Recreation Park (Grand Rapids, Michigan)Recreation Park was a baseball park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was also used for other spectacles, such as travelling shows.
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status.
Rube WaddellGeorge Edward "Rube" Waddell (October 13, 1876 – April 1, 1914) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-hander, he played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National League, as well as the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League. Waddell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
George TebeauGeorge Tebeau (December 26, 1861 – February 4, 1923) was an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played in the big leagues between 1887 and 1895 for the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1887–1889) and Toledo Maumees (1890) of the American Association, and with the Washington Senators (1894) and Cleveland Spiders (1894–1895) of the National League. Tebeau batted and threw right-handed.
Minor League BaseballMinor League Baseball (MiLB) is a group of professional baseball organizations below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB teams. The earliest minor league baseball organization was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National League and American League, as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL or NA).
Sam CrawfordSamuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg). Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, he had a short minor league baseball career before rapidly rising to the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1899. He played for the Reds until 1902.
Grand Rapids, MichiganCity in Michigan, United StatesCity in Michigan, United StatesGrand Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Kent County, Michigan. The city had a population of 198,917 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 201,183 in 2025. Grand Rapids is the second-most populated municipality in the state after Detroit.
Billy Sullivan (1900s catcher)William Joseph Sullivan, Sr. (February 1, 1875 – January 28, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball, most notably as a member of the Chicago White Sox with whom he won a World Series championship in 1906. Although he was a relatively weak hitter, he sustained a sixteen-year playing career by being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.Willie McGillWilliam Vaness McGill (November 10, 1873 – August 29, 1944) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played professionally for the Cleveland Infants, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Colts, St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bumpus JonesCharles Leander "Bumpus" Jones (January 1, 1870 – June 25, 1938) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants.
Western League (1885–1899)The Western League was the name of several minor league baseball leagues that operated between 1885 and 1899. These leagues were focused mainly in the Midwestern United States. The 1893 incarnation of the league hired Ban Johnson as president in 1894. In 1899, Johnson renamed it the American League and declared that it was now a major league, intending to compete against the older National League of 1876, which was centered in the American Northeast states.
Lou BierbauerLouis W. Bierbauer (September 28, 1865 – January 31, 1926) was an American professional baseball player. He was a second baseman in Major League Baseball during the late 1880s and 1890s. Over that period of time, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association before joining many other major leaguers in jumping to the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders in the newly formed Players' League for the 1890 season, a league which folded after just one year of play.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.