Lincoln was first represented in organized baseball in 1886 as the Tree Planters in the reorganized original Western League. Lincoln's 19th-century teams played in various leagues between 1886 and 1895. In 1906, Lincoln joined the Class A Western League as the Ducklings (1906), Treeplanters (1907), Railsplitters (1908–13) and Tigers (1914–16).[1] During this time, team nicknames were often unofficially assigned by sportswriters, and The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, published by Baseball America in 2007, lists other nicknames for the Lincoln franchise of the time, including Greenbackers and Antelopes.
Adopted in 1917, Links was the most widely used of the several nicknames associated with Lincoln teams during the 20th century. They played home games at Antelope Park (through 1917) and Landis Field (after 1922)[2] and won Nebraska State League championships in 1923 (under manager O.A. Beltzer), and 1934 (under Cy Lingle and Pug Griffin). Upon the introduction of the farm system, the Links were linked with Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals (1933–34), Cincinnati Reds (1936, as the Red Links), and St. Louis Browns (1938–39).[1]
Lincoln was one of six cities represented in the 1947 Western League as the A's, reflecting its affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics. The Lincoln A's moved into a new ballpark, Sherman Field, named for franchise owner Charles "Cy" Sherman,[3] and played for six seasons (1947–52), making the playoffs twice. Baseball Hall of Famesecond basemanNellie Foxbatted .311 for the 1948 Lincoln A's in his last season as a minor leaguer.
However, in 1953 the Athletics abandoned Lincoln and were replaced by the Milwaukee Braves, who fielded a club identified by its final nickname, the Lincoln Chiefs. The Chiefs struggled on the field for their first three seasons, but in 1956, in the team's second year as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, they won the Western League's first half and playoff championships. The 1956 Chiefs, managed by Larry Shepard, were paced by two standout performances. First basemanDick Stuart clubbed 66 home runs — still the fourth-most in minor league history — and also led the league with 158 runs batted in. PitcherBennie Daniels, meanwhile, compiled a 15–3 win–loss record.
The 1957 Chiefs repeated as Western League champions, edging out the Amarillo Gold Sox by a single game. But the Western League was in its twilight years; plagued by declining attendance and the defection of teams such as the Omaha Cardinals and Denver Bears to higher-level circuits, it folded after the 1958 campaign, one in which the Chiefs placed third in the league and in home attendance.
A Nebraska team in the Three-I Leagueedit
The Chiefs played for three more seasons in organized baseball as a member of the Class B Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. But the Three-I League was also suffering from the woes that plagued the Western circuit, and it disbanded after the 1961 season.
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The Lincoln Links were an American minor league baseball franchise that represented Lincoln Nebraska for 18 seasons over a 23 year period 1917 39 during the 20th century They played in the Class A Western League 1917 1924 27 the Class D Nebraska State League 1922 23 1928 36 1938 and the Class D Western League of 1939 41 1939 Lincoln Links1906 1961Lincoln NebraskaMinor league affiliationsPrevious classesClass B 1959 1961 Class A 1947 1958 1924 1927 1906 1917 Class D 1938 1939 1928 1936 1922 1923 Previous leaguesIllinois Indiana Iowa League 1959 1961 Western League 1947 1958 1924 1927 1906 1917 Western League Class D 1939 Nebraska State League 1938 1928 1936 1922 1923 Major league affiliationsPrevious teamsChicago White Sox 1959 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates 1955 1958 Milwaukee Braves 1953 1954 Philadelphia Athletics 1947 1952 St Louis Browns 1938 1939 Cincinnati Reds 1936 St Louis Cardinals 1933 1934 Minor league titlesLeague titles 4 1923193419561957Team dataPrevious namesLincoln Chiefs 1953 1961 Lincoln A s Athletics 1947 1952 Lincoln Links 1917 1922 1935 1938 1939 Lincoln Red Links 1936 Lincoln Tigers 1914 1916 Lincoln Railsplitters 1908 1913 Lincoln Treeplanters 1907 Lincoln Ducklings 1906 Previous parksSherman Field Landis Field Antelope Park Lincoln was first represented in organized baseball in 1886 as the Tree Planters in the reorganized original Western League Lincoln s 19th century teams played in various leagues between 1886 and 1895 In 1906 Lincoln joined the Class A Western League as the Ducklings 1906 Treeplanters 1907 Railsplitters 1908 13 and Tigers 1914 16 1 During this time team nicknames were often unofficially assigned by sportswriters and The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball published by Baseball America in 2007 lists other nicknames for the Lincoln franchise of the time including Greenbackers and Antelopes Adopted in 1917 Links was the most widely used of the several nicknames associated with Lincoln teams during the 20th century They played home games at Antelope Park through 1917 and Landis Field after 1922 2 and won Nebraska State League championships in 1923 under manager O A Beltzer and 1934 under Cy Lingle and Pug Griffin Upon the introduction of the farm system the Links were linked with Major League Baseball s St Louis Cardinals 1933 34 Cincinnati Reds 1936 as the Red Links and St Louis Browns 1938 39 1 Contents 1 After World War II A new league team name and ballpark 2 A Nebraska team in the Three I League 3 Notable alumni of the Lincoln A s and Chiefs 1947 61 4 ReferencesAfter World War II A new league team name and ballpark editThe Class A Western League had folded during the Great Depression in 1937 but with the boom in baseball attendance following World War II it was revived in 1947 by U S Senator Edwin C Johnson of Colorado Lincoln was one of six cities represented in the 1947 Western League as the A s reflecting its affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics The Lincoln A s moved into a new ballpark Sherman Field named for franchise owner Charles Cy Sherman 3 and played for six seasons 1947 52 making the playoffs twice Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox batted 311 for the 1948 Lincoln A s in his last season as a minor leaguer However in 1953 the Athletics abandoned Lincoln and were replaced by the Milwaukee Braves who fielded a club identified by its final nickname the Lincoln Chiefs The Chiefs struggled on the field for their first three seasons but in 1956 in the team s second year as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates they won the Western League s first half and playoff championships The 1956 Chiefs managed by Larry Shepard were paced by two standout performances First baseman Dick Stuart clubbed 66 home runs still the fourth most in minor league history and also led the league with 158 runs batted in Pitcher Bennie Daniels meanwhile compiled a 15 3 win loss record The 1957 Chiefs repeated as Western League champions edging out the Amarillo Gold Sox by a single game But the Western League was in its twilight years plagued by declining attendance and the defection of teams such as the Omaha Cardinals and Denver Bears to higher level circuits it folded after the 1958 campaign one in which the Chiefs placed third in the league and in home attendance A Nebraska team in the Three I League editThe Chiefs played for three more seasons in organized baseball as a member of the Class B Illinois Indiana Iowa League and an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox But the Three I League was also suffering from the woes that plagued the Western circuit and it disbanded after the 1961 season Lincoln would be without professional baseball until the advent of the independent league Lincoln Saltdogs in 2001 Notable alumni of the Lincoln A s and Chiefs 1947 61 edit nbsp Nellie Fox nbsp Joe Horlen Hall of Fame alumni Nellie Fox Inducted 1997 Notable alumni Don Buford Joe Christopher Bennie Daniels Jim Duffalo Joe Gibbon Dick Hall Ken Hamlin Mike Hershberger Joe Hoerner Joe Horlen Al Jackson Julian Javier Jack Lamabe Bob Locker Jerry McNertney Dan Osinski Arnie Portocarrero Bobby Shantz Dick Stuart Al Weis Dave WickershamReferences edit a b BR Minors Nebraska Baseball History web site Cy Sherman Dies Dean of American Sports Writers The Lincoln Star Lincoln Nebraska May 23 1951 page 1 and 2 accessed October 17 2016 at https www newspapers com clip 7061146 and https www newspapers com clip 7061235 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lincoln Links amp oldid 1061712023, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
