John Avery Haldeman (December 2, 1855–September 17, 1899) was a journalist who played one game for Major League Baseball's Louisville Grays in the 1877 season.
Early life
Haldeman was born on December 2, 1855, in Pewee Valley, Kentucky.
[Connelley and Coulter, p. 12] He was the son of
Louisville Times (later
Louisville Courier-Journal) owner and
Louisville Grays president Walter Newman Haldeman.
[Cook, p. 122] He attended Washington and Lee University and took an active part in athletics there.
After graduation, he became the business manager for his father's newspaper.
He also played
first baseman for the Eagle Juniors, an amateur baseball team in Louisville.
[Cook, p. 157]
1877 baseball season
On July 3, 1877, while Haldeman was reporting on the Louisville Grays baseball team, he made his only appearance in a Major League game. Louisville
shortstop Bill Craver was unable to play in the game, and Grays manager
Jack Chapman decided to move
second baseman Joe Gerhardt to shortstop and ask Haldeman to play second base. Haldeman did not manage a hit in four at bats against Cincinnati Red Stockings
pitcher Candy Cummings, but he did
Sacrifice fly teammate
Orator Shafer to third base in the sixth inning; Shafer scored later in the inning. Haldeman also committed three errors in the field. The game marked the only time in baseball history that a reporter covering a team played in the game they were covering.
[Cook, p. 98]
The Grays were having an excellent season until a seven-game losing streak in late August, prompting Haldeman to write a column in the Courier-Journal questioning the reason for the team's slide.[Cook, p. 118] The poor play continued on a road trip later in the season, causing the team to fall out of first place in the league and lose the pennant race.[Cook, p. 135]
Later life and death
On September 7, 1887, Haldeman married Anna Buchanan, who was the great-great-granddaughter of Kentucky pioneer
William Whitley.
The couple had three daughters: Jean Bruce (Haldeman) Wendling, Bessie Avery Haldeman, and Isabel Brown Haldeman.
Haldeman died in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 1899, and was buried in Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery.
["John Haldeman". Baseball-Reference.com]
Bibliography
