The Southern Association in Baseball, 1885–1961

Ranking just below the top major and minor leagues in the first half of the twentieth century was another group of quality circuits. The Southern Association, which was formed in 1901 and had teams in several prominent Southern cities, was part of that group. In the mid 1930s, league directors decided to make the old Southern League, which had enjoyed an off-and-on existence since 1885, part of the Southern Association.
This work is a complete history of the Southern Association, beginning with 1885, the year the Southern League began, and ending with 1961, the year it went out of business. Each chapter covers one year of the Southern Association’s history and contains an essay describing a team, player, or trend in that particular year, and a list of teams in order of winning percentage. Details provided for each team include its record, winning percentage, the number of games it finished behind first place, its manager, and a list of its known players, their positions and statistics. The statistics for hitters include games played, at bats, runs, hits, RBIs, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, strikeouts, stolen bases, and batting average. Pitchers are listed separately and listed in order of games won. Statistics for pitchers include wins, losses, winning percentage, games played and started, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, hits allowed, walks, strikeouts, and ERAs.

Award-winning author Marshall D. Wright is a sports statistician and archivist. He lives in Quincy, Massachusetts and is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and Society International of Hockey Research.

Marshall D. Wright
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 607
Bibliographic Info: tables, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1291-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3228-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     v
Introduction     1

Prelude—Baseball Down South     3
1885—First Pitch     5
1886—Failed Franchises     12
1887—The Pelicans Arrive     19
1888—Two League Team     26
1889—Fourth of July League     30
1892—Second Season     35
1893—Expansion     41
1894—Broken Promise     50
1895—Atlanta Crackers     56
1896—Abner Powell     61
1898—Complete Collapse     67
1899—Western Assistance     73
1901—Rebirth     77
1902—Second Look     83
1903—Thrice a Bridesmaid     91
1904—The Ragged Regiment     98
1905—Quarantine     105
1906—30–Game Winner     111
1907—Double Shutout     117
1908—Percentage Points     123
1909—Dixie Championship     130
1910—New Orleans Pelicans     137
1911—Good Field, No Hit     143
1912—Second Tier     149
1913—Photo Finish     155
1914—Postseason Challenge     162
1915—The Travelers Return     169
1916—Tom Rogers and Johnny Dodge     176
1917—Tailender     183
1918—First Casualty     190
1919—Hub Perdue     197
1920—Dixie Series     203
1921—Memphis Chicks     210
1922—Rube Robinson     217
1923—Tie Game     224
1924—Edged Out     231
1925—Minor League Legend     240
1926—Larry Gilbert     247
1927—Elliott Bigelow     254
1928—Barons’ Barrage     261
1929—Released     268
1930—Let There Be Light     275
1931—Publicity Stunt     282
1932—Overruled     289
1933—Losing Pitcher     296
1934—Promoted     303
1935—Contact Hitter     310
1936—Special Status     317
1937—Little Rock Travelers     324
1938—All Star Classic     331
1939—Four-Way Finish     338
1940—Nashville Vols     345
1941—Les Fleming     352
1942—Dixie Kings     361
1943—Pete Gray     370
1944—Relocated     379
1945—Three-Base Hit     389
1946—Nine in a Row     400
1947—Mobile Bears     411
1948—Sulphur Dell     420
1949—Tussle with Tulsa     430
1950—Narrow Decisions     439
1951—Turnaround     448
1952—Chattanooga Lookouts     457
1953—Field to Hill     467
1954—Robert Lennon     477
1955—Star of Stars     487
1956—Ten Plus Ten     497
1957—Lack of Support     506
1958—Dixie’s Last Dance     516
1959—Birmingham Barons     526
1960—Near Collapse     536
1961—Lights Out     546
Postlude—The New Southern     557

Selected Bibliography     559

Index     561

“recommended”—Choice.