James R. Price

James Rigby Price[1] (1862–1929) was an American sports journalist and executive.

Price was born in 1862 in Baltimore.[2] He began his career in sports as a sportswriter and spent many years working for various New York City papers.[3] Price is credited with coining the nickname Yankees for the city's American League baseball club during his time as sports editor of the New York Press, as he found it easier to fit in headlines than the team's existing nicknames, the Highlanders and Hilltoppers.[4][5] He remained with the Press until 1916, when the paper merged with The Sun.[6]

In 1909, Price was backed for the presidency of the Eastern League by three owners who were displeased with the incumbent Patrick T. Powers.[7] Powers was reelected after the opposing owners were unable to get enough votes to defeat him.[8] In 1913 he was appointed by Governor William Sulzer to succeed James Edward Sullivan on the New York State Athletic Commission.[9] He resigned in 1915 and was succeeded by Frank Dwyer.[10]

As part of Major League Baseball's settlement with the Federal League, MLB acquired Harrison Park in New Jersey from Harry Ford Sinclair and placed Price in charge of the property.[11] On February 19, 1916, he and Fred Tenney purchased the Jersey City Skeeters of the International League and moved the club to Harrison Park, where they became the Newark Indians. Price served as the team's president while Tenney was the club's manager.[12] The Indians folded after the 1917 season and were replaced by the Newark Bears.[13] Price continued to manage Harrison Park until it was destroyed by fire in 1923.[14][15] Price then served as the New York-based press agent for American League president Ban Johnson.[6]

In 1924, Price joined the Boston Red Sox as the team's secretary.[16] In 1926, severe heart trouble prevented him from traveling with the club except for spring training. On January 29, 1929, he committed suicide at Fenway Park.[3][17] He was found by traveling secretary Hiram Mason bleeding on the east ramp leading to the grandstands.[3] He had used a razor to cut his throat.[3] He was rushed to Boston City Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His ongoing health problems were reported to be the cause of his suicide.[3][17] He was interred at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Last Tribute Paid James Rigby Price". The Boston Daily Globe. February 2, 1929.
  2. ^ 1880 United States Federal Census
  3. ^ a b c d e "James R. Price Commits Suicide". The Boston Daily Globe. January 30, 1929.
  4. ^ Hoch, Bryan (December 1, 2021). "How they came to be called the Yankees". MLB. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Wong, Stephen; Grob, Dave (2016). Game Worn: Baseball Treasures from the Game's Greatest Heroes and Moments. Smithsonian. p. 78. ISBN 9781588345721. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Sprechman, Jordan; Shannon, Bill (1998). This Day in New York Sports. Sports Museum Press. p. 29. ISBN 9781571672544. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Each Backed by Four Clubs". The Boston Daily Globe. October 27, 1909.
  8. ^ "Powers Holds on to the Presidency". The New York Times. October 28, 1909.
  9. ^ "J. R. Price Placed on Boxing Commission". The New York Times. January 10, 1913.
  10. ^ "Six Clubs Receive Boxing Licenses". The New York Times. October 12, 1915.
  11. ^ Lieb, Fred. "Hot Stove League". The Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jersey City Club Sold: James R. Price and Fred Tenney Buy International Franchise" (PDF). The New York Times. February 19, 1916. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  13. ^ "National Commission to Place Minors Under Bond to Safeguard Players". The New York Times. April 12, 1918.
  14. ^ Foster, John B. (1929). Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide 1929. American Sports Publishing Company. p. 338.
  15. ^ "Harrison Field, Home of Newark Baseball Nine, is Razed by Sweeping Blaze". Democrat & Chronicle. Rochester, New York. August 19, 1923. p. 35. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ^ O'Leary, James C. (December 21, 1923). "Familiar Figure of "Leaping Mike" to Be Missing From Outfield When Red Sox Take Field Next Year". The Boston Daily Globe.
  17. ^ a b Gorman, Robert M.; Weeks, David (2015). Death at the Ballpark: More Than 2,000 Game-Related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862-2014 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 147. ISBN 9780786479320. Retrieved January 6, 2022.