John Wesley Donaldson

Newspaper Clippings about Southpaw Pitcher John Donaldson

April-July 1911 John Donaldson Games

Stories are placed in order of the date they appeared.

April 15, 1911

Novinger, MO
"We are in receipt of a letter from John Wesley Donaldson, Glasgow's crack amateur ball pitcher..."

April 29 & 30, 1911

Centerville, IA
"The base ball games Saturday and Sunday between the Tennessee Rats and Centerville resulted in an even break..."

May 2, 1911

Derby, IA
"The Tennessee Rats defeated Derby, 10 to 1, in a fast game of ball at Derby yesterday."

May 19 & 20, 1911

Redfield, IA
"A dark cloud descended upon Redfield last Friday, in the shape of Brown's minstrel troupe..."

May 22 & 23, 1911

Jefferson, IA
"On the base ball field they defeated Jefferson's new city team by a score of 2 to 1 on Monday, and 5 to 2 yesterday."

May 24 & 25, 1911

Grand Junction, IA
"On Wednesday of last week the Cubs played the Tennessee Rats..."

May 29 & 30, 1911

Coon Rapids, IA
"Brown's 'Tennessee Rats,' the colored baseball team which will be seen in Perry Friday and Saturday, continue to win all the games in sight..."

May 31 & June 1, 1911

Bayard, IA
"Butler struck out 1 and Donaldson 7."

June 2 & 3, 1911

Perry, IA
"Donaldson, the left handed colored man, had the Firemen at his mercy nearly all of the time and registered the phenomenal record of nineteen strikeouts."

June 7, 1911

Melbourne, IA
"Melbourne Wins From Colored Team. Brown's Tennessee Rats, a negro combined minstrel troupe and baseball aggregation, met defeat in two games of baseball at Melbourne, Wednesday and Thursday, the home team winning the first game 4 to 2..."

June 8, 1911

Melbourne, IA
"... and the second 2 to 0. The colored team is making a tour of the Milwaukee railroad, giving entertainments at night and playing ball in the afternoon. This is the first time on a trip that the team has lost two successive games to a single team."

June 9, 1911

Tama, IA
"The colored team played at Tama Friday, and are at Baxter for a game this afternoon and Sunday."

June 10 & 11, 1911

Baxter, IA
"Baxter lost two fast games to the Tennessee Rats here Saturday and Sunday."

June 11, 1911

Jefferson, SD
"The Jefferson Ball team crossed bats here Sunday with the Tennessee Rats from Sioux City. Our boys proved a little too fast for the colored gentlemen, and the score was 17 to 7 in our favor."

June 20, 1911

Lehigh, IA
"The game was a good one and the Rats display such ability that Lehigh people are planning to attend some of the Fort Dodge games."

June 21, 1911

Fort Dodge, IA
"Playing against a professional team of ball players, the K. C. team met defeat yesterday by a score of 9 to 3, at the K. C. park."

June 22, 1911

Fort Dodge, IA
"The scoring for the home team began in the last of the third. Bostick walked, went second on a wild pitch by (sic) Donaldson."

June 23, 1911

Fort Dodge, IA
"It was an interesting game as there was an immense lot of enthusiasm and the team from Lehigh put up a good fight."

June 24, 1911

Fort Dodge, IA
"By a score of ten to one the Tennessee Rats won the final game of the Rat series over the Gas Lights Saturday."

July 1, 1911

Indianapolis, IN
"Leading Baseball Clubs. - The Freeman Will publish Free a List of the Leading Baseball Clubs Each Week - Managers Get Busy. - Brown's Tennessee Rats - W.A. Brown manager enroute."

July 9, 1911

Graettinger, IA
"The Tennessee Rats, a colored base ball team, defeated Graettinger Sunday..."

July 12, 1911

Estherville, IA
"Another inning was played and the 'Rats' made the deciding score and the game was over in the tenth inning."

Estherville, IA
"Estherville Team Improves. - Special to Times-Republican. Estherville, July 17. - Estherville's baseball team played a ten inning game with the Tennessee Rats, a colored team, with the result, 3 to 2 in favor of the latter."

July 13, 1911

Armstrong, IA
"The Armstrong ball team defeated the 'Tennessee Rats' Thursday..."

July 16, 1911

Buffalo Center, IA
"Several automobile loads of people went to Buffalo Center Sunday and witnessed the ball game between Buffalo Center and the 'Tennessee Rats.' Score 11 to 8 for the 'Rats.'"

July-August 1911 John Donaldson Games

Stories are placed in order of the date they appeared.

July 17, 1911

Bancroft, IA
"The Tennessee Rats were too many for our ball boys Monday. They are a colored aggregation that travel and play every day and no unprofessional team can be expected to best them. Our boys were not in the best of trim and were defeated by a score of 8 to 3. This is the first defeat our boys have met this year."

July 18, 1911

Estherville, IA
"The Tennessee Rats (colored) defeated the Estherville boys..."

July 19, 1911

Burt, IA
"The Tennessee Rats were winners in a one-sided ball game here Wednesday with a score of 16 to 6."

"The Burt ball team played the Tennessee Rats, and of course Burt got skinned. Modesty forbids our publishing the score."

July 24, 1911

Wesley, IA
"The ball game Monday played between the Darkeys and Wesley was won by the former, 15 to 2."

July 26, 1911

Burt, IA
"The Tennessee Rats defeated the Burt boys Wednesday..."

July 30, 1911

Clear Lake, IA
"(sic) Donaldson for the colored aggregation, struck out twenty of the lakers batsmen..."

August 1 & 2, 1911

Clear Lake, IA
"Minstrel Troupe Baseball Team and Clear Lake Divide Games."

August 8, 1911

Webster City, IA
"The big game with the Tennessee Rats is on at the ball park this afternoon. The Tennessee Rats play here both today and tomorrow."

Webster City, IA
"The Tennessee Rats, a traveling colored baseball team, walloped Webster City this afternoon to the tune of 9 to 0."

August 9, 1911

Webster City, IA
"Double Plays - Donaldson to Wilson..."

August 12, 1911

Ackley, IA
"With Siebold working in fine form the Ackley White Sox held the fast colored team..."

August 13, 1911

Eldora, IA
"The pitcher for the Rats on Sunday appeared to be the whole team and the Eldora boys were unable to hit him at all."

Eldora, IA
"The Tennessee Rats handed a big lemon to the Eldora baseball club Sunday in the shape of a shut out, 2 to 0."

August 17, 1911

Thornton, IA
"3:00 p.m. - Baseball, purse $125. Tennessee Rats vs. either Clear Lake, Mason City, or Charles City."

Thornton, IA
"Struck out, by Welsh, 2; by Donaldson, 9."

Thornton, IA
"Four Thousand at Picnic. - Thornton's Annual Gala Day Proves Great Success. - Special to Times-Republican. - Thornton, Iowa, August 23. - Thornton's fourth merchants' and farmers' annual picnic was held as advertised and was more largely attended than ever before. The day was ideal, as was the crowd. Early in the morning the people began coming to town until the numbers were swelled to 4,000 or better. Brown's colored band gave a very entertaining concert in the park preceding the morning program which consisted of solos, songs by the colored male quartet and a number given by a chorus of local talent. After dinner the usual street sports were pulled off, and in order to give the people an opportunity to see the colored minstrels a short program was given between 2 and 3 o'clock. The Tennessee Rats played the Clear Lake team for $125, winners receiving 60 per cent, and the losers 40 per cent. The game was called at 3:30 and was witnessed by about 2,500 to 3,000 people, Clear Lake winning the game by a score of 5 to 1."

August 18 & 19, 1911

Sheffield, IA
"...but they probably would have won anyhow as Donaldson was in fine form and any team that beats him knows that there has been a ball game."

August 20, 1911

Clear Lake, IA
"Struck out, by Donaldson, 16."

August 21, 1911

Clear Lake, IA
"This will be followed by a game of ball between Clear Lake and the Tennessee Rats..."

Clear Lake, IA
"The Rats are a jolly good bunch of ball players and draw like a house afire."