The Berlin Busy Bees (also known as the Berlin Green Sox and the Berlin Dutchmen) were a minor league baseball team in Berlin ( renamed as Kitchener),

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

that played in the

Canadian League The Canadian League was a minor league baseball league that operated in Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first version of the league operated in 1885, then from 1896–1899, becoming a Class-D league in 1899 and merging into the Int ...

from 1911 through 1913. The league was classified as Class D in 1911 and as Class C from 1912 through 1913. The team's owner from 1911 to 1912 was William J. "Pop" Williams; in the winter of 1912–13 he sold the team for $2,000 to the Twin Cities Athletic Association, headed by Dr. F. H. Kalbfleisch. The team played its home games in

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

. The 1911 team easily won the Canadian League pennant with a record of 70–40, 11 games ahead of second-place

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The team's

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

was

George "Rube" Deneau George Deneau (died January 10, 1926) was a Canadian minor league baseball player, manager, and promoter who played on a number of Ontario and Michigan teams between 1898 and 1915. Known best by his nickname "Rube," he was born in Amherstburg, Onta ...

. Their shortstop, Raymond "Scotty" Cameron, was described as the "fastest man in the league", and was compared with

Joe Tinker Joseph Bert Tinker (July 27, 1880 – July 27, 1948) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the ...

; he hit .341 and stole 48 bases. At the end of the season, he was drafted by the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. In 1912, the league was expanded from six teams to eight and was reclassified as Class C. Deneau returned as manager, but the Berlin team had lost six players to major league teams. The team finished in sixth place with a 42–50 record, and the owner, Williams, announced that he had lost money and would sell the team. In 1913, Joseph Keenan took over as manager. The team failed to improved its record, going 37–67 to finish in seventh place. After the season, the Canadian League dropped the Berlin franchise, replacing it with a team in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, and moved the

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

franchise to

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, as the bid to upgrade the league to Class B status. After the season,

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

Wickey McAvoy James Eugene "Wickey" McAvoy (October 20, 1894 – July 6, 1973) was an American professional baseball player. He played part or all of six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919 for the Philadelphia Athletics, primarily as a catch ...

was drafted by the

References

{{reflist Baseball teams established in 1911 1911 establishments in Ontario Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1913 1913 disestablishments in Ontario Defunct minor league baseball teams Sport in Kitchener, Ontario Defunct baseball teams in Canada Baseball teams in Ontario Baseball teams disestablished in 1913