1936 Kitty League Background Information

1936 Union Greyhounds

Another league meeting in Union City in March was attended by team reps and most of the new managers. Rip Fanning was hired by hometown Lexington. Lester Sweetland was selected by Mayfield, Ben Tincup by Paducah, Ralph McRight by Hopkinsville, and Will Bickham in Jackson. At the March meeting they voted to go back to the split season arrangement. Cape Girardeau was given the eighth spot in the league when the franchise was awarded to William Sullivan of that city. Shortly thereafter Sullivan dropped out because of health problems. Although Cape Girardeau was offered the opportunity to keep the franchise, another owner could not be found. It was assumed the vacancy would be filled by Corinth since they were the other team to show early interest. However when the league met again in emergency session there were two other interested towns, Owensboro and latecomer, Fulton. Initially the vote was split along geographic lines, with the Kentucky teams for Owensboro. Jackson and Lexington supported Corinth, and Union City and Portageville, were for neither because of the travel distance. When Fulton entered the running, they quickly picked up the votes of Union City, Mayfield, Paducah, and Portageville, and became the eighth league city.

The Fulton Eagles found a colorful manager in Norman "Kid" Elberfield. Kid was 61 years old and a veteran of forty years in baseball. The Fulton team lured him from his home in Chattanooga with a salary and a commission from the players he was able to sell at the end of the year. When he played in a game in 1936, he became the oldest player to ever play in a professional baseball game. The event made national news. This year set the ground work for a natural rivalry between the towns of Fulton and Union City. Only ten miles apart, each team was insured a strong following when they played. At one game in Union City the crowd of 1400 was estimated to be evenly divided between the towns. The sportswriters of each town made sure the rivalry stayed intense, and at times the reporting became pointed and personal.