| All Nations | |
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| Information | |
| League |
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| Established | 1912 |
| Disbanded | 1925 |
All Nations was abarnstormingprofessional baseball team that toured the Midwest from 1912 to 1918, and again in 1920[1] and 1921,[2] and from 1923 to 1925. It derived its name from the fact that its team included players of several nationalities, including blacks and whites, Indians, Hawaiians, Japanese and Latin Americans. The team was founded by the Hopkins Brothers sporting goods stores. One day, however, the team's manager absconded with the daily gate proceeds.J. L. Wilkinson, who played for the team, replaced him as manager, later becoming owner as well. The team was based out ofKansas City[3] andDes Moines.[4]
Under the management of Wilkinson, the All Nations' approach to the game was more serious than that of many teams who followedAbe Saperstein's farcical approach. They did however provide additional entertainment for their audiences, including having adance band to play before the games andwrestlers likeBen Reeves to perform after their games.[4]
Wilkinson transported the team from location to location in a $25,000Pullman car, which also held portablebleachers which would be set up for the game. He did not pay for rooms for his players, however, instead having them sleep the night before the game in tents they brought with them on the field on which they would play.
Under Wilkinson, the team became "strong enough to give any major league club a nip and tuck battle", according toSporting Life. It went 3-1 against theIndianapolis ABC's in 1916 and splitting a series with theChicago American Giants.
The team encountered difficulties duringWorld War I, when it found most of its better players were drafted, and was finally disbanded in 1918. PitcherJohn Donaldson managed the All Nations from 1923 to 1924. The All Nations were still owned by J.L. Wilkinson and was used as a traveling team that trained inexperienced players and found talent in the Midwest.
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