1924 Florida State League and the Advent of the Clearwater Pelicans

In 1985, the Phillies fielded a minor league team at its spring training home, Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fl. Clearwater began hosting spring training in 1923 when Charles Ebbetts brought the Brooklyn Robins to train in Clearwater while building his new winter residence in the nearby Harbor Oaks neighborhood. Brooklyn would train there for the majority of years through 1940. Cleveland would sandwich the war years by training in Clearwater in both 1942 and 1946 and the Phillies have trained in Clearwater continuously since 1947.¹

Either the Florida State League or the Florida International League operated nearly all of those years with nearby St. Petersburg and Tampa usually participating.² Yet, despite having a major league training facility, Clearwater did not have a minor league franchise operate in the summers until 1985 – except 1924.

On April 10, 1985, The St, Petersburg Times published a special 20-page section on the new Clearwater Phillies franchise beginning play in the Florida State League. In terms of recognizing the 1924 Pelicans as being the first Clearwater minor league team, you would have to go to page 9. Under the heading “Did you know …”, appeared this tidbit:

“… this is not the first year that Clearwater fielded a team in the Florida State League.

In 1924 a team of mostly local athletes competed for one year in the league, finishing 36 games out of first place with a 40 – 77 record. Lakeland’s entry finished on top of the league.” ³

That statement lacks both accuracy and nuance. Clearwater did not have a franchise to begin the 1924 FSL season. Here is the story of how Clearwater ended the season in the league.

Daytona Beach struggled mightily to get on board for the coming FSL season. The local Daytona Beach Journal showed its concern in late January with a column addressing the question. It states that in Daytona’s four years participation in the league, with the increased advertising, great progress had been made to making Daytona “an all-year resort and business city.”

“Daytona never again will be as dull as in summers before we had professional baseball, but it is a certainty that a slackening of business in all lines will follow surrender of our baseball fanchise.”⁴

Neither Daytona nor Tampa were present at the February league meeting when it was announced that the other four teams elected to continue. On the same page it was announced that Daytona citizens failed to raise the financial support needed. So few businessmen showed up that Daytona team President R. D. Craig announced, “A meeting is not necessary.” Craig indicated that he would begin to try to sell his players.⁵ Afterward the Journal continued its quest to see baseball remain in the city.⁶ On the last day of February in the leap year of 1924, it was announced that funding had been secured by the citizens and a meeting of the baseball club would be held that evening to select officers.⁷

Precipitated by the team’s poor play, by mid-summer The Seabreeze-Daytona Association was debating its continued support. On June 19^th, a meeting was held to determine whether or not the team could secure the funding to get to the end of the season. The association voted to continue to do so thus ending that scare.⁸

But not long after, the other shoe finally dropped. On July 10, it was reported that R. D. Craig president of the Daytona club was turning the franchise back to the league. Craig explained “that Daytona was unable to cope with other clubs which are expending money for high class players.” Craig also announced the sale of Herb Thomas to the Braves, although Thomas was not immediately called away from the club. The team was about to embark on a six-game road trip, would continue to play and the payroll would be met by the league’s central fund. AL Lang, St. Pete’s “Mr. Baseball”, and the FSL president, was in New York finalizing a deal to bring the Yankees to St. Pete for spring training when he received word. Speculation centered around Sarasota or Sanford as relocation spots. Daytona was 6 – 12 in the second half ahead of only Bradentown.⁹

On July 15, it was reported that the Clearwater commission approved the use of Dodger Field, the Brooklyn Dodgers spring training field for the franchise to use to finish the season.¹⁰ It was confirmed a day later. The league retained the franchise, and the team was renamed the Clearwater Pelicans. The first “new home” game was July 17 against the Tampa Smokers.¹¹ No indication of who or how the Pelicans nickname came about has been found. However, Clearwater Mayor Frank Booth was credited with pushing through the needed approvals from the city to bring the team to town.¹²

The team does not take on the Clearwater name officially until that first home game on July 17. The squad assumes Daytona’s 7 – 17 won-loss record good for last place in the second half of play.¹³ A nice crowd totaling 700 witnessed the game with Clearwater declaring a half-holiday so fans could attend plus an estimated 250 fans from lower Pinellas county and another 100 following their team from Tampa. The Pelicans were victorious by a score of 5 – 3. Former major leaguer Tommy McMillan had taken over as manager for Clearwater prior to leaving Daytona and outfielder Fred Thomas had not yet been called by the Braves.¹⁴ Under the Clearwater banner, the team finishes with an 11 – 10 record and moved themselves out of last place.

Clearwater did not again enter a team into the Florida State League nor any other minor league until the 1985 season. This is an oddity for a Florida town that was a frequent major league spring training host.

Notes:

1. SABR Spring Training Committee Data base, Spring Training Database: Florida Sites – SABR SPRING TRAINING RESEARCH COMMITTEE.
2. Baseball Reference Minor League Register, Minor League, Negro League, Independent League, Foreign League, NCAA Baseball | Baseball-Reference.com.
3. “Did you know …,” St. Petersburg Times. April 10. 1985: X9.
4. “Will Daytona Have Baseball,” Daytona Beach Journal, January 27, 1924: 20.
5. “Florida League To Remain In The Game,” & “Daytona Loses Her Franchise In League Ball,” Daytona Beach Journal, February 16, 1924: 2.
6. “Spending Money To Make Money,” Daytona Beach Journal, February 20, 1924: 2.
7. “Baseball Fans To Hold Meet Friday Night,” Daytona Beach Journal, February 29, 1924: 5.
8. “Beach Association Pledges To Support The Islanders,” Daytona Beach Journal, June 20, 1924: 5.
9. “Daytona Relinquishes Franchise In Orange Circuit,” The St. Petersburg Times, July 10, 1924: 6.
10. “Will Play Games On Dodgers Field,” The St. Petersburg Times, July 15, 1924: 6.
11. “Daytona Franchise Given To Clearwater and Team is To Finish Out Season There,” Tampa Morning Tribune, July 16, 1924: 8.
12. “Clearwater Opens Season At Home,” The St. Petersburg Times, July 16, 1924: 6.
13. “The Standings,” The St. Petersburg Times, July 16, 1924: 7.
14. “Pelicans Debut Is Successful,” The St. Petersburg Times, July 18, 1924: 7.