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32 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.16 A BIT OF HISTORY louisvillewatertower.com Te prospective 1887 season brought what Hines hoped would be his, and his franchise's, crowning achievement — membership in the nascent National Colored Base Ball League, whose eight teams would include the Pittsburgh Keystones, Philadelphia Pythians, Lord Baltimores, Boston Resolutes, Cincinnati Browns, Washington Capital Citys and New York Gothams. Hines and the other organizers of the venture hoped their creation would become the frst long-lasting national black professional baseball league. Brunson says local saloon keepers and gamblers bankrolled the Falls Citys, which might have given the venture a somewhat hinky appearance. But it didn't matter to the Louisville faithful. Te C-J reported: "Manager Hines…says that his men are undergoing daily practice…batting at swift and curved balls, both high and low. Tey are also practicing throwing and baserunning. Mr. Hines predicts a successful season for his team." Te players looked resplendent in their home uniforms of navy blue trimmed with maroon, while their road duds would be white-and-black plaid, with black trim. But just like the few previous attempts at interstate colored leagues, this one fzzled out as well, with only a few scheduled games actually being played (three on Louisville's part) before the venture disappeared from local newspaper columns and evaporated into history's haze. A struggling economy, a fnancially strapped populace and broken promises on the part of regional railroad magnates spelled quick doom for the NCBBL, Brunson says. For the record, the Falls Citys, which fnished with one win in three tries, batted .435 as a team, led by Fred Mayfeld's .727 on eight hits in 11 at-bats. Te Falls Citys soldiered on as an independent barnstorming club well into the 1890s, gradually taking diferent forms and monikers but nonetheless continuing to lay the foundation for African-American Louisville's love for the new American pastime. Te same rosy fate escaped the man who had shaped the Falls Citys into a juggernaut on the national stage. In 1889, Hines shot and killed his brother-in-law in front of a Main Street store after some serious fsticufs. Hines was convicted of murder in January 1890 and sentenced to seven years in the state penitentiary. For advertising information call 625-0100 or email: advertising@loumag.com Publishing August 2016 Top Primary, Pediatric & Geriatric Doctors Plus Dentists!