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1901-1905

In 1901 the Reds got a new owner, Horatio Fisher, brother of Albert Fisher.  The team played bi-weekly.  On April 15, 1902 Fisher sold the team to Frank Hulbert, owner of Frank’s Arcade and Shorty’s Livery and Transfer and August Bennert, who owned the Queen City Restaurant.

The Reds were converted into a Class “D” Missouri Valley team and played under the rules of the National Association of Professional Baseball.  The Missouri Valley had 8 teams.  Springfield, Joplin, Sedalia, Jefferson City, and Nevada from Missouri.  And Fort Scott, Coffeyville, and Iola all from Kansas.

The Missouri Valley opened play on May 6 with a 126  game schedule.  Home games were played at the 2,000 seat Old Fairgrounds Park.  Other uses for the park were circuses, carnivals, and many other attractions.  The team had a very high error rate due to poor conditions of the field.

In 1902 the Missouri Valley commanded that all teams in the league needed to pay a $10 ($213.65) registration fee and a $100 ($2136.54) deposit to guarantee that the season was completed.  Each team was also to have a salary cap of $400 ($8546.17) per season. 

The Missouri Valley was known for the unusual names of their teams. For example, the Nevada team was known as the Lunatics, because their home field was on the grounds of the mental institution.  The Jefferson City team was known as the Convicts, mainly because of the penitentiary located in that city.

Because of the small stature of the Springfield team the fans sometimes referred to the as “The Runts”, later the fans changed the name to the Midgets and this soon became a mark of pride for the city.

Several weeks after the Missouri Valley opened its season a second team, The Independents, not affiliated with any league, was formed. The Independents were a barnstorming team, which meant that they would play against anyone, anywhere that they could find a game.  Both teams received portions of the gate and other monetary contributions.

In 1903 the Missouri Valley League increase the deposit, to the league, to $330 ($6851.05), and also increase the salary cap to $550 ($11518.42) per year.

During the off season two teams left the league and one changed cities.  The league was not very well thought of.  By late May The Sporting News was no longer covering any Valley games.  President of the league, D.M. Shively, wrote that  the league was “the little brush organization in the Middle West”.  The Midgets finished second in the league.

In 1904, team infielders T. Smith and John Perrine were the new managers of the team.  During this season two more teams were eliminated from the league and two more were added. The league changed their name to the Western Association and had a 140 game season.

Topeka, and Wichita.  Springfield could not compete against these larger markets.  Hulbert became