Late 1912
The first article in the Coffee Pot series was intended to mark the beginning of the piece. Circumstances took me back a bit in history and I found some fascinating information relating to St. Pete’s quest for Spring Training baseball. This information comes primarily from the archives of the St. Petersburg Daily Times
Once the quest to put together teams of professionals (primarily minor leaguers) failed to pan out, the entertainment committee of the Board of Trade set out to attract a major league team for spring training in St. Pete. The Board of Trade sub-committee charged with bringing entertainment (primarily baseball in the winter) consisted of E. H. Ladd, H.B. Smitz and Gene Bevill. In reading through the papers of the day, you can sense some frustration in Ladd as he is recorded as suggesting that the group go after the Cubs or even the Sox (not specified which he was speaking of) or the Pirates. So that suggestion and further discussion likely lead to the pursuit of a major league team for spring training in late 1912.
Modern history credits Al Lang as the person who recruited the Browns after his childhood friend, Barney Dreyfus owner of the Pirates, turned down his overture to have the Pirates train here. However, there was nothing in the documents of the day to suggest that Lang was even involved in bringing the Browns to town. In fact, Ladd’s suggestion was printed in mid-October and Lang did not return to St. Pete for the winter until early November. Plus, Lang is co-chair of the Waterfront sub-committee which thus far has turned aside any suggestions of building a ballpark on the waterfront.
When Lang was announced as a mayoral candidate in 1916, the paper recapped that he was responsible for bringing the National League club (Phillies) with no mention of the Browns. Although the Pirates aren’t mentioned, Lang’s pursuit of first getting the Browns to remain in 1915 and then moving on to acquire the Phillies as spring visitors is well documented. Perhaps Lang’s contact of Dreyfus did not happen until after the Browns decided to leave and St. Pete was looking for another team.
What is documented as happening is that it is announced that a ballplayer named Miller Huggins, who is anticipated to become the St. Louis Cardinals manager lets it be known that he intends to come to St. Pete in the winter to look for investment property. The Cincinnati native is not only acquaintances with committee member Smitz, but also his partner in a Cincinnati skating rink. When Huggins is officially named manager, Smitz attempts to convince him to bring the team to St. Pete. As a first-time, first year manager, he probably didn’t have that much pull with his ownership and management. Huggins will prove significant later in time though.
Attention is also turned towards the first team Ladd had mentioned, the Cubs. Smitz also knows Cubs owner Charles Murphy. Murphy attended pharmacy school in Cincinnati and was later a reporter for the local Enquirer and later as an editor for the rival Times-Star. Huggins who likely knew Murphy also, puts in a good word for St. Pete. On Christmas Eve 1912, the Times headline reads, “City Has Inside Track to Land Cubs.” Murphy indicates he will be travelling in the next week to visit St. Pete and Tampa.
When Murphy made his decision, it was Tampa. Again, modern history credits Tampa mayor D. B. McKay as being the driving force in bringing in the Cubs. Again, not true by the news of that time period. Since the Cubs were going to train at the city-owned fairgrounds (today’s Pepin Rood Stadium at the University of Tampa) McKay had to clear the way for what was to become known as Plant Field to be built inside the horse track. Murphy though is quoted in the Tampa Tribune as saying the credit belongs to H. M. Stanford, manager of the Tampa Bay Hotel (if you are ever driving on I-275 through Tampa and notice the minarets, that’s it). Murphy says that Sanford made first contact via letter and really cultivated the relationship between the two men as well as offering the hotel and its property for the Cubs use.
The third installment of the prequel piece detail 1913 and the securing of Branch Rickey and the St. Louis Browns.