Tim Murnane
Encyclopedia
Timothy Hayes Murnane was an American
sportswriter specializing in baseball
, regarded as the leading baseball writer at The Boston Globe
for about thirty years until his death. At the same time, he organized and led professional sports
leagues and helped govern the baseball industry. He had been a professional baseball
player, and played several seasons in the major leagues
, where he played as a first baseman
and center fielder
.
Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut
and acquiring the Irish brogue from his father, Murnane attended Holy Cross prep school in Worcester, Massachusetts
and played as a catcher
for the Stratford, Connecticut
club in . He remained at catcher for two seasons with Savannah
, but moved to center field while with the Middletown Mansfields
club of Middletown, Connecticut
, halfway through the season. The Mansfields entered the professional National Association
for , which begins Murnane's major league career in records that count the NA as a major league. He was the Mansfields' regular first basemen; that would be his most common fielding position but he played only a few full seasons "every day".
Following the 1872 Mansfields, Murnane played in the majors for the Philadelphia Athletics
(1873-1874), Philadelphia White Stockings
(1875), Boston Red Caps
(1876-1877), Providence Grays
(1878) — as the first player signed by a new club — and finally the Boston Reds
(1884), whom he also managed.
During eight seasons in the major leagues Murnane batted
.261 with five home run
s and 127 runs batted in
. Highlights of his playing days would include finishing fifth in the National Association batting race with an average of .359 in 1872, and leading the NA with 30 stolen base
s in 1875.
While Providence won the championship in its second season, the 27-year old Murnane was no longer on the team or in the league. In 1879 and 1880, he played part-time for Capital City (in Albany, New York
), Rochester, and Albany, before retiring "to open a saloon and billard hall in Boston" (Ellard 1996).
Tim Murnane returned to baseball and the major leagues for one year when the Union Association
challenged the newly-organized baseball industry, placing one of its eight clubs in Boston, backed by George Wright with Murnane one minor investor. Only 32, he served as recruiter, captain, and first baseman of the Boston Reds and guided them to a fifth-place finish with a record of 58-51. They did not threaten the National League in Boston, home to the NL's champion team and one of its anchor franchises. Rather, the Reds or "Unions" were a welcome but decidedly lesser attraction when the Beaneaters were out of town.
After his career in uniform, Murnane served as president of the minor league New England League
and Eastern League
, and went on to a 30-year career as a sportswriter and baseball editor with The Boston Globe.
Murnane died in 1917 at age 64 of a heart attack while attending the opera at Schubert Theatre in Boston. He is buried in Old Dorchester Burial Ground, Boston.
In 1946 the Baseball Hall of Fame established the Honor Rolls of Baseball
and named Murnane one of twelve writers to be honored. He was selected as recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for excellence in baseball journalism in .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportswriter specializing in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, regarded as the leading baseball writer at The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
for about thirty years until his death. At the same time, he organized and led professional sports
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
leagues and helped govern the baseball industry. He had been a professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player, and played several seasons in the major leagues
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...
, where he played as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
.
Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury, and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the...
and acquiring the Irish brogue from his father, Murnane attended Holy Cross prep school in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
and played as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
club in . He remained at catcher for two seasons with Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, but moved to center field while with the Middletown Mansfields
Middletown Mansfields
The Middletown Mansfields were a Baseball team in Middletown, Connecticut. The Mansfields were a member of the National Association in 1872. The baseball team was organized by Ben Douglas Jr., who named the team after his great-uncle General Joseph Mansfield. They were managed by catcher John...
club of Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, halfway through the season. The Mansfields entered the professional National Association
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
for , which begins Murnane's major league career in records that count the NA as a major league. He was the Mansfields' regular first basemen; that would be his most common fielding position but he played only a few full seasons "every day".
Following the 1872 Mansfields, Murnane played in the majors for the Philadelphia Athletics
Athletic of Philadelphia
Athletic of Philadelphia was a prominent National Association, and later National League, professional baseball team that played in the second half of the 19th century.-Early History:...
(1873-1874), Philadelphia White Stockings
Philadelphia White Stockings
The Philadelphia White Stockings were an early professional baseball team. They were a member of the National Association from 1873 to 1875. Their home games were played at the Jefferson Street Grounds...
(1875), Boston Red Caps
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1876-1877), Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
(1878) — as the first player signed by a new club — and finally the Boston Reds
Boston Reds (UA)
The Boston Reds of 1884 were a member of the short-lived Union Association. One of the last teams to join the Union Association, the Reds were owned by George Wright, whose long association with professional baseball lent sorely-needed credibility to the fledgling league...
(1884), whom he also managed.
During eight seasons in the major leagues Murnane batted
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 :...
.261 with five home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 127 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. Highlights of his playing days would include finishing fifth in the National Association batting race with an average of .359 in 1872, and leading the NA with 30 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 in 1875.
While Providence won the championship in its second season, the 27-year old Murnane was no longer on the team or in the league. In 1879 and 1880, he played part-time for Capital City (in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
), Rochester, and Albany, before retiring "to open a saloon and billard hall in Boston" (Ellard 1996).
Tim Murnane returned to baseball and the major leagues for one year when the Union Association
Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
challenged the newly-organized baseball industry, placing one of its eight clubs in Boston, backed by George Wright with Murnane one minor investor. Only 32, he served as recruiter, captain, and first baseman of the Boston Reds and guided them to a fifth-place finish with a record of 58-51. They did not threaten the National League in Boston, home to the NL's champion team and one of its anchor franchises. Rather, the Reds or "Unions" were a welcome but decidedly lesser attraction when the Beaneaters were out of town.
After his career in uniform, Murnane served as president of the minor league New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
and Eastern League
Eastern League (baseball, 1916-32)
The Eastern League of 1916 through the mid-season of 1932 was an American minor baseball league and the third of four circuits to use the Eastern League name since the 19th century...
, and went on to a 30-year career as a sportswriter and baseball editor with The Boston Globe.
Murnane died in 1917 at age 64 of a heart attack while attending the opera at Schubert Theatre in Boston. He is buried in Old Dorchester Burial Ground, Boston.
In 1946 the Baseball Hall of Fame established the Honor Rolls of Baseball
Honor Rolls of Baseball
The Honor Rolls of Baseball were established in 1946 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's Permanent Committee to establish as a second level of induction designed to recognize non-playing contributors. The committee designed the Honor Rolls to commemorate managers, executives, umpires...
and named Murnane one of twelve writers to be honored. He was selected as recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for excellence in baseball journalism in .