Bonham, Texas minor league baseball teams | |
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| |
Minor league affiliations | |
Class | Independent (1898) Class D (1911–1914, 1921–1922) |
League | Southwestern League (1898) Texas-Oklahoma League (1911–1914, 1921–1922) |
Major league affiliations | |
Team | None |
Minor league titles | |
League titles(0) | None |
Team data | |
Name | Bonham (1898) Bonham Boosters (1911) Bonham Tigers (1912) Bonham Blues (1913) Bonham Sliders (1914) Bonham Favorites (1921) Bonham Bingers (1922) |
Ballpark | Unknown |
Minor league baseball teams were based inBonham, Texas in various seasons between 1898 and 1922. Bonham teams played as members of the Independent levelSouthwestern League in 1898 and theClass D levelTexas-Oklahoma League from 1911 to 1914 and 1921 to 1922. Bonham teams featured a different moniker each season.
Baseball Hall of Fame memberKid Nichols managed the 1914 Bonham Sliders.
Professional baseball began in Bonham in 1898. TheBonham team played as a member of theIndependent levelSouthwestern League. Bonham finished with a 6–9 record as the league quickly folded in 1898. The Southwestern League played from April 21, 1898, to May 23, 1898.[1][2][3]
In 1911, Bonham resumed minor league play. TheBonham Boosters became a member of theClass D levelTexas-Oklahoma League. Bonham would continue playing as league members from 1911 to 1914 and 1921 to 1922, which covered all six seasons of play for the league.[4][5][3]
The 1911 Bonham Boosters finished with a record of 54–60, to place fourth in the Texas–Oklahoma League, playing under managerJimmie Humphries. The Boosters finished with theAltus Chiefs (31–44),Ardmore Blues (49–58),Cleburne Railroaders (61–50),Durant Educators (65–46), Gainesville Blue Ribbons,Lawton Medicine Men (17–31) andWichita Falls Irish Lads (65–38) in the 1911 league standings.[4][6][7][8]
Continuing play, the 1912Bonham Tigers finished with a record of 53–35, placing second overall in the Texas–Oklahoma League standings. The Tigers played under managerRoy Leslie. The Tigers threw two no–hitters in 1912. On April 30, 1912, Bonham pitcher Wingo Anderson threw a no–hitter in a 9–0 victory over McKinney. Then, on May 25, 1912, Bonham pitcher Reb Russell threw a second Tiger no–hitter, beating Durant 9–1.[9][10] The 1912 Texas–Oklahoma League playoffs did not include Bonham.[11][12][4]
The 1913Bonham Blues placed fifth in the Texas–Oklahoma League final standings. With a 56–68 record, the Blues' manager was again Roy Leslie. On opening day, April 15, 1913, the Bonham Blues opened their new baseball park, playing against the Texarkana Tigers. Bonham won the opener 3–0. Before the game, fans gathered at the town square for a posed photo and a parade to the ballpark. The Bonham Daily Favorite newspaper reported on April 16, 1913, that "Practically every business house in the city closed during the game which began at 3:15 o'clock, and perhaps the largest crowd that ever attended a ball game in Bonham was present. The grandstand and bleachers were full, and the crowd overflowed into right field."[13][14][4][15]
Bonham continued play as members of the Texas–Oklahoma League in 1914. On June 22, 1914, Bonham pitcher Fritz Redford threw a no–hitter in a 7–0 Bonham win over the Sherman Lions. Just a little over a week later, on June 30, 1914, theBonham Sliders had a 47–58 record under managers Senter Reiney andKid Nichols when the franchise disbanded. Nichols is a member of theBaseball Hall of Fame. The Texas–Oklahoma League League folded after the 1914 season.[4][16][17]
The 1921Bonham Favorites joined the reformedTexas-Oklahoma League. The Favorites finished with a record of 57–71, playing under Managers G. D. Pittman and Virgil Moss. Bonham finished third in the league, joining theArdmore Peps (87–40), Cleburne Generals (51–75), Graham Hijackers/Mineral Wells Resorters (49–79),Paris Snappers andSherman Lions (48–78) in the 1921 league standings.[18][19][4]
1922 was the final year for both the Texas–Oklahoma League and the Bonham franchise. The 1922Bonham Bingers finished with a record of 39–53, placing seventh in the league. The Bingers' manager was Les Tullos. Bonham was dropped from the league on July 22, 1922, when the Cleburne franchise disbanded. The 1922 Texas–Oklahoma League season ended on August 6, 1922, with National Association permission, due to a railroad strike. The league did not reform in 1923 and permanently disbanded.[20][21][4]
Bonham, Texas has not hosted another minor league team.[4][3]
The home Bonhnam ballpark is not directly named in references. Catron Park and Simpson Park were noted to have been in use in the era. Both parks still exist today as public parks. Catron Park is located at the 400 block of East 3rd Street, Bonham Texas.[22][23][24][25]
Bonham built a new ballpark for the 1913 season. The name of the 1913 new ballpark is not known.[15][22]
Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League |
---|---|---|---|---|
1898 | 1 | Bonham | Independent | Southwestern League |
1911 | 1 | Bonham Boosters | Class D | Texas-Oklahoma League |
1912 | 1 | Bonham Blues | ||
1913 | 1 | Bonham Tigers | ||
1914 | 1 | Bonham Sliders | ||
1921 | 1 | Bonham Favorites | ||
1922 | 1 | Bonham Bingers |
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1898 | 6–9 | 6th | NA | League folded May 23 |
1911 | 54–60 | 4th | Jimmie Humphries | No playoffs held |
1912 | 53–35 | 2nd | Roy Leslie | No playoffs held |
1913 | 56–68 | 5th | Roy Leslie | No playoffs held |
1914 | 47–58 | NA | Senter Reiney /Kid Nichols | Team folded July 30 |
1921 | 57–71 | 3rd | G.D. Pittman / Virgil Moss | No playoffs held |
1922 | 39–53 | 7th | Les Tullos | Team folded July 22 |