Blue Grass League

Last updated
Blue Grass League
Classification Class D (1908–1912, 1922–1924)
Sport Minor League Baseball
First season1908
Ceased1924
PresidentGeorge L. Hammond (1908—1909)
Dr. W.C. Ussery (1910—1911)
William Neal (1911—1912)
Thomas M. Russell (1922—1924)
No. of teams12
Country United States of America
Most titles4
Paris Bourbons/Bourbonites (1910–1911, 1922, 1924)

The Blue Grass League was a minor league baseball circuit at the Class D level that existed in the early 1900s. There were two incarnations of the league, one that ran from 1908 to 1912 and one that existed from 1922 to 1924. It consisted entirely of teams based in Kentucky.

Contents

1908–1912

Six teams played in the league's inaugural season: the Frankfort Statesmen, Lexington Colts, Richmond Pioneers, Shelbyville Grays, Winchester Hustlers and Lawrenceburg Distillers. The Statesmen finished in first place. [1]

In 1909, the Hustlers, Pioneers, Statesmen and Colts returned to the league, while Shelbyville dropped its nickname and the Lawrenceburg team departed. In its stead were the Paris Bourbonites. The Hustlers finished in first place. [1]

All teams from 1909 returned for 1910, though partway through the year the Shelbyville squad moved to Maysville to become the Maysville Rivermen. The Bourbonites finished first in the league. [1] Baseball Hall of Fame member Casey Stengel played for Shelbyville/Maysville in 1910.

All teams from 1910 returned for 1911, with the Bourbonites finishing in first place again. There was also a playoff held that season, with the Bourbonites winning the series. [1]

In 1912, the Statesmen became the Frankfort Lawmakers. Winchester moved to Nicholas and then Mt. Sterling to finish the season as the Mt. Sterling Orphans. Outside of those changes, the league remained the same. Frankfort finished in first place. [1]

1922–1924

The inaugural season of the second incarnation of the league featured the Paris Mammoths, Maysville Cardinals, Cynthiana Merchants, Mt. Sterling Essex, Winchester Dodgers and Lexington Reos. The Mammoths finished in first, though the league playoff pitted Maysville against Cynthiana, with the former winning the series. [1]

1923 saw multiple teams change names. The Merchants became the Cynthiana Cobblers and the Mammoths became the Paris Bourbons. The other teams remained the same. Cynthiana finished in first place. [1]

The league consisted of only four teams in 1924 — Paris, Cynthiana, Lexington (now called the Lexington Studebakers) and Winchester. The Bourbons finished in first place. [1]

Cities represented

[1]

Yearly standings

1908 to 1912

1908 Blue Grass League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Frankfort Lawmakers 4723.671—N. G. Kennedy
Lexington Thoroughbreds 3731.5449.0Thomas Sheets
Richmond Pioneers 3634.51411.0William Parrish
Lawrenceburg Distillers 3335.48513.0Guy Woodruff
Shelbyville Millers 3237.46414.5Anton Kuhn
Versailles Aristocrats /
Winchester Hustlers 		2247.31924.5NA

No Playoffs scheduled. [1]

1909 Blue Grass League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Winchester Hustlers 7544.630—Daddy Horn
Richmond Pioneers 7545.6250.5Al Grohe
Paris Bourbonites 6157.51613.5Jeff Elgin /
Henry Schmidt / James Barnett
Frankfort Lawmakers 5660.48217.5N. G. Kennedy /
Ben Marshall
Lexington Colts 4869.41026.0Thomas Sheets /
Cy Stout / Pat Downing
Shelbyville Millers 3979.32135.5Anton Kuhn

No Playoffs scheduled. [1]

1910 Blue Grass League schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Paris Bourbonites 8047.630—Edward McKernan
Lexington Colts 6956.55210.0Hogan Yancy
Winchester Hustlers 6359.51614.5Newton Horn / Ed Coleman
Richmond Pioneers 6360.51215.0 William Maloney
Frankfort Lawmakers 6061.49617.0Wallace Warren / Danny Harrell
Shelbyville Millers /
Maysville Rivermen 		3789.29442.5Anton Kuhn /
Daniel Collins

No Playoffs scheduled. [1]

1911 Blue Grass League schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Paris Bourbonites 7144.617—Edward McKernan
Lexington Colts 6550.5656.0Thomas Sheets /
Hogan Yancy
Winchester Hustlers 5959.50013.5 Ed Coleman
Maysville Rivermen 5563.46617.5James Carmony
Frankfort Lawmakers 4865.42522.0NA
Richmond Pioneers 4764.42322.0Connie Lewis /
Sylvester Olson

Playoff: Paris 4 games, Winchester 0. [1]

1912 Blue Grass League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Frankfort Lawmakers 8542.670—Ollie Gfroerer
Maysville Rivermen 8247.6344.0James Carmony /
Harry Kunkel
Richmond Pioneers 6664.50820.5William Fisher
Lexington Colts 6065.48024.0Hogan Yancy /
Ted McGrew
Paris Bourbonites 6069.46526.0 Joe Lewis /
Danning Harrell
Winchester Hustlers / Nicholasville /
Mount Sterling Orphans 		3197.24254.5Harry Kunkel /
McBrayer / Bob Spade


No Playoffs scheduled. [1]

1922 to 1924

1922 Blue Grass League schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Paris Bourbons 3628.563—B. Goodman /
Harold Willis
Maysville Cardinals 3328.5411.5Norbert Bosken
Cynthiana Merchants 3430.5312.0Ernest McIlvan
Mt. Sterling Essex 3031.4924.5 Hod Eller
Winchester Dodgers 2836.4388.0 Howie Camnitz /
Walter Van Winkle
Lexington Reds 2836.4388.0Pat Devereaux /
Jim Park

Playoff: Maysville 3 games, Cynthiana 1. [1]

1923 Blue Grass League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Cynthiana Cobblers 5443.557—Bill Schumaker
Winchester Dodgers 5344.5461.0Pat Devereaux
Maysville Cardinals 4845.5164.0Norbert Bosken
Paris Bourbons 4547.4806.5Nickholas Winger /
Felix Cicona
Lexington Reds 4449.4738.0Doug Harbison
Mt. Sterling Essex 3854.41313.5Charles Ellis /
Hod Eller

No Playoffs were held. [1]

1924 Blue Grass League schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Paris Bourbons 5143.543—Bob Corkhill /
Pat Devereaux / Fritz Mueller
Cynthiana Cobblers 5043.5380.5Bill Schumaker /
John Koval
Lexington Studebakers 4350.4627.5Jesse Young /
Jim Viox
Winchester Dodgers 4351.4578.0George Bell

No Playoffs were scheduled. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Lloyd Johnson; Miles Wolff, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN   978-1932391176.
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