Between two stints in the big leagues, center fielder Merwin “Jake” Jacobson batted third the Birds’ lineup, his big bat being used to advance speedsters Fritz Maisel and Rabbit Lawry who batted before him. […]
Category: Minor Leagues
1921 Orioles: Rabbit Lawry
The power behind the 1921 O’s could be found in their outfield. That summer the three regulars hit a combined .334 with 80 doubles, 37 triples and 34 homers. While all three would have career years with Baltimore, 1921 belonged to left fielder, Otis Lawry… […]
1921 Orioles: Ben Egan
Every successful team needs a respected veteran to help guide the younger players and inspire with their experience. The 1921 Orioles were luck as they had two of these valuable assets – third baseman Fritz Maisel and catcher Ben Egan. Tall and gangly, Ben Egan was a baseball lifer. The Upstate New Yorker began […]
1921 Orioles: Fritz Maisel
Fritz Maisel was the veteran backbone of Jack Dunn’s “Endless Chain of Champions.” Deceptively short and stocky, Maisel possessed blinding speed on the bases, a valuable asset in the hit and run Deadball Era style of playing. […]
1921 Orioles: Joe Boley
All but forgotten today, Joe Boley had the makings of a superstar, and indeed he was, just on a minor league level. It wasn’t a lack of talent that stood in the way of his making the big leagues, it was that Joe Boley was too good. […]
1921 Orioles: Max Bishop
Signed right off the Baltimore City College campus by Orioles owner Jack Dunn in 1918, Max Bishop would team up with shortstop Joe Boley to form the best middle infield in the minor leagues. […]
1921 Orioles: Jack Bentley
Finding a ball player like Babe Ruth would seem like a once in a lifetime chance, but for Baltimore Orioles owner-manager Jack Dunn, it happened twice. […]
1921 Orioles: Jack Dunn
The best way to begin my series on the 1921 Orioles is with their owner-manager, Jack Dunn. A true “baseball lifer,” Dunn had been a big league pitcher at the turn of the century before becoming a manager and finally owner of the minor league Baltimore Orioles. Dunn’s insistence on staying independent from any major league teams enabled him to assemble a ball club that would win seven consecutive International League pennants. […]
Introduction to “My Favorite Historical Team” Series
Today I’m unveiling the historical minor league team that I will begin to cover in its entirety. 20 players, from the manager and starting lineup to the pitching staff and utility players. There’s a Hall of Famer and well-known All-Stars, scrubs and never-weres. This team is part of a seven pennant-winning dynasty. I’m talking about the 1921 Baltimore Orioles. […]
Sol White: Creating & preserving Blackball history
For the entirety of his life, society did everything possible to marginalize Sol White and his accomplishments. But while a lesser man would have accepted his fate and faded from memory, Sol White made sure he preserved it. […]