Trips 2017 Part IV: Troy Haymakers

• Part I - Pittsburgh Pirates,   Pittsburgh Part II: Forbes Field,   Philadelphia
• Part II - Baltimore Orioles,  Wilmington Blue Rocks
• Part III - Hartford Yard Goats

I'm glad to finally present you with Road Trips, Part IV.  This chronicles my Labor Day weekend adventure through my home state of New York.  The wife and I made stops in Hudson Valley/Fishkill, Troy/Tri-City, Cooperstown, and Binghamton.  I took 1,062 pictures, so it took some time for me to get them properly filed way.

Part IV - Hudson Valley Renegades

Union Baseball Club of Lansingburgh

Troy Trojans

TROY HAYMAKERS BBC

Knickerbacker Memorial Playgrounds

TROY, NEW YORK

This monument was dedicated in 1992 to commemorate Troy's baseball heritage

Baseball in Troy, New York, dates back to 1860 with the establishment of the Union Base Ball Club of Lansingburgh.  They were sometimes referred to as the Troy Trojans, but soon became more popularly known as the Troy Haymakers (a pejorative term given them by their New York City contemporaries).

They played on the site, and the surrounding areas, of present day Knickerbacker Grounds.

Between 1860 and 1868, the Troy Haymakers were among the top member clubs of the amateur circuit.  By 1869, many clubs were fielding openly professional teams, the Haymakers were one such base ball club.

They joined together with other professional clubs in 1871 officially forming the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players.  This Troy team, unfortunately, folded midway through the 1872 season.

A second team named the Troy Cities/Trojans played in the National League for only four seasons beginning in 1879, then had their membership terminated by the league after the 1882 season.  After which, the National League declared Troy (and Worcester) honorary members.

Two men, John B. Day, and Jim Mutrie, owners of the American Association New York Metropolitans, purchased the defunct Troy Trojans and placed them in the National League as the New York Gothams.  Among the former Trojans playing for the Gothams in 1883 were Hall of Fame members Mickey Welch, Buck Ewing, and Roger Conner.

Jim Mutrie placed yet another Hall of Fame pitcher and former Trojan, Tim Keefe, with the Metropolitans in 1883, but then switched him in 1885 to the Gothams, whom Mutrie by then was re-branding as the New York Giants.

Hall of Fame first baseman Dan Brouthers played for the Troy Trojans during the 1879 and 1880 seasons.

Hall of Fame members Johnny Evers and Michael "King" Kelly were both born in Troy, New York.

METropolitan Avenue

I had one of those days as I said in my last post, I looked around Met Camp and was happy to see a healthy number of Kids in the mix.  Then yesterday at  roughly 4:37 p.m., "IT" hit me.  Yes, IT.  Let the Baseball Season begin!  Every year is different.  I never know when IT will hit me.  Sometimes the New York Rangers have a say as to when IT hits me.  The Smurfs-on-Ice won't be a factor for me this April (although I will be going to MSG tomorrow night for NYR vs. NY Islanders).  Some years IT hits early; some years later.  There is nothing I use as an alarm clock.  I don't circle the start of Spring Training or anything like that.  And it has nothing to do with being a negative Met Fan for the moment...It's nothing nefarious like that.  It's just the feeling.  IT "Nuke"s me by announcing IT'S presence with authority.  IT, hit me yesterday afternoon on the way home when I opened my sun roof for the first time in 2010.  The sun beamed in and I suddenly found myself on "METropolitan Ave". 

I didn't plan IT that way.  That's the way it happened this year.  I remember clearly, last year IT hit me as I ate a morning bagel reading the Sunday Paper.   ...(a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and jelly...Mmmm!! OR my home made FIGS spread from the fig tree I grow in my yard - WHAT!?  fugheddaboudit!!...and an espresso?  Now you're livin!  I digress).

So today I am the recipient of good news regarding my New York Metropolitans.  Jose Reyes seems to have his thyroid issue corrected and he's clear to play.  It's good news and I will ride the wave.  Yea I know, I still have no Pitching.  I have Johan and I have K-Rod; a starter and a closer.  Yep; There it is...the Mets pitching staff.  Ladies and Gentlemen I bring you the New York Mayonnaise Sandwich.  From Johan (top slice of said sandwich bread) we smear a dollop of mayo and join to said bottom piece of sandwich bread (i.e. K-Rod) and what you have is the NY Pitching Mayo Sandwich.

No, instead of going....There..., I am determined to have three good days in a row as a Metropolitan Baseball fan.  Sometimes that's not as easy as it sounds.  But hearing Reyes is cleared to re-start activities again vs. the 8 weeks he could have possibly missed, who am I to be a Negative Nancy.  Like I said, I'm just going to ride the wave today and

celebrate my New York Metropolitan Baseball Club..

...uh

Yea right!  Did ya really think...?

Not those New York Mets

 

I meant these guys:

The METROPOLITAN BASEBALL CLUB of NEW YORK

Here's the history lesson with out the details.

This team started playing in 1880.  They and the New York Gothams were the first teams to play in the new and first professional baseball park in Manhattan; the Polo Grounds.  The guy who owned this team was being courted by the National League as well as the new American Association to play in their circuits to represent NYC in their leagues.  The Metropolitans started out as an independent.  So what the owner did was buy up the Troy Haymakers and the Worcester Brown Stockings and used those players to stock the roster of the Metropolitans for play in the AA and the other players were joined together to form the said New York Gothams and placed them in the National League.  In 1884 the New York Metropolitans won the American Association pennant.  In the World Series between the National League's Providence Grays and the AA's Metropolitans, NY went winless loosing to Providence three games to none.  By 1886 the team moved to the Staten Island Borough of NYC.  Shortly after that the team folded and was bought up by the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The Dodgers bought them to gain territorial rights and retained the contracts of the better players.

1884 Champions  Providence Grays

The short version of all this is ultimately all remnants from those four teams were homogenized together and the New York Giants were born and remained in the Polo Grounds till the team moved to S.F. after the 1957 season.  Four years later a new National League team would fill the void left behind when the Giants and Dodgers left.  This new National League team would take the name of

the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club and would also play at the Polo Grounds. 

Other names were considered for the the team I currently root for such as,

Continentals, Rebels, Skyliners and Meadowlarks.

Today they play at Citi Field, and we call em the Amazin' Mets now.

The New York Giants? 

The Polo Grounds? 

You didn't really think I'd ignore them did you?

C'mon.  All that stuff is for another day folks.  One thing at a time.

Let's Go Mets!!

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*team pictures from wikipedia