Baseball entertained us

SUMMER TIME! With swimming, picnics, vacations and reunions, there is so much fun going on in the good old ole summer time. But you can’t think of summer without thinking about baseball.

Baseball has been around Webb City since the town was incorporated in 1876. In fact, the National League was organized that same year. Baseball was a favorite game among the Union soldiers during the Civil War but wasn’t taken seriously until the National League was formed.

Webb City’s first team was known as the Webb City Stars, but all the teams were referred to as a baseball nine. The Webb City Stars played all over the southwestern part of Missouri, and reputation has it that they defeated almost every nine they played.

When a pitcher stepped into the box and started a game, it was common knowledge that he would be the pitcher until the finish of the game. There were only the nine on each team so if a player was injured or had to leave the game for some reason, they would search through the crowd and a spectator would be chosen to take the absent player’s place. Of course, that player had to wear his civilian clothes, as there was not an extra uniform for him to wear.

The lineup of the original Webb City Stars included: Lon True, first base; John Schwartz, second base; Harve Houser, third base; Harrison Pepper, short stop; Tom Fox, left field; Dave Sutherland, center field and captain; Charley Goatley, right field; Dollie Johnson, catcher; Tom (Yorkey) Coyne, pitcher. Substitutes included: Anson Blackwell, C.C. “Charley” Harris, George “Pap” Keys and a man named Miller.

Those early days of baseball were played a bit different than today. The catcher was the only player allowed to wear a glove (a half mitt with the fingers cut off).

In 1909, the Trolley League was formed and baseball took on a new air with the Baseball at Lakeside Park attraction. With only the cost a nickel to ride the streetcar to Lakeside Park (and a nickel to ride back home), you could enjoy many free attractions, including the baseball games. Those who wanted to sit in the grandstand would pay 25 cents, and that money was used to purchase baseballs and pay for transportation of the players to area games.

The manager of Lakeside Park, Al Bascomb, agreed to build a 60-foot grandstand. Late one night in 1909, John E. Bair, Trevis Merrill, Gerald Stults and a man from Alba named Williams met in the office of the Matthews Lumber Co. and conceived the idea of the Trolley League and the grandstand at Lakeside Park. The Trolley League was one of many fun times to be had at the park. Early May was the beginning of the season and Lakeside Park offered summer theater, boats, band concerts and fireworks. It was estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people would ride the trolleys into Lakeside Park, and about 5,000 of them would stand to watch the Trolley League games.

If there was any money left over from the 25-cent seating in the grand stands, it would be used to bring in big league players for exhibition games. Those big leaguers included: Walter Johnson (Washington Senators), George Foster (Boston Braves), and Mark Hall (Detroit Tigers). The best players from the Trolley League were chosen to play with these visiting baseball greats. These exhibition games were scheduled after the regular baseball season was over.

Baseball was definitely a great American pastime. As one of the Trolley members stated, “We played for the glory and not for the gold.”