Filling in the Blanks—Dooley, 1896 Bridgeport Victors

7 Sep

Baseball Reference lists “Dooley”on the roster of the Bridgeport Victors, managed by Hall of Famer Jim O’Rourke, of the Naugatuck Valley League.

Philip Dooley was a 23 year old third baseman playing his first season of professional baseball.  Born in Bridgeport, he had played semi-pro ball the last several years while working for the Bridgeport Gas Company.  According to the Bridgeport Evening Post and Sporting Life Dooley was “The best amateur third baseman in the state.”

On June 6, 1896 Dooley was on a boat with friends on a local reservoir when, it was reported, the boat capsized “(D)ue to the recklessness of his companions in rocking the boat.”   Accounts varied, with some saying Dooley’s companions were able to swim to shore, other saying they were rescued.  In either case, Dooley was unable to get to shore and drowned.

Bridgeport Manager “Orator Jim” O’Rourke

2 Responses to “Filling in the Blanks—Dooley, 1896 Bridgeport Victors”

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. The Wealthiest Ballplayers, 1894 | Baseball History Daily - September 19, 2014

    […] “Jim O’Rourke is thought to come next to Anson in point of wealth.  Jim came out as a professional player about the same time as Anson.  He did not get a large salary at first with the Bostons, which club he joined in 1873.  He remained with the team until 1878, when he went to Providence.  Jim was young and giddy when he came from Bridgeport to Boston, in 1873, and did not settle down into the staid, saving player he now is…He was a ‘sporty’ boy then, and liked to associate with lovers of the manly art.  Patsy Sheppard was his particular friend in the ‘Hub,’ and James made the boxer’s hotel his home for some time.  When he went to Providence in 1879 Jim began to think of saving his money, and from that time on his ‘roll’ began to increase. […]

  2. “The Brutality of Baseball During the Constructive Period” | Baseball History Daily - September 24, 2018

    […] 1910, after close to 40 years in baseball, Jim O’Rourke talked to Tip Wright, a former Cleveland baseball and boxing writer, then with The United Press, […]

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