A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

national baseball hall of fame

Collectible Closeup: Dec. 18

Of the things I collect, my pin collection may be my favorite.

Whenever I travel, or go to a museum/park/event, I try and get a pin. I have a couple of dark blue small quilt hangers where the pins go. Each one has a memory attached, which is cool.

Especially events that shaped my life.

The one I am sharing today is one of them — a media pin for the 2004 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions. Though, I have to be honest, I’m not sure if I was actually at the event. That being said, I did cover the orientation tours and a couple of other things in conjunction with the actual induction ceremony.

I have several other pins from the following years, but this one is meaningful because it was my first one. I’ll share more pins in the future, but I thought this made for a good first pin to post.

Hall of Fame Induction media pin.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Foto Friday: Baseball Hall ages through Hipstamatic

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown is a storied institution.

The Babe is all over the Hall of Fame. (Film: BlacKeys Supergrain; lens: Helga Viking)

Being local to the Hall — and covering it as part of the baseball beat for several years at the local daily — I’ve been through, in and around the Hall for much of my life. I’ve seen it change through the years, expanding and growing. I’ve watched Induction Ceremonies, saw players visiting and had a chance to get to know many people who help make it run.

I’ve researched in the library, too, which is one of the most wonderful tools available to those who are working on things in regard to baseball history.

And each year, I try to visit the Hall a few times.

Part of that is being a member. Though I haven’t been the past few years, I recently re-upped because they offered me an excellent deal and one I could afford. Being a member gets me admission throughout the year, whenever I feel like going.

That’s pretty sweet.

What that does is makes it possible for me to go check out new exhibits and then leave, if I want. It usually doesn’t turn out that way, though.

A couple of weekends ago, I decided to visit the Hall, with this little idea in mind. I wanted to take many photos throughout the Hall, using Hipstamatic.

For those who don’t know, Hipstamatic is a really cool photo app for the iPhone/iPad/iPod. It gives you the ability to switch films and lenses to get old and crazy film looks. If you use flash, there are many flashes to choose from, too. Basically, it gives you some “old’school” looking images.

I’m a fan, usually, of this app. The last few updates have been frustrating as it seems to crash in odd times, sometimes losing photos (it happened to me while doing the Hall shots). Basically, each shot needs time to “develop” and if something happens in that amount of time, you lose the photos.

Still, the idea was to see the Hall through the eyes of Hipstamatic, using as many films and lenses as I could to get a different look at things. Those of you who follow the blog may remember I did the same thing this past July when I did a post about shooting pro wrestling with Hipstamatic.

Balls from 1863. (Film: DC; lens: James M).

I figured I’d zip through the hall, snapping photos and getting out of there within about an hour.

By now, I should know better.

I spent about two hours and change in the Hall, looking over things I had seen many times before. There weren’t many people there, so I had time to look, snap shots and enjoy the afternoon. I pretty much zapped my iPhone battery with the amount of shots I took. But, it’s all good.

And I got some cool Hipstamatic shots.

I think the one cool thing is being able to check some of those shots and get that old feel — almost like it really captures the history of baseball.

The Hall is a magical place to visit, no matter what you use for a camera. But if you visit, try it through the eyes of Hipstamatic — it really gives awesome results.

More of the images from that day are below.

Old catcher’s equipment. (Film: Ina’s 1969; lens: Lucas AB2)

 

Abner Doubleday. (Film: Alfred Infared; Lens: Roboto Glitter)

 

There’s no crying in baseball! (Film: Sugar; lens: Salvador 84)

The Phytin’ Phils. (Film: W40; lens: Foxy)

Some of the Phillies best. (Film: Pistil; lens: Melodie)

Pete Rose’s hat. (Film: BlacKeys B&W; lens: GSQUAD)

Eddie Gaedel’s uniform. (Film: Alfred Infared; lens: Melodie)

John Fogerty’s guitar for “Centerfield.” (Film: Dylan; lens: Lucas AB2)

The Babe and Teddy Ballgame in the Plaque Gallery. (Film: Alfred Infared; lens: Wonder).

The original class. (Film: BlacKeys Supergrain)

 

Jackie Robinson. (Film: RTV; lens: Tejas)

One of my favorite Hall of Famers. (Film: Sugar; lens: Kaimal Mark II)

Another of my favorite Hall of Famers. (Film: W40; lens: Melodie)

The infamous Barry Bonds ball. (Film: D-Type Plate; lens: Americana)

Hammering Hank. (Film: Cano Cafenol; lens: Buckhorst H1)

The Mick. (Film: D-Type Plate; lens: Watts)

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

What is a Hall of Famer?

Two days ago, former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was announced as the lone electee by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He’ll join the late Ron Santo as this year’s inductees in July. Santo was elected via a veteran’s committee.

I’ve read quite a bit on this in the past few days and chatted with a couple of people too. It’s a familiar conversation as it seems to happen each year. The main topic? What makes somebody a Hall of Famer?

People have and will debate about Larkin. This year, the ballot was a down year, which gave someone like Larkin the opportunity to get in. There’s likely enough ammo on each side of the coin to make a compelling argument either way. Players like Tim Raines, Jack Morris, Fred McGriff and Jeff Bagwell remained on the outside looking in — and on a down year. For them, it could become an event longer uphill climb.

The fun starts next year, when players from the “Steroid Era” will start appearing on the ballot on a regular basis. Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro are already on the ballot. Players linked to the use of performance enhancing drugs, such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are soon to be on that ballot.

What happens with them?

This is where it will get interesting for the voters because it comes down to personal opinion. And that’s where the issue is and will be. Some voters have already said that they will not vote for anyone suspected of or involved in the use of PEDs. So if someone’s name has been mentioned, but no proof, still no vote. As far as I know and as I’ve researched, the BBWAA hasn’t set a criteria for voting on players in the Steroid Era. So, it’s up to individual writers to voice how they feel via the vote.

That’s a problem.

One main issue is the National Baseball Hall of Fame has not taken a stand when it comes to the steroid issue. And, being that the Hall is independent of Major League Baseball, I think it’s time they make the stand. What does the Hall officially think? Should Bonds be in the Hall? McGwire? Clemens?

I say yes, but I’m not the Hall.

Let me tell you why I think these players should be in the Hall and why I also think the Hall should make the stand about these players, too.

First, the Steroid Era is part of baseball history. That block of years happened and there’s nothing that can be done to erase it. It can also be argued that steroids helped save the game.

After the strike in 1994, which wiped out the World Series (and, I think, may have doomed Montreal as a baseball city), baseball lost a lot of popularity. But that magical season of McGwire and Sammy Sosa going for the home run record, oh did that do wonders. People flocked to games. It was something to grasp. And baseball was back. People loved seeing the long ball. Sosa, who hit more than 600 homers during his career, will appear on the ballot starting next year.

I also don’t buy that baseball bigwigs had no idea what was going on. Come on.

Money poured in and the game was back.

Then it all came crashing down. Just like that. A house of cards that got bumped into. Done.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like that the game is cleaning up. I think it should be. I love a well-pitched game just as much as a homer. But I like seeing people crush an 0-2 hanging curve ball naturally, not because they are juiced up.

That still doesn’t take away from why I think the steroid users or suspects should be in the Hall. The reality is, they were the greatest players of that generation, with or without the PEDs. You can’t just not vote for people because you suspected them. And that’s the problem. We don’t know everyone who has done steroids. Or tried them.

Let me explain that one.

Years ago, while still at the one paper I worked for, I was doing a local reaction piece on Alex Rodriguez admitting he used steroids. At that point, there was still a minor league team in town and it was my beat. So I called the manager, Andy Barkett, whose professional career spanned 11 minor league seasons and a cup of coffee with 17 games in the majors in 2001 with Pittsburgh. He was always great to deal with and up front.

It still gave me a shock when he noted he used steroids.

Go back to my original point — it was the era. Barkett basically said the same thing to me at the time.

“It was the era and a lot of people made a lot of money during that era and not all of them were players,” Barkett said. “It benefited a lot of people at the time. … It got out of control and people looked the other way. It’s the only way it became that bad. Nobody said anything. It was obvious and everybody knew.”

Back to the voting…

So where does it stop? There has to be a way to decide the criteria for the Hall of Fame. Once personal feelings get involved with sports writers, it becomes deeper than looking at numbers or steroids. Look at Jim Rice. How did it take him 15 years to get in? He was one of the most feared hitters of his generation.

I realize that as people stay on the ballot, writers will look at things differently. Toss aside feelings and look deeper into a career. Not everyone is first-ballot, I get that.

But McGwire has more than 500 homers.

Palmeiro has more than 3,000 hits and more than 500 homers.

Those are numbers that used to mean you were a lock for the Hall of Fame. These two haven’t sniffed the door since getting on the ballot.

That’s why the Hall of Fame has to make a stand. They are a museum that tells the history of baseball. The top of its website — and something the Hall often touts — is that it preserves history, honors excellence, and connects generations.

While it could be argued that honoring some of these people isn’t honoring excellence, it is preserving history and connecting generations. And it tells the story of the game. Something that the Hall of Fame does better than anyone or anything out there.

So it needs to make an official stand.

My stand is this — if I was a voter, I’d have voted each year for McGwire and Palmeiro. And I’d vote for Bonds. And Clemens. And A-Rod. Are they pieces of crap for what they used or are suspected of using? Sure. But not everyone in the game is clean. Look at Hall of Famers that are considered among the best to ever play. There are boozers, gamblers, cheats, racists, and who knows what else in there. But they are the greatest to play the game. Ty Cobb was by far not a saint — on or off the field. But he’s a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest to play the game.

Now, I do this with a caveat. I truly believe, however, that if someone was suspected of, admitted or convicted of steroid or PED use, it should be noted on their plaque. It has to be. That’s part of the era, too. And if, in the future, one is found guilty of it, it should be added to the plaque.

Great players of the 70s weren’t held out of the Hall for being addicted to greenies, were they?

This brings me to my final thought on all of this — the voting process. Currently, the only two ways of being elected to the Hall are by the BBWAA (you can remain on the ballot for up to 15 years) or via a veteran’s committee. To be able to vote in the main election, one must have be an acrive member of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years, according to the association’s website. Once a writer receives a Hall vote, he is eligible to keep doing it even after he no longer an active member of the organization. As for being a member of the BBWAA? It’s website says “Essentially, you must be a beat writer, backup writer, columnist or sports editor from a newspaper or wire service that covers Major League Baseball on a regular basis. Membership has been expanded to include web sites on a case-by-case basis.”

But a player’s Hall of Fame worthiness is decided by a bunch of writers. Many of these writers are highly educated on the game, but it’s all up to them.

Now, as a sports writer, I have no issues with the BBWAA having part in the voting process. These people cover the players day in and day out. They have a good feel of things. But they don’t see everything. They don’t know everything. But I wouldn’t want the voting to be in the hands of just former players/managers or a committee, either. I think some of them might put people in that just don’t belong.

So how to fix the process?

I don’t know — but I think it needs to be numbers based. Baseball is a game of statistics. There needs to be certain levels where people say — he’s a Hall of Famer.

Right now, it’s too personal. I’ve read columns and stories about how somebody doesn’t vote for a player because they were a prick. Sorry, but this is a Baseball Hall of Fame. While I won’t disagree that character should play a role, it shouldn’t be a deciding factor. It’s about what they did on the field. And if the era is that of steroids, then you must consider it as a whole.

It’s a tough call on which direction to go.

But that doesn’t take away from this year. I’ve always thought Barry Larkin was a Hall of Famer. His numbers are strong. He was a dominant player at a very skilled position. He’s someone I would have voted for in the beginning.

At the same time, he wouldn’t have been the only one I voted for. I don’t have a vote, however.

It’s time for those who do have a vote to realize that the game’s history needs to be told, which means those who used steroids during this era are part of the history. They were the greats of the generation, no matter how it was achieved. Their names stand in record books, so they should stand in eternity in the Hall.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

The voters finally got it right with Ron Santo

I don’t always bring an opinion like this to the blog, but I’m going to today.

Just a little while ago, Ron Santo was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee. This is a version of the old Veteran’s Committee, but it’s now broken up into three eras. Each year, a different era is voted on.

Santo is the lone person to get the necessary 75 percent of the vote, which was decided upon via a 16-member panel for the committee. Ten people (eight players, two execs) were considered. The Golden Era ballot covered people from 1947-1972. Santo was one of the biggest names on this year’s list and had been long considered during previous Veteran’s votes. It seemed a few years ago he was almost a lock.

A Topps baseball card of Ron Santo. (photo courtesy lambdachialpha on Flickr)

But, as had been the case in the past, he fell short.

Santo, who long battled diabetes and other issues, died Dec. 3, 2010 — a year shy of knowing he would officially be a Hall of Famer.

Could his death be part of this vote? Possibly. The Vets had a chance to vote him in at times during the past, and never did. Now he’s elected. And that’s a shame as I think Santo’s speech would have been priceless.

During my time as a sportswriter, I covered many things with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. There were many elections where I scratched my head and wondered why someone was or was not elected. At times, when dealing with the regular election — which is all by the Baseball Writers’ Association — there can be factors that cause someone to be elected or not.

Allow me to preface that the Hall doesn’t decide who is and who isn’t a Hall of Famer. There are voters for that — the Baseball writers, the Vets etc. And, often, I understand why people aren’t elected even though I might *hope* they be elected. Some people were awesome. Just not great.

In an era when baseball was a bit more pure, Santo played for an awful team and still was a dominant force. His place in Cooperstown is highly justified.

A nine-time All-Star, Santo had 342 home runs and earned five gold gloves at third base during his 15-year career with the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox (one season) from 1960-1974. He finished with a .277 average. He had 2,254 hits in 2,243 games — so he averages a bit more than a hit per game. He also had 1,331 RBIs, had 365 doubles.

Santo was nearly unanimous on this ballot — garnering 15 of 16 votes for a 93.75 percent. A player needed 12 votes to earn enshrinement. Jim Kaat received just 10 votes for 62.5 percent. Gil Hodges (nine votes), Minnie Minoso (nine votes) and Tony Olivia (eight votes) rounded out the top five.

Now, let’s also look at some other things.

The love-affair with Santo is mixed a lot with his time with the Cubs — as a player and as an announcer. He was a true Cubs legend. When he announced, he was what people would refer to as a “homer.” But that was all part of Ron Santo.

I’ve always been a fan of Santo as a Hall of Famer. I’m happy he finally made it.

When I was covering the Hall of Fame, several of us used to look forward to the Hall inductions based on who was going in — and if we thought there would be a good speech. For example, when Rickey Henderson was elected, we knew it would be fun to be there because the speech would be excellent — and it was.

Sadly, we won’t be able to hear Santo’s speech, which I’m sure would have been amazingly heart-wrenching and, at times, hilarious.

Some of these committees have gotten elections wrong in the past, in my opinion, of course. Such as when there was a special committee in 2006 to elect African-American players from the Negro League and pre-Negro League eras. The committee elected many deserving people, including the first woman in Hall of Fame history, but they dropped the ball when Buck O’Neil was left off.

O’Neil was still alive and, because of everything he did in the game, was one of the most deserving people on that ballot. Still, he didn’t get in. Though we got to see O’Neil do a short speech at the inductions that year in conjunction with this special election (and it was a fantastic speech), it would have been even better if he was taking his spot where he rightfully belongs. O’Neil died a few months after the induction ceremony.

When thinking of all this, let’s remember that voters in the past had the chance to get this right and didn’t. Numbers haven’t changed. Eras haven’t changed. The player is a Hall of Famer or he isn’t.

Santo is a Hall of Famer.

And though he won’t be here to celebrate this with his family, future generations will see what Ron Santo was as a player.

I’m glad voters finally got this right. I just wish it had been done when Santo could have been around to enjoy it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

HooHaa 9: John McGuinness

The original docket showing the burial of John McGuinness at Patrick’s Cemetery in Johnson City, N.Y.

I’m calling this the curious case of John McGuinness.

He who appeared to be a cigar packer in his later years, following a short professional baseball career. He, who born in Ireland sometime in 1957, came to the United States at some point, played baseball and later lived in Binghamton, New York.

John J. McGuinness

He died in 1916, pending where you look. Finding information on him, outside of his baseball statistics, has proven to be quite difficult.

McGuinness is the next draftee on the HooHaa 9, a team made up of obscure baseball players from the 1800s and the early 1900s.

I came across him when searching for players to sponsor on Baseball-Reference.com. I did a search for Irish-born players and came across him. To make it better, he had the name McGuinness. I couldn’t go wrong with someone who had “Guinness” as part of their name, could I?

Further, he was buried in St. Patrick Cemetery in Johnson City, which isn’t too far from me.

But McGuinness became more than a quick research topic for me. He’s become a bit of an obsession. There’s no telling when he was born in 1857. Heck, he might have been born in 1856. Or 1858. When did he come across the big pond to the states? It’s a tough thing to pin down as the name “John McGuinness” was a more-than-common name in that time period (as I’ve discovered with my research).

Here are some of the things I do know:

He died in Binghamton on Dec. 19, 1916. He was interred at St. Patrick’s on Dec. 23, which happened to be 10 days after his daughter, Elizabeth, was buried.

Family interment records.

The family plot also contains a Mrs. J.J. McGuinness, who was buried on Dec. 22, 1902. Also buried there is Robert E. McGuinness, who was buried on Aug. 1, 1935. He’s the lone member of the family with a headstone, though there appears to be remnants of others at the plot. According to the obituary for John J. McGuinness, Robert is his son.

Some notes have put Elizabeth as his wife, but according to an obituary, it is, indeed, his daughter. This does seem to have a bit of confusion, however, as the owner/director (Robert L. McDevitt) of the funeral home that handled the McGuinness bodies sent this as part of a letter to baseball historian Bill Haber on Jan. 21, 1980:

Our records indicated that subject individual was born (1857) in Ireland — died December 19, 1916 (9:45 p.m.) at his residence, 5 River Terrace, Binghamton, New York. The record of his baseball career was not required and not requested y us. Additionally, Mr. McGuinness was pre-deceased by his wife (Elizabeth P. McGuinness) on Dec. 10., 1916.

Further, the letter goes on to state that the funeral arrangements were made by “their” daughter, Mrs. Frank J. (Mary H.) Mangan. Mrs. Mangan died March 23, 1953, in Syracuse.

McDevitt, however, was going based on records at the funeral home. Though he states that the records are extremely well kept, there might not have been a full connection between Elizabeth and John in the records.

Haber also contacted the Binghamton Public Library and received a letter back on October 31, 1979, which gave him the obituary of McGuinness.

JOHN J. MC GUINNESS died last night at 10 o’clock at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Frank Mangan, 5 River Terrace, after a week’s illness. His daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth McGuinness, died one week ago. He is survived by his daughter, Mrs. Frank J. Mangan; one son, R. Emmitt McGuinness, and a sister, Miss Anna McGuinness of Brooklyn. Mr. McGuinness was formerly a well known athlete and played first base on the old Cricket baseball team. He was a member of the Kingston Council of the Knights of Columbus, the Elks of Kingston and of Branch 74 of the C.K. of A. The funeral will be held Friday morning at the home at 9:30 o’clock at 10 o’clock at St. Patrick’s Church. Burial will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

This would somewhat go a little more on par with city guides from that time period. The 1899 Williams’ Binghamton City Guide shows John, Emma M. Mrs. (possibly his wife) and Mary all living at 134 Front St.

His name has been misspelled quite a bit, most commonly as “McGinnis.” There are misspellings on his interment record for the cemetery as well.

The Anthony Publishing Co.’s Standard City Directory of Binghamton 1893-1894.

This fact comes into an interesting play in the The Anthony Publishing Co.’s Standard City Directory of Binghamton 1893-1894. John J. McGinnis – a cigar packer — is listed at 99 Clinton. On the opposite page, a Mrs. J J McGuinness — a sales lady — is also listed at 99 Clinton.

The reality is that when dealing with records from the 1800s and early 1900s, a lot of items can be hard to figure out.

So let’s take a closer peek at John J. McGuinness. …

Born in 1857 (maybe), McGuinness, obviously, came across the ocean at some point. He eventually landed in the Binghamton, NY area. Though it’s not fully known when. I have uncovered some Binghamton city directories from the early 1880s and he’s listed there as a cigar packer. I’m quite sure these are him considering his occupation, on his death certificate, show him being a cigar packer.

Before delving into his baseball career, however, it’s interesting to figure this out — when was he born.

1900 Census

Thanks to items on ancestry.com, I came across the 1900 Federal Census for Broome County and came across John McGuinness. I am thinking, with all the other things that I found, that this is the right John McGuinness as “Emma” is listed as his wife, his daughters include Bissi (Elizabeth?) and Mary and a son Robert E.

The interesting part?

He’s listed as being born in March of 1856. AND he’s listed as a cigar packer!

The confusing part continues, however, as his name is noted as “Mcginness.” The handwriting on the census list is hard to read, so it can easily be construed as something else. It’s quite an interesting peek, though, and might be the first true piece of info that shows when Mr. McGuinness may have really been born.

Don’t think it gets easier, however.

In the 1910 census, John is now listed as an estimated birth year of 1860. But he’s in the same household with Robert and Elizabeth, who are listed as brother and sister. Also in the house are Frank and Mary Mangan and their kids. This would seem to show their family tree as it seems to be pretty much on par with the obituary.

Going back a bit more, the US Census in 1880 shows a McGuinness family in Norwich, with John (about 1859 birth year) as the son. In 1880, John is listed as 21 on the census report. That could be the same person as it’s near Binghamton and the age differential could be about right, considering it seems like John might have been born anywhere from 1856-1860.

IF this is the same one, then his father would have been James. The only major issue here is that John and his sister on this report are both listed as being born in the United States. And, his sister is Jennie. There is a blank spot, as if room for another, but nothing is seen.

Finally, looking at the 1870 census, this same household is in Norwich. There is James and Mary (the parents) and then Jane, Ann and John. With the writing in the 1880 census, Jane/Jennie/Janie could definitely be confused. The age gap here goes on the 1859 birth year sort of thing for John, however. Ann is listed as age 16.

Again, however, the kids are listed as being born in New York.

There are some dots that connect that make me believe that this is a possible match. On John’s death certificate, his mother is listed as Mary, with the maiden name of Cassidy.

Life in baseball

He played three years in the “Major Leagues,” — 1875, 1879 and 1884. It also appears he played some minor league ball in the missing years, but just one — Utica in 1879 — shows any statistics.

Mainly a first baseman throughout his career, it isn’t known if McGuinness threw or bat left- or right-handed. He’s listed as being 5-foot-10, 150 pounds.

He made his debut in the big leagues in 1876, playing one game for the New York Mutuals of the National League. He went 0-for-4 in the game. The team finished in sixth place in the league that year with a 21-35 record.

He returned to the majors in 1879, playing for the Syracuse Stars, also of the National League. The team finished 22-48 that season and McGuinness played in 12 games, finishing 15-for-51 (.294) with seven runs scored, a double, triple and four RBIs. He struck out six times

His fielding was so-so as he had a .928 fielding percentage. He had 125 chances and had 113 putouts, three assists, nine errors and was part of eight double-plays.

McGuinness played his final major league season in 1884 with the Philadelphia Keystones of the Union Association. The team went 21-46 and placed eighth in the league. McGuinness saw a lot more playing time, appearing in 53 games.

The long season appeared to have taken a toll on McGuinness as his batting average was a paltry .236 (52-for-220). He eight doubles, a triple and five walks. No strikeouts were apparently recorded, however.

He played 48 games at first base that season and had a fielding percentage of .959. In 586 chances, he had 550 putouts, 12 assists, 24 errors and took part in 19 double plays. The games played at first, putouts and assists were each  ranked fifth in the league.

His minor league playing days included stints with Binghamton Cricket of the League Alliance (1877), Utica of the International Association (1878), the Utica Pent Ups of the National Association (1879) and the Binghamton Bingoes of the New York State League (1885). He also served as manager of the 1879 Utica team.

For that Utica team, which is the only year in the minors where his statistics were kept, he hit 28-for-91 (.308) with 17 runs. Those numbers might have been what got him to Syracuse that same season.

Beyond baseball

After baseball, it appears that McGuinness settled into his life as a cigar packer in Binghamton. According to the various city guides, he seemed to move around from year to year.

Death certificate for John J. McGuinness

He was at the home of his daughter when he died, if I am reading his death certificate right. The writing is hard to read, but it appears he died of pneumonia, though there is a secondary thing mentioned. It’s something with his heart, though I can’t read the first word (it starts with P).

It’s likely that many of the connections with John McGuinness will never be confirmed. The Hall of Fame has a letter on file from John Mangan, dated January 30, 1980. In it, Mangan said that he would have been 5 when McGuinness died and that Mary Mangan would have been an aunt by marriage.

He notes that he spoke  with Frank J. Mangan, who would have been a grandson to McGuinness, and neither of them had any strong recollection of McGuinness. At this point (so more than 30 years ago), he said he believed there were several children of McGuinness’ son, Emmett. However, they did not know where they were located.

Robert E. McGuinness was buried in the family plot on August 1, 1935 according to the cemetery records. His headstone shows he was born in 1890. In the 1900 census, he’s shown as being born in October of 1887, but being 11 years old. As we’ve seen, these dates can be very hard to pin down in some cases.

Grave of Robert E. McGuinness

But, either way, Robert E. (Emmett) would have had to had children before 1935. That would put them in their 80s or 90s now, if they are still alive. There is a chance that maybe a great-grandchild of John McGuinness is still alive and maybe they would be able to fill in a few details. Who can tell as they likely would have been born after Robert had already died, as his death came at a young age.

This case is definitely curious. If anyone out there has more info, drop me a comment or e-mail me. I’d be interested to hear more. More than likely, however, a lot of these lines will never be completed, though that’s what makes research like this fun and interesting.

To see the closeups of the documents in this blog post, you can click on them. You can see everything I have by checking out the baseball research set I have on my blog’s Flickr account.

Sources used:

Files from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, including letters and death certificate.

Ancestry.com

Baseball-Reference.com

Baseball-Reference.com John McGuinness page

Baseball-Reference Bullpen page on John McGuinness

Baseball-Reference.com minor league page on John McGuinness

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