Joseph D. Cantillon (August 19, 1861 – January 31, 1930), nicknamed "Pongo Joe", was an American

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

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

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), ...

during the first decade of the 20th century. He also was a longtime manager in minor league baseball. He was born in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

. Cantillon, a second baseman who played in the 19th-century minor leagues, is one of the handful of men who both umpired and managed in the majors. He officiated in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in and 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 ...

for part of the season. He was a controversial umpire who had to be removed from the field on some occasions, including a game in Boston where fans attacked him (he had to be rescued by

Chick Stahl Charles Sylvester "Chick" Stahl (January 10, 1873 – March 28, 1907) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who was among the most feared and consistent hitters in his time. Stahl was an active major-league player when he committed ...

and Parson Lewis). In Cantillon became the manager of the Washington Senators, but his tenure there was disastrous. In Cantillon's three years in Washington, his team never finished higher than seventh place in the AL, and lost 100 games twice. The only bright spot was the discovery of

Walter Johnson Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-ha ...

, who would become perhaps the greatest pitcher in American League history. After the season, Cantillon was fired. He finished his big league managerial career with a 158–297 record (a .347

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

).Retrosheet
/ref> Cantillon's minor league managerial career stretched back to 1893, when he was skipper of the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

Colonels of the California League; his team finished first that season. He managed in the old Western Association sporadically in the late 1890s. After his two years as an umpire, Cantillon resumed his minor league managerial career with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

from 1903 to 1906, his team never finishing below third place.Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 1997 edition. Durham, North Carolina:

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

After his firing in Washington, Cantillon returned to the Association, where he led the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

to the league championship in 1910–11–12 and in 1915. He spent years (1910 through the midseason of 1923) in the Millers' managerial post. He also was a part-owner in the franchise, along with his brother Mike. Ironically, the former umpire was known as a hot-tempered skipper who was frequently ejected from games, especially during his long minor league tenure.Drohan, John, "Dining With Drohan", ''The Baseball Register;'' St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1954 He also operated a saloon in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

before

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

that was frequented by baseball people. Joe Cantillon died in

Hickman, Kentucky Hickman is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. Located on the Mississippi River, the city had a population of 2,365 at the 2020 U.S. census and is classified as a home rule-class city. Hickman is part of the ...

, from a stroke at age 68.*Thorn, John, and Palmer, Pete, eds., ''Total Baseball.'' New York: Warner Books, 1989

References

External links

Find-a-Grave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantillon, Joe 1861 births 1930 deaths Baseball players from Wisconsin Burlington Babies players Chicago White Sox scouts Columbus Buckeyes (minor league) players Columbus Senators players Dubuque (minor league baseball) players Eau Claire Lumbermen players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball umpires Marinette Badgers players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) managers Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) managers Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Oakland Colonels players Rockford (minor league baseball) players Rock Island-Moline Islanders players Sacramento Senators players St. Paul Apostles players San Francisco Friscos players San Francisco Metropolitans players Sportspeople from Janesville, Wisconsin Stockton River Pirates players Terre Haute (minor league baseball) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) managers