Brooklyn Tip-Tops
Encyclopedia
The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League
of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team was named by owner Robert Ward, who owned the Tip Top Bakery
. They were sometimes informally called the Brooklyn Feds or BrookFeds due to being the Brooklyn team of the Federal League. The Tip Tops played in old Washington Park, which the Brooklyn Dodgers had abandoned after the 1912 season to move to Ebbets Field
.
area and when the Indianapolis Hoosiers were transitioned to Newark, New Jersey
, the "Federal League Ty Cobb
", as 1914 FL batting champ Benny Kauff
was known, was placed on the Brooklyn roster. In 1915, Kauff led the league with a .342 batting average
and 55 stolen base
s, but the Tip-Tops still finished in seventh place. The Newark and Brooklyn FL teams played three holiday doubleheaders
during the 1915 season where one game was in Newark and the second was in Brooklyn.
On September 19, 1914, Tip-Top Ed Lafitte
threw the only no-hitter
in Federal League history, beating the Kansas City Packers
6-2.
Had the Federal League (FL) lasted just one more season, night baseball might have been introduced two decades earlier. The Tip Tops had announced plans for the 1916 season to play some games at night.
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team was named by owner Robert Ward, who owned the Tip Top Bakery
Ward Baking Company Building
Ward Baking Company Building800 Pacific StreetBrooklyn, New YorkDate of completion: 1911Original Function: BakeryToday, March 26, 2007, Developer Forest City Ratner of this architecturally and socially significant historic building, for its "Atlantic Yards" project in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn...
. They were sometimes informally called the Brooklyn Feds or BrookFeds due to being the Brooklyn team of the Federal League. The Tip Tops played in old Washington Park, which the Brooklyn Dodgers had abandoned after the 1912 season to move to Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
.
History
The team finished a disappointing 4th in 1914. Federal League officials believed it was important to have a successful franchise in the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
area and when the Indianapolis Hoosiers were transitioned to Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, the "Federal League Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
", as 1914 FL batting champ Benny Kauff
Benny Kauff
Benjamin Michael Kauff was a professional baseball player, who played centerfield and batted and threw left-handed. Kauff was known as the “Ty Cobb of the Feds.” He is the only player to be permanently banned from baseball for reasons other than gambling...
was known, was placed on the Brooklyn roster. In 1915, Kauff led the league with a .342 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 55 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, but the Tip-Tops still finished in seventh place. The Newark and Brooklyn FL teams played three holiday doubleheaders
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
during the 1915 season where one game was in Newark and the second was in Brooklyn.
On September 19, 1914, Tip-Top Ed Lafitte
Ed Lafitte
Edward Francis Lafitte was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers , Brooklyn Tip-Tops , and Buffalo Blues . Born in New Orleans, Louisiana at his family's home located at 319 Bourbon Street, he batted and threw right-handed.Lafitte pitched for the Georgia Tech...
threw the only no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
in Federal League history, beating the Kansas City Packers
Kansas City Packers
The Kansas City Packers were a Federal League baseball club in Kansas City from 1914 to 1915. They finished sixth in 1914 with a 67-84 record, and fourth in 1915 with an 81-72 record....
6-2.
Had the Federal League (FL) lasted just one more season, night baseball might have been introduced two decades earlier. The Tip Tops had announced plans for the 1916 season to play some games at night.
See also
- Brooklyn Tip-Tops all-time rosterBrooklyn Tip-Tops all-time rosterThe following is a list of players and who appeared in at least one game for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops franchise of the Federal League from through .-Keys:-List of players:-External links:*...
- 1914 Brooklyn Tip-Tops season1914 Brooklyn Tip-Tops seasonThe Brooklyn Tip-Tops season was a season in American baseball. The Tip-Tops finished in 5th place in the Federal League, 11½ games behind the Indianapolis Hoosiers.- Roster :- Starters by position :...
- 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops season1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops seasonThe 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops season was a season in American baseball. The Tip-Tops finished in 7th place in the Federal League, 16 games behind the Chicago Whales.- Roster :- Starters by position :...
- George S. WardGeorge S. WardGeorge Summerville Ward , was president of the Ward Baking Company and vice president of the Brooklyn Federal League baseball club. His brother was Robert Ward who owned the Brooklyn Tip-Tops.-Biography:...