The Colonial League was the name of two mid-level American minor baseball leagues. The first Colonial League was a Class C level league that existed from 1914 to 1915 as a minor league for the outlaw Federal League. The second Colonial League existed from 1947 through mid-July 1950. It was graded Class B, two levels below the major leagues, and featured teams based in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey
History 1914 to 1915 The Colonial League began to operate as a Class C level league based in Southern New England in the 1914 season. In April, Alexander Bannwart drew notice by acquiring Big Jeff Pfeffer to manage the team in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. By May, it was suspected that Bannwart was working as an agent of the Federal League, an outlaw league working outside of the National Agreement. Bannwart denied this. Upon these news reports, some of the founding members of the Colonial League resigned, fearing banishment by the National Baseball Commission.
Though Charles Coppen was nominally the president of the Colonial League, Bannwart began to exert authority at the Colonial League offices. Later in the 1914 season, Bannwart drew anger when he attempted to make last-minute changes to the schedule designed to increase competitiveness in the standings and maximize profits at the box office. Due to the backlash from the teams, the schedule was not changed. The league was reported to have lost $22,000 ($ in current dollar terms) in 1914. After the season, Bannwart unsuccessfully petitioned the National Commission to reclassify the Colonial League as Class B.
At the April 1915 league meeting, Coppen was re-elected as president and Bannwart was elected secretary. Walter S. Ward, the treasurer of the Brooklyn Tip Tops of the Federal League and son of George S. Ward, an owner of the Tip Tops, was elected as the league's treasurer. Wanting to expand into Springfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut, territory that belonged to the Eastern Association, the Colonial League reorganized itself as a farm system for the Federal League and voluntarily withdrew itself from organized baseball. The Colonial League struggled financially in 1915, and Bannwart's policies were blamed. The quality of baseball was deemed to be below the expected standards of a Class C league in part due to the salary maximums set by Bannwart, diminishing fan interest in the league. In August 1915, Bannwart resigned from the Colonial League. The league collapsed during the 1915-16 offseason.
1947 to 1950 The Colonial was one of many minor leagues that briefly existed during the post-World War II baseball boom. It competed in the Northeastern United States with five major league clubs in New York and New England, established minor leagues such as the International League, Eastern League, Canadian–American League, Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League), and other fledgling circuits such as the postwar New England League and Border League.
As a whole, the Colonial was rarely adopted as a site for farm teams for major league clubs. Only two of its member teams (the 1948 Bridgeport Bees and Port Chester Clippers) ever affiliated with a big league parent club (the Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns, respectively).
Baseball Hall of Fame member Jimmie Foxx managed Bridgeport in 1949.
As the minors began to contract in the late 1940s, the Colonial League's days were numbered. It shut its doors on July 14, 1950, with only 80,000 fans reported to have attended games in the entire six-team circuit.
Cities represented Bridgeport, CT: Bridgeport Bees (1947–1950) Bristol, CT: Bristol Owls (1949–1950) Brockton, MA: Brockton Shoemakers (1914; Brockton Pilgrims (1915) Fall River, MA: Fall River Spindles (1914–1915) Hartford, CT: Hartford Senators (1915) Kingston, NY: Kingston Hubs (1948); Kingston Colonials (1949–1950) New Bedford, MA: New Bedford Whalers (1914–1915) New Brunswick, NJ: New Brunswick Hubs (1948) New Haven, CT: New Haven MaxFeds (1915) New London, CT: New London Raiders (1947) Pawtucket, RI: Pawtucket Tigers (1914); Pawtucket Rovers (1915) Port Chester, NY: Port Chester Clippers (1947–1948) Poughkeepsie, NY: Poughkeepsie Giants (1947); Poughkeepsie Chiefs (1948–1950) Springfield, MA: Springfield Tips (1915) Stamford, CT: Stamford Bombers (1947); Stamford Pioneers (1948–1949) Taunton, MA: Taunton Herrings (1914–1915) Torrington, CT: Torrington Braves (1950) Waterbury, CT: Waterbury Timers (1947–1950) Woonsocket, RI: Woonsocket Speeders (1914)
Standings & statistics 1914 to 1915 1914 Colonial League Team nameWLPCTGBManagers Fall River Spindles6237.625 – John Kiernan New Bedford Whalers6040.6002½ Jack O'BrienWoonsocket Speeders4948.50512 Roy Dickenson / T.M. WalshTaunton Herrings4454.44917½ Ambrose Kane / Tom Gillen Pawtucket Tigers4556.44618Jeff Pfeffer/ Nixey Callahan / William FortinBrockton Shoemakers3661.37125 Willie Reardon / Bert Weeden No Playoffs held
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Joe Gaudette WoonsocketBA.321Johnny TillmanNew BedfordW21 Joe Gaudette Woonsocket Hits117 Merdic McLeod Fall RiverSO193 Aime Prouix TauntonRuns92 Joe Gulden Fall RiverW Pct.786; 11–3 John Gilmore PawtucketHR9 1915 Colonial League Team nameWLPCTGBManagers Hartford Senators5542.567 –Jim Delahanty Brockton Pilgrims5744.564-Bert Weeden New Bedford Whalers5645.5541 Jack O'Brien New Haven MaxFeds5250.5105½ Bert Maxwell Springfield Tips4750.4858Henry Ramsey Pawtucket Rovers3757.39416½Jim Connor Fall River Spindles 2224.478NAFrank Connaughton / William Phoenix Taunton Herrings 1428.333NATom Gillen Fall River & Taunton disbanded on July 10. No playoffs held
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Jim DelahantyHartfordBA.379Johnny TillmanNew BedfordW 22–6 Hughie MillerTaunton / Springfield Hits116 Johnny Tillman New BedfordSO176 Frank KileyTaunton / BrocktonHR4Johnny TillmanNew BedfordPct.786
1947 to 1950 1947 Colonial Leagueschedule Team nameWLPCTGBAttendManagers Waterbury Timers8338.686 –33,946 James Acton Poughkeepsie Giants6650.56914½43,403Eric McNair Stamford Bombers6761.52319½28,697Zeke Bonura New London Raiders5067.4273127,431 Ed Butka Port Chester Clippers5171.41832½18,898Al Barillari Bridgeport Bees4676.37737½28,320 Carmen Brunetto Playoffs: Stamford 4 games, Waterbury 3. New London 4 games, Poughkeepsie 3. Finals: Stamford 4 games, New London 1.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Connie CreedenPort ChesterBA.395 Mike Kash WaterburyW20 Connie CreedenPort Chester Hits153 Sid Schacht StamfordSO180 Frank LaMannaWaterburyRBI123Joe MurrayPort Chester/Brid.ERA2.34 Frank LaMannaWaterburyHR21Vito DeVito StamfordRuns128
1948 Colonial Leagueschedule Team nameWLPCTGBAttendManagers Port Chester Clippers8653.619 –32,198Al Barillari Poughkeepsie Chiefs7661.555938,573 Steve Mizerak Waterbury Timers6568.4891840,988 Mike Kash New Brunswick Hubs/Kingston Hubs6171.46221½36,397 Ed Kobesky Bridgeport Bees6172.4592238,049 Glenn Snyder / Buddy Hall Stamford Pioneers5478.40928½25,640Zeke Bonura New Brunswick moved to Kingston on July 10. Playoffs: Port Chester 4 games, Waterbury 1. Poughkeepsie 4 games, Kingston 1. Finals: Port Chester 4 games, Poughkeepsie 1.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Ed Kobesky Brunswick/KingstonBA.390Guy ColemanPort ChesterW17 Joseph DeToia Poughkeepsie Hits157 Paul Wargo Port ChesterSO158 Joseph DeToia PoughkeepsieRBI96Sid SchachtStamfordERA2.09 Zeke BonuraStamfordHR23Aldo Casadei WaterburyHits157
1949 Colonial Leagueschedule Team nameWLPCTGBAttendManagers Bristol Owls8247.636 –62,485Al Barillari / Jimmy O'Connell Stamford Pioneers7452.5876½31,092Joe Glenn / Herb Stein Bridgeport Bees7354.575837,309 Ollie Ryers / Jim Paules / /Jimmie Foxx / Tom Downey Waterbury Timers6263.4961839,857 Bert Shepard / Leo Eastham Poughkeepsie Chiefs4578.3663425,123Woody Williams / Elmer Weingartner Gabe Mauro Kingston Colonials3981.32538½29,231 Julius Laviano / Eddie McNamara Emil GallPlayoffs: Bristol 4 games, Waterbury 1. Bridgeport 4 games, Stamford 3. Finals: Bristol 2 games, Bridgeport 1.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Leo Eastham WaterburyBA.349 Emil Moscowitz StamfordW19 George HandyBridgeport Hits183 Phillip Frick BridgeportW19 Jim CallahanStamfordRBI107 Ed Hrabczak StamfordW19 James Paules BridgeportRBI107 Emil Moscowitz StamfordERA2.01 Leo Eastham WaterburyHR26 Ed Hrabczak StamfordSO234Carlos BernierBristolRuns136Carlos BernierBristolSB89
1950 Colonial Leagueschedule Team nameWLPCTGBManagers Poughkeepsie Chiefs4326.623 – Robert Doyle Kingston Colonials3928.5823 Emil Gall Bristol Owls3631.5376Al Barillari Torrington Braves3332.5078 Merle Strachan Waterbury Timers2339.37116½John Morris / Charlie Bowles Bridgeport Bees2341.35917½ Bud Stapleton / Frank SilvaNo Playoffs: The League Disbanded July 16.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTotNino EscaleraBristolBA.389 Emil Moscowitz PoughkeepsieW12 Nino EscaleraBristol Hits93 Emil Moscowitz PoughkeepsieERA1.51 John Sinnott PoughkeepsieRBI53 Emil Moscowitz PoughkeepsieSO102 Carlos BernierBristolRuns67Denny DoylePoughkeepsieSO102 Carlos SantiagoPoughkeepsieHR11
References Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina Baseball America, 2007.