Book chronicles forgotten baseball players

THE LOST NEW ENGLAND NINE, by Will Anderson, Anderson and Sons’ Publishing Co., Bath, Maine, 2003, 140 pages, $19.95.

It was the recurring dream on the endless, dusty summer afternoons spent in right field on a baseball field in some rocky, vacant lot. Some of us could not see the line drive until it was 30 feet away, screaming for the nearby woods. Some of us could not hit even the slowest fast ball. But we all harbored those daydreams of playing for the Red Sox (or if you are old enough, the Boston Braves).

It wasn’t good enough to just make the major leagues in those sandlot daydreams, you had to play for the local team.

Author Will Anderson has captured that dream even though he was originally a (ptui) Yankees fan. In his book “The Lost New England Nine,” Anderson has chronicled the largely forgotten New England ballplayers who played, at least for a time, with the Boston Braves and Red Sox.

Any baseball fan worth his pretzel salt knows Carlton Fisk, Rabbit Maranville, Jimmy Piersall, Bill Monbouquette, Tony C. and Walt Dropo as native New Englanders who starred for the Red Sox and Braves. But what about Mainers such as Harry Lord from Porter, Irv Young from Columbia Falls, Curt Fullerton from Ellsworth and William “Rough Bill” Carrigan from Lewiston?

The Anderson opus deserves a space on the bookshelf of any Red Sox, Braves or baseball fan. In his fascinating book, Anderson has separated his “lost” ballplayers by position.

At first base, Anderson violates his own parameters and nominates John “Stuffy” McGinnis, born in 1890 in Gloucester, Mass. McGinnis is hardly “lost” since he had a spectacular career with the Red Sox and even celebrated a few World Series championships in Boston. McGinnis was so good that he was signed by baseball legend Connie Mack for the Athletics at the age of 18. He batted .308 in 19 big league seasons.

Often referred to as the “Gloucester whaler” by sportswriters, McGinnis was eventually traded to the Red Sox in 1918, sadly the last year the Sox won the pennant. He lasted in the majors until 1926 when he was still batting .296. He coached college ball, finishing at Harvard University in 1954.

At second base is Horace “Hod” Ford of New Haven, Conn., who played for five major league teams. He started his major league career with the Braves in 1919 and ended it there in 1933.

Backup second baseman for the “lost” team is Freddy Parent,who was born in Biddeford in 1875 to a hard working mill family. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1899 and moved to the Red Sox in 1901, where he batted .306, scored 87 runs and had 59 RBIs, then played in the very first World Series that year. Believe it or not, Boston won that year, too. In the 1903 series (another Sox win) Parent outplayed Hall of Famer Honus Wagner. Parent batted .281, scored eight runs and knocked in three while the slumping Wagner hit only .222, with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Parent always bragged that he recommended minor leaguers Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore to Red Sox brass.

Third baseman William “Larry” Gardner of Enosburg Falls, Vt. went from the University of Vermont to the Red Sox in 1912. He helped open Fenway Park on April 20, then had the winning hit when the Sox again won the series (hard to believe) over the Giants. He lasted in Boston until 1917, when he was traded to Philadelphia.

Other “lost” third basemen included Harry Lord of Porter who went from Bates College to the Red Sox in 1907. He was traded to the White Sox in 1910.

The “lost” outfield consists of:

William “Bill” Barrett of Cambridge, Mass. who played for nine major league teams including the Red Sox in 1929 where he hit a solid .270. He was traded to the Washington Senators at the end of the season.

John “Shano” Collins of Charlestown, Mass. spent four years of an 11-year career with the Red Sox and later returned to Boston as a manager.

Johnny Cooney of Cranston, R.I. played for 20 years in the majors, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves. In 1940, at age 39, he batted .318 for the Dodgers, third best in the league.

On the mound for the “Lost New England Nine” are:

Daniel “Deacon Danny” MacFayden of North Truro, Mass. who pitched for both Red Sox (1926-1932) and the Braves (1935-1939). After his major league retirement, MacFayden coached baseball at Bowdoin College from 1946-1970.

George “Lefty” Tyler of Derry, N. H. played for the “Miracle Braves” of 1914, when the Braves came from last place to first place. He later pitched in three games for the Red Sox in the World Series of 1918, the last won by the Sox (as if you needed to be reminded.)

Other “lost” pitchers are Irving “Cy” Young of Columbia Falls who pitched for the Boston Beaneaters (later the Braves) from 1905-1908 and ended up with 63-94 record with an era of 3.11; and Curtis “Curt” Fullerton from Ellsworth who went to the Red Sox in 1921, lasted six years, and finished at 10-37 with an ERA of 5.11.

The “lost” catcher is James “Shanty” Hogan of Somerville, Mass. who came up to the Braves in 1927 where he hit a promising .288. He was traded to the Giants the next year, but returned to the Braves in 1932 and he retired in 1935.

Other catchers nominated included William “Rough Bill” Carrigan of Lewiston who went from Holy Cross to the Red Sox from 1906-1913, when he became manager and had the task of “breaking in” one George Herman “Babe” Ruth.

Under ‘Rough Bill,” the Sox won two World Series championships.

Hard to believe.

Other “lost” managers from New England include Adelphia “Del” Bissonette from Winthrop, Maine, who managed the Braves in 1945.

“The Lost New England Nine” is available at local bookstores or from Anderson and Sons’ Publishing Co., 34 Park St., Bath, Maine, 04530. 207-442-7459. Emmet Mears writes a column each Saturday for the Style section. He can be reached at meara@msn.com.