Marty Hogan

Martin Francis Hogan (October 25, 1869 – August 15, 1923), nicknamed "The Indianapolis Ringer", was an English born right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1894) and St. Louis Browns (1894–1895). After leaving the National League, Hogan moved on to the minor league Indianapolis Hoosiers. Some sources suggest he set a national baserunning record in the 1890s.''The Baltimore Sun Almanac for 1909'' (Baltimore, Maryland: A. S. Abell Co., 1909), p. 200.''The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906'' (New York: Press Publishing Co., 1905), p. 277.

When his playing career ended, he worked as a minor league baseball manager in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. As a manager, Hogan groomed several pitchers who excelled in the major leagues. He signed future stars Stan Coveleski and Sam Jones to their first professional contracts and helped launch the career of Roy Castleton, the first native of Utah to play in the major leagues.

In 1912, Hogan was among a select group of veteran managers invited to participate in the United States Baseball League, which was treated by the baseball establishment as an "outlaw league". For reasons that are unclear, he did not actually manage a franchise in the short-lived alternative league
and resumed his career as a minor league manager. Hogan eventually settled in his adopted hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, where he died in 1923.

Early years

Hogan was born to Patrick J. Hogan, Sr., and his wife, the former Margaret Gillen, in the industrial town of Wednesbury, Staffordshire (now West Midlands, England.) When he was still a child, his parents, both natives of Ireland, relocated the family from England to Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-production center near the Pennsylvania border. Although Hogan is routinely identified as Anglo-American (given his English birth), baseball historians Joel Zoss and John Bowman wrote that he probably regarded himself as an Irish American.Zoss and Bowman (2004), p. 120.

The Hogan family settled on Youngstown's near west side, in a working-class district known as Westlake's Crossing. In Youngstown, Hogan's father, Patrick J. Hogan, Sr., secured employment as a steelworker, while his older brother, Patrick J. Hogan, Jr., worked his way up to the position of " roller" at the Union Steel Company (later consolidated with U.S. Steel). Martin Hogan moved in the direction of an athletic career, gaining early recognition as a "foot racer". His interest in sports was evidently encouraged by his father, who closely followed his son's baseball career even in later life. Patrick J. Hogan, Sr.'s obituary described him as "a great baseball fan", who "was as quick to appreciate a clever 'steal' or a 'heady' play as any one of the younger generation".

While little is known about Martin Hogan's early years in Youngstown, there is evidence he was popular among local residents. His obituary referred to him as an individual "of pleasing personality" who "made many friends during his long residence in Youngstown". Another newspaper article described him as "a good fellow", and a third indicated he was well liked among players with whom he worked. At the same time, Hogan was reportedly quick to comment when he felt he was treated unfairly.

Playing career

Before joining the major leagues, Hogan played for minor league baseball teams in the northeastern United States, including the Akron (Ohio) Summits and Scranton (Pennsylvania) Miners. He began his career as a major league player with the Cincinnati Reds, on August 4, 1894, but played only six games before switching to the St. Louis Browns (later known as the Cardinals). By this time, St. Louis had been eliminated from league championship contention, after being tied with Cleveland and Boston for first place in April.''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1895), p. 114. Hogan participated in 29 games with St. Louis in the 1894 season. According to the 1895 edition of '' Spalding's Official Baseball Guide'', he ranked tenth among league outfielders with a percentage of .941 for put-outs, assists, and errors.''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1895), p. 99. Among his teammates, Hogan held the second highest percentage of stolen bases for games played. In March 1895, a reporter for '' Sporting Life'' praised the Browns' decision to retain Hogan in center field and emphasized the young outfielder's potential. "On the bases and in the field the lad is a wonder", the paper stated. "His only fault is weakness at the bat, but increasing confidence and familiarity with ationalLeague players will undoubtedly improve him in this respect". Despite Hogan's physical speed, however, his overall performance with the Browns proved uneven, and his two-season batting average was just .241. On May 17, 1895, the '' Youngstown Daily Vindicator'' reported that Hogan had been "farmed out" as a center fielder to the Indianapolis Hoosiers, a club connected to the well-organized Western League, the predecessor of the American League. The ''Vindicator'' added, "At any time by giving a proper notification the St. Louis team, of which club Hogan is a member, can again secure his services". Yet, for reasons that are unclear, Hogan never returned to the St. Louis Browns. He played his last game with the team on April 24, 1895, concluding a major-league career that comprised 40 games over two seasons.Thorn, Palmer, and Reuther (1989), p. 1187.

At Indianapolis, Hogan led at the bat, and contemporary sources indicate his performance improved. "Marty Hogan, who is playing temporarily in middle field for the Indianapolis team of the western league...is covering himself in glory with his superb playing", the ''Vindicator'' reported on June 4, 1895. "The Indianapolis Sentinel of May 31st says: Hogan made a great record at the bat yesterday morning", the newspaper added. "One of the drives was for a home run and three of the hits were bunts". In addition, the article credited Hogan with four runs, five base hits, and two put outs in a late morning game against a rival team from St. Paul, Minnesota. The ''Vindicator'' went on to quote the ''Indianapolis Journal'' as follows: "Among the features of the forenoon game was Hogan's batting. He got five hits, one a home run, and his bunting was even cleverer than usual, and that is saying a great deal". The article concluded, "If he keeps up this gait, it will not be long before t. Louis Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe reclaims his pet".

Hogan's obituary stated that, at some point in his playing career, he set a record for baserunning. Several sources trace this record to a field day event held in Indianapolis in 1895, when he reportedly rounded the bases in 13.2 seconds.
''The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906'', for instance, reported that Hogan "lowered the base-running record" in 1895, noting that " e distance around the bases is 120 yards". In January 1906, ''Sporting Life'' reported that Hogan had "taken steps to have the base running record awarded to him". The report added, "Under proper conditions oganturned the route in 13 1–5 seconds at Indianapolis in 1895". Some observers questioned the veracity of the record, however. In 1907, for instance, ''Washington Post'' sports columnist J. Ed Grillo conceded that "Hogan was a great sprinter" but described his unofficial record as "out of reason". Grillo, who argued that "the fastest runners in baseball failed to come anywhere near the mark", lent his support to an official record of 14.1 that had been set more recently by Eastern League player Wally Clement. An article published in the ''Washington Herald'' days earlier also raised questions about Hogan's baserunning record. In this case, however, the writer claimed that the most "authentic" record had been set by Harry Berthrong in the 1860s.
The article stated that, while Hogan was "said to have beaten Berthrong's base-circling record of 13 2–5 seconds by a fifth of a second", this alleged feat was not "performed under official sanction". One year earlier, in 1906, Berthrong, himself, weighed in on the debate. According to an article that appeared in '' Sporting Life'' in March of that year, Berthrong disputed Hogan's claim. "My time...around the bases was made in Washington, D.C., in July 1868, after the old Nationals of Washington, D.C., had played a game with the Pastimes of Baltimore, Md.", Berthrong was quoted as saying in an interview. "Three stop watches were held over me, the slowest giving me 14 1/4". The retired player added: "I am skeptical about this man Hogan doing the bases in 13 1-5: nobody but an Arthur Duffey could possibly do it, and I doubt if he could". For reasons that are unclear, the article indicated that Hogan claimed to round the bases in 1889, six earlier than other reports.
(A similar description of Hogan's claim appeared elsewhere in the same edition of ''Sporting Life''; a brief news item suggested he claimed to set the record "in Indianapolis in the 80's".
) Baseball historian Jon Daly traced Hogan's contested record to 1898; he speculated that Ben Morgan, an official of the National Association, "disputed that claim when doing a study of field day records". The most widely accepted national baserunning record was set by Evar Swanson, who rounded the bases in 13.4 seconds in 1929. Despite questions surrounding Hogan's baserunning record, he became popularly known as the "Indianapolis Ringer".
Newspaper reports suggest he defended his position as baserunning champion of the Western League in various pre-game competitions. On August 2, 1895, the ''Vindicator'' noted that the outfielder had "a rival for the base running honors in the western league in George Nichol of the Milwaukees who, it is claimed, can get down to first quicker than Hogan".
The article added, "A race between the two is talked of". Then, on August 17, 1895, the ''Vindicator'' reported that Hogan had defeated Detroit outfielder Frank Tower in a baserunning contest.
"The Hoosiers have in Mart Hogan a pretty good extra card", the article added. "Indianapolis goes around the land, and their sprinting outfielder meets all comers in foot races before the game. He has not yet been defeated". Several days earlier, the same newspaper quoted a journalist from ''Sporting Life'', who reportedly commented: "Mart Hogan, the Indianapolis outfielder, is showing such astonishing speed that he will probably be taken to England next year for the Sheffield Handicap".

In February 1896, Hogan received an offer to manage the Youngstown (Ohio) Puddlers, a minor league team associated with the Interstate League.
The ''Vindicator'' reported that the outfielder refused the offer. "Hogan expects to play again with the St. Louis team in the National League", the ''Vindicator'' stated. The paper went on to quote an article that supposedly appeared in the Cincinnati-based ''Commercial Gazette'': "St. Louis fans are opposed to the idea of selling Marty Hogan, the fast out-fielder, who played with the Indianapolis team last season, having been loaned by the Browns". In the spring of 1896, however, Hogan attempted to extricate himself from remaining contractual obligations to the St. Louis Browns. ''Sporting Life'' reported, in May 1896, that Hogan was unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain a final release from the Browns, who retained him as an "extra" right fielder. "Marty has not been given any kind of trial by the manager of the Browns, although he stood high in batting and base running in the Western League last year", the article stated. "He is in fine condition, and is anxious to play, but does not prepare to be shifted about at the will of alleged managers". The paper added that Hogan had returned to St. Louis in March 1896, prepared to "purchase" his release, "but he has been held onto until now, when he could have secured $1550 for his services in the Western League". Hogan appeared especially confident of his baserunning abilities. The article noted that the outfielder had "offered to match himself to run 100 yards for $500 a side against any player in the National League". Meanwhile, his batting evidently continued to improve. On May 24, 1896, an article in the ''St. Paul (Minnesota) Globe'' indicated Hogan performed exceptionally well at the bat during a contest between the Hoosiers and the St. Paul Saints. "Marty Hogan...through an inadvertent mix-up of pugilism and baseball...tried to hammer the face off the ball, which had tantalized the other Hoosiers", the article stated, "and when Marty's work was done, the ball was out of the lot and he was on second base".

At some point in the 1896 season, Hogan apparently secured his release from the Browns. Once again, however, his physical speed offered no guarantee of consistency on the playing field. On July 21, 1896, the ''St. Paul (Minneapolis) Globe'' reported that Hogan had performed poorly in a contest between the Hoosiers and the local ball club. "Marty Hogan...made a bad fumble, and then looked up at the sky to see if it had moved while he was locating the ball", the paper reported. "It was a good bluff, but the crowd discovered Marty's weakness before the end of the game". In January 1897, the ''Vindicator'' reported that the Hoosiers had sold Hogan to a club in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The article called Hogan "one of the fastest outfielders and baserunners in the Western League" and predicted he would "greatly strengthen the Grand Rapids outfield". The following month, however, the paper described the previous report as a "mistake", indicating instead that Hogan had signed a contract with baseball executive John T. Brush to play with the Hoosiers for another year. The paper also reported that the contract granted Hogan "the largest salary he has ever drawn". Despite this lucrative contract, Hogan established and maintained his own advertising distribution agency in Indianapolis. "He goes about the streets dressed much like an English costermonger", ''Sporting Life'' reported in January 1897. "Marty can be seen with a little red wagon full of signs and advertising matter chasing up and down streets nailing the signs to buildings and convenient places and distributing advertising literature in the reel-dance portion of Indianapolis". Less than four months later, in May 1897, he was released by the Indianapolis ball club. In June 1897, the ''Kansas City Journal'' indicated Hogan had moved on to the Dayton (Ohio) Old Soldiers, a team affiliated with the Class B Interstate League, where he was "playing a sensational center field". In October of the same year, ''Sporting Life'' speculated Hogan would remain with Dayton during the upcoming 1898 season. "Marty Hogan's contract with Dayton is such that he cannot be reserved, as are the rest of the players", the article stated. "Unless Marty has a better offer to play with some other team it is safe to say that he will be with Dayton next year". Further research is required to determine how long Hogan continued to play as an outfielder in the minor leagues. (His obituary indicated that he also worked as a major league trainer.) During his playing career, he apparently received at least one serious injury. In February 1903, ''Sporting Life'' reported that the former baseball player's friends were "anxious to get him appointed on the staff of American League umpires". The article added, "Hogan has suffered from operations to remove portions of his breast bone, which was injured in a collision during a baseball game".

Managing career

Youngstown Ohio Works

After retiring as a baseball player, Hogan settled in Youngstown and went into business. At some point, Sam Wright, then sports editor of ''The Youngstown Daily Vindicator'', encouraged him to manage the city's baseball team. In 1902, Hogan was hired as manager of the Youngstown Ohio Works, an independent ball club sponsored by Joseph A. McDonald, superintendent of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company. The club did not immediately become associated with an independent league, however. On April 5, 1902, ''Sporting Life'' noted that Hogan represented the Youngstown club at a poorly attended meeting of the Western Association, a short-lived independent league based in Cleveland. "Marty Hogan arrived at noon and wanted a franchise for Youngstown", the paper reported, "but Zanesville, Springfield and South Bend, who had asked to be admitted to membership, had no representatives present".
Then, in January 1904, ''Sporting Life'' reported that Hogan had "declined the proposition to put a Central League into Youngstown".
In May 1905, however, the Youngstown club was one of eleven teams to join the Protective Association of Independent Clubs, which formed the basis of the Class C Division Ohio–Pennsylvania League. Ultimately, the league trimmed down to eight teams from the following cities: Akron, Ohio; Homestead, Pennsylvania; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Newark, Ohio; Niles, Ohio; Sharon, Pennsylvania; Youngstown, and Zanesville, Ohio.''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1906), p. 289. That September, the Youngstown Ohio Works won the league championship, although sources disagree on the team's final record. As baseball researcher John Zajc writes: "''The Reach Guide'' (1906) credits Youngstown with an 84–32 won-lost record where the ''Spalding Guide'' of the same year lists a 90–35 record. The ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'' (1993) tells a third story, giving Youngstown an 88–35 mark".

On the heels of this achievement, Hogan reportedly "lost his entire infield", when several players moved on to more established minor league and major league teams. "illyPhyle will go to the utlaw leagues Starr will be traded by merican League manager James McAleer, Whitney goes to Buffalo and Burton will likely return to Central League ball", ''Sporting Life'' reported.
The manager had no difficulty compensating for these losses, however. The sports paper reported, in October 1905, that future major-leaguer Louis "Lew" Schettler, "the star twirler of the Sharon team", was anxious to join the Ohio Works team. The paper added that Schettler "would like a year under Marty Hogan".
In December 1905, the paper confirmed that Hogan had secured catcher Lee Fohl and pitcher Schettler, "the star battery of this league for last season". The paper added that the manager had "signed two young Cleveland players in outfielder Hugh Donovan and first baseman Harry chwartz. In addition, Hogan attempted to sign on as pitcher Walter Purdue, "second rush of the Youngstown polo team". Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly "sold out his cafe at Youngstown" in order to "devote his entire time to base ball". According to ''Sporting Life'', the manager even planned to challenge former major-leaguer Charlie Morton for the presidency of the Ohio-Pennsylvanie League, a bid that evidently proved unsuccessful.

In January 1906, Morton, as league president, called a meeting of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League. According to ''Sporting Life'', representatives of the clubs were scheduled to meet at Zanesville's Hotel Rogge on January 16.
"Assurances have been received that representatives from Akron, Youngstown, Zanesville, Newark, Lancaster, Mansfield, New Castle, East Liverpool, Steubenville and Erie, Pa., will be present", the paper reported, "and from there an eight or ten club circuit will probably be formed, with McKeesport, Butler and Ashtabula as applicants also". (The league eventually formed an eight-team circuit that included teams from Akron, Lancaster, Mansfield, Newark, New Castle, Sharon, Youngstown and Zanesville.) The paper also noted that William J. Maloney, the center fielder for the Ohio Works club during the previous season, would sign a contract and serve as team captain.
Among others, Hogan announced the "engagement" of Utah-born pitcher Roy Castleton. The Ohio Works team opened the 1906 season with 16 players, three of whom had been part of the club during the 1905 season.
According to ''Sporting Life'', Hogan predicted the club would win the pennant at the close of the upcoming season. He expressed confidence in a lineup that included Maloney of Bradford, Kentucky; Will M. Thomas of Morristown, Pennsylvania; Tommy Thomas of Piqua, Ohio; Fohl of Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Schettler of Pittsburgh; "Dotty" Freck of Columbus, Ohio; A. C. McClintock of Columbus; Castleton of Salt Lake City; Lewis Groh of Rochester, New York; John Kennedy of Youngstown, Charles Crouse of Detroit; Roy Chase of Andover, Ohio; Forrester J. Dressner of Garrettsville, Pennsylvania; Schwartz of Cleveland; and Roy Gould of Middlesex, Pennsylvania. Indeed, in 1906, the Ohio Works team took the league championship once again,''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 219. with an 84–53 record, while new player Roy Castleton gained national recognition by pitching a perfect game against a rival club in Akron. On October 1, 1906, Hogan and members of the Ohio Works team were honored at a banquet held at the Elks' Club in downtown Youngstown. ''Sporting Life'' reported that the keynote address was delivered by Father M. T. Kinkead, "who declared himself a fan of Sunday baseball playing".
The article added that Hogan "was presented with a ring and each player was given a pair of gold cuff link inscribed 'O. & P. Champs 1906'". On October 6, 1906, ''Sporting Life'' summarized the league's most recent season, reporting that the Ohio Works team had "held the lead continually after the first months of the season and at one time threatened a walkover".

The following month, in November 1906, Hogan responded to rumors that Walter East, manager of the Akron Rubbernecks, had agreed to "lay down" to the Youngstown club, enabling them to win the pennant. "Instead of laying down to us, Akron loaded up with catcher edMunson and pitcher Bob Spade", Hogan said in an interview with the ''Pittsburgh Press''. "They worked their heads off to down us, but could not do so".
Hogan went on to assert that the Akron club, and its manager, received generous incentives to defeat Youngstown. "The Akron owner offered the players a bonus of $500 if they would beat us out in addition to a $300 wad for East", Hogan said. Then, he accused East himself of attempting to "fix" a game during the 1906 season, claiming that the Akron manager had "tried to get another club to take things easy against Akron so that Akron could beat us for the pennant".

In the wake of the Ohio Works' second league championship, steps were taken to incorporate the club.
In December 1906, ''Sporting Life'' reported that the team's backers, Joseph and Thomas McDonald, who served as superintendent and assistant superintendent, respectively, of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company, were compelled to invite additional investors because of planned (and costly) improvements at the steel plant. "The incorporators of the club will be Thomas McDonald, Joseph McDonald, Thomas Carr, Thomas Carter and Marty Hogan", the paper stated. "Manager Hogan will be given even more control of the team next season than he has had. Heretofore he has had the entire control of the team and transacted most of the business". ''Sporting Life'' predicted that, in the wake of the team's incorporation, "everything will fall absolutely on ogan'sshoulders". The paper added that the Ohio Works team intended to build a new ballpark on the south side of Youngstown, near the corner of Glenwood and Parkview avenues. "One of the largest grand stands in the minor leagues will be put up and the grounds will be in every way modern", the article stated.

Differences between Hogan and the McDonald brothers, however, had already surfaced in the autumn of 1906. Although a sports writer for ''The Youngstown Daily Vindicator'' predicted in October 1906 that the "popular" Hogan would serve a fourth season as manager of the club, the Ohio Works manager appeared unwilling to negotiate the terms of a new contract without leverage. According to the ''Vindicator'', Hogan publicly mulled an offer presented by a team in Nashville, whose representatives followed him to the train station. The same newspaper article indicated that Hogan later reached a verbal agreement with Ohio Works co-owners Joseph and Thomas McDonald, announcing soon afterwards that he would remain with the local ball club. Yet, by January 1907, the ''Newark Advocate'' reported that Hogan wanted to sell the Youngstown franchise.''The Newark Advocate'', January 5, 1907. The paper observed that "a move in offering the Youngstown franchise for sale had created a furor in the league". On January 8, 1907, Hogan and Joseph McDonald attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs in New York City, while the fate of the club remained uncertain.
Then, on January 13, ''The New York Times'' reported that the Youngstown team would participate in an eight-team "outlaw league" comprising clubs from Elmira, New York; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Reading, Pennsylvania; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; and Williamsport, Ohio. The ''Times'' described the envisioned league as "the most powerful 'outlaw' league the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was ever called upon to oppose", and stated that Hogan would "be at the head of" the Youngstown team.
These rather confusing reports were followed by the abrupt sale and relocation of the Ohio Works team in February 1907.

Zanesville

On February 18, 1907, the ''Zanesville Signal'' reported that Hogan had received permission from the McDonald brothers to negotiate a $3,000 deal for the sale of the Youngstown club, including its players, to a group of investors in Zanesville, Ohio. In an interview with the ''Signal'', the manager expressed frustration with the team's former backers, when he said, "Youngstown couldn't or didn't raise enough money to cover a sparrow's blanket". The Zanesville investors reportedly raised an additional $15,000 to enter the team into the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, although they were forced to settle for the less prestigious Pennsylvania–Ohio–Maryland League. The eight-team P-O-M league included clubs from Braddock, Pennsylvania; Charleroi, Pennsylvania; East Liverpool, Ohio; McKeesport, Pennsylvania; Steubenville, Ohio; Uniontown, Pennsylvania; and Washington, Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly had some difficulty securing new players for the team. In June 1907, the ''Marion Daily Mirror'' described Zanesville's efforts to sign Bill Dithridge, a player in the Baltimore Eastern League, as "merely another of the pipe dreams of one Marty Hogan". The article added, "Dithridge is not to be sold to Zanesville, and he has informed Hogan that he will play with his team under no conditions whatever". The paper did observe, however, that Hogan had signed a Cleveland player named Tate and planned to secure another outfielder, "when three members of the present team will be canned". After settling in Zanesville, Hogan apparently received offers from other teams. ''Sporting Life'' reported in June 1907 that Hogan was invited to manage a team in Rochester, New York, but had turned down the offer. Then, in October, Hogan was offered management of yet another league franchise in South Bend, Indiana, but, once again, he declined. He managed the Zanesville ball club for two seasons. During its first season, the team placed first in the eight-team P-O-M League, with a record of 15 wins and seven losses.

In 1908, his final season, the team was christened as the Zanesville Infants and joined the Central League. According to ''Sporting Life'', the "schedule meeting" for the Central League that year was to be held in Zanesville on March 17 ( St. Patrick's Day). "According to the plans of the magnates the season this year will consist of 140 games, not any of the club owners being willing to return to the 154-game schedule", the paper reported. The paper added that Hogan was "making light of his task" of signing up players for his team. "His acquaintance with players, especially in the independent ranks, gives him an advantage which few managers have". ''Sporting Life'' also reported that by March, Hogan had "signed his outfield, the players accepting terms being urt