Saints To Honor St. Paul Colored Gophers, Phil "Daddy" Reid On July 27

ST. PAUL, MN (July 21, 2021) - The St. Paul Saints know a thing or two about showmanship and being ahead of their time. Phil “Daddy” Reid would have appreciated all that the Saints stand for today because he was a man that was larger than life, knew how to put on a good show, and was passionate about baseball. The Saints will honor Reid, his St. Paul Colored Gophers team, and pay tribute to the man that helped put baseball in Saint Paul on the map with a long overdue dedication.

On Tuesday, July 27 the Saints will honor Reid, not just at CHS Field, but also at the site of his burial, St. Paul’s Oakland Cemetery, by giving him a proper headstone. Currently there exists a family headstone which includes the Reid name along with family members Dinky and George but, as a result of a falling-out within his family, Phil was left off after his passing in 1912. Working alongside Frank White, Saint Paul native and author of They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota, the Saints will give Reid a headstone more reflective of the man that brought “big time” professional baseball to Minnesota. The unveiling of the headstone will take place at 11:00 a.m. on July 27 at the site of his burial in the St. Paul Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul’s North End neighborhood and will read as follows:

Philip Edward Reid

“Daddy”

Owner of the St. Paul Colored Gophers

Baseball Team

1907-1910

(One of the best teams in Minnesota History)

June 10, 1854 - October 16, 1912

In dedication on July 27, 2021, by the

St. Paul Saints Baseball Team

“Phil E. Reid, owner of the St. Paul Colored Gophers baseball team from 1907-1910, one of the greatest baseball teams in Minnesota history, was a visionary, a pioneer, and one of Black Baseball’s founding fathers” said White. “The St. Paul Saints baseball team continues to help share Minnesota’s great baseball legacy and history, including honoring Black Baseball history and individuals that standout in that history.”

Reid, who was waiting tables at a Minneapolis Hotel in 1880 began tending bar at the Eureka Saloon, 384 Minnesota Avenue in downtown St. Paul, in 1888. In 1901, he opened a saloon of his own at 40 E. 3rd Street (Kellogg Blvd today). As saloon owner, Reid became a successful businessman who was known for his benevolence in and around the St. Paul community. It was the location of his saloon, however, where six trains per day from Chicago came into the city, which led to his influential time in baseball. Reid met Rube Foster, a pitcher and “baseball impresario” from the Windy City, and the friendship that developed between the two led to his desire to start a baseball team in St. Paul.

In 1907 Reid announced the formation of “a real-colored baseball team,” called the St. Paul Gophers.He hired Walter Ball, a known player in Minnesota and Chicago, to organize a “professional baseball team.” Composed solely of ballplayers with “a national reputation,” not “an amateur affair confined to local players.” Ball helped Reid build teams with talent brought in from all over the Midwest. Over the next three years, the St. Paul Gophers would become one of the most notable baseball teams in the Midwest. In their four years of existence, the Colored Gophers went 380-89-2, an .810 winning percentage and won several colored championships in that time. In September of 1907 the Gophers defeated the Saints two games to one in a three game series for city bragging rights. While the Gophers played the majority of their games at legendary Lexington Park in Saint Paul, it was Reid’s decision to take the team on the road that built their fame. The Gophers entered tournaments and challenged any team willing to play them across a five state area. Barnstorming, as it would later be known, would become a fixture in the Black Baseball culture and would eventually cross over to baseball on the whole

While the Saints honor both Reid and the St. Paul Colored Gophers, the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a St. Paul Colored Gophers t-shirt. The navy blue shirt includes the St. Paul Colored Gophers logo, which is an interlocking “STPG,” similar to the interlocking “STP” on the Saints home cap.

When the Saints opened the City of Baseball Museum in 2019, they included an exhibit on Reid and the St. Paul Colored Gophers that fans can still check out. The museum is opened to all ticketed customers on game days or by special request by contacting the office at 651-644-6659.

Saints tickets continue to be a tremendous value. Tickets begin at $5 for the Treasure Island berm seating, $6 for bleacher seats, $15 for outfield reserved, $18 for the drink rail, infield reserved and home plate reserved. Friday home games with Post-Game Fireworks are an additional $2 per ticket. Post-Game Fireworks Supershows (September 11) are an additional $3 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.

Saints Box Office hours on non-game days are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. On game days, the Box Office will open at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and will remain open until 15 minutes following each game. Tickets are always available at saintsbaseball.com.