Clipping:An account of the founding of the AA; reporter for the Enquirer
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| Date | Wednesday, June 25, 1884 |
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| Text | Several persons lay claim to being the originators of the American Association, and the claim has not been settled, notwithstanding the long controversy which has been had on the subject. A St. Louis exchange gives a detailed account of the inception of the scheme which in the main is correct. For a fact the credit belongs to no one man. In the fall of 1880 Horace B. Phillips, now manager of the Grand Rapids team, wrote to Mr. Spink now base ball editor of the St. Louis Critic, and suggested that an association be formed, in which the clubs of St. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville and Pittsburg, Baltimore and Philadelphia in the East should form part and parcel. At that time the co-operative Browns were playing in St. Louis. Cincinnati had a ball ground and the material for a tip-top team. Louisville had the semi-professional Eclipse, and in Philadelphia the Athletic club was playing like the St. Louis Browns, on the co-operative plan, and in these four cities the twenty-five-cent admission fee was the rule and had proven popular. In Baltimore and Pittsburg there were no regular organization. The juice of Mr. Phillips’ letter was boiled down into a four-line paragraph, which traveled the rounds of the press and called attention to the fact that there was room enough for another National association. Mr. Phillips, without prospect and money and caring very little for the outcome, invested in a dime’s worth of postal-cards, which he sent out to the base ball leaders in the cities mentioned, telling them to meet at Pittsburg on a certain date, when the National organization he had in prospect would be perfected. About the time Mr. Phillips issued his manifesto the members of his team came to believe that he was making too much money off them, and a secret meeting of the players was called at Joe Battin’s house. There a resolution was passed deposing Mr. Phillips and making Battin the head and front of the organization. Disgusted at the treatment accorded him, Mr. Phillips dropped base ball for the time being, bought him a huge Alaska diamond and set himself up as a hotel clerk. As for the meeting he had called at Pittsburg he forgot all about it. But the date on which he had ordered hands to be on deck in the smoky city got around and among the many who had been invited to answer Mr. Phillips’ call, none appeared but Frank Wright, the base ball writer of the Enquirer, O. P. Caylor, now of the Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette, and Justus Thorner, the organizer of the Cincinnati Union Club of to-day. The date on which these gentlemen arrived in Pittsburg slips the memory of the writer, but they got there in the morning, registered at the hotel mentioned in Mr. Phillips postal-card, breakfasted and then set about hunting for Mr. Phillips and the other delegates whom they supposed were already at the seat of operations. Their suppositions, however, proved poorly founded, and after something of a wild goose chase they pronounced the “jib up” and started out to enjoy themselves. As they walked along they grew thirsty, and Mr. Thorner, espying a friendly saloon, invited his companions in. As they stood at the bar sipping their wine Mr. Thorner said to the barkeeper: “Do you know anyone in Pittsburg who takes an interest in base ball?” “Yes,” replied the bartender, “I do. His name is Al. Pratt, and you’ll find him down here at the machine shops.” The trio finished their drinking and then found Pratt. “They tell me” said Mr. Thorner, “that you are interested in base ball.” “I’m slightly inclined that way,” said Pratt, in reply, “but if you want a real crank you’ll have to hunt up Denny McKnight.” “Will you help us hunt him?” Mr. Thorner asked. “I will,” said Pratt, and straightway they went on a still chase for McKnight and found him. A few minutes later Mr. Thorner had the company around him–Pratt, McKngiht, Wright and Caylor. “Here, said Mr. Thorner, “let us drink to the success of the American Association.” They drank, and as they sat their glasses down Mr. Thorner rapped on the table with his knuckles and said: “Gentlemen, come to order, please. I nominate Mr. McKnight as temporary president of the American Association and Mr. Caylor as temporary secretary. Is there any objection? None? Then, gentlemen, take your places. Five minutes later pen, ink and paper were produced, and seated at the table where the meeting was called to order, Mr. Thorner wrote telegrams addressed to Mr. Sharsig of the Athletic Club, “Mr. Von der Heide” of the St. Louis Club and Mr. Pank of the Louisvilles notifying each one in turn that the meeting was a grand success; that the American Association was formed with the six cities named, and that every one of them was represented but the one to which this particular telegram was sent. In a few moments answers were received from each one of the gentlemen named, stating that their respective clubs would enter the new association and abide by the decisions of the gentlemen attending the convention. Another telegram was sent this time to Mr. J. A. Williams at Columbus, asking him if he would accept the secretaryship of the new association. He replied in the affirmative, and Mr. McKnigt was elected president of the body and Mr. Williams secretary. Not long after this Mr. McKnight organized the Allegheny Club, and Henry Myers, the ball player, got together the Baltimore team, which with the Allenghenys joined the new association and made its membership complete. Since then the history of the organization is pretty well known. The organization was perfected at a meeting at the Continental Hotel, Philadelphia. The six clubs of that season all made money, there was no difficulty in increasing its membership the following year by the admission of the Metropolitan Club of New York and the Columbus team, which Mr. Phillips had spent some time in organizing. This is the full history of the birth of the American Association, and it will be seen that Mr. Phillips was the originator of it, and yet but for the go-ahead spirit and enterprise of Justus Thorner no organization would have been formed, while if Messrs. McKnight, Pratt, Caylor and Wright had not been there to form a quorum even Mr. Thorner’s enterprise would have counted for naught. So all of the gentlemen named are entitled to some credit, and may justly lay claim to the title which belongs to the promoters of any such enterprise. |
| Source | Sporting Life |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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