Cap Anson

All of the teams that made up the Iowa State League in the early part of the century were from Iowa. The Lulus competed against clubs from not only from Marshalltown and Oskaloosa but from Cedar Rapids, Burlington, Keokuk, Boone, Ft. Dodge and Ottumwa.⁹The league, however, was not exclusive since Waterloo also contended with many teams from Illinois, including the Chicago Union Giants. Understandably, the Lulus were intimidated considering the sheer size of Chicago at the time. But with home field advantage, the Lulus beat the Union Giants five times in a series of eight in 1903.¹⁰

With an infant communications system in the early twentieth century, the residents of Waterloo had virtually no idea how their Lulus were faring on their road trips. Games against the Excelsiors in Manchester or the Ottumwa Dubs could not be broadcast via satellite or on digital cable, as are the sports of today. Therefore, the telegraph wires offered Waterlooans the only highlights of the road games and obviously not many people had this technology available in their homes. According to Maravitz, “Local fans got the news inning by inning at Will Bros. Barbershop, Siebert's Billiard Hall, Pain and Dunham's Cigar Store and Inman's Restaurant, which were among the only spots in town to carry a telegraph machine.⁸

The Lulus, however, were very much beloved when they would come home from road trips. The fans of the team filled the stadium nightly to witness a player named Johnson who was a first-rate pitcher. As could be found, Johnson was the catalyst of the Lulus and often was responsible for carrying the team to victory from the mound.²Playing behind Johnson in the outfield was an admirable player named Burson. Adept at both patrolling the outfield and scoring runs, Burson was exceptional in that he was deaf and mute.¹³Most likely taking instruction by sign language, Burson was a pioneer for future athletes with disabilities such as pro golfer Casey Martin and big leaguer Jim Abbott, both of whom have maintained excellence in their respective crafts.

Following the Lulus, teams named the Manufacturers and the Microbes continued in losing fashion, prompting the team's scouts to scour the country for talent. The manager of these teams was named Meek, a name which often drew parallels to the team's fortunes by “Old Poke” after the “muckraker” had taken up a new job as a writer in Davenport.⁴Although Iowans had a deep passion for the game, it was painfully clear that the most talented players were found in the southern United States where the game is played year-round. Managed financially by local businessmen and fans, Waterloo's team became less and less a reflection of the community and increasingly a competitive business. As the management of the team would soon learn, the team could not survive unless it could manage to field more competitive and winning teams consisting of better players.

Coupled with dismal seasons of losing and the integration of two new teams from Illinois, Waterlooans seemed to begin a chronic trend of losing its professional teams. Throughout the next half century, Waterloo would field teams known as the Cubs, Champs, Boosters, Jays, and Shamrocks. Major league farm clubs included the Reds, Indians, and eventually the most successful of Waterloo's teams, the Royals. Eventually, the Royals would depart in the same nature as the other teams, but in 1975 they provided Waterlooans with a team that was adored.