100 years ago this Christmas Eve 2014, John McGraw was still eager to buy the Houston Buffs as a “farm” club for his surplus players.
One hundred years ago today from this Christmas Eve 2014, a brief article appeared in The Galveston Daily News about a potential impact on the future of Houston baseball. It seems that John McGraw of the New York Giants had a hot interest in purchasing the Houston Buffs for his use as a “farm” club for his National League club. It didn’t happen, of course, but what a change it could have made on the future face of baseball in our area, had it occurred.
If you are looking for the best, most singularly comprehensive book ever written, edited and published on the early history of baseball in Houston area as a last day Christmas gift, drop by your nearest Barnes and Noble in Houston and ask for “Houston Baseball: The Early Years, 1861-1961”. If they have any copies left in stock, it’s the perfect baseball history gift for the fan in your family. Researched and written by several Houston members of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, including iconic writer Mickey Herskowitz, and brilliantly edited by Houston historian Mike Vance, this 368-page, beautifully illustrated history by artist Patrick Lopez, is also a hard copy photo and text gallery of how Houston grew into a major league city. The work is one for the ages, prepared carefully and assembled with nothing less than first class materials and book assembly craftsmanship that are up to the task of preserving all copies as our legacy to the generations of Houstonians that will be reading it one hundred years from now and beyond. Prepared and published by Bright Sky Press of Houston, this book is an informative and entertaining reference work that belongs in the libraries and homes of all entities and individuals who care about the full history of Houston. Bob Dorrill, Chair of the Larry Dierker Chapter of SABR, was our administrative project director. We could not have done a quality job without his involvement and relentless enthusiasm.
If you miss out on an available copy today, place your order with either Barnes and Noble or Amazon.Com. You will not be disappointed.
At any rate, here’s a brief look at a story that ran exactly one hundred years ago on Christmas Eve. It didn’t happen as John McGraw hoped it might, but you can find out what did happen with the book we just described. And yes, for the record, this editor of The Pecan Park Eagle was the book project originator and one of the principal researchers and writers of the text. Cut me a little slack for personal bias in favor of this book, but this was no throw-it-together piece. Editor Mike Vance held us all to a standard of research that went as far as we needed to go to report only verifiable factual events and their complex connections to all that followed. Here’s a couple of reviews that will give you some idea of the impression our book is making with people who critique baseball research publications:
http://jhvonline.com/houston-baseballs-early-years-come-to-life-p17326-256.htm
Finally, here’s our Christmas present – the exactly 100-year old story of John McGraw and his interest in the Houston Buffs:
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M’GRAW WANTS FARM IN TEXAS
New York Giants May Make Another Effort to Purchase Houston Baseball Club for Surplus Players
Special to The News ~
Otto Sens and Doak Roberts were co-owners of the Houston Buffs 100 years ago today.
Houston, Tex., Dec. 23. ~ That John McGraw will again make an offer for the Houston baseball club when spring training begins in 1915 is believed to be a certainty. With the new rule of prohibiting the carrying of more than twenty-one men, effective May 1st, the Giants, as well as other big league teams, find themselves in need of a baseball “farm” more than ever.
McGraw himself has indicated that the purchase of the local club would be a welcome step. By buying a franchise in Texas, he would be able to save for himself many of the players he would otherwise be forced to part with. An effort was made to purchase the Houston club last year, but, negotiations were broken off when Otto Sens set his price, which was in the neighborhood of $50,000. It is likely that the negotiations will be resumed.
~ Galveston Daily News, December 24, 1914, Page 2.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!
…and Merry Christmas from the Land of Astros Memories and Dreams!
The Pecan Park Eagle will resume publication on Friday, December 26, 2014.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
December 24, 2014 at 3:46 pm |
Merry Christmas.
December 24, 2014 at 5:34 pm |
A shame this deal did not come off for McGraw, as it looks like there was “plenty of room” on the 1914-1915 Buffs roster.
The Buffs at that time look like they were serving as the scrapheap of ex-Brownies. And that was real “scrap,” too, as the Browns were at their lowest ebb (the early 10s).*
That, and the immortal Pop Kitchens who spent an impressive (record?) 24 years in the minors without ever making the big leagues. (Pops played for 14 minor league teams, ALL of them south of the Mason-Dixon line, too …)
* Youll actually not find a worse 7 1/2- year run in the inglorious history of the Browns than the one they had from 1909 thru July 23, 1916 (when one Geo. Sisler arrived and the Browns rattled off a 14-game winning streak). This, despite the playing/involvement of four future Hall of Famers: Bobby Wallace, Rube Waddell, Branch Rickey, and Eddie Plank.