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For the Norman Blake album, see Nashville Blues (album).
Nashville Blues
1887
Nashville, Tennessee
Team Logo
Cap InsigniaClass-level - Unclassified (1887)
Minor league affiliations - Southern League (1887)
Major league affiliations - Unaffiliated (1887)
Name - Nashville Blues (1887)
Ballpark - Athletic Park (1887)
Minor league titles League titles None 
Nashville's uniforms consisted of light blue shirts & pants, white belts, red stockings, and red & white caps.[1]
The Nashville Blues were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League in 1887. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee and played home games at Athletic Park, which was opened in 1885. Preceded by the Nashville Americans, the Blues were Nashville's second professional baseball team. Due to financial problems, the team was forced to drop out of the league before completion of the season.
Contents
Team history
In 1887, the Nashville Blues replaced the Nashville Americans, which folded after the 1886 season, as Nashville's entry into the Southern League. The seven-team circuit also included the Birmingham Ironmakers, Charleston Seagulls, Memphis Browns, Mobile Swamp Angels, New Orleans Pelicans, and a Savannah team. The Blues played their home games at Athletic Park, which would later come to be known as Sulphur Dell. With a distance of 262 feet (80 m) to the right field wall, it was a notorious hitter's park.
The Blues were managed by George Bradley, a major league veteran of 11 years, and Jim Clinton who had a 10-year major league career.[2] Another notable player was pitcher Al Maul, who went 9–3 for the Blues and also batted .466; he had a 15-year career in the majors.
The team's first contest was an exhibition game against the Syracuse Shamrocks as a warm up for opening day against Memphis.[3] Bradley pitched Nashville to an 11–10 win.[3] Nashville later played a three-game exhibition series against the National League's Detroit Wolverines. Detroit swept the Blues 14–4, 8–0, and 12–2.[1]
Before the second game of the series against the Wolverines, Southern League president John Morrow visited the Belle Meade Plantation and horse farm in Nashville. He was accompanied by members of the Nashville Blues and visiting press representatives. General William Hicks Jackson, owner of the plantation, entertained the group with a showing of his horses, including the Thoroughbred Iroquois.[1]
At the time, the state of Tennessee had a blue law which banned the playing of baseball on Sundays. After being advised that the law was unconstitutional, the Blues played their first scheduled Sunday game against Savannah. Prior to the contest, a group, including Nashville ministers, gathered to see that the law was enforced. The game was played without incident, but the Davidson County grand jury later sent indictments to players who participated in the game and officials of the Nashville Base Ball Association. The charges were later dropped and games continued to be played on Sundays without reprimand.[1]
Financial problems plagued the team throughout the season. Circumstances were so dire that the team had to actually sell off players during the season in order to remain solvent. This affected the team's record. The Blues won 16 of their first 18 games,[1] but when they started losing players, they also started losing more games. It got so bad that the franchise had to fold and leave the league during the first week of August.[1] Their final win–loss record was 34–40.[1] Withdrawing from the league caused them to forfeit a US$1,000 deposit guaranteeing they would finish the season.[1] It was estimated that the Blues lost as much as $18,000.[1] Nashville was without a professional baseball team until 1893 when the Nashville Tigers were fielded in the Southern League.
Manager and third baseman George BradleySeason-by-season results
Nashville Blues Year Record Win % Finish Ref 1887* 34–30 .531 4th [4] Totals 34–30 .531 – — * The team dropped out of the league before the end of the season.
All-time roster
Pitcher Larry CorcoranTwenty-one players are known to have played for the Blues.[5]
- Alexander
- George Bradley
- Robert Burks
- Spider Clark
- Jim Clinton
- Larry Corcoran
- Michael Firle
- Tom Ford
- Robert Gibso
- Robert Greene
- Jackie Hayes
- Mortimer Hogan
- Patrick Kelly
- M. Manion
- Joseph Masran
- Steve Matthias
- Al Maul
- Bill Mountjoy
- Frank Nicholas
- Icicle Reeder
- Smith
References
- Traughber, Bill. "Looking Back: Nashville Blues." Nashville Sounds. April 26, 2004. Retrieved on October 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Traughber, Bill. "Looking Back: Nashville Blues." Nashville Sounds. April 26, 2004. Retrieved on October 5, 2008.
- ^ "Jim Clinton." Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved on November 30, 2008.
- ^ a b "Nashville Baseball Timeline." Sulphur Dell. Retrieved on October 5, 2008.
- ^ "Nashville." Southern Association Baseball. 2007. Retrieved on April 18, 2009.
- ^ "1887 Nashville Blues Statistics." Baseball-Reference. Retrieved on April 18, 2009.
Old-time Nashville Base Ball Categories:- Defunct Southern League baseball teams
- Sports clubs established in 1887
- Sports clubs disestablished in 1887
- Sports in Nashville, Tennessee
- Baseball teams in Tennessee
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