Abner Charles Powell (December 15, 1860 – August 7, 1953) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player who was a member of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

in 1884. He later played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

in 1886. He also managed and owned several teams, and he is best known for his innovations as a manager.

Personal life

Powell was born in

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania Shenandoah is a borough in Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. It is distinct from Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township immediately to the north. As of 2021, the borough's population was 4,247. Shenando ...

He died in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, aged 92.

Innovations

Powell is credited with various innovations that changed baseball, though in many cases this is incorrect or overstated. He is incorrectly credited with inventing rain checks and "ladies' day", but both of these were in use in New Orleans before Powell. However, Powell did improve the existing rain check, adding a perforated stub to ticket when sold so that only ''purchasers'' of tickets (and not other spectators, notably free-riders and fence-climbers) could get a new ticket. The idea of Ladies Day was to create an environment in the stands free of unsavory characters and conduct, as well as to make baseball a family-oriented event; it dates at least to 1880 in New Orleans. Powell scheduled a recurring Ladies Day in 1887. Powell is also credited with using an infield

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforced ...

so that fields could be ready immediately after rain storms.

References

External links

* 1860 births 1953 deaths Washington Nationals (UA) players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) players Major League Baseball outfielders 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball right fielders Baseball players from Pennsylvania Atlanta Crackers managers Minor league baseball managers Peoria Reds players Washington Nationals (minor league) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players New Orleans (minor league baseball) players Hamilton Hams players Montreal (minor league baseball) players Spokane (minor league baseball) players Seattle (minor league baseball) players Seattle Hustlers players Nashville Tigers players Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons players New Castle Quakers players Newark Colts players Paterson Giants players People from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania {{US-baseball-pitcher-1860s-stub