1899 New York (New Yorks, Giants)
Left: This rendering is based on incomplete written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Right: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on minor details that may be missing or difficult to determine.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated March 24 to March 30, 1900. Two detail views of a spring training team photo of the 1900 Pittsburgh team taken in Thomasville, GA. The photo (full view not shown) featured players wearing uniforms from different teams and from previous seasons. The detail views above show player T O’Brien (NY 99, Pit 00) wearing a light-gray New York uniform. As 1899 was O’Brien’s only year with New York, this was most likely the road uniform from that year. The light-gray shirt had white buttons, a shirt pocket, and the city name arched across the front. The narrow letter forms were similar to those featured on the New York uniform from the previous year of 1898. However the 1898 uniform had the “Y” in “York” centered on the button placket, while the uniform O’Brien wore in the photo above had the words “New” and “York” placed on either side of the button placket. To date this is the only known image of the 1899 New York uniform.
Tom O’Brien was a young and improving player known for his ability to field at multiple positions. He was loaned to New York by Pittsburgh for the 1899 season, and then was returned to the Pirates for the 1900 season. In these two years O’Brien played every position except pitcher and catcher. After the 1900 season ended, he agreed to join his former New York teammates on a post-season exhibition tour of Cuba, playing games against the Brooklyn NL team. The tour sailed for Havana from New York on October 28 with plans to play their first game on November 4. But the tour was poorly planned and generated little money — so O’Brien and ten other players returned home early, arriving in New York on November 17.
However O’Brien’s return was for an entirely different reason, having fallen ill on the initial trip to Cuba. When he returned to New York on November 17, a newspaper noted that O’Brien “had been through one of the worst sieges in his life” and that “he was taken ill on ship board and from that time fell off in flesh daily.” Reportedly he was “a man in the last stages of life” and “fully forty pounds lighter than when he left.” So what happened? In early December reports said that O’Brien’s illness was “more serious than was at first anticipated” and that he was “bothered by malaria” in combination with a weakened condition from motion sickness suffered on the trip. By the middle of the month the affliction was described as consumption (lung disease), and his doctor recommended that he should travel to Arizona and attempt to recover in the warm, dry air there. When O’Brien died in Phoenix on February 3, 1901, The Sporting Life revealed the events that led to his death, describing that while en route to Cuba in October and “trying to bring on seasickness [yes, bring on], he drank a quantity of salt water. This produced hemorrhages, due probably to some internal rupture, and he was compelled to return home at once, losing over forty pounds in three weeks. Going to Arizona he recovered his health, but typhoid-pneumonia attacked him and in his reduced physical condition he was not able to withstand the fury of the dread disease.” A SABR biographer offered further explanation of what happened on board the ship, citing the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette: “O’Brien and [teammate] Kid Gleason were the only two players not to suffer from seasickness. O’Brien thought getting seasick would be great for his system by cleaning it out, thus helping his overall physical condition. The two lowered a bucket over the side of the ship and filled it with salt water. It was then pulled back up and the two drank. Kid Gleason drank sparingly, but O’Brien drained almost the entire bucket. The next day both players became ill and began to vomit. While Gleason’s attack was mild, O’Brien suffered violent and wrenching fits.” Upon his death, one newspaper said only that “somebody advised him to drink sea water for seasickness” and that “he drank three quarts and became so sick that he remained in his hotel at Havana while the teams were playing.” Another report said that O’Brien “was told that drinking sea water would render him impervious to seasickness.” As an epitaph, one newspaper noted that “no player on the Pittsburg[h] nine at the close of last season [1900] seemed in better condition physically than ‘Tom’ O’Brien, the first baseman.” O’Brien died at the Hardwick Hotel in Phoenix. He was 27 years old.
Identification of O’Brien in photo from Ken Samoil and Nigel Ayres. Years O’Brien with teams from baseball-reference.com. Info on the Cuba tour from The Sporting Life, October 20 and November 3, 1900. Info on O’Brien illness from The Sporting Life, November 17 and 24, and December 1 and 8, 1900. Report of death from The Sporting Life, February 9, 1901. Info on bucket over side of ship from Vincent T. Ciaramella, SABR BioProject: Tom O’Brien, citing the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, February 5, 1901, and retrieved March 24, 2022. Additional reports of O’Brien drinking sea water from the Buffalo Review, February 5, 1901, and the Washington (DC) Evening Star, February 5, 1901, with research from Ken Samoil. Hotel where O’Brien died from the Arizona Republican, February 5, 1901. Overall research assistance from Ken Samoil. Image scan from Getty Images/Transcendental Graphics, collection of Mark Rucker.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1899: “The corridors leading to [owner] Andrew Freedman’s office were the scene of many mysterious conferences yesterday afternoon [March 13, 1899]. The Giants who had signed were on hand to get their expense money and be measured for the new uniforms. The ‘hold offs’ were also there.” From the New York World, March 14, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
March 1899: “The measurements of those Giants who were on hand yesterday [March 13, 1899] were taken for their uniforms, which will be the same old black and white of former years.” From the Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, March 14, 1899.
March 1899: “The resignation of J. W. Spalding of the Board of Directors of the New York Baseball Club has stirred up [owner] Andrew Fredman[sp]. In answer to Spalding’s charges he states that Spalding took his step because of failure to secure the contract to furnish uniforms for the giants. […] The truth is Spalding charged fabulous prices for his uniforms and the contract has been let to a Philadelphia firm. Mr. Spalding only resigned after he discovered that he had lost the New York contract. Spalding on hearing of Freedman’s charges said: ‘[…] If he [Freeman] had ordered the New York outfits from us, our credit man would have refused to furnish them as he still owes us $442, or $24 each for eighteen uniforms purchased last year [1898]. Furthermore,’ said Mr. Spalding, ‘I am informed by the players that they were required to settle out of their first month’s salary, and were charged $30 instead of $24. I understand that Freedman’s players are to be uniformed by the ladies’ underwear department of a Philadelphia dry goods firm.’” From the Buffalo Enquirer, March 18, 1899.
March 1899: “[New York owner] Andy Freedman has paid for the uniforms his team wore last year [1898] and the same ones that he obliged the men to settle for out of their first month’s pay [in 1899].” From the Buffalo Courier, March 23, 1899.
April 20, 1899, New York v. Baltimore, at New York, Polo Grounds, home opener: “It was the first opening game in the history of the New York Club that lacked the usual ceremonies, there being no decorations, no band, no parade of the rival teams and no invitations. […] A noticeable feature yesterday [April 20] was the absence of nearly all of the most noted rooters who in years gone by used to make things lively at opening games on the Polo Grounds.” From the New York Sun, April 21, 1899.
April 1899: “The Victor Sporting Goods Company of Springfield, Mass., is making quite a feature of uniforms. […] They report good business in that line, among the more important clubs they have outfitted being the Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, St. Paul, Kansas City, Scranton and Reading Clubs.” From The Sporting Life, April 29, 1899.
1899, referenced in April 1900: “The [St. Joseph, Western League] players present a strange appearance in practice. There are not two suits alike in the bunch. [Ira] Davis wears a blue uniform, which he had with the New York team.” From the St. Joseph Herald, April 5, 1900. According to baseball-reference.com, Smith played 6 games for New York in 1899.
Team genealogy: New York 1883-1957
New York joined the National League (NL) in 1883, with many of its players coming from a disbanded NL team in Troy, NY. The NL began operation in 1876 and this New York team played in the NL from 1883 to 1957. The team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season. Information from wikipedia.com.
1899 New York summary
Uniform: home – white, black stockings
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer: Victor Sporting Goods, Springfield MA
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items:
Opening Day report: yes, April 20 v. Baltimore
Uniform: road – light gray, black stockings
First worn:
Photographed: March 1900 in Spring Training photo of Pittsburgh
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer: Victor Sporting Goods, Springfield MA
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items:
Rendering posted: March 24, 2022
Diggers on this uniform: Ed Morton, Ken Samoil, Nigel Ayres,