Smokey Joe Wood Field

Smokey Joe Wood Field. . , Joe Wood was born Howard Ellsworth Wood in Kansas City on October 25, 1889, the second son of John and Rebecca Wood. At a young age he was given the nickname of a famous circus clown “Joe” and the name stuck for the rest of his life. Joe's father followed his wanderlust and in 1900, the Wood family headed by covered wagon to Ouray where Joe's father worked as an attorney for the mines as well as a newspaper publisher. Young Joe, an avid fan of the locally sponsored mining baseball team soon became the mascot, batboy and sometimes player for the traveling squad. These games between the mines took him to places such as Silverton, Telluride, and Lake City. , In 1905 the Wood family moved back to Ness City, Kansas where young Joe (age 16) was the youngest player ever to suit up for the town baseball team. It was here that a scout for a professional Kansas City team recognized his “pitching prowess” and offered him a contract. Soon, the legend of the young kid with the blazing fastball swirled throughout the central plains. In 1907 the Boston Red Sox acquired “Smokey Joe” from the Kansas City Blues and on August 24, 1908 young Joe pitched his first game in the major leagues. , Joe had his first breakout season in 1911 in which he won 23 games for the Red Sox, compiled an earned run average of 2.02, threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns and struck out 15 batters in a single game. Legendary fastballer Walter Johnson once said, “Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen, my friend, there’s no man alive can throw harder then Smokey Joe Wood.” Wood’s best season came in 1912 in which he won 34 games, tied Johnson’s record for 16 consecutive victories and was voted MVP of the World Series. , Joe Wood left the majors in 1922 with a career pitching record of 116-57 and an ERA of 2.03. He went on to coach baseball at Yale University for 20 years. Wood died in West Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1985. , [photo captions] , . Smokey Joe, bottom right, seated, Ness City, KS baseball team 1906 , . Joe Wood , . Joe Wood 1912 , . Joe Wood on an American Tobacco Company baseball card, 1912, This baseball field in Ouray’s Fellin Park is dedicated to the memory of Smokey Joe Wood and hopefully will serve to inspire many future champions regardless of their chosen sport.