The Tampa Smokers was a name used between 1919 and 1954 by a series of

minor league 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 Nort ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

teams based in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in which the Smokers were active. During periods in which the name was not used by a professional team, various local semi-pro and amateur teams took up the Smokers name.

Team history

Florida State League / Southeastern League (1919 – 1930)

The original Tampa Smokers were a charter franchise of the original

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, which started play in 1919. The name reflected the importance of the

cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and Fermentation, fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct comp ...

industry to the Tampa area.Morelli, Keith (June 22, 2011)
"Rays eliminate cigar from Tampa Smokers throwback jersey".
''The Tampa Tribune''. Retrieved August 29, 2011. In 1928, the team was officially known as the Tampa Krewes, a reference to Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the organization which organizes the local

Gasparilla Pirate Festival The Gasparilla Pirate Festival (often simply referred to as Gasparilla ) is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida, United States, most years since 1904. The centerpiece of the festivities is the Parade o ...

. In 1929, the club moved to the

Southeastern League The Southeastern League was the name of four separate baseball leagues in minor league baseball which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States in numerous seasons between 1897 and 2003. Two of these leagues were associated w ...

and restored the Smokers nickname, but it ceased operations when the league folded following the 1930 season.

West Coast Baseball League (1932)

In 1932, the Smokers briefly returned as a charter member of the West Coast Baseball League, which was composed of teams based in peninsular Florida. The club disbanded again when the league collapsed after a single season.

Florida International League (1946 – 1954)

The name was revived professionally in 1946, when the Tampa Smokers became a charter member of the

Florida International League The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C level league for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Clas ...

, a Class C circuit which was notable for fielding a team in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center."The Tampa Smokers" - Cigar City Magazine
/ref> This incarnation of the Smokers became one of the first three

racially integrated Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of Race (classification of human beings), race, and t ...

teams in Florida when they signed

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

outfielder

Claro Duany Claro Duany Yedra (August 12, 1917 – March 28, 1997) was a Cuban professional baseball outfielder. He played from 1944 to 1952, including two major league seasons with the New York Cubans of the Negro leagues. An East–West All-Star in 194 ...

in 1952.McCarthy, Kevin (1996)
''Baseball in Florida''
p. 97. Pineapple Press. Retrieved August 29, 2011. The Smokers folded along with the Florida International League after the 1954 season, and the name has not been used professionally since.McCarthy, Kevin (1996)
''Baseball in Florida''
pp. 217–220. Pineapple Press. Retrieved August 29, 2011. The importance of the cigar industry to Tampa's economy had waned by the 1950s, so when minor league baseball returned to the city in 1957, the new team was called the "

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is a ...

Semi-pro and amateur baseball

During times when there was no professional baseball team known as the Tampa Smokers (such as the early 1900s and the period from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s), the name was used by various

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André 3000 (credited as And ...

and amateur squads, especially local all-star teams composed of the best Tampa-area players. Alumni of Smokers squads regularly reunited for exhibition games during the 1950s and 1960s, usually against the Tampa Tarpons. These games were played at

Al López Field Al López Field was a spring training and Minor League baseball ballpark in West Tampa, Tampa, Florida, United States. It was named for Al López, the first Tampa native to play Major League Baseball (MLB), manage an MLB team, and be enshrined i ...

, the Tarpons' home ballpark which was built in 1955 and named after the Smokers' (and Tampa's) most famous baseball figure.

Ballparks

The minor league Smokers played their home games at

Plant Field Plant Field was the first major athletic multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1899 by Henry B. Plant on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel to host various events and activities for guests, and it consisted of a large field ri ...

, which was located just across the Hillsborough River from

downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore, Tampa, Westshore regarding employment in the area. Compani ...

. Plant Field had been built by

Henry B. Plant Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899), was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant Sy ...

as part of his

Tampa Bay Hotel Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

resort, and the Smokers shared the large multi-use facility with everything from auto racing to the

Florida State Fair The Florida State Fair is held annually at the Florida State Fairgrounds in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. The official state fair of Florida, it includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, rides and shows. It is a chance for the state to showcase it ...

. Semi-pro and amateur versions of the Smokers played at smaller ballfields around town, often Cuscaden Park in

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mai ...

or Macfarlane Park in

West Tampa West Tampa is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States. It was an independently incorporation (municipal government), incorporated city from 1895 until 1925, when it was annexed by Ta ...

Players

In all their incarnations, the Tampa Smokers featured many local ballplayers, including many Latin players from

and

, and usually had strong community support. Their most famous alumnus was

Al López Alfonso Ramón López (August 20, 1908 – October 30, 2005) was a Spanish Americans, Spanish-American professional baseball catcher and Manager (baseball), manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Ro ...

, who grew up in Ybor City and signed with the Smokers in 1925, when he was just 16 years old. Lopez played for his hometown team for two seasons and eventually became the first Tampa native to play in the major leagues, the first to be a major league

baseball manager In baseball, the field manager (commonly referred to as the manager) is the equivalent of a head coach who is responsible for overseeing and making final decisions on all aspects of on-field team strategy, lineup selection, training and instructi ...

, and the first to be inducted into the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

. Several other future or former MLB players played for the Smokers at some point during their career, including

Camilo Pascual Camilo Alberto Pascual Lus (born January 20, 1934) is a Cuban former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career (1954–71), he played for the original modern Washington Senators franchise (which became the Mi ...

Tommy Leach Thomas Andrew Leach (November 4, 1877 – September 29, 1969) was an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1898 through 1918 for the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago ...

, and Hall of Famer

Joe Medwick Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...

, who served as the team's

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

in the early 1950s after finishing his major league career. Another notable Smoker alumnus was

Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (''Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Cubano'') is a hall of fame that honors eminent baseball players from Cuban baseball. Established in 1939 to honor players, managers, and umpires in the pre-revolution Cuban League ...

r Manuel Cueto.

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
alumni

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), also known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 throug ...

(1924), Inducted 1961 * Manuel Cueto (1928-1929), Inducted 1950 (

) *

Travis Jackson Travis Calvin Jackson (November 2, 1903 – July 27, 1987) was an American baseball shortstop. In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackson played for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936, winning the 1933 World Series, and representing the G ...

(1949), Inducted 1982 * Al Lopez (1925-1926), Inducted 1977 *

(1952), Inducted 1968

Other notable alumni

Red Barrett Charles Henry "Red" Barrett (February 14, 1915 – July 28, 1990) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played 11 total career seasons in the National League (baseball), National League. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Brav ...

(1920) MLB All-Star * Ben Chapman (Smokers' manager in 1950) 4x MLB All-Star *

Wes Ferrell Wesley Cheek Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a starting pitcher, Ferrell played for the Cleveland Indians (1927– ...

(1949) 2x MLB All-Star *

(Smoker's manager from 1920-1922 and 1926-1927), MLB career record holder for

Inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...

s *

(1952) 7x MLB All-Star

Contemporary links

Tampa Bay Smokers softball team

The Tampa Bay Smokers, a men's

fast-pitch softball Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the ...

team founded in 1995 and based in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, won multiple Amateur Softball Association of America and

International Softball Congress The International Softball Congress (ISC) is a non-profit association for the promotion and administration of men's and boys fastpitch softball throughout North America with athletes coming from all over the world. The ISC was formed in 1958 as ...

championships over their eight seasons of play.

Tampa Bay Rays throwback uniforms

On July 2, 2011, the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

wore Tampa Smokers throwback uniforms to honor the 1951 Florida International League championship team."Smokers win FIL Pennant" - Sarasota Herald Tribune, Aug. 20. 1951
/ref> In a controversial move, the Rays chose to remove the image of a cigar which had underlined the word "Smokers" across the front of the old team's jerseys, calling the resulting "stogie-free" logo a "slightly more contemporary version".

References

{{Florida International League , state=collapsed History of Tampa, Florida Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct Florida State League teams Sports clubs and teams in Tampa, Florida Defunct baseball teams in Florida Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Baseball teams established in 1919