Brooklyn Enterprise

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Box score for Oct 1859 game between the Enterprise and the Powhatan clubs.png

The Enterprise Base Ball Club of Brooklyn (also known as the Enterprise of Bedford) was a member team in the amateur National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) in the 1850s and 1860s. The club was founded on June 28, 1856,[1] in Bedford, and began playing other members of the NABBP that year, before the advent of paid professionalism in the sport.

By contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the Enterprise were considered an elite squad.[2] “Any one who witnessed the [May 28, 1858] game [between the Star Club of Brooklyn and the Enterprise Club of Brooklyn] will admit that of all Junior clubs, they rank highest," reported Porter's Spirit of the Times in 1858. "It was played by both sides as finely, and as many excellent points were made, as will be seen in almost any match of the Senior players. … We shall watch with much interest the future games of these clubs, and advise those who wish to witness much pretty play, to be present at whatever game they may participate in."[2]

Historical record[]

To date over 30 games played by the Enterprise have been documented.[1] Records were not kept for an unknown number of games; for others, records were lost, or research has yet to turn up specific details. Some games were documented in Charles Peverelly's Book of American Pastimes, which was self-published in 1866.[3]. Others have been documented at Protoball.org, a clearinghouse of information about pre-professional baseball.[4]

Legacy[]

Several players on the Enterprise later went on to long and distinguished careers playing professionally in the National League. Two were historically pivotal in establishing how their field positions would thereafter be played: Dickey Pearce (shortstop) and Joe Start (first base).

Miscellaneous facts[]

In 1864 and 1866, the Enterprise used Brooklyn's lavish, multi-purpose Capitoline Grounds as their home field.

Significant Enterprise players[]

Games[]

Date Opponent Score Win/Loss/Tie Location
September 18, 1856[5] Excelsior Club unknown unknown Brooklyn
November 20, 1856 National Club 24-12 Win NA
May 28, 1858[2] Star Club of Brooklyn 21-18 Loss Brooklyn
July 24, 1858 Resolute Club of Brooklyn 25-18 Win Wheat Hill, Brooklyn[6]
October 27, 1858 Lone Star Club of Jersey City unknown unknown Bedford
October 4, 1859 Powhatan Club 18-11 Win NA
August 7, 1860[1] Poughkeepsie 18-14 Win Poughkeepsie, New York
August 10, 1860 Newark Eurekas 25-21 Win NA
August 24, 1860 New York Gothams 15-56 Loss Hoboken
August 27, 1860 Newark Eurekas 13-21 Loss NA
August 29, 1860 New York Gothams 15-21 Loss Brooklyn
June 5, 1861 Brooklyn Eckfords 19-53 Loss Bedford, Brooklyn
July 10, 1861 Newark Eurekas 5-27 Loss NA
August 20, 1861 New York Gothams 13-14 Loss Hoboken
May 20, 1862 Brooklyn Eckfords 20-19 Win Greenpoint, Brooklyn
July 26, 1864 New York Gothams 13-22 Loss Hoboken
June 6, 1865 New York Gothams 18-19 (19 innings) Loss Hoboken
June 16, 1866 Union of Morrisania 16-42 Loss Morrisania, The Bronx
September 14, 1866 Excelsior Club 18-16 Win NA
September 19, 1866 Waterbury 37-21 Win Hoboken

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Enterprise Club (Brooklyn) v Poughkeepsie on 7 August 1860 at Protoball.org
  2. ^ a b c “Out-Door Sports: Base-Ball: The Enterprise and Star Clubs of Brooklyn,” Porter's Spirit of the Times, vol. 4, no. 13, May 29, 1858, p. 197, col. 1, per Craig Waff, Protoball.org
  3. ^ Reprint of Peverelly's Book of American Pastimes, by John Freyer and Mark Rucker, Introduction by John Thorn, Arcadia Publishing, 2005
  4. ^ Enterprise Club of Brooklyn at Protoball.org
  5. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, vol. 15, no. 222, Sept. 16, 1856, p. 3, col. 1, per Craig Waff, Protoball.org
  6. ^ "Enterprise Club of Brooklyn v Resolute Club of Brooklyn on 24 July 1858", Craig Waff, Protoball.org

Sources[]

Freyer, John and Mark Rucker. "Peverelly's National Game." Dover, New Hampshire: Arcadia Publishing: 2005. ISBN 0-7385-3404-8

Retrieved from ""