The Pine Bluff Judges and the 1930 Cotton States League Championship
In 1930, after more than 20 years, professional baseball found its way back to Pine Bluff with the Pine Bluff Judges who won the Cotton States League Championship that same year. Image Credit: pinebluffbaseballhistory.wordpress.com In 1902, the Cotton State League was founded in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Cotton States League was sanctioned by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), the administrative agency for minor league baseball teams. The league consisted of baseball teams from Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and occasionally from Alabama, Texas, and Florida. In Arkansas, teams were created in Hot Springs, El Dorado, Helena, and Pine Bluff. During its existence, the league offered high-caliber, competitive games and sent numerous players to the major leagues. Major league veterans from the Cotton States League include Mount Ida’s Lon Warneke, known as the “Arkansas Hummingbird,”Walton Cruise, Frank O’Rourke, Jonas “Jittery Joe” Berry, Mickey Harris, and Odell “Bad News” Hale. In 1904, the Pine Bluff Lumbermen baseball team won the Cotton State League championship, also known as the pennant. Unfortunately, in 1905, the team was dissolved due to a lack of funds. In 1908, Pine Bluff had its first professional baseball team, the Pine Bluff Pine Knots of the Arkansas State League. In 1930, after more than 20 years, professional baseball returned to Pine Bluff with the Pine Bluff Judges. The Pine Bluff Judges were a team deeply supported by the Pine Bluff community. Local politicians, businessmen, and citizens raised $12,000 through stock sales for the team to join the Cotton State League. Furthermore, a naming committee in conjunction with the two local papers, The Pine Bluff Commercial & The Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, asked local women to suggest a name for Pine Bluff’s new franchise. After over 500 suggestions, Mrs. C.B. Quintrell suggested naming the team “The Judges” and the rest was history. During the first half of the split season, the Judges won 25 of their 63 games, finishing second-to-last in the league. Remarkably, the second half of the season was much different. They thrilled Pine Bluff fans, winning 43, and the season’s second half. Consequently, the Pine Bluff Judges went on to compete in the Cotton State League championship. They beat the El Dorado Oilers, winners of the first half, to secure the 1930 Cotton States League Pennant. In the league championship against the Oilers, the Judges won four consecutive games of the seven-game series. Judges outfielder Dan Irby led the league in base on balls at 104 and tied for the league lead in doubles at 43. That season, the Judges had two major league veterans on their roster, Tony DeFate who played with the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers in 1917, and Howie Camp, who played for the New York Yankees that same year. The team also included Joe Berry who would go on to become a major league player, playing with the Chicago Cubs (1942), the Cleveland Indians (1944 and 1946), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1944-1946). Sources: https://pinebluffbaseballhistory.wordpress.com - 1930 Cotton States League Champions– Pine Bluff Judges https://pinebluffbaseballhistory.wordpress.com - “Judges" Chosen As NickName For Pine Bluff Ball Team – March 20, 1930 https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net - Cotton States League Written by: Ninfa O. Barnard
