The Minnesota–Wisconsin League, known as the "Minny" League, was a professional minor baseball league that existed from 1909 to 1912. It was a Class D league in 1909, 1910 and 1912 and a Class C league in 1911. As its name suggests, it featured teams based in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.[1]
| Classification | Class D (1909–1910) Class C (1911) Class D (1912) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1909 |
| Ceased | 1912 |
| President | John A. Elliott (1909–1910) Frank Force (1911) John A. Elliott(1912) |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 1 Duluth White Sox (1909) Eau Claire Commissioners (1910) Superior Red Sox (1911) Winona Pirates (1912) |
| Related competitions | Central International League |
History
editThe inaugural 1909 Minnesota–Wisconsin League season featured the Duluth White Sox, Eau Claire Cream Puffs, La Crosse Outcasts, Winona Pirates, Wausau Lumberjacks and Superior Drillers as the six charter franchises in the league. The Duluth White Sox finished in first place, claiming the league championship.
In 1910, the Duluth White Sox, La Crosse Outcasts, Wausau Lumberjacks and Winona Pirates returned from 1909, while the Eau Claire Cream Puffs became the Eau Claire Commissioners and the Superior Drillers became the Superior Red Sox. The Red Wing Manufacturers and the Rochester Surgeons were newcomers to the league, which expanded to eight teams. The Eau Claire Commissioners finished in first place, winning the league championship.
In 1911, the league began play with the same teams as in 1910. During the season, the Red Wing and Wausau franchises both folded on June 26, 1911. The Superior Red Sox finished in first place, winning the league championship.
In 1912, the Minnesota–Wisconsin League began with four teams – the Eau Claire Commissioners, the La Crosse Outcasts, the Winona Pirates and the Rochester Bugs (formerly the Rochester Surgeons). Duluth and Superior left to form the Central International League. The Minnesota–Wisconsin League disbanded on July 1, 1912, with the Winona Pirates being the de facto league champion.
Notable players
editHall of Fame members Dave Bancroft, 1909 Duluth White Sox,1909 Superior Drillers, 1910–1911 Superior Red Sox and Burleigh Grimes, 1912 Eau Claire Commissioners, played in the league.
Cities represented
edit- Duluth, MN: Duluth White Sox 1909–1911
- Eau Claire, WI: Eau Claire Cream Puffs 1909; Eau Claire Commissioners 1910–1912
- LaCrosse, WI: LaCrosse Outcasts 1909–1912
- Red Wing, MN: Red Wing Manufacturers 1910–1911
- Rochester, MN: Rochester Roosters 1910; Rochester Bears 1911; Rochester Bugs 1912
- Superior, WI: Superior Drillers 1909; Superior Red Sox 1910–1911
- Wausau, WI: Wausau Lumberjacks 1909–1911
- Winona, MN: Winona Pirates 1909–1912
Standings & statistics
edit1909 Minnesota-Wisconsin League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth White Sox | 65 | 42 | .556 | -- | Thomas J. O'Brien |
| Eau Claire Cream Puffs | 62 | 57 | .521 | 4.0 | Tom Schoonhover |
| LaCrosse Outcasts | 60 | 56 | .517 | 4.5 | Joe Safford |
| Winona Pirates | 60 | 56 | .517 | 4.5 | Joe Killian |
| Wausau Lumberjacks | 54 | 66 | .450 | 12.5 | Jack McCarthy |
| Superior Drillers | 51 | 65 | .440 | 13.5 | Lew Drill[2] |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Bailey | Eau Claire | BA | .308 | Phil Stremmel | Superior | W | 22 | |
| Mike Malloy | LaCrosse | Runs | 75 | Frank Nicholson | Eau Claire | Pct | .800; 8–2 | |
| Russ Bailey | Eau Claire | Hits | 143 | |||||
| A.J. McCrone | Duluth | HR | 6[2] |
1910 Minnesota-Wisconsin League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire Commissioners | 79 | 44 | .642 | -- | Tom Schoonhover |
| Winona Pirates | 69 | 54 | .561 | 10.0 | Joe Killian |
| Wausau Lumberjacks | 69 | 55 | .557 | 10.5 | Carl Bond |
| Superior Red Sox | 64 | 57 | .529 | 14.0 | Arthur O'Dea / Jack Taylor |
| LaCrosse Outcasts | 56 | 68 | .451 | 23.5 | Joe Safford |
| Red Wing Manufacturers | 51 | 67 | .432 | 25.5 | Mike Malloy |
| Duluth White Sox | 50 | 70 | .417 | 27.5 | Thomas J. O'Brien |
| Rochester Roosters | 46 | 69 | .400 | 29.0 | Jack Corrigan / Frank O'Leary[2] |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Callahan | Eau Claire | BA | .365 | Nicholas Lakoff | Winona | W | 23 | |
| Dave Callahan | Eau Claire | Runs | 92 | Cy Dahlgren | Superior | Pct | .759; 22–7 | |
| Dave Callahan | Eau Claire | Hits | 168 | |||||
| Walter Altermatt | Duluth | HR | 12[2] |
1911 Minnesota-Wisconsin League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Red Sox | 72 | 36 | .667 | -- | Jack Taylor |
| Winona Pirates | 71 | 45 | .612 | 5.0 | Joe Killian |
| Duluth White Sox | 60 | 49 | .550 | 12.5 | Thomas J. O'Brien |
| Eau Claire Commissioners | 53 | 57 | .482 | 20.0 | Tom Schoonhover |
| LaCrosse Outcasts | 47 | 68 | .409 | 28.5 | Bumpus Jones / Carl Bond |
| Rochester Bears | 40 | 71 | .360 | 33.5 | Ted Corbett |
| Wausau Lumberjacks | 21 | 22 | .488 | NA | Carl Bond / Buddy Dolan |
| Red Wing Manufacturers | 13 | 29 | .310 | NA | Fred Cooke |
Red Wing & Wausau disbanded June 26.[2]
1912 Minnesota-Wisconsin League
edit1912 Minnesota-Wisconsin League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winona Pirates | 29 | 14 | .674 | -- | Fred Curtis |
| Eau Claire Commissioners | 25 | 17 | .595 | 3.5 | Russell Bailey |
| LaCrosse Outcasts | 15 | 26 | .366 | 13.0 | Carl Bond |
| Rochester Bugs | 14 | 26 | .350 | 13.5 | Art Lizzette |
The league disbanded July 1.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Minnesota-Wisconsin League (C) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
"Rochester Surgeons Beat Outcasts Again." Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) 26 May 1910. 11.
"Surgeons Lost Final Autopsy: Rochester Drops an Up and Down Contest -- Score is 8 to 4." Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) 29 May 1911. 2.