March, 1925, the Douglas (Arizona) City Team hired a new manager, Harold Homer (Prince Hal) Chase.\u00a0 When Douglas hired Chase, the Copper League had little understanding of the coming controversy.\u00a0 The season opened with four teams; El Paso (Texas), Juarez (Chihuahua, Mexico), Fort Bayard (New Mexico) and Douglas.\u00a0 Mid-season two controversial outlaw players joined Douglas, Charles (Chick) Gandil and George (Buck) Weaver, members of the infamous 1919 Chicago Black Sox.
\nWhen the 1926 season opened everything looked promising for the league.\u00a0 Two new teams, Bisbee (Arizona) and Chino (Hurley and Santa Rita, New Mexico), and new outlaw players, Claude (Lefty) Williams and James (Jimmie) O’Connell, joined.
\nFollowing the 1926-27 season Weaver and Gandil traveled to Chicago to testify before Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Commissioner of Baseball.\u00a0 After these hearings, Landis traveled to El Paso.\u00a0 He offered help securing Class D baseball for the league cities if they would stop using the outlaw players.\u00a0 While his effort was futile, it demonstrated his intense feelings about these players.
\nThe 1927 season opened without Douglas and Juarez.\u00a0 Chase and Weaver had ceased to play.\u00a0 After the 1927 season the Copper League faded into history, the small towns could not satisfy local expectations on limited budgets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
March, 1925, the Douglas (Arizona) City Team hired a new manager, Harold Homer (Prince Hal) Chase.\u00a0 When Douglas hired Chase, the Copper League had little understanding of the coming controversy.\u00a0 The season opened with four teams; El Paso (Texas), Juarez … Continue reading