KOM League Flash Report 4/19/2019--------------- Spring day April 14

The KOM League

Flash Report

April 19, 2019

 

This report is located on Flickr at this link: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/40647798733/

Don’t be in any hurry in reading this edition for most of what is contained in the report is already 69 years old.

 

Exactly 69 years this week a report was put together by George Raubacher of the Janesville, Wisc. Gazette and after penning it was transmitted, by mail, to his newspaper, for publication on April 20, 1950. There wasn’t any fast way of getting things from one place to another like there is nearly seven decades after Raubacher filed his report.

 

In reading Raubacher’s few columns, posted during the spring of 1950, from Carthage, I found him to be an entertaining writer who hadn’t spent a great deal of time fact checking some of the things about which he wrote. There isn’t much need in pointing out his “off the cuff” remarks other than to say that Waynesville was near the site of Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, not Camp Leonard Wood which he cited as being in Arkansas. He made everything in Carthage sound “little” such as the industry and the Drake Hotel. He cited Smith Brothers Overall Factory as the largest industry in town and it paled in size to the marble quarry and bed spring factories in Carthage.

 

With this being the Easter season I decided to “check in” and share some memories of baseball in Carthage one year before I got to wear the hand-me-down uniform of Harry “Peanuts” Lowrey as the Carthage batboy. I wore it once and refused to do so after that. Yet another story, probably already recited in previous missives that I’ll only say that it made me appear like a squirrel in a burlap bag.

 

In the past couple of weeks some names have been shared of fellows who spent their spring training sessions at Carthage, Mo. in the early 1950’s. A story about Dick Heitholt of the Sioux Falls Canaries has been an interesting item to uncover, after nearly seven decades, and I have promised to share a few tidbits regarding Lee Eilbracht who managed Sioux Falls. A couple of interesting tales reached my computer “mail room” in the past two weeks regarding “The Miracle Man” as Sioux Falls owner Ken Guenthner called Eilbracht. As it turned out, I found Guenthner to be a very interesting man. I’m not going write about him in this issue but he merits a few lines in an upcoming report. After all, he spent four spring seasons in Carthage, MO overseeing his Sioux Falls Canaries.

 

Walt Babcock the former Carthage Cub and about the only one from that 1951 club who still communicates with this source sent some memories of his year pitching for Eilbracht. Another note was received by from a former major league scout and the only fellow from that line of work who reads these reports. He sent along a tale of his dealings with Eilbracht when the former Sioux Falls Canary manager was coaching the University of Illinois, Fightin’ Illini baseball team. In the next issue I’ll have to work those stories into the narrative.

 

If the reader does nothing but “skim” this report it may come as surprise to learn about the cost of a gallon of gasoline and a pack of cigarettes back in the era when black players brought to training camp weren’t allowed to play in exhibition games that were held outside of Carthage. Janesville brought two to training camp in 1950 and another showed up for a tryout but was not signed. Those three were Curtis Palmer, Milton Bohannian and James Lewis. When Janesville went to Iola, Kansas for an exhibition game they had to borrow an Iola catcher to fill the void left by Bohannian who wasn’t allowed to make the trip and stayed in Carthage and worked out with Sioux Falls and Carthage.

 

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JANESVILLE. WIS- JANESVILLE DAILY GAZETTE—THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1930 'PAGE SEVENTEEN, By GEORGE RAUBACHER Gazette Sports Editor ---

 

Carthage, Mo. — Even before seeing the Janesville Cubs in a workout, to say nothing of the training camp site, which is said to be the best ever, baseball men here say the Janesville club right now is much better than the one that opened the 1949 Wisconsin State .league season. However, all admit that before Janesville can expect to be a contender in the tough State league there'll have to-be a lot of replacements.

 

Manager Matty Matulis is satisfied with his second baseman, Joe Yambor. a 20-year- old rookie. He's the ranking player on the team right now. Ken Guenthner, part owner of .the Sioux Falls (class C) Northern league club, says that Yambor is ready for class B now as a fielder and that in his opinion the rookie could bat .300 or more in class D. Manager Matulis also is contented with outfielder Bob Slusarek. who, the skipper says, is twice as good as when he first saw him in 1949. Other than three pitchers (Lewis Gisinger, Jim Sandock and George Judkins) and Ralph Brockert, a second baseman-outfielder from Madison, Matulis would just as soon let the others in camp go right now. Of course, that is if replacements with more talent were available.

 

Naturally, not all of the other prospects will be released or sent elsewhere in the Chicago Cubs system. Pitchers Jack Findlay and Fred Wensing, both right handers, are liked by Matulis and may show enough skill before breaking camp to stick. It has been said that the Chicago Cubs have designated three low minor league affiliates as "Musts" in the strong class for 1950. They are Janesville, Sioux Falls and Springfield, Mo. Of the three, Springfield, in the class C Western association, is the only club owned outright by the Chicago Cubs. Janesville needs, and has asked for, two catchers, a third baseman, a shortstop, two outfielders (one a right handed batter) and three good pitchers (at least one a left hander). Janesville’s squad should be strengthened by the end of the week as clubs higher up have just cut down or are going to do so shortly. New on Janesville's 1950 roster (added Wednesday) but not new to fans are Stanley Stempkowski and Don Schmitt. Both have been optioned to the Cubs from Sioux Falls. Stempkowski. a Janesville outfielder last season, will be tried as a pitcher. He throws hard and may come through on the hillock. Schmitt. who hits a long ball, was with Janesville in 1948, coming; with Manager Lew Bekeza from: Marion. Ohio. Schmitt played in 56-games, 37 of them at third base, and hit .271 for Janesville. He's an outfielder now. -The training camp brain trust, at the nightly session Tuesday, lopped three off the .roster — Carl Foehl, right handed pitcher; William Johnson and James Nelson, both left handed pitchers. (Ed note: Schmidt played for Carthage in both 1949 and 1950 and was the KOM league All-Star 3rd baseman in 1950.)

 

I.eonard Cythaml, first baseman who has gone well in camp, is being bothered by a charley horse. It is feared that aches and pains in his bulging muscles may handicap him throughout the season. So, those closely connected with the Cubs are hopeful that Ronnie George with Janesville last season, will join the squad this week. He has been optioned to Janesville, but has asked and has been granted a tryout with Springfield, Mo. He has been clicking with Springfield, but that club has a first sacker with more experience. (Ed note: That was Bob Speake who played for Carthage in 1949 and wound up with the Chicago Cubs.) George is a much better fielder now than he was last year. George, the experts say, is a better sticker than Cythaml. The only thing that will keep Floyd Hammen, from Little Chute (Wisc.), off the Janesville team is his size. He is a little fellow with a strong throwing arm. He also has the desired hustle. However, baseball men do “not believe he’ll ever develop into a good hatter because of his lack of power. The Janesville candidate with the toughest luck is Ralph Brockert, a steady and capable baseball player from Madison. He’s listed as a second baseman, and a good one. But Yambor is a better second sacker. In fact considered the best major league possibility on the Janesville squad, Brockert does everything well—run, throw and bat. He undoubtedly will stick with Janesville if not a regular, as a utility infielder and outfielder and as a pinch batter. On the other hand Brockert is a good enough project to be in some lineup as a regular. (Ed note: Brockert played at Carthage for while that year.) Many former Janesville Cubs are here and at Springfield, which is about 57 miles east. The Cubs here with Sioux Falls include Dick Lloyd, Bob Haney, Dick Keyoth and Stempkowski until he joined Janesville Wednesday.

 

With Carthage (of the class D K-O-M league are Glen Barclay and Gordon (Ed note: Gordyn) Kirschner. At Springfield are Bob Dant, Wendell Davis, Art Klein John Freund and Don Vike. Ted Sterger, the lanky Sheboygan shortstop of last season and the State loop’s leading fielder at that position, definitely will not land with Janesville. He is a fixture in the Sioux Falls lineup and Owner Ken Guenthner, a big- hearted fellow, would part more readily with his left arm than with Sterger. Incidentally, Guenthner was the left handed golf champion of South Dakota for three years. With Sterger at short and Lloyd at second base, Sioux Falls has a smooth and lightning-fast double play combination that is the sensation of the local training base

 

Although most of the long drive in Missouri was through scrub oak country, the beautiful Ozark mountains this is an excellent farming community and rain was badly needed as none had fallen in three weeks. Carthage is 607 miles from Janesville and, with Phil Joyce alternating at the wheel, we made the trip in 14 hours. That includes an hour stop at Springfield, which claims to have a population of more than 100,000 now that the city limits has been extended. Both Springfield and Carthage, which has a population of about 15,000, are bustling places with beautiful homes, many new ones, and everything is modern. That is except for the streets, which are much narrower than Janesville’s. There’s always a traffic jam downtown in Springfield and parking there and at Carthage are even more of problems than in Janesville, believe it or not.

 

Insofar as passenger train service is concerned, Carthage might as well be back in the stagecoach days. There’s one passenger train, if it can be called such, going east daily. It is a combination baggage- passenger coach and usually one express car on the Frisco line. It leaves at 9:30 p. m. and the run is to a small place on the main line 30 miles away. (Ed note: The town was Monett)

 

One has to change trains there to get to St. Louis and it is almost a two-day trip by train, with present connections, from Carthage to Janesville. The mail service was just improved this week and announced Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, and this bit of “Hash” made the charter trip. (The Janesville sportswriter sent this column by air mail.) Carthage has airmail service, outgoing twice daily, 11 a. m, and 4 p. m. The airmail is taken to Joplin, 18 miles west, and flown from there to three major places—Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. Mother Nature Is much ahead in her work here over Janesville. Leaves are forming on trees, everything is green and grass has been mowed once and needs cutting, and all of the early perennials are in bloom or are through. Many fruit trees are in blossom. Farmers were on the land In Illinois Wednesday, plowing cornfields with tractors. Between Bloomington, Ill. and St. Louis –one team of horses was seen working—pulling a wagon of seed. Of course, in Missouri, especially through the Ozarks, where the principal crop is acorns, the mules greatly outnumbered horses and tractors. The main businesses, it seems, in all of 250 miles from St. Louis to Carthage on U.S. highway 66 are souvenir stands, ultra-modern motels and tourist courts, and gas stations. There’s a fine motel at least every 10 miles. Gas wars are many, with regular selling for as low as 17 cents a gallon and ethyl for 18. There’s also a bargain in cigarettes, as low as 14 cents a pack.

 

Highway 66, which eventually will be four lanes, two in each direction, from coast to coast, is dotted through the Ozarks with stands selling hooked rugs and bedspreads. The wares are hung outside and all are guaranteed as homemade. They look like merchandise from Chicago’s Halsted street.

 

Ed comment:

 

An observation made by Raubacher was “Most Missourian’s speak with a slight twang. Many chaw tobacco and the hillbillies talk with a slow drawl and really eat tobacco.”

 

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More material

 

By GEORGE RAUBACHEB-- Gazette Sports Editor,

 

Carthage, Mo.—One of the better of many good cracks in the Janesville rooting section Thursday when the Cubs were playing Sioux Falls in a camp game to test pitchers of questionable ability was by John Cullen, one of those who worked hardest to keep organized baseball in Janesville. Janesville had it’s in’s(?) and play was held up when the Sioux Falls pitcher was serving 'em to the second Cub sticker. He had broken open a cut on a finger and blood was getting on the ball—a blood ball instead of a pitcher. Cullen popped off with; "We should do well today, we drew first blood."

 

Janesville players lead the training camp by a wide margin in stolen bases. Manager Matulis devoted two hours of an early practice to base stealing, stressing double' steals, and also on how to break up attempted double steals. The Cubs hit their 1950 .jackpot Thursday night a triple steal, worked by Joe Tambor, Harold Goetz and Gene Kittel.

 

Milt Bohannion, slated to bid for an outfield job this year but forced to help out in the catching department, is ahead of Don Stange in the tussle for the receiving job. Neither will be the regular catcher if the Chicago Cubs come through as expected with talent. Bohannion wears a green cap and his mates now call him O'Bannion.

 

Janesville fans will have to look twice before they recognize Stan Stempkowski, an outfielder last season but now a pitcher. He has grown all of two inches and is at least 20 pounds heavier than he was a year ago. There's a shortage of wood in the Janesville camp. Although the Cubs haven't exactly been knocking the cover off the ball, they've broken all but five of the four dozen bats brought to camp.

 

One of the last things Business Manager John Mann did before heading back home was to replenish the bat supply by purchases from Carthage merchants. Most of the bats have been broken by three players. They're receiving special attention from Manager Matty Matulis on how to hold a stick.

 

One of the best batting practices the Cubs have had since they opened camp was Friday when Manager Matty Matulis pitched the entire session. He worked under game conditions, telling the batters when he was going to serve 'em a curve. He had almost perfect control. Don Anderson, manager of the Carthage club, remarked: "If a team had that kind of pitching for every practice it would increase the team's batting average from 10 to 15 points. Whether Matulis becomes the club's relief pitcher or a starter, he appears to be ready and he should have a good season on the hillock.

 

Fred Wensing, right handed pitcher from Racine, has been placed on the inactive list and sent to his home for treatment of a bad throat infection. Although he has been ill from almost the first day in camp, Wensing, in weakened condition, showed enough mound skill to rate as a regular. A Carthage doctor examined Wensing's throat Friday and said that he should take no exercise for several weeks. Before leaving camp, Wensing received two penicillin shots. Persons who look much alike— Pitcher George Judkins, one of the Cub’s' better right handers from Kimberly, Wis. and Bob Luchsinger of Janesville. Luchsinger was a promising pitcher who had his baseball career snapped by war service. He entered service in 1942 less than a week later he signed a contract with Lacrosse, then in the Wisconsin State league. (Ed note: The Carthage physician who took care of the ballplayers was Dr. Tom McNew. He brought me into this world and tended to Bill Hornsby, the previous season, when Mickey Mantle hit a fly ball that hit the son of the Hall of Famer, Rogers, in the head. McNew visited my home many times, on professional calls, and he never left until whoever was sick got a poke in the rear with a shot of penicillin.)

 

There's always something new. Atop the daily menu at "Red's" place, where the Cubs eat well and Carthage 's most popular restaurant, is a prayer. There's a different one for each day in the week. "Red" was a truck driver before he opened the eating establishment and he clicked from the outset. He's not particularly religious, and says that when he goes to church it is the Methodist. But he's a fine man, a community leader and likes nothing better than to talk baseball. (Ed note: Most of the managers and ballplayers of visiting teams flirted with the waitresses at Red’s. I know that for a fact for my oldest sister worked there. Mickey Mantle wrote about himself and his manager, Harry Craft, vying for the attention of those waitresses. As it turned out all the flirtation fell short with those waitresses, sans one. In 1951 Este Wells, an umpire, stole the heart of one of my sister’s work partners. The theft of the heart lasted for a few years and Wells went west and the waitress returned to Carthage where she lived out her life—alone.)

 

Final Cuts Scheduled At Training Camp Today--1950

 

Claude Passeau. the former Chicago Cub pitcher who has left the organization, where he scouted for talent and managed clubs several seasons, stopped off Friday enroute from his tung nut plantation in Mississippi for a small town in lowa. He's going to manage one of those rich farming community "semi-pro" clubs that play about three times a week. His salary will be almost as much as he received when starring on the mound in the National league.

 

The "amateur" players average more than $450 per month, which is more than most of them could draw in organized ball. Board and room also is provided. Of course, the players have to click or they are on their way.

 

Passeau, one of baseball's funniest and best-informed men, took over in the story telling department and spun side-splitting yarns by the hour with his southern drawl. "I'm always hungry," he said. "1 eat five big meals a day and never put on an ounce of fat." He is lean and hungry looking. For dinner, Saturday he ate two steaks, big two-inch T-bones, and all of the trimmings.

 

The players Janesville obtained from Springfield, Mo., did not report in time to make the weekend trip to lola, Kan. Henry Paskiewicz, slated to play the outfield but who will take over at shortstop for the Cubs for a while, is staying with Springfield for a while as a utility infielder because a member of that squad is injured. Jack Hasten, an outfielder –infielder, is going to be schooled at playing first base. Team managers at Carthage and Bob Peterson, Springfield pilot, believe that Hasten, a well-coordinated athlete and a good sticker, will learn the first base duties fast. He's going to be a bit of a problem during the season. Hasten's home is in Springfield and he is a railroad man. To keep his rights, will have to journey home at least for one day in each of May, June, July and August. (Ed note: Hasten was slated to play for the 1949 Independence, KS Yankees and was hurt. The Yankees released him and he was signed by the Chicago Cubs. He later became a very good ballplayer after the Philadelphia Phillies signed him and sent him to Terre Haute, Ind.)

 

Art Klein, the big right handed pitcher with Janesville the last month and a half of 1949, definitely needs more seasoning in class D baseball. And he most likely will get it with the Janesville Cubs as he admits that Manager Matty Matulis taught him more about pitching in a week than he learned in four years on a Chicago championship high school team.

 

The conclusion:

 

Well, that is enough for now. It has been interesting to peer into the perspective of sportswriters, of the early 1950’s, as they spent time in my part of the world getting prepared for a season of covering baseball for their newspapers. My interest in those spring drills was figuring out how to get some broken bats and old baseballs for a summer of thrills at “John Hall Stadium” at 1226 Valley Street. The stadium of my youth has gone the same way Class D baseball did in that town following the 1951 KOM league season.

 

One more thing. This is for Hank Chott in Glendora, California. On the evening of April 25, 1950 when Janesville went to Iola, without their black players, you pitched the first five inning of that game for the home team. At the conclusion of that game the Janesville sportswriter declared that the Wisconsin State league was superior to the KOM league and that Iola was the windiest and dustiest place imaginable.

 

Done