The Kansas City Blue Stockings were a minor league baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1902 and 1903, the Kansas City Blue Stockings played exclusively as members of the Class A level Western League, capturing the 1902 league championship. After the 1903 season, the franchise was forced to fold as the result of a territory dispute between the Western League and American Association. The Kansas City Blue Stockings were founded to replace the Kansas City Blues franchise in the Western League and played home games at Sportsman's Park, which was built for the team. Baseball Hall of Fame member Kid Nichols was a player/manager and part–owner of the Blue Stockings. History The Kansas City Blue Stockings were founded in 1902 to replace the Kansas City Blues in the Class A level Western League. In the era, Class A was the highest level of minor league baseball. The Kansas City Blues moved from the Western League to become members of the 1902 Class A level American Association. In 1900, the original Kansas City Blues had relocated to become the Washington Senators for the first season of the American League. When the Kansas City Blue Stockings were formed to directly replace the Kansas City Blues in the 1902 Western Association, the combined franchise moves resulted in Kansas City having two Class A minor league baseball teams simultaneously, which proved to be tenuous. The Kansas City Blue Stockings began play at their newly built Sportsman's Park. The 1902 Kansas City Blue Stockings found a player/manager/part owner in Kid Nichols, an accomplished major league pitcher. Former Kansas City Blues and Washington Senators owner/ manager Jim Manning was the other franchise owner. Nichols had begun his professional career in the Western League with the 1887 Kansas City Cowboys and remained to play for Jim Manning with 1888 Kansas City Blues. Aside from major league pitching with the Boston Beaneaters, Nichols had also coached with nearby Amherst College (1899), Yale (1900) and Brown University (1901). Nichols had received an offer from Brown to coach in 1902, but when the opportunity arose to return to Kansas City to co–own and manage the newly formed Blue Stockings, Nichols accepted and set his major league playing career aside. In their first season of play, the Kansas City Blue Stockings won the 1902 Western League Championship. Led by player/manager Kid Nichols, the Kansas City Blue Stockings finished 1st