There was once a group of bearded religious zealots who traveled around the country, playing baseball, entertaining people, hocking merchandise, and spreading the good news that we were all going to die in the very near future.
When we talk about the House of David, one of the things we forget (one of the things softened by time) is that they were actually a doomsday cult. Their ballclub was traveling the backroads of the nation, trying to raise money, and save souls. The were attempting to recruit members; and by *recruit* I mean convince families to sell all their wordly possessions, move to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and give all their money to the cult’s corrupt spiritual leader, Benjamin Purnell.
Purnell, among other things, believed he was the brother of Jesus Christ. Prior to starting the cult, Jesus’ brother had apparently been a broom salesman and traveling preacher in Kentucky and Indiana.
After signing on with the colony, and giving the place all your money; you had to abstain from sexual activity and become a vegetarian. Plus, you were encouraged to grow a really cool beard.
If all this sounds eerily similar to David Koresh’s Waco Wackos- aka the Branch Davidians- well then, you’re thinking much too clearly. You’re starting to get it.
Now on to the diamond…
Their baseball team (actually, they sometimes had 2 or 3 traveling around the country at the same time), was really a big deal. Up there with any of the big name Negro League clubs in terms of traveling gate attractions, and like any barnstorming team worth its weight in salt, claimed to win upwards of 80-85% of their games.
They lied. Oh, they had a number of former minor leaguers on their roster (hired to play on behalf of the colony), and a few washed up big leaguers. They even hired Satchel Paige for a few weeks and won a tournament. They had good years, that much is true. But they didn’t win anywhere close to 85% of their games.
I’ve got over 1500 box scores and game accounts in my collection (please don’t ask why) and I’m pretty confident they won more than they lost against semi-pro competition. But when they stepped up the comp, played against the Negro League teams, white minor and major leaguers; the tune was a little bit different. In fact, their ballclubs got an ass-whippin’ of Biblical proportions:
|
OPPONENT |
W |
L |
PCT |
|
Vs. Major League |
3 |
27 |
.100 |
|
Vs. Negro League |
7 |
37 |
.159 |
|
Vs. Minor League |
12 |
31 |
.279 |
In games where the attendance was listed, they averaged 9500 fans vs. MLB ballclubs and 4097 vs. Negro League teams.
Scott – Do you have data on how this compares to other semi-pro teams that often played the top Negro League teams, such as the Bushwicks?
KJOK- This is part of what I’m working on for the book I’m looking to publish in 2010. I haven’t entered ALL the data yet (too busy with the Strat-O project), but as of this summer, the Bushwicks, for instance, were 21-24 against Negro Lg teams, and 3-5 against MLB All-Star outfits. Much, much better than HOD, but you have to keep in mind most of their games were a) at home in Dexter Park, and b) [according to some players], they “doctored” the baseballs when they played the top black teams. Bear in mind, there is a lot more data to be entered. This just scratches the surface.