Tag: three-i league

Good info on the Three-I League

Charles Braxton points out in a TBZ comment that there is a nice summary  on the Three-I League in Baseball Reference’s Bullpen section. 

tileagueYou usually don’t find a lot of documentation on the now defunct Midwest-based league anymore so I’m happy to see this.  Indeed, you’ll find standings and league leaders for each year of its sixty-year history at the BR Bullpen. 

If you browse the page, baseball historians will most likely find names they recognize.  Hank Majeski, Joe Vosmik, Tony Kubek, Mudcat Grant,.. and some pitcher named Warren Spahn.

And only in the early-to-mid 1900s Midwest would have team names like the Peoria Tractors, Moline Ploughboys and Bloomington Bloomers.

thanks for passing this on, Charles!  A real gem!

Three-I League Exhibit at the Early American Museum

Two weekends ago, I went to an exhibit at the Early American Museum at Mahomet, IL entitled “A Whole ‘Nother Ballgame”. The speaker (whose name escapes right now) spoke about the Three-I League which existed 1901-1961. Apparently, it was the precursor of the current day Midwest League.

Ehm Franzen

Sitting behind me was an old man. During the Q&A he raised his hand and said he was a pitcher in the Eastern Illinois League and he faced Satchel Paige twice and defeated him both times. His name was Ehm Franzen and apparently he was quite a hurler in his day. I got a chance to listen to him after the talk. He says he struck Paige out to end one of the games.

More photos of the event here.