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Virginia Mountain League

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Virginia Mountain League
ClassificationClass D (1914)
SportMinor League Baseball
First season1914
CeasedJuly 25, 1914
PresidentB.F. Donovan (1914)
No. of teams5
CountryUnited States of America
Most titles1
Covington Papermakers
Clifton Forge Railroaders*
Related
competitions
Virginia League

The Virginia Mountain League was a minor league baseball organization active in central western Virginia in 1914. The Class D level league folded during its only season of play.

History

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On March 3, 1914, at a meeting in Lynchburg, Virginia, discussions began for the formulation of a six–team, Class D level baseball league. Teams were tentatively slated to be based in Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, Clifton Forge, Staunton and Covington, with a salary limit of $800 (per team) monthly. Lynchburg was hesitant to commit because of a previous $700 lien on its territory, a result of a previous team in the Virginia League.[1]

The league was then formed at a March 12, 1914, meeting, without Danville and Lynchburg franchises. B.F. Donovan, of Clifton Forge, was elected league president. D. R. Ellis, of Covington, was elected as vice-president.[1]

The Virginia Mountain League had four teams: the Charlottesville Tuckahoes, the Clifton Forge, Virginia based Clifton Forge Railroaders, the Covington, Virginia based Covington Papermakers; the Staunton, Virginia based Staunton Lunatics and the Harrisonburg, Virginia hosted Harrisonburg Lunatics, The Staunton team later moved to Harrisonburg in July 1914.[2] The league disbanded on July 25, 1914, with Covington in first place with a 37–26 record, 5.0 games ahead of second place Charlottesville.[3]

The Virginia Mountain League was reported to have folded due to poor attendance and the onset of World War I amid "rumors of fixed games."[4][5]

Shortly after the Virginia Mountain League folded, there was an unsuccessful attempt, headed by Clifton Forge manager Buck Hooker, in August 1914, to revive the league and the teams.[6]

However, following the collapse of the league, the Covington and Clifton Forge teams elected to play a 10–game championship series. The Railroaders captured the unofficial league “title,” winning 7 of the 10 games. After winning a final doubleheader against Covington by scores of 5–4 and 5–3, a farewell reception and banquet was held for the players at Clifton Forge.[1]

Cities represented

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1914 Virginia Mountain League standings

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schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Covington Papermakers 37 26 .587 Frank Moore / Nick Carter
Charlottesville Tuckahoes 31 30 .508 5.0 Walter Steinhause
Clifton Forge Railroaders 28 34 .452 8.5 Clarence Irwin / Harvey Bailey
Edward Eschback / Buck Hooker
Staunton Lunatics /
Harrisonburg Lunatics
26 32 .448 8.5 Davey Crockett / Pat Krebs

Staunton (15–22) moved to Harrisonburg July 21.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "1914 Virginia Mountain League, "One & Done"" (PDF), Diamonds in the Dusk: 3, 3 February 2014
  2. ^ "1914 Virginia Mountain League". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  3. ^ a b Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  4. ^ The Valley Baseball League: A History of Baseball in the Shenandoah Valley. Lulu Press. 24 June 2014. ISBN 9781483411385.
  5. ^ “‘A Good Base Ball Club Is a Splendid Advertisement to a Town’: Baseball and the New South in Clifton Forge, Virginia,” Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 124, No. 3 (2016): 186-215
  6. ^ "Evening journal 11 August 1914 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive". virginiachronicle.com.