Tampa Smokers
Encyclopedia
The Tampa Smokers was a name used from 1919 to 1954 by a series of minor league
and semi-professional
baseball
teams based in Tampa, Florida
. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry
, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in which the Smokers were active.
that started play in 1919. The name reflected the importance of the cigar
industry to the Tampa area. These Tampa Smokers moved to the Southeastern League
in 1929 and officially ceased operations along with the league after the 1930 season. In 1932, the Smokers played in the short-lived West Coast Baseball League, but disbanded again when the league collapsed after a single season.
, a Class C league that was notable for fielding a team in Havana, Cuba. In 1952 this incarnation of the Tampa Smokers became one of the first three racially integrated
teams in Florida, fielding black player Claro Duany. These Smokers folded along with the Florida International League after the 1954 season.
The importance of the cigar industry to Tampa's economy had waned by the 1950s. When minor league baseball returned to the city in 1957, the new team was called the "Tampa Tarpons
".
, who grew up in Ybor City and signed with the Smokers in 1925, when he was just 16 years old. Lopez played for his hometown team for two seasons and eventually became the first Tampa native to play in the major leagues
, the first to be a major league baseball manager, and the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other future MLB players who spent time with the Smokers included Jim Bagby
and Camilo Pascual
.
, a large outdoor sports facility built along the Hillsborough River
by Henry B. Plant
as part of his Tampa Bay Hotel resort. The 1946-1954 Smokers played at both Plant Field and nearby Phillips Field, a smaller facility that had been constructed in the mid-1930s.
During the 1950s and 1960s, alumni of old Smokers squads often reunited for exhibition games. These games were usually against the Tampa Tarpons, who played in Al Lopez Field
, a ballpark built in 1955 and named after the Smokers' (and Tampa's) most famous baseball figure.
, won multiple Amateur Softball Association of America
and International Softball Congress
championships.
wore Tampa Smokers throwback uniforms to honor the 1951 Florida International League championship team. In a controversial move, the Rays chose to remove the image of a cigar which had underlined the word "Smokers" across the front of the old team's jerseys, calling the resulting "stogie-free" logo a "slightly more contemporary version".
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
and semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
baseball
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...
teams based in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry
History of Ybor City
Ybor City is a historic neighborhood in Tampa, Florida, located just northeast of downtown. It was founded as an independent town in 1885 by a group of cigar manufacturers led by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and was annexed by Tampa in 1887...
, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in which the Smokers were active.
Florida State League
The original Tampa Smokers were a charter franchise of the Florida State LeagueFlorida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
that started play in 1919. The name reflected the importance of the cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
industry to the Tampa area. These Tampa Smokers moved to the Southeastern League
Southeastern League
The Southeastern League was the name of three baseball circuits in minor league baseball league which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States...
in 1929 and officially ceased operations along with the league after the 1930 season. In 1932, the Smokers played in the short-lived West Coast Baseball League, but disbanded again when the league collapsed after a single season.
Florida International League
The name was revived professionally for a final time in 1946, when the Tampa Smokers became a charter member of the Florida International LeagueFlorida International League
The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Class B in 1949 for the final 5½ years of its existence.The FIL...
, a Class C league that was notable for fielding a team in Havana, Cuba. In 1952 this incarnation of the Tampa Smokers became one of the first three racially integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
teams in Florida, fielding black player Claro Duany. These Smokers folded along with the Florida International League after the 1954 season.
The importance of the cigar industry to Tampa's economy had waned by the 1950s. When minor league baseball returned to the city in 1957, the new team was called the "Tampa Tarpons
Tampa Tarpons
The Tampa Tarpons were a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. They played in the Class A Florida State League from 1957–1988, when they were sold, relocated, and renamed the Sarasota White Sox...
".
Players
In all their incarnations, the Tampa Smokers featured many local ballplayers, including many Latin players from Ybor City and West Tampa, and usually had strong community support. Their most famous alumnus was Al LopezAl Lopez
Alfonso Ramon "Al" Lopez was an American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977....
, who grew up in Ybor City and signed with the Smokers in 1925, when he was just 16 years old. Lopez played for his hometown team for two seasons and eventually became the first Tampa native to play in the major leagues
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...
, the first to be a major league baseball manager, and the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other future MLB players who spent time with the Smokers included Jim Bagby
Jim Bagby, Sr.
James Charles Jacob Bagby, Sr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Bagby was the first pitcher to hit a home run in a modern World Series, and one of the last three pitchers to win over 30 games in one season .-Biography:A native of Barnett, Georgia, Bagby began...
and Camilo Pascual
Camilo Pascual
Camilo Alberto Pascual is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career , he played for the Washington Senators , the second Washington Senators franchise, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cleveland Indians...
.
Ballparks
The 1919-1930 Smokers played at Plant FieldPlant Field
Plant Field was the first major athletic stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was originally built by Henry B. Plant, owner of the Tampa Bay Hotel, in 1899 as an area to provide various activities for his guests...
, a large outdoor sports facility built along the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)
The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa on Tampa Bay. The name Hillsborough River first...
by Henry B. Plant
Henry B. Plant
Henry Bradley Plant , was involved with many transportation projects, mostly railroads, in the U.S. state of Florida. Eventually he owned the Plant System of railroads which became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad...
as part of his Tampa Bay Hotel resort. The 1946-1954 Smokers played at both Plant Field and nearby Phillips Field, a smaller facility that had been constructed in the mid-1930s.
Semi-pro and amateur teams
During times when there was no professional baseball team known as the Tampa Smokers (such as the early 1900s and the 1930s), the name was occasionally used by semi-pro or amateur squads, especially local all-star teams composed of the best Tampa-area players. These Smokers usually played at smaller ballfields around town, especially Cuscaden Park in Ybor City or Macfarlane Park in West Tampa.During the 1950s and 1960s, alumni of old Smokers squads often reunited for exhibition games. These games were usually against the Tampa Tarpons, who played in Al Lopez Field
Al Lopez Field
Al Lopez Field was a spring training and Minor League baseball park in Tampa, Florida, United States. It was named for Tampa native and Baseball Hall of Famer Al Lopez....
, a ballpark built in 1955 and named after the Smokers' (and Tampa's) most famous baseball figure.
Softball
The Tampa Bay Smokers, a men's fast-pitch softball team founded in 1995 and based in St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, won multiple Amateur Softball Association of America
Amateur Softball Association
The Amateur Softball Association is a volunteer, non-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1933 with a tournament held in Chicago that was organized by Leo Fischer and Michael J. Pauley. The following year the 1934 National Recreation Congress recognized the ASA. ...
and International Softball Congress
International Softball Congress
The International Softball Congress is a non-profit association for the promotion and administration of men's and boys fastpitch softball throughout North America with athletes coming from all over the world...
championships.
Rays throwback uniforms
On July 2, 2011, the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
wore Tampa Smokers throwback uniforms to honor the 1951 Florida International League championship team. In a controversial move, the Rays chose to remove the image of a cigar which had underlined the word "Smokers" across the front of the old team's jerseys, calling the resulting "stogie-free" logo a "slightly more contemporary version".