- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Des Moines
- Team: Prohibitionists
- League: Western Association
James Dickson Phelan (1854-1931) began playing professional baseball at age 28 with the Peoria Reds of the Northwestern League and went on to a lengthy career, taking him all the way to age 44 with the Southern League’s Dallas Steers. Early on Dick got his shot at the big leagues. He was brought up from Peoria to the Baltimore Monumentals for their year in the Union Association, 1884. The next year he played for the Buffalo Bisons and St. Louis Maroons of the NL. His ML batting average was .242 in 107 games as a second-baseman. The most games he played for one team was with the Memphis Browns in ’87 where he tore up the Southern League with a .370 average and stole 60 bases. He also played for Memphis when they were the Grays, Giants and the Fever Germs. The latter was Memphis’ identity in 1893 with the Southern League.
- It is presumed the team took its name in memory of the tragic outbreak of yellow fever in 1878, said to have begun “in the filthiest part of the filthiest city in America”
- That historic plague killed more in Memphis than the Chicago fire, San Francisco quake and Johnstown flood combined
- There may not be an I in team, but there are 4 of them in Prohibitionists
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Omaha
- Team: Omahogs
- League: Western Association
Charles Augustus Nichols (1869-1953). A right-handed, switch-hitting pitcher, Nichols played 15 major league seasons for 3 different clubs. Nichols had 11 seasons with 20 Wins or more, 10 consecutively, 7 of which exceeded 30. He quit MLB for 2 years to own & pitch for a minor league team, with whom he won another 48 games.
- Youngest to 300 Wins (30 years)
- 5x NL pennant winner
- His 361 Wins ranks 7th all-time
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1949
- Although the Old Judge series features five known poses of Kid Nichols, I could not find one of suitable quality for this project. This image is taken from a cabinet photo produced by the Elmer Chickering Studio in Boston.
- Update: This card was retired in August of 2017 as I was finally able to find a suitable original Old Judge image of Kid Nichols. I have replaced this card with a new one that you can find here
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Omaha
- Team: Omahogs
- League: Western Association
Thomas Edward Nagle (1865-1946) was a catcher for the Chicago Colts of the NL over two seasons, 1890 and 1891. He had a promising debut in 1890, batting .271 with a .318 OBP, but slumped to .120 in only eight games in 1891. Nagle returned to the minors before leaving baseball in 1895.
- This Wisconsin native played in the Midwest throughout his time in baseball for Oshkosh, LaCrosse, and Omaha, ending his playing days with Dubuque in the Eastern Iowa League
- Despite his brief stint in Chicago, Nagle became part of one of our most enduring legacies: today’s Cubs enjoy the longest tenure in their original city in all of American professional sport
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Paul
- Team: Apostles
- League: Western Association
Patrick Lawrence Murphy (1857-1911) played one year in the major leagues for the Washington Statesmen. The year was 1891, the first in the storied franchise that became the Senators. The American Association folded the next year giving Murphy the distinction of playing for the nation’s capital’s only entry in that league. Murphy batted left-handed and managed one HR and a .265 BA. Murphy came late to the big stage. He made his pro ball debut at age 31 with the St. Paul Apostles, moving over to the Minneapolis Millers in ’91 before joining the Statesmen. He ended his minor league tenure the following year, playing for four teams: the Chattanooga Chatts, the Indianapolis Hoosiers, the New Haven Nutmegs and the Buffalo Bisons.
- This Canadian late-comer to America’s game batted a modest .237 in his minor league play
- The Toronto native died in Indianapolis only 20 years after his brief time in MLB
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Minneapolis
- Team: Millers
- League: Western Association
Daniel Joseph Minnehan (1865-1929) played a lot of pro ball in the 1880s and 1890s but only got into seven of the last eight games of the Louisville Colonels’ 1895 season for his only stint in the major leagues. Dan did make the most of his brief tenure, however, as he hit .382 giving him an enviable “career” average. His six runs scored and six RBI also gave him a production record that would get the attention of any scout. Sadly, it was back to the Syracuse Stars the following year followed by a dwindling number of plate appearances for several Pennsylvania and northeastern clubs until Minnehan finished his time in professional ball with the Schenectady Electricians in 1899.
- Minnehan was born in Troy NY months after the Civil War ended and died there months before the onset of the Great Depression–a life bookended by the darkest days of the nation and blessed to play ball in some of the Republic’s most golden era
- Perhaps Dan’s claim to fame is that he was hired by Louisville to replace Jimmy Collins who was moving on to a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Beaneaters
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