Empire State League
Encyclopedia
The Empire State League was an independent baseball league that operated for two seasons, the first on Long Island
, the second on Staten Island
.
The inaugural season began on July 2, 1987 and concluded on August 22, 1987. The league was founded by literary agent
Jay Acton and Eric Margenau. The pair also owned several affiliated minor league baseball
clubs in the New York - Penn League
. The league sought to draw attention in the busy New York sports market by hiring four African American
as managers. They were former major leaguers
Paul Blair
and George Scott as well as Bernardo Leonard and Brian Flood, nephew of major-leaguer Curt Flood
. Scott's son, Dion Williams, a former minor leaguer, also played in the league for his father.
The four teams in the league took their names from Long Island's fishing industry
. They were the Diggers (managed by Scott), the Reapers (managed by Leonard), the Whalers (managed by Flood) and the Sound (managed by Blair). About two weeks into the season, Flood was replaced by Mike DeSola.
The teams played 50 games in 50 days at Long Island's Hofstra University
. The players were drawn from colleges across the United States and were paid $350 per month. The rosters included Joe Charno, Fairfield; Scott Waserfall, Fordham; Dave DePaul, Davidson; Tim Simms, Alabama; Jude Rinaldi, Troy State, Greg Polli, Hofstra; John Bilello, Hofstra; Vic Crema, Adelphi; Bobby Cassidy, Post; Mike Gianfrancesco, Post; Matt Dimakos, Buffalo; Keith Locklear, New York Tech; Paul DiGregorio, St. John's.
Acton, and his co-owner, Fraser Scott, the former middleweight boxer, signed two players from the Empire State League to the Watertown Pirates, of the NY-Penn League—Matt Dimakos and Pat Crosby. Later in the season, the San Jose Bees, of the California State League, signed a slew of players from the Empire State League, including Polli, Bilello, Rinaldo and Joe Mancini, who played three additional years in the minors.
With much of the talent from the league raided by other minor league teams, the season ended and the Whalers defeated the Diggers for the championships.
1987 Empire State League final standings
The league moved to Staten Island for the 1988 season but folded after only two weeks of competition.
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, the second on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
The inaugural season began on July 2, 1987 and concluded on August 22, 1987. The league was founded by literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
Jay Acton and Eric Margenau. The pair also owned several affiliated minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
clubs in the New York - Penn League
New York - Penn League
The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...
. The league sought to draw attention in the busy New York sports market by hiring four African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
as managers. They were former major leaguers
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Paul Blair
Paul Blair (baseball)
Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...
and George Scott as well as Bernardo Leonard and Brian Flood, nephew of major-leaguer Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
. Scott's son, Dion Williams, a former minor leaguer, also played in the league for his father.
The four teams in the league took their names from Long Island's fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
. They were the Diggers (managed by Scott), the Reapers (managed by Leonard), the Whalers (managed by Flood) and the Sound (managed by Blair). About two weeks into the season, Flood was replaced by Mike DeSola.
The teams played 50 games in 50 days at Long Island's Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. The players were drawn from colleges across the United States and were paid $350 per month. The rosters included Joe Charno, Fairfield; Scott Waserfall, Fordham; Dave DePaul, Davidson; Tim Simms, Alabama; Jude Rinaldi, Troy State, Greg Polli, Hofstra; John Bilello, Hofstra; Vic Crema, Adelphi; Bobby Cassidy, Post; Mike Gianfrancesco, Post; Matt Dimakos, Buffalo; Keith Locklear, New York Tech; Paul DiGregorio, St. John's.
Acton, and his co-owner, Fraser Scott, the former middleweight boxer, signed two players from the Empire State League to the Watertown Pirates, of the NY-Penn League—Matt Dimakos and Pat Crosby. Later in the season, the San Jose Bees, of the California State League, signed a slew of players from the Empire State League, including Polli, Bilello, Rinaldo and Joe Mancini, who played three additional years in the minors.
With much of the talent from the league raided by other minor league teams, the season ended and the Whalers defeated the Diggers for the championships.
1987 Empire State League final standings
- Diggers 28–17
- Reapers 22–23
- Whalers 22–25
- Sound 19–26
The league moved to Staten Island for the 1988 season but folded after only two weeks of competition.
External links
- A New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
article about the league: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/09/nyregion/major-dreams-in-a-minor-league.html - A Newsday article about the managers of the Empire State League: http://www.newsday.com/all-blacks-to-manage-in-new-baseball-league-1.1373414