Petersburg Goobers


The Petersburg Goobers was a primary name of the minor league baseball team representing Petersburg, Virginia from 1910–1921 and 1924. The Petersburg Goobers played in the Virginia League. Numerous Petersburg teams played in the Virginia League, beginning in 1885 and ending in 1951. Petersburg was a member of the 1954 Piedmont League.
Petersburg was an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.
Baseball Hall of Fame member Sam Rice played for the 1914–1915 Petersburg Goobers.

History

Minor league baseball began in Petersburg in 1885, when Petersburg joined the Virginia League. Petersburg played in the Virginia League in 1885 and 1886.
The Petersburg Farmers rejoined the six-team 1894 Virginia League, winning the 1894 Championship. The Petersburg Farmers finished 72-44 in the regular season to capture the title, as there were no league playoffs.
After finishing 55-69 in 1895, the Petersburg Farmers started 1896 with a 32–60 record. On August 13, 1896, the Petersburg Farmers moved to Hampton, Virginia to become the Hampton-Newport News Clamdiggers for the remainder of the season. The Virginia League folded after the 1896 season.
The Virginia League reformed in 1900, before folding after the season. The Petersburg Farmers were 8–26 when the team disbanded on June 11, 1900.
The Petersburg Goobers began play in the Virginia League in 1910, when the Portsmouth Truckers moved to Petersburg on July 5, 1910. The team finished 6th with a 43–68 record.
The Petersburg Goobers won the 1911 Virginia League Championship. Petersburg, also going by the "Hustlers" monkier in 1911, finished 1st at 68–51 to capture the championship.
The Goobers finished 2nd in the 1912 Virginia League with a 79–54 record. The 1913 Petersburg Goobers captured the Virginia League Championship with their 1st place finish and 89–46 record.
The 1914 Petersburg Goobers finished 5th at 60–74. In 1915 they were 6th at 40–84 in the Virginia League.
Baseball Hall of Fame member Sam Rice played for the Petersburg Goobers in 1914-1915. His performance in 1914, while on furlough from the U.S. Navy, led Petersburg owner Dr. D.H Leigh to reach out to Virginia Senators Thomas S. Martin and Claude A. Swanson and inquire about getting Rice discharged from the Navy. In 1912, Rice was in the preseason, playing for the Galesburg Pavers when his wife, two children, his parents and two sisters were killed in a tornado. Rice eventually quit baseball and enrolled in the Navy. In 1914, with the senators help, Rice was honorably discharged from the Navy. He pitched and played the outfield for Petersburg for the remainder of the 1914 season, when he had a 9-2 record and hit.310. Rice rejoined the Petersburg Goobers for the 1915 season. On July 28, 1915, Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith purchased Rice from Leigh and Petersburg. Rice was in the major leagues the next day at age 24.
The 1916 Petersburg Goobers finished 54–68, 4th in the Virginia League.
In 1917, the Goobers were 6–8 when the Virginia League disbanded on May 15, 1917.
The Virginia League disbanded again in mid-season in 1918. The Petersburg Goobers were 27–22 when the league disbanded in June, 1918.
The Petersburg Goobers captured the 1919 Virginia League Championship. The Goobers finished 1st in the regular season with a 62–47 record. The Virginia League had planned to hold playoffs, but disagreements led to the playoffs being cancelled.
After finishing 3rd in 1920, with a 68–50 record, Petersburg relocated in mid-season of 1921. The Petersburg Goobers moved to Tarboro, North Carolina on August 2, 1921 after the franchise was forfeited, playing as the Tarboro Tarbabies. The 1921 Petersburg/Tarboro squad finished last with a 46–88 record.
Petersburg returned to the Virginia League in 1923 as the Petersburg Trunkmakers, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Trucnkmakers finished 6th in the six-team league with a 43–81 record.
The Petersburg Goobers moniker reappeared in 1924. The Goobers finished 46–89, last in the Virginia League. Petersburg folded after the season.
The Petersburg Broncos rejoined the Virginia League in 1926. The Broncos finished 6th and 2nd. On June 3, 1928, the Broncos were in 3rd place with a 15–27 record, when the Virginia League disbanded.
The 1941 Petersburg Rebels returned to the Virginia League. The 1941 Rebels finished 66–53, 1st in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Lynchburg Senators swept the Petersburg Rebels 3 games to 0.
The Petersburrg Rebels finished 3rd in 1941. The Virginia League suspended play after the 1941 season due to World War II.
After World War II, the Petersburg Generals joined the reformed Virginia League in 1948 and advanced to the 1948 league finals. The Generals finished 73–62, 4th in the regular season. In the playoffs, Petersburg defeated the Suffolk Goobers 4 games to 2 and advanced. In the Finals, the Blackstone Barristers defeated the Petersburg Generals 4 games to 3. The 1948 attendance was 116,062.
The 1949 Petersburg Generals won the Virginia League Championship. Petersburg finished 72–54, 2nd in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Petersburg Generals defeated the Emporia Nationals 4 games to 3. In the Finals, the Petersburg Generals defeated the Franklin Kildees 4 games to 2 to win the cha,pionship. The 1949 season attendance was 76,000.
In 1950, the Petersburg Generals returned to the Virginia League finals for the third consecutive season. The Generals finished 69–61, 2nd in the Virginia League regular season. In the playoffs, the Generals defeated the Elizabeth City Albemarles 4 games to 2. In the Finals, the Emporia Nationals defeated the Petersburg Generals 4 games to 2. The Petersburg season attendance was 43,508.
In 1951, Petersburg merged with neighboring Colonial Heights, Virginia. The team moved to play home games at Shepherd Park in Colonial Heights. The Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals advanced to the 1951 Virginia League finals. The Generals finished 80–39, 1st in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals defeated the Suffolk Goobers 4 games to 1. In the Finals, the Elizabeth City Albemarles defeated Colonial Heights-Petersburg 4 games to 1. The 1951 season attendance was 35,146. The Virginia League permanently folded after the 1951 season.
In 1954, the Colonial Heights-Petersburg Colts played in the Piedmont League as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team finished 62–78, tied for last in the Piedmont League. The team folded after the 1954 season.
In 2000, the Colonial Heights-Petersburg Colts were succeeded in Petersburg by the Petersburg Generals. Reusing the previous moniker, the Generals became members of the Coastal Plain League.

The ballparks

Until 1900, Petersburg played at Petersburg Ballfield. The ballpark was located at the corner of West Washington & West Street, Petersburg, Virginia.
Petersburg teams from 1910-1913 played at Parkinson Park. The ballpark was located on Canal Street, Petersburg, Virginia, near the Appomattox River.
From 1914 to 1950, Petersburg played at McKenzie Street Park. McKenzie Street Park was located on McKenzie Street between North West Street & North Dunlop Street, Petersburg, Virginia.
In 1951 and 1954, Colonial Heights-Petersburg played at Shepherd Park. Today, the Shepherd Stadium Baseball Complex is still in use. The address is 901 Meridian Avenue, Colonial Heights, Virginia 23834.

Notable alumni

[Baseball Hall of Fame] alumni