"At the first card show, I felt bad seeing those little kids paying to get my autograph. It didn't hit me right. I felt it in the heart. I made a vow that once the contract is over, I'm done. I'll still sign, but not for money. I wouldn't do it for a million dollars."
The Kansas CityPackers were a Missouri-based franchise
in the short-lived Federal League
of professional baseball from 1914
to 1915. They played their
home games in Gordon & Koppel Field.
The team was founded in 1913 as the Covington, Kentucky (close to
Cincinnati) franchise in the still-minor league Federal League. The Blue
Sox, as they were known, failed in Covington and moved in June of 1913 to
Kansas City and became the Packers.
The team seemed to be heading back to the Covington area in early 1914.
A May 14, 1914 Chicago Tribune article suggested it was a done deal for
the team to move within a month to Spinks Park in Bellevue, Kentucky, a
"ten minute street car ride from Cincinnati." It turned out to
be just another rumor in a league that suffered not from a shortage of
them.
The team also fell victim to the ravages of nature.
On September 7, 1914, Mill Creek (and others in the area) flooded damaging
the Packers' ballpark. The New York Times reported the next day:
"Fences were washed away and the clubhouse was demolished, all the
uniforms, bats, and other equipment used by the ball club being lost.
Manager Stovall said the team would leave tonight for its final road trip
without any equipment. He wired to Chicago for new uniforms and supplies.
The groundskeeper and his tow assistants, who were asleep in the
clubhouse, escaped."
The team must have liked their new uniforms. Kansas City did not win a
Federal League pennant, but they played spoiler both times beating the Chicago
Federals on the last day of the 1914 season to give Indianapolis
the championship and then beat the St.
Louis Terriers on the final day of the 1915 season to give the Chicago
Whales the championship.
Have any questions about the Kansas City Packers or the Federal League? Want to add to the league's story by sharing your recollections? Want to leave a comment about this article? Check out our Federal League forums!
--Patrick Mondout
PACKERS
Gene Packard was a 20 game winner both Federal League seasons for the Kansas City Packers.
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