The Chattanooga Lookouts & 100 Seasons of Scenic City Baseball - Stephen Martini
Kid Elberfeld (left) helps a young Lookout with his stance at Andrews Field, while another player looks on.
Chapter 3: Ol' Subblebeard and the Kid
In 1913, Andrews made a command decision that would alter the course of Lookouts history.
Since 1898, he'd heard of a fiery-tempered ball player they called "The Tabasco Kid" — Norman Arthur Elberfeld.
"Kid," as he was commonly called, played for fourteen seasons, most of which he spent with the New York Highlanders (today's New York Yankees).
The shortstop played a total 1,292 games in his career, swatting a career-high .341 in his first year in New York and was credited with helping the club rise as contenders the following season.
But Elberfeld didn't earn his nickname because he was a "hot" player. Rather, his temper was legendary.
During a game in the minor leagues in Clarkson, Tenn., he was suspended after throwing mud in an umpire's mouth after he was called out. In 1903, the Detroit Tigers traded Elberfeld after he was suspended for again abusing an umpire. Three years later, police had to forcibly remove Kid from the Highlanders playing field during a win over the Philadelphia Athletics, in which Kid yet again assaulted an umpire.
In 1908, then-manager and future Washington Senators owner Clark "the 01' Fox" Griffith, left the Highlanders, claiming the club wasn't willing to spend the money necessary to build a quality team. At age 33, Elberfeld stepped into the manager's seat and the Highlanders took an 8th place finish — last in the league.
After one more season, the Highlanders parted with Elberfeld, trading him to the Senators where he, once again, played under Griffith until the end of the 1911 season.
In 1912, he took a year off of baseball until Lookouts owner Andrews gave him a call. He needed someone as well connected as Elberfeld to help take his club to the next level and attract high quality players. Kid fell in love with Chattanooga on a visit and accepted the job, buying an apple orchard on Signal Mountain and dreaming of starting a family.
When the team convened for the start of the 1913 season, Elberfeld was at the helm. Under his watchful eye, Chattanooga bought sixty players, trying to build a legendary ball club. The team was famously mean, drawing their inspiration from their hotheaded manager. None of the players shied away from a fight with an umpire.
Three pitchers — Harry Coveleskie, Kroh, and Sommers — led the club winning 17 of 21 games on one road trip, each pitcher throwing entire games without relief.
However, Elbefeld's most famous purchase was of a rising 20-yearold Wisconsin spit-ball pitcher, Burliegh Grimes, who would become known as one of the meanest men in baseball, and one of the greatest. The burly right-hander grew up working at a lumberyard hauling logs for $1 a day. During a day of work, when Grimes was only 11, he was buried under seven ten-foot logs after a horse tripped over a stump and dropped his load. The boy was lifted from beneath the pile without a scratch.
When he was 16, Grimes' father gave him a command and $25 — "Son, go out into the world and make something of yourself."
The teenager wandered for a few years, playing baseball from town to town before Kid found him and brought him to Chattanooga.
In 1913, the burly Burleigh Grimes took the mound for the Lookouts. It may have been Kid's idea that Grimes add to his already intimidating stature by not shaving on the days he played. Regardless, the trick earned the scruffy-faced Grimes his nickname — 0l' Stubblbeard.
In 1913, Andrews made a command decision that would alter the course of Lookouts history.
Since 1898, he'd heard of a fiery-tempered ball player they called "The Tabasco Kid" — Norman Arthur Elberfeld.
"Kid," as he was commonly called, played for fourteen seasons, most of which he spent with the New York Highlanders (today's New York Yankees).
The shortstop played a total 1,292 games in his career, swatting a career-high .341 in his first year in New York and was credited with helping the club rise as contenders the following season.
But Elberfeld didn't earn his nickname because he was a "hot" player. Rather, his temper was legendary.
During a game in the minor leagues in Clarkson, Tenn., he was suspended after throwing mud in an umpire's mouth after he was called out. In 1903, the Detroit Tigers traded Elberfeld after he was suspended for again abusing an umpire. Three years later, police had to forcibly remove Kid from the Highlanders playing field during a win over the Philadelphia Athletics, in which Kid yet again assaulted an umpire.
In 1908, then-manager and future Washington Senators owner Clark "the 01' Fox" Griffith, left the Highlanders, claiming the club wasn't willing to spend the money necessary to build a quality team. At age 33, Elberfeld stepped into the manager's seat and the Highlanders took an 8th place finish — last in the league.
After one more season, the Highlanders parted with Elberfeld, trading him to the Senators where he, once again, played under Griffith until the end of the 1911 season.
In 1912, he took a year off of baseball until Lookouts owner Andrews gave him a call. He needed someone as well connected as Elberfeld to help take his club to the next level and attract high quality players. Kid fell in love with Chattanooga on a visit and accepted the job, buying an apple orchard on Signal Mountain and dreaming of starting a family.
When the team convened for the start of the 1913 season, Elberfeld was at the helm. Under his watchful eye, Chattanooga bought sixty players, trying to build a legendary ball club. The team was famously mean, drawing their inspiration from their hotheaded manager. None of the players shied away from a fight with an umpire.
Three pitchers — Harry Coveleskie, Kroh, and Sommers — led the club winning 17 of 21 games on one road trip, each pitcher throwing entire games without relief.
However, Elbefeld's most famous purchase was of a rising 20-yearold Wisconsin spit-ball pitcher, Burliegh Grimes, who would become known as one of the meanest men in baseball, and one of the greatest. The burly right-hander grew up working at a lumberyard hauling logs for $1 a day. During a day of work, when Grimes was only 11, he was buried under seven ten-foot logs after a horse tripped over a stump and dropped his load. The boy was lifted from beneath the pile without a scratch.
When he was 16, Grimes' father gave him a command and $25 — "Son, go out into the world and make something of yourself."
The teenager wandered for a few years, playing baseball from town to town before Kid found him and brought him to Chattanooga.
In 1913, the burly Burleigh Grimes took the mound for the Lookouts. It may have been Kid's idea that Grimes add to his already intimidating stature by not shaving on the days he played. Regardless, the trick earned the scruffy-faced Grimes his nickname — 0l' Stubblbeard.
The Chattanooga Lookouts & 100 Seasons of Scenic City Baseball
Stephen Martini
Lulu Press, Inc, Mar 13, 2013
This isn't just A story - it's OUR story! The story of hall-of-fame players, legendary promotions, record-setting nights, lonely days, love, loss, charity and championships! Don't miss another second - step up to the plate and join hundreds of thousands of fans already cheering for a tradition unlike any other -- Chattanooga Lookouts baseball!! Featuring the true story of Jackie Mitchell, as seen on the FSN documentary "Amazing Sports Stories" produced by Red Line Films!
Stephen Martini
Lulu Press, Inc, Mar 13, 2013
This isn't just A story - it's OUR story! The story of hall-of-fame players, legendary promotions, record-setting nights, lonely days, love, loss, charity and championships! Don't miss another second - step up to the plate and join hundreds of thousands of fans already cheering for a tradition unlike any other -- Chattanooga Lookouts baseball!! Featuring the true story of Jackie Mitchell, as seen on the FSN documentary "Amazing Sports Stories" produced by Red Line Films!
