Fort Worth Cats
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| Fort Worth Cats | |
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| Founded | 2001 |
| League | Central Baseball League 2001-2005 American Association 2006-present |
| Team History | Fort Worth Cats 2001-present |
| Ballpark | LaGrave Field |
|---|---|
| Based in | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Team Colors | blue, black, red |
| Owner | Carl Bell |
| Manager | Stan Hough |
| Championships | 2 2005, 2006 |
| Division Titles | ? |
The Fort Worth Cats are an independent minor league baseball team which plays in Fort Worth, Texas. The team is a member of the American Association and is not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team. Under the management of Stan Hough the team won the 2006 American Association championship. The Cats play their home games at LaGrave Field. They are often viewed as an alternative to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex's MLB representative, the Texas Rangers.
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[edit] The Fort Worth Panthers
The Ft. Worth Panthers, also called the Ft. Worth Cats, were a minor league baseball team which played in the Texas League from its founding in 1888 until 1959. The club won league championships in 1895, 1905, and 1906, but from 1920 - 1925, the Panthers won every Texas League pennant, and defeated the Southern Association champion in the Dixie Series in all but one year.
During the late 1910s and early 1920s, Major League Baseball teams would play in Ft. Worth against the Panthers on their way from spring training to their home parks. Texas fans enjoyed watching such major leaguers as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Rogers Hornsby play in their home town.
The Panthers won both the Texas League and the Dixie Series in 1930, 1937, and 1939. Rogers Hornsby was the Panthers' manager in 1942, but World War II put an end to much of minor league baseball.
Following the War, the Panthers became a minor league franchise of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1948, the Dodgers sent Bobby Bragan to manage the team, which won its last Texas League and Dixie Series championships. The first African American player to play for the Panthers was Maury Wills, in 1955.
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1957, it caused them to shuffle their minor league teams. The Ft. Worth franchise was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 1959, Ft. Worth left the Texas League to join the American Association, but they merged with the Dallas the following year, marking the end of baseball in Ft. Worth.
[edit] The History of Baseball in Fort Worth
A founding member of the Texas League in 1888, the Fort Worth Baseball team represented the rough and tumble times of the late 1800's. The city had earned the nickname Panther City and the team adopted the name Panthers. The club won Texas League championships in 1895, 1905, and 1906, but it wasn't until the management team of W.K. Stripling, Paul LaGrave, and their fiery manager Jake Atz that a truly special era of baseball was seen in Fort Worth.
From 1919 to 1925 the Fort Worth Panthers won the regular season title seven straight years. They lost the playoff of the 1919 season but for the next six years represented the Texas League in what became the Dixie Series. The Dixie Series was a championship series between the league champions of the Southern and Texas Leagues. Both leagues establishing themselves as some of the best in baseball. In the early twenties the series was quite a happening. Amon Carter and other supporters would arrange special trains to transfer die-hard Panther fans to the contests. Five of the six Series Championships were won by Fort Worth their only loss coming in 1922 to Mobile.
During the late teens and early twenties many major league teams trained in the south of Texas as well as Florida. As they broke camps and headed north the major league teams would play spring exhibitions in Fort Worth. Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and the New York Yankees, Rogers Hornsby and the St.Louis Cardinals all exhibited their skills in Fort Worth.
The depression era saw a down turn in baseball attendance, but Fort Worth continued their championship fortunes. Led by Frank Snyder in 1930, Homer Peel in 1937, and Bob Linton in 1939, Fort Worth again gained championship banners and continued their success in winning all three Dixie Series playoffs.
1942 saw the return of Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby to Fort Worth, but this time as their manager. The team finished third under "Rajah's" leadership but World War II would halt most minor league baseball after the year and for the next three years. A new ownership would appear after the war in 1946 and lead to the next great era of Fort Worth Baseball.
After the war Branch Rickey chose Fort Worth as one of the foundations for the Brooklyn Dodgers farm systems. It could have been known as the Dodger era but most just refer to it as the Bragan years. Hall of Famer Duke Snider honed his skills in Fort Worth playing center field for the 1946 squad. The "Duke" played 68 games at LaGrave Field. Other future Dodgers included Eddie Chandler, Willard Ramsdell, Danny Ozark, Irv Noren, Carl Erskine, Bob Milliken, Joe Landrum, and many others. The Brooklyn Dodgers themselves would make frequent spring stops in Fort Worth with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, and Pee Wee Reese giving the locals some excitement.
In June of 1948 and not progressing as planned the team made a managerial change. Brooklyn sent to Fort Worth a back up catcher who grew up in Birmingham Alabama. The team now known as the "Cats" won the Texas League regular season crown and two tough playoff series to win the last Texas League Championship seen in Fort Worth. The catcher was our very own Bobby Bragan and "Mr. Baseball" would make Fort Worth his home.
The teams Bobby managed from 1948 to 1952 were outstanding. Had it not been for a Joe Adcock home run in the deciding game of the 1949 playoffs the Cats would have been back-to-back champions. The early fifties saw tremendous baseball being played in Fort Worth and the first televised baseball game in the south occurred in 1949 at LaGrave Field.
The late fifties saw the decline of minor league baseball. Television opened all major league ballparks to households. Attendance was dwindling and change was only a short time away. The Texas League would end up losing franchises in Beaumont, Houston, Oklahoma City, and eventually Dallas and Fort Worth.
The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles at the end of the 1957 season, but not before they had to trade for the territorial rights of Los Angeles so they could play in the LA area. Fort Worth and St. Paul were traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 1959 Fort Worth and Dallas would leave the Texas League and move up to the AAA American Association. The teams merged in 1960 in preparation of bringing major league baseball to the metroplex and the next four years were spent as a joint franchise called the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers. In 1964 Tommy Mercer and friends brought a Texas League team back to Fort Worth but it was decided the push for a major league franchise required Fort Worth and Dallas to join forces and they became the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs in 1965. A new stadium was built in Arlington, named Turnpike Stadium, and never again would baseball be played in downtown Fort Worth.
LaGrave Field was torn down in 1967 and with it the chance for dads, moms, sons, and daughters to share those special memories of the players, fans, and the city that made it so special. Until now.
[edit] The Fort Worth Cats Today
The new Cats began play in southwest Fort Worth in 2001. Cats' owner Carl Bell commissioned a new ballpark to be built directly on top of the former stadium's location. Home plate is exactly where it was in 1926 when the old facility opened. On May 23, 2002 the Cats opened up the season at the original site of LaGrave Field in their brand new home. While waiting for the new LaGrave Field to be completed, the team played at Lon Goldstein Field.
Under the management of Wayne Terwilliger the Cats beat San Angelo for the 2005 Central Baseball League championship after beating Pensacola in the first-round playoffs. It is Fort Worth's first championship since 1948. They won both halves with identical 30-17 records, a franchise record for wins in a season. The Cats also made the playoffs in 2003, his first season as manager.
Luke Hochevar pitched for the Cats in 2006, making four starts (1-1, 2.38 ERA) prior to being drafted #1 overall in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Kansas City Royals.
In 2006, the Cats won their second straight title and the first title in the American Association. The Cats beat the St. Paul Saints 3 games to 2 in the championship series.
[edit] Modern Championship Titles
| Year | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | American Association | Stan Hough |
| 2005 | Central Baseball League | Wayne Terwilliger |
[edit] Retired Numbers
- Number 4 worn by Duke Snider in 1946 - Retired May 23, 2003
- Number 10 worn by Bobby Bragan who played and managed from 1948-1952 - Retired May 21, 2004
- Number 6 worn by Maury Wills in 1955 - Retired June 18, 2005
- Number 1 worn by Sparky Anderson in 1955 - Retired June 17, 2006
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- aabfan.com - yearly league standings & awards
| American Association | ||
| North Division: Lincoln Saltdogs | St. Joe Blacksnakes | St. Paul Saints | Sioux City Explorers | Sioux Falls Canaries South Division: Coastal Bend Aviators | El Paso Diablos | Fort Worth Cats | Pensacola Pelicans | Shreveport Sports |
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