New Yorks v. United States
Now that Truck Day has passed and pitchers and catchers are about to report, it is time for a bit of reflection on America's pastime, and a look back to when two guys from Amsterdam, NY made baseball the popular sport it has become.
John F. Dwyer, born in Ireland in 1837, came to Amsterdam by way of Quebec and Troy in 1860 and practiced his plumbing trade from a shop on Chuctanunda Street. Nicholas Ephraim Young was born in Amsterdam in 1840 and as a small boy moved to Old Fort Johnson, the baronial homestead of Sir William Johnson. Son of a local mill owner, he attended the Amsterdam Academy (then located on Chuctanunda Street, which I only mention because I don't often have the opportunity to mention Chuctanunda Street twice in the same paragraph).
Both young men enlisted in the service of their country, joining the 32nd Regiment in August of 1862, though in different companies. When the Army organized the Signal Corps in May of 1863, both Amsterdam lads transferred to the new unit and became tent mates.
Young had been an outstanding cricket player, and during the war picked up the game of baseball. One day, during a lull in the action, Dwyer suggested that they put together an exhibition game to entertain the troops. Young went for it, assigning himself the duties of captain, manager and pitcher, and Dwyer became the catcher for the nine-man squad composed entirely of New York State natives and calling themselves the "New Yorks." A rival nine, non-New Yorkers, took the name "The United States."
Some fifteen thousand people attended the game, including generals (it is not clear whether Abner Doubleday was among them, but he very well might have been) and newspaper reporters who telegraphed accounts of the game across the country.
Nicholas E. Young
Nick Young gave up cricket for good. After the war, he managed the Nationals, one of the first professional baseball clubs, and, according to his New York Times obituary:
In 1871 he issued a call for the first meeting of professional clubs to be held March 17 in New York. The National Association was formed and he was elected its Secretary, which position he held until the National League superseded that organization. He then became Secretary of the latter, serving in that capacity throughout the Presidencies of Governor Bulckley, William A. Hulbert, and A. G. Mills.
In 1881 he was elected President of the National League, and served continuously until 1903, when he was succeeded by Harry Pulliam, then of the Pittsburgh Club. Young's Presidential term included the famous Brotherhood war of 1890, the conflict with the old American Association a year later, and the troubles incidental to the establishment of the present American League.
When the National League owners agreed to play the first World Series in 1903 (won by the Boston Americans), Young handed in his resignation, but not before having seen his sport grow from a couple of guys plotting in a tent to the great game it is today.
John Dwyer returned to Amsterdam and stayed, continuing his plumbing business until he retired in 1898, serving as Mayor of Amsterdam in 1890 and Montgomery County's Assemblyman in 1891. He was one of the founders of Amsterdam City Hospital (later Memorial) and a charter member of the Amsterdam Board of Trade (later the Chamber of Commerce). His son, Matthew Dwyer, became the first graduate of St. Mary's Institute and a long-time prominent attorney in the city, serving as Corporation Counsel in 1902, 1903 and 1912, and sitting on the commission which drafted the city charter which lasted from before the first World War, with minor modifications, until 1979.
Unfortunately, the Recorder nostalgia column from August 24, 1944, which serves as my source for the big game, does not tell us exactly when the game took place (probably autumn of 1863), nor, more importantly, who won.
Buy my murder mystery The Evil Has Landed NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE FOR UNDER A BUCK!
and don't forget The Judge Report (THE BOOK) is now available, too!
John F. Dwyer, born in Ireland in 1837, came to Amsterdam by way of Quebec and Troy in 1860 and practiced his plumbing trade from a shop on Chuctanunda Street. Nicholas Ephraim Young was born in Amsterdam in 1840 and as a small boy moved to Old Fort Johnson, the baronial homestead of Sir William Johnson. Son of a local mill owner, he attended the Amsterdam Academy (then located on Chuctanunda Street, which I only mention because I don't often have the opportunity to mention Chuctanunda Street twice in the same paragraph).
Both young men enlisted in the service of their country, joining the 32nd Regiment in August of 1862, though in different companies. When the Army organized the Signal Corps in May of 1863, both Amsterdam lads transferred to the new unit and became tent mates.
Young had been an outstanding cricket player, and during the war picked up the game of baseball. One day, during a lull in the action, Dwyer suggested that they put together an exhibition game to entertain the troops. Young went for it, assigning himself the duties of captain, manager and pitcher, and Dwyer became the catcher for the nine-man squad composed entirely of New York State natives and calling themselves the "New Yorks." A rival nine, non-New Yorkers, took the name "The United States."
Some fifteen thousand people attended the game, including generals (it is not clear whether Abner Doubleday was among them, but he very well might have been) and newspaper reporters who telegraphed accounts of the game across the country.
Nicholas E. Young
Nick Young gave up cricket for good. After the war, he managed the Nationals, one of the first professional baseball clubs, and, according to his New York Times obituary:
In 1871 he issued a call for the first meeting of professional clubs to be held March 17 in New York. The National Association was formed and he was elected its Secretary, which position he held until the National League superseded that organization. He then became Secretary of the latter, serving in that capacity throughout the Presidencies of Governor Bulckley, William A. Hulbert, and A. G. Mills.
In 1881 he was elected President of the National League, and served continuously until 1903, when he was succeeded by Harry Pulliam, then of the Pittsburgh Club. Young's Presidential term included the famous Brotherhood war of 1890, the conflict with the old American Association a year later, and the troubles incidental to the establishment of the present American League.
When the National League owners agreed to play the first World Series in 1903 (won by the Boston Americans), Young handed in his resignation, but not before having seen his sport grow from a couple of guys plotting in a tent to the great game it is today.
John Dwyer returned to Amsterdam and stayed, continuing his plumbing business until he retired in 1898, serving as Mayor of Amsterdam in 1890 and Montgomery County's Assemblyman in 1891. He was one of the founders of Amsterdam City Hospital (later Memorial) and a charter member of the Amsterdam Board of Trade (later the Chamber of Commerce). His son, Matthew Dwyer, became the first graduate of St. Mary's Institute and a long-time prominent attorney in the city, serving as Corporation Counsel in 1902, 1903 and 1912, and sitting on the commission which drafted the city charter which lasted from before the first World War, with minor modifications, until 1979.
Unfortunately, the Recorder nostalgia column from August 24, 1944, which serves as my source for the big game, does not tell us exactly when the game took place (probably autumn of 1863), nor, more importantly, who won.
Buy my murder mystery The Evil Has Landed NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE FOR UNDER A BUCK!
and don't forget The Judge Report (THE BOOK) is now available, too!