Rockford Forest Citys

Rockford Forest Citys

Rockford Forest Citys, from Rockford, Illinois was one of the first professional baseball clubs. Rockford played for one season during the National Association inaugural year of 1871.

Origins

From 1868 to 1870, future Hall of Famer Albert Spalding and infielder Ross Barnes starred for Rockford while the club was still considered an 'amateur' team. In reality, the Forest Citys were the first ball club to pay its players. Rockford played their home games at the Agricultural Society Fair Grounds.

1871 season

Rockford finished with 4 wins and 21 losses, 15½ games behind the champion Philadelphia Athletics club and good for last place. Player-manager Scott Hastings was found to have violated the "60 day rule" implemented by the league -- if a player switched teams during the season, the team had to bench him for 60 days before he could play. Hastings had jumped from a Louisiana team to the Forest Citys in the spring and immediately begun playing for Rockford. This complaint was brought before the league, and the Forest Citys were forced to forfeit 4 of their wins.

The star of the team was Cap Anson, who hit .325 for the Forest Citys and would go on to become the player-manager of the Chicago White Stockings for over 20 seasons. Anson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.

Folding

Rockford had faced significant financial hardship during the 1871 season, including travel cost, and did not make a profit. Additionally, star Anson decided to accept a $1,250 contract offer from Philadelphia for the 1872 season. So, the club folded after its first and only season.

External links

*Rockford Forest Citys 1871 season at [http://baseball-reference.com/teams/ROK/1871.shtml Baseball-Reference.com]
*Rockford Forest Citys at [http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/rockford-forest-citys/ Rockford Forest Citys]

Further reading

*Wright, Marshall (2000). "The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870". Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0779-4


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cleveland Forest Citys — The Forest Citys were a short lived professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1870s. The actual name of the team, as shown in standings, was Forest City, not Cleveland . The name Forest Citys was used in the same generic… …   Wikipedia

  • Rockford, Illinois — Geobox|Settlement name = Rockford native name = other name = category = City etymology = official name = motto = nickname = The Forest City image caption = The Jefferson Street Bridge, as seen from the west bank of the Rock River. symbol = Seal… …   Wikipedia

  • Chick Fulmer — Shortstop Born: February 12, 1851(1851 02 12) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died: February 15, 1940( …   Wikipedia

  • Denny Mack — First baseman/Shortstop Born: 1851 Easton, Pennsylvania Died: April 10, 1888(1888 04 10) (aged 37) Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania Batted: Ri …   Wikipedia

  • Bob Addy — Infobox MLB retired name=Bob Addy position=Right fielder/Second Baseman bgcolor1=#263473 bgcolor2=#A50024 textcolor1=white textcolor2=white bats=Left throws=Left birthdate=February 1845 city state|Rochester|New York deathdate=death date and… …   Wikipedia

  • Cherokee Fisher — Pitcher Born: November 1844 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died: September 26, 1912(1912 09 26) (aged 67) New York, New …   Wikipedia

  • 1871 in baseball — Year in baseball this year = 1871 Champions*National Association (professional): Philadelphia Athletics *National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players: Star of Brooklyn, 30 13 *National Association of Junior Base Ball Players: Fly… …   Wikipedia

  • Cap Anson — Infobox MLB retired name=Cap Anson position=First Baseman birthdate =birth date|1852|4|17 city state|Marshalltown|Iowa deathdate =death date and age|1922|4|14|1852|4|17 city state|Chicago|Illinois bats=Right throws=Right debutdate=May 6 debutyear …   Wikipedia

  • National Association Of Professional Base Ball Players — Création 1871 Disparition 1875 Organisateur(s) NAPBBP Catégorie Ligue majeure …   Wikipédia en Français

  • National Association of Professional Base Ball Players — Infobox compétition sportive National Association of Professional Base Ball Players Création 1871 Disparition 1875 Organisateur(s) NAPBBP Catégorie Ligue majeure …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”