Interesting: I'd read that Cincinnati had become the Redlegs (one word) after WWII when Reds became synonymous with "Communists" in general conversation. (NY Times sportswriter Art Daley quoted someone -- can't remember who -- complaining that Cincy had been the Reds before the Commies were, and it was the Russians who ought to change.) So seeing it here in 1930 (twice, so it wasn't just an sportswriter's alternate usage, like Bengals for Detroit or Mackmen for the A's) surprised me a bit. Another thing was the report that rosters didn't reduce to 25 players until June 15, and that Washington was carrying 27. Certainly news to me. (I was a little surprised you didn't mention Earl Webb's all-time record 67 doubles in 1931, since it's just about the only thing he's remembered for.)
Good points - and, yeah, I missed his all time record for doubles.
One question I have is what in the world you're supposed to do in your replay if you're following the transactions the way you should. Do you just leave Webb on the bench in Washington?
Regarding the nicknames — we tend to look at baseball team nicknames with the assumption that things were always the way they are today. Team nicknames weren't really written in stone on the pre-WWII era: for example, the Washington team would be alternatively referred to as the Nationals and the Senators, sometimes even in the same article. I suspect that we might find the "Red Legs" nickname even earlier in Cincinnati if we look. And, of course, if you go to the era before WWI you'll find that sports writers would invent nicknames for teams from time to time.
There are also some unusual references to communism that pop up now and again in old sports sections. The New York Daily News used to refer to Lou Gehrig as "Comrade Gehrig" in August and September 1927, for example.
I'd let Webb play for Washington if the right situation came up. (At least at home; with the Depression just under way, I wonder whether Griffith was paying for everyone to travel, especially if he was carrying more than 25 players.) I remember someone ran into something similar in a replay of a mid-60s season that I read about: a team had signed a bonus player and brought him in, probably just to show him off before sending him to the minors. (I think that was in the period where you had to keep all but one of your bonus players on the squad all year, so it may be that they hadn't decided yet that he was the one to demote.) Anyway, in the replay, the guy needed s pinch-hitter for the pitcher in the fourth inning, which made him the logical choice even though he never got into a game in RL.
Interesting: I'd read that Cincinnati had become the Redlegs (one word) after WWII when Reds became synonymous with "Communists" in general conversation. (NY Times sportswriter Art Daley quoted someone -- can't remember who -- complaining that Cincy had been the Reds before the Commies were, and it was the Russians who ought to change.) So seeing it here in 1930 (twice, so it wasn't just an sportswriter's alternate usage, like Bengals for Detroit or Mackmen for the A's) surprised me a bit. Another thing was the report that rosters didn't reduce to 25 players until June 15, and that Washington was carrying 27. Certainly news to me. (I was a little surprised you didn't mention Earl Webb's all-time record 67 doubles in 1931, since it's just about the only thing he's remembered for.)
Good points - and, yeah, I missed his all time record for doubles.
One question I have is what in the world you're supposed to do in your replay if you're following the transactions the way you should. Do you just leave Webb on the bench in Washington?
Regarding the nicknames — we tend to look at baseball team nicknames with the assumption that things were always the way they are today. Team nicknames weren't really written in stone on the pre-WWII era: for example, the Washington team would be alternatively referred to as the Nationals and the Senators, sometimes even in the same article. I suspect that we might find the "Red Legs" nickname even earlier in Cincinnati if we look. And, of course, if you go to the era before WWI you'll find that sports writers would invent nicknames for teams from time to time.
There are also some unusual references to communism that pop up now and again in old sports sections. The New York Daily News used to refer to Lou Gehrig as "Comrade Gehrig" in August and September 1927, for example.
I'd let Webb play for Washington if the right situation came up. (At least at home; with the Depression just under way, I wonder whether Griffith was paying for everyone to travel, especially if he was carrying more than 25 players.) I remember someone ran into something similar in a replay of a mid-60s season that I read about: a team had signed a bonus player and brought him in, probably just to show him off before sending him to the minors. (I think that was in the period where you had to keep all but one of your bonus players on the squad all year, so it may be that they hadn't decided yet that he was the one to demote.) Anyway, in the replay, the guy needed s pinch-hitter for the pitcher in the fourth inning, which made him the logical choice even though he never got into a game in RL.