Old Missoula

Not So Great Zam and More On Missoula’s 1^st Foray In Pro Baseball 1911 – 1914

Baseball Men Are Close To Fatality

Six Union Association Men And Others In Auto Wreck.

Hugh Campbell Worst Hurt

President of Missoula club is unconscious when picked up – Jim Maguire[1], veteran manager and scout, gets ducking.

Special Dispatch to the Standard.

Missoula, June 17. – Hugh Campbell, president of the Missoula Baseball club; Clifton Blankenship, manager of the team; Rasty Wright, one of the association umpires; James Froman and J. E. Greenough, directors of the local association, and Jim McGuire, former Boston and Cleveland manager and at present a scout looking up players for Detroit, figured in an automobile accident this afternoon that happened 16 miles from Missoula up the Big Blackfoot valley and it is only by the most phenomenal good luck that all were not killed. The party was on a fishing trip and was being driven by Jack Greenough in his big automobile. While attempting to negotiate a short turn in the narrow road something happened to the steering gear and the car and its load dashed over a six-foot embankment into a creek. All of the occupants were thrown from their seats into the ice cold water. Campbell, who was on the front seat with the driver, was thrown nearly across the stream, striking a fence post with his head. When the others managed to get out of the stream and get their bearings they found Campbell unconscious and bleeding badly from a scalp wound. He was soon revived, however, and then it was found that his back was badly wrenched. Carl Greenhood, another director of the Missoula club, came up in his car soon after the accident happened and took the injured man to a farm house three miles distant and then came to Missoula after a physician who went to the place, dressed Mr. Campbell’s hurt and brought him home. The other members of the party escaped with a ducking in the cold water and slight bruises from the forcible manner of their ejection from the car. It was a lucky accident, although when the first exaggerated report was received here it caused considerable excitement and a dozen cars were soon on their way to the scene.

The above article appeared in The Anaconda Standard on June 18, 1912.

The article above cast a light on one of the more interesting episodes of Missoula’s professional baseball history.

Hugh Campbell, although hurt badly in the accident, soon recovered and resumed his career as the President of the Highlanders baseball club, Missoula’s first foray into professional baseball. Campbell had a long history in the community as a former Missoula County Sheriff (06 – 08) and as a baseball player and avid sports organizer. He began playing baseball in Missoula in 1889 with the Missoula Giants. With a group of Missoula businessmen, Campbell took over the Missoula club in late 1911 and was responsible for hiring manager Cliff Blankenship for the 1912 season. Blankenship, from Georgia, had played in the majors for 4 seasons and later would go on to manage several minor league teams over a dozen years. The Highlanders were members of the Union Association, a Rocky Mountain minor league baseball circuit that lasted only 4 years (1911 – 1914). After a losing season in 1911, when they were known as the “Scrappers”, the Highlanders team came out winners of the league in 1912 under Blankenship’s guidance. Blankenship was known as an astute judge of baseball talent and had already recruited and sold several players to major league organizations. His most famous prospect came when he was sent by the Senators to scout a young pitcher in Weiser, Idaho – Walter Johnson, who he described as almost unhittable. Johnson established professional records that went unbroken for decades, won 417 games, and still holds the major league record in career shut-outs. Ty Cobb described Walter Johnson as “the most threatening sight I ever saw on the baseball field.”

Another key player in the auto accident above was James T. McGuire, who was in Missoula scouting the Highlanders players for the Detroit Tigers. McGuire already had an interesting career in professional baseball himself. He spent 26 years knocking around professional baseball teams beginning in 1883 – usually as a catcher. Early on he played for such teams as the Toronto Blue Stockings, Philadelphia Quakers, and Detroit Wolverines. In 1890 his career took a turn for the better when he was hired by the Rochester Broncos. Known later as the “Deacon,” his early career suffered from heavy drinking. By 1891 he was playing for the Washington Statesmen (later renamed Senators) where he increased his stats dramatically, hitting at .303 with a .382 on base percentage. In 1895 he set a record by catching in 133 games and led the league in several categories as a catcher. After 8 years with the Washington team he then moved on to the Brooklyn Superbas, Detroit Tigers, and New York Highlanders. He was still playing in 1905 and at age 42 was the second oldest player in the majors. He then began a short career as a manager, taking over the Boston Red Sox in 1907. While there for 2 unremarkable seasons, he did coach a very remarkable pitcher, Cy Young. In August, 1909, he was hired as Cleveland’s manager where he again managed a middling team. By 1912 he was a pitching coach and scout for the Detroit Tigers. He was noted for causing the introduction of a padded glove for catchers in baseball. He was known to stuff pieces of raw “beefsteak” in the early gloves, which his wife said turned to hamburger by the end of a game. Newspapers allegedly printed an x-ray of his gnarled left hand in 1907, causing disbelief nationwide. One scribe called him the “human octopus.” He should have recognized talent when he saw it.

After the Blackfoot accident McGuire was back in form on the Tuesday the 18^th., when he began performing his duties as a professional baseball scout. The ‘amazing’ Carl Zamloch worked his magic on that day, when he delivered a remarkable performance with a one hitter.

An article in the Missoulian on June 19, 1912, described what McGuire saw:

Zamoch Is There While M’Guire Is Watching

Missoula Pitcher Holds Salt Lake To One Hit In The Opening Game.

Blow Comes In Ninth

Up to the Final Frame Opposing Batsmen Are at Mercy of Californian, but Pitcher Dressan Poles a Waste for a Safety.

Away with all your politics,

Away dull gloom and care;

All honor to our Zamloch –

He surely is a bear.

-Highlander Hymns.

The Highlanders took the opener of the Salt Lake series, 7 to 1. Up in the press stand sat Jim McGuire, scout for the Detroit Americans, who came to Missoula to look at Carl Zamloch. For the special benefit of Mr. McGuire, undoubtedly, Zamloch let the hard-hitting Saints down with a lonesome swat and struck out nine. In no frame did he allow the enemy to become dangerous. The opposition’s only hit and only run came in the ninth. For eight innings the superb pitching of Zamloch had held the enemy helpless. . .

It was a wonderful sort of game and a great crowd saw it. Yesterday’s was the largest first-game attendance of the season. The fact that Missoula and Salt Lake were tied for first place in the association’s standing called the people. . .

In the fifth the Highlanders put three more over. Zamloch opened this round with the first of the two hits he produced for the further edification of Scout McGuire.

Several short blurbs from the same Missoulian panned some of the locals who survived the Greenough crash:

President Hugh Campbell of the local club, didn’t get to see yesterday’s game, which was gall and wormwood to his soul. He’s still suffering rather acutely from the effects of that automobile accident.

Jim Frohman was sporting a pair of crutches yesterday. His ankle was hurt when he and the other magnates went into the creek with Jack Greenough’s auto Monday. Greenough tried to commit hari-kari on a barbed wire fence, it has developed, but didn’t succeed. Umpire Wright didn’t show any effects in his work yesterday of his narrow escape the day before. . .

Magnate Greenough was properly censured yesterday for breaking up the press gang’s official red barouche[2]. He has promised never to do it again.

The Highlanders played Salt Lake again the following day, but with a completely different result:

From the Missoulian on Thursday, June 20:

Bush Is Hammered And Highlanders Field Poorly

Salt Lake Moves Into First Place Tie By Defeating Missoula.

Contest Is A Poor One

This morning Missoula and Salt Lake are in joint tenure of first place, for out at Campbell park yesterday afternoon the Saints handed it to the Highlanders, 8 to 5, in the poorest game of the season. Bush was Manager Blankenship’s selection for box duty and the beauty boy from Brainerd was hammered. . . Jim McGuire of the Detroit Americans was in the crowd again, but he didn’t get to see what the local fans had hoped he would.

The following day’s Missoulian featured the following sports headline with accompanying photo:

Detroit Tigers Get Zamloch

Yesterday afternoon the local baseball association received a telegram from Frank J. Navin, president of the Detroit Americans, offering $2,000 in real money for Pitcher Carl Zamloch. The offer was accepted. It was made on the recommendation of Jim McGuire, scout, who came to Missoula for the especial purpose of looking over Zamloch. The big fellow pitched a one-hit game against Salt Lake for the benefit of McGuire and after that it was a cinch that the Tigers would get Zamloch. . . Zamloch is a college man. Also, he is one of the most popular players on the local club.

A short notice on June 22 noted that McGuire’s job was finished:

M’Guire Leaves.

Scout Jim McGuire, through whom Zamloch was sold to the Detroit Tigers, leaves this morning for Butte, to do a little more gumshoe work.

By July 10 the Highlanders began to take more notice of Leslie Bush as the 19-year-old became more effective:

Brainerd Lad Wins For Blankenship Over Mountmen

Bush Pitches In Good Form And Missoula Beats Butte, 4 to 2.

“This will be duck soup for the sporting editor of the Brainered Dispatch, for Leslie – or Lester – Bush pitched another splendid game.”

On July 22, Bush pitched a shutout against Ogden. Score Missoula 17 – Ogden 0.

On August 3, Bush pitched a one-hitter against Great Falls.

On August 4, Bush won against Great Falls, 2 to one. Game called best of the season.

On August 7, Bush delivers “unusual performance”: shuts out Salt Lake. Score Missoula 3 – SLC – 0 – with “blinding speed” – There’s a big enough gang here from Minnesota to make a Bush league.

On August 11, Missoulian article (and picture with friends) on Joe “Bullet” Leslie Bush

Finally on August 20, the Missoulian announced that Leslie “Bullet Joe” Bush was sold:

Leslie Bush, Just Sold To Philadelphia Americans, Pitches Today

Yesterday morning Manager Blankenship received an offer for Leslie Bush, the Minnesota smoke monarch, from Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Americans. The sum of $750 will be paid the local association at once for Bush, with $750 more if the lad makes good. The local magnates have accepted the proposition of the manager of the world’s champions. Bush thus becomes the second Highlander pitcher to be sold into the American league, Zamloch going to Detroit at the close of the Union association season, which is the time when the Brainerd boy will report. Bush has established a wonderful record this season with Missoula. He and Zamloch have carried the club practically alone, until recently. Their percentages of victories is about the same, well over .700. Bush was recommended by Scout Mike Drennen.

The old scout Jim McGuire missed a great one. ‘Bullet Joe’ Bush quickly began his spectacular career in major league baseball when, at age 20, he won a World Series game in 1913 for Philadelphia, which propelled them to the world championship. He would later pitch in 6 more world series games before ending his 17-year career with 196 wins. He had one season with over 20 wins and 8 with 15 or more wins, according to one researcher.[3] He played with a long list of Hall of Fame standouts, including Ruth, Johnson, Cobb, Gehrig and Hornsby.

The player McGuire hired, Carl Zamloch, quickly washed out of the majors, playing in only 17 games for Detroit in 1913. He then played for several minor league teams for at least a total of nine seasons. He was not allowed to enlist in the army during WW1 because of bum leg that he broke 3 times over his career in baseball. He did have a successful career as a coach, starting in 1916 at Berkeley – interrupted then with his appointment as an athletic instructor (for the Army) in 1918. He returned to California in 1919 and coached the University California’s Golden Bears at Berkeley for a total of 13 seasons, winning the CIBA in his final season there in 1929. He purchased a minor league ball team, the Oakland Oaks, in 1929 with two other investors and managed that club for 3 seasons. He then left baseball and eventually became a sales executive with Signal Oil and Gas Company where he retired after 27 years. He was also a talented magician, known as the Great Zam, as was his famous father before him. He went on to write a book about magic – “Simple but Mystifying Tricks to Entertain Your Friends.” In 1937, famed sports writer, Art Cohn of the Oakland Tribune, described himself as one of Zam’s targets at a dinner. “The Great Zam. . . started in slowly by finding three ducks and a ham sandwich in my pompadour. Then he pulled out a dozen eggs that had been frying under my collar. After producing seven watches and an alarm clock from a vest pocket that I knew had a hole in it, he made me vanish. . .” [4]

Zamloch was also mentioned as a baseball coach at the University of Montana in late 1917, and as a part time sportswriter for the Missoulian in 1912.[5]