Central California League

1902-9-06 (Fresno) New league proposed - one with "Fresno, Hanford, Visalia and Bakersfield, similar to the old valley league, and it is proposed to push the scheme through immediately and arrange a series of games to be played during the next three months. " Interest in baseball has been big lately in Fresno - don't want to give it up just because CCL disbanded. 

    Proposed league line-up would be efficient - "longest trip would be from Fresno to Bakersfield. As the teams of each of these towns would each have the largest population to draw crowds from, they could better afford to make the long trip. Visalia and Hanford would have but half the distance to cover either way, and a still shorter distance when they played each other.

    "In the old league each team kept its own gate money. In both Hanford and Visalia the managers were able to pay their men regular salaries, as large crowds turned out always. In Fresno there was an equal division of profits among all the players, and the boys were satisfied with the money they were making. In the series of games this year, while Fresno has had better crowds than it did in the old league, the men have got almost nothing."

    " 'Slim' Carter, the catcher, who is in this city, formerly played on the Hanford team and he has communicated with friends in Hanford, who, he is confident, will take hold of the proposition and organize a team there."

1903-1-01 From review of 1902 by Fresno Morning Republican

    "On March 26th a meeting was held at Merced and the Central California baseball league organized, comprising the Stockton Ruhls, the Stockton Athletics, the Merceds and the Fresnos. R.B. Teefy of Stockton was elected president, T.H. Warrington of this city vice-president, and A.B. Haslacher of Merced secretary. A purse of $500 was offered for the team winning the series of games scheduled. Fresno started badly. At first the men were not up to the standard of the other league teams, and when new material was secured the percentage of the locals had dropped pretty low. People would not turn out to see a losing team play. But when the nine was improved and commenced to win games, not only at home but abroad, the crowds at the Fresno games were the largest at any of the league contests. Merced, however, was unable to keep up its end of the league. Good players could not be given enough inducement to stay there, and a series of defeats disgusted the townspeople so that the support grew less and less constantly. The managers finally decided to withdraw from the league.

    "Immediately afterward a meeting of the league managers was held at Stockton, and in spite of the protestations of Manager Brittan of the Fresno team, the league was disbanded and the money awarded to the Stockton Ruhls. Two more games were played here after the disbanding of the league, the visiting teams being the Antiochs and the Stockton Athletics. The last game was on the opening of the new park, and the Athletics came out victorious. The introduction of coursing immediately afterward robbed the players of any field, and ended baseball for the season."

    [Coursing was dog racing.]

1903-3-06 Woodland declines to play in league

1903-7-06 first games will be 7-12

1903-7-21 Says Vallejo was expelled for not following by-laws. CALL not losing any sleep over suit. 

1903-7-23 Managers of Vallejo are bringing suit for $299 against CALL. Each team had to make $50 deposit - Vallejo was dropped without good reason. Hopes to recover cash. 

1903-9-10 Stockton, CALL champs 2, Bulletins 1. Ping Bodie in right for Bulletins.

1903-9-24 CCALL's McKay tried out in CALL and did well. 

1903-9-25 Vallejo fans will accompany team to Santa Rosa - roundtrip is $2
1903-9-28 Close and exciting pennant race.

1903-10-01 Stockton will play Bulletins or Vallejo

1903-10-26 Vallejos described as pennant winners, though schedule is yet ongoing. 

1903-10-31 Stockton, CALL, will play three games with Bulletin and 1+ with Vallejo.

1903-11-02 Last game of season. Vallejos 12, Bulletins 6. Bulletins had Spider Baum on mound, Vallejo had Dick Ward. Attendance was good. 

1903-7-12 Opener. Vallejo 20, Royals 6. Petersen, late of Heesemans, is in left for Vallejo. 

1903-7-19 w/box. 11 inning 6-6 tie between Vallejo and Bulletins. Ping Bodie and brother D. Bodie. 

1903-7-26 w/box. Vallejo 2, Santa Rosa 1. 

1904-2-16 League make-up

1904-3-24 League will open April 10 - pushed back from March 27 after bad weather. Some of the team's rosters listed.
1904-4-08 Schedule listed up to July 24. Second series will be arranged starting July 31.
    "It is provided that games will be arranged at Sacramento and other places for the "off days" between the "road teams" that have no home grounds, when the "home teams" are pitted against one another."

1904-5-06 Will be first game played in Sacramento - Capital City Wheelmen, "composed entirely of local talent"

1904-5-21 Revised first-half schedule. 

    Standings. 

1904-7-07 standings

1904-7-24 Four teams dropped from second series

1904-8-06 Second-half schedule

1904-7-24 Suisun 11, Vallejo 10. Both tied for 1st at 12-4. 

1904-8-14 One box, other scores. 

 1909-7-29 Opening games next Sunday. Berger & Broadbent signed by Vallejo. 

1909-7-30 May yet fall through. 

1909-8-01 Failure of Alameda to desert Transbay League breaks up circuit. Vallejo disbands. Vallejo has been losing $500/month - will not play in August. 

1910-2-07 Officers elected. Team listed. Three will be traveling: San Rafael, Healdsburg, and St. Helena. 
1910-2-11 Officials elected. Plan on requesting class D rating. Some probably Napa players listed, with nicknames. 

1910-4-24 Opening today. Pop Arlett. 
1910-5-27 MG W.H. Bailey announces Santa Rosa, though leading league, is forfeiting franchise. Leading league, but cannot pay expenses. Franchise transferred to Alameda, who should put together as a good a club as Santa Rosa had.

1910-6-24 San Leandro scores
1910-7-29 Preparing for opening of fall series. Has leased Dwight way Park. Eight teams. 

1910-7-31 Called Bay Cities League.

1910-10-03 standings

1910-11-02 Team averages. Season will end 11-06 - after that there will be play-offs between winners of two halves. 

1910-11-07 Season had opened 4-17 - Alameda beat Richmond second straight team in play-off between champions of each half. 

1910-4-17 (Vallejo news) Richmond 3, Vallejo 2. Vallejo has Grif. Kennedy, former Santa Clara.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Minor_League_No-Hitters_1910-1919

    1910-4-17 Yeazell no-hit St. Helena, 6-0

1910-8-14 Elmhurst 6, San Leandro 5. w/box

1910-10-30 Alameda 2, Richmond 1. w/box

1910-11-20 Alameda 3, San Leandro 0. w/box

1911-4-30 Clarions-Elmhurst lineups

1911-5-14 Plenty of first names and news; pic and profile of "Fodder" Dolan, Clarions phenom pitcher. 

1911-6-18 South Bend, Washington State League, bought option on Dolan for $1,000; returned him to Clarions. He's been struggling of late.

    Dick Britt, former first baseman of Alameda Alerts, has signed with McGill club of Nevada. 

    Other interesting stuff.

1911-7-09 SF Chronicle.

(pre-season)
1917-7-01  Big write-up; Richmond Elks and Modesto Reds will meet in second game of series. 
    Chick Autrey pic. 

    Frank Finnigan denies Modesto Bears are run by gamblers. 

    Also, Crockett v. Merced preview. 

1917 championship:

1917-9-17 Elks beat Bears 5-0. alt Roy Bliss was no great shakes.
1917-9-26 Richmond Elks beat Merced Bears 12-0. Jack Killilay pitched for Bears - badly. Los Banos is managed by Bert Wilson. 

1917-9-23 Managers and directors of Merced Bears listed. 

1917-9-27 Los Banos roster - excellent

1917-9-29 Some information about Los Banos. Much praise for Rimington, a fine pitcher who cannot win this year because has a bad team behind him. Should be in pros. 

1917-9-30 Frank Gay, Merced shortstop, drafted into army.

1917-10-05 Six bush leaguers drafted. 

1917-10-10 Richmond Elks, claimants of state championship, are beaten second team by Los Banos - Artie Benham pitched for Los Banos. 

1919-4-08 Blonde Jerry Lawlor will reorganize league. 
1919-4-23 Season will start 5-18. Vallejo is to have a new ballpark. Sacramento considered too far a trip to have club in league - the same for San Jose. 

1919-4-27 Misc. + by-laws. Teams must make $50 deposit. 

1919-5-25 Not a single team has made $50 deposit. 

1919-5-28 Will be no league games for another month, but Richmond Elks, Crockett, and Pittsburg have already arranged games. 

    One manager was racking up bills trying to get an outside pitcher. 

    Six of teams - Richmond, Crockett, Pittsburg and three traveling teams - decided they would take their teams to Vallejo no more. Vallejo have treated other teams shabbily - playing other teams after promising to play them - and are after other clubs' players. 

1919-7-20 Much complaint over Otto Dietrich over shabby treatment of outside teams. Has made Richmond into one of worse baseball towns, when it had been one of the best. Richmond players threatening to leave for other teams. 

1919-11-20 Babe Menthe, former pitcher, signed. 

1919-5-18 

Richmond Elks, 8, Union Construction Co. 0 - close to 1000 ATT
Crockett 5,  St. Dominics 4
Columbia Steel 14, Alameda Bethlehems 4. 
 1919-5-25 Home teams won all games. 
Richmond Elks 14, Alameda Bethlehems 2.
Crockett 9, Union Construction Co. 0
Columbia Steel 5, St. Dominics 4

    Roy Bliss made mistake - pitched in Bankers' League Saturday and tried to pitch for Union Construction Co. Sunday.