1919 Tennessee Rats

A Calendar, Including Newspaper Clippings, of the 1919 Tennessee Rats

1919 Tennessee Rats

Stories are placed in order of the date they appeared.

May 30?, 1919

Council Bluffs, IA
"Longeways Play Rats. - The Longeways, fast semi-pro team of Council Bluffs, will play the Tennessee Rats at Athletic Field, Council Bluffs, on Memorial Day. Ted Supernois will pitch for the Longeways."

Council Bluffs, IA
"Tennessee Rats Decoration Day - Fastest Colored Traveling Team in Country to be Here Friday. - Supernois is to Pitch. - Longeways Confident They Will Look as Good as In Last Year's Decoration Day Game Against Camp Dodge. - The game Decoration Day will not begin until 4 o'clock on account of the parade. - Baseball devotees who have seen the Tennessee Rats, the fastest colored team in the country, play against the Storz Triumphs and other nearby teams, will be glad to learn that they will be the attraction at Athletic Park on Firday afternoon, Decoration Day. While the Longeways are making no false promisese or boasts, they would not be surprised if this game were equally as hard fought as the one a year ago, when they held the crack Camp Dodge nine for twelve innings. That game was almost unanimously voted the best game ever played in this city and some of the fans are talking about it yet. The Tennessee Rats are known all over the country, having played in practically every state in the Union. In 1916 they broke all records by winning fourty-five games in a row. The next season the war cut big gaps in the lineup and in 1918 they were forced to suspend, but most of the once invincible club is now together again and they are piling up another long string of victories. Ted Supernois will return home Thursday evening and is expected to pitch this game. It is though Miller or Corbett will catch as Carl McDowell's injured thumb will not permit him to grip a bat. Herb Phillips is able to be around but it will be quite a while before he can resume his place at the hot corner. He was an interested spectator at the game last Sunday. His busted foot was wrapped in many bandages. The Tennessee Rats will arrive in Council Bluffs some time Friday morning and will doubtless go straight to the park for a workout. The Longeways are staging an extra practice session this week in order to be in the best shape possible. The game, which is scheduled for 3:30 o'clock, may be held until 4 o'clock, in order not to interfere with the parade."

May 31, 1919

Omaha, NE
"on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday June 1, they (the Armours of Omaha) will play the Tennessee Rats at Rourke Park."

Omaha, NE
* similar article
Omaha, NE
"Armours to Try Trapping Rats at Rourke Park - Play Famous Tennessee Rodents This Afternoon and Tomorrow; Colored Team Has Star Aggregation. - The Armours open their series of two games with the Tennessee Rats today at Rourke Park. Today's game will be called at 4 p.m. to give everybody a chance to attend. Manager Williams of the Armours is still undecided who he will send to the mound as he is very anxious to win the first game. His choice lies between Andy Graves and Skupa, the big south paw, who hails from the South Side. Sullivan's arm has gone bad and he will not pitch in the series. Dyke will pitch the Sunday game. Manager Brown of the colored boys expects to pitch Dennie, one of the best colored pitchers in the country. He holds the strike out record, next to Donaldson. The Armours will present a novelty in their new outfielder, Twin, an Indian from Carlisle. Popular prices will prevail and it is hoped a good crowd will attend. The old state leaguer, Smith, will probably do the receiving for the Armours."

Omaha, NE
"Tennessee Rats Play Armours Saturday and Sunday at Rourke Park - The Armours, successors to the Brandeis club in semi-professional circles, will play in Rourke Park this season while the Omaha club is on the road and will endeavor to show the fans some good baseball. Manager Williams is well pleased with the team and is drilling them hard, down at Rourke Park every day. The team will make its initial bow before the public at Rourke Park next Saturday and Sunday, when they clash with Brown's Tennessee Rats, one of the most famous colored clubs of the west. This club is strictly a professional road team and is made up from the very best colored talent in the country. This is the club that won 45 straight games in 1917. The Rats are accompanied by their own jazz band, and much amusement is sure to be on tap throughout the series of games. Popular prices at the gate will prevail, and if the weather forecaster will try to treat us kindly and dish out more favorable weather, there will be much joy in the Gate City."

Omaha, NE
"Tennessee Rats and Armours Play - The Armours open their series of two games with the Tennessee Rats at Rourke Park this afternoon. Today's game will start at 4 o'clock to give the crowd ample time to see all of the battle. Manager Williams of the Armours is undecided whom he will send on the mound to hurl the first game. The choice is between Andy Graves and Skupa, the big South Side southpaw. Sullivan's arm is still troubling him, and he will be unable to pitch either game of the series. Dyke will hurl for the Amrous Sunday. Manager Brown of the Rats will pitch Dennie, one of the greatest colored pitchers in the profession. Dennie comes second on the strike-out record. He is next to none except John Donaldson. The Armours have a new infielder, an Indian from Carlisle, Chief Injun is new to Omaha baseball fans."

"Armour Game Called On Account of Rain - The game scheduled between the Armours and Tennessee Rats yesterday was called off on account of the rain and a double-header, starting at 2 o'clock, will be held today. Art Dyck will hurl one game for the Armours today and either Skupa or Andy Graves the others. Skupa recently played with the Bowen Furnitures. Prior to the game the Rats' jazz band will play selections."

Omaha, NE
"Rain Prevents Armour's Game; Play Rats Today - Semi-Pros Unable to Get on Field with Tennessee Colored Team, Will Play Double-Header. - Following the rain yesterday afternoon, the grounds at Rourke Park were so muddy that play was impossible and the game between the Armours and the Tennessee Rats was called off. If the weather clears up the semi-pros and the crack colored team will tangle this afternoon in a double-header. The first game will start at 2 o'clock. Manager Brown of the colored team announces that he will have the Rats' jazz band render a number of selections before the game and their star quartet will sing a few bullets before the first ball is thrown. The speciality of the colored singers is a number of the old southern melodies which they sing with the fervor that only negro singers can give them. A regular vaudeville show will be offered the fans before the game, as several of the negro players are crack buck and wing dancers and they will perform along with the singing and the jazz music. Manager Delaware declares that it will be some show. The Armours will probably start Dyck on the mound in the opening game and the team as a whole is determined to win both games. Old Andy Graves may throw the second game for the local club. Dennie, known as the second best colored pitcher in the world, will open for the Rats and Moppin will hurl the second encounter."

June 1, 1919

Omaha, NE
"Sunday, June 1, they (the Armours) will play the Tennessee Rats at Rourke Park."

Omaha, NE
* similar article
Omaha, NE
"June 1 the Armours will play the Tennessee Rats here."

June 5, 1919

Omaha, NE
"Armours Are Victors Over Tennessee Rats - Playing in a slow, drizzling rain before 1,000 enthusiastic baseball fans the Armour semi-pro nine defeated the Tennessee Rats, a colored aggregation, yesterday afternoon at Rourke Park by the score of 5 to 2. the second game of a double-header was called off because of the rain. Manager Otto Williams, former big league player, showed his executive ability when he pitched Andy Graves, the veteran Packer pitcher, during a game which was liable to be full of errors because of weather. Both teams made a few errors, but the number was less than what was expected in yesterday's weather. Graves allowed the Rats only five hits, while the Armours fattened their batting averages by getting nine bingles, six hit for two-base hits. The Rats took the lead in the second inning, when they scored two runs, but the Armours soon overcame the lead; Graves pitched air tight ball through the entire game with the exception of the second inning. He whiffed seven men and only gave one a free ride. Ryan also played an excellent game and the Armour battery yesterday was very hard to defeat."