Marty Hogan
Encyclopedia
Martin Francis Hogan nicknamed "The Indianapolis Ringer", was an Anglo
-American right fielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for the Cincinnati Reds
(1894) and St. Louis Browns
(1894–1895). After leaving the National League
, Hogan moved on to the minor league
Indianapolis Hoosiers
. Some sources suggest he set a national baserunning
record in the 1890s.
When his playing career ended, he worked as a minor league baseball manager
in Ohio
, Pennsylvania
, and Wisconsin
. As a manager, Hogan groomed several pitcher
s who excelled in the major leagues. He signed future stars Stan Coveleski
and Sam Jones
to their first professional contracts and helped launch the career of Roy Castleton
, the first native of Utah
to play in the major leagues.
In 1912, Hogan was among a select group of veteran managers invited to participate in the United States Baseball League
, which was treated by the baseball establishment as an "outlaw league". For reasons that are unclear, he did not actually manage a franchise in the short-lived alternative league and resumed his career as a minor league manager. Hogan eventually settled in his adopted hometown of Youngstown, Ohio
, where he died in 1923.
industrial town of Wednesbury
, Staffordshire
, England. When he was still a child, his parents, both natives of Ireland, relocated the family from England to Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-production center near the Pennsylvania
border. Although Hogan is routinely identified as Anglo-American (given his English birth), baseball historians Joel Zoss
and John Bowman wrote that he probably regarded himself as an Irish American.
The Hogan family settled on Youngstown's near west side, in a working-class district known as Westlake's Crossing. In Youngstown, Hogan's father, Patrick J. Hogan, Sr., secured employment as a steelworker, while his older brother, Patrick J. Hogan, Jr., worked his way up to the position of "roller" at the Union Steel Company (later consolidated with U.S. Steel
). Martin Hogan moved in the direction of an athletic career, gaining early recognition as a "foot racer". His interest in sports was evidently encouraged by his father, who closely followed his son's baseball career even in later life. Patrick J. Hogan, Sr.'s obituary described him as "a great baseball fan", who "was as quick to appreciate a clever 'steal' or a 'heady' play as any one of the younger generation".
While little is known about Martin Hogan's early years in Youngstown, there is evidence he was popular among local residents. His obituary referred to him as an individual "of pleasing personality" who "made many friends during his long residence in Youngstown". Another newspaper article described him as "a good fellow", and a third indicated he was well liked among players with whom he worked. At the same time, Hogan was reportedly quick to comment when he felt he was treated unfairly.
Before joining the major leagues, Hogan played for minor league baseball teams in the northeastern United States, including the Akron (Ohio) Summits and Scranton (Pennsylvania) Miners. He began his career as a major league player with the Cincinnati Reds, on August 4, 1894, but played only six games before switching to the St. Louis Browns (later known as the Cardinals). By this time, St. Louis had been eliminated from league championship contention, after being tied with Cleveland and Boston
for first place in April. Hogan participated in 29 games with St. Louis in the 1894 season. According to the 1895 edition of Spalding's Official Baseball Guide
, he ranked tenth among league outfielder
s with a percentage of .941 for put-outs, assists, and errors. Among his teammates, Hogan held the second highest percentage of stolen bases for games played. In March 1895, a reporter for Sporting Life praised the Browns' decision to retain Hogan in center field and emphasized the young outfielder's potential. "On the bases and in the field the lad is a wonder", the paper stated. "His only fault is weakness at the bat, but increasing confidence and familiarity with [National] League players will undoubtedly improve him in this respect". Despite Hogan's physical speed, however, his overall performance with the Browns proved uneven, and his two-season batting average was just .241. On May 17, 1895, the Youngstown Daily Vindicator
reported that Hogan had been "farmed out" as a center fielder to the Indianapolis Hoosiers, a club connected to the well-organized Western League
, the predecessor of the American League
. The Vindicator added, "At any time by giving a proper notification the St. Louis team, of which club Hogan is a member, can again secure his services". Yet, for reasons that are unclear, Hogan never returned to the St. Louis Browns. He played his last game with the team on April 24, 1895, concluding a major-league career that comprised 40 games over two seasons.
At Indianapolis, Hogan led at the bat, and contemporary sources indicate his performance improved. "Marty Hogan, who is playing temporarily in middle field for the Indianapolis team of the western league...is covering himself in glory with his superb playing", the Vindicator reported on June 4, 1895. "The Indianapolis Sentinel of May 31st says: Hogan made a great record at the bat yesterday morning", the newspaper added. "One of the drives was for a home run and three of the hits were bunts". In addition, the article credited Hogan with four runs, five base hits, and two put outs in a late morning game against a rival team from St. Paul, Minnesota. The Vindicator went on to quote the Indianapolis Journal
as follows: "Among the features of the forenoon game was Hogan's batting. He got five hits, one a home run, and his bunting was even cleverer than usual, and that is saying a great deal". The article concluded, "If he keeps up this gait, it will not be long before [St. Louis Browns owner Chris] Von der Ahe
reclaims his pet".
Hogan's obituary stated that, at some point in his playing career, he set a record for baserunning
. Several sources trace this record to a field day event held in Indianapolis
in 1895, when he reportedly rounded the bases in 13.2 seconds. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906, for instance, reported that Hogan "lowered the base-running record" in 1895, noting that "[t]he distance around the bases is 120 yards". In January 1906, Sporting Life reported that Hogan had "taken steps to have the base running record awarded to him". The report added, "Under proper conditions [Hogan] turned the route in 13 1–5 seconds at Indianapolis in 1895". Some observers questioned the veracity of the record, however. In 1907, for instance, Washington Post sports columnist J. Ed Grillo conceded that "Hogan was a great sprinter" but described his unofficial record as "out of reason". Grillo, who argued that "the fastest runners in baseball failed to come anywhere near the mark", lent his support to an official record of 14.1 that had been set more recently by Eastern League
player Wally Clement. An article published in the Washington Herald
days earlier also raised questions about Hogan's baserunning record. In this case, however, the writer claimed that the most "authentic" record had been set by Harry Berthrong
in the 1860s. The article stated that, while Hogan was "said to have beaten Berthrong's base-circling record of 13 2–5 seconds by a fifth of a second", this alleged feat was not "performed under official sanction". One year earlier, in 1906, Berthrong, himself, weighed in on the debate. According to an article that appeared in Sporting Life in March of that year, Berthrong disputed Hogan's claim. "My time...around the bases was made in Washington, D.C., in July 1868, after the old Nationals of Washington, D.C., had played a game with the Pastimes of Baltimore, Md.", Berthrong was quoted as saying in an interview. "Three stop watches were held over me, the slowest giving me 14 1/4". The retired player added: "I am skeptical about this man Hogan doing the bases in 13 1-5: nobody but an Arthur Duffey could possibly do it, and I doubt if he could". For reasons that are unclear, the article indicated that Hogan claimed to round the bases in 1889, six earlier than other reports. (A similar description of Hogan's claim appeared elsewhere in the same edition of Sporting Life; a brief news item suggested he claimed to set the record "in Indianapolis in the 80's".) Baseball historian Jon Daly traced Hogan's contested record to 1898; he speculated that Ben Morgan, an official of the National Association, "disputed that claim when doing a study of field day records". The most widely accepted national baserunning record was set by Evar Swanson
, who rounded the bases in 13.4 seconds in 1929. Despite questions surrounding Hogan's baserunning record, he became popularly known as the "Indianapolis Ringer". Newspaper reports suggest he defended his position as baserunning champion of the Western League in various pre-game competitions. On August 2, 1895, the Vindicator noted that the outfielder had "a rival for the base running honors in the western league in George Nichol of the Milwaukees who, it is claimed, can get down to first quicker than Hogan". The article added, "A race between the two is talked of". Then, on August 17, 1895, the Vindicator reported that Hogan had defeated Detroit outfielder Frank Tower in a baserunning contest. "The Hoosiers have in Mart Hogan a pretty good extra card", the article added. "Indianapolis goes around the land, and their sprinting outfielder meets all comers in foot races before the game. He has not yet been defeated". Several days earlier, the same newspaper quoted a journalist from Sporting Life, who reportedly commented: "Mart Hogan, the Indianapolis outfielder, is showing such astonishing speed that he will probably be taken to England next year for the Sheffield Handicap".
In February 1896, Hogan received an offer to manage the Youngstown (Ohio) Puddlers, a minor league team associated with the Interstate League
. The Vindicator reported that the outfielder refused the offer. "Hogan expects to play again with the St. Louis team in the National League", the Vindicator stated. The paper went on to quote an article that supposedly appeared in the Cincinnati-based Commercial Gazette: "St. Louis fans are opposed to the idea of selling Marty Hogan, the fast out-fielder, who played with the Indianapolis team last season, having been loaned by the Browns". In the spring of 1896, however, Hogan attempted to extricate himself from remaining contractual obligations to the St. Louis Browns. Sporting Life reported, in May 1896, that Hogan was unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain a final release from the Browns, who retained him as an "extra" right fielder. "Marty has not been given any kind of trial by the manager of the Browns, although he stood high in batting and base running in the Western League last year", the article stated. "He is in fine condition, and is anxious to play, but does not prepare to be shifted about at the will of alleged managers". The paper added that Hogan had returned to St. Louis in March 1896, prepared to "purchase" his release, "but he has been held onto until now, when he could have secured $1550 for his services in the Western League". Hogan appeared especially confident of his baserunning abilities. The article noted that the outfielder had "offered to match himself to run 100 yards for $500 a side against any player in the National League". Meanwhile, his batting evidently continued to improve. On May 24, 1896, an article in the St. Paul (Minnesota) Globe indicated Hogan performed exceptionally well at the bat during a contest between the Hoosiers and the St. Paul Saints
. "Marty Hogan...through an inadvertent mix-up of pugilism and baseball...tried to hammer the face off the ball, which had tantalized the other Hoosiers", the article stated, "and when Marty's work was done, the ball was out of the lot and he was on second base".
At some point in the 1896 season, Hogan apparently secured his release from the Browns. Once again, however, his physical speed offered no guarantee of consistency on the playing field. On July 21, 1896, the St. Paul (Minneapolis) Globe reported that Hogan had performed poorly in a contest between the Hoosiers and the local ball club. "Marty Hogan...made a bad fumble, and then looked up at the sky to see if it had moved while he was locating the ball", the paper reported. "It was a good bluff, but the crowd discovered Marty's weakness before the end of the game". In January 1897, the Vindicator reported that the Hoosiers had sold Hogan to a club in Grand Rapids, Michigan
. The article called Hogan "one of the fastest outfielders and baserunners in the Western League" and predicted he would "greatly strengthen the Grand Rapids outfield". The following month, however, the paper described the previous report as a "mistake", indicating instead that Hogan had signed a contract with baseball executive John T. Brush
to play with the Hoosiers for another year. The paper also reported that the contract granted Hogan "the largest salary he has ever drawn". Despite this lucrative contract, Hogan established and maintained his own advertising distribution agency in Indianapolis. "He goes about the streets dressed much like an English costermonger
", Sporting Life reported in January 1897. "Marty can be seen with a little red wagon full of signs and advertising matter chasing up and down streets nailing the signs to buildings and convenient places and distributing advertising literature in the reel-dance portion of Indianapolis". Less than four months later, in May 1897, he was released by the Indianapolis ball club. In June 1897, the Kansas City Journal
indicated Hogan had moved on to the Dayton (Ohio) Old Soldiers, a team affiliated with the Class B Interstate League
, where he was "playing a sensational center field". In October of the same year, Sporting Life speculated Hogan would remain with Dayton during the upcoming 1898 season. "Marty Hogan's contract with Dayton is such that he cannot be reserved, as are the rest of the players", the article stated. "Unless Marty has a better offer to play with some other team it is safe to say that he will be with Dayton next year". Further research is required to determine how long Hogan continued to play as an outfielder in the minor leagues. (His obituary indicated that he also worked as a major league trainer.) During his playing career, he apparently received at least one serious injury. In February 1903, Sporting Life reported that the former baseball player's friends were "anxious to get him appointed on the staff of American League umpires". The article added, "Hogan has suffered from operations to remove portions of his breast bone, which was injured in a collision during a baseball game".
, an independent ball club sponsored by Joseph A. McDonald
, superintendent of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company
. The club did not immediately become associated with an independent league, however. On April 5, 1902, Sporting Life noted that Hogan represented the Youngstown club at a poorly attended meeting of the Western Association
, a short-lived independent league based in Cleveland. "Marty Hogan arrived at noon and wanted a franchise for Youngstown", the paper reported, "but Zanesville, Springfield and South Bend, who had asked to be admitted to membership, had no representatives present". Then, in January 1904, Sporting Life reported that Hogan had "declined the proposition to put a Central League
into Youngstown". In May 1905, however, the Youngstown club was one of eleven teams to join the Protective Association of Independent Clubs, which formed the basis of the Class C Division Ohio-Pennsylvania League
. Ultimately, the league trimmed down to eight teams from the following cities: Akron, Ohio
; Homestead, Pennsylvania
; Lancaster, Pennsylvania
; Newark, Ohio
; Niles, Ohio
; Sharon, Pennsylvania
; Youngstown, and Zanesville, Ohio
. That September, the Youngstown Ohio Works won the league championship, although sources disagree on the team's final record. As baseball researcher John Zajc writes: "The Reach Guide (1906) credits Youngstown with an 84–32 won-lost record where the Spalding Guide of the same year lists a 90–35 record. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1993) tells a third story, giving Youngstown an 88–35 mark".
On the heels of this achievement, Hogan reportedly "lost his entire infield", when several players moved on to more established minor league and major league teams. "[Billy] Phyle
will go to the [outlaw leagues], Starr will be traded by [American League manager James] McAleer
, Whitney goes to Buffalo
and Burton will likely return to Central League ball", Sporting Life reported. The manager had no difficulty compensating for these losses, however. The sports paper reported, in October 1905, that future major-leaguer Louis "Lew" Schettler, "the star twirler of the Sharon team", was anxious to join the Ohio Works team. The paper added that Schettler "would like a year under Marty Hogan". In December 1905, the paper confirmed that Hogan had secured catcher Lee Fohl
and pitcher Schettler, "the star battery of this league for last season". The paper added that the manager had "signed two young Cleveland
players in outfielder Hugh Donovan and first baseman Harry [Schwartz]". In addition, Hogan attempted to sign on as pitcher Walter Purdue, "second rush of the Youngstown polo
team". Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly "sold out his cafe at Youngstown" in order to "devote his entire time to base ball". According to Sporting Life, the manager even planned to challenge former major-leaguer Charlie Morton for the presidency of the Ohio-Pennsylvanie League, a bid that evidently proved unsuccessful.
In January 1906, Morton, as league president, called a meeting of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League. According to Sporting Life, representatives of the clubs were scheduled to meet at Zanesville's Hotel Rogge on January 16. "Assurances have been received that representatives from Akron, Youngstown, Zanesville, Newark, Lancaster, Mansfield, New Castle, East Liverpool, Steubenville and Erie, Pa.
, will be present," the paper reported, "and from there an eight or ten club circuit will probably be formed, with McKeesport, Butler
and Ashtabula
as applicants also". (The league eventually formed an eight-team circuit that included teams from Akron, Lancaster, Mansfield, Newark, New Castle, Sharon, Youngstown and Zanesville.) The paper also noted that William J. Maloney, the center fielder for the Ohio Works club during the previous season, would sign a contract and serve as team captain. Among others, Hogan announced the "engagement" of Utah-born pitcher Roy Castleton. The Ohio Works team opened the 1906 season with 16 players, three of whom had been part of the club during the 1905 season. According to Sporting Life, Hogan predicted the club would win the pennant at the close of the upcoming season. He expressed confidence in a lineup that included Maloney of Bradford, Kentucky; Will M. Thomas of Morristown, Pennsylvania; Tommy Thomas of Piqua, Ohio
; Fohl of Allegheny, Pennsylvania
; Schettler of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
; "Dotty" Freck of Columbus, Ohio
; A. C. McClintock of Columbus; Castleton of Salt Lake City, Utah
; Lewis Groh of Rochester, New York
; John Kennedy of Youngstown, Charles Crouse of Detroit, Michigan
; Roy Chase of Andover, Ohio
; Forrester J. Dressner of Garrettsville, Pennsylvania; Schwartz of Cleveland, Ohio
; and Roy Gould of Middlesex, Pennsylvania. Indeed, in 1906, the Ohio Works team took the league championship once again, with an 84–53 record, while new player Roy Castleton gained national recognition by pitching a perfect game against a rival club in Akron. On October 1, 1906, Hogan and members of the Ohio Works team were honored at a banquet held at the Elks' Club in downtown Youngstown. Sporting Life reported that the keynote address was delivered by Father M. T. Kinkead, "who declared himself a fan of Sunday baseball playing". The article added that Hogan "was presented with a ring and each player was given a pair of gold cuff link inscribed 'O. & P. Champs 1906'". On October 6, 1906, Sporting Life summarized the league's most recent season, reporting that the Ohio Works team had "held the lead continually after the first months of the season and at one time threatened a walkover".
The following month, in November 1906, Hogan responded to rumors that Walter East
, manager of the Akron Rubbernecks, had agreed to "lay down" to the Youngstown club, enabling them to win the pennant. "Instead of laying down to us, Akron loaded up with catcher [Red] Munson and pitcher Bob Spade
", Hogan said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Press
. "They worked their heads off to down us, but could not do so". Hogan went on to assert that the Akron club, and its manager, received generous incentives to defeat Youngstown. "The Akron owner offered the players a bonus of $500 if they would beat us out in addition to a $300 wad for East," Hogan said. Then, he accused East himself of attempting to "fix" a game during the 1906 season, claiming that the Akron manager had "tried to get another club to take things easy against Akron so that Akron could beat us for the pennant".
In the wake of the Ohio Works' second league championship, steps were taken to incorporate the club. In December 1906, Sporting Life reported that the team's backers, Joseph and Thomas McDonald, who served as superintendent and assistant superintendent, respectively, of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company, were compelled to invite additional investors because of planned (and costly) improvements at the steel plant. "The incorporators of the club will be Thomas McDonald, Joseph McDonald, Thomas Carr, Thomas Carter and Marty Hogan", the paper stated. "Manager Hogan will be given even more control of the team next season than he has had. Heretofore he has had the entire control of the team and transacted most of the business". Sporting Life predicted that, in the wake of the team's incorporation, "everything will fall absolutely on [Hogan's] shoulders". The paper added that the Ohio Works team intended to build a new ballpark on the south side of Youngstown, near the corner of Glenwood and Parkview avenues. "One of the largest grand stands in the minor leagues will be put up and the grounds will be in every way modern", the article stated.
Differences between Hogan and the McDonald brothers, however, had already surfaced in the autumn of 1906. Although a sports writer for The Youngstown Daily Vindicator predicted in October 1906 that the "popular" Hogan would serve a fourth season as manager of the club, the Ohio Works manager appeared unwilling to negotiate the terms of a new contract without leverage. According to the Vindicator, Hogan publicly mulled an offer presented by a team in Nashville
, whose representatives followed him to the train station. The same newspaper article indicated that Hogan later reached a verbal agreement with Ohio Works co-owners Joseph and Thomas McDonald, announcing soon afterwards that he would remain with the local ball club. Yet, by January 1907, the Newark Advocate reported that Hogan wanted to sell the Youngstown franchise. The paper observed that "a move in offering the Youngstown franchise for sale had created a furor in the league". On January 8, 1907, Hogan and Joseph McDonald attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs in New York City, while the fate of the club remained uncertain. Then, on January 13, The New York Times
reported that the Youngstown team would participate in an eight-team "outlaw league" comprising clubs from Elmira, New York
; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Reading, Pennsylvania
; Scranton, Pennsylvania
; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
; and Williamsport, Ohio
. The Times described the envisioned league as "the most powerful 'outlaw' league the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was ever called upon to oppose", and stated that Hogan would "be at the head of" the Youngstown team. These rather confusing reports were followed by the abrupt sale and relocation of the Ohio Works team in February 1907.
. In an interview with the Signal, the manager expressed frustration with the team's former backers, when he said, "Youngstown couldn't or didn't raise enough money to cover a sparrow's blanket". The Zanesville investors reportedly raised an additional $15,000 to enter the team into the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, although they were forced to settle for the less prestigious Pennsylvania-Ohio-Maryland League
. The eight-team P-O-M league included clubs from Braddock, Pennsylvania
; Charleroi, Pennsylvania
; East Liverpool, Ohio
; McKeesport, Pennsylvania
; Steubenville, Ohio
; Uniontown, Pennsylvania
; and Washington, Pennsylvania
. Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly had some difficulty securing new players for the team. In June 1907, the Marion Daily Mirror described Zanesville's efforts to sign Bill Dithridge, a player in the Baltimore Eastern League, as "merely another of the pipe dreams of one Marty Hogan". The article added, "Dithridge is not to be sold to Zanesville, and he has informed Hogan that he will play with his team under no conditions whatever". The paper did observe, however, that Hogan had signed a Cleveland player named Tate and planned to secure another outfielder, "when three members of the present team will be canned". After settling in Zanesville, Hogan apparently received offers from other teams. Sporting Life reported in June 1907 that Hogan was invited to manage a team in Rochester, New York, but had turned down the offer. Then, in October, Hogan was offered management of yet another league franchise in South Bend, Indiana
, but, once again, he declined. He managed the Zanesville ball club for two seasons. During its first season, the team placed first in the eight-team P-O-M League, with a record of 15 wins and seven losses.
In 1908, his final season, the team was christened as the Zanesville Infants
and joined the Central League. According to Sporting Life, the "schedule meeting" for the Central League that year was to be held in Zanesville on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). "According to the plans of the magnates the season this year will consist of 140 games, not any of the club owners being willing to return to the 154-game schedule", the paper reported. The paper added that Hogan was "making light of his task" of signing up players for his team. "His acquaintance with players, especially in the independent ranks, gives him an advantage which few managers have". Sporting Life also reported that by March, Hogan had "signed his outfield, the players accepting terms being [Curt] Elson, Blount, and Miller". Further research is needed to determine the Zanesville Infants' league ranking at the close of the 1908 season, but available information shows that the team neither won the championship nor placed as a runner-up. More information is available on Hogan's dissatisfaction with his situation in Zanesville, which evidently stemmed from increasing limits on his control over the club. An article that appeared in The (Pittsburgh) Gazette Times in December 1908 described Hogan's reasons for leaving the organization. "There were too many directors connected with the Zanesville club to suit Hogan, as each one had his own idea of how a club should be run", the paper reported. "As Hogan has his own, which did not exactly coincide with the numerous directors, he resigned". The Gazette Times praised Hogan's performance in Zanesville, stating that his club "was a pennant contender at all stages of the championship race". The paper added: "He did not have a very good team, but kept the men playing the game at all times and was really the wonder of the [P.O.M.] league".
. The Lancaster team's momentum escalated during the 1909 season, and in July of that year, Sporting Life reported that the Red Roses club was drawing positive attention. "The fast pace at which the Lancaster bunch has been going lately has been the talk of the league", the paper stated. "Marty Hogan was not given much consideration as a pennant aspirant when the season opened, but the plucky Red Roses manager has been 'sawing wood' and not talking". Indeed, by the close of the 1909 season, the Lancaster Red Roses
had worked up a 75–39 record, seizing the championship of the Tri-State League
. As Spalding's Baseball Guide (1910) reported: "Lancaster, under manager Marty Hogan, won its first pennant in the league, and the top rung of the ladder was only gained by the hardest kind of fighting". Sporting Life indicated that Hogan was confident of the outcome early in the season. "After his return from the first trip around the circuit," wrote reporter G. H. Hartley, "Marty said to your correspondent that he saw nothing in the league that was better than his team". Hartley noted that, on the closing day of the season, Hogan accepted the Farnsworth Cup, "the Tri-State trophy", on behalf of his team. "Between the first and second innings the [Lancaster] players presented Manager Marty Hogan with a beautiful silver set and a silver loving cup," he added. The inscribed silver cup reportedly left Hogan "so surprised that he was unable to respond". On September 7, 1909, one day after the contest, the Reading Eagle
stated, "A great crowd witnessed the final game, in which Hogan's gallant band trimmed the Trenton wanderers". The newspaper added, "The real enthusiasm was awakened, however, by the floating of the championship pennant, awarded by a Phila. [sic] paper". A key participant in the team's successful performance was a young pitcher named Stan Coveleski, who went on to post a record of 53 wins and 38 losses during his three seasons with Lancaster. He made his professional debut with the Philadelphia Athletics three seasons later. Indeed, the Ogden Standard had praised Hogan as a "live wire" back in February 1909, when he "grabbed up the three brothers of Harry Coveleski
of the Phillies, and had them all sign contracts". Highlights of the season may have included an exhibition game with the Philadelphia Phillies
, which was scheduled to be held in Lancaster on April 2, 1909.
The following year, however, the Red Roses' performance fell short of the previous season when it placed second, with 63 wins and 47 losses. According to Spalding's Baseball Guide (1911), the Lancaster organization was one of several teams in the league caught off guard by a surprisingly strong new club from Altoona, Pennsylvania
, which was "sent along at a clip that practically clinched the season". While the Red Roses pulled out of a mid-season slump, the "Altoonas" prevailed with a 72–38 record. In an article regarding this outcome, Sporting Life stated that "nothing can be found to cast discredit upon the Lancaster team or its popular manager, Marty Hogan". The paper added, "With a team that never stood high in club hitting or fielding, Marty pulled them through and anchored them in second place, which position they attained more by dint of their cleverness in inside work than with their prowess with the stick or in the field". In December 1910, a little more than two months after the article appeared, Hogan reportedly set down roots in Lancaster, opening a cigar shop and billiard hall in the city. His relationship with the Red Roses would not last more than another season, however. In 1911, Hogan's final year as manager of the Lancaster team, the club placed fourth in the eight-team league, with 54 wins and losses, respectively.
Sporting Life reported that Hogan began the 1911 season with relatively modest expectations. The paper stated, "Hogan is not promising a pennant-winning team...but he does promise a good team and means to fight hard for the pennant again". The team's challenges included salary limits that sharply limited its capacity to attract more experienced players. Earlier that year, the Tri-State League's imposition of $1,900 limits for individual salaries had created a stir throughout Lancaster, where fans resented the fact that outgoing clubs had been permitted to vote on an issue that would not affect them. Club president John H. Myers' efforts to persuade the league to "advance the individual salary limit" proved unsuccessful, and Hogan "was directed to secure the best team that can be secured" under the circumstances. In January 1911, Hogan had announced he would "cut out exhibition games and devote the entire preparatory season to hard practice". Hogan added that "the exhibitions do not pay the club, and do harm to the unseasoned players". Ultimately, the 1911 league championship went to a franchise from Reading, Pennsylvania, which "took the lead at the beginning of the season and never was headed until the finish", closing with a record of 74–35.
of 1914–1915". Hogan, who attended the New York meeting, was named as manager of a Cincinnati-based franchise scheduled to compete in the league. (The U.S. Baseball League also established teams in Chicago
, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York
, Reading, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia
; and Washington, D.C.
) The following month, however, Hogan was evidently replaced by Hugh McKinnon, who was described in an April New York Times article as manager of the league's Cincinnati franchise. An article that appeared in The New York Times several weeks earlier suggested that McKinnon was originally tapped as manager of the league's Washington franchise. The same article also pointed out that ex-major leaguer George Browne
"had been approached by the Washington Club". In the end, Browne was named as head of the Washington team when McKinnon was appointed manager of the Cincinnati club. While these developments shed some light on the outcome, the reasons for Hogan's replacement as manager of the Cincinnati franchise remain uncertain.
In any event, the league did not survive for long. Sports historian Rudolf K. Haerle observed that the U.S. Baseball League "stressed the inherent 'good' of baseball for all individuals and communities, and indicated that it wished to conduct its business in the accepted capitalist style–free competition in the marketplace". The new league, however, quickly incurred the scorn and hostility of the baseball establishment. Burdened with weak leadership, limited financing, poor attendance, and a lack of skillful players, the U.S. Baseball League "folded after about one month of action". In June 1912, when the league ceased operation, the Cincinnati team that Hogan was supposed to manage ranked fourth in the eight-team roster, earning 12 wins and 10 losses. The following year, former players of the Cincinnati club successfully sued the team's owner, John J. Ryan, for unpaid wages. Sporting Life reported that the club's members "received their money in Cincinnati on February 12".
Earlier, in January 1913, the Flood Sufferers pulled out from the 12-team Central League and joined the newly formed Interstate League, which included eight clubs. According to Sporting Life, the new league was expected to include teams from Akron, Youngstown, Canton
, Steubenville
, Wheeling
, and either Johnstown
or McKeesport
. In February, the paper confirmed that the Interstate League (which included Johnstown, not McKeesport) had achieved Class B status on the basis of the eight cities' combined populations. Sporting Life, which estimated the total population of the league's participating cities at 412,415, noted that Youngstown (with a population of 79,066) was the largest city in the Interstate League. Later that month, the paper reported that the new league's "salary limit of $2000 makes it imperative for each club to hold down expenses in every way; consequently Marty Hogan, of the Zanesville Club, will be the only bench manager in the league, and he knows how to save his salary in various ways".
During Hogan's tenure as manager of the Zanesville Flood Sufferers, the club took advantage of at least one opportunity to test their skills against a major league club. Sports writer Walter LeConte observed that, on June 15, 1913, the Zanesville team participated in an in-season exhibition game
with the New York Giants
. When the umpire declared the game forfeited after a disagreement with Giants player Fred Merkle
, Hogan "ordered the game continued so the fans could see a 9-inning baseball game". LeConte added that "Hogan even assumed umpiring duties and the game was then concluded". The Giants won the game, with a score of 5–4. Reliable information on the Zanesville club's overall performance is currently unavailable, but an Associated Press report indicated the team had disbanded by late July 1913.
At Zanesville, Hogan signed future Cleveland Indians
pitcher Samuel Pond ("Sad Sam") Jones to his first professional contract. Baseball historian Alexander Edelman noted that Jones gained valuable experience as a member of the Zanesville club (including a chance to play against the Giants in an exhibition game), but he added that the player "was only 20 years old and very homesick". When Jones was faced with the prospect of a pay cut, he approached Hogan on the street and demanded that he be released from his contract immediately. Edelman wrote: "In what Sam's son, Paul, would later call 'probably the craziest release in baseball history,' Hogan obliged, writing Jones' release in pencil on the inside of a chewing tobacco packet".
franchise in the Illinois-Wisconsin League. According to the article, he planned to bring with him five players from the defunct Zanesville club. Reliable information on the Fond du Lac Molls' overall performance is currently unavailable.
In February 1914, Sporting Life reported that Hogan was considering a return to the Tri-State League. "In a letter to a friend in Lancaster [Pennsylvania] the former Lancaster manager stated that the Trenton
[New Jersey] Club was after him and that there was [sic] good prospects of both sides coming to terms," the paper stated. "Marty is anxious to get back in the Tri-State, where he won fame as a manager". The paper added that Hogan, at that point, was working as a "successful businessman" in Youngstown, Ohio. The same edition of Sporting Life, however, carried a wire report noting that the Trenton club's new owner, W. J. Morris, had signed Zeke Wrigley
as team manager. The report observed, "Manager Wrigley was strongly recommended to the club by Connie Mack
". (Wrigley, a former major league infielder, had earlier pursued a position on the Tri-State League's umpire staff, and he was not initially in the running for the position of Trenton club manager.) Further research will be required to determine whether Hogan's career as a minor league manager continued after this point.
Hogan was married to the former Agnes Daugherty on October 28, 1896, in St. Columba Church, in Youngstown, Ohio. After a wedding trip, the couple initially settled in Indianapolis. Although Hogan's obituary makes no reference to children, he and his wife evidently raised an adopted child, Amy M. Hogan (born Amy Deagon), who died at the age of 16 in a 1921 automobile accident. A front-page article in the Vindicator reported that Amy Hogan was one of three passengers in an automobile whose driver had failed to slow down at a curve in the road and skidded into a telephone pole near Hubbard, Ohio
. The article noted that Amy Hogan had recently graduated from Ursuline Academy and described her as "a girl of exceptional talents, being especially prominent in local amateur theatricals and entertainments". Records at Youngstown's Calvary Cemetery show that Amy Hogan was buried in the same plot as her adoptive parents. Published cemetery records also suggest that Martin Hogan's wife, Agnes Hogan, gave birth to an unnamed infant, who died on September 6, 1898. The infant was buried in a section of the cemetery usually reserved for unbaptized children and the indigent. Agnes (Hogan) Moreland died on February 7, 1950, in Salem, Ohio
.
Throughout his sports career, Hogan's pastimes included trap shooting. In July 1911, when he was manager of the Lancaster Red Roses, Sporting Life reported, "Marty shoots targets very well and can be looked to for high scores once he gets a little shooting". Hogan's obituary noted that, at some point, he helped to organize the Youngstown Gun Club.
Upon returning to Youngstown, Hogan supervised the athletic training of his youngest nephews, Edward
and Raymond Hogan, who became sports stars at Rayen High School
. In the early 1920s, Edward Hogan emerged as a track and field
standout at the University of Notre Dame
, where he trained under coach Knute Rockne
.
Industrial Works. Prior to the enforcement of the Volstead Act
, he was also employed as a clerk at Buckley & Hogan, a downtown saloon operated by his older brother, Patrick J. Hogan, Jr., and his business partner, John J. Buckley, Sr. Further research will be required to determine Martin Hogan's level of involvement, if any, in local baseball during the last decade of his life.
Martin F. Hogan was only 54 years old when he died at his north side home from injuries sustained months earlier in an auto accident. Several blood transfusions failed to revive him, and a bout with pneumonia proved fatal. Funeral services for Hogan were held at St. Columba Church, and he was buried at Youngstown's Calvary
Cemetery. His wife, Agnes, survived him along with his brother, Patrick. A sister, Mrs. John Dillon, had died several years earlier. Hogan's obituary in The Youngstown Daily Vindicator highlighted his contributions to organized sports, observing that many young athletes he trained and managed went on to careers in major league baseball. Major league players who worked with Hogan during his years as a minor league manager included Roy Castleton, Stan Coveleski, Lee Fohl, Sam Jones, Billy Phyle, and Louis Schettler. His disputed baserunning record remains a curious footnote in American baseball history.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-American right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1894) and St. Louis Browns
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1894–1895). After leaving the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, Hogan moved on to the minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Indianapolis Hoosiers
Indianapolis Hoosiers (minor league baseball)
At least three different teams in minor league baseball have borne the name Indianapolis Hoosiers.-Western League Hoosiers I:The first Western League, which lasted only part of the season, included an Indianapolis Hoosiers team....
. Some sources suggest he set a national baserunning
Baserunning
In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat.In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. In fact, the goal of batting is generally to produce baserunners, or help move...
record in the 1890s.
When his playing career ended, he worked as a minor league baseball manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. As a manager, Hogan groomed several pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s who excelled in the major leagues. He signed future stars Stan Coveleski
Stan Coveleski
Stanley Anthony Coveleski was a Major League Baseball player during the 1910s and 1920s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969....
and Sam Jones
Sad Sam Jones
Samuel Pond "Sad Sam" Jones was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in the American League with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox . A native of Woodsfield, Ohio, Jones batted and threw...
to their first professional contracts and helped launch the career of Roy Castleton
Roy Castleton
Royal Eugene Castleton was a relief pitcher for the New York Highlanders and Cincinnati Reds. The first native of the state of Utah and the first Mormon to play in the major leagues, Castleton made his debut with the Highlanders on April 16, 1907, and played his final game with the Reds on May 29,...
, the first native of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to play in the major leagues.
In 1912, Hogan was among a select group of veteran managers invited to participate in the United States Baseball League
United States Baseball League
The United States Baseball League was a short-lived hopeful third major-league that was established in New York City in 1912.In March 1912, organizers of the proposed league–described by members of the sports establishment as an "outlaw league"–met in New York's Hotel Imperial. The U.S...
, which was treated by the baseball establishment as an "outlaw league". For reasons that are unclear, he did not actually manage a franchise in the short-lived alternative league and resumed his career as a minor league manager. Hogan eventually settled in his adopted hometown of Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, where he died in 1923.
Early years
Hogan was born to Patrick J. Hogan, Sr., and his wife, the former Margaret Gillen, in the West MidlandsWest Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
industrial town of Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England. When he was still a child, his parents, both natives of Ireland, relocated the family from England to Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-production center near the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
border. Although Hogan is routinely identified as Anglo-American (given his English birth), baseball historians Joel Zoss
Joel Zoss
Joel R. Zoss is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and award-winning prose author.-Early years:At the age of four Zoss moved to Madison, New Jersey, with his family...
and John Bowman wrote that he probably regarded himself as an Irish American.
The Hogan family settled on Youngstown's near west side, in a working-class district known as Westlake's Crossing. In Youngstown, Hogan's father, Patrick J. Hogan, Sr., secured employment as a steelworker, while his older brother, Patrick J. Hogan, Jr., worked his way up to the position of "roller" at the Union Steel Company (later consolidated with U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
). Martin Hogan moved in the direction of an athletic career, gaining early recognition as a "foot racer". His interest in sports was evidently encouraged by his father, who closely followed his son's baseball career even in later life. Patrick J. Hogan, Sr.'s obituary described him as "a great baseball fan", who "was as quick to appreciate a clever 'steal' or a 'heady' play as any one of the younger generation".
While little is known about Martin Hogan's early years in Youngstown, there is evidence he was popular among local residents. His obituary referred to him as an individual "of pleasing personality" who "made many friends during his long residence in Youngstown". Another newspaper article described him as "a good fellow", and a third indicated he was well liked among players with whom he worked. At the same time, Hogan was reportedly quick to comment when he felt he was treated unfairly.
Playing career
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for first place in April. Hogan participated in 29 games with St. Louis in the 1894 season. According to the 1895 edition of Spalding's Official Baseball Guide
Baseball Guides
There have been several Baseball Guides since the 19th century - the Spalding Guide and Reach Guide were the primary ones for decades. The two merged eventually and then were replaced by the Guides put out by The Sporting News...
, he ranked tenth among league outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
s with a percentage of .941 for put-outs, assists, and errors. Among his teammates, Hogan held the second highest percentage of stolen bases for games played. In March 1895, a reporter for Sporting Life praised the Browns' decision to retain Hogan in center field and emphasized the young outfielder's potential. "On the bases and in the field the lad is a wonder", the paper stated. "His only fault is weakness at the bat, but increasing confidence and familiarity with [National] League players will undoubtedly improve him in this respect". Despite Hogan's physical speed, however, his overall performance with the Browns proved uneven, and his two-season batting average was just .241. On May 17, 1895, the Youngstown Daily Vindicator
The Vindicator
The Vindicator, also known at times as The Youngstown Vindicator, is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio and the Mahoning County Region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. Founded in 1869, the newspaper currently has a circulation of 62,100 daily and 87,000...
reported that Hogan had been "farmed out" as a center fielder to the Indianapolis Hoosiers, a club connected to the well-organized Western League
Western League (U.S. baseball)
The Western League of Professional Baseball Clubs, simply called the Western League, was a minor league baseball league originally founded on February 11, 1885, and focused in the Midwest....
, the predecessor of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. The Vindicator added, "At any time by giving a proper notification the St. Louis team, of which club Hogan is a member, can again secure his services". Yet, for reasons that are unclear, Hogan never returned to the St. Louis Browns. He played his last game with the team on April 24, 1895, concluding a major-league career that comprised 40 games over two seasons.
At Indianapolis, Hogan led at the bat, and contemporary sources indicate his performance improved. "Marty Hogan, who is playing temporarily in middle field for the Indianapolis team of the western league...is covering himself in glory with his superb playing", the Vindicator reported on June 4, 1895. "The Indianapolis Sentinel of May 31st says: Hogan made a great record at the bat yesterday morning", the newspaper added. "One of the drives was for a home run and three of the hits were bunts". In addition, the article credited Hogan with four runs, five base hits, and two put outs in a late morning game against a rival team from St. Paul, Minnesota. The Vindicator went on to quote the Indianapolis Journal
Indianapolis Journal
The Indianapolis Journal was a newspaper published in Indiana during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The paper published daily editions every evening except on Sundays when it published a morning edition. The paper was established in the 1823 as a pro-Whig newspaper. M.B. Martindale...
as follows: "Among the features of the forenoon game was Hogan's batting. He got five hits, one a home run, and his bunting was even cleverer than usual, and that is saying a great deal". The article concluded, "If he keeps up this gait, it will not be long before [St. Louis Browns owner Chris] Von der Ahe
Chris von der Ahe
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von der Ahe was a German-American entrepreneur, best known as the owner of the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the American Association, now known as the St. Louis Cardinals....
reclaims his pet".
Hogan's obituary stated that, at some point in his playing career, he set a record for baserunning
Baserunning
In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat.In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. In fact, the goal of batting is generally to produce baserunners, or help move...
. Several sources trace this record to a field day event held in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1895, when he reportedly rounded the bases in 13.2 seconds. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906, for instance, reported that Hogan "lowered the base-running record" in 1895, noting that "[t]he distance around the bases is 120 yards". In January 1906, Sporting Life reported that Hogan had "taken steps to have the base running record awarded to him". The report added, "Under proper conditions [Hogan] turned the route in 13 1–5 seconds at Indianapolis in 1895". Some observers questioned the veracity of the record, however. In 1907, for instance, Washington Post sports columnist J. Ed Grillo conceded that "Hogan was a great sprinter" but described his unofficial record as "out of reason". Grillo, who argued that "the fastest runners in baseball failed to come anywhere near the mark", lent his support to an official record of 14.1 that had been set more recently by Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
player Wally Clement. An article published in the Washington Herald
Washington Herald
The Washington Herald was an American daily newspaper in Washington, D.C., from October 8, 1906, to January 31, 1939. The Herald merged with the Washington Times on February 1, 1939, to become the Washington Times-Herald, which was purchased and merged with The Washington Post in 1954....
days earlier also raised questions about Hogan's baserunning record. In this case, however, the writer claimed that the most "authentic" record had been set by Harry Berthrong
Harry Berthrong
Henry Washburn Berthrong was an American professional baseball player, who played in 17 games for the Washington Olympics in 1871. He hit .233 in 73 at-bats....
in the 1860s. The article stated that, while Hogan was "said to have beaten Berthrong's base-circling record of 13 2–5 seconds by a fifth of a second", this alleged feat was not "performed under official sanction". One year earlier, in 1906, Berthrong, himself, weighed in on the debate. According to an article that appeared in Sporting Life in March of that year, Berthrong disputed Hogan's claim. "My time...around the bases was made in Washington, D.C., in July 1868, after the old Nationals of Washington, D.C., had played a game with the Pastimes of Baltimore, Md.", Berthrong was quoted as saying in an interview. "Three stop watches were held over me, the slowest giving me 14 1/4". The retired player added: "I am skeptical about this man Hogan doing the bases in 13 1-5: nobody but an Arthur Duffey could possibly do it, and I doubt if he could". For reasons that are unclear, the article indicated that Hogan claimed to round the bases in 1889, six earlier than other reports. (A similar description of Hogan's claim appeared elsewhere in the same edition of Sporting Life; a brief news item suggested he claimed to set the record "in Indianapolis in the 80's".) Baseball historian Jon Daly traced Hogan's contested record to 1898; he speculated that Ben Morgan, an official of the National Association, "disputed that claim when doing a study of field day records". The most widely accepted national baserunning record was set by Evar Swanson
Evar Swanson
Ernest Evar Swanson , was a professional baseball and football player. He played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox...
, who rounded the bases in 13.4 seconds in 1929. Despite questions surrounding Hogan's baserunning record, he became popularly known as the "Indianapolis Ringer". Newspaper reports suggest he defended his position as baserunning champion of the Western League in various pre-game competitions. On August 2, 1895, the Vindicator noted that the outfielder had "a rival for the base running honors in the western league in George Nichol of the Milwaukees who, it is claimed, can get down to first quicker than Hogan". The article added, "A race between the two is talked of". Then, on August 17, 1895, the Vindicator reported that Hogan had defeated Detroit outfielder Frank Tower in a baserunning contest. "The Hoosiers have in Mart Hogan a pretty good extra card", the article added. "Indianapolis goes around the land, and their sprinting outfielder meets all comers in foot races before the game. He has not yet been defeated". Several days earlier, the same newspaper quoted a journalist from Sporting Life, who reportedly commented: "Mart Hogan, the Indianapolis outfielder, is showing such astonishing speed that he will probably be taken to England next year for the Sheffield Handicap".
In February 1896, Hogan received an offer to manage the Youngstown (Ohio) Puddlers, a minor league team associated with the Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
. The Vindicator reported that the outfielder refused the offer. "Hogan expects to play again with the St. Louis team in the National League", the Vindicator stated. The paper went on to quote an article that supposedly appeared in the Cincinnati-based Commercial Gazette: "St. Louis fans are opposed to the idea of selling Marty Hogan, the fast out-fielder, who played with the Indianapolis team last season, having been loaned by the Browns". In the spring of 1896, however, Hogan attempted to extricate himself from remaining contractual obligations to the St. Louis Browns. Sporting Life reported, in May 1896, that Hogan was unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain a final release from the Browns, who retained him as an "extra" right fielder. "Marty has not been given any kind of trial by the manager of the Browns, although he stood high in batting and base running in the Western League last year", the article stated. "He is in fine condition, and is anxious to play, but does not prepare to be shifted about at the will of alleged managers". The paper added that Hogan had returned to St. Louis in March 1896, prepared to "purchase" his release, "but he has been held onto until now, when he could have secured $1550 for his services in the Western League". Hogan appeared especially confident of his baserunning abilities. The article noted that the outfielder had "offered to match himself to run 100 yards for $500 a side against any player in the National League". Meanwhile, his batting evidently continued to improve. On May 24, 1896, an article in the St. Paul (Minnesota) Globe indicated Hogan performed exceptionally well at the bat during a contest between the Hoosiers and the St. Paul Saints
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
. "Marty Hogan...through an inadvertent mix-up of pugilism and baseball...tried to hammer the face off the ball, which had tantalized the other Hoosiers", the article stated, "and when Marty's work was done, the ball was out of the lot and he was on second base".
At some point in the 1896 season, Hogan apparently secured his release from the Browns. Once again, however, his physical speed offered no guarantee of consistency on the playing field. On July 21, 1896, the St. Paul (Minneapolis) Globe reported that Hogan had performed poorly in a contest between the Hoosiers and the local ball club. "Marty Hogan...made a bad fumble, and then looked up at the sky to see if it had moved while he was locating the ball", the paper reported. "It was a good bluff, but the crowd discovered Marty's weakness before the end of the game". In January 1897, the Vindicator reported that the Hoosiers had sold Hogan to a club in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The article called Hogan "one of the fastest outfielders and baserunners in the Western League" and predicted he would "greatly strengthen the Grand Rapids outfield". The following month, however, the paper described the previous report as a "mistake", indicating instead that Hogan had signed a contract with baseball executive John T. Brush
John T. Brush
John Tomlinson Brush was an American sports executive who was the owner of the New York Giants franchise in Major League Baseball from 1890 until his death. He also owned the Indianapolis Hoosiers in the late 1880s, and the Cincinnati Reds from 1891 to 1902. Under his leadership, the Giants were...
to play with the Hoosiers for another year. The paper also reported that the contract granted Hogan "the largest salary he has ever drawn". Despite this lucrative contract, Hogan established and maintained his own advertising distribution agency in Indianapolis. "He goes about the streets dressed much like an English costermonger
Costermonger
Costermonger, or simply Coster, is a street seller of fruit and vegetables, in London and other British towns. They were ubiquitous in mid-Victorian England, and some are still found in markets. As usual with street-sellers, they would use a loud sing-song cry or chant to attract attention...
", Sporting Life reported in January 1897. "Marty can be seen with a little red wagon full of signs and advertising matter chasing up and down streets nailing the signs to buildings and convenient places and distributing advertising literature in the reel-dance portion of Indianapolis". Less than four months later, in May 1897, he was released by the Indianapolis ball club. In June 1897, the Kansas City Journal
Kansas City Journal-Post
The Kansas City Journal-Post was a newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri from 1854 to 1942 which was the oldest newspaper in the city when it folded....
indicated Hogan had moved on to the Dayton (Ohio) Old Soldiers, a team affiliated with the Class B Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
, where he was "playing a sensational center field". In October of the same year, Sporting Life speculated Hogan would remain with Dayton during the upcoming 1898 season. "Marty Hogan's contract with Dayton is such that he cannot be reserved, as are the rest of the players", the article stated. "Unless Marty has a better offer to play with some other team it is safe to say that he will be with Dayton next year". Further research is required to determine how long Hogan continued to play as an outfielder in the minor leagues. (His obituary indicated that he also worked as a major league trainer.) During his playing career, he apparently received at least one serious injury. In February 1903, Sporting Life reported that the former baseball player's friends were "anxious to get him appointed on the staff of American League umpires". The article added, "Hogan has suffered from operations to remove portions of his breast bone, which was injured in a collision during a baseball game".
Youngstown Ohio Works
After retiring as a baseball player, Hogan settled in Youngstown and went into business. At some point, Sam Wright, then sports editor of The Youngstown Daily Vindicator, encouraged him to manage the city's baseball team. In 1902, Hogan was hired as manager of the Youngstown Ohio WorksYoungstown Ohio Works
The Youngstown Ohio Works baseball team was a minor league club that was known for winning the premier championship of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1905, and for launching the professional career of pitcher Roy Castleton a year later...
, an independent ball club sponsored by Joseph A. McDonald
Joseph A. McDonald
Joseph A. McDonald was a significant figure in the development of the Northeastern U.S. steel industry. As superintendent of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company, in Youngstown, Ohio, McDonald oversaw construction of one of the largest steel-production plants in the country.- Early years...
, superintendent of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Andrew Carnegie to manage business at his steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century.-Creation:...
. The club did not immediately become associated with an independent league, however. On April 5, 1902, Sporting Life noted that Hogan represented the Youngstown club at a poorly attended meeting of the Western Association
Western Association
The Western Association was the name of five different leagues in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries.The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western Association on October 28, 1887...
, a short-lived independent league based in Cleveland. "Marty Hogan arrived at noon and wanted a franchise for Youngstown", the paper reported, "but Zanesville, Springfield and South Bend, who had asked to be admitted to membership, had no representatives present". Then, in January 1904, Sporting Life reported that Hogan had "declined the proposition to put a Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
into Youngstown". In May 1905, however, the Youngstown club was one of eleven teams to join the Protective Association of Independent Clubs, which formed the basis of the Class C Division Ohio-Pennsylvania League
Ohio-Pennsylvania League
The Ohio-Pennsylvania League was among scores of minor league baseball organizations that popped up throughout the country in the early 20th century...
. Ultimately, the league trimmed down to eight teams from the following cities: Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
; Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...
; Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
; Newark, Ohio
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
; Niles, Ohio
Niles, Ohio
Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
; Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, northwest of Pittsburgh. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
; Youngstown, and Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
. That September, the Youngstown Ohio Works won the league championship, although sources disagree on the team's final record. As baseball researcher John Zajc writes: "The Reach Guide (1906) credits Youngstown with an 84–32 won-lost record where the Spalding Guide of the same year lists a 90–35 record. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1993) tells a third story, giving Youngstown an 88–35 mark".
Bill Phyle
William Joseph Phyle , born in Duluth, Minnesota was a pitcher for Major League Baseball's Chicago Orphans and New York Giants and a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals .-Sources:...
will go to the [outlaw leagues], Starr will be traded by [American League manager James] McAleer
Jimmy McAleer
James Robert "Loafer" McAleer was an American center fielder, manager, and stockholder in Major League Baseball who assisted in establishing the American League. He spent most of his 13-season playing career with the Cleveland Spiders, and went on to manage the Cleveland Blues, St. Louis Browns,...
, Whitney goes to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Burton will likely return to Central League ball", Sporting Life reported. The manager had no difficulty compensating for these losses, however. The sports paper reported, in October 1905, that future major-leaguer Louis "Lew" Schettler, "the star twirler of the Sharon team", was anxious to join the Ohio Works team. The paper added that Schettler "would like a year under Marty Hogan". In December 1905, the paper confirmed that Hogan had secured catcher Lee Fohl
Lee Fohl
Leo Alexander Fohl was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox....
and pitcher Schettler, "the star battery of this league for last season". The paper added that the manager had "signed two young Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
players in outfielder Hugh Donovan and first baseman Harry [Schwartz]". In addition, Hogan attempted to sign on as pitcher Walter Purdue, "second rush of the Youngstown polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team". Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly "sold out his cafe at Youngstown" in order to "devote his entire time to base ball". According to Sporting Life, the manager even planned to challenge former major-leaguer Charlie Morton for the presidency of the Ohio-Pennsylvanie League, a bid that evidently proved unsuccessful.
In January 1906, Morton, as league president, called a meeting of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League. According to Sporting Life, representatives of the clubs were scheduled to meet at Zanesville's Hotel Rogge on January 16. "Assurances have been received that representatives from Akron, Youngstown, Zanesville, Newark, Lancaster, Mansfield, New Castle, East Liverpool, Steubenville and Erie, Pa.
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, will be present," the paper reported, "and from there an eight or ten club circuit will probably be formed, with McKeesport, Butler
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and Ashtabula
Ashtabula, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,962 people, 8,435 households, and 5,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,775.9 people per square mile . There were 9,151 housing units at an average density of 1,211.8 per square mile...
as applicants also". (The league eventually formed an eight-team circuit that included teams from Akron, Lancaster, Mansfield, Newark, New Castle, Sharon, Youngstown and Zanesville.) The paper also noted that William J. Maloney, the center fielder for the Ohio Works club during the previous season, would sign a contract and serve as team captain. Among others, Hogan announced the "engagement" of Utah-born pitcher Roy Castleton. The Ohio Works team opened the 1906 season with 16 players, three of whom had been part of the club during the 1905 season. According to Sporting Life, Hogan predicted the club would win the pennant at the close of the upcoming season. He expressed confidence in a lineup that included Maloney of Bradford, Kentucky; Will M. Thomas of Morristown, Pennsylvania; Tommy Thomas of Piqua, Ohio
Piqua, Ohio
Piqua is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913....
; Fohl of Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
; Schettler of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
; "Dotty" Freck of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
; A. C. McClintock of Columbus; Castleton of Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
; Lewis Groh of Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
; John Kennedy of Youngstown, Charles Crouse of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
; Roy Chase of Andover, Ohio
Andover, Ohio
Andover is a village located in the south-east of Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2000 census.The closest village to the Ohio side of Pymatuning State Park, the settlement supports a regional tourism industry...
; Forrester J. Dressner of Garrettsville, Pennsylvania; Schwartz of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
; and Roy Gould of Middlesex, Pennsylvania. Indeed, in 1906, the Ohio Works team took the league championship once again, with an 84–53 record, while new player Roy Castleton gained national recognition by pitching a perfect game against a rival club in Akron. On October 1, 1906, Hogan and members of the Ohio Works team were honored at a banquet held at the Elks' Club in downtown Youngstown. Sporting Life reported that the keynote address was delivered by Father M. T. Kinkead, "who declared himself a fan of Sunday baseball playing". The article added that Hogan "was presented with a ring and each player was given a pair of gold cuff link inscribed 'O. & P. Champs 1906'". On October 6, 1906, Sporting Life summarized the league's most recent season, reporting that the Ohio Works team had "held the lead continually after the first months of the season and at one time threatened a walkover".
The following month, in November 1906, Hogan responded to rumors that Walter East
Walter East
Walter East was the Akron Zips men's basketball head coach in 1909. In twelve games, he guided the team to a 5-7 record.-Scandal:He is best known for fixing a championship football series in 1906 between the Canton Bulldogs and the Massillon Tigers of the "Ohio League"...
, manager of the Akron Rubbernecks, had agreed to "lay down" to the Youngstown club, enabling them to win the pennant. "Instead of laying down to us, Akron loaded up with catcher [Red] Munson and pitcher Bob Spade
Bob Spade
Robert Spade was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played four seasons in the major leagues, from until , for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns.When Spade died in 1924 he was penniless, and fans raised the money to pay for his burial.-Sources:...
", Hogan said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
. "They worked their heads off to down us, but could not do so". Hogan went on to assert that the Akron club, and its manager, received generous incentives to defeat Youngstown. "The Akron owner offered the players a bonus of $500 if they would beat us out in addition to a $300 wad for East," Hogan said. Then, he accused East himself of attempting to "fix" a game during the 1906 season, claiming that the Akron manager had "tried to get another club to take things easy against Akron so that Akron could beat us for the pennant".
In the wake of the Ohio Works' second league championship, steps were taken to incorporate the club. In December 1906, Sporting Life reported that the team's backers, Joseph and Thomas McDonald, who served as superintendent and assistant superintendent, respectively, of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company, were compelled to invite additional investors because of planned (and costly) improvements at the steel plant. "The incorporators of the club will be Thomas McDonald, Joseph McDonald, Thomas Carr, Thomas Carter and Marty Hogan", the paper stated. "Manager Hogan will be given even more control of the team next season than he has had. Heretofore he has had the entire control of the team and transacted most of the business". Sporting Life predicted that, in the wake of the team's incorporation, "everything will fall absolutely on [Hogan's] shoulders". The paper added that the Ohio Works team intended to build a new ballpark on the south side of Youngstown, near the corner of Glenwood and Parkview avenues. "One of the largest grand stands in the minor leagues will be put up and the grounds will be in every way modern", the article stated.
Differences between Hogan and the McDonald brothers, however, had already surfaced in the autumn of 1906. Although a sports writer for The Youngstown Daily Vindicator predicted in October 1906 that the "popular" Hogan would serve a fourth season as manager of the club, the Ohio Works manager appeared unwilling to negotiate the terms of a new contract without leverage. According to the Vindicator, Hogan publicly mulled an offer presented by a team in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, whose representatives followed him to the train station. The same newspaper article indicated that Hogan later reached a verbal agreement with Ohio Works co-owners Joseph and Thomas McDonald, announcing soon afterwards that he would remain with the local ball club. Yet, by January 1907, the Newark Advocate reported that Hogan wanted to sell the Youngstown franchise. The paper observed that "a move in offering the Youngstown franchise for sale had created a furor in the league". On January 8, 1907, Hogan and Joseph McDonald attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs in New York City, while the fate of the club remained uncertain. Then, on January 13, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that the Youngstown team would participate in an eight-team "outlaw league" comprising clubs from Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
; Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
; and Williamsport, Ohio
Williamsport, Ohio
Williamsport is a village in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Williamsport is located at ....
. The Times described the envisioned league as "the most powerful 'outlaw' league the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was ever called upon to oppose", and stated that Hogan would "be at the head of" the Youngstown team. These rather confusing reports were followed by the abrupt sale and relocation of the Ohio Works team in February 1907.
Zanesville
On February 18, 1907, the Zanesville Signal reported that Hogan had received permission from the McDonald brothers to negotiate a $3,000 deal for the sale of the Youngstown club, including its players, to a group of investors in Zanesville, OhioZanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
. In an interview with the Signal, the manager expressed frustration with the team's former backers, when he said, "Youngstown couldn't or didn't raise enough money to cover a sparrow's blanket". The Zanesville investors reportedly raised an additional $15,000 to enter the team into the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, although they were forced to settle for the less prestigious Pennsylvania-Ohio-Maryland League
Pennsylvania-Ohio-Maryland League
The class D Pennsylvania-Ohio-Maryland League began in 1906. By 1908, however, this baseball minor league was extinct. Cumberland, Maryland dropped out after 1906, leaving Maryland unrepresented in 1907...
. The eight-team P-O-M league included clubs from Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 2,159 at the 2010 census...
; Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
; East Liverpool, Ohio
East Liverpool, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...
; McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
; Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
; Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
; and Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly had some difficulty securing new players for the team. In June 1907, the Marion Daily Mirror described Zanesville's efforts to sign Bill Dithridge, a player in the Baltimore Eastern League, as "merely another of the pipe dreams of one Marty Hogan". The article added, "Dithridge is not to be sold to Zanesville, and he has informed Hogan that he will play with his team under no conditions whatever". The paper did observe, however, that Hogan had signed a Cleveland player named Tate and planned to secure another outfielder, "when three members of the present team will be canned". After settling in Zanesville, Hogan apparently received offers from other teams. Sporting Life reported in June 1907 that Hogan was invited to manage a team in Rochester, New York, but had turned down the offer. Then, in October, Hogan was offered management of yet another league franchise in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, but, once again, he declined. He managed the Zanesville ball club for two seasons. During its first season, the team placed first in the eight-team P-O-M League, with a record of 15 wins and seven losses.
In 1908, his final season, the team was christened as the Zanesville Infants
Zanesville Infants
The Zanesville Infants was a short-lived baseball franchise located in Zanesville, Ohio, and affiliated with the regional Central League. The organization's name was intended to highlight that they were a new minor league club...
and joined the Central League. According to Sporting Life, the "schedule meeting" for the Central League that year was to be held in Zanesville on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). "According to the plans of the magnates the season this year will consist of 140 games, not any of the club owners being willing to return to the 154-game schedule", the paper reported. The paper added that Hogan was "making light of his task" of signing up players for his team. "His acquaintance with players, especially in the independent ranks, gives him an advantage which few managers have". Sporting Life also reported that by March, Hogan had "signed his outfield, the players accepting terms being [Curt] Elson, Blount, and Miller". Further research is needed to determine the Zanesville Infants' league ranking at the close of the 1908 season, but available information shows that the team neither won the championship nor placed as a runner-up. More information is available on Hogan's dissatisfaction with his situation in Zanesville, which evidently stemmed from increasing limits on his control over the club. An article that appeared in The (Pittsburgh) Gazette Times in December 1908 described Hogan's reasons for leaving the organization. "There were too many directors connected with the Zanesville club to suit Hogan, as each one had his own idea of how a club should be run", the paper reported. "As Hogan has his own, which did not exactly coincide with the numerous directors, he resigned". The Gazette Times praised Hogan's performance in Zanesville, stating that his club "was a pennant contender at all stages of the championship race". The paper added: "He did not have a very good team, but kept the men playing the game at all times and was really the wonder of the [P.O.M.] league".
Lancaster Red Roses
The following year, in 1909, Hogan relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he replaced local ball club manager Clarence "Pop" Foster, who had managed the Red Roses since 1907. Once Hogan signed a contract, Foster moved on to lead another club in Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
. The Lancaster team's momentum escalated during the 1909 season, and in July of that year, Sporting Life reported that the Red Roses club was drawing positive attention. "The fast pace at which the Lancaster bunch has been going lately has been the talk of the league", the paper stated. "Marty Hogan was not given much consideration as a pennant aspirant when the season opened, but the plucky Red Roses manager has been 'sawing wood' and not talking". Indeed, by the close of the 1909 season, the Lancaster Red Roses
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
had worked up a 75–39 record, seizing the championship of the Tri-State League
Tri-State League
The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American minor league baseball.-History:The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia....
. As Spalding's Baseball Guide (1910) reported: "Lancaster, under manager Marty Hogan, won its first pennant in the league, and the top rung of the ladder was only gained by the hardest kind of fighting". Sporting Life indicated that Hogan was confident of the outcome early in the season. "After his return from the first trip around the circuit," wrote reporter G. H. Hartley, "Marty said to your correspondent that he saw nothing in the league that was better than his team". Hartley noted that, on the closing day of the season, Hogan accepted the Farnsworth Cup, "the Tri-State trophy", on behalf of his team. "Between the first and second innings the [Lancaster] players presented Manager Marty Hogan with a beautiful silver set and a silver loving cup," he added. The inscribed silver cup reportedly left Hogan "so surprised that he was unable to respond". On September 7, 1909, one day after the contest, the Reading Eagle
Reading Eagle
The Reading Eagle is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the United States. This family-owned newspaper has a daily circulation of 64,000 and a Sunday circulation of 100,000...
stated, "A great crowd witnessed the final game, in which Hogan's gallant band trimmed the Trenton wanderers". The newspaper added, "The real enthusiasm was awakened, however, by the floating of the championship pennant, awarded by a Phila. [sic] paper". A key participant in the team's successful performance was a young pitcher named Stan Coveleski, who went on to post a record of 53 wins and 38 losses during his three seasons with Lancaster. He made his professional debut with the Philadelphia Athletics three seasons later. Indeed, the Ogden Standard had praised Hogan as a "live wire" back in February 1909, when he "grabbed up the three brothers of Harry Coveleski
Harry Coveleski
Harry Frank Coveleski was a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, he began his career with the Phillies in 1907...
of the Phillies, and had them all sign contracts". Highlights of the season may have included an exhibition game with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, which was scheduled to be held in Lancaster on April 2, 1909.
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, which was "sent along at a clip that practically clinched the season". While the Red Roses pulled out of a mid-season slump, the "Altoonas" prevailed with a 72–38 record. In an article regarding this outcome, Sporting Life stated that "nothing can be found to cast discredit upon the Lancaster team or its popular manager, Marty Hogan". The paper added, "With a team that never stood high in club hitting or fielding, Marty pulled them through and anchored them in second place, which position they attained more by dint of their cleverness in inside work than with their prowess with the stick or in the field". In December 1910, a little more than two months after the article appeared, Hogan reportedly set down roots in Lancaster, opening a cigar shop and billiard hall in the city. His relationship with the Red Roses would not last more than another season, however. In 1911, Hogan's final year as manager of the Lancaster team, the club placed fourth in the eight-team league, with 54 wins and losses, respectively.
Sporting Life reported that Hogan began the 1911 season with relatively modest expectations. The paper stated, "Hogan is not promising a pennant-winning team...but he does promise a good team and means to fight hard for the pennant again". The team's challenges included salary limits that sharply limited its capacity to attract more experienced players. Earlier that year, the Tri-State League's imposition of $1,900 limits for individual salaries had created a stir throughout Lancaster, where fans resented the fact that outgoing clubs had been permitted to vote on an issue that would not affect them. Club president John H. Myers' efforts to persuade the league to "advance the individual salary limit" proved unsuccessful, and Hogan "was directed to secure the best team that can be secured" under the circumstances. In January 1911, Hogan had announced he would "cut out exhibition games and devote the entire preparatory season to hard practice". Hogan added that "the exhibitions do not pay the club, and do harm to the unseasoned players". Ultimately, the 1911 league championship went to a franchise from Reading, Pennsylvania, which "took the lead at the beginning of the season and never was headed until the finish", closing with a record of 74–35.
United States Baseball League
In March 1912, organizers of a proposed United States Baseball League–described by members of the sports establishment as an "outlaw league"–met in New York City's Hotel Imperial. The league is widely viewed as "a major precursor to the Federal LeagueFederal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
of 1914–1915". Hogan, who attended the New York meeting, was named as manager of a Cincinnati-based franchise scheduled to compete in the league. (The U.S. Baseball League also established teams in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Reading, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
; and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) The following month, however, Hogan was evidently replaced by Hugh McKinnon, who was described in an April New York Times article as manager of the league's Cincinnati franchise. An article that appeared in The New York Times several weeks earlier suggested that McKinnon was originally tapped as manager of the league's Washington franchise. The same article also pointed out that ex-major leaguer George Browne
George Browne (baseball)
George Edward Browne was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of twelve seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Doves, Chicago Cubs, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the National League leader in runs scored...
"had been approached by the Washington Club". In the end, Browne was named as head of the Washington team when McKinnon was appointed manager of the Cincinnati club. While these developments shed some light on the outcome, the reasons for Hogan's replacement as manager of the Cincinnati franchise remain uncertain.
In any event, the league did not survive for long. Sports historian Rudolf K. Haerle observed that the U.S. Baseball League "stressed the inherent 'good' of baseball for all individuals and communities, and indicated that it wished to conduct its business in the accepted capitalist style–free competition in the marketplace". The new league, however, quickly incurred the scorn and hostility of the baseball establishment. Burdened with weak leadership, limited financing, poor attendance, and a lack of skillful players, the U.S. Baseball League "folded after about one month of action". In June 1912, when the league ceased operation, the Cincinnati team that Hogan was supposed to manage ranked fourth in the eight-team roster, earning 12 wins and 10 losses. The following year, former players of the Cincinnati club successfully sued the team's owner, John J. Ryan, for unpaid wages. Sporting Life reported that the club's members "received their money in Cincinnati on February 12".
Zanesville Flood Sufferers
In November 1912, The Youngstown Daily Vindicator reported that Hogan would once again manage a local minor league ball club. The paper added, however, that the former Ohio Works manager was also considering an offer in Zanesville. Hogan evidently led the Zanesville team the previous season. In November 1912, Sporting Life reported that the manager was still mulling his next move when he attended the annual meeting of the National Association in New York. "Marty Hogan, the veteran minor league manager, who is known from end to end of the land as a developer of minor league talent and winner of pennants, could not bear to miss meeting his old friends", the paper stated. "Marty wound up the season with Zanesville and has not definitely decided upon his plans for the coming season". Ultimately, Hogan went to Zanesville, where he managed the Zanesville Flood Sufferers in 1913. The team's nickname was evidently inspired by a massive flood that had devastated cities and towns throughout central and southern Ohio–including Zanesville–in the spring of 1913. In April 1913, Sporting Life noted that the Zanesville club would "stick to the circuit", despite the fact that the city was "hit hard by the recent floods". According to the paper, Zanesville's ballpark was "completely destroyed, but the games will be played at the Fair Grounds".Earlier, in January 1913, the Flood Sufferers pulled out from the 12-team Central League and joined the newly formed Interstate League, which included eight clubs. According to Sporting Life, the new league was expected to include teams from Akron, Youngstown, Canton
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and either Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
or McKeesport
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. In February, the paper confirmed that the Interstate League (which included Johnstown, not McKeesport) had achieved Class B status on the basis of the eight cities' combined populations. Sporting Life, which estimated the total population of the league's participating cities at 412,415, noted that Youngstown (with a population of 79,066) was the largest city in the Interstate League. Later that month, the paper reported that the new league's "salary limit of $2000 makes it imperative for each club to hold down expenses in every way; consequently Marty Hogan, of the Zanesville Club, will be the only bench manager in the league, and he knows how to save his salary in various ways".
During Hogan's tenure as manager of the Zanesville Flood Sufferers, the club took advantage of at least one opportunity to test their skills against a major league club. Sports writer Walter LeConte observed that, on June 15, 1913, the Zanesville team participated in an in-season exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
with the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. When the umpire declared the game forfeited after a disagreement with Giants player Fred Merkle
Fred Merkle
Frederick Charles Merkle , also known as "Bonehead" Merkle, was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball...
, Hogan "ordered the game continued so the fans could see a 9-inning baseball game". LeConte added that "Hogan even assumed umpiring duties and the game was then concluded". The Giants won the game, with a score of 5–4. Reliable information on the Zanesville club's overall performance is currently unavailable, but an Associated Press report indicated the team had disbanded by late July 1913.
At Zanesville, Hogan signed future Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
pitcher Samuel Pond ("Sad Sam") Jones to his first professional contract. Baseball historian Alexander Edelman noted that Jones gained valuable experience as a member of the Zanesville club (including a chance to play against the Giants in an exhibition game), but he added that the player "was only 20 years old and very homesick". When Jones was faced with the prospect of a pay cut, he approached Hogan on the street and demanded that he be released from his contract immediately. Edelman wrote: "In what Sam's son, Paul, would later call 'probably the craziest release in baseball history,' Hogan obliged, writing Jones' release in pencil on the inside of a chewing tobacco packet".
Fond du Lac Molls
On July 20, 1913, The New York Times reported that Hogan left Zanesville to manage a Fond du LacFond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
franchise in the Illinois-Wisconsin League. According to the article, he planned to bring with him five players from the defunct Zanesville club. Reliable information on the Fond du Lac Molls' overall performance is currently unavailable.
In February 1914, Sporting Life reported that Hogan was considering a return to the Tri-State League. "In a letter to a friend in Lancaster [Pennsylvania] the former Lancaster manager stated that the Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
[New Jersey] Club was after him and that there was [sic] good prospects of both sides coming to terms," the paper stated. "Marty is anxious to get back in the Tri-State, where he won fame as a manager". The paper added that Hogan, at that point, was working as a "successful businessman" in Youngstown, Ohio. The same edition of Sporting Life, however, carried a wire report noting that the Trenton club's new owner, W. J. Morris, had signed Zeke Wrigley
Zeke Wrigley
George Watson Wrigley , is a former professional baseball player who played shortstop from 1896-1899.-External links:...
as team manager. The report observed, "Manager Wrigley was strongly recommended to the club by Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
". (Wrigley, a former major league infielder, had earlier pursued a position on the Tri-State League's umpire staff, and he was not initially in the running for the position of Trenton club manager.) Further research will be required to determine whether Hogan's career as a minor league manager continued after this point.
Personal life
Hubbard, Ohio
Hubbard is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from part of Hubbard Township, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 8,284 at the 2000 census...
. The article noted that Amy Hogan had recently graduated from Ursuline Academy and described her as "a girl of exceptional talents, being especially prominent in local amateur theatricals and entertainments". Records at Youngstown's Calvary Cemetery show that Amy Hogan was buried in the same plot as her adoptive parents. Published cemetery records also suggest that Martin Hogan's wife, Agnes Hogan, gave birth to an unnamed infant, who died on September 6, 1898. The infant was buried in a section of the cemetery usually reserved for unbaptized children and the indigent. Agnes (Hogan) Moreland died on February 7, 1950, in Salem, Ohio
Salem, Ohio
Salem is a city in northern Columbiana County and extreme southern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. At the 2000 census, the city's population was 12,197....
.
Throughout his sports career, Hogan's pastimes included trap shooting. In July 1911, when he was manager of the Lancaster Red Roses, Sporting Life reported, "Marty shoots targets very well and can be looked to for high scores once he gets a little shooting". Hogan's obituary noted that, at some point, he helped to organize the Youngstown Gun Club.
Upon returning to Youngstown, Hogan supervised the athletic training of his youngest nephews, Edward
Edward J. Hogan
Edward J. Hogan was a track and field standout at the University of Notre Dame in the early 1920s, under legendary coach Knute Rockne. He placed in numerous track and field events and reportedly trained for the 1924 Olympics...
and Raymond Hogan, who became sports stars at Rayen High School
Rayen High School (Youngstown, Ohio)
Rayen High School was a public high school in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. At the time it was closed in 2007, it was of the three oldest high schools in the city...
. In the early 1920s, Edward Hogan emerged as a track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
standout at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where he trained under coach Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
.
Final years
In the mid-1910s, Hogan permanently resettled in Youngstown, where he became athletic director of Thomas Field, a ballpark owned by the local Brier HillBrier Hill
Brier Hill is a neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, that was once viewed as the city's "Little Italy" district. The neighborhood, which was the site of the city's first Italian settlement, stretches along the western edge of Youngstown's lower north side and encircles St. Anthony's Church, an...
Industrial Works. Prior to the enforcement of the Volstead Act
Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was the enabling legislation for the Eighteenth Amendment which established prohibition in the United States...
, he was also employed as a clerk at Buckley & Hogan, a downtown saloon operated by his older brother, Patrick J. Hogan, Jr., and his business partner, John J. Buckley, Sr. Further research will be required to determine Martin Hogan's level of involvement, if any, in local baseball during the last decade of his life.
Martin F. Hogan was only 54 years old when he died at his north side home from injuries sustained months earlier in an auto accident. Several blood transfusions failed to revive him, and a bout with pneumonia proved fatal. Funeral services for Hogan were held at St. Columba Church, and he was buried at Youngstown's Calvary
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
Cemetery. His wife, Agnes, survived him along with his brother, Patrick. A sister, Mrs. John Dillon, had died several years earlier. Hogan's obituary in The Youngstown Daily Vindicator highlighted his contributions to organized sports, observing that many young athletes he trained and managed went on to careers in major league baseball. Major league players who worked with Hogan during his years as a minor league manager included Roy Castleton, Stan Coveleski, Lee Fohl, Sam Jones, Billy Phyle, and Louis Schettler. His disputed baserunning record remains a curious footnote in American baseball history.