1918: Where Did Everybody Go?
The Phillies training in St. Pete finally came together. In December, owner William Baker originally decided not to come to St. Pete. An exchange of telegrams between Al Lang and Baker finally came to a resolution and the Phillies would come to train after all. The season would start later than normal, so camp would begin March 20, and extend until April 9. While the Phillies’ roster had been relatively stable the first three springs, big changes occurred for the ’18 season.
Eppa Rixey is gone due to military duty. Fearing the same for Pete Alexander, Baker trades him and catcher Bill Killifer to the Cubs for two players with minimal salaries who would play a total of 46 career games for the Phillies and $55,000. Alexander would continue on his Hall of Fame worthy journey. It is known as perhaps Baker’s worst trade ever as he would step in and move players primarily for cash up until he died in 1930. Also traded to the Cubs was Dode Paskert for slugger Cy Williams who immediately declared he intended to retire.
Add to those, four significant holdouts: George Whitted, Milton Stock, Bert Niehoff, and Chief Bender. In addition to Williams, Pickles Dillhoefer is also acquired in the Alexander trade along with promising prospect Justin Fitzgerald. Some newspaper pundits, including E. C. Hamilton of The Reporter, are advising against counting this team out with Pat Moran’s managerial ability still intact.
The Phillies will miss the community greeting put on by St. Pete as only Gavvy Cravath gets off the train at the appointed time. The rest of the squad arrives the next morning, scratching the March 20th morning practice. The team will once again stay at the Edgewater Hotel.
The Phillies other issue is there is still no professional team to play. Many squads stayed closer to home to train due to the uncertainty of war. In fact, they will play two military outfits. They will take a boat to the southern portion of the peninsula where they beat Fort Dade 13 – 0. Camp Johnson, from Jacksonville, comes to Coffee Pot where they are handily disposed of twice. The Tampa Smokers semi pro outfit also comes to play one game.
The A’s are in Jacksonville and still refusing to play the Phillies. Finally, business manager Bill Shettsline agrees to take the team to Miami for three games to play the Braves. The Phillies record a loss, a tie, and a win. A Miami attendance record was set the first game with 1,564 spectators on a day that was a half-holiday in Miami. The Braves do not reciprocate and come to St. Pete to play.
Whitted finally signs as the Phillies get ready to depart St. Pete. Fitzgerald signs and makes it the last couple of days of camp. Stock and Dillhoefer eventually sign. Niehoff is no longer thought to be needed and traded to the Cardinals.
Cy Williams does sign in May and resumes his career for the next decade. He struggles in ’18 but returns to his slugging ways at one time becoming the all-time National League home run leader. An admitted left-handed “dead pull” hitter the original Williams shift, was designed for Cy and not Ted.
All-time fan favorite, Bud Weiser, originally signed his contract and then refused to report. He accepted a deal to play in a Steel league near his home in Pennsylvania where he said he would be paid more than the Phillies contract along with a guaranteed job in the winter working in the mill. He would return to organized baseball the following year, but never again rise out of the minors.
The Phillies finished 6th in ’18. Moran had signed a one-year contract for 1915 until the Phillies could judge how he would pan out as a manager. Upon that success, he would receive a three-year contract. It was mentioned in December, although unofficially, that the Phillies released him from his contract. That would turn out good for Moran, not so good for the Phillies.
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