Salisbury Indians
Encyclopedia
The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball
team which played in Salisbury, Maryland
. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore Baseball League
, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula
.
The Indians did not field a particularly competitive team in the first year of its existence, but from 1923 through 1927 they finished second or third every year. Because of economic hard times, however, the league ceased operations before the 1928 season.
teams. The Salisbury team was affiliated with the Washington Senators
. Under the rules of play then in existence, teams in the Class D division of baseball, which included all of the teams in the Eastern Shore League, were only allowed to field three players who had ever played in a higher level league. In 1937, Eastern Shore League commissioner Colonel J. Thomas Kibler
ruled that Salisbury was fielding four players with higher level experience because one of their players had signed with a Class C team, even though he had never played for them. Kibler ruled that Salisbury had to forfeit all of its games, meaning that, although they had a record of 21-5 at the time, they dropped to 0-26. The team appealed, first to William G. Bramham, president of the National Association
, then to Kenesaw Mountain Landis
, Commissioner of Baseball
, but the ruling stood.
The team decided that they would recuperate by being competitive on the field. They did so by finishing the season with 49 wins and 10 losses, and winning the league pennant. Counting the wins they had forfeited, Salisbury had a record of 80-16 for the season. Prior to the beginning of the Eastern Shore League playoffs, Salisbury played the Trenton
team, which was the Senators' Class A team. The Indians won, 7-2. They then went on to win the league playoffs. The Indians' manager, Jake Flowers
, was named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News
.
The Indians and the league continued in operation until 1941, when the league closed for the duration of World War II
, then reformed from 1946 through 1949. The Indians won the league two more times, and won the regular season pennant but lost in the playoffs one time. In 1951, a reconstituted Salisbury Indians team joined the Class B Interstate League
, but that team only existed for two years.
Salisbury had no further minor league baseball participation until 1996, when the Delmarva Shorebirds
joined the South Atlantic 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...
team which played in Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury, Maryland
-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore Baseball League
Eastern Shore Baseball League
The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a Class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not consecutive, and featured teams from Maryland,...
, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
.
The Indians did not field a particularly competitive team in the first year of its existence, but from 1923 through 1927 they finished second or third every year. Because of economic hard times, however, the league ceased operations before the 1928 season.
1937 season
The Eastern Shore League was revived in 1936 with the original six teams and the addition of two more. Seven of the eight teams were affiliates of Major leagueMajor 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...
teams. The Salisbury team was affiliated with the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. Under the rules of play then in existence, teams in the Class D division of baseball, which included all of the teams in the Eastern Shore League, were only allowed to field three players who had ever played in a higher level league. In 1937, Eastern Shore League commissioner Colonel J. Thomas Kibler
Tom Kibler
John Thomas "Tom" Kibler was a coach at Washington College, in various capacities, for over half a century. His duties included coaching the baseball, basketball and football teams....
ruled that Salisbury was fielding four players with higher level experience because one of their players had signed with a Class C team, even though he had never played for them. Kibler ruled that Salisbury had to forfeit all of its games, meaning that, although they had a record of 21-5 at the time, they dropped to 0-26. The team appealed, first to William G. Bramham, president of the National Association
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
, then to Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
, Commissioner of Baseball
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
, but the ruling stood.
The team decided that they would recuperate by being competitive on the field. They did so by finishing the season with 49 wins and 10 losses, and winning the league pennant. Counting the wins they had forfeited, Salisbury had a record of 80-16 for the season. Prior to the beginning of the Eastern Shore League playoffs, Salisbury played 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...
team, which was the Senators' Class A team. The Indians won, 7-2. They then went on to win the league playoffs. The Indians' manager, Jake Flowers
Jake Flowers
D'Arcy Raymond Flowers , is a former professional baseball player who played shortstop and second base from 1923-1934. He attended Washington College....
, was named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
.
Later years
In 1938, with many of the same players as the year before, Salisbury went 65-47 to repeat as champions.The Indians and the league continued in operation until 1941, when the league closed for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then reformed from 1946 through 1949. The Indians won the league two more times, and won the regular season pennant but lost in the playoffs one time. In 1951, a reconstituted Salisbury Indians team joined 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...
, but that team only existed for two years.
Salisbury had no further minor league baseball participation until 1996, when the Delmarva Shorebirds
Delmarva Shorebirds
The Delmarva Shorebirds are a minor league baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are one of three Single-A affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles and a member of the South Atlantic League. The Shorebirds play at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.The "Shorebirds" name refers to the marine waterfowl...
joined the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
.