Charlie Gould
Encyclopedia
Charles Harvey Gould nicknamed "The Bushel Basket", was an American
Major League Baseball
player during the 1860s and 1870s. He was the first baseman
for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings
of 1869 and 1870, the first team consisting entirely of professional players. He was the only native Cincinnatian on the club.
Gould was noted as having an affable personality, and for being six feet tall, the only such player on the Red Stockings that tall. His height and long arms were physical traits that factored in his high fielding proficiency. He was rarely noted for making errors, or "muffing" the ball during his career, but it was his throwing error in the eleventh inning of a game between the Red Stockings and the Brooklyn Atlantics
in 1870, that allowed the winning run to score, ending the Stockings' winning streak, which was at 84 games.
He returned home in 1876 to lead the new club
that was a charter member of the National League
. In all he played about twelve seasons of "bare hand" first base for major teams.
, Gould began his organized baseball career for the local Buckeye club in 1863 as their regular first baseman, and was still in that role when the club joined the National Association of Base Ball Players
(NABBP) in 1866. During the off-season, he worked as a bookkeeper for his father's butter and eggs business. His lanky frame and long arms were physical traits that assisted him in becoming a well-regarded fielder, and he was known to rarely make errors.
He stayed with the Buckeyes through the 1866 season, then he joined the cross-town rivals, the Cincinnati Red Stockings
, for the 1867 season. The Red Stockings, bolstered by players imported from the east coast, defeated the Buckeyes and other regional rivals that summer and fared well against all but the strongest teams on a tour from Washington to Albany to Cleveland in the fall. In September 1867, at the locally held Great Baseball Tournament, he won the prizes for "farthest throw" 302'3 and "best second base".
Known as a hard-working, affable man, and one of the best humored men in the game, he played every game in 1868, and all but one 1869. He fielding prowess was so well known that fellow players began calling him 'the bushel-basket'.
When the NABBP permitted professionalism for 1869, Red Stockings manager, Harry Wright
, kept Gould and three other players from his 1868 team, then filled the rest with eastern players to complete the team. Gould was the only Cincinnatian, and the only 6 feet (1.8 m) player on the team. Cal McVey
was the only other player even from the midwest. Gould's salary for that season was $800, and offensively, batted third in the line-up.
The Red Stockings toured the continent undefeated in 1869 and may have been the strongest team in 1870, but the club dropped professional base ball after the second season.
in triples with eight. He was replaced for 1873 by Jim O'Rourke who would be one of the biggest stars in the game for the next twenty years.
After four seasons as the regular first baseman on great professional teams, Gould was a marginal player, a regular player only for teams struggling to remain in business, not contend for the championship. Baltimore and New Haven in the last two NA seasons achieved more than some but they were big losers on the field. New Haven made him captain, so he had most of the duties of a modern field manager and he gets manager's credit in the historical record.
excluded New Haven but one charter member was a new club in Cincinnati, the Reds
, which hired Charley Gould to lead it. The new Cincinnatis were a woefully weak tailender but the club did survive and Charlie played another season at first, relieved of his leadership role.
in Cincinnati. Gould died at the age of 69 in Flushing, New York, and is interred in Spring Grove Cemetery
in Cincinnati. He gravesite was unmarked until 1951, when Cincinnati Reds
President Warren Giles
launched a successful campaign place a marker, a monument that currently stands.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player during the 1860s and 1870s. He was the first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first fully professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati,...
of 1869 and 1870, the first team consisting entirely of professional players. He was the only native Cincinnatian on the club.
Gould was noted as having an affable personality, and for being six feet tall, the only such player on the Red Stockings that tall. His height and long arms were physical traits that factored in his high fielding proficiency. He was rarely noted for making errors, or "muffing" the ball during his career, but it was his throwing error in the eleventh inning of a game between the Red Stockings and the Brooklyn Atlantics
Brooklyn Atlantics
The Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn was baseball's first champion and its first dynasty.Established in 1855, Atlantic was a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1857. In 1859, with a record of 11 wins and 1 loss, Atlantic emerged as the recognized champions of...
in 1870, that allowed the winning run to score, ending the Stockings' winning streak, which was at 84 games.
He returned home in 1876 to lead the new club
Cincinnati Reds (1876-1880)
The Cincinnati Reds, also known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, were a professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio that played from 1876–1880. The Reds were a charter member of the National League.-History:...
that was a charter member of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. In all he played about twelve seasons of "bare hand" first base for major teams.
Pre-professional baseball
Born 1847 in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Gould began his organized baseball career for the local Buckeye club in 1863 as their regular first baseman, and was still in that role when the club joined the National Association of Base Ball Players
National Association of Base Ball Players
The National Association of Base Ball Players was the first organization governing American baseball. The first, 1857 convention of sixteen New York City clubs...
(NABBP) in 1866. During the off-season, he worked as a bookkeeper for his father's butter and eggs business. His lanky frame and long arms were physical traits that assisted him in becoming a well-regarded fielder, and he was known to rarely make errors.
He stayed with the Buckeyes through the 1866 season, then he joined the cross-town rivals, the Cincinnati Red Stockings
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first fully professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati,...
, for the 1867 season. The Red Stockings, bolstered by players imported from the east coast, defeated the Buckeyes and other regional rivals that summer and fared well against all but the strongest teams on a tour from Washington to Albany to Cleveland in the fall. In September 1867, at the locally held Great Baseball Tournament, he won the prizes for "farthest throw" 302'3 and "best second base".
Known as a hard-working, affable man, and one of the best humored men in the game, he played every game in 1868, and all but one 1869. He fielding prowess was so well known that fellow players began calling him 'the bushel-basket'.
Cincinnati 1869–1870
Harry Wright
William Henry "Harry" Wright was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings...
, kept Gould and three other players from his 1868 team, then filled the rest with eastern players to complete the team. Gould was the only Cincinnatian, and the only 6 feet (1.8 m) player on the team. Cal McVey
Cal McVey
Calvin Alexander McVey was a professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams, the original Cincinnati Red Stockings and the National Association Boston Red Stockings...
was the only other player even from the midwest. Gould's salary for that season was $800, and offensively, batted third in the line-up.
The Red Stockings toured the continent undefeated in 1869 and may have been the strongest team in 1870, but the club dropped professional base ball after the second season.
National Association 1871–1875
Harry Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, where he signed Gould and two other Red Stockings for 1871. Wright brought along the nickname, too. Charlie Gould remained two seasons at first base for the new Boston Red Stockings, so he was part of the club's and Boston's first championship team. In 1872, he led the National AssociationNational Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
in triples with eight. He was replaced for 1873 by Jim O'Rourke who would be one of the biggest stars in the game for the next twenty years.
After four seasons as the regular first baseman on great professional teams, Gould was a marginal player, a regular player only for teams struggling to remain in business, not contend for the championship. Baltimore and New Haven in the last two NA seasons achieved more than some but they were big losers on the field. New Haven made him captain, so he had most of the duties of a modern field manager and he gets manager's credit in the historical record.
National League
Next year the new National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
excluded New Haven but one charter member was a new club in Cincinnati, the Reds
Cincinnati Reds (1876-1880)
The Cincinnati Reds, also known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, were a professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio that played from 1876–1880. The Reds were a charter member of the National League.-History:...
, which hired Charley Gould to lead it. The new Cincinnatis were a woefully weak tailender but the club did survive and Charlie played another season at first, relieved of his leadership role.
Post-career
His playing career had ended after the 1877 season, but not his association with the club. He later became a police officerPolice officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in Cincinnati. Gould died at the age of 69 in Flushing, New York, and is interred in Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit garden cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the second largest cemetery in the United States and is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
in Cincinnati. He gravesite was unmarked until 1951, when Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
President Warren Giles
Warren Giles
Warren Crandall Giles was a National League executive in Major League Baseball.-Baseball:Giles was elected president of the Moline, Illinois baseball club in the Three-I League in 1919 and began a 50-year career in baseball that saw him rise all the way to the presidency of the National League...
launched a successful campaign place a marker, a monument that currently stands.
Referenced materials
- Ellard, Harry ([1908] 2004). Base Ball in Cincinnati: A History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-1726-9
- Guschov, Stephen D. (1998). The Red Stockings of Cincinnati. McFarland. ISBN 0786404671
- Wright, Marshall (2000). The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0779-4