Let the Haunted Debauchery Ensue As St. Paul Saints Become the Crooks Haven Ghostly Gangsters On Friday, June 27
ST. PAUL, MN (March 13, 2025) - John Dillinger. Baby Face Nelson. Ma Barker. Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. The St. Paul Saints have more in common with some of the most famous gangsters in history, who made their way to Saint Paul during prohibition, than you might think. Many might consider
ST. PAUL, MN (March 13, 2025) - John Dillinger. Baby Face Nelson. Ma Barker. Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. The St. Paul Saints have more in common with some of the most famous gangsters in history, who made their way to Saint Paul during prohibition, than you might think. Many might consider the Saints the outlaws of Minor League Baseball. Rule breakers. Mischievous. Antiestablishment. Check, check, and check. Put on your flapper dress, don your pinstriped suit, and grab your favorite fedora (but leave the Tommy Gun at home) because the Saints are changing their identity for one night during the 2025 season.
On June 27 the Saints will lean into the city’s history when they become the Crooks Haven Ghostly Gangsters. The uniform will display two different logos: one on the cap and the primary logo on the uniform. The Saints will don a black cap with a logo that features a baseball with a cap on its head. The baseball has black “angry ghost eyes,” “scowling baseball stitches” for a mouth, and a “5 o’clock ball shadow” that makes a semicircle starting from halfway up the ball on the left side, going just below the “upper lip of the baseball stitches” and halfway up the ball on the right side. A black gangster fedora hat will sit atop the baseball with a red hat band above the brim with the nickname of the city of Saint Paul in the 1920’s and 30’s “Crooks Haven” in black letters.
The Saints uniform will be black with “Ghostly Gansters” in white curved around the chest with red piping around the neck of the uniform going down either side of the buttons along with a red belt. The primary logo appears on the right sleeve. At the top of the logo is the gangster fedora hat, like the one on the cap, with the “Ghostly Gangsters” wordmark underneath the cap. Hanging below the “N” and “E” in “Gangsters” are red suspenders, similar to what gangsters wore with their suits. Down the middle, below the “G and S” in “Gangsters” is a red single-knotted necktie with the tertiary “CH” logo intertwined at the base of the tie. All of this appears on the background of a black home plate, signifying that Saint Paul was a safe haven for gangsters.
In the late 1920s and early 30s, Saint Paul became known as “Crooks’ Haven.” The city became a place where gangsters, robbers, and bootleggers from all over the Midwest were able to hide out safely from the FBI and run their operations. Saint Paul was known as a “sanctuary for criminals” with the help of corrupt politicians and those in power who would turn a blind eye to gangsters’ underground activity.
The 18th Amendment, Prohibition, made the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export, of alcoholic beverages illegal. This created a hub in many cities across the country with Saint Paul being one of the focal points in the Midwest. Such notorious gangsters as John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Roger "the Terrible" Touhy, Machine Gun Kelly, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, and the Barker gang set up shop in areas like the current Wabasha Caves, where the Saints held their unveiling on Wednesday, March 12, which was used as a nightclub and speakeasy.
The Wabasha Street Caves is considered one of the most well-known haunted locations in Saint Paul. One night during prohibition, four men were playing poker in the Fireside Room. A lone waitress heard commotion and gunshots, followed by discovery of three dead bodies. After calling the police, and a few hours of waiting outside, she was brought back to the crime scene only to find the room in perfect condition. The bodies of the gangsters had vanished, and she was told by police to never call and give them a false report again.
With the protection of a “Layover Agreement” many of the gangsters enjoyed their time in Saint Paul because they rarely got caught. In exchange for tip-offs about FBI raids and protection, the gangsters checked in with Saint. Paul police when they were in town, gave a portion of their gains to the police department, and agreed to commit no crimes within the city limits, however, Minneapolis was fair game.
The Saints aka Ghostly Gangsters, take on the Louisville Bats on Friday, June 27 at 7:07 p.m. Saints tickets continue to be a tremendous value. Tickets range in price from $5-$35. Friday home games with Post-Game Fireworks are an additional $3 per ticket. Post-Game Blaze Credit Union Fireworks Supershow on May 25 and Post-Game Fireworks Supershows (June 28 and September 13) are an additional $4 per ticket. Tickets purchased on the day of the game are an additional $2 per ticket. Children under the age of 12 and seniors 65 and older receive $1 off the admission price. Children under 2 that don't require a seat are free.
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