Nashville Blues
Encyclopedia
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...
team of the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
in 1887. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee
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...
and played home games at Athletic Park
Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
, which was opened in 1885. Preceded by the Nashville Americans
Nashville Americans
The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League from 1885 to 1886. The team was one of eight charter members of the newly formed league. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee and played home games at Athletic Park, which was opened in 1885...
, the Blues were Nashville's second professional baseball team. Due to financial problems, the team was forced to drop out of the league before completion of the season.
Team history
In 1887, the Nashville Blues replaced the Nashville AmericansNashville Americans
The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League from 1885 to 1886. The team was one of eight charter members of the newly formed league. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee and played home games at Athletic Park, which was opened in 1885...
, which folded after the 1886 season, as 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...
's entry into the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
. The seven-team circuit also included the Birmingham Ironmakers, Charleston Seagulls, Memphis Browns, Mobile Swamp Angels, New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
, and a Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
team. The Blues played their home games at Athletic Park
Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
, which would later come to be known as Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
. With a distance of 262 feet (79.9 m) to the right field wall, it was a notorious hitter's park.
The Blues were managed
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...
by George Bradley
George Bradley
George Washington Bradley , nicknamed "Grin", was an American Major League Baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He was 5'10.5" and weighed 175 lbs. Bradley was born in Reading, Pennsylvania.-Baseball career:...
, a major league
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...
veteran of 11 years, and Jim Clinton
Jim Clinton
James Lawrence Clinton was an outfielder in Major League Baseball....
who had a 10-year major league career. Another notable player was 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...
Al Maul
Al Maul
Albert Joseph "Smiling Al" Maul was a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of fifteen seasons with the Philadelphia Keystones, Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Superbas and New...
, who went 9–3 for the Blues and also batted .466; he had a 15-year career in the majors.
The team's first contest was an exhibition game against the Syracuse Shamrocks as a warm up for opening day against Memphis. Bradley pitched Nashville to an 11–10 win. Nashville later played a three-game exhibition series against 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...
's Detroit Wolverines
Detroit Wolverines
The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th century baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant in 1887. The team was disbanded following the 1888 season.-Franchise...
. Detroit swept the Blues 14–4, 8–0, and 12–2.
Before the second game of the series against the Wolverines, Southern League president John Morrow visited the Belle Meade Plantation
Belle Meade Plantation
Belle Meade Plantation, located in Belle Meade, Tennessee, is an historic plantation mansion whose grounds now function as a museum.-History:...
and horse farm in Nashville. He was accompanied by members of the Nashville Blues and visiting press representatives. General William Hicks Jackson
William Hicks Jackson
William Hicks "Red" Jackson was a cotton planter, horse breeder, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, owner of the plantation, entertained the group with a showing of his horses, including the Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
Iroquois
Iroquois (horse)
Iroquois , was the first American-bred Thoroughbred race horse to win the prestigious Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom, Surrey, England. He then went on to win the St...
.
At the time, the state of Tennessee had a blue law
Blue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
which banned the playing of baseball on Sundays. After being advised that the law was unconstitutional, the Blues played their first scheduled Sunday game against Savannah. Prior to the contest, a group, including Nashville ministers, gathered to see that the law was enforced. The game was played without incident, but the Davidson County
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
grand jury later sent indictments to players who participated in the game and officials of the Nashville Base Ball Association. The charges were later dropped and games continued to be played on Sundays without reprimand.
Financial problems plagued the team throughout the season. Circumstances were so dire that the team had to actually sell off players during the season in order to remain solvent. This affected the team's record. The Blues won 16 of their first 18 games, but when they started losing players, they also started losing more games. It got so bad that the franchise had to fold and leave the league during the first week of August. Their final win–loss record was 34–40. Withdrawing from the league caused them to forfeit a US$1,000 deposit guaranteeing they would finish the season. It was estimated that the Blues lost as much as $18,000. Nashville was without a professional baseball team until 1893 when the Nashville Tigers
Nashville Tigers
The Nashville Tigers were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League from 1893 to 1894. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee and played home games at Athletic Park, which was opened in 1885. Preceded by the Nashville Blues, the Tigers were Nashville's third professional baseball team...
were fielded in the Southern League.
Season-by-season results
| Nashville Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Record | Win % | Finish | Ref |
| 1887* | 34–30 | .531 | 4th | |
| Totals | 34–30 | .531 | – | — |
All-time roster
- Alexander
- George BradleyGeorge BradleyGeorge Washington Bradley , nicknamed "Grin", was an American Major League Baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He was 5'10.5" and weighed 175 lbs. Bradley was born in Reading, Pennsylvania.-Baseball career:...
- Robert Burks
- Spider ClarkSpider ClarkOwen F. "Spider" Clark was a professional baseball player. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball, 1889 for the Washington Nationals, and 1890 for the Buffalo Bisons of the Players' League...
- Jim ClintonJim ClintonJames Lawrence Clinton was an outfielder in Major League Baseball....
- Larry CorcoranLarry CorcoranLawrence J. Corcoran was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.Corcoran debuted in 1880, winning 43 games and leading the Chicago team to the National League championship...
- Michael Firle
- Tom FordTom Ford (baseball)Thomas Walter "Tom" Ford was an American Association pitcher. Ford played for Columbus Solons and the Brooklyn Gladiators in the 1890 season. He played in 8 games in his one year career, having a 0-6 record....
- Robert Gibso
- Robert Greene
- Jackie Hayes
- Mortimer HoganMortimer HoganMortimer Edward Hogan was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He started his professional career in 1883 with the Peoria Reds. He played in the Union Association in 1884 and in the American Association in 1887-1888.-Sources:...
- Patrick Kelly
- M. Manion
- Joseph Masran
- Steve MatthiasSteve MatthiasStephen J. Matthias was an American professional baseball player who played in thirty-seven games for the Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies of the Union Association during the season. He was born in Mitchellville, Maryland and died in Baltimore, Maryland.-External links:....
- Al MaulAl MaulAlbert Joseph "Smiling Al" Maul was a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of fifteen seasons with the Philadelphia Keystones, Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Superbas and New...
- Bill MountjoyBill MountjoyWilliam Henry Mountjoy was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball.-External links:...
- Frank Nicholas
- Icicle ReederIcicle ReederJames Edward "Icicle" Reeder was a Major League Baseball player. He played six games in the major leagues in , three for the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association and three for the Washington Nationals of the Union Association. He played in the outfield for all six.-Sources:...
- Smith