Talk:Borchert Field

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1901 Brewers

Removing reference to charter members of the American League. They didn't play at Borchert but at the Lloyd Street Grounds. SixFourThree (talk) 16:28, 8 April 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree

I would guess they got locked out from using it somehow. Maybe like what happened in D.C. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 22:38, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm really skeptical about the opening and closing dates for Lloyd Street Grounds - only one season? Under other circumstances I'd say that it makes sense to build a new ballpark to commemorate the Western League becoming major, but according to contemporary reports the Brewers were already in the process of moving when the season started. And if the stadium wa shiny and new, why abandon it after one year and put the minor league team in a 15 year-old park? There's something more to it - have to do more research. SixFourThree (talk) 14:02, 9 April 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree

Wooden ballparks weren't all that "shiny". They were typically considered to be temporary structures. It wasn't until 1908-09 that big-league owners began to see that baseball had a sense of permanence about it. Some minor league teams were playing in wooden ballparks clear into the 1970s (Decatur, IL, for example). It's possible there were structural defects. It's more likely that the land was merely leased (as was often the case with ballpark property) and after the Brewers moved to St. Louis, the owners of the land ripped down the wooden stands, forcing the new team to return to Borchert Field. All conjecture, though. And I agree there was something more to it, other things going on. That ballpark is a bit of a mystery that has not really been explored in any depth that I know of. Probably the way to find out is to review some Milwaukee newspapers of the time and get the real story. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 14:09, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

All very possible. As you note, wooden ballparks weren't always considered to be permanent, but since the only images we have (sketchy ones at that) show not a utilitarian structure but an ornate one, and that it was apparently built to house a new major league team, I'm surprised that it didn't last. Maybe the owners didn't consider a new minor league team to be worth keeping the place around. I'll write to the Milwaukee Historical Society, see if they can shine any light on this. SixFourThree (talk) 16:40, 10 April 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree

It's worth a try. Also, if you live anywhere near Milwaukee, you could visit the library and read any microfilm of newspapers from 1900-01-02 and see if the pieces start to fit together. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 02:13, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't, but I know some people who do. Maybe I can convince one of them to do some legwork. The good news is that we're not talking about a whole lot of microfilm. SixFourThree (talk) 14:51, 11 April 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree

OK, it wasn't just a one-year deal. Finally looking at the source, here's what Benson has. He's got the 1890s league name wrong, as it was Western League, not Association. I've got a hunch that the AA in 1902 had to go back to the Borchert site due to that other team holding the lease on Lloyd Street, and by the time that experiment failed, the Brewers were at Borchert for good:

• Athletic Park (same site as Borchert Field)
  • 1887-1894: Western Association (minor league)
  • 1891: American Association (major league)

• Milwaukee Park a.k.a. Lloyd Street Ball Park
  • 1895-1899: Western Association (minor league)
  • 1900-1901: American League (major in 1901, and same as 1895-99 club)
  • 1902-1903: Western League (minor, presumably a competitor holding onto the lease)

• Brewer Field - renamed Borchert Field, 1919
  • 1902-1952: American Association (minor league)

Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 22:30, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

OK, I elaborated on the above in the two parks' articles. Feel free to try to word it better. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 23:32, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Milwaukee Athletic Park?

I don't see any point in adding questionable new facts along with a "fact" tag. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 22:09, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

wtf? The fact tag was for something else. Don't revert my edits. Enigma ^message Review 00:18, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

The fact tag was for the part that said it was called Borchert's Orchard. Enigma ^message Review 00:19, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Aha. Well, the Benson book doesn't say anything about that, so the fact tag could be appropriate. Meanwhile, your sources are contradictory on a couple of points, so we might have to put some question marks in. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 02:08, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

It's not good like this. We'll have to look for other sources to see what the correct years were. Can't have "this or this" in an encyclopedia. I assume you have a copy of the book on you? Maybe we could ask Benson what his sources were? Enigma ^message Review 02:16, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Or you could ask MLB what their source is. Interestingly, the book says Borchert himself died in 1927, so naming it for him in his memory in 1928 would make sense. And there's no harm in having alternate information from alternate sources. Consider the Ty Cobb article, in which the different lifetime totals are covered. Of course, there is a clear explanation for it. Not for this. Obviously, they can't both be right. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 02:20, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Further complicating matters is that Green Cathedrals says it opened on May 20, 1887, which squares with Benson; and that it was renamed in honor of the deceased Otto Borchert in 1927 (presumably post-season). It also says Borchert bought the team in 1919. It's possible that the "Borchert's Orchard" name, if that was ever for-real (Lowry doesn't mention it), was an informal name during 1919-1927. One thing all sources seem consistent on is its use as an ice rink in winter. Another interesting bit in the Lowry book: "In 1896 it was converted into a camp and stables for a Wisconsin National Guard cavalry troop. It was converted back for baseball use in 1902." That last part is certainly true, and the rest of it sounds reasonable. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 02:31, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

And as a further complication, Lowry's more recent edition says 1888. It also has the statements contradicting the Veeck moving-screen story, which appear to have been inserted into this article verbatim. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 02:42, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Take Me Out to the Ballpark, by the Sporting News, 1987 edition, says that the ballpark opened in 1887, and then "in 1888, the field was known as Athletic Park". It also states that the owners in 1894 didn't like the lease terms, which is why they moved to Lloyd Street in 1895. It says that when Borchert bought the team in 1919 is when it was renamed from Brewer Field to Borchert Field. It also says Otto Borchert died "on the eve" of the 1927 season. All this is like a jigsaw puzzle. Fun, ain't it? It also talks about the ice rink. At least that story is consistent. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 03:02, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

It's all very confusing but I'm pretty sure it was originally an ice rink before it became a ballfield. The years are repeatedly contradicted by different sources, and there's no way of knowing if one source took it from another source anyway. Enigma ^message Review 03:08, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

The only way to know for sure is to get hold of the newspaper microfilm from that era. I wouldn't be too sure about the ice rink preceding the ballpark. Converting a ball field to a skating rink in the winter was not uncommon in those days. And things get more complicated because now people are using wikipedia as a source, and it can get circular. The Babe Ruth book, The Big Bam, listed wikipedia among its sources. So that makes quoting from that book chancy, unless we're certain some fact didn't come from wikipedia in the first place. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 03:58, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Much as I love this place, using it as a primary source is questionable. I have some reference material from the period - see if I can confirm that the nickname was period. For what it's worth, Borchert's widow took over the team when he died, so renaming the place after him seems like a natural. SixFourThree (talk) 21:01, 14 July 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree

The true wikipedia would be the first to agree. It's a reference, not a primary source. In any case, the Podoll book cleared some things up. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 23:00, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Moveable fence?

Okay, I ordered the book cited for the SABR researchers. I'm still very wary of the way in which it's written - "in all likelihood" doesn't seem very encyclopedic. I think there's a more neutral way to phrase it - going to edit, let me know what you think. SixFourThree (talk) 18:33, 11 December 2008 (UTC)SixFourThree