The Hannibal Mules, based in Hannibal, Missouri, played two seasons in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1916 and 1917 before the circuit shut down for World War I. The Mules were part of a geographic expansion that brought the league across the Mississippi into Missouri, one of several non-Illinois/Indiana/Iowa clubs that joined the Three-I as the league's founding-era franchises contracted. The name fit the city's working identity: Hannibal was a Mississippi River port where mule-drawn wagons and teams were a visible part of commerce well into the early twentieth century.
Hannibal had played ball under organized rules before the Mules, carrying the Cannibals name in the Illinois-Missouri League in 1908 and the Central Association from 1909 to 1912. The Mules era was disrupted from the start. The 1916 Three-I season was shortened by the National Association, and neither the 1917 season nor the franchise itself survived the war. When the Three-I resumed in 1919, Hannibal did not return. Professional baseball came back to the city in pieces: the Hannibal Pilots (1947-48), Stags (1952), Cardinals (1953-54), and Citizens (1955) all played in lower-level circuits before organized baseball left for good.
Hannibal is best known as the hometown of Mark Twain, born there in 1835, and the city's association with All-American small-town life extended into baseball fiction. When novelist Douglass Wallop needed a heartland hometown for the protagonist of his 1954 novel "Damn Yankees," he placed Joe Hardy in Hannibal. Hall of Famer Jake Beckley, the first baseman whose major league career ran from 1888 to 1907 and who was inducted into the Hall in 1971, was born in Hannibal.
The Three-I League (also known as the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League) was a Class B circuit that ran from 1901 through 1961, with pauses for World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Though rooted primarily in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, the league also drew clubs from Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota as its core membership contracted in later years.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
