Baseball Goes East

Abstract

Baseball in San Francisco can be traced as far back as 1 851 , but as a meaningful, sus- tained, organized sport, it really began in 1866. Between 1866 and 1875 the San Francisco game experienced extreme ups and downs, finally bottoming out in 1872 as escalating interclub rivalries, win-at-all-costs mentalities, and on-field as well as off-field battles killed the game.Following a year without baseball, it tentatively reemerged in 1874 with new players, new clubs, and, with the old troublemakers gone, an improved attitude. For the first time in a decade the game was free of conflict and controversy. Fourteen nines played 34 games in 1874. Although attrition reduced the number of clubs to 11 in 1875, there were 39 matches and prospects for an expanded season in 1876 seemed auspicious.1The baseball news cycle typically began with a mention that the Pacific Baseball Convention was tending to administrative affairs at a January or February meeting, fol- lowed by reports of clubs electing officers and naming their starting nines for the new campaign. preseason would begin in March, and by April or May each weekend would have a championship game. season traditionally concluded at the end of November.However, a researcher examining San Francisco's newspapers for reports of baseball activity in 1876 would find none of this and would be justified to conclude that the game had once again vanished from the scene.2 Through July a mere four box scores-the year's total-appeared in the papers, three of them involving a new club called the Cen- tennials. A fine-tooth combing of the papers would uncover a few tiny nuggets of baseball news that raised more questions than they answered.What Happened in 1876?The answer to this mystery is to be found in an article titled Centennials of Frisco in the December 30, 1876 issue of the New York Clipper. It was a list of 44 games played by a club called the Centennials between April 20 and August 16, 1876. first 12 were played in San Francisco and the next 32 ranged from Sacramento to Philadelphia. accompanying text reads The Centennials played in all forty-five (sic) games during the season of '76, winning 31.The chronology of games, as noted above, lists 44 games: 29 victories and 15 defeats.Misprint or mystery? But, more importantly, who were the Centennials?The first San Francisco baseball news since mid-November 1875 was this brief item in the Daily Alta California (hereafter Alta) of March 9, 1876.The Centennial Base Ball Club-The Centennial B.B. Club of this city has organized, composed of the strongest players in the State. They elected the following officers: T. Agnau, President; T. Brown, Vice-President; T. H. Gill, Recording Secretary; D. Ashley, Corresponding Secretary; R. T. Walker, Treasurer. nine consists of the following gen- tlemen: Cullen, c.; Ashley, p.; Walker, 1 b.; Gill, 2 b.; Piercy, 3 b.; Curren, s.s.; Taylor, l.f.; Magenta, c.f.; Perrin, r.f.The next day's Chronicle echoed the news, but neither report explained why the strongest players in the State had to be organized.For whatever purpose they were formed, the designated Centennials were taken from two San Francisco clubs. 1875 champion San Franciscos provided Walker at first base, Gill at second base, Piercy at third base, Curran (not Curren) at shortstop, and Taylor in left field. 1875 cellar-dwelling Occidentals surrendered their battery of Ashley in the box, and Cullen behind the bat, along with center fielder Magendie (not Magenta) and right fielder Parent (not Perrin).Also associated with the club (it was later learned) were Louis N. David, an anti- quarian book dealer who was identified as manager. and Clarence F. Townsend, an attorney, whose role and responsibilities were never specified. Centennial President T. Agnau was never referred to again.Four of the chosen ones could be considered veteran ball players in that they were active before the cancellation of the 1873 season, while the other five were newcomers who began their careers after the baseball hiatus of 1873. …