Toledo Mud Hens Founded in 1897 Toledo, Ohio
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-Level
Triple-A (1946–1955, 1965–present) Double-A (1908–1913, 1916–1945) A (1902–1907)
Minor League affiliations
International League (1965–present) West Division American Association (1902–1913, 1916–1955)
Major League affiliations
Detroit Tigers (1934–1935, 1949–1951, 1967–1973, 1987–present) Minnesota Twins (1978–1986) Cleveland Indians (1932, 1976–1977) Philadelphia Phillies (1974–1975) New York Yankees (1965–1966) Milwaukee Braves (1953–1955) St. Louis Browns (1936–1948) New York Giants (1930)
Name
Toledo Mud Hens (1902–1913, 1919–1952, 1965–present) Toledo Ironmen (1916–1918) Toledo Sox (1953–1955)
Ballpark
Fifth Third Field (2002–present) Ned Skeldon Stadium (1965–2001)
Minor League titles
League titles	1968, 2005, 2006
Division titles	1967, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
Owner(s)/Operated by: Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club, Inc. Champions Temple Cup: Baltimore Orioles defeated Boston Beaneaters, 4 games to 1 National League: Boston Beaneaters This article is about the city in Ohio, USA. For Toledo Spain, see that article The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. This article refers to the former minor league that existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. Fifth Third Field is the name of a Minor league baseball stadium in Toledo Ohio. Ned Skeldon Stadium, originally opened as Lucas County Stadium, is a Stadium in Maumee Ohio.
Manager: Larry Parrish
General Manager: Joseph D. Larry Alton Parrish (born November 10, 1953 in Winter Haven Florida) is a former Major League Baseball Third baseman and right-handed Napoli

The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North This article is about the city in Ohio, USA. For Toledo Spain, see that article The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are associated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based 50-some miles to the north of Toledo. The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA The current team is one of several professional clubs that have existed in Toledo since 1883. The name "Mud Hens" was first used in 1896, after the team was bought by Charles Strobel. One of the two parks where the team played that year, Bay View Park, was adjacent to marshland which was inhabited by American Coots, also known as marsh hens or mud hens, from which the team adopted their name. The American Coot ( Fulica americana) is a bird of the family Rallidae, inhabiting wetlands and open water bodies

They won back-to-back Governors' Cup championships in 2005 and 2006. The Governors' Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champion of the International League, one of the two current Triple-A level minor leagues of

The Mud Hens currently play at Fifth Third Field, at 406 Washington Street. Fifth Third Field is the name of a Minor league baseball stadium in Toledo Ohio. The stadium, built in 2002, was named the best minor league ballpark in America by Newsweek. Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. The new stadium replaced Ned Skeldon Stadium, located in suburban Maumee, as the Mud Hens Home. Ned Skeldon Stadium, originally opened as Lucas County Stadium, is a Stadium in Maumee Ohio. ‎ Maumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a Suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The older facility being best described as "quaint" or "rustic. "

Team history

The Mud Hens have played in the International League since 1965, when the New York Yankees' AAA club, the Richmond Virginians, transferred there. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins (4-3 Sandy Koufax, MVP The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Richmond Virginians was the name of a Minor league baseball Class AAA International League franchise that played in Richmond Virginia, from Although the Tigers have been the predominant MLB parent of the IL Mud Hens (1967–73 and since 1987), the team has also been affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies (1974–75), Cleveland Indians (1976–77), Minnesota Twins (1978–86) and the Yankees (1965–66). The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Toledo was without organized baseball for nine seasons (1956–64). That was the city's longest stretch without professional ball since the 1880s. Toledo is a special place to baseball historians due to its early (failed) attempt to break the color/race barrier in the game. The Toledo Blue Stockings operated during 1883–1885, including an entry in 1884 with the then-major American Association. The Toledo Blue Stockings formed as a minor league Baseball team in Toledo Ohio in 1883. This article refers to the former Baseball major league that existed from 1882 to 1891 In the 1880s, before the major leagues stabilized, it was not unusual for a minor league team to be "promoted" to major league level for awhile. The 1884 club was the only major league team with black players (Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother, Welday Walker) prior to Jackie Robinson's appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Moses Fleetwood "Fleet" Walker ( October 7 1857 &ndash May 11 1924) was an American Major League Baseball player Welday Wilberforce Walker ( July 27 1860 &ndash November 23 1937) was an American Left fielder in Major League Baseball Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 All-Star Game The refusal of prominent baseball figure Cap Anson to play the Toledo team, in an exhibition game with his Chicago White Stockings, accelerated the drawing of the color line. Adrian Constantine Anson ( April 17 1852 &ndash April 14 1922) known by the nicknames "Cap" (for "Captain" and The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois.

Several minor league teams in Toledo lasted for short durations late in the 1880s and during the 1890s. The team also returned to the AA in 1890, as the Toledo Maumees (some sources say their nickname was the Black Pirates). The Toledo Maumees of 1890 were a short-lived baseball team in the American Association. That was one of several short-lived nicknames, including, ironically, the White Stockings. It was in 1896 that the team acquired the nicknames "Swamp Angels" and "Mud Hens" due to the ballpark's proximity to marshlands and waterfowl. "Mud Hens" gained popularity and has stuck with most of the Toledo teams ever since.

When the American Association revived as a minor league in 1902, the Mud Hens joined as a charter member. This article refers to the former minor league that existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 The team had been playing at Armory Park since 1897. Armory Park was a Minor league baseball park in Toledo Ohio. It was the home of the Toledo Mud Hens and their predecessors from 1897 until mid-season 1909 With the success and stability of the Association, a better ballpark was built. Swayne Field opened in June of 1909, and would be the Mud Hens primary home through the 1955 season. Swayne Field was a Minor league baseball park in Toledo Ohio. Swayne Field remains the longest-lasting venue of any of the Toledo teams.

The Mud Hens temporarily relocated to Cleveland during 1914 through 1915, to help the Cleveland Indians counter any territorial threat by the Federal League by ensuring that League Park would have a game every day. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Federal League was the last major attempt to establish an independent major Professional baseball league in the United States League Park was a Baseball stadium located in Cleveland Ohio. Another team was placed in Toledo in 1914 for the South-Michigan League. The "Soumichers" or "Little Mud Hens" drew poorly and took to the road for the second half of 1914. There was no team in 1915. The Fed disbanded after that year, and when the team returned from Cleveland to Toledo in 1916, they had acquired a new nickname, the "Iron Men". The name "Mud Hens" was restored in 1919.

This incarnation of the Mud Hens usually resided deep in the second division of the circuit, winning the AA pennant only once, in 1927 when the manager was Casey Stengel. Headline Event of the Year Murderers' Row lead New York Yankees to World Series victory Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel ( July 30, 1890 - September 29, 1975) nicknamed "The Old Professor" was an American After the farm system era began in the 1930s, the Mud Hens were usually affiliated with the St. Louis Browns, who by then were also a perpetual second division team in the American League. In sports a farm team, feeder team or nursery club, generally refers to a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players with an The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in

By the early 1950s, Toledo annually trailed the other seven Association clubs in attendance, reaching a desperation point in mid-season of 1952. On June 23, 1952, the team moved to Charleston, West Virginia, that state's capital city, and became the Senators. Charleston is the Capital of the US state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and The Charleston Charlies was the name of the third and most recent Class AAA Minor league baseball franchise that was located in Charleston West Virginia, United States However, the city gained another American Association franchise the next year, when the Boston Braves transferred to Milwaukee in March 1953, displacing their farm club, the Milwaukee Brewers, which then shifted to Toledo as the "Sox". The Milwaukee Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The relocated Brewers were loaded with talent, and the 1953 T-Sox won the second Association pennant in their history and drew over 343,000 fans, a 244% increase compared to 1951. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-2 All-Star Game

But the Braves stayed only three seasons (1953–55) before moving the team to Wichita, Kansas, as the Wichita Braves. Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. The Wichita Braves were a Class AAA Minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita Kansas, that played in the American Association during the Swayne Field was demolished soon afterward. By the 1960s there was revived interest in minor league baseball for Toledo, and public official Ned Skeldon led the effort to remodel the Lucas County Fairgrounds stadium into a suitable minor league ballpark. Ned Skeldon Stadium, originally opened as Lucas County Stadium, is a Stadium in Maumee Ohio. The Yankees' transfer of the Richmond club to Toledo in 1965 restored professional baseball to Toledo.

The Mud Hens in popular culture

The Mud Hens playing at Fifth Third Field on June 8, 2007. Fifth Third Field is the name of a Minor league baseball stadium in Toledo Ohio.

The mascot's name is Muddy, and the female mascot is named Muddonna. The logo for the Mud Hens has undergone several updates, "Mortimer" Mud Hen was used in the 1940s and 1950s. The logo was recreated by Gabriel Pinciotti in 1965, and since then has remained close to his design. The latest update took place for the 2006 season. The logo and name continues to be amongst the most popular and best selling in Minor League Baseball history.

The Mud Hens were the favorite team of the character Max Klinger, played by actor (and Toledo native) Jamie Farr on the television series M*A*S*H. Corporal (later Sergeant Maxwell Q Klinger is a Fictional character from the M*A*S*H television series played by American Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934) is an American television and Film Actor and popular Game show M*A*S*H was a Medical drama / Black comedy produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. The Mud Hens are also mentioned in the children's book Maniac Magee. Maniac Magee is a novel written by widely read young adult author Jerry Spinelli. In the motion picture Major League they were referenced as coach Lou Brown's former team. Major League is a 1989 American Comedy film written and directed by David S They were mentioned in the Richard Pryor movie Brewster's Millions, a movie about a career minor leaguer who suddenly has a chance to inherit a fortune. Brewster's Millions is a 1985 comedy film starring Richard Pryor based on the 1902 novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon One of the most famous Mud Hens alumni is Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kirby Puckett (March 14 1960 – March 6 2006 was a Center fielder

In the comic strip Crankshaft, the title character Ed Crankshaft pitched for the Toledo Mud Hens in his younger days, and once struck out Hank Greenberg in an exhibition game. Crankshaft is an eponymous Comic strip about an elderly curmudgeonly School bus driver which debuted on June 8 1987 Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg ( January 1, 1911, New York New York – September 4, 1986) nicknamed "Hammerin'

On November 1, 2007, The Mud Hens offered Alex Rodriguez a position as third baseman. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27 1975 in New York New York) commonly nicknamed A-Rod, is an American Third baseman for the This was a playful gesture following Hank Steinbrenner's remark following Rodriguez opting out of his contract. Steinbrenner said, "Does he want to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee, or a Toledo Mud Hen?"^[1]

Titles

The Mud Hens have won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the IL, 3 times, and played in the championship series 4 times. The Governors' Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champion of the International League, one of the two current Triple-A level minor leagues of

• 1967 - Defeated Columbus
• 1980 - Lost to Columbus
• 2005 - Defeated Indianapolis
• 2006 - Defeated Rochester

Radio and television

The Mud Hens playing at Fifth Third Field on July 23, 2006. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Columbus Clippers are a Minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Columbus Clippers are a Minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis Indiana. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. Fifth Third Field is the name of a Minor league baseball stadium in Toledo Ohio.

The Mud Hens first had their games broadcast on radio in 1965, when minor-league baseball was revived in Toledo. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. The broadcasts ended after the contract ended in 1970. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Radio broadcasts returned in 1975 and have remained ever since. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Radio play-by-play has been handled since 1975 by Jim Weber. The 2008 season marks his 34th year in the broadcast booth. Weber has been partnered since 1987 by Frank Gilhooley, and since the early 2000s, Jason Griffin.

When radio broadcasts returned to the airwaves in 1975, only 52 games were broadcast. Between 1976 and 1983, 80 games were broadcast on WSPD-AM, mainly Thursday through Sunday. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) WSPD is a Radio station in Toledo Ohio, which broadcasts at 1370 AM. The entire schedule has been on radio since 1984, first on WMTR-FM (through 2002), then on WLQR-AM (through 2007). WMTR-FM is a Radio station that broadcasts at 961 MHz on the FM dial in Archbold Ohio. WLQR AM 1470 is a sports/talk Radio station based in Toledo Ohio. Games can now be heard on WCWA-AM, which is contracted to carry Mud Hens baseball through at least the 2010 season. WCWA AM 1230 is a radio station licensed to and serving Toledo Ohio. ^[2]

Select games are televised by the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN), on Buckeye CableSystem. See also BCSN and Black College Sports Network. Buckeye Cable Sports Network is a Regional sports network founded in Buckeye CableSystem is a cable company located in Toledo Ohio and serves Northwest Ohio and parts of Southeast Michigan

Current roster

See also

• List of baseball parks in Toledo, Ohio
• Current and former Toledo Mud Hens players

External links

• Toledo Mud Hens web site
• Toledo Mud Hens on MiLB.com
• Toledo Mud Hens All-Time Roster
• more Mud Hens info on Toledo.com
• Toledo Mud Hens at BR Bullpen
• TigsTown.com
• Toledo's Attic Online Museum
• Summary of Toledo ballparks

References

• The Toledo Baseball Guide of the Mud Hens 1883-1943, Ralph Elliott Lin Weber, 1944.