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The site of today's Labatt Memorial Park is believed to have been used for organized baseball as far back as 1870 ; the game of baseball, a derivative of the British game of Rounders , had likely arrived in the area with British soldiers garrisoned in London, as well as from United Empire Loyalist settlers from the U.S. in the early 1800s. LONDON TECUMSEHS The history of Labatt Park begins with the London Tecumsehs , founded in 1868 . London china merchant W.J. Reid created Tecumseh Park -- named after the great Shawnee Indian chief, Chief Tecumseh , who fought alongside the British during the War Of 1812 and who died in the Battle Of The Thames near Chatham, Ontario , in October of 1813 -- from the commons pasture land in the Kensington suburb of London and Cleveland -born oil tycoon/ Tecumseh's president and principal owner, Jacob Englehart, moved the team to Tecumseh Park in 1877 . Englehart soon began looking for professional players from the U.S., later signing four Americans: first-baseman/ manager George "Juice" Latham, pitcher Fred Goldsmith (believed by many to be the inventor of the curveball) of New Haven, Connecticut , catcher Phil Powers and infielder/ outfielder Joe "Dutchy" Hornung from Carthage, New York . Goldsmith's first complete game with the Tecumsehs occurred on May 24 , 1876 , when London played Guelph before 6,000 spectators at the old Fair Grounds (corner of Wellington and Pall Mall streets in London), a contest that London won 8-7 in 10 innings, largely due to Goldsmith's "scientific pitching," using his innovative "skew ball." The following year the Tecumsehs played in the International Association, a rival of the National League . The Tecumsehs defeated the National League's Boston Red Stockings in an exhibition game at Tecumseh Park in 1877, and later in the season they defeated the Pittsburgh Alleghenies 5-2 for the International Baseball Association championship. More than 6,000 people attended the championship game, in a park built to seat 600. The Tecumsehs were offered membership in the National League but declined, and when the International Association floundered a few years later, the Tecumsehs folded as well, but were resurrected in the 1880s and the 1920s, with Charlie (Mechanical Man) Gehringer playing with the Tecumsehs before he went on to a stellar career with the Detroit Tigers . American baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright have placed the 1920 London Tecumsehs on the list of the Top 100 Minor League Baseball Teams of all-time -- coming in at #52, with a record of 86 wins and 32 losses. GEORGE (MOONEY) GIBSON One of the early stars to emerge from Tecumseh Park was London West resident, George (Mooney) Gibson (b. July 22 , 1880 ; d. January 25 , 1967 ), a young bricklayer-homebuilder turned catcher who enjoyed a lengthy playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates , winning the World Series in 1909 by beating Ty Cobb 's Detroit Tigers. Gibson played in the Major Leagues until 1918 , 12 years with the Pirates and two years with the New York Giants , appearing in 1,213 games. Gibson first signed a pro contract in 1903 and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates two years later. He had a strong throwing arm and led National League catchers in fielding percentage several times. Known as a developer of young pitchers, Gibson later managed the Pirates ( 1920 - 1922 , 1932 - 1934 ) and the Chicago Cubs ( 1925 ). He was named Canada's baseball player of the half century and in 1958 was the first baseball player elected to the Canadian Sports Hall Of Fame . He was subsequently inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame & Museum in 1987 and was one of the inaugural 10 inductees into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 . Tecumseh Park was damaged by a flood of the Thames River in 1883 which destroyed the original grandstand, located where the outfield is today. The new grandstand was built facing east toward downtown London, with home plate moved to approximately the same location as it is today. In the 1880s and 1890s the park was used for amateur and professional Bicycle races, attracting such international stars as Harley Davidson . Baseball continued to be played there as well, with three more incarnations of the Tecumsehs in the International Association (1888-1889), the International League (1890), and the Canadian League (1898-1900), with the London Alerts, also of the Canadian League, playing in 1896-1897. Meanwhile, in 1895 the park was the site of the first-ever Motion Picture display in London. The London Cockneys played in the Class D International League in 1908 and the Class C Canadian League in 1911 , while another Tecumsehs club played in the Class C and Class B Leagues from 1912 to 1915 . The Tecumsehs played in the Class B Michigan-Ontario League from 1919 to 924 , and during the early 1920s, the team included future Major League second-base star Charlie Gehringer . Gehringer and the Tecumsehs defeated the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game, also in 1921 . A second London team, the Indians, played in the Michigan-Ontario League in 1925. The Tecumsehs also played in the Class D Ontario League in 1930 . NEGRO LEAGUE PLAYERS During the first half of the 20th Century, Labatt Park (Tecumseh Park until 1937) was regularly visited by numerous Barnstorming Negro teams from the U.S., including the House of David black baseball team which travelled with their own generator-powered lights (before Labatt Park installed lights in the 1940s), plus a much-celebrated visit by star pitcher Satchel Paige in the late 1940s. Additionally, numerous former players with the Negro Leagues played in the Senior Intercounty Baseball League after the Negro Leagues gradually folded when Jackie Robinson broke the "colour barrier" in 1947 , including Ted Alexander (1951 London Majors ), Wilmer Fields, Jimmy Wilkes ( Brantford Red Sox ), Luther Clifford, Max Manning, Lester Lockett, Bob Thurman and Stanley (Doc) Glenn (St. Thomas Elgins) made appearances at London's Labatt Park in the 1950s. BRYCE'S 1876 AND 1877 BASEBALL GUIDES A treasure-trove of information about early Canadian/ Ontario base ball surfaced in 2002 when Library And Archives Canada purchased (for $10,000 from an Ottawa, Ontario , bookseller) ''Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1876'' and ''Bryce's Base Ball Guide 1877'', two hand-coloured, 75-page booklets published by William Bryce of London, Ontario, which were originally sold for a dime. The two, four-inch by seven-inch guides are considered to be the first significant publications on Canadian baseball. Bryce, a Scottish-born bookseller, news agent and sporting goods distributor in London, had a small stake in the Tecumsehs, considered by many to be the finest ball team in the Dominion. TECUMSEH PARK BECOMES LABATT PARK According to the 1926 Geodetic Survey of Canada (and the subsequent detailed maps printed in 1928 ), there was a structure situated near what is now the main entrance to the ballpark off of Wilson Avenue (at the time, the main entrances to the ballpark were off of Dundas Street -- now Riverside Drive). According to Mooney Gibson's nephew, George Lambourn, a noted baseball historian in his own right, the structure was the residence of the park's cranky caretaker, Jakey Butts, which was destroyed by The Great Flood of 1937 . This devastating flood damaged the park again, necessitating the construction of the park's third grandstand and a new clubhouse, with the local Labatt brewing company donating $10,000 to renovate the park, as well as deeding the park itself to the City of London on December 31 , 1936 , with the written provisions that the park remain a public athletic park in perpetuity and that it be renamed "The John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park." The renamed park was home to the London Pirates of the Class D PONY League from 1940-1941. At the end of August during the 1950s, Labatt Park annually hosted athletes from across the city's playgrounds competing in a variety of sports during a two to three-day event. (A P.U.C. Playground Supervisor's Reunion is scheduled for June 24 , 2006, at the City-owned Thames Valley Golf Course.) FRANK COLMAN AND TOM BURGESS Other London notables to graduate to the Major Leagues from Labatt Park during the 1940s are Tom (Tim) Burgess who was born in 1927 and currently resides in the London, Ontario, suburb of Lambeth, and Frank (Lefty) Colman ( 1918 - 1983 ). In 1936 , Frank Colman started out at Labatt Park with the London Majors of the Senior Intercounty Baseball League, winning the MVP award, batting title and Intercounty League championship. Colman was 25 when he broke into the major leagues as a right fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing with them from 1942 through 1946 , when he moved to New York. He played with the Yankees in 1946 and 1947, where he roomed with Yankee catcher Yogi Berra . He finished his six-year major league career with 571 at-bats, 15 home runs and 106 RBIs. Colman returned to London in 1954 after playing in the minor leagues and being the player/ coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International Baseball League. He bought the London Majors and, as player/ owner, won the Intercounty League title in 1956 . Colman is also the co-founder of the Eager Beaver Baseball Association (EBBA) in London which provided competitive league play for thousands of youngsters since its founding in the mid-1950s. For years, "Frank Colman Day" in mid-July included a parade of EBBA players down Dundas Street to Labatt Park. Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame & Museum in the 1980s and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 . Tom Burgess first signed a pro contract with St. Louis in 1946 and played right field and first base for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1954 to 1961 and right field and first base for the Los Angeles Angels from 1962 - 1963 . " P.U.C. recreation director Bill Farquharson gave me the opportunity from the playground days," he said, "and I worked my way up to the big leagues where I made a living for 44 years." -- Tom (Tim) Burgess, November 28, 2005 Since 1968 , Burgess has been involved in Major League Baseball in a variety of managing, coaching and instructor capacities with several organizations, including the St. Louis Cardinals from 1968 to 1975 , the New York Mets from 1976 to 1977 , the Texas Rangers from 1980 to 1984 , the Detroit Tigers from 1985 to 1987 , the Kansas City Royals from 1987 to 1995 . From 1996 to the present day, Burgess has been an instructor with both Baseball Canada and the Ontario Baseball Association. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in 1992 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 . During World War II (1942 onward), the park was the home field for several women's baseball, softball and fastball teams, including the London Supremes who played in the Michigan - Ontario Women's Fastball League into the 1950s . Shortly after World War II Labatt Park was the home of the London Majors , which won the National Baseball Congress championship in 1948 , beating the Fort Wayne, Indiana General Electrics in a best-of-seven-game series at Labatt Park, as well as winning the Canadian, Ontario and Intercounty titles. After pitching ace Fergie Jenkins pitched his final major league game on September 26 , 1983 , London Majors' owner-player Arden Eddie convinced Jenkins to pitch for the Majors in 1984-85, commuting from his home near Chatham, Ontario . The park was considered for the filming of the 1992 movie '' A League Of Their Own '' starring Madonna and Geena Davis , but filming could not fit around the home schedule of the Double A London Tigers of the Eastern League . TIGERS, WEREWOLVES AND MONARCHS Professional baseball declined in London after the war, with mostly amateur teams playing at Labatt Park in the following decades, until 1989 when an AA Eastern League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers was established. In 1989-90 the park was named Beam Clay Professional Baseball (minor league) Natural-Grass Ballpark of the Year. The 1990 London Tigers won the Eastern League title, but the Tigers relocated to Trenton, New Jersey after the 1993 season, citing declining attendance. The London Werewolves of the fledgling Frontier League played at the park from 1999 to 2001 , winning the Frontier League championship in 1999; Werewolves pitcher Brett Gray tossed 25 strikeouts on June 3, 2000 (home opener), against the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints. The game's scorecard and Brett Gray's jersey were donated to the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame & Museum in St. Marys, Ontario , by Werewolves' General Manager John Kuhn. In 2001 after the circa-1937 main grandstand was demolished and a new, $1.97-million main grandstand was built, the park was used as the chief baseball venue for the Canada Summer Games . In 2003 the park was home to the London Monarchs of the short-lived Canadian Baseball League , which folded mid-season. Along with bicycle racing, Labatt Park has in the past been used for Soccer , Fastball , Softball , football, Track And Field , winter skating, political rallies, Horsejumping , civic receptions, the RCMP Musical Ride and a 21-gun salute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to London on June 26, 1997 . Currently, the park is home to the London Majors of the Intercounty League , and the London Badgers junior team. The UWO Mustangs Baseball Team coached by former London Majors and London Tigers pitcher Mike Lumley will also be using the park during the 2006 Ontario University Association baseball season which begins each year in September. Labatt Park was designated the oldest continually operating baseball grounds under the ''Ontario Heritage Act'' in 1994 , after an effort spearheaded by the volunteer, non-profit organization, The Friends of Labatt Park, which has undertaken a number of initiatives to enhance and promote the ballpark. ROY MCKAY CLUBHOUSE, HOME TO THE LONDON MAJORS In 1996, the "Reasons for Designation" for the park under the ''Ontario Heritage Act'' were amended to include the circa-1937, tongue-and-groove clapboard clubhouse of the London Majors, renamed the "Roy McKay Clubhouse" on August 1 , 1996 , by Majors' longtime player/owner Arden Eddie in honour of former pitcher, manager and coach Roy McKay who had died on Christmas Day in 1995 , several months after slipping and falling on the porch of his Waterloo Street home. Subsequently, a large commemorative boulder and bronze plaque honouring Roy McKay is installed at the front of the clubhouse. "I would like to be remembered for being a devoted son and brother, a loving husband, a great father and a damn good friend." -- Roy McKay, 1933-1995 To help raise money for a new cedar-shingle roof on the historic clubhouse, a ballgame dubbed "The Rumble at the Riverforks" was played at the park on May 31 , 1998, featuring members of London city council, members of the local media and the London Majors' oldtimers. The game was organized by The Friends of Labatt Park and SCENE magazine. In 2006, Photo-Historian Stephen Harding spends two days photographing the interior and exterior of the clubhouse and presents his photos/ report to the City's heritage planner as City staff formulate plans to make additional repairs to the structure. LABATT PARK REUNION, 2005 On Saturday, July 23 , 2005, the City of London in conjunction with the London Sports Council, the London Sports Oldtimers Association, the London Majors Baseball Club and The Friends of Labatt Park organized a special, day-long event at the park to commemorate the city's 150th anniversary as an incorporated municipality (more than 10,000 residents) and the park's long history. The event featured a baseball clinic for youngsters, vintage ball games, displays of park/ baseball memorabilia and a Majors' oldtimers' reunion. GOT MILK? COMMERCIALS SPOOF MLB STEROID USE In late September of 2005 , the San Franciso advertising firm of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners filmed a series of five Got Milk? TV-commercials at Labatt Park, that subsequently ran during post-season play of Major League Baseball (MLB), starting on October 11. The commercials, which spoofed the ongoing steriod scandal in MLB had players "caught" using a "performance-enhancing substance" -- milk. The commercials caused an uproar with MLB officials who calling for their removal from the broadcasting airwaves, in Associated Press newspaper articles coast to coast in the U.S. The humorous commercials continued to run during the Chicago White Sox - Houston Astros World Series , won 4 straight games by Chicago. An on-line poll on a Houston , Texas-based Web site revealed that 75 per cent of more than 23,000 poll respondents found the commercials to be funny and wanted them left on the air. ROADWAY EXPRESS'S 2007 BASEBALL CALENDAR Labatt Park will be one of the 12 featured baseball parks in the 2007 baseball calendar published by Roadway Express , based in Akron, Ohio . Roadway express is also the sponsor of the "Times of Greatness" interactive, mobile 53-foot-long museum travelling coast to coast in the U.S. every year, showcasing Negro League history and artifacts. Roadway is also a sponsor of the Negro League Baseball Players' Association Museum in Kansas City, Missouri . 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