St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher Ed Hawk was born on February 22, 1888 in Exeter, Missouri. Of the 690 Major League players who have come from Missouri, Ed Hawk is the only one from the small township in the southwest of the state.
The baseball history of Ed Hawk is loaded with gaps that can best filled in the creative imagination. B
St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher Ed Hawk was born on February 22, 1888 in Exeter, Missouri. Of the 690 Major League players who have come from Missouri, Ed Hawk is the only one from the small township in the southwest of the state.
The baseball history of Ed Hawk is loaded with gaps that can best filled in the creative imagination. Baseball Reference states that he started his professional baseball career at the age of 22. There are no records of his playing college or minor league baseball prior to 1910. It can be assumed that he played regional semipro, or company baseball in the area.
Ed Hawk made his baseball debut with the Tulsa Oilers and Joplin Miners of the Western League in 1910. He would win nine games for Joplin, and then 18 games for the Burlington Pathfinders in 1911. This success caught the Browns attention and signed Ed Hawk to a late-season contract in September of 1911.
Hawk made his MLB debut on September 7, against the Cleveland Naps when he entered the game in the third inning in relief of George Curry. He gave up four hits and two runs while earning the loss, 6-5. He would go on to appear in four more games for the Browns that season. The frustrating thing is that Hawk would pitch four consecutive complete games, but lose each game because the team could not give him a single run of support. The Browns would be outscored 18-0 in Hawk's four complete games. His final statistics include 14 strikeouts, while issuing 10 walks, 38 hits, 18 runs, with a modest 3.35 ERA.
Ed Hawk returned to Burlington the next season (1912), however his career appears to have ended on July 9, 1912. He reportedly fell from a hotel window while attempting to fix a screen. This was reported in the Goshen (IN) Midweek News Times, but it failed to give the severity of his injuries.
The baseball career of Ed Hawk could easily be presumed to be over, however records show that he spent four years managing in the minor leagues during the Great Depression. His death certificate identifies his profession as a "baseball coach", but incomplete records do not state where he coached in the 21 years between playing and managing. Ed Hawk spent time as the manager for the Wichita Oilers (1933) of the Western League, and later for the Bentonville Officeworkers (1934), Rogers Rustlers (1935), and Cassville Tigers (1936) of the Arkansas State League. With the limited information of his coaching career, it does show that each stint of managing was limited to a series of games and never extended through a full season.
Ed Hawk would retire from baseball and settle down in Neosho, Missouri.
Today's Browns Quote
“I had always wanted to be a ballplayer, Nothing else had ever entered my mind." ~ Johnny Lucadello, Browns infielder, reported in the San Antonio Light, February 14, 1954
BROWNS BRITHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1888 - RHP Ed Hawk (1911)
1920 - RHP Karl Drews (1948-49)
1919 - 2B Johnny Lucadello (1938-41)
DID YOU KNOW?
In today's mod
Today's Browns Quote
“I had always wanted to be a ballplayer, Nothing else had ever entered my mind." ~ Johnny Lucadello, Browns infielder, reported in the San Antonio Light, February 14, 1954
BROWNS BRITHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1888 - RHP Ed Hawk (1911)
1920 - RHP Karl Drews (1948-49)
1919 - 2B Johnny Lucadello (1938-41)
DID YOU KNOW?
In today's modern Major League Baseball, Spring Training brings excitement, energy, and thousands of fans to their favorite MLB facilities. The Grapefruit League in Florida, and the Cactus League in Arizona offer world class locations for coaches, players, and fans to get ready for the upcoming season. Each team has a Spring home location, and many teams have enjoyed the same location for decades. This ensures that the players have a consistant preseason routine, year after year.
The St. Louis Browns did not enjoy such luxuries as today's players enjoy. In the 52 years of the Browns history, they had a total of 23 different locations, scattered over 8 states, they called home for Spring Training. Some spots would not be considered prime training locations (French Lick IN - 1902, Waco TX - 1913, Bogalusa AL - 1921), while others would be a pleasant destination after a a cold winter (St. Petersburg FL - 1914, Anahien CA - 1946, Miami FL - 1947).
The most common Spring Training location was West Palm Beach, Florida where the Browns trained from 1928-36. The Browns were the first MLB to call West Palm Beach home for the Spring. In fact the Browns are credited with bringing Spring Training to the east coast of Florida. They played their games at Wright Field, which would later be named Connie Mack Field whennthe Philadelphia A's moved in. It was said that manager Rogers Hornsby loved to sneak down to nearby Hialeah Race Track and watch the horses after practices. The Browns pulled out West Palm Beach to train in San Antonio (1937-41).
During World War II (1943-45), the Browns practiced in nearby Cape Giaradeau, Missouri. Other locations where the Browns would call their Spring Training home would include the following: San Antonio TX (1907, 19, 37-41), Mobile AL (1922-24), Houston TX (1909-10, 15), Tarpon Springs FL (1925-27)
The 1905 St. Louis Browns finished the disappointing 1905 season with a 54-99 record. That was 40.5 games behind the American League Champion, Philadelphia Athletics (11.0 games behind the 7th place team, Washington Nationals). This was the first Browns team to finish in the cellar of the league, since moving from Milwaukee in 1902. The p
The 1905 St. Louis Browns finished the disappointing 1905 season with a 54-99 record. That was 40.5 games behind the American League Champion, Philadelphia Athletics (11.0 games behind the 7th place team, Washington Nationals). This was the first Browns team to finish in the cellar of the league, since moving from Milwaukee in 1902. The primary reason for the poor season revolves around the new members who needed a year of playing together to become a winning team. This same team would win 22 more games in the 1906 season.
The primary lineup for the 1905 Browns would look like this: