New York Highlanders - The Turn of the Century (1901-1909)
 
   
 
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      Yr City P W L   Yr City P W L   Yr City P W L           1900  
      1901 Baltimore 5 68 65   1904 New York 2 92 59   1907 New York 5 70 78           Decade  
      1902 Baltimore 8 50 88   1905 New York 6 71 78   1908 New York 8 51 103           Click  
      1903 New York 4 72 62   1906 New York 2 90 61   1909 New York 5 74 77           on Logo  
                                                     
                                                       
   
  Titles:  Top New York Players of the Oughts  
  None  
    Pitchers:  
  BallPark: Jack Chesbro (28.81) -    93  
  Oriole Park IV (1901-1902) Al Orth (17.8) -    43  
  Hilltop Park (1903-1909) Iron Man Joe McGinnity (12.62) -    25  
    Jack Powell (3.86) -    19  
  Team Name: Bill Hogg (5.48) -    16  
  Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) Harry Howell (6.27) -    15  
  Highlanders (1903-1909) Joe Lake (0.22) -    14  
    Clark Griffith (6.33) -    13  
  Owner:  Jesse Tannehill (1.25) -    12  
  Sidney W. Frank (1901) Jack Warhop (4.51) -   10  
  John J. Mahon (1902) Slow Joe Doyle (5.92) -   8  
  Frank Farrell & William S. Devery  (1903-1909)    
    Catchers:  
  Managers: Red Kleinow (4.74) -    15  
  John J. McGraw (1901-1902) Uncle Robbie Wilbert Robinson (2.44) -    11  
  Wilbert Robinson (1902)    
  Clark Griffith (1903-1908) First Basemen:  
  Kid Elberfeld (1908) Hal Chase  (5.33) -    36  
  George Stallings (1909) John Ganzel (6.18) -    13  
       
  Hall of Famers: Second Basemen:  
  John McGraw Jimmy Williams (20.7) -    59  
  Wilbert Robinson      
  Clark Griffith   ShortStop:  
  Jack Chesbro The Tabasco Kid Elberfeld (18.91) -    56  
  Joe McGinnity    
  Hal Chase Third Base:  
  Willie Keeler Wid Conroy (13.42) -    46  
    Frank LaPorte (4.8) -    19  
  Notable Events: Joe Yeager (4) -    8  
    John McGraw (4.1) -    4  
  1901 - An American League team is established in Baltimore. It had    
  been a National League city that was abandoned. First choice was Outfield:  
  New York, but the NL Giants owner Andrew Freedman had too  Wee Willie Keeler (11.71) -    47  
  much political clout with Tammany Hall and blocked the rival American  Dave Fultz (2.74) -    25  
  League from obtaining land to build a ballpark in New York City.  Danny Hoffman (1.4) -    20  
     Cy Seymour (1.41) -    15  
  1901 - The Baltimore club was publicly owned and the team  Turkey Mike Donlin (4.27) -    14  
  president, Sidney W. Frank, was selected by American League Charlie Hemphill (4.28) -    14  
  commissioner Ban Johnson. In a horrendous mistake, John McGraw Herm McFarland (3.37) -    13  
  was hired on as manager and he also owned a piece of the club. Kip Selbach (2.94) -    11  
  Ultimately, Johnson ended up calling the shots for the franchise.    
  McGraw had been with the NL Baltimore club and it was probably   Notable Events:  
  convenient on both ends to sign him up, plus he had a built in following    
  in Baltimore. The problem was that McGraw was a died in the wool National 1903 - The National and American Leagues agree to stop raiding each  
  Leaguer who had ties to the owners of the New York Giants franchise which other's players. As part of the agreement, The American League gets  
  had previously been the NL Baltimore franchise. Still following so far? a franchise in New York, although Freedman, McGraw (now the   
    McGraw brought in to Baltimore a bunch of guys that he liked - a number of Giants manager) and Brush try to block it. Johnson manages to sell  
  them would ultimately follow him to the Giants (his decision, maybe theirs): the team to a couple of saloon and pool hall owners with ties to   
  □  1901 - HOF righthander Joe McGinnity, 30, - jumped from Brooklyn and was  Tammany Hall, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery. These two thugs   
  released to the Giants after McGraw signed up with the NLers in 1902 have no problem finding land to build a ballpark, Hilltop Park in   
  □ 1901 - HOF catcher Roger Bresnahan, 22, was released by NL Chicago Washington Heights, using their crony political connections to do so.   
  Orphans and picked up by Balitimore - he would be released to the Giants Johnson realized that the only way he was going to get a team into New  
  after McGraw signed up with them in 1902 York was to capitulate to the crooks. The names and faces change, but   
  □ 1901 - star outfielder Turkey Mike Donlin, 23, jumped from NL St. Louis things haven't changed much in the world from those days to these.  
  He was released when McGraw left, but signed with the Reds, not the Giants    
  However, by 1904, he was back with McGraw and the Giants 1903 - The team becomes known as the Highlanders, their park is   
  □ 1901 - star outfielder Cy Seymour, 28, jumped from NL Giants  located at the highest point of Manhattan where Columbia Presbyterian  
  He was released when McGraw left, but also signed with the Reds, not Hospital is located today.   
   the Giants.  However, in 1906, he was back with McGraw and the Giants    
  It must be said that Cincinnati Reds owner Garry Herrmann always had a 1903 - To compete with the Giants in New York, Ban Johnson ensures that   
  a special relationship with the Giants in that it seemed over the years that  the club brings in some top talent. However, in the long run, you need   
  when the Giants were short a player, the Reds were there to supply one. ownership with passion to compete successfully and nobody could match   
   While on the surface it appeared that Herrmann was a voice of reason in McGraw's passion. To show what a good sport he was, NL Pirates owner   
  trying to resolve the difficulties between the two leagues, some of these  Barney Dreyfuss lets his team get raided to help stock the AL New York  
  manueverings as an intermediary in getting the Giants players that McGraw club. Dreyfuss wanted peace with the AL and this gesture helped  
  coveted make you wonder how deep his reason ran. □ HOF righthander Jack Chesbro, 29, jumped from the Pirates  
    □ Ace lefthander Jesse Tannehill, 28, jumped from the Pirates  
  1901 - Second Baseman Jimmy Williams, 24, jumps from the Pirates. He would □ third baseman, Wid Conroy, 26, jumped from the Pirates  
  be a mainstay in the Baltimore / New York lineup for most of the decade. □ HOF outfielder Willie Keeler, 31, jumped from Brooklyn  
    □ shortstop Kid Elberfeld, 28, obtained in a trade with Detroit  
  1901 - The Orioles hastily build a wooden and concrete stadium □ HOF righthander Clark Griffith, 33, was brought in to manage, as well   
  on the site of a previous ballpark and name it Oriole Park, same as    
  its predecessor. It holds 8500. You couldn't get things done that 1904 - The Highlanders contend with the Boston Puritans until the   
  fast in this day and age.  next to the last day of the season when 41 game winner Jack   
    Chesbro uncorks a wild pitch to lose the game.   
  1902 - John McGraw was a ruffian. Maybe more like a hooligan.   
  One of Ban Johnson's selling points for his new league was to 1904 - HOF first baseman Hal Chase, 22, is selected in the Rule 5 draft from  
  crack down on rowdyism. By July, McGraw was suspended.  Los Angeles of the PCL  
  McGraw coexisting with Johnson in the AL was never going to work.     
  True to his tendency to live by the feud, McGraw sold his stake in the Orioles 1904 - Righthander Al Orth, 32, is picked up in a deal with Washington  
   and arranged with New York Giants owners Freedman and John Brush    
   for them  to secretly buy 51% of the Orioles stock. Once that occurred, 1908 - Clark Griffith, a class act, quits as manager due to interference  
  they then plundered  the Orioles of most of their top players for the  from the two thug owners Devery and Farrell. With those two now in  
   Giants as mentioned above. control of on field activities, the team's performance, which was hanging  
     in there under Griffith, goes into the toilet.   
     
    1908 - outfielder Birdie Cree, 25, is signed from Williamsport   
       
    1908 - righthander Russell Ford, 25, is a Rule 5 draftee from Atlanta