Joe Wall/pagetext
From SABR Encyclopedia
- In June 1900, while catching for Springfield, he was spiked in the left shoulder, which impaired his throwing. He was subsequently loaned to Norwich, where he played first base.
- In July, with his shoulder still bothering him, he returned home to Brooklyn, but the following month was resigned by Norwich when catcher Tom Manning was injured.
- Prior to the 1901 season, he signed with the Washington club of the proposed American Association, but it never got off the ground.
- After stints with Columbus, Toledo, Utica, and Waverly in 1901, he suited up with Brooklyn in August when they were short of catchers, but didn't get into a game. The next month, he was given a look by New York.
- For the 1902 season, he was claimed by both Denver and Rochester; the Arbitration Board of the National Association awarded him to Denver.
- There he had a hard time adjusting to the thin air. He also had problems with his teeth and sciatic nerve. Hospitalized after being hurt in a game, he lost 21 pounds.
- When relatively healthy, he hit well. He had two home runs in one game, and was rewarded by fans with $96, a suit of clothes, two pairs of shoes, two hats, and a dog.
- He returned home to recuperate, then played briefly for Milwaukee before being released. Back home, he was given a trial by John McGraw, the new manager of the Giants, and later in August, when all of Brooklyn's catchers were hurt, he caught five games in three days for them. Suffering from an injured leg and thumb, he was soon released.
- Following the 1902 season, he played with a Brooklyn club called the All-American with Fred Jacklitsch, Harry Howell, and others. He was elected president of the club.
- He started the 1903 season with Peoria of the Western League, mostly playing left field, and after being released by them, joined the New York State League, first playing briefly with Utica and then hooking up with Troy.
- He was reported to be going into the burlesque business in Troy following the season, but ended the year with the NY Giants, not getting into any games. He later made his home in Troy.
- He was acquired by Rochester of the Eastern League after the 1903 season, and was their opening day catcher. A bad knee, however, forced him to miss most of the season, just when he was reportedly acquired by the Yankees to play centerfield.
- He signed with Harrisburg of the independent Tri-State League late in the season, but was released before the 1905 season. Then he signed with Albany of the New York State League, which also released him before the season started. Wall returned to the Tri-State League with Lancaster, where he lasted about a month as a first baseman and team captain.
- At this point, he went to the New England League, playing about three weeks with Lowell, which released him shortly after a 4 for 4 game on July 6.
- He was the playing manager of East Liverpool in the P-O-M League at the start of the 1906 season, but was injured and resigned due to lack of financial support by ownership.
- He was reportedly signed by Cleveland (AL) for the 1907 season, but started the season with Nashville of the Southern Association, playing first and usually hitting sixth or seventh in the batting order.
- By June, however, he was playing manager for Easton in the independent Atlantic League for a few weeks.
- Prior to the 1908 season, he was signed by the San Francisco Seals (PCL) but they released him before spring training even started.
- In 1909, he had a brief stint playing first base for Quincy of the Central Association, and then got into one game for Albany in the New York State League. He was pulled from center field after misjudging a fly ball early in the game and released the next day.
- The Boston Braves signed him early in 1912, and released him at the end of spring training. He then signed on with the New York club in the short-lived United States League. That sumer, he was hired as manager of Muscatine of the Central Association. Once again, he lasted only a few weeks, leading the club to one win and 15 losses. He also played 15 games, slugging .460.
- In 1914, he was appointed manager of Portsmouth of the Class C Virginia League. He stocked the club with players from his Brooklyn-based semi-pro team, but he (and they) were fired before spring training ended when it didn't appear the club would be competitive.
- He supposedly played in the Georgia State League that year and compiled a .359 batting average, leading to him being drafted by the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, when the St. Louis club of the Federal League played in Brooklyn in September, they signed Wall, but didn't play him.
- The shortage of players due to World War I got him a chance with Bridgeport in 1918, who probably didn't realize he was almost 42 years old when they signed him. After making two errors in left field his first game there, he was released.
- He managed Newport News to a 1 and 6 start in the Virginia League in 1920 before resigning.
- The next year, Lakeland in the Florida State League lost its first 13 games (at least) and replaced manager Harry Swacina with Wall. It took them about four days to change their mind and reinstate Swacina.
- In 1924, he lasted a full ten days as manager of Wilkes-Barre (NYP) after replacing Tom Downey.
- Other teams he may have played for: Unknown team in Atlantic League prior to 1900 (according to 2/10/1900 Sporting Life), Providence in Eastern League in 1900 (per 8/25/1900 and 2/16/1901 Sporting Life), Rutland, VT in the independent Northern League in 1905 (7/1/1905 Lowell Sun), 1906 East Liverpool P-O-M League (6/10/1906 Philadelphia Inquirer), 1914 Quincy I-I-I League (4/25/1914 Sporting Life), 1914 Waycross of the Georgia St. League (9/11/1914 Brooklyn Eagle), 1915 Frankfort of the Ohio State League (6/12/1915 Sporting Life), 1918 Topeka- Western League (7/9/1918 Bridgeport Telegram), 1920 Newport News Virginia League (4/18/1920 Brooklyn Eagle), 1921 Lakeland of Florida State League (see Unknown Wall), Waterbury of the Eastern League- 1924 or earlier (7/17/1936 Brooklyn Eagle, 6/26/1924 Binghamton Press), 1924 Wilkes-Barre of the NY-P League (6/12/1924 Sporting News)
- He was signed as player and/or manager of the following clubs but was released before appearing in a game: 1904 NY American League (6/11/1904 Washington Post), 1905 Albany of Eastern League (4/22/1905 Sporting Life), possibly 1907 Cleveland American League (10/6/1906 Sporting Life), 1908 San Francisco-PCL (2/21/1908 San Francisco Call), 1912 Boston National League (2/24/1912 Sporting Life), 1914 Portsmouth of the Virginia League (4/25/1914 Sporting Life), 1914 St. Louis of the Federal League (9/11/1914 Brooklyn Eagle), 1922 Kalamazoo- Central League (12/29/1921 New York Evening Telegram)
- Meanwhile, he ran various semi-pro teams in Brooklyn beginning with the All-Americans in 1902, which included Harry Howell, Fred Jacklitsch, and other professional players.
- Other clubs he organized over the years (some of which may be the same club with a different name): Joe Wall's All-Leaguers (9/2/1905 Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle), Joe Wall's All Stars (4/27/1908 Brooklyn Daily Eagle), Joe Wall's All Professionals (5/10/1908 NY Press), Ryder Club (10/7/1912 Brooklyn Daily Eagle), Brooklyn Bloomer Girls (9/2/1913 Brooklyn Eagle), Paterson (5/25/1914 NY Sun), Troy (NY) (7/7/1916 Schenectady Gazette), Joe Wall's Big Leaguers (5/10/1918 Brooklyn Eagle), St. Peter's Catholic Club (4/25/1923 Rome Daily Sentinel), Joe Wall's Minor Leaguers (4/13/1927 NY Amsterdam News), Watertown (NY) (7/9/1928 Watertown Times), Joe Wall's College of Baseball team (7/31/1935 NY Post)
- He also ran various baseball schools in NYC beginning in 1918. Over the years, he would claim to have developed such players as Waite Hoyt, Billy Jurges, Hi Myers, Hack Wilson, and Pie Traynor.
- Wall spent years attempting to organize a minor league in upstate New York and neighboring states in the 1920's without success. He also tried to revive the New England League in 1905 as well as a McKeesport (PA) team for the Middle Atlantic League in 1928, both unsuccessfully.
- He also ran an indoor baseball team for at least two winters which included George McQuillan, Doc Scanlan, Fred Jacklitsch,Joe Lake, and Jack Knight.
- There were at least three benefit games played on behalf of him or his family. The first was in 1916, when he was recovering from a long illness. [59] The next was in 1922, when he was suffering from bronchitis and pneumonia. [60] Finally, after his death from a heart attack [61], his many friends in the Brooklyn baseball community got one up featuring mainly minor league players against the New York Cubans. [62]
- Wall took an interest in other sports as well, once promoting a basketball team called Joe Wall's Big Five [63] and serving as a timer at motorcycle races at the Bay Ridge Oval track, where a trophy was named in his honor following his death.
[edit] Sources
- . Sporting Life, 1902-08-02.
