Brooklyn Bushwicks

From SABR Encyclopedia

The Brooklyn Bushwicks were a semi-pro team that played in Queens, New York. Max Rosner was a successful business man who in 1911 organized his first semi-pro team, The Cypress Hills. One of his players on the 1912 team was Joe Judge. He later became a well known major leaguer from 1915 to 1934, primarily with the Washington Senators. In 1913 Max Rosner along with a silent partner, Nat Strong founded the Bushwick Baseball Club. Nat Strong had controlling interest in the Brooklyn Royal Giants, a black team. In 1914, Max took over as manager of the Bushwicks playing games at Wallace field. The Bushwicks established themselves as the premier team in the area playing Sunday afternoons against the Brooklyn Royal Giants as well as the many famous black teams, including the Lincolin Giants.

In 1916 Charlie Ebbets, president of the Brooklyn National League team was short of cash to finance his team's spring training in Georgia. He approached Rosner and Strong for a loan, which they agreed to after Ebbets said his team whould play the Bushwicks two exhibition games that spring. On April 2,they played the first game, 3,000 fans showed up the Bushwicks winning 4-3. The second game on April 16, the Brooklyn team had all their regulars, Zack Wheat,Casey Stengel,etc with Rube Marquard pitching. 6,000 fans showed up to watch Brooklyn win 22-2.

On September 19, 1917 the grandstand at Wallace field caught fire and burned to the ground. Rosner then made a lease arrangement for the Bushwicks to play their games on Sunday afternoons at Dexter Park starting in the spring of 1918. This was the start of a long relationship between the Bushwicks and the community of Woodhaven,Queens,NY where Dexter Park was located.

In the 1920's and 1930's some of the teams that visited Dexter Park were the Bacharach Giants,Cuban Stars,House of David.