News
Monument honors 1901 Brewers
One of AL's original teams is recognized at Miller Park
By Cash Kruth / MLB.com
06/23/09 8:06 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Rick Schlesinger admits he may be a bit biased, but the Brewers executive vice president of business operations said he believes baseball is the best sport when it comes to connecting history through different generations. |
Schlesinger and the Brewers helped continue that link through past and present on Tuesday afternoon, when the club unveiled a monument at Miller Park to honor the 1901 Milwaukee Brewers, one of the original American League teams.
"The Brewers franchise takes great pride in providing a top quality experience and competitive team on the field, and while we focus on the current, we never forget the past," Schlesinger said. "In baseball in particular, we feel that recognizing the past is a crucial part of our franchise and a crucial part of our legacy that we don't want to forget."
After the American League was born in 1900 at a Milwaukee hotel named the Republican House, the Brewers became one of eight teams to compete in the American League's inaugural 1901 season.
The team played at Lloyd Street Grounds, located on Milwaukee's north side at the corner of Lloyd and 16th Streets. Future Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy was the player/manager of that squad, while five players were Wisconsin natives: Ed Bruyette (Manawa), Davy Jones (Cambria), George McBride (Milwaukee), Pink Hawley (Beaver Dam) and Pete Husting (Mayville).
The Brewers left Milwaukee after 1901, moving to St. Louis for 52 years before later becoming the Baltimore Orioles.
The idea for the monument came about a year ago, when David Stalker, a baseball historian from Watertown, Wis., approached Schlesinger about the possibility. Stalker, 48, has already been a part of creating numerous monuments throughout the state to honor players from the dead-ball era (pre-1920).
Stalker said the monument is a way to commemorate one of the original American League teams as well as a way to showcase Milwaukee's baseball history forever.
"I find this information and, as an historian, it's my job to get it out to the public," Stalker said. "I feel by putting up these monuments, I reach more people than I would if I were to write a book and put it out. It's been a real good way to get the word out about this era."
Cash Kruth is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
