Labatt Park
Encyclopedia
Labatt Memorial Park is a baseball
stadium
near the forks of the Thames River in central London, Ontario
, Canada. It is 8.7 acres (35,207.7 m²) in size, has 5,200 seats and a natural grass field. From home plate to centre field the distance is 402 feet (122.5 m); from home plate to left and right field down the lines, it is 330 feet (100.6 m).
Labatt Park is the "oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world", with a history dating back to 1877. Since December 31, 1936, the park has been owned by the City of London.
On September 7, 2011, Baseball Canada
announced that historic Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, had won its six-week-long, favourite ballpark contest, winning the final round where it went head-to-head with Port Arthur Stadium
in Thunder Bay
, Ontario. During the two-week-long, final round of online voting, where more than 19,000 votes were cast, Labatt Park won with 63 per cent of the vote.
However, Fuller Field in Clinton, Massachusetts
made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in September 2007 as the "world’s oldest continuously used baseball diamond/ field", dating back to 1878—a year after Tecumseh Park-Labatt Park opened in 1877—as Fuller Field's home plate and bases have purportedly remained in the same location since 1878, whereas home plate at Labatt Park has been moved (within the same field) from its original location in 1877.
In September 2008, however, Labatt Park replaced Clinton, Massachusetts' Fuller Field in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records (page 191) as the "World's Oldest Baseball Field." Then on October 10, 2008, Guinness's online record for the World's Oldest Baseball Field was switched back to Fuller Field in Clinton, Massachusetts. World's Oldest Baseball Field
On May 30, 1994, the park was designated by London City Council
under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
as an historic site
via By-Law No. L.S.P.-3237-544, with the ceremonial plaque unveiling at the front gates of the park occurring on July 1 (Canada Day
), 1994, prior to a doubleheader between the London Majors
and Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League
.
The park's designation occurred after a six-month-long lobbying effort spearheaded by the volunteer, non-profit organization
, The Friends of Labatt Park
, which has undertaken a number of initiatives during the past 18 years to enhance and promote the ballpark, its history and ambience.
A possible new stadium for the Montreal Expos
was proposed (to replace the aging Montreal Olympic Stadium which the Expos had called home since the 1970s), also to be named Labatt Park. However, plans for the new stadium were shelved when the necessary public funding could not be secured. http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/labatt.html
's Professor Bill Humber, a noted Canadian baseball historian and author, the site of today's Labatt Park was likely used for recreational games when it was a grassy commons area at the riverforks, prior to becoming Tecumseh Park in 1877.
Baseball's roots are in the immediate area around London. The game of baseball, a derivative of the British
game of rounders
, had probably arrived in the area from nearby Beachville, Ontario, where the world's first recorded baseball game was played in 1838. (See Baseball Before We Knew It
and Origins of baseball
for other possible origins).
This is the world's oldest baseball park.
Baseball Club in 1868 ultimately led to the creation of Tecumseh Park in 1877. According to the London Advertiser of May 4, 1877, the first game at the new baseball park was held on May 3, 1877, with a contest between the London Tecumsehs and its junior team, the London Atlantics. The Tecumsehs won 5-1.
To wit: "The first regular game of baseball of the season was played yesterday afternoon in the presence of fully a thousand people. The new grounds are the most complete of every respect of any of the kind in Canada, and but few American cities have a convenient playing field."
On May 4, 1877, the Tecumsehs met the Hartfords of Brooklyn in their first International league game. Phil Powers, the Tecumsehs' star catcher, was out with a broken finger. The London nine were defeated 6-2.
On May 24, 1877, before 8,000 fans, the National League champion Boston Red Stockings
played the London Tecumsehs of the fledgling International Association
with its star pitcher and later Chicago White Stocking stalwart, Fred Goldsmith. Boston narrowly defeated London, 7-6.
Created by London china merchant W.J. Reid, Tecumseh Park was named after the Shawnee
Chief Tecumseh
who fought alongside the British during the War of 1812
and who died in the Battle of the Thames
near Chatham, Ontario
, in October 1813.
Jacob Englehart, the Cleveland-born oil tycoon, a future vice president of Imperial Oil
and the Tecumseh's president/principal owner, moved the team to Tecumseh Park in 1877.
Englehart soon began looking for professional players from the U.S., later signing four Americans:
Goldsmith's first complete game with the Tecumsehs occurred on May 24, 1876, when London played Guelph Maple Leafs before 6,000 spectators at the old Fair Grounds (southeast corner of Wellington and Pall Mall streets in London), a contest that London won 8-7 in 10 innings, largely due to Goldsmith's "scientific pitching", using his innovative "skew ball."
After the Tecumsehs, Goldsmith went on to pitch for the Troy, New York
Trojans in 1879, National League
's Chicago White Stockings
from 1880 to 1884 and the American Association
's Baltimore Orioles
, also in 1884.
In addition to Englehart, the Tecumsehs' back-room movers and shakers consisted of London newspaperman Harry Gorman; Ed Moore, manager of the Tecumseh House; Richard Meredith, a future chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario; William Southam
, who was to found Southam News and to add an egalitarian touch, Jim Jury, a custodian at the collegiate institute.
The following year in 1877, the Tecumsehs played in the International Association
, a rival of the National League
. That year, the Tecumsehs defeated the National League's Boston Red Stockings
in an exhibition game at Tecumseh Park and later in the season they defeated the Pittsburgh Alleghenies 5-2 to win the International Association pennant. More than 6,000 people attended London's pennant-winning game in a park built to seat 600.
After the season, the Tecumsehs were offered membership in the National League, but declined. The Tecusmsehs subsequently folded on August 22, 1878, due to financial difficulties compounded by a questionable game lost by the Tecumsehs and the International Association floundered a few years later. Both were resurrected in 1888 and 1889.
Among its more notable stars in 1888 was outfielder Patsy Donovan
who went on to an outstanding career in Major League Baseball
as both a player and a manager.
The Tecumsehs also played at the park pre- and post-1920, with Charlie (Mechanical Man) Gehringer
playing with the 1921-1924 Tecumsehs before he went on to a stellar career with the Detroit Tigers
. Gehringer was subsequently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
.
American baseball historians Bill Weiss
and Marshall Wright
have placed the 1920 London Tecumsehs on the list of the Top 100 Minor League Baseball Teams of all-time—coming in at #52, with a record of 86 wins and 32 losses.
On September 15, 1920, with Ty Cobb
in the lineup, the Detroit Tigers defeated the London Tecumsehs 5-4 before 3,000 people at Tecumseh Park in exhibition baseball. Reserved seating for the game was $1.
The 1920 Tecumsehs clinched the first-place pennant with 15 games to play and London led the Michigan-Ontario league in attendance, with an astonishing 100,686 people watching them play.
On May 9, 1921, under manager George (Mooney) Gibson, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the London Tecumsehs 8-7 at Tecumseh Park before 3,500 people in an exhibition baseball game. Before the game, Gibson and his team were presented with a silver loving cup by the London Kiwanis Club. Gibson thrilled the locals by catching the opening inning with his 1909 World Series
-winning battery mate Babe Adams
and singling and scoring a run in his lone at-bat. London Mayor Sid Little
entertained the team that evening at his home.
On September 14, 1921, the Tecumsehs won the Michigan-Ontario Baseball League championship, 1-0 over Bay City, Michigan
, before 1,000 people at Tecumseh Park. London scored its lone run in the first inning when third baseman Doc Shay, playing his first game of the series because of illness, tripled and scores on a sacrifice fly. In three games of the series, London pitcher Frank Herbst of London allowed six hits and only one run in 33 innings. London advanced against Ludington, Michigan
, champions of the Central League.
On September 28, 1921, London won the best-of-seven series against Ludington 4-3, taking Game 7 10-7 at Grand Rapids, Mich. The Tecumsehs were down 3-1 in the series. A few days later, London manager Buzz Wetzel
was presented with a gold watch to commemorate the win. The normally reserved Wetzel spoke, saying, "I tried to do what was right and give you the best I had and I honestly believe that the fans here have a right to be proud of their baseball team."
On May 23, 1923, Washington's pitching ace Walter Johnson
was in uniform but did not pitch as the Washington Senators
defeated the Tecumsehs 13-9 in an exhibition baseball game at Tecumseh Park.
One of the early stars to emerge from Tecumseh Park was London West resident, George Gibson, a young bricklayer-homebuilder turned catcher who enjoyed a lengthy playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates
, winning the World Series
in 1909 by beating Ty Cobb
's Detroit Tigers. When he arrived back at the train station in his hometown on October 27, 1909, there were more than 5,000 cheering fans to greet him. London, at the time, had approximately 35,000 residents.
Gibson played in the Major Leagues until 1918, 12 years with the Pirates and two years with the New York Giants
, appearing in 1,213 games.
Gibson first signed a pro contract in 1903 and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates two years later. He had a strong throwing arm and led National League catchers in fielding percentage several times. Known as a developer of young pitchers, Gibson later managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
in 1919, the Pirates (1920–1922, 1932–1934) and the Chicago Cubs
(1925).
He was named Canada's baseball player of the half century and in 1958 was the first baseball player elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He was subsequently inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
& Museum in 1987 and was one of the inaugural 10 inductees into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Beginning in 1892 the park was used for amateur and professional bicycle
races, attracting such international stars as Harley Davidson (the Canadian Wheelman, a late-19th century cycling magazine was started and published in London).
Baseball continued to be played there as well, with three more incarnations of the Tecumsehs in the International Association (1888–1889), the International League (1890), and the Canadian League (1898–1900), with the London Alerts, also of the Canadian League, playing in 1897 and 1899. Meanwhile, in 1895 the park was the site of the first-ever motion picture display in London, organized by the London Bicycle Club.
The London Cockneys played in the Class D International League in 1908 and the Class C Canadian League in 1911, while another Tecumsehs club played in the Class C and Class B Leagues from 1912 to 1915. It was during this period that Earle Neale played baseball at Labatt Park before he started his career in the Big Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds
in 1916, later becoming an award-winning and innovative football coach in American pro football.
The Tecumsehs played in the Class B Michigan-Ontario League from 1919 to 1924, and during the early 1920s, the team included future Major League
second-base star Charlie Gehringer
. Gehringer and the Tecumsehs defeated the Boston Red Sox
in an exhibition game, also in 1921. A second London team, the Indians, played in the Michigan-Ontario League in 1925. The Tecumsehs also played in the Class D Ontario League in 1930.
In 1940 and 1941, the London Pirates played in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, more commonly known as the PONY League. It was during this period that lights were installed at Labatt Park to permit night baseball. The 1941 Pirates team included pitcher Russ Getsinger and future Major Leaguers such as Jim Jordan and Vic Barnhart
. Vic's brother Bob Barnhart was also a teammate on the 1941 London Pirates. Vic's father Clyde Barnhart
was a star with the Pittsburgh Pirates
throughout the 1920s including the 1925 and 1927 World Series teams.
Negro
teams from the U.S., plus a much-celebrated visit by legendary African-American pitcher Satchel Paige
on June 30, 1954, when Paige was barnstorming with a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters
. Paige pitched the last three innings of an exhibition game against another legendary barnstorming ream—The House of David baseball team, who all sported beards and long hair and travelled with their own generator-powered lights (before Labatt Park installed lights in the 1940s), which featured noted baseball clown, Frank (Bobo) Nickerson.
As of October 1, 1923, The London Colored Stars, a Negro baseball team, had won 15 of 19 games and announced they "are looking for more engagements."
Additionally, numerous former players with the Negro Leagues played in the Senior Intercounty Baseball League
after the Negro Leagues gradually folded after Jackie Robinson broke the "colour barrier" in 1947, including pitcher Ted Alexander of the Kansas City Monarchs
and the Homestead Grays
(1950-51 London Majors
); Wilmer Fields
(Brantford Red Sox
); Jimmy Wilkes (retired jersey #5 for the Brantford Red Sox, later became a City league umpire after a decade with Brantford); Gentry (Geep) Jessup (Galt Terriers); Larry Cunningham (Galt Terriers, Hamilton Cardinals); Ed Steele (Galt) and Shanty Clifford (Galt and Brantford); Luther Clifford; Max Manning; Lester Lockett; Bob Thurman and Stanley Glenn
(St. Thomas Elgins
); all made numerous appearances at Labatt Park in the 1950s.
The late Wilmer (The Great) Fields is a former president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Association (NLBPA), while Stanley (Doc) Glenn is currently the president of the NLBPA.
A treasure-trove of information about early Canadian/Ontario "base ball" surfaced in 2002 when Library and Archives Canada
purchased (for $10,000 from an Ottawa, Ontario, bookseller) Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1876 and Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1877, two hand-coloured, 75-page booklets published by William Bryce of London, Ontario, which originally sold for a dime.
The two, four-inch (102 mm) by seven-inch guides are considered to be the first significant publications on Canadian baseball.
Bryce, a Scottish-born bookseller, news agent and sporting goods distributor in London, had a small stake in the Tecumsehs, considered by many to be the finest ball team in the entire Dominion of Canada.
During U.S. President George W. Bush
's visit to the Library and Archives Canada building on November 30, 2004, he showed a special interest in these two early Canadian base ball books which were laid out for his perusal. See here
entranceway that was demolished in the early 1980s).
According to Mooney Gibson's nephew, George Lambourn, a noted baseball historian in his own right, the residence at 25 Wilson Avenue was the home of the park's cranky caretaker, Jakey Butts, which was destroyed by the Thames River flood of 1937.
This devastating flood damaged the park again, necessitating the construction of the park's third grandstand (1937–2001) and a new clubhouse, with the local Labatt Brewing Company
donating $10,000 to renovate the park, as well as deeding the park itself to the City of London on December 31, 1936, with the written provisions that the park remain a public athletic park in perpetuity
and that it be renamed "The John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park."
From a sociological-historical perspective, it could be argued that the name change from Tecumseh Park to Labatt Memorial Park highlights the dramatic shift from 19th-Century colonial
Canada (where the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was immortalized throughout Canada for aiding the British in the War of 1812) to more modern times where businesses such as the Labatt Brewing Company
exercised considerable influence on the cultural fabric of the day.
At the end of August during the 1950s, Labatt Park annually hosted athletes from across the city's playgrounds competing in a variety of sports during a two- to three-day event, called the "Junior Olympiad." (A P.U.C. Playground Supervisor's Reunion was held on June 24, 2006, at the City-owned Thames Valley Golf Course.)
(1918–1983).
In 1936, Frank Colman started out at Labatt Park with the London Majors of the Senior Intercounty Baseball League, winning the Most Valuable Player
award, batting title and Intercounty Baseball League championship. Colman was 25 when he broke into the major leagues as a right fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing with them from 1942 through 1946, before he moved to New York to play with the Yankees. He played with the Yankees in 1946 and 1947, where he roomed with Yankee catcher Yogi Berra
. He finished his six-year major league career with 571 at-bats, 15 home runs and 106 RBIs.
Colman returned to London in 1954 after playing in the minor leagues and being the player/coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
from 1951-1953. He bought the London Majors and, as player/ owner, won the Intercounty League title in 1956 and the Great Lakes championship in 1957 before returning to the Intercounty League in 1958 and selling the team in 1959.
Colman is also a co-founder of the Eager Beaver Baseball Association
(EBBA) in London which has provided competitive league play for thousands of youngsters since its founding in 1955. In 1984, a year after Colman's death, the EBBA's all-star day in mid-July was renamed "Frank Colman Day."
Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
& Museum in 1999 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
In a letter to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, Yogi Berra wrote that he visited Colman at his home in Canada on several occasions.
"I've made a lot of friends in baseball through the years, but I'll always remember Frank as one of the most decent and genuine people that I ever met", Berra wrote. "I was proud that he was my friend."
Tom Burgess first signed a pro contract with St. Louis in 1946 and played right field and first base for the St. Louis Cardinals
from 1954 to 1961 and right field and first base for the Los Angeles Angels from 1962–1963.
Since 1968, Burgess has been involved in Major League Baseball
in a variety of managing, coaching and instructor capacities with several organizations, including the St. Louis Cardinals from 1968 to 1975, the New York Mets from 1976 to 1977, the Texas Rangers from 1980 to 1984, the Detroit Tigers from 1985 to 1987, the Kansas City Royals
from 1987 to 1995. From 1996 to the present day, Burgess has been an instructor with both Baseball Canada and the Ontario Baseball Association. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in 1992 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
-Ontario
Women's Fastball League into the 1950s. In 1943 and 1944, the London Army Team won the Canadian Sandlot title.
Shortly after World War II
Labatt Park was the home of the London Majors
, which won the Canadian Sandlot Congress in 1947 and the Can-Am Baseball Congress championship in 1948, beating the Fort Wayne, Indiana
, General Electrics in a best-of-seven-game series at Labatt Park, as well as winning the Canadian, Ontario and Intercounty titles.
-winning pitcher Denny McLain
had retired from the major leagues (two years earlier), McLain played a season for the London Majors, restricting himself to home games at Labatt Park. Due to arm problems, however, McLain only pitched nine innings for the Majors, but did play in 14 games at either shortstop, first base and catcher and batted .380, including hitting two homers in one game in London.
After Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Fergie Jenkins pitched his final major league game on September 26, 1983, London Majors' owner-player Arden Eddie
convinced Jenkins to pitch for the Majors in 1984-85, commuting from his home near Chatham, Ontario
. The Canadian-born Jenkins is one of the few MLB players to have been inducted into both the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in Cooperstown, New York
and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in St.Marys, Ontario, Canada.
affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
was established by investors/ Board of Directors, President Dan Ross, Vice President Mike Tucker, Vice President and General Manager Bob Gilson, Vice President and Assistant General Manager General Manager Bill Wilkinson and Vice President Brian Costello
.
Immediately prior to the London Tigers' inaugural season at Labatt Park in 1989, numerous improvements were completed at the park costing approximately $1-million for new lights, new dressing rooms and dug outs, additional seating, field and entrance upgrades, food concession enhancements and a new 40 feet (12.2 m)-by-19-foot electronic scoreboard (partially sponsored by Labatt Breweries). Previously, the scoreboard was changed manually. In 1990, Labatt Park and its head groundkeeper Mike Regan, won the prestigious "Beam Clay Award" as the best natural-grass field in North America.
Broadcasting the Tigers' games on TV London with veteran local sportscaster Pete James were former Tiger greats Mickey Lolich
and later, Denny McLain
.
The 1990 London Tigers
won the Eastern League title under manager Chris Chambliss
(one of the Tigers' players was Travis Fryman
), but the Tom Runnells
-managed Tigers relocated to Trenton, New Jersey
after the 1993 season, citing declining attendance.
On January 20, 1990, In Houston, Texas
, Labatt Park was named the "Beam Clay Baseball Diamond of the Year" for "excellence and professionalism in maintaining an outstanding professional baseball diamond" -- due to the outstanding groundskeeping work of City of London employee/supervisor, Mike Regan.
The park was considered for the filming of the 1992 movie A League of Their Own
starring Madonna
and Geena Davis
, but filming could not fit around the home schedule of the Double A London Tigers
of the Eastern League
.
The London Werewolves
of the fledgling Frontier League
played at the park from 1999 to 2001, winning the Frontier League championship in 1999; Werewolves pitcher Brett Gray tossed 25 strikeouts on June 3, 2000 (home opener), against the Chillicothe (Ohio)
Paints. The game's scorecard and Brett Gray's jersey were donated to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
& Museum in St. Marys, Ontario
, by Werewolves' General Manager John Kuhn.
In 2000, former MLB star Ron LeFlore
was hired as the manager of the Cook County Cheetahs of the Frontier League, visiting Labatt Park several times during the season.
In 2001 after the circa-1937 main grandstand was demolished and a new, $1.97-million, wheelchair-accessible main grandstand was built (the park's fourth) and a new "pop-up" underground irrigation system was installed, the park was used as the chief baseball venue for the Canada Summer Games.
In 2003 the park was also home to the London Monarchs
of the short-lived Canadian Baseball League
, which folded mid-season due to financial difficulties. The team's manager was former Major Leaguer Willie Wilson
and featured such stars as first-baseman Francisco Cabrera
and pitcher Amaury Telemaco
. The league's inaugural game and homeopener for the London Monarchs was held at Labatt Park on May 21, 2003, and was televised nationally on The Score. It also featured a fly-over by the Canadian Snowbirds
flying team. League Commissioner Fergie Jenkins was also in attendance.
, softball
, high-school and men's football, track and field
, wrestling
, boxing
, winter skating, political rallies, showjumping, civic receptions, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) Musical Ride
and a 21-gun salute
to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
during her visit to London's Victoria Park
on June 26, 1997.
Currently, the park is home to the London Majors
of the Intercounty League
and the London Badgers junior team, as well as several other youth and adult baseball teams. The UWO Mustangs
Baseball Club managed by former London Majors/AA London Tigers/AAA Toldedo Mud Hens pitcher Mike Lumley is using the park during the 2006 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) baseball season (in 2005, the Mustangs won the OUA baseball title at Labatt Park for the first time, beating Brock University
) Badgers in the final best-of-three championship series. The Western Mustangs repeated as OUA champs in 2006, beating Brock two games to nothing (7-4, 5-0) at Labatt Park on October 21.
It should also be noted that Ted Giannoulas, aka "The Famous Chicken" sports mascot, was born and raised in London, Ontario, and during the years 1965 to 1967 worked part-time at Labatt Park during baseball games changing the old manual scoreboard in right field for 25 cents a game.
who died on Christmas Day in 1995, six months after falling on the porch of his Waterloo Street home. Subsequently, a large commemorative rock and bronze plaque honouring Roy McKay, jersey #16, was installed at the front of the clubhouse.
See a photo of the Roy McKay Clubhouse here.
To help raise money for a new cedar-shingle roof on the historic clubhouse, a ballgame dubbed "The Rumble at the Riverforks" was played at the park on May 31, 1998, featuring members of London city council, members of the local media and the London Majors' oldtimers. The game was organized by The Friends of Labatt Park
, SCENE magazine and the London Majors.
On June 18, 2005, veteran Intercounty umpire Joe Serratore was married to bride Bren Ferguson at home plate before 200 friends and family members, with United Church minister Reverend Susan Eagle (who's also a member of London city council) officiating. The home-plate wedding is believed to be a first for the ballpark.
In 2006, London photo-historian Stephen Harding spent two days photographing the interior and exterior of the Roy McKay Clubhouse and presented his photos/ report to the City's heritage planner as City staff formulate plans to make additional repairs to the 70-year-old structure.
TV-commercials at Labatt Park, that subsequently ran during post-season play of Major League Baseball
(MLB), starting on October 11. The commercials, which spoofed the ongoing steroid scandal in MLB had players "caught" using a "performance-enhancing substance" -- milk. The commercials were titled "Caught," "Batting Practice," "Tabloid," "Never Poured" and "Manager." The commercial "Never Poured" was shortlisted at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
. From the get-go, MLB demanded that the commercials be taken off the air, but the popular commercials were subsequently re-released in December 2007 and ran through January 2008.
The humorous commercials continued to run during the Chicago White Sox
-Houston Astros
World Series
, won in 4 straight games by Chicago. An on-line poll on a Houston, Texas
-based Web site revealed that 75 per cent of more than 23,000 poll respondents found the commercials to be funny and wanted them left on the air.
. The print run of the calendars is 150,000.
Roadway Express is also the sponsor of the "Times of Greatness" interactive, 53 feet (16.2 m)-long museum travelling coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada every year, showcasing Negro League history and artifacts. Roadway Express is also a sponsor of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
in Kansas City, Missouri
.
Bob Paige, a longtime driver for Roadway Express, is the son of Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Satchel Paige
, who made a much-publicized visit to Labatt Park on June 30, 1954.
), 2006, London held its second annual Baseball Day, organized by the City of London, The Friends of Labatt Park, Fanshawe Pioneer Village, the London Majors Baseball Club, the London Oldtimers' Sports Association, the London and District Baseball Association and the London Sports Council.
The day featured an open, drop-in baseball clinic with the London Majors, historical displays in the Roy McKay Clubhouse, a 1923 Wurlitzer
Military Band Organ (restored and owned and operated by Ken Vinen of Aylmer, Ontario
), a vintage base ball game between Fanshawe Pioneer Village's London Tecumsehs and Bruce Huff's Thames River Ratz (the Ratz won 15-3), a pitch, hit and run competition and a doubleheader between the London Majors and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League (London won both games, 9-1 and 3-2). The scheduled fireworks
(courtesy of the City of London) after the game over the adjacent riverforks were cancelled due to high winds. Instead, they were set off the following night on July 2.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
near the forks of the Thames River in central London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada. It is 8.7 acres (35,207.7 m²) in size, has 5,200 seats and a natural grass field. From home plate to centre field the distance is 402 feet (122.5 m); from home plate to left and right field down the lines, it is 330 feet (100.6 m).
Labatt Park is the "oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world", with a history dating back to 1877. Since December 31, 1936, the park has been owned by the City of London.
On September 7, 2011, Baseball Canada
Baseball Canada
Baseball Canada is the governing body for Baseball in Canada. Incorporated in 1964 as the Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball, it is made up of 10 provincial associations which represent players, coaches, and umpires across Canada...
announced that historic Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, had won its six-week-long, favourite ballpark contest, winning the final round where it went head-to-head with Port Arthur Stadium
Port Arthur Stadium
Port Arthur Stadium is a stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is exclusively used for baseball and is the home of the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League. The ballpark has a capacity of 3,031 people and seats 2,581, and was opened in 1951....
in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario. During the two-week-long, final round of online voting, where more than 19,000 votes were cast, Labatt Park won with 63 per cent of the vote.
However, Fuller Field in Clinton, Massachusetts
Clinton, Massachusetts
Clinton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,606 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Clinton, please see the article Clinton , Massachusetts....
made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in September 2007 as the "world’s oldest continuously used baseball diamond/ field", dating back to 1878—a year after Tecumseh Park-Labatt Park opened in 1877—as Fuller Field's home plate and bases have purportedly remained in the same location since 1878, whereas home plate at Labatt Park has been moved (within the same field) from its original location in 1877.
In September 2008, however, Labatt Park replaced Clinton, Massachusetts' Fuller Field in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records (page 191) as the "World's Oldest Baseball Field." Then on October 10, 2008, Guinness's online record for the World's Oldest Baseball Field was switched back to Fuller Field in Clinton, Massachusetts. World's Oldest Baseball Field
On May 30, 1994, the park was designated by London City Council
London City Council
London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.-Composition:One Councillor represents each of the 14 city wards along with the Mayor,Joe Fontana resulting in a 15-member city council....
under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
as an historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
via By-Law No. L.S.P.-3237-544, with the ceremonial plaque unveiling at the front gates of the park occurring on July 1 (Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
), 1994, prior to a doubleheader between the London Majors
London Majors
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario...
and Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League
Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League is a semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
.
The park's designation occurred after a six-month-long lobbying effort spearheaded by the volunteer, non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, The Friends of Labatt Park
Friends of Labatt Park
Friends of Labatt Park is a grassroots, non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to "promoting and enhancing Labatt Park in London, Ontario, Canada, as the world's oldest baseball grounds in continuous use in its original location since 1877."...
, which has undertaken a number of initiatives during the past 18 years to enhance and promote the ballpark, its history and ambience.
A possible new stadium for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
was proposed (to replace the aging Montreal Olympic Stadium which the Expos had called home since the 1970s), also to be named Labatt Park. However, plans for the new stadium were shelved when the necessary public funding could not be secured. http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/labatt.html
Commons area at the riverforks
According to Seneca CollegeSeneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
's Professor Bill Humber, a noted Canadian baseball historian and author, the site of today's Labatt Park was likely used for recreational games when it was a grassy commons area at the riverforks, prior to becoming Tecumseh Park in 1877.
Baseball's roots are in the immediate area around London. The game of baseball, a derivative of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
game of rounders
Rounders
Rounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
, had probably arrived in the area from nearby Beachville, Ontario, where the world's first recorded baseball game was played in 1838. (See Baseball Before We Knew It
Baseball Before We Knew It
Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game is a 2005 book by David Block about the history of baseball. Block looks into the early history of baseball, the debates about baseballs beginnings, and presents new evidence...
and Origins of baseball
Origins of baseball
The question of the origins of baseball has been the subject of debate and controversy for more than a century. Baseball and the other modern bat, ball and running games, cricket and rounders, were developed from earlier folk games....
for other possible origins).
This is the world's oldest baseball park.
London Tecumsehs
The founding of the London TecumsehsLondon Tecumsehs
The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's 1856 London directory, consisted of officers J.K. Brown,...
Baseball Club in 1868 ultimately led to the creation of Tecumseh Park in 1877. According to the London Advertiser of May 4, 1877, the first game at the new baseball park was held on May 3, 1877, with a contest between the London Tecumsehs and its junior team, the London Atlantics. The Tecumsehs won 5-1.
To wit: "The first regular game of baseball of the season was played yesterday afternoon in the presence of fully a thousand people. The new grounds are the most complete of every respect of any of the kind in Canada, and but few American cities have a convenient playing field."
On May 4, 1877, the Tecumsehs met the Hartfords of Brooklyn in their first International league game. Phil Powers, the Tecumsehs' star catcher, was out with a broken finger. The London nine were defeated 6-2.
On May 24, 1877, before 8,000 fans, the National League champion Boston Red Stockings
Boston Red Stockings
The color red has been used in the names and commonly in the uniforms of several professional baseball teams in Boston, Massachusetts.* Boston's first professional baseball club was established 1871 by Boston businessman Ivers Whitney Adams, and was nicknamed the Boston Red Stockings....
played the London Tecumsehs of the fledgling International Association
International Association
The International Association of Professional Base Ball Players was the name for two separate Canadian-American baseball leagues that operated from 1877 through 1880 and also from 1888 until 1890...
with its star pitcher and later Chicago White Stocking stalwart, Fred Goldsmith. Boston narrowly defeated London, 7-6.
Created by London china merchant W.J. Reid, Tecumseh Park was named after the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
Chief Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
who fought alongside the British during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and who died in the Battle of the Thames
Battle of the Thames
The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was a decisive American victory in the War of 1812. It took place on October 5, 1813, near present-day Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada...
near Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
, in October 1813.
Jacob Englehart, the Cleveland-born oil tycoon, a future vice president of Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock...
and the Tecumseh's president/principal owner, moved the team to Tecumseh Park in 1877.
Englehart soon began looking for professional players from the U.S., later signing four Americans:
- first-baseman/manager George "Juice" Latham
- pitcher Fred Goldsmith of New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
(believed by many to be the co-inventor of the curveballCurveballThe curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
along with Candy CummingsCandy CummingsWilliam Arthur "Candy" Cummings was a professional baseball pitcher in the National Association and National League who was credited with inventing the curveball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.-Career:...
of Ware, MassachusettsWare, MassachusettsWare is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,707 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Ware....
) - catcher Phil PowersPhil PowersPhil Powers is an English professional wrestler, who has worked on the United Kingdom's independent circuit for over 14 years. His real name is Phil Poll.-Career:...
and - infielder/outfielder Joe HornungJoe HornungMichael Joseph Hornung was an American baseball player and one the greatest fielders of the 19th century...
(nicknamed "Dutchy" and "Ubbo Ubbo") from Carthage, New YorkCarthage, New YorkCarthage is a village located in the Town of Wilna in Jefferson County, New York. The population was 3,721 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the historic Carthage in North Africa....
.
Goldsmith's first complete game with the Tecumsehs occurred on May 24, 1876, when London played Guelph Maple Leafs before 6,000 spectators at the old Fair Grounds (southeast corner of Wellington and Pall Mall streets in London), a contest that London won 8-7 in 10 innings, largely due to Goldsmith's "scientific pitching", using his innovative "skew ball."
After the Tecumsehs, Goldsmith went on to pitch for the Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
Trojans in 1879, 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...
's Chicago White Stockings
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
from 1880 to 1884 and the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
's Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, also in 1884.
In addition to Englehart, the Tecumsehs' back-room movers and shakers consisted of London newspaperman Harry Gorman; Ed Moore, manager of the Tecumseh House; Richard Meredith, a future chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario; William Southam
William Southam
William Southam was a Canadian newspaper publisher. Born in Montreal, Quebec, he began his newspaper career working for the London Free Press. The first newspaper he bought was the Hamilton Spectator...
, who was to found Southam News and to add an egalitarian touch, Jim Jury, a custodian at the collegiate institute.
The following year in 1877, the Tecumsehs played in the International Association
International Association
The International Association of Professional Base Ball Players was the name for two separate Canadian-American baseball leagues that operated from 1877 through 1880 and also from 1888 until 1890...
, a rival 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...
. That year, the Tecumsehs defeated the National League's Boston Red Stockings
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in an exhibition game at Tecumseh Park and later in the season they defeated the Pittsburgh Alleghenies 5-2 to win the International Association pennant. More than 6,000 people attended London's pennant-winning game in a park built to seat 600.
After the season, the Tecumsehs were offered membership in the National League, but declined. The Tecusmsehs subsequently folded on August 22, 1878, due to financial difficulties compounded by a questionable game lost by the Tecumsehs and the International Association floundered a few years later. Both were resurrected in 1888 and 1889.
Among its more notable stars in 1888 was outfielder Patsy Donovan
Patsy Donovan
Patrick Joseph "Patsy" Donovan was an Irish-American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from to , most notably the Pittsburgh Pirates and St...
who went on to an outstanding career in 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...
as both a player and a manager.
The Tecumsehs also played at the park pre- and post-1920, with Charlie (Mechanical Man) Gehringer
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers...
playing with the 1921-1924 Tecumsehs before he went on to a stellar career with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. Gehringer was subsequently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
.
American baseball historians Bill Weiss
Bill Weiss
Bill Weiss is a baseball historian and statistician. He has served as the official statistician for the Pacific Coast League, and edited a weekly newsletter for the California League for over thirty years. For over forty years, he created sketchbooks which eventually covered over 200 books about...
and Marshall Wright
Marshall Wright
Marshall Wright is a baseball historian. Born in LaGrange IL and raised in North Riverside, Illinois, he resides in Lake Geneva, WI.Wright graduated from the Bill Kinnamon Umpire School in 1980. He has been an employee of Howe Sportsdata since 1994.He has written several books on the history of...
have placed the 1920 London Tecumsehs on the list of the Top 100 Minor League Baseball Teams of all-time—coming in at #52, with a record of 86 wins and 32 losses.
On September 15, 1920, with Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
in the lineup, the Detroit Tigers defeated the London Tecumsehs 5-4 before 3,000 people at Tecumseh Park in exhibition baseball. Reserved seating for the game was $1.
The 1920 Tecumsehs clinched the first-place pennant with 15 games to play and London led the Michigan-Ontario league in attendance, with an astonishing 100,686 people watching them play.
On May 9, 1921, under manager George (Mooney) Gibson, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the London Tecumsehs 8-7 at Tecumseh Park before 3,500 people in an exhibition baseball game. Before the game, Gibson and his team were presented with a silver loving cup by the London Kiwanis Club. Gibson thrilled the locals by catching the opening inning with his 1909 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
-winning battery mate Babe Adams
Babe Adams
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
and singling and scoring a run in his lone at-bat. London Mayor Sid Little
Edgar Sydney Little
Edgar Sydney Little was a Canadian politician.The son of Colonel John William Little and Kate Nicholson Little, he was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He was the fifth boy out of seven. The family lived at 245 Dufferin Avenue, across from Centre Park, now known as Victoria Park. Their home is...
entertained the team that evening at his home.
On September 14, 1921, the Tecumsehs won the Michigan-Ontario Baseball League championship, 1-0 over Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
, before 1,000 people at Tecumseh Park. London scored its lone run in the first inning when third baseman Doc Shay, playing his first game of the series because of illness, tripled and scores on a sacrifice fly. In three games of the series, London pitcher Frank Herbst of London allowed six hits and only one run in 33 innings. London advanced against Ludington, Michigan
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
, champions of the Central League.
On September 28, 1921, London won the best-of-seven series against Ludington 4-3, taking Game 7 10-7 at Grand Rapids, Mich. The Tecumsehs were down 3-1 in the series. A few days later, London manager Buzz Wetzel
Buzz Wetzel
Charles Edward Wetzel was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Philadelphia Athletics during the season. Listed at 6' 1", 162 lb., Wetzel batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Jay, Oklahoma.Little is known about this player on an Athletics uniform...
was presented with a gold watch to commemorate the win. The normally reserved Wetzel spoke, saying, "I tried to do what was right and give you the best I had and I honestly believe that the fans here have a right to be proud of their baseball team."
On May 23, 1923, Washington's pitching ace Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
was in uniform but did not pitch as the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
defeated the Tecumsehs 13-9 in an exhibition baseball game at Tecumseh Park.
George (Mooney) Gibson
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, winning the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1909 by beating Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
's Detroit Tigers. When he arrived back at the train station in his hometown on October 27, 1909, there were more than 5,000 cheering fans to greet him. London, at the time, had approximately 35,000 residents.
Gibson played in the Major Leagues until 1918, 12 years with the Pirates and two years with the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, appearing in 1,213 games.
Gibson first signed a pro contract in 1903 and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates two years later. He had a strong throwing arm and led National League catchers in fielding percentage several times. Known as a developer of young pitchers, Gibson later managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in 1919, the Pirates (1920–1922, 1932–1934) and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1925).
He was named Canada's baseball player of the half century and in 1958 was the first baseball player elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He was subsequently inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
& Museum in 1987 and was one of the inaugural 10 inductees into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Thames River flood of 1883
Tecumseh Park was damaged by a flood of the Thames River on July 11, 1883 which destroyed the original grandstands, located near today's outfield foul ball lines. Originally, home plate was located in today's left-centre field. The new replacement grandstand (1883–1937) was built facing east toward downtown London, with home plate moved to approximately the same location as it is today.Beginning in 1892 the park was used for amateur and professional bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
races, attracting such international stars as Harley Davidson (the Canadian Wheelman, a late-19th century cycling magazine was started and published in London).
Baseball continued to be played there as well, with three more incarnations of the Tecumsehs in the International Association (1888–1889), the International League (1890), and the Canadian League (1898–1900), with the London Alerts, also of the Canadian League, playing in 1897 and 1899. Meanwhile, in 1895 the park was the site of the first-ever motion picture display in London, organized by the London Bicycle Club.
The London Cockneys played in the Class D International League in 1908 and the Class C Canadian League in 1911, while another Tecumsehs club played in the Class C and Class B Leagues from 1912 to 1915. It was during this period that Earle Neale played baseball at Labatt Park before he started his career in the Big Leagues with the 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....
in 1916, later becoming an award-winning and innovative football coach in American pro football.
The Tecumsehs played in the Class B Michigan-Ontario League from 1919 to 1924, and during the early 1920s, the team included future Major League
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...
second-base star Charlie Gehringer
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers...
. Gehringer and the Tecumsehs defeated the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in an exhibition game, also in 1921. A second London team, the Indians, played in the Michigan-Ontario League in 1925. The Tecumsehs also played in the Class D Ontario League in 1930.
In 1940 and 1941, the London Pirates played in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, more commonly known as the PONY League. It was during this period that lights were installed at Labatt Park to permit night baseball. The 1941 Pirates team included pitcher Russ Getsinger and future Major Leaguers such as Jim Jordan and Vic Barnhart
Vic Barnhart
Victor Dee Barnhart was an American professional baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League for parts of three season spanning 1944-1946. Born in Hagerstown, Maryland his father was Clyde Barnhart who had also played for the Pirates. In three season in the Major...
. Vic's brother Bob Barnhart was also a teammate on the 1941 London Pirates. Vic's father Clyde Barnhart
Clyde Barnhart
Clyde Lee Barnhart , is a former right-handed outfielder and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
was a star with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
throughout the 1920s including the 1925 and 1927 World Series teams.
Negro Leagues and other players
During the first half of the 20th Century, Labatt Park (Tecumseh Park until December 31, 1936) was regularly visited by numerous barnstormingBarnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
teams from the U.S., plus a much-celebrated visit by legendary African-American pitcher Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
on June 30, 1954, when Paige was barnstorming with a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
. Paige pitched the last three innings of an exhibition game against another legendary barnstorming ream—The House of David baseball team, who all sported beards and long hair and travelled with their own generator-powered lights (before Labatt Park installed lights in the 1940s), which featured noted baseball clown, Frank (Bobo) Nickerson.
As of October 1, 1923, The London Colored Stars, a Negro baseball team, had won 15 of 19 games and announced they "are looking for more engagements."
Additionally, numerous former players with the Negro Leagues played in the Senior Intercounty Baseball League
Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League is a semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
after the Negro Leagues gradually folded after Jackie Robinson broke the "colour barrier" in 1947, including pitcher Ted Alexander of the Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
and the Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
(1950-51 London Majors
London Majors
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario...
); Wilmer Fields
Wilmer Fields
Wilmer Leon Fields was a pitcher and third baseman in baseball's Negro Leagues. Wilmer was often referred to as "Red" or Wilmer "The Great" Fields.Fields was born in Manassas, Virginia....
(Brantford Red Sox
Brantford Red Sox
The Brantford Red Sox are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League based in Brantford, Ontario. They play their home games at Arnold Anderson Stadium.-History:...
); Jimmy Wilkes (retired jersey #5 for the Brantford Red Sox, later became a City league umpire after a decade with Brantford); Gentry (Geep) Jessup (Galt Terriers); Larry Cunningham (Galt Terriers, Hamilton Cardinals); Ed Steele (Galt) and Shanty Clifford (Galt and Brantford); Luther Clifford; Max Manning; Lester Lockett; Bob Thurman and Stanley Glenn
Stanley Glenn
Stanley Glenn was a baseball catcher with the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro Leagues from 1944 to 1950. He also played three years in the minors and two in the Canadian senior Intercounty Baseball League in southwestern Ontario for the St...
(St. Thomas Elgins
St. Thomas Elgins
The St. Thomas Elgins was an independent, minor league baseball team of the semi-professional Intercounty Baseball League based in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. They began play as the St...
); all made numerous appearances at Labatt Park in the 1950s.
The late Wilmer (The Great) Fields is a former president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Association (NLBPA), while Stanley (Doc) Glenn is currently the president of the NLBPA.
Bryce's 1876 and 1877 Baseball Guides
This is the world's oldest baseball grounds still in existence.Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
purchased (for $10,000 from an Ottawa, Ontario, bookseller) Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1876 and Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1877, two hand-coloured, 75-page booklets published by William Bryce of London, Ontario, which originally sold for a dime.
The two, four-inch (102 mm) by seven-inch guides are considered to be the first significant publications on Canadian baseball.
Bryce, a Scottish-born bookseller, news agent and sporting goods distributor in London, had a small stake in the Tecumsehs, considered by many to be the finest ball team in the entire Dominion of Canada.
During U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's visit to the Library and Archives Canada building on November 30, 2004, he showed a special interest in these two early Canadian base ball books which were laid out for his perusal. See here
Tecumseh Park becomes Labatt Park
According to the 1926 Geodetic Survey of Canada (and the subsequent detailed maps printed in 1928), there was a structure situated near what is now the main entrance to the ballpark at 25 Wilson Avenue (at the time, the two entrances to the ballpark were off of Dundas Street—now Riverside Drive—including an art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
entranceway that was demolished in the early 1980s).
According to Mooney Gibson's nephew, George Lambourn, a noted baseball historian in his own right, the residence at 25 Wilson Avenue was the home of the park's cranky caretaker, Jakey Butts, which was destroyed by the Thames River flood of 1937.
This devastating flood damaged the park again, necessitating the construction of the park's third grandstand (1937–2001) and a new clubhouse, with the local Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. is a Canadian beer company founded by John Kinder Labatt in 1847 in London, Ontario. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew; it is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev...
donating $10,000 to renovate the park, as well as deeding the park itself to the City of London on December 31, 1936, with the written provisions that the park remain a public athletic park in perpetuity
Perpetuity
A perpetuity is an annuity that has no end, or a stream of cash payments that continues forever. There are few actual perpetuities in existence...
and that it be renamed "The John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park."
From a sociological-historical perspective, it could be argued that the name change from Tecumseh Park to Labatt Memorial Park highlights the dramatic shift from 19th-Century colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
Canada (where the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was immortalized throughout Canada for aiding the British in the War of 1812) to more modern times where businesses such as the Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. is a Canadian beer company founded by John Kinder Labatt in 1847 in London, Ontario. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew; it is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev...
exercised considerable influence on the cultural fabric of the day.
At the end of August during the 1950s, Labatt Park annually hosted athletes from across the city's playgrounds competing in a variety of sports during a two- to three-day event, called the "Junior Olympiad." (A P.U.C. Playground Supervisor's Reunion was held on June 24, 2006, at the City-owned Thames Valley Golf Course.)
Frank Colman and Tom Burgess
Other London notables to graduate to the Major Leagues from Labatt Park during the 1940s are Tom (Tim) Burgess (1927–2008) and Frank ColmanFrank Colman
Frank Lloyd Colman , was a Major League Baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees....
(1918–1983).
In 1936, Frank Colman started out at Labatt Park with the London Majors of the Senior Intercounty Baseball League, winning the Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award, batting title and Intercounty Baseball League championship. Colman was 25 when he broke into the major leagues as a right fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing with them from 1942 through 1946, before he moved to New York to play with the Yankees. He played with the Yankees in 1946 and 1947, where he roomed with Yankee catcher Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
. He finished his six-year major league career with 571 at-bats, 15 home runs and 106 RBIs.
Colman returned to London in 1954 after playing in the minor leagues and being the player/coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
from 1951-1953. He bought the London Majors and, as player/ owner, won the Intercounty League title in 1956 and the Great Lakes championship in 1957 before returning to the Intercounty League in 1958 and selling the team in 1959.
Colman is also a co-founder of the Eager Beaver Baseball Association
Eager Beaver Baseball Association
Eager Beaver Baseball Association, Inc. is a baseball league for youths in London, Ontario, Canada, that was first organized in 1955 by former Major League Baseball player Frank Colman, London sportsman Gordon Berryhill and Al Marshall....
(EBBA) in London which has provided competitive league play for thousands of youngsters since its founding in 1955. In 1984, a year after Colman's death, the EBBA's all-star day in mid-July was renamed "Frank Colman Day."
Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
& Museum in 1999 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
In a letter to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, Yogi Berra wrote that he visited Colman at his home in Canada on several occasions.
"I've made a lot of friends in baseball through the years, but I'll always remember Frank as one of the most decent and genuine people that I ever met", Berra wrote. "I was proud that he was my friend."
Tom Burgess first signed a pro contract with St. Louis in 1946 and played right field and first base for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
from 1954 to 1961 and right field and first base for the Los Angeles Angels from 1962–1963.
Since 1968, Burgess has been involved in 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...
in a variety of managing, coaching and instructor capacities with several organizations, including the St. Louis Cardinals from 1968 to 1975, the New York Mets from 1976 to 1977, the Texas Rangers from 1980 to 1984, the Detroit Tigers from 1985 to 1987, the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
from 1987 to 1995. From 1996 to the present day, Burgess has been an instructor with both Baseball Canada and the Ontario Baseball Association. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in 1992 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
London Supremes and London Army Team
During World War II (1942 onward), the park was the home field for several women's baseball, softball and fastball teams, including the London Supremes who played in the MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
-Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Women's Fastball League into the 1950s. In 1943 and 1944, the London Army Team won the Canadian Sandlot title.
Shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Labatt Park was the home of the London Majors
London Majors
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario...
, which won the Canadian Sandlot Congress in 1947 and the Can-Am Baseball Congress championship in 1948, beating the Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, General Electrics in a best-of-seven-game series at Labatt Park, as well as winning the Canadian, Ontario and Intercounty titles.
Denny McLain and Fergie Jenkins
In 1974, after Cy Young AwardCy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
-winning pitcher Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
had retired from the major leagues (two years earlier), McLain played a season for the London Majors, restricting himself to home games at Labatt Park. Due to arm problems, however, McLain only pitched nine innings for the Majors, but did play in 14 games at either shortstop, first base and catcher and batted .380, including hitting two homers in one game in London.
After Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Fergie Jenkins pitched his final major league game on September 26, 1983, London Majors' owner-player Arden Eddie
Arden Eddie
Arden Eddie is a former Iron Man player, team owner and manager in the Intercounty Baseball League. He holds several Intercounty records, including most games played , most bases on balls , most hits and most stolen bases .Off the field, Eddie is a realtor and home renovator...
convinced Jenkins to pitch for the Majors in 1984-85, commuting from his home near Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
. The Canadian-born Jenkins is one of the few MLB players to have been inducted into both the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in St.Marys, Ontario, Canada.
Tigers, Werewolves and Monarchs
Professional baseball declined in London after the war, with mostly amateur teams playing at Labatt Park in the following decades, until 1989 when an AA Eastern LeagueEastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
was established by investors/ Board of Directors, President Dan Ross, Vice President Mike Tucker, Vice President and General Manager Bob Gilson, Vice President and Assistant General Manager General Manager Bill Wilkinson and Vice President Brian Costello
Brian Costello
Brian Costello is a musician, live talk show host and writer living in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Born in Florida, he moved to Chicago in 1997 to pursue his interest in music...
.
Immediately prior to the London Tigers' inaugural season at Labatt Park in 1989, numerous improvements were completed at the park costing approximately $1-million for new lights, new dressing rooms and dug outs, additional seating, field and entrance upgrades, food concession enhancements and a new 40 feet (12.2 m)-by-19-foot electronic scoreboard (partially sponsored by Labatt Breweries). Previously, the scoreboard was changed manually. In 1990, Labatt Park and its head groundkeeper Mike Regan, won the prestigious "Beam Clay Award" as the best natural-grass field in North America.
Broadcasting the Tigers' games on TV London with veteran local sportscaster Pete James were former Tiger greats Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
and later, Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
.
The 1990 London Tigers
London Tigers
The London Tigers were a professional AA baseball team that played in the Eastern League from 1989 to 1993. They played at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers.-History:...
won the Eastern League title under manager Chris Chambliss
Chris Chambliss
Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
(one of the Tigers' players was Travis Fryman
Travis Fryman
David Travis Fryman is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and shortstop, and currently a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians farm system...
), but the Tom Runnells
Tom Runnells
Thomas William Runnells is the Bench Coach of the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball, and a former infielder, coach and manager in American Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
-managed Tigers relocated to Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
after the 1993 season, citing declining attendance.
On January 20, 1990, In Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Labatt Park was named the "Beam Clay Baseball Diamond of the Year" for "excellence and professionalism in maintaining an outstanding professional baseball diamond" -- due to the outstanding groundskeeping work of City of London employee/supervisor, Mike Regan.
The park was considered for the filming of the 1992 movie A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
starring Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
, but filming could not fit around the home schedule of the Double A London Tigers
London Tigers
The London Tigers were a professional AA baseball team that played in the Eastern League from 1989 to 1993. They played at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers.-History:...
of the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
.
The London Werewolves
London Werewolves
The London Werewolves were an independent Frontier League baseball team based in London, Ontario, Canada. The team had previously been known as the Kalamazoo Kodiaks, from Kalamazoo, Michigan. The team arrived in London for the 1999 season and left after the 2001 season to Canton, Ohio. The...
of the fledgling Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
played at the park from 1999 to 2001, winning the Frontier League championship in 1999; Werewolves pitcher Brett Gray tossed 25 strikeouts on June 3, 2000 (home opener), against the Chillicothe (Ohio)
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
Paints. The game's scorecard and Brett Gray's jersey were donated to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
& Museum in St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Thames River southwest of Stratford in Perth County, and surrounded by the Township of Perth South. The town is also known by its nickname, "The Stone Town", due to the abundance of limestone in the surrounding area, giving...
, by Werewolves' General Manager John Kuhn.
In 2000, former MLB star Ron LeFlore
Ron LeFlore
Ronald LeFlore is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Montreal Expos, retiring as a Chicago White Sox in . He stole 455 bases in his career, and was an American League All-Star selection in 1976...
was hired as the manager of the Cook County Cheetahs of the Frontier League, visiting Labatt Park several times during the season.
In 2001 after the circa-1937 main grandstand was demolished and a new, $1.97-million, wheelchair-accessible main grandstand was built (the park's fourth) and a new "pop-up" underground irrigation system was installed, the park was used as the chief baseball venue for the Canada Summer Games.
In 2003 the park was also home to the London Monarchs
London Monarchs (baseball)
The London Monarchs played in the independent Canadian Baseball League that existed for half of the summer season of 2003 before folding. Located in the city of London, Ontario, the team featured a variety of international ballplayers from Canada, the Dominican Republic, Japan and the United...
of the short-lived Canadian Baseball League
Canadian Baseball League
The Canadian Baseball League, was an independent minor league that operated in 2003. The league's only Commissioner was Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Ferguson Jenkins...
, which folded mid-season due to financial difficulties. The team's manager was former Major Leaguer Willie Wilson
Willie Wilson (baseball player)
Willie James Wilson is a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs. He was an outfielder known for his speed and ability as an effective leadoff hitter....
and featured such stars as first-baseman Francisco Cabrera
Francisco Cabrera
Francisco Cabrera is a former Major League Baseball catcher/first baseman who played five seasons with two different teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves, from to...
and pitcher Amaury Telemaco
Amaury Telemaco
Amaury Telemaco Regalado is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to for the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies. He was used both as a starter and reliever throughout his career...
. The league's inaugural game and homeopener for the London Monarchs was held at Labatt Park on May 21, 2003, and was televised nationally on The Score. It also featured a fly-over by the Canadian Snowbirds
Snowbirds
Officially known as the Royal Canadian Air Force's 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds are Canada's military aerobatics or air show flight demonstration team whose purpose is to "demonstrate the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of Canadian Forces personnel". The squadron is based at...
flying team. League Commissioner Fergie Jenkins was also in attendance.
Beehive of activity
Along with bicycle racing, Labatt Park has in the past been used for soccer, fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, high-school and men's football, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, winter skating, political rallies, showjumping, civic receptions, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) Musical Ride
Musical Ride
The Musical Ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a formal event showcasing the equestrian skills performed by thirty-two cavalry who are regular members of the force. The event is held in Canada and worldwide to promote the RCMP...
and a 21-gun salute
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
during her visit to London's Victoria Park
Victoria Park, London (Ontario)
Victoria Park is an park located in downtown London, Ontario, in Canada. It is one of the major centres of community events in London.-History:...
on June 26, 1997.
Currently, the park is home to the London Majors
London Majors
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario...
of the Intercounty League
Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League is a semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
and the London Badgers junior team, as well as several other youth and adult baseball teams. The UWO Mustangs
Western Ontario Mustangs
The Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...
Baseball Club managed by former London Majors/AA London Tigers/AAA Toldedo Mud Hens pitcher Mike Lumley is using the park during the 2006 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) baseball season (in 2005, the Mustangs won the OUA baseball title at Labatt Park for the first time, beating Brock University
Brock University
Brock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
) Badgers in the final best-of-three championship series. The Western Mustangs repeated as OUA champs in 2006, beating Brock two games to nothing (7-4, 5-0) at Labatt Park on October 21.
It should also be noted that Ted Giannoulas, aka "The Famous Chicken" sports mascot, was born and raised in London, Ontario, and during the years 1965 to 1967 worked part-time at Labatt Park during baseball games changing the old manual scoreboard in right field for 25 cents a game.
Roy McKay Clubhouse, home to the London Majors
In 1996, the "Reasons for Designation" for the park under the Ontario Heritage Act were amended to include the circa-1937, tongue-and-groove clapboard clubhouse of the London Majors, renamed the "Roy McKay Clubhouse" on August 1, 1996 (McKay was born on August 1), by Majors' longtime player/owner Arden Eddie in honour of former pitcher, manager and coach Roy McKayRoy McKay
Roy Alexander McKay was an aggressive left-handed baseball pitcher born in London, Ontario, Canada, who signed with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1952 after spending much of his youth at Labatt Park, including a stint as batboy for the Ontario Baseball Association champions, the 1945 London...
who died on Christmas Day in 1995, six months after falling on the porch of his Waterloo Street home. Subsequently, a large commemorative rock and bronze plaque honouring Roy McKay, jersey #16, was installed at the front of the clubhouse.
See a photo of the Roy McKay Clubhouse here.
Friends of Labatt Park
Friends of Labatt Park is a grassroots, non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to "promoting and enhancing Labatt Park in London, Ontario, Canada, as the world's oldest baseball grounds in continuous use in its original location since 1877."...
, SCENE magazine and the London Majors.
On June 18, 2005, veteran Intercounty umpire Joe Serratore was married to bride Bren Ferguson at home plate before 200 friends and family members, with United Church minister Reverend Susan Eagle (who's also a member of London city council) officiating. The home-plate wedding is believed to be a first for the ballpark.
Labatt Park Reunion, 2005
On Saturday, July 23, 2005, the City of London in conjunction with the London Sports Council, the London Sports Oldtimers Association, the London Majors Baseball Club and The Friends of Labatt Park, organized a special, day-long event at the park to commemorate the city's 150th anniversary as an incorporated municipality (more than 10,000 residents) and the park's 128-year-old history. The event featured an open baseball clinic for youngsters run by the London Majors, vintage ball games, displays of park/ baseball memorabilia and a Majors' oldtimers' reunion.In 2006, London photo-historian Stephen Harding spent two days photographing the interior and exterior of the Roy McKay Clubhouse and presented his photos/ report to the City's heritage planner as City staff formulate plans to make additional repairs to the 70-year-old structure.
Got Milk? commercials spoof MLB steroid use
In late September 2005, the San Francisco advertising firm of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners filmed a series of five, 30-second Got Milk?Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
TV-commercials at Labatt Park, that subsequently ran during post-season play of 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...
(MLB), starting on October 11. The commercials, which spoofed the ongoing steroid scandal in MLB had players "caught" using a "performance-enhancing substance" -- milk. The commercials were titled "Caught," "Batting Practice," "Tabloid," "Never Poured" and "Manager." The commercial "Never Poured" was shortlisted at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. From the get-go, MLB demanded that the commercials be taken off the air, but the popular commercials were subsequently re-released in December 2007 and ran through January 2008.
The humorous commercials continued to run during the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
-Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, won in 4 straight games by Chicago. An on-line poll on a Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
-based Web site revealed that 75 per cent of more than 23,000 poll respondents found the commercials to be funny and wanted them left on the air.
Roadway Express's 2006-2007 baseball calendar
Labatt Park is one of three featured baseball parks in the 16-month (September 2006 to December 2007) Roadway Express baseball calendar; Labatt Park is featured in the month of October 2007) "Times of Greatness" baseball calendar published by Roadway Express, based in Akron, OhioAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. The print run of the calendars is 150,000.
Roadway Express is also the sponsor of the "Times of Greatness" interactive, 53 feet (16.2 m)-long museum travelling coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada every year, showcasing Negro League history and artifacts. Roadway Express is also a sponsor of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri.-History:The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro Leagues baseball players, including Kansas City Monarchs outfielder, Alfred Surratt, Buck O'Neil, and Horace Peterson...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Bob Paige, a longtime driver for Roadway Express, is the son of Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
, who made a much-publicized visit to Labatt Park on June 30, 1954.
Baseball Day in London, 2006
On July 1 (Canada DayCanada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
), 2006, London held its second annual Baseball Day, organized by the City of London, The Friends of Labatt Park, Fanshawe Pioneer Village, the London Majors Baseball Club, the London Oldtimers' Sports Association, the London and District Baseball Association and the London Sports Council.
The day featured an open, drop-in baseball clinic with the London Majors, historical displays in the Roy McKay Clubhouse, a 1923 Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
Military Band Organ (restored and owned and operated by Ken Vinen of Aylmer, Ontario
Aylmer, Ontario
Aylmer is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is 20 km south of Highway 401...
), a vintage base ball game between Fanshawe Pioneer Village's London Tecumsehs and Bruce Huff's Thames River Ratz (the Ratz won 15-3), a pitch, hit and run competition and a doubleheader between the London Majors and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League (London won both games, 9-1 and 3-2). The scheduled fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
(courtesy of the City of London) after the game over the adjacent riverforks were cancelled due to high winds. Instead, they were set off the following night on July 2.