Napoleon Lajoie A Milwaukee Brewer — Only An Owner’s Dream

My main research project at present is the detailed history of the 1902 and 1903 seasons of the two Milwaukee minor league baseball teams—Brewers in the American Association, and Creams of the Western League. I have come across some interesting and unusual happenings. The following is one I think is worth sharing with baseball history buffs. These are my paragraphs I have written on the matter. What follows took place in the first week of June 1902.

There was one major player signing [by the Brewers] that was in the wind. It involved the biggest name in baseball at the time, Napoleon Lajoie. The superstar had jumped the Philadelphia Phillies of National League in 1901, signing with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League. An injunction was recently filed, and Lajoie could not play in Pennsylvania except with the National League Phillies. This was circumvented by his signing with Cleveland of the American League and not playing in that team’s games in Philadelphia. But before he signed with Cleveland Lajoie was available as a free agent.

Brewer president Harry Quin told Milwaukee reporters: “Lajoie has been idle for the past three or four weeks, and I am certain he would rather be playing ball than remain idle and draw his salary. He is enjoined from playing in the American League—that is, Philadelphia—and he refused absolutely to play in the National League. Now, if he should not go to Cleveland, which is by no means certain yet, why, there is no reason why he should decline a fat salary to come to Milwaukee and play ball for 1902. We will pay him $3000 for the balance of the season, which is as much as he was getting in the American League, and if we can get the consent of the other parties we will open negotiations with Lajoie at once. I have wired to both Connie Mack and John I. Roger asking if they would object to our negotiating with Lajoie, and if the replies are satisfactory, why, there may be a chance of getting Napoleon.” Even though the editor thought that there was little hope of the Brewers landing the great ball player, the Evening Wisconsin believed the fans in Milwaukee could not but appreciate the effort of Quin to strengthen his club.

Perhaps not quite grasping the entire situation at the major league-minor league levels, the Milwaukee Daily News wrote “it seems just as probable that he will sign here as with Cleveland.” The evening paper, seeing the very obvious, also wrote: “Should Lajoie be secured for the Brewers, he would not only be a great help so far as playing second base and batting is concerned, but he would also be a good drawing card.” The Milwaukee Sentinel thought the whole story ridiculous.

The St. Paul Dispatch wrote: “Harry Quin of the Milwaukee American Association has been having a beautiful dream. There is only one trouble with it—it looks like a pipe. Quin dreamt the other evening that it was in the cards to land the mighty Lajoie for the Brewers during the balance of the season. ‘Why not?’ he said in answer to his own interrogation. ‘Larry will not play with the National and cannot play with the American under the injunction—then why not with the Association, and if with the Association why not with Milwaukee?’ And there you are, Quin has not woke up as yet, and still entertains the notion that he could bring the mighty swatter to terms, and that it would be worth the money to get Lajoie’s signature to a Milwaukee contract. Don’t wake him.”

Brownie of the Milwaukee Journal took delight in the story. He wrote: “Wasn’t that a fine sympathetic story that was sprung upon the unsuspecting public last night. So the local A.A. management is trying to get Lajoie. Well, perhaps they think that it is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried”….”And now they tell us that Lajoie is not coming here. Did anyone in his wildest moments ever imagine that he was?”….”It must have been an awful blow to the local A.A. magnates when the reports come in of Lajoie’s doings in Cleveland Wednesday.” The St. Paul Dispatch commented on Lajoie’s signing: “Harry Quin’s dream didn’t come true. He awoke yesterday to find that Napoleon Lajoie had joined the Cleveland club. Since then he has been wearing a chunk of ice on the back of his neck.”

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As far-fetched as it sounds today, the plan was not so hard to follow—at least from Brewer president Harry Quin’s point of view. He was involved in a baseball trade war in his city with the Western League Creams. At this point in the season the Brewers were in fifth place, a few games under .500.

Neither the Brewers nor the Creams drew well during the weekdays, drawing crowds in the vicinity of 100 to 250 people a game—sometimes less. Saturday crowds were between 500 and 1,000, while Sundays saw 2,000 or more go through the gates. At least this early in the season the Brewers were outdrawing the Creams 2 or 3 to 1.

If Quin could get Lajoie for his Brewers he would certainly pick up his attendance—especially in the early going of Lajoie’s time in Milwaukee. Paying him $3,000 would require maybe 8,000 to 10,000 more paying customers to come through the gates at his Athletic Park—at 25 cents and 50 cents a head. This would not be all that unreasonable to believe could happen. And, of course, road attendance would be much higher.

Milwaukee Brewers presidentHarry D. Quin

But of even greater importance to Quin, Napoleon Lajoie in a Brewer uniform would perhaps be the death blow to the Western League Creams. Without this competition in town there would be little doubt his team would draw more fans to his park, even after Lajoie was gone.

So Quin had many reasons to dream of having Lajoie on his squad. He would improve his offensive, plug the gapping defensive hole the Brewers had all season at second base, improve his attendance at home and on the road, and perhaps kill the competition in his own back yard.

Men have dreamed of much less.

PS –Not a bad spot to almost unashamedly plug my book on the Western League/American Association trade war, titled Baseball’s Heartland War 1902-1903; The Western League and American Association Vie for Turf, Players and Profits , published by McFarland.