History of the A's
The Globe Shield Years
The
Globe Shield was a trophy donated by the Toronto Globe newspaper to the
champions of the Canadian Lacrosse Association and would come into the
continual possession of the Athletics from 1905 to 1912. Through this era,
a few of the best players in the game would develop in St. Catharines,
play for the Athletics and then, sadly for local fans, move on to greater
financial rewards by playing for teams in Toronto or in Vancouver. George
Kalls, Billy Fitzgerald, Willie Hope, Pete Barnett, Charlie Lowe, Billy
Elliott, George Parke and Freddie Stagg would
all excel at the old corner lot before trying their luck elsewhere.
Some
latter day reports that I’ve read say that the Athletics drew 6,000 to a
home game in 1905. If true, this would certainly be a remarkable feat for
a city of about 10,000.
One
thing for sure, the ’05, ’07, ’08 teams were exceptional. But after
another fairly good 1910 season, the team and its fan support seemed to be
in decline. Never again would the field game in St. Catharines regain the
popularity it enjoyed in the first decade of the 20th century.
In
1908, St. Catharines would get its 100th telephone and a year
later the first Boy Scout troop in Canada would be formed in this city.
The population in St. Catharines had by 1912 reached the 12,000 mark.
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The Athletics scrapbook for this era includes:
| May 16, 1905 | Excitement building for the new look A's |
| June 22, 1906 | A's try to salvage year after C. L. A. folds |
| April 29, 1907 | C. L. A. returns, but will the Athletics? |
| July 9, 1907 | The A's shuffle off to Buffalo |
| August 13, 1907 | Athletics chased by angry mob |
| May 26, 1908 | "Newsy" Lalonde at the old corner lot |
| June 10, 1908 | A's beat Tecumsehs of the N.L.U. |
| June 18, 1908 | Another win over the pros |
| August 15, 1908 | A's Minto Cup challenge not accepted |
| September 24, 1908 | Lacrosse, a city, and a good cause |
| November 11, 1908 | Frank Dixon wins gold at Olympics |
| June 10, 1910 | A's play exhibition in New York City |
| September 22, 1910 | A's prepare for Globe Shield showdown |
| September 24, 1910 | "News of victory flashed to city" |
| September 26, 1910 | City welcomes heroes home |
| August 24, 1911 | Undefeated A's face rough closer |
| September 23, 1912 | Athletics go to the end of the rail |
| August 11, 1913 | It's a hard rain, a gonna fall |
| September 9, 1913 | "Da" A's have some fun in Chicago |
See Period Related Story: The "Old Grounds" Remembered