1915-ish Spring Training?

[Runscott]

Detail from a larger photo. Any help i.d.'ing this would be greatly appreciated.

[ruth-gehrig]

Can't help you out at all on identification but what a neat photo!

[Dto7]

Looks like a college field. The only major teams with uniforms that come close to that with name across jersey from that period are the Boston Red Sox and St, Louis Browns.

[Runscott]

I have looked at a lot of Red Sox spring training photos from 1915 and 1916, and this does look very similar, although the location isn't a match. The batting cage is an exact match with another photo I have. I assume there were a lot of these sold to teams, but this one is uncannily exact. Wishful thinking on my part, I'm sure.

I agree that it looks like a college field - you can see the football field yard markers, which should only be on the field at the END of the baseball season, not during spring training.

[Dto7]

If you look in the background looks like some high jumpers or pole vaulters are practicing, so it could be Spring.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Dto7

If you look in the background looks like some high jumpers or pole vaulters are practicing, so it could be Spring.

True. I guess the markers are up for Spring football. I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to football.

[bgar3]

You may have already found these, but several years ago there was an album of photos that had belonged to Lanigan, owner of the red sox , there should be enough to show more of the field, not just the cage. I must admit, when I first saw your posted photo, I immediately thought of the red sox photos. If memory serves they were all 1915 and from hot springs if that helps. good luck. I think the photo you show with Ruth is one of the Lanigan photos.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by bgar3

You may have already found these, but several years ago there was an album of photos that had belonged to Lanigan, owner of the red sox , there should be enough to show more of the field, not just the cage. I must admit, when I first saw your posted photo, I immediately thought of the red sox photos. If memory serves they were all 1915 and from hot springs if that helps. good luck. I think the photo you show with Ruth is one of the Lanigan photos.

It made me think of the Red Sox and those 1915 Hot Springs photos as well. This isn't from that group of photos, but I was hoping someone would recognize the field and/or a player. The number of players indicates college or majors. Some of the players are actually fat and look too old for college, so I'm hoping it ends up being a ML team that was practicing on a college field. Improbable, I know.

Here's the entire image - approx 7 x 9:

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Scott- The photo you posted looks like it could be from Hot Springs, do you have info on it?

[Runscott]

No, I have no additional info on it. It is affixed to a piece of thick, old paper with no writing on the back of the darker paper. I might try to remove it and see if there is writing on the back, as the thumbtack holes indicate the backing paper isn't original.

[BaseballYakker]

It's definitely not any Hot Springs baseball field I'm aware of. The Red Sox were at Majestic Park in the spring of 1915, and this isn't definitely isn't Majestic Park. The other image Scott posted in #4 does in fact look like Majestic Park though. Here's some other Majestic Park photos from that era for comparison: https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=914...N07&q=majestic

[Runscott]

I think it's obvious to all that the two baseball fields posted in the pics are not the same. My intent with this thread was to possibly identify where the field in my photo is, and who the team might be.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Caleb & Scott- I do think Scott's photo could be Majestic Field!

Mike

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Hot Springs Bathers

Caleb & Scott- I do think Scott's photo could be Majestic Field!

Mike

Thanks Mike, but I would have to see some part of my photo that could be identified with the same area in a known photo of the Hot Springs training field. To me it doesn't look like they match at all.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Scott- I am not a very competent or capable scanner. I am hoping Caleb who chimed in can apply some scans that might help us form a better opinion.

He is the ballpark guru for Arkansas. We have been very lucky to find hundreds of photos of Spring Training in Hot Springs, many of which are exhibited in a permanent display at our Convention Center.

At this time multiple Emmy winning documentarian Larry Foley is working on The First Boys of Spring covering baseball trips here by the majors, minors and negro leagues from 1886-thru World War II.

The still photos have been essential in the project since virtually no video exists that we know of other than a wonderful piece in the University of South Carolina film archives on the Ray Doan Baseball School from the early 1930s, that is of Whittington Park, the other major field in town.

The Lannin collection of photos has been our best resource for Majestic Field thus far.

[Runscott]

Thanks Mike. This is probably a first: the person with the item arguing against it being something good. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[BaseballYakker]

Originally Posted by Runscott

My intent with this thread was to possibly identify where the field in my photo is, and who the team might be.

I suppose I'm not much help here except to confirm that this is not Hot Springs. I agree with others that this looks very much like a college athletic field.

[Vintagecatcher]

Hi Scott,

Looks like it could possibly be Fitton Field in Worcester, MA. Bill Carrigan played for Holy Cross. Perhaps the photo was an exhibition game between the Red Sox and Holy Cross.

Patrick

[Runscott]

Nice eye, Patrick!

I think you nailed it - the football field in this 1907 postcard lines up real well with my photo:

[Dto7]

I've been looking at college fields from around that time the last couple of days.

Here's Fitton Field 1915.

[Vintagecatcher]

Hi Scott,

In the early 1900s Holy Cross had many players that made the pro ranks including Bill Carrigan and Mike "Doc" Powers.

Holy Cross sits on one of the many hills in Worcester. The sharp banking is something you don't forget. I played Division III soccer at Clark University. We played against Holy Cross on Fitton Field each year. One of my grandfathers and his son, my uncle, went to college there as well.

Ted Williams even played on Fitton Field.

http://www.crossports.com/archives.htm

http://goholycross.com/sports/m-base...041905aaa.html

Patrick