Barrow Pharao hs - 1914-1919
Jeffrey Hobbs, GM
Franchise #18
History
Brief: The Franchise #18 team was
based south of the border in Mexicali for nearly 65 years, beginning in
1902. However, in 1911, needing time off to pursue his pharmaceutical
studies, Al Keefer signed a 2-year caretaker agreement with Dave Norlander,
heir to a Swedish fur-trapping monopoly fortune. The team was moved north
to Minnesota for a 2-season run beginning in 1912. Norlander died suddenly
during the latter half of the 1913 season. Assuming control of Franchise
#18 in a 6-year deal was trapper
Jeffrey Hobbs, who moved the team even further north to Barrow, Alaska. Following
that agreement, the franchise was returned to Mexicali in 1921. Hobbs would
later reappear on the TCBA scene as scion of the Fargo Fungoes.
In 1975, San Francisco
empresario Frank Tedeschi swapped his ownership in Franchise #10 for
Keefer's share of Mexicali and moved the franchise to California, hoping to
cash in big on the Latino appeal. After four years of disappointing
attendance, the franchise was sold and moved to Boston, where it eventually
came under the control of Marty Fiehl. After moving to Scranton,
Franchise #18 grew into the mightiest franchise in TCBA history, retaining
its Latin flavor as the Spanish Flies.
Keefer used his
pharmaceutical knowledge to inject Franchise #10 with new energy, building Evanston into one
of the most popular TCBA teams ever. Like the Mallards of Mexicali once
did, the Bees of Evanston
continued to play to capacity crowds until Al’s retirement following the
2022 season.
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