Springfield Area Baseball Teams
Here is a list of historic Springfield area teams and a colorful account of a game between the Springfield club and the Ozark Invincibles:
Pre-1920 -- Springfield Merchants
1920 -- Midgets (St. Louis Browns Affiliate Western Association)
1931 -- Became a class C affiliate of St. Louis Cardinals called Redwings, later called the Cardinals (Western Association). Ceased 1942?
1950 -- Springfield Cubs (Chicago farm team); 1 season only
1945-1952 -- Hyde Park All-Stars; Black semi-pro team
1998-2003 -- Ozark Mountain Ducks, Texas-Louisiana League (independent league), Price Cutter Field, Ozark
2003 - Present -- Springfield Cardinals, Texas League AA Minor league farm team; St Louis Cardinals organization, Hammons Field, Springfield
For further information, see Baseball in Springfield by Rusty Aton. Below is a tongue in cheek report of a game between the Springfield and Ozarks teams before the invention of sports drinks.
“Base Ball,” Christian County (Missouri) Republican, August 2, 1900, page 5.
The Ozark Invincibles played two interesting games with the Springfield Club at the Old Fair Grounds, Springfield, last Saturday and Sunday, resulting in favor of the Springfield team, 4 to 1 Saturday, and 13 to 11 Sunday. In base ball it is three strikes and out if you don’t run, but the Invincibles are out on two and have quit for good, or bad, as a number of the boys were too full to play ball, hence the reason why they were beaten. Red liquor and good ball don’t mix very well. “All’s well that ends well,” but whether that fits this case is a question, at any rate the Invincibles must admit they were knocked out by John Barleycorn, and let it go at that.
Find this article at http://thelibrary.org/blogs/article.cfm?aid=957&lid=37