1887
The Northeastern League had a semi-pro
Montpelier team. The League disbanded before the season was over, largely due
to payroll issues and an extensive travel schedule during a time when trains
were the transportation means of choice. The Montpelier team had a 2 –13
record at the time it pulled out of the League, despite having three future
major league players on the roster.
1901 – 1907
The First Northern League featured a Barre-Montpelier team
largely made up of Ivy League college players and many professionals who
played under assumed names, usually for more money then many minor leaguers.
In 1905 the Montpelier team won the championship. Twenty players from these
teams went on to play major league baseball.
1923 – 1924
The Green Mountain League
had a Barre-Montpelier team among its franchises. During this period of
prohibition, the teams were often a front for rum running between “wet” Canada
and “dry” Vermont. One of the brightest stars of this League was Lou “Crip”
Polli, a native of Barre. Seven players from these teams went on to play major league baseball.
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1940's Montpelier Senators
( North Street in the background) |
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|
|
Gene O'Connell |
1935 – 1952
The Second Northern League again
featured many top collegiate players and many former professionals. The
Montpelier Senators played their home games at National Life Field (located on
the Barre-Montpelier Road on the site of the current Friendly’s Restaurant.)
The Depression era had one positive side for the Montpelier area, when the
Federal Government supported the WPA to build the Montpelier Recreation Field
and Swimming Pool. The Recreation Field featured a 1,200 seat capacity
grandstand and bleachers down the firstbase and thirdbase lines. The crowds
were overflowing with fans to support the Senators and later the Twin City
Trojans. The League did well until 1948, when the Eastern Collegiate Athletic
Association banned college players from being paid. The league hung on until
1952 and then folded. Ten players from these teams went on to play major
league baseball, but only one, Robin Roberts, was inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Robin Roberts was the biggest star in the
Northern League and played for the Twin City Trojans in 1946 and 1947. (See
the page dedicated to Robin Roberts on this website)
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO PLAYED ON
THE
BARRE – MONTPELIER TEAMS 1887 - 1952
| Jim Ball (1905-07) |
Eddie Grant (1907) |
Ed Reulbach (1904) |
| Honey Barnes (1924) |
Hub Hart (1904) |
Robin Roberts (1946-47) |
| Frank Bennett (1923) |
Bill Jones (1887) |
Alex Sabo (1938) |
| Frank Bonner (1905) |
Ted Kazanski (1950) |
Frank Shaughnessy (1905) |
| Ben Bowcock (1904) |
Walt Lanfranconi (1936-37) |
Nap Shea (1907) |
| Matt Broderick (1905) |
Ralph Lapointe (1946) |
Jim Shelle (1938) |
| George Bullard (1949) |
John Mansell (1887) |
Steve Slayton (1937) |
| Bob Clemens (1907) |
Al Moore (1924) |
Ed Smith (1905) |
| Jack Coombs (1905) |
Bobby Murray (1923) |
Tom Stankard (1905) |
| Dick Cotter (1907) |
Doc Newman (1924) |
Dike Varney (1905) |
| Bert Daniels (1906) |
Ron Northey (1938) |
Rube Vickers (1904) |
| Bob Dresser (1904) |
Buck O’Brien (1924) |
George Walker (1887) |
| Ray Fisher (1939) |
Joseph Page (1904) |
Jack Warner (1906) |
| Tom Gorman (1937) |
"Crip" Polli (1923-24) |
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We hope to add the names of current
Mountaineers to
the above list as the history of this franchise grows.
2001
A local group formed “Green Mountain Community
Baseball.” In September 2002, after months of preparation, the NECBL voted to
award a franchise to our group. The NECBL is the largest wooden bat summer
league in the United States with 13 teams. The NECBL is led by former MLB
Commissioner Fay Vincent, and in the League’s ten-year history, 40% of its
players have gone on to play professional baseball. The Vermont Mountaineers
will open the season on June 7, 2003 and play a 42-game schedule that will
conclude the first week of August. The Mountaineers are receiving tremendous
support from sponsors, fans, and the local communities. The City of Montpelier
has welcomed us and been very supportive from the beginning. This will truly
be “Central Vermont’s Team.” The team plans to raise $500,000 though a Capital
Campaign to renovate the facility. Plans include a permanent fence, new
lights, new dugouts, press box, bathroom renovations, team room, concession,
scoreboard, handicap ramp, field renovations and improvements to the
grandstand. We need your help! Please support the capital campaign to renovate
this historic facility.
Thank you to
Merritt Clifton, Tom Simon, Fred Stone, Dave Morse and SABR for the assistance with the research.
Northern league photos courtesy of Gene O'Connell and Fred
Stone.
