New England League
Encyclopedia
The New England League was a mid-level league in American
minor league baseball
that played sporadically in five of the six New England
states (Vermont
excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901
, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball
clubs in Boston
and alongside stronger, higher-classification leagues. Ultimately it could not survive the region's economic problems (and competing sources of entertainment) in the mid-20th century.
In 1946
, the NEL, the International League
and the Canadian-American League
- which all included farm teams of the Brooklyn Dodgers - were the first 20th century leagues (except for the "outside 'organized baseball'" Negro Leagues) to permit African-Americans to play. The following season, Jackie Robinson
and Larry Doby
would integrate the major leagues.
, with clubs in Massachusetts
and Maine
. Its first champion was the Portland
club. The league was inactive in 1889-90, then resumed play from 1891 to 1915 (with the exception of 1900) under the presidency of Tim Murnane
, the Boston Globe sportswriter. When the minor leagues were assigned classifications in 1902, the NEL was graded Class B, at that time two levels below major league status, equivalent to Class AA today.
Disruption caused by the outlaw Federal League
and the coming of World War I
caused the loop to reorganize in 1916
as the Eastern League, and ended the NEL's most long-lived period of operation. The league attempted to revive in 1919
, then closed down in early August. Seven years later, the NEL returned in 1926
with eight clubs in the region's mill towns, but the Great Depression
devastated the minor leagues, and the NEL was no exception: it disbanded June 22, 1930
. A 1933
revival was followed the next season
by a name change to the Northeastern League - and another shutdown that would last through the 1940 baseball season.
sometimes played for Pawtucket. Pawtucket's No. 1 pitcher in 1945 was "Ralph Wilson," in reality once and future Major league pitcher Randy Gumpert
.
The teams in 1941 were the New Bedford
(Massachusetts) Whalers, which relocated to Cranston, Rhode Island
on July 31 (no known team name), Pawtucket
(Rhode Island) Slaters, Lynn
(Massachusetts) Frasers, Worcester
(Massachusetts) Nortons, Woonsocket
(Rhode Island) Marquettes, Quincy
(Massachusetts) Shipbuilders, Fall River
(Massachusetts), and Manchester
(New Hampshire) Dexters. Pawtucket won the championship.
1942 saw seven teams take the field but one, the Fitchburg
Blue Sox, dropped out early in the season. Pawtucket, Lynn, Manchester, Worcester, Quincy and Woonsocket all returned and Pawtucket again won the championship in October when the best-of-7 series against Manchester was halted after five games due to poor weather. In the middle of the championship series the Slaters hosted a game against the Boston Red Sox
in front of over 9,000 fans.
Pawtucket played their first game at the new Pawtucket Stadium (now McCoy Stadium
) on July 5 against Lynn with over 6,000 fans in attendance. However, being the first game in a new stadium is only part of the story that night. The previous game against Lynn, a week earlier in Pawtucket at their former Armistice Blvd field, erupted into a players brawl that spilled over into the stands and involved fans and the police. The first game at the new stadium was anticipated as being Round 2! Prior to the game that night the Slaters had played a day game in Woonsocket.
By 1943, with the war affecting life in general, the League operated with just four teams. Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Quincy were back and joined by the Providence Frigates of Cranston. However, having fewer teams did not make for a dull season. From 1941 to 1945 the member teams always played other teams in addition to League teams. Major League teams, Negro League teams, famous barnstorming teams and military teams with many major league players all found their way into New England League ballparks. For example, Pawtucket, with once and future major league players such as Danny MacFayden
, Bob Whitcher
, Ted Olson and Ed Murphy, hosted the Philadelphia Phillies
(actually Blue Jays at the time), Boston Braves
, New York Black Yankees
, and in other years teams such as the Havana
All-Stars, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees
, Boston Colored Giants, House of David and the Brooklyn Dodgers. And then there were the military teams they played both home and away: the Coast Guard
All-Stars, Fort Devens
, Camp Endicott
Seabee
s, New London Coast Guard
, Boston Coast Guard, New London
Submariners and so on.
Providence, who defeated Pawtucket for the championship in 1943, changed ballparks in 1944 moving from Cranston Stadium to Municipal Stadium in Central Falls, Rhode Island
. Joining them were Pawtucket, Lynn, Woonsocket and Quincy. Lynn bested Pawtucket 3 games to 2 for the 1944 championship.
In 1945 Cranston returned to the fold joining Pawtucket and Lynn, the return of the Worcester Nortons and two new teams: the New London Diesels and the Lawrence
Millionaires.
The Cranston Firesafes defeated Pawtucket for the championship, 4 games to 1.
, was a Brooklyn farm club where, in 1946, African-American players and future Dodger greats Don Newcombe
and Roy Campanella
made their debuts as part of the handful of men who broke the baseball color line
. The players succeeded on the field and were very complimentary in remarks about their Nashua experience in later years. It should be noted, however, that they faced taunts and racial epithets in visiting ballparks, even though New England was far removed geographically from the supposed locus of racial tension, the Southern United States
.
In 1947 the Cranston Chiefs had a working agreement with the Cincinnati Reds
, and the Fall River Indians had the same arrangement with the Chicago White Sox
, which basically meant those organizations provided those teams with a few players each.
The still independent Lawrence Millionaires cancelled their home game against Pawtucket on July 14 and became the Lowell "Stars" the following day playing in Pawtucket, wearing the uniforms of a popular semi-pro team of the same name. A name-the-team contest never panned out, and the press began calling the team the Lowell Orphans. After August 18 they were orphans indeed, as they became a "road" team. Following the 1947 season the franchise was moved to Springfield, Massachusetts
as a farm team of the Chicago Cubs
, and the Springfield Cubs
became the only New England League team to survive the 1949 season, as one of the Cubs' two Class AAA team from 1950-1953.
Nashua was the most successful member of the postwar league, winning three consecutive playoff championships from 1946-48. But by the middle of 1949
, it became clear that the New England League was not viable. The league began the season with its usual complement of eight teams. The Providence Grays, of Cranston, Rhode Island, dropped out of the league on June 20. In mid-July the New York Yankees announced they were withdrawing their support of the Manchester, New Hampshire, team, forcing the franchise to suspend operations. The unaffiliated teams in Lynn, Massachusetts, and Fall River, Massachusetts, then also announced they were suspending operations, and on July 20, 1949, the New England League closed out their "first half" with Nashua in first place, followed in order by the other surviving teams: Pawtucket, Portland and Springfield. The "second half" season of 38 games resumed with the four remaining teams and concluded with Pawtucket in first place, followed by Portland, Springfield and Nashua. Both halves combined shows Pawtucket as the best team some 10½ games above second-place Nashua. The Brooklyn Dodgers refused to allow Nashua to participate in any playoffs, wanting to pull the plug on the Nashua operation immediately, thus giving the Portland team a much-undeserved first-round bye in the playoffs, which saw Springfield defeat Pawtucket, 2 games to 0, then Portland taking Springfield in seven games. The league's final regular-season champ was the Pawtucket Slaters
, a farm club of the Boston Braves
, but the Portland Pilots, a Phillies
affiliate, won the playoffs, thus bookending the championship earned by the Maine city's entry in the NEL's maiden season 63 years earlier.
Too often it is written that televised major league games killed the New England League, but that is foolishness. In 1949 a black-and-white TV with a little seven-inch screen cost about a month's pay for the average worker. The two Boston and two Providence stations did show the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox home games, but the high cost, low quality, and limited range of the broadcasts had little effect on life in 1949. Without doubt television did impact American life and minor league baseball in the 1950s as the technology and range advanced. Major League broadcasts were very limited outside major league markets; thus, the effect on minor league baseball had more to do with lifestyle changes and alternate entertainment opportunities. But consider that even at that time during most of the baseball season all television had to offer were reruns.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minor league baseball
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...
that played sporadically in five of the six New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states (Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901
1901 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* American League: Chicago White Stockings* National League: Pittsburgh PiratesWorld Series: Not played due to AL-NL war over player contracts.-Other champions:* Minor leagues** California League: San Francisco Wasps...
, it existed in the shadow of two 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...
clubs in Boston
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...
and alongside stronger, higher-classification leagues. Ultimately it could not survive the region's economic problems (and competing sources of entertainment) in the mid-20th century.
In 1946
1946 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox *All-Star Game, July 9 at Fenway Park: American League, 12–0-Other champions:*Negro League World Series: Newark Eagles over Kansas City Monarchs...
, the NEL, the International 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...
and the Canadian-American League
Canadian-American League
This article refers to the original incarnation of the Can-Am League, which operated between 1936 and 1951. For the modern league, see Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball...
- which all included farm teams of the Brooklyn Dodgers - were the first 20th century leagues (except for the "outside 'organized baseball'" Negro Leagues) to permit African-Americans to play. The following season, Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
and Larry Doby
Larry Doby
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball....
would integrate the major leagues.
Early history
The New England League played its first game in 18861886 in baseball
-Champions:* World Series St. Louis Browns 4, Chicago White Stockings 2*National League: Chicago White Stockings*American Association: St. Louis Browns-National League final standings:-American Association final standings:...
, with clubs in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Its first champion was the Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
club. The league was inactive in 1889-90, then resumed play from 1891 to 1915 (with the exception of 1900) under the presidency of Tim Murnane
Tim Murnane
Timothy Hayes Murnane was an American sportswriter specializing in baseball, regarded as the leading baseball writer at The Boston Globe for about thirty years until his death. At the same time, he organized and led professional sports leagues and helped govern the baseball industry...
, the Boston Globe sportswriter. When the minor leagues were assigned classifications in 1902, the NEL was graded Class B, at that time two levels below major league status, equivalent to Class AA today.
Disruption caused by the outlaw Federal League
Federal 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...
and the coming of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
caused the loop to reorganize in 1916
1916 in baseball
left|thumb|300px|[[Woodrow Wilson]] throws out the ball on opening day.-Champions:*World Series: Boston Red Sox over Brooklyn Robins -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
as the Eastern League, and ended the NEL's most long-lived period of operation. The league attempted to revive in 1919
1919 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:Chicago White Sox players accused of throwing World Series, resulting in the Black Sox scandal.-Champions:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Chicago White Sox -MLB statistical leaders:-Headline Event of the Year:...
, then closed down in early August. Seven years later, the NEL returned in 1926
1926 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees *Negro League World Series: Chicago American Giants over Bacharach Giants -Awards and honors:*League Award**George Burns, Cleveland Indians, 1B**Bob O'Farrell, St...
with eight clubs in the region's mill towns, but the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
devastated the minor leagues, and the NEL was no exception: it disbanded June 22, 1930
1930 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over St. Louis Cardinals -Statistical leaders:1Single season record for RBIs-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Negro National League final standings:...
. A 1933
1933 in baseball
-Headline Events of the Year:* First Major League Baseball All-Star Game, July 6 at Comiskey Park: American League, 4-2.* First Negro League Baseball All-Star Game.-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Giants over Washington Senators...
revival was followed the next season
1934 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers *All-Star Game, July 10 at Polo Grounds: American League, 9-7-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player:**American League: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers, C...
by a name change to the Northeastern League - and another shutdown that would last through the 1940 baseball season.
Semi-pro league during the early 1940s
The New England League was revived in May, 1941 as a semi-pro league with eight franchises. By semi-pro it meant players were paid for their services but usually maintained a "day job" and were free to cut their own deals. Many players were in the military assigned to nearby bases, including some major league players (often playing under an assumed name). Many players had professional experience but were 'back home' working defense jobs or coaching in academia. Football Hall of Famer/Major League umpire and NBA coach Hank SoarHank Soar
Albert Henry Soar was an American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League who went on to have a long career as an umpire in Major League Baseball...
sometimes played for Pawtucket. Pawtucket's No. 1 pitcher in 1945 was "Ralph Wilson," in reality once and future Major league pitcher Randy Gumpert
Randy Gumpert
Randall Pennington Gumpert was a Major League Baseball pitcher, playing for five different teams throughout his career. He was born in Monocacy, Pennsylvania. His pro career began when he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as a free agent before the 1936 season, at the age of 18...
.
The teams in 1941 were the New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
(Massachusetts) Whalers, which relocated to Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
on July 31 (no known team name), Pawtucket
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
(Rhode Island) Slaters, Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
(Massachusetts) Frasers, Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
(Massachusetts) Nortons, Woonsocket
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
(Rhode Island) Marquettes, Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
(Massachusetts) Shipbuilders, Fall River
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
(Massachusetts), and Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
(New Hampshire) Dexters. Pawtucket won the championship.
1942 saw seven teams take the field but one, the Fitchburg
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
Blue Sox, dropped out early in the season. Pawtucket, Lynn, Manchester, Worcester, Quincy and Woonsocket all returned and Pawtucket again won the championship in October when the best-of-7 series against Manchester was halted after five games due to poor weather. In the middle of the championship series the Slaters hosted a game against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in front of over 9,000 fans.
Pawtucket played their first game at the new Pawtucket Stadium (now McCoy Stadium
McCoy Stadium
McCoy Stadium is a Minor League baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It is currently home to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League.-History:...
) on July 5 against Lynn with over 6,000 fans in attendance. However, being the first game in a new stadium is only part of the story that night. The previous game against Lynn, a week earlier in Pawtucket at their former Armistice Blvd field, erupted into a players brawl that spilled over into the stands and involved fans and the police. The first game at the new stadium was anticipated as being Round 2! Prior to the game that night the Slaters had played a day game in Woonsocket.
By 1943, with the war affecting life in general, the League operated with just four teams. Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Quincy were back and joined by the Providence Frigates of Cranston. However, having fewer teams did not make for a dull season. From 1941 to 1945 the member teams always played other teams in addition to League teams. Major League teams, Negro League teams, famous barnstorming teams and military teams with many major league players all found their way into New England League ballparks. For example, Pawtucket, with once and future major league players such as Danny MacFayden
Danny MacFayden
Daniel Knowles MacFayden was an American starting and relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Cincinnati Reds , Boston Braves , Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators...
, Bob Whitcher
Bob Whitcher
Robert Arthur Whitcher was a Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in nine games for the Boston Braves in 1945. The 5'8", 165 lb. left-hander was a native of Berlin, New Hampshire....
, Ted Olson and Ed Murphy, hosted 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...
(actually Blue Jays at the time), Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, New York Black Yankees
New York Black Yankees
The New York Black Yankees was a professional baseball team based in New York City, Paterson, NJ, and Rochester, NY which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. The Black Yankees played in Paterson, New Jersey from 1933-1937 and then from 1939-1945. The 1938 season saw the Black...
, and in other years teams such as the Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
All-Stars, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Boston Colored Giants, House of David and the Brooklyn Dodgers. And then there were the military teams they played both home and away: the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
All-Stars, Fort Devens
Fort Devens
Fort Devens is an active United States military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. The nearby Devens Reserve Forces Training Area is...
, Camp Endicott
Camp Endicott
Camp Endicott, later known as Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, was a United States Navy base Seabee base. It is now a historic site between Seventh and Tenth streets in North Kingstown, Rhode Island....
Seabee
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
s, New London Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard Academy
Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...
, Boston Coast Guard, New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
Submariners and so on.
Providence, who defeated Pawtucket for the championship in 1943, changed ballparks in 1944 moving from Cranston Stadium to Municipal Stadium in Central Falls, Rhode Island
Central Falls, Rhode Island
Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 19,376 at the 2010 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the thirty-second most densely populated incorporated place in the United...
. Joining them were Pawtucket, Lynn, Woonsocket and Quincy. Lynn bested Pawtucket 3 games to 2 for the 1944 championship.
In 1945 Cranston returned to the fold joining Pawtucket and Lynn, the return of the Worcester Nortons and two new teams: the New London Diesels and the Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
Millionaires.
The Cranston Firesafes defeated Pawtucket for the championship, 4 games to 1.
Return to professional status
In 1946 with the postwar baseball boom, the New England League was restored to an "affiliated" eight-team, Class B circuit, but only half the teams had ties to a major league organization. Four of the six 1945 New England League teams made the crossover to so-called organized baseball in 1946: the Pawtucket Slaters (Boston Braves), Lynn Red Sox (Boston Red Sox), Cranston Chiefs (Independent) and Lawrence Millionaires (Independent). They were joined by the Manchester Giants (New York Giants), Nashua Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers) and 2 other independent teams: the Portland Gulls and Fall River Indians. Its most notable member, the Nashua DodgersNashua Dodgers
The Nashua Dodgers was a farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, operating in the class-B New England League between 1946 and 1949. It is believed to be the first professional baseball team based in the United States in the twentieth century to play with a racially integrated roster...
, was a Brooklyn farm club where, in 1946, African-American players and future Dodger greats Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
and Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella , nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily at the position of catcher, in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball...
made their debuts as part of the handful of men who broke the baseball color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
. The players succeeded on the field and were very complimentary in remarks about their Nashua experience in later years. It should be noted, however, that they faced taunts and racial epithets in visiting ballparks, even though New England was far removed geographically from the supposed locus of racial tension, the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
In 1947 the Cranston Chiefs had a working agreement with 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....
, and the Fall River Indians had the same arrangement with the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, which basically meant those organizations provided those teams with a few players each.
The still independent Lawrence Millionaires cancelled their home game against Pawtucket on July 14 and became the Lowell "Stars" the following day playing in Pawtucket, wearing the uniforms of a popular semi-pro team of the same name. A name-the-team contest never panned out, and the press began calling the team the Lowell Orphans. After August 18 they were orphans indeed, as they became a "road" team. Following the 1947 season the franchise was moved to Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
as a farm team of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, and the Springfield Cubs
Springfield Cubs
The Springfield Cubs, based in Springfield, Massachusetts, was an American minor league baseball franchise that served as a farm club of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball from 1948-53...
became the only New England League team to survive the 1949 season, as one of the Cubs' two Class AAA team from 1950-1953.
Nashua was the most successful member of the postwar league, winning three consecutive playoff championships from 1946-48. But by the middle of 1949
1949 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers *All-Star Game, July 12 at Ebbets Field: American League, 11-7-Caribbean leagues:*Cuba - Almendares Scorpions*Panama - Spur Cola*Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Indians...
, it became clear that the New England League was not viable. The league began the season with its usual complement of eight teams. The Providence Grays, of Cranston, Rhode Island, dropped out of the league on June 20. In mid-July the New York Yankees announced they were withdrawing their support of the Manchester, New Hampshire, team, forcing the franchise to suspend operations. The unaffiliated teams in Lynn, Massachusetts, and Fall River, Massachusetts, then also announced they were suspending operations, and on July 20, 1949, the New England League closed out their "first half" with Nashua in first place, followed in order by the other surviving teams: Pawtucket, Portland and Springfield. The "second half" season of 38 games resumed with the four remaining teams and concluded with Pawtucket in first place, followed by Portland, Springfield and Nashua. Both halves combined shows Pawtucket as the best team some 10½ games above second-place Nashua. The Brooklyn Dodgers refused to allow Nashua to participate in any playoffs, wanting to pull the plug on the Nashua operation immediately, thus giving the Portland team a much-undeserved first-round bye in the playoffs, which saw Springfield defeat Pawtucket, 2 games to 0, then Portland taking Springfield in seven games. The league's final regular-season champ was the Pawtucket Slaters
Pawtucket Slaters (baseball)
The Pawtucket Slaters were a minor-league baseball team based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1946 through 1949, the team played its games at McCoy Stadium as a member of the class-B New England League, and was affiliated with the Boston Braves of the National League...
, a farm club of the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, but the Portland Pilots, a 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...
affiliate, won the playoffs, thus bookending the championship earned by the Maine city's entry in the NEL's maiden season 63 years earlier.
Too often it is written that televised major league games killed the New England League, but that is foolishness. In 1949 a black-and-white TV with a little seven-inch screen cost about a month's pay for the average worker. The two Boston and two Providence stations did show the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox home games, but the high cost, low quality, and limited range of the broadcasts had little effect on life in 1949. Without doubt television did impact American life and minor league baseball in the 1950s as the technology and range advanced. Major League broadcasts were very limited outside major league markets; thus, the effect on minor league baseball had more to do with lifestyle changes and alternate entertainment opportunities. But consider that even at that time during most of the baseball season all television had to offer were reruns.