The Valley Baseball League: A History of Baseball In the Shenandoah Valley

By Chaz Weaver

Answers to the questions: Who hit the most homeruns in a VBL season? What is the highest batting average in VBL history? Has anyone ever thrown a perfect game? What is the record for strikeouts in a game? When did the VBL begin? Which team won the most VBL championships? Which team has won the most VBL games? What is the best (or worst) record in VBL history? Which coach won the most VBL championships? Histories of All Current and Past Teams All-Time League Records Standings for Every Season Valley Baseball League Hall of Fame

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jun 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483411385

Book preview

The Valley Baseball League

A History of Baseball in the

Shenandoah Valley

Chaz Weaver

Copyright © 2014 Chaz Weaver.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1137-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1138-5 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 05/28/2014

BrooksFoulBallsWeaver.tif

To Brooklyn,

aka The Ball Magnet

I hope you never get tired of sitting on The Hill, chasing foul balls and eating freezy pops…

To Jennifer

Not because I think I need to but because I want to.

To Marshall

For all those Turks games back in the 90’s.

Tell your dad thanks for the tickets.

To all the fans that know all the players’ names, and the owners that know all the fans’ names.

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1   The VBL

Chapter 2   Harrisonburg Turks

Chapter 3   Winchester Royals

Chapter 4   Staunton Braves

Chapter 5   Waynesboro Generals

Chapter 6   New Market Rebels

Chapter 7   Covington Lumberjacks

Chapter 8   Front Royal Cardinals

Chapter 9   Woodstock River Bandits

Chapter 10   Strasburg Express

Chapter 11   Charles Town Cannons

Chapter 12   Aldie Senators

Chapter 13   VBL Champions and Standings

Chapter 14   Valley Baseball League Records

Chapter 15   Former VBL Teams

Chapter 16   Contemporary Leagues

Chapter 17   The VBL Hall of Fame

Lists

Acknowledgements

Notes

References

Images

About the Author

Foreword

By Bill Burkholder

VBL President, 1968 – 1969, 1975 - 1976

Mr. Chaz Weaver’s extensive efforts visiting cities and towns, researching newspapers and talking to baseball fans deserves a lot of credit for his research and dedication in writing this book, The Valley Baseball League: A History of Baseball in the Shenandoah Valley. The book has something of interest to every fan of baseball within the Shenandoah Valley. Fans of these cities and towns should get a copy and enjoy.

Having been involved with the league over a span of 25 years as a player, manager and president of the league, these years bring back many pleasant memories. During this period I became friends of many, some of which were opposing players. Individuals who served as officers of the Valley Baseball League as well as the management of each team helped build and maintain the success and reputation of the League year after year. Specifically, three people who played a crucial role in the continuing success and functioning of the league were C.C. Michael, Jim Lineweaver and Charles Tootie Geil. The Valley League benefited greatly from their dedication and guidance especially in the rough years.

The Valley Baseball League was a good league, is a good league and will continue to be an excellent league that young men will be able to come to the Valley in the summers and improve their baseball talents. Many will look back on their experiences here in the Valley League and some will go on to play professional ball, while a few will fulfill the dream of every young baseball player to become a major leaguer.

Chapter 1

The VBL

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Baseball in the Shenandoah Valley began almost as soon as the sport was invented. The Staunton Baseball Club was organized during the first week of March 1866¹, followed by the Excelsior in April and the Lee Club (Junior Base Ball Club of Staunton) in May. Indeed, the editor of the Valley Virginian boasted² that Virginia baseball started in Staunton, thanks to one H.F. Richards who had brought the game from Baltimore. In July, the Lone Star Base Ball Club had formed in Harrisonburg and word of other teams in Charlottesville and Richmond had reached Staunton. Excelsior struck up a rivalry with Lone Star immediately – the editor, still getting used to this new game, reported³ that Excelsior came out ahead by two innings. Excelsior is also said to have played another team from New Market⁴.

Several valley papers reported unorganized baseball during the 1880’s, usually at Fourth of July picnics or from junior or kid baseball teams. Reports throughout the 1890’s indicate competitions featuring Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Bridgewater and Woodstock.

The first organized league in the Shenandoah Valley, the Valley Base-Ball League, was organized on May 15, 1897 at a meeting in Edinburg⁵. The President of this new league was a Mr. Laughlin (of Woodstock), the Vice President was Albert Worthington (of Winchester), the Secretary-Treasurer was Mr. Downing (of Edinburg) and one of the promoters was W.H. Wightman, proprietor of the Shenandoah Inn of Edinburg. Admission was set at 25 cents and bylaws were drawn up. The charter members were Winchester, Woodstock, Strasburg, Front Royal and Edinburg. Seventh District Congressman James Hay wrote to Mr. Laughlin and offered to present the winner with a silver cup. Winchester won the pennant, but the Hay Cup Series was tied at 2-2-1 when Woodstock refused to play the deciding game unless Winchester paid them $150⁶.

Harrisonburg’s Daily Times reported that a team from New Market, Edinburg, Luray and Woodstock came to Harrisonburg in 1903. G.A.B. Knowles’ Staunton Invincibles rang up impressive records from 1905 to 1911 against area teams such as Winchester, Harrisonburg, Woodstock, Charlottesville and Covington as well as teams from as far as Richmond and Roanoke – including a 27-5 tour of West Virginia in 1908. The Daily Times reported scores featuring Harrisonburg, Bridgewater, Staunton, Winchester, Woodstock, Mount Jackson and Edinburg in 1906. Later reports indicate that the Timber Ridge Cubs were well known to valley residents, and played from at least 1908 to 1919.

To understand the history of the Valley Baseball League, one must also peer into the history of some of the other leagues that have sprung up, died and sometimes come back for a time. Like major league baseball, this league wasn’t simply organized one year way back when and carried on until the present. It evolved from one year to the next, and came back from dissolution several times.

In 1914, the southern end of the valley was organized into a Class D league called the Virginia Mountain League, consisting of the Covington Papermakers, Staunton Lunatics, Charlottesville Tuckahoes and Clifton Forge Railroaders. Even with full-page advertisements and free grandstand admittance, attendance was poor in Staunton and Charlottesville. Not long into the season, the Staunton Daily News⁷ reported that several gentlemen in Harrisonburg were distributing a petition to buy the Lunatics (apparently a nod to Staunton’s Western State Lunatic Asylum) and to put one over on Staunton. On June 28, the Daily News reported that the bickering between the two towns had come to naught, but on July 1 the Lunatics were sold to Harrisonburg and retained the name Lunatics. Unfortunately, the major league affiliate was disbanded on July 25 due to poor attendance and rumors of fixed games.

At least one game between Harrisonburg and Winchester occurred in 1919; there also appears to have been a town team in Bridgewater. The next year, a team from Edinburg travelled to Harrisonburg to play the Elks in a charity event. While this isn’t much to write about, the notice in the Daily News-Record is interesting in that it mentions that, as proceeds would go to the Salvation Army, season tickets would not be honored.

The Valley Baseball League, affectionately called the VBL, is said by various sources (including today’s organization) to have been formed in 1923. But research for this book has found that, in addition to the 1897 VBBL, the first year of the Shenandoah Valley Baseball League was actually 1922. The Daily News-Record⁸ reported the formal organization and officers of the new league, while at the same time reporting the formation of the Harrisonburg Baseball Club and naming its first manager, Olin A. Dovel. While the Valley Base-Ball League (1897) and Virginia Mountain League (1914) were smaller copies of the dead ball era major leagues, the VBL began at the beginning of the live ball era, the explosion of offense created by smaller ballparks, better baseballs and of course the success of Babe Ruth. The charter franchises of the SVBL were Harrisonburg, Winchester, Front Royal, Woodstock, New Market, Strasburg, Mount Jackson and Boyce. The original by-laws limited teams to only one non-resident player.

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Shenandoah Valley Baseball League in 1922

In only the league’s second year, fans were introduced to what would become the SVBL’s most lasting tradition – controversy. In the first half of the season, New Market President Benjamin King withdrew his team from the VBL based on what he saw as discrimination on the part of the