The Wiman Trophy, and the Man for Whom It Was Named
Baseball’s Oldest Trophy, Uncovered; by Robert H. Schaefer
There were several National League championship trophies in the 19th century, such as the Hall Cup and the Temple Cup. The Dauvray Cup was reserved for the winner of the World Series. This is the story of the Wiman Trophy, an honor established specifically for the champions of the American Association. This trophy was named after its creator, Erastus Wiman, who at the time of the trophy’s inception in 1887, was the owner of the American Association New York Metropolitans, namesakes of the present day National League Mets.
Having recently received photographs of the trophy courtesy of the Chicago White Sox, I have had reason to revisit this fine essay, first published in the Fall 2007 number of Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game, which I founded. I am grateful to McFarland Publishers for permission to reprint it, with additional illustration.
Below, my friend Bob Schaefer’s fine story.
“Some silversmith may have created an American Association championship prize, but this awaits further research.” (John Thorn, 1988)[i]
The Wiman trophy, despite the doubts expressed above, was designed and created expressly to be awarded to the winner of the American Association pennant. Absolutely unique because it is the only trophy intended explicitly for an American Association championship club, it was commissioned by the owner of the New York Metropolitans, Erastus Wiman, in 1886.
Other trophies and pennants of the 19th century — the Hall Cup, The Police Gazette Trophy and Pennant, the (William Chase) Temple Cup, and The Pittsburg Chronicle–Telegraph Trophy — were exclusively awarded to National League champions. The 19th century (Helen) Dauvray Cup trophy and medals were reserved for the world champions and were awarded to the winning team at the conclusion of the World Series.
The historic Wiman trophy is currently on display in the trophy room of the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park II. However, it is not identified as such. This trophy is featured in The St. Louis Cardinals Encyclopedia, published in 1998 and described by Bob Broeg and Jerry Vickery thus:
Indian Given: This rare American Association championship trophy was awarded to the Browns’ Chris Von der Ahe in 1885 and is now housed in the Chicago White Sox’s trophy room. It was willed by Von der Ahe to manager-first basemen Charles Comiskey, late founder of the Sox. Four straight pennants won permanent possession of the 32 inch silver trophy.
No explanation is provided for the perplexing phrase, “Indian Given,” but once it is known that the donor of the trophy owned the Mets, who were known as “Wiman’s Indians,” that mystery fades. Wiman’s Staten Island Amusement Company leased the ball grounds for lacrosse games, including those played by the St. Regis Indians, and the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show also played on those grounds. (In mid-1887 The New York Sun had names for the Mets/Indians as follows: Rain-in-the Face or Big Chief, Roseman; Little Dog, Radford; Long Horse, Cushman; Big Medicine, Lynch; Eat-a Heap, Orr; Man-Not-Afraid-of-the-Umpire, Holbert, and so forth.)
Based on the incorrect information provided in The St. Louis Cardinals Encyclopedia, it seemed unlikely that the current White Sox caretakers were aware of the trophy’s correct identification and its past history. [This article appeared in 2007, and this characterization is no longer accurate; current White Sox Team Historian & Archives Curator Jeff Szynal knows the story .— jt] As will be demonstrated, the above-quoted text contains additional errors.
The Story of the Wiman Trophy
The first indication that there was to be a trophy expressly for the American Association pennant-winner came on April 25, 1886, when The Brooklyn Eagle announced:
A Solid Silver Trophy — Erastus Wiman, prior to his departure for Europe last week, issued the following circular to the American Association clubs: “In order to give additional stimulus to the base ball fever which now prevails I have just ordered from the Gorham company a trophy of solid silver, the design being a base ball player at the bat. The figure will be mounted on a pedestal and enclosed in a case, in order that it may be exhibited at all the principal base ball matches in which the Mets engage. I propose to donate this beautiful trophy to the American Association as a permanent emblem of the championship, the same to be held each year by the club that leads the association. Naturally, I place this trophy for the current season in the custody of our club, the Mets, being confident that they will endeavor to hold it by winning the pennant. You will please instruct the Mets to carry the trophy from city to city where they play with our association clubs, and place it on exhibition during the games, in order that all contending clubs may see the prize for which they are playing. I donate this trophy in order to show my interest in the national game and the success of our own club, who, however, hardly need this additional motive to do their utmost to regain the championship which they once fairly won. [The Mets had won the American Association pennant in 1884.] But should the trophy fall to any other of the American Association clubs, by their superior playing, I shall be glad to see it added to the honors they so well deserve. The trophy must remain in the custody of the president of the winning club during the succeeding year, or until it is wrested from them.
By commissioning the Gorham Silver Company to design and craft the trophy bearing his name, Wiman selected one of the leading silversmiths of the day. The Gorham Silver Company was founded in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island, by Jabez Gorham, a master craftsman, in partnership with Henry L. Webster. In 1847 Jabez retired and his son, John Gorham, succeeded him as head of the company. John Gorham introduced mechanized production methods, enlarged the premises in downtown Providence, improved the designs, and expanded the product line. During the heyday of American silver manufacturing, approximately 1850–1940, Gorham routinely executed custom and commemorative works such as the one for Erastus Wiman.[ii]
The process for selecting the player to serve as the model for the batter atop the trophy remains unknown. All that is known is that Mets center fielder and sometime catcher James “Chief” Roseman struck the pose that is now mounted on the trophy.[iii] “Chief” Roseman wasn’t the most famous of the Mets players.[iv] That honor went to Dave Orr — a feared slugger and one of the American Association’s leading hitters. However, Orr was notoriously overweight; in fact, at 5’11” and 250 pounds, he was just plain fat. No doubt Roseman — a trim (at least comparatively) 167 pounds and 5’ 7” — was a more attractive physical example of an athlete.
On October 18, 1886, an illustration appeared in The Sporting News bearing the caption, “The Wiman Trophy.” A close comparison between it and the photo of the “Indian Given” trophy leaves no doubt that the two trophies are one and the same. The mystery of the identification and location of the elusive American Association championship trophy has been conclusively solved. But that is not the end of the story.
Despite Wiman’s attempt to motivate his team with this magnificent trophy featuring one of their own as the focal point, the Mets failed miserably and finished in seventh place with a record of 53 wins and 82 losses, some 38 games behind the winning St. Louis Browns. When the season concluded (mercifully from the Mets’ point of view) Wiman proved as good as his word. He packed up his beautiful trophy and traveled to St. Louis. On October 24 the AA’s Browns engaged in a postseason intercity series with their NL co-tenants of the Mound City, the Maroons. The game was interrupted in the fifth inning for the trophy presentation ceremony.[v]
The Wiman Trophy was presented to Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe. He then turned the hardware over to the players with a brief and pointed speech. Surprisingly, The Sporting News failed to report the identity of the person making the presentation, the content of his speech, or the specifics of Von der Ahe’s remarks. Next, the Browns were presented with an elegant floral design by several local admirers. This consisted of a large shield of roses, which represented a diamond, surmounted by two crossed bats. It bore the following inscription: “The St. Louis Brown’s [sic] — America’s Champions.”
Mike Kelly of the Chicagos, who was in the city along with teammates Ned Williamson and Silver Flint, was in the audience and consented to make the presentation:
“Ladies and gentlemen: It is my honor on this occasion to present to your champion club this floral tribute. They have earned it. They have beaten our club — the Chicago club — fairly (great applause) and they have beaten us on the dead rattle (more applause). I can say that you have treated us well here, and we hope to meet you again in the future.”[vi]
The same issue of The Sporting News carried this report:
The Brown’s [sic] Victory — The Magnificent Wiman Trophy Which the World’s Champions Have Won. Today in the window of Mernoid & Jaccard Jewelry Co., corner of Fourth and Lomast, will be displayed the magnificent solid silver ‘Wiman’ trophy, as well as the world’s championship banner and other victorious emblems of the Brown’s [sic]. They have been placed in the window so that all the world that loves base ball, and admirer’s [sic] of its champions, can see what their merits have obtained for them.
However, after closer examination of the “magnificent” trophy, the St. Louis press seems to have changed its tune. On November 5 The Sporting News carried this derogatory evaluation: “The Wiman trophy is said to have cost $2,000. If it did, competent judges are prepared to say that the New York millionaire paid about $1950 too much for it.”
On December 18, 1886, the trophy was presented to the officials of the American Association. The Sporting News carried this report:
New York, Dec. 17 — THE BASE BALL BOSSES — The Fifth Ave. Hotel has been crowded ever since Monday morning with the base ball men who come from all points on the compass to attend the meeting…. The Metropolitan club formally presented the championship trophy to the Association. A vote of thanks was then extended to Messrs. Wiman and Watrous of the Metropolitan Club, to the Brooklyn officials, and to the members of the New York press for courtesies extended.
Presumably, following this ceremony the Association then awarded the trophy to St. Louis and returned it to Von der Ahe.
Note that the quoted text above that accompanies the “Indian Given” trophy has the Browns winning the trophy in 1885. St. Louis did indeed win the pennant in 1885, but alas! — the Wiman trophy didn’t exist that year. The Browns repeated as AA champions in 1887 and 1888, giving them four consecutive pennants. They supposedly gained permanent possession of it by virtue of winning four straight pennants, but there was no provision for permanent ownership of the trophy. According to the terms laid out by Wiman when he announced the prize, “The trophy must remain in the custody of the president of the winning club during the succeeding year, or until it is wrested from them.”
So the Club that won the AA pennant did not “own” the trophy; they merely had custody throughout the season. Whether or not that club continued its stewardship depended upon their success in the pennant race that year. And Wiman had made no provision for converting custody into permanent ownership by winning four straight pennants.
The season of 1888 was the St. Louis Browns’ last as champion. In 1889 Brooklyn captured the Association pennant, with St. Louis two full games behind them. Brooklyn repeated as pennant winners in 1890, but during the offseason they had transferred to the rival National League. Brooklyn holds a unique record that undoubtedly will never be equaled — that of winning two consecutive pennants in two different major leagues. Louisville captured the AA pennant in 1890, the year of the Players League. The Boston club captured the AA pennant in 1891, but the league subsequently folded, so there were no further American Association pennant winners. The trail of the Wiman trophy’s stewardship apparently ends at that point in time.
A diligent search of newspaper reports failed to reveal a record of the Wiman trophy ever being transferred into the hands of the Brooklyn club, or to the Louisville club, or to the Boston club. No mention is ever made of any of these clubs being awarded the trophy. The years rolled by without a trace of the Wiman trophy until October 8, 1899, when the Washington Post announced:
The famous Wiman Trophy will be given to the club that wins the championship of the new American Association. The trophy is in silver and is valued at $2,000. It represents the figure of a baseball player in batting position. The St. Louis Browns captured it in 1886, 1887, and 1898 [sic], and it has been in the hands of Chris Von der Ahe, of St. Louis, since. It was Mr. Von der Ahe who placed the trophy in the hands of President Quinn, of the new American Association, today. It was resolved that the new association offer to play a series of games with the teams of the National league at the close of the season of 1900 for the Temple Cup.
The “new” American Association was stillborn, never seeing the light of day. Evidently, after the attempt to resurrect the American Association foundered, the Wiman Trophy was once more returned to Von der Ahe. In any event, it was in his possession at the time of his death on June 7, 1913, surviving the distribution of his property and valuables in the wake of the several lawsuits, divorces, and bankruptcies he had suffered. No doubt the Wiman trophy was one of Von der Ahe’s most cherished mementos, as it recalled the grandeur of his world champion club. He made certain that this treasured keepsake was handed down to someone who would esteem the trophy as much as he did by citing it in his will: He bequeathed it to the captain of his beloved St. Louis Browns, Charles Comiskey.
Erastus Wiman, Staten Island, and the Mets
Erastus Wiman was a visionary who conceived projects far in advance of the technology necessary to fulfill them. He accumulated a fortune by creating transportation networks and developing real estate, two complementary enterprises for which he was well suited. Wiman began his business career by spending five years as an apprentice in a printing office earning $1.50 a week. In 1853 he entered a mercantile agency in Toronto, and for the rest of his life was a prominent figure in that business. In time Wiman rose to become a multimillionaire member of New York’s nouveau riche.
Wiman was born in Churchville, Toronto Township, on April 21, 1834. By the age of 13 he was an errand boy in a newspaper office; by age 17 he had joined the staff of the Toronto Globe, serving in various capacities. He acquired his fame based on solid commercial and market reports combined with accurate forecasts. This ability attracted the attention of the R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency, Toronto, who hired him. Wiman’s keen insight into market conditions placed him in charge of the office in 1861. Soon thereafter the firm became Dun, Wiman & Co.
In 1867 Wiman removed to New York City as a partner in the head office of Dun, Barlow and Company. When Charles Barlow died in 1880, Wiman acquired his interest in the firm and was appointed general manager. When Wiman took over as general manager the firm had 16 branches and within a few years he had grown it to 105. He soon was earning $90,000 a year.[vii]
Wiman maintained an interest in his home country principally as president of the Great North Western Telegraph Company of Canada, which he organized with capitalist Jay Gould. Convinced that Canadian prosperity could only be obtained through free trade, Wiman vigorously promoted commercial union with the United States. He gave dozens of speeches in the U.S. and Canada throughout the 1880s and 1890s advancing this scheme. All of his life Wiman worked to cultivate good feelings between his native land and his adopted country.
Known as the “Duke of Staten Island” for his unrelenting attempts to develop that island, Wiman lived in a grand mansion there with his family, and the community became known as Erastina, or Erastina Woods, in his honor. By the mid-1880s he wrested control of the ferry service to the island from the Vanderbilt interests. These ferries provided service to several communities in New Jersey, in addition to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan and to the Whitehall Street terminal in Brooklyn. After obtaining control of the Staten Island ferry lines, Wiman integrated this transportation service with his Staten Island railroad that completely encircled the island. This consolidation was completed on March 8, 1886.[viii] Over a period of time Wiman acquired 10 miles of Staten Island shoreline with an eye toward the eventual development of a commercial harbor. He proposed gigantic rapid-transport schemes that, in conjunction with his plans for developing the harbor, would have vaulted Staten Island to a leading commercial position in the area. At the height of his career he had interests in the Cyclone Pulverizing Company; Richmond County Heat, Light, and Power Company; Staten Island Electric Power Company; Coal Economizer Company; Automatic Weighing Machine Company; Assured Building and Loan Association of New York; and the Metallic Paint Company.[ix]
The venture that brought him into the national game was his development of an amusement park, called the St. George Grounds. Acting as president of the Staten Island Amusement Company, Wiman purchased the New York Metropolitan baseball club with the intent of relocating them from Manhattan to Staten Island. The purchase price was $25,000, half in cash and the rest in shares of the Metropolitan baseball club. Later the American Association objected to a National League magnate (John Day) being interested in an Association club. In response to this objection Mr. Day turned over the shares held by him to the Mets stockholders, so the actual price of the Mets was $12,500.[x] Moving the Mets from Manhattan to Staten Island was opposed by the other American Association Club owners. They perceived it as a ploy to get the Mets out of Manhattan so the rival Giants would no longer have a competitor in New York City. After a court battle Wiman prevailed and the Mets opened the season of 1886 at the St. George Grounds on Staten Island. The purchase of the Mets was calculated to contribute an increase in ferry passengers as fans traveled across New York Bay. The population of the entire island was 45,000 at that time.[xi]
On March 28, 1886, the Brooklyn Eagle revealed that:
All the recent accessions to the ranks of the American Association are men of wealth… [including] Mr. Erastus Wiman, the proprietor of the Metropolitans. He is one of the self made men of New York, and besides owning part of Staten Island is one of the partners in R. G. Dun & Co., a mercantile agency, and owns a big block of stock in the Western Union Telegraph Company. He is worth $4,000,000.
The baseball club purchased by Wiman had been organized as an independent professional team by John Day of Manhattan and Jim Mutrie of Brighton Beach, Staten Island, in 1880. The Metropolitans played their first game on September 15, 1880, against the amateur Union Club at the Union Grounds in Brooklyn.[xii] The Mets remained an independent team for the next two years, although they played games against both National League clubs and amateurs. The bulk of the profit generated by the Mets came from their games against National League clubs.
At the conclusion of the 1882 season the Metropolitans’ owners had the option of joining either the established National League or the newly formed American Association. They elected to place the Mets in the American Association and formed an entirely new second club, the Gothams, which they enrolled in the National League. The two clubs shared the same field, the Polo Grounds, which had two diamonds placed at opposite ends of its vast expanse. The Mets played in the southwest corner while the Gothams played in the southeast. The two diamonds were separated by a 10-foot-high canvas wall. This barrier permitted a ball to roll under the wall and go from one field to the other. Curiously, a ball that rolled under the wall and onto the adjacent field remained in play. The outfielders sometimes had to scramble under the canvas wall to retrieve a ball from the adjoining field.[xiii]
In 1883 arrangements had been made for a special series of three postseason games matching the League pennant winners, Boston, against the Association champs, Philadelphia. The unique series was not identified with any special title, such as “world championship.” This series between the respective champions was to follow the wholesale participation of all League and Association clubs in postseason exhibition games. However, Philadelphia played so poorly in the general postseason interleague games that they declined to meet Boston.
The New York Metropolitans captured the American Association pennant in 1884 and manager Jim Mutrie issued a challenge to the National League champions, the Providence Grays. Mutrie’s terms were all to his advantage: The entire three-game series was to be played on the Mets’ home grounds; the American Association baseball, manufactured by A.J. Reach & Co., was to be used throughout; American Association rules prevailed (a uniform code of playing rules for both organizations wasn’t developed until 1887); and all games were under the direction of American Association umpires.
Despite these handicaps the Providence Club accepted the challenge. Each club posted a $1,000 purse — winner take all — which was held by the New York Clipper. The Sporting Life ballyhooed the event in their pages as the “World’s Championship,” marking the initial use of the phrase. Providence captured the series, three games to none, with Charlie “Old Hoss” Radbourne pitching and winning every game. Besides the humiliating sweep of the series, the Providence team outscored the Mets 55–13, a decisive show of superiority by the League over the Association.
Immediately after purchasing the Mets, Wiman commissioned the construction of a new ballpark, the St. George Grounds. It featured a double-decked grandstand built in the Queen Anne style that seated 4,100 fans.[xiv] In addition to hosting the Mets, the St. George Grounds included a three-story casino, tennis courts, an ice cream saloon, and a picnic area next to the field. A 60-piece band was on hand to entertain the crowd. In the evenings an array of fountains were illuminated by powerful electric lights that shone through multicolored lenses. These water geysers shot 120 feet into the air and caused a sensation. This created a stunning visual effect and attracted large crowds. To top it all off, the entrance to this extravaganza was only 300 feet away from the ferry slips.
Throughout the summer of 1886, fans watching a game at the St. George Grounds could observe the construction of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island, just across the Bay. The construction of the Statue’s huge pedestal was completed in April 1886. The reassembly of the 350 individual pieces that comprised the Statue required another four months. “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue’s formal title, was dedicated on October 28, 1886, in a ceremony witnessed by thousands of people.[xv]
Wiman scheduled other attractions that would draw people to the St. George Grounds and increase the passenger traffic on both his ferry and railroad. The Staten Island Amusement Company held a contract with the B&O railroad that paid a percentage on passenger traffic for 99 years, based on the earnings for the first two years. Based on these contractual terms Wiman took pains to immediately book many desirable attractions, such as Forepaugh’s Circus, and staged a mammoth theatrical production called, “The Fall of Babylon.” Presented on the “Largest Stage in the World,” it featured a cast of over 1,000 and was illuminated at night by $50,000 worth of electrical-arc, incandescent, and focusing lights. In 1886 the St. George Grounds hosted the Buffalo Bill Wild West show, complete with buffaloes, painted Indians in war bonnets, herds of horses, and rootin’ tootin’ cowboys who galloped all over the lot.
General admission to these events was 50 cents, and seating in the grandstand was 75 cents. Transportation was provided by the steamers Grand Republic and Columbia together with the regular Staten Island ferries. The fare for the round trip on the steamers was 25 cents. These ships departed from Jewell’s Wharf in Brooklyn at 7:15 every evening. The ferry from the Battery left every 15 minutes and a one-way trip cost 10 cents.[xvi] As many as one million people rode across the Bay to see the attractions staged by Wiman in the summer of 1886.[xvii]
After two seasons under Wiman’s ownership, the Mets had compiled a combined record of 96 wins and 171 defeats. They finished in seventh place both years. The initial optimism expressed by Wiman was dashed. His fortune was reputedly decreased by some $30,000 as a result of his baseball misadventure; the financial losses were directly attributable to the fact that the Mets had failed to draw fans from across New York Bay. Wiman decided to cut his losses and sold the Mets to the Brooklyn club for $25,000 in cash.[xviii] Brooklyn owner Charles Byrne retained the Mets’ best players, notably Dave Orr, Darby O’Brien, Al Mays, Bill Holbert, and Paul Radford. The rest of the team members were given their releases. The franchise was returned to the Association, which quickly awarded it to Kansas City for 1888; thus “Wiman’s Indians” become the Kansas City Cowboys.
Even though Wiman had severed his connections with baseball, he was one of the featured speakers at festivities at Delmonico’s on April 8, 1889, to welcome the returning “ball tossers” of Al Spalding’s famous world tour. Speeches were made by baseball stars Cap Anson and John Ward. Mark Twain entertained the assemblage, and speeches were also given by several judges and mayors from nearby cities.[xix]
As early as 1890, Wiman proposed constructing a tunnel under New York Bay to connect Brooklyn with Staten Island. His tunnel would have capitalized on the potential of Staten Island as a harbor and transfer point for shipping and railroads.[xx] He renewed his efforts for a tunnel with a letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Eagle on January 19, 1897. Nothing ever came of this farsighted venture. His plans for developing the Staten Island shoreline as a center of commerce were truly revolutionary.
The majority of Wiman’s wealth was tied up in Staten Island real estate ventures. These consisted of large tracts of waterfront property that would have become immensely valuable had his plans for developing the harbor been realized. As a result of the opening of the Arthur Kill Bridge in 1887, in which Wiman played a leading role, the green expanse that was formerly the St. George Grounds was covered by a vast railroad freight yard. Later in 1887, interests hostile to Wiman’s plans for developing Staten Island as a transportation hub gained control of the B&O railroad. This railroad was a vital link in his overall plan; without its participation his plan could not succeed. When the B&O’s change in attitude became public knowledge the value of his real estate collapsed. This was followed by the financial crises of 1893, which devastated the economy. Wiman’s real estate empire tottered as he defaulted on mortgages and his properties were placed in assignment. He implored his partner, R.G. Dun, to become a preferred creditor. This would have provided Wiman with much-needed financial relief, but Dun refused.
His judgment clouded by his frantic need for money, Wiman embezzled more than $40,000 from his firm, Dun, Wiman & Co. These illegal acts were quickly discovered and he was discharged from the firm. Wiman was then arrested on charges of forgery and embezzlement on February 21, 1894. He was locked up in the Tombs before he could secure bail. At his trial in June that year he was found guilty, the jury bringing in a plea for mercy. He was sentenced to five and a half years at Sing Sing. The guilty decision was reversed by the General Term of the Supreme Court, and the reversal was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. Although Wiman was a free man he was completely ruined.[xxi]
Wiman owed a total of $913,000 to his creditors. They realized a little over a half cent on the dollar when a settlement was reached in 1899.[xxii] He never recovered from these financial setbacks. His great plan for developing Staten Island had failed entirely. In his final years Wiman lived modestly and practically in retirement on Staten Island.
After having resided in the United States since 1867, Erastus Wiman became an American citizen in 1897. It was later said that he didn’t take this step sooner because he held hopes of gaining the order of knighthood from Queen Victoria in recognition of his services in promoting the commercial relations of Canada. This hope was not fulfilled.
Wiman suffered a stroke in 1901 and was left almost helpless. He died in his home at the corner of Wall and Jay Streets, St. George, on February 9, 1904. Only the week previous his household furniture had been sold at but a fraction of its value. Wiman left a wife, three sons (Harry, William, and Louis), and two daughters (Mrs. Norman Walker and Mrs. Jacob Cram). The funeral was held at Christ Church, New Brighton.
Erastina is no longer on the Staten Island map, having been absorbed within what is today known as Mariners Harbor. But if you go to a Staten Island Yankees game at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, you can almost hear Wiman’s Indians, and Buffalo Bill’s, in the adjoining fields of Erastina.
AUTHOR BIO:
Robert H. Schaefer has published articles on a range of 19th-century baseball topics. He is a three-time winner of the annual McFarland–SABR Award for the best article on baseball history or biography. Over a 40-year career in the aerospace industry his responsibilities included the launch operations of missiles and rockets, the development of the Lunar Module flight crew procedures for the Apollo mission, and the integration of engineering design requirements for the Space Station Freedom.
NOTES
1. Thorn, J. 1998. The Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame (p. 175).
2. History of Gorham Silver: www.gorham1831.com/misc/gorham_history.cfm
3. Orem, P. Baseball 1882 to 1890 (p. 222). Self published.
4. The origin of Roseman’s nickname is unclear. SABR member Clifford Blau offered this explanation: “My understanding is that he got that nickname from his habit of making Indian ‘war whoops.’ The Metropolitans were occasionally referred to as the Indians because of this; Roseman was the leader.” SABR member Richard Malatzky suggested: “From what I read it was either the way he sat down, his legs crossed like an Indian, or something similar.”
5. The Sporting News: Oct. 30, 1886.
6. Ibid.
7. Dictionary of Canadian Biography: www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=41270
8. Lupo, L. 2000. When the Mets Played Baseball on Staten Island (p. 2).
9. The New York Times: Feb. 16, 1904.
10. The New York Times: Oct. 9, 1887.
11. Lupo 2000, 3–15.
12. Ibid., 3.
13. Ibid., 7.
14. Gershman, M. 1993. Diamonds (p. 39).
15. History of the Statue of Liberty: www.nps.gov/archive/stli/prod02.htm#Statue%20of
16. Brooklyn Eagle: June 29, 1887.
17. Brooklyn Eagle: Apr. 18, 1887.
18. The New York Times: Oct. 9, 1887.
19. The New York Times: Apr. 9, 1899.
20. Brooklyn Eagle: July 6, 1890.
21. The New York Times: Feb. 10, 1904.
22. Ibid.
