Frederick Lovett Lake (October 16, 1866 – November 24, 1931) was a Canadian professional baseball

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 ...

and Major League

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 ...

for Boston American and National leagues teams in the early 20th century. Lake hailed from

Cornwallis Township Cornwallis Township was one of the original townships of Kings County, Nova Scotia. The township was named after Edward Cornwallis, the founder of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It bordered Aylesford Township to the west and Horton Township to the south. ...

Kings County, Nova Scotia Kings County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. With a population of 62,914 in the 2021 Census, Kings County is the third most populous county in the province. It is located in central Nova Scotia on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, ...

. His professional debut came with the

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

in 1891, but he was in and out of the Major Leagues, amassing a total of 125 at-bats in five seasons. He was hired as manager of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

in 1908, though he was replaced after the

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

season despite leading the Sox to a third-place finish. Shortly after, he was hired by the crosstown

Boston Doves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

, but in his only season for them, he finished 53–100, games behind the pennant-winning

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. In addition, Lake played or managed in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

in part of 11 seasons spanning 1896–1926. Lake was a long time resident of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where he died at the age of 65.

Early life

Lake was the fourth child of Nova Scotians Wesley and Julia Lake. Before having Fred in 1866, the couple had given birth to their first child, Edgar James, their second son, Rupert, and daughter Alice. The family moved to Boston in 1868, when Fred was 2, and had three more children, Walter, Nellie, and Charles. Wesley died on May 31st 1879, leaving Julia to raise her seven children alone in East Boston. As a young teenager, Fred was dependent on his mother as well as his two older brothers who had jobs in a local pottery factory. He attended the local elementary and high school where he learned to play baseball.

Professional career

Early career

Aptly nicknamed the "baseball tourist", Fred Lake spent his baseball career frequently changing both leagues and teams. He began his career at the age of 20 after joining the Salem (Massachusetts) Baseball Club. He did not stay for long, though, and moved on to teams in Dover, New Hampshire, and Hingham, Massachusetts. According to the ''Hingham Journal'', his season with the team was the best one they had had up to that time. In 1890 he joined the New Brunswick Provincial League back in Canada and was hired as the captain and manager of the Moncton team. After a successful season, he was recruited for the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

and joined the team as a back-up player for the 1891 season. After his first season in the major league with the Beaneaters, he went back to the minor league for two seasons with

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

and

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...

. He then rejoined the National League in 1894 with the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

, again as a back-up. In 1895 he went back to the minor leagues with Toronto, followed by a season with Kansas City in 1896. In 1897 he rejoined the Beaneaters and played with them for one season before joining the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

for the 1898 season. In 1899, he left the major league again and played semi-pro for Lowell, Massachusetts, and led the team to the

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

championship. He stayed with the Lowell team until 1905, and then joined

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

, then Lawrence, and was back with Lowell by 1906. He gave

Alexander Bannwart Alexander William Bannwart (December 25, 1880 – February 21, 1959), also known as Al Winn, was a Swiss-American businessman. He was involved in baseball, politics, and real estate. Bannwart graduated from Phillips Academy and Princeton Univer ...

, a recent Princeton graduate, a try-out. Later in the season, Bannwart bought the team and released Lake. In 1907 he played for Little Rock, Arkansas, and became a scout for the

. Lake was credited for discovering some great players such as

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career bat ...

Smokey Joe Wood Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 – July 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland Indi ...

Harry Hooper Harry Bartholomew Hooper (August 24, 1887 – December 18, 1974) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, Ca ...

and

Bill Carrigan William Francis Carrigan (October 22, 1883 – July 8, 1969), nicknamed "Rough", was a Major League Baseball, Major League baseball catcher and manager. He played for the Boston Red Sox between 1906 and 1916, and he was a player-manager for the la ...

Boston Red Sox

In 1908, at the age of 41, Lake's career took a dramatic turn when he was hired to replace Red Sox manager

Deacon McGuire James Thomas "Deacon" McGuire (November 18, 1863 – October 31, 1936) was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach whose career spanned the years 1883 to 1915. He played 26 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a ca ...

, under whom the team was floundering. Lake took over in late August and led the team to a 22–17 record through the end of the season; the Red Sox finished in fifth place, as their overall record for the season was 75–79. Two well-known players on the 1908 Red Sox were

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

and

Smoky Joe Wood Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 – July 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland Indi ...

. Lake continued as manager of the 1909 Red Sox and advanced the team to third place, with a record of 88–63. That season, Lake had added rookie and future Hall of Famer

to the team as well as moving

to full-time in center field. After the season, Lake asked team owner

John I. Taylor John Irving Taylor (January 14, 1875 – January 26, 1938) was an American baseball executive. He was principal owner of the Boston Red Sox from 1904 until 1911, and remained a part owner until 1914. Biography Taylor was the son of Charles H. Tay ...

for a raise, but his request was denied by Taylor, who claimed that the team's success had nothing to do with Lake's managing. Due to their stubbornness on the issue, Lake was replaced as manager before the 1910 season.

Boston Doves

After leaving the Red Sox, Lake took over the Boston Beaneaters, nicknamed the Doves, which are now the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. However, he struggled to bring the same success to the Doves that he had achieved with the Red Sox because the players were not as talented. In 1909 the team finished 45-108, and in 1910 they finished 53-100 in 8th place. Despite the unsuccessful season, an interesting story was published about Lake in the Mansfield (Ohio) News on October 4.

In New York the other day, several hundred orphans were guests at the Polo Grounds. The Giants were facing the Doves and the score was close. Lake became upset with an umpire's call and told the umpire how wrong he was. He was ejected from the game. The orphans cheered this and then said some unkind words to Mr. Lake. The manager did not become angry. He smiled, walked over to where the orphans were. He opened his traveling bag and began to throw baseballs up to the kids. The jeers turned to cheers and the children turned their insulting comments towards the umpire.

St. Louis Browns

After 1910 Lake resigned from the Doves and a new manager was hired, there was talk of Lake taking over to manage the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

. However, the Doves would not release him from his contract, so he was hired as Chief Scout for the Browns. However, Lake was frustrated by the lack of skilled minor league players that year and the Browns only ended up hiring three of the players he had scouted. In the October 18, 1911 ''Colorado Springs Gazette'', Lake summarizes his frustration:

The low quality of minor league players is a result of the early picking of players a year ago. The promising players of 1910 were taken too early and the result is this year's crop is way below the big league standard. My idea of scouting is to stay off men who you know will not prosper in the big leagues and buy up only the players who you feel will make good when tried out. I have worked with that idea in view. There are many players who are hitting and fielding well in the minors but they lack the qualifications necessary for a major league player. For that reason there is little reason for lining up a player of that stripe.

Lake left the Browns after the 1911 season.

Late career

Lake moved on to the International League in 1912 as manager of the Providence team. In 1913 he managed the New Bedford club of the New England League, and moved the team to Fitchburg in 1914 due to poor attendance. However, within days of opening, Lake moved the team to Manchester, New Hampshire, again due to poor attendance. The club finished the season in last place, causing Lake to sell the club to former Dartmouth athlete and coach of the

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...

squad,

Tom Keady John Thomas Keady (August 18, 1882 – February 12, 1964) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Lehigh University from 1912 to 1920, at the University of Vermont from 1921 to ...

, in 1915. Lake began coaching in 1916 for

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

in Maine, and for

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in Boston a few years later. In 1925 he was hired to coach the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Seconds. At 61 years old in 1926, Lake returned to managing with the Nashua franchise of the New England League. However, he soon stepped down and gave the team to Walter Keating, instead choosing to stay on as vice-president and scout for the team.

Managerial record

Family life and death

By 1900, Lake had married his wife Lydia Griffin and the couple had had four daughters. Shortly after 1900 Griffin gave birth to their first son and final child, Fred Jr. In November 1931, after an extremely unstable life and career, Lake was admitted to New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston where he died due to heart problems on November 24, 1931. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

. His wife, Lydia survived him for another 13 years, passing away on September 25, 1944. In the 1930 U.S. Census, his son, Fred Lake Jr. was listed as living with his wife Myrtle and son Fred Lake III in Quincy, Massachusetts.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Fred 1866 births 1931 deaths Allentown Buffaloes players Baseball people from Nova Scotia Binghamton Bingoes players Boston Doves managers Boston Red Sox managers Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Canadian people of British descent Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball player-managers Boston Beaneaters players Boston Doves players Louisville Colonels players Pittsburgh Pirates players Minor league baseball managers Haverhill (minor league baseball) players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Kansas City Cowboys (minor league) players Lawrence Colts players Little Rock Travelers players Lowell Tigers players Lynn Shoemakers players Manchester Manchesters players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players New Bedford Whalers (baseball) players Providence Grays (minor league) players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Toronto Canucks players Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons players Major League Baseball players from Canada People from Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Baseball players from Boston Fitchburg Burghers players