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06. 1920s

“In the early 1920s over at the University, where Scott Stadium is now, there were barracks left over from World War I. They were set up to house soldiers learning how to drive and repair military trucks. On an empty corner near some faculty houses, some of us set up a diamond. It was visible from my grandparent’s house, ‘Montebello’. We ran around it for a couple of years. My brother, Morris Fontaine Moran, Mann ‘Doc’ Page, Lowndes Thomas and I played together. Thornton Hall is there now.”—Charles ‘Chick’ Moran

“In these times players would use Memorial Gymnasium [built in 1924], one of the largest gymnasiums in the East to change clothes before and after games at Lambeth Field. After putting on the uniforms it was necessary for the players to walk down across the field the tennis courts are now on, cross over Ivy Road (Rt. 250 West), on down the soccer field, go through the tunnel under the C&O railroad track, walk up on wooden steps and onto Lambeth Field. The concrete seats handled several thousand fans and on the opposite side of the field bleachers were set up for about two or three thousand more. Capacity crowds were about 8,000 fans with a few hundred standers. For a while low-income fans saw the games while sitting on and along the C&O railroad tracks. After several near misses by the trains Captain Mac [McCauley] had to keep the tracks clear, along with directing traffic before and after the games.”—Joe Eddins

“All of the Yancey children were very active in athletics at Midway High School. Al Jr. was quite a baseball player. He was offered a professional contract, but he didn’t go…. In those days baseball was a very rough sport and he was only 18 years old…. His parents went to Washington and brought him home because ‘nice’ young men don’t play for the Washington Senators…. Daddy used to tell me that they used to close all of the businesses in Charlottesville, and everybody would go up to Lambeth Field and that’s where all the big games were. They would play the United States Marine Corps team. Everybody would go to the baseball games. Al Jr. played for the semi-pro Pepsi-Cola team that was sponsored by Mr. Jessup.”—Charlotte Yancey Humphries and Albert S. Yancey III
Albemarle Weaving Company Baseball Team

The 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds ended in scandal and disgrace when it became known that several of the Chicago players had sold out to gamblers. Chick Gandil, who instigated throwing the Series, played for a time for Washington and was with the Senators when they had spring training in Charlottesville from 1913-15.

Partly in response to the Black Sox scandal, a new system of overseeing athletics with reduced student control was established at the University. Earle “Greasy” Neale was hired to coach both football and baseball. University students like Al Yancey could still play with semi-pro teams during the summer, but only if the students went unpaid.

Disenchantment with baseball following the 1919 scandal was short-lived, and enthusiasm for the sport continued to grow. Local residents could listen each evening to Pittsburgh radio station KDKA, which broadcast the day’s baseball scores every evening at 6:00 and again at 6:55.

The sport flourished in local schools, civic groups, and factories. Within a year of establishing business in the city, the Albemarle Weaving Company had organized a baseball team to oppose others such as the Woolen Mills team. Semi-pro teams, like the Cardinals, also competed.