JAYSON

                          MOVES

                          ON TO

                    WASHINGTON

                                STEPHEN POLLARD

Monday February 5, 1900

The Washington Plaza Hotel

Washington, D.C.

In April 1890 when Jayson Gannon became the team manager, he rescued a very floundering Cincinnati Knights baseball team, and making them a perennial championship team, he saved the franchise for team owner Roderick Hampton. After winning 7 pennants and 6 championships in 10 years as a manager, everyone took noticed, if they hadn’t already in his previous 20 years just as a star baseball player.

The Cincinnati Knights owner Roderick Hampton had recently received a call from the Washington Eagles owner George Statler, for them to get together for a meeting and make deal that could change the fortunes of his baseball team.

The two owners met up at the renown Washington Plaza Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. to discuss a deal that would send the Cincinnati Knights manager Jayson Gannon to the Washington Eagles for several players, plus the team manager in a trading swap with the Knights.

George Statler wanting to improve the team’s image as something more than a doormat for the rest of the American Conference Baseball League and turn the Eagles sagging fortunes into a more respectable baseball and a contender, Ever since Matthew Phillips left the team to become the conference league President in 1893 after leading the Eagles to 3 pennants and championships over 9 years, followed by 6 last place finishes in 7 seasons with local resident Gordon Mapple flopping as the team field manager.

After having been with 3 baseball teams in the last 30 years, being more than responsible for 22 pennant winners and 19 conference league championships, Jayson Gannon had a reputation for being a winner and creating baseball dynasties wherever he played or managed a team.

The following Monday, February 12, 1900, in the 2nd month of the new century and decade, Jayson Gannon arrived at the Washington Plaza Hotel to meet up with Owners Roderick Hampton and George Statler and with Matthew Phillips joining the meeting. The owners talked the trade and contractual terms with Jayson Gannon, then with Matthew Phillips, all four gentlemen signed their names to the document. 

George Statler was very happy with the prospects of Jayson Gannon joining his and his hopes that his baseball team would be brought out of the Conference league cellar and put the Eagles back into the middle of the hunt for the pennant chase. 

As a player and a manager, Jayson’s teams either finished in first or second place and it had been way over 2 decades that a team with Jayson around had finished below second place, almost always having his team in the chase for the pennant and the champions.

When Jayson was an active baseball player he had a way of bringing out the best in his teammates on the team and he carried that trait with him when he became the field manager of the Cincinnati Knights and that was what owner George Statler was hoping for exactly just that, a field manager who actually instills leadership in all of his players.

Jayson Gannon’s former manager and good friend Matthew Phillips now the President of the American Conference Baseball League shook hands and congratulated Jayson. Mathew Phillips said to Jayson, you have come a long ways since that day 30 years ago whenPaul Williamson and myself picked you up when you were leaving the carnival circus. 

Jayson, kind of laughing, said, ‘yeah, I can still hear his voice and exactly what he said to us when we were leaving, and that stuff about being at the top, then hitting rock bottom, just like what happened to us in 1875 and all of the ailments and injuries that hit us after we had won those 5 consecutive pennants and championships’.

Matthew Phillips responded, ‘well my friend you’ve made a name for yourself and have become a living legend that I think few baseball players and managers will never surpass’. Then Matthew added, ‘between you and me, if George Statler had to do it over again he would have never allowed the other team owners to talk him into electing me the President of the American Conference League, because if he had any idea that the team he owned would go from Conference League champion and contender to become the doormat, he would have never allowed it to happen'. Then adding, 'we were on our way to becoming a dynasty and my leaving ruined it for him and by hiring you this is his second chance in achieving that goal knowing you the way that I do’, and patting Jayson on the back he proudly said, ‘and you won’t fail or let him or me down’.

Then Matthew Phillips added, “ Alone, I won 14 regular season pennants. You already have 7 regular season pennants and I want to see you break my record one day and to create a dynasty that no one will ever forget’.

And together they walked into the next room to join Roderick Hampton and George Statler.

(C) 2020