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Gears: Nikon D80 + AF Nikkor 50mm ƒ1.8D
Location: Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.
The band from RTM (the National Broadcasting Dept.) is performing during one of the rehearsals.
The KOM League
Flash Report
for
Friday, November 13, 2020
For those who care, this Flash Report is accessible by going to: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/50597060261/
In a note shared with a few readers on November 12 the following statement was made. “Can you imagine having a Friday 13th in the year 2020? I’m optimistic and believing it will not be a bad omen—Amen?” That message elicited many responses. However, around 5:00 a. m. a message was received from a faithful reader that stated “Charlie Pride RIP.” That was news to the old batboy and this response was sent in response to that terse e-mail. “He and Mickey Mantle used to run around together in Dallas. Mickey's mother-in-law told him she'd like to meet Charlie. Mrs. Johnson told me that around two in the morning, shortly thereafter, Mickey came into her bedroom and announced that Pride was in the living room and to get out of bed and meet him.”
Since it was now Friday the 13th a decision was made to look further into the Charlie Pride story and as a result this message was sent to the person apprising me of Pride’s passing.
“Charlie's death has been greatly exaggerated. He is not dead nor doth he sleep in Biblical jargon” www.wideopencountry.com/charley-pride-death-hoax/
With that rumor out of the way it might bode well that this Friday the 13th will be a great day.
_____________________________________________________________________________
A great loss
In the October 18, 2020 edition of this publication the following paragraph concluded that report. “This publication regrettably carries the news of many deaths. Someone who has read this and other KOM league publication since their inception is now facing the end of their days. That person happens to have known me longer than anyone currently living. It has become my task, duty, honor or whatever to write that person’s obituary. It is a difficult assignment to reduce to a few paragraphs the scope of a life that has now reached 85 years and if the Good Lord permits will be 86 within the next five weeks.”
On Halloween the person mentioned in the previous paragraph left this world for a much better place. The obituary along with a picture of the deceased is carried on this link: www.knellmortuary.com/obituaries/Janice-Elaine-Pinter?obI...
If you availed yourself of perusing that link you will know that the deceased was the sister of this here guy writing the story. But, there is more to the story. Very few people had as much confidence in the KOM league publications than the deceased. When it was opined the writing effort should come to an end my sister would always have a reason why that shouldn’t happen. On one occasion her opinion was that her little brother did more good befriending the old ballplayers and helping them than he ever did in the various churches he pastored. After thinking over that observation for a little while the little brother concurred.
It was always “Little Brother’s” idea that something would cause the KOM league reports to come to a merciful end if not by death but due to another happenstance. When my sister departed, although she hadn’t read any of the material for a few years, the first inclination was that now was the time to shut it down.
A coincidence?
On the same day of the death of Janice Pinter a letter was penned by a long time reader. It didn’t reach the “KOM League Office and Dusty Baseball Register Archives” until November 2. The letter, which was sent in place of an e-mail, had some things that are direct quotes. “A strong suggestion—quit attempting to stop writing. It is not possible to stop.”
Since the aforementioned came from a guy calling himself “Ol Clark” it was necessary to keep reading. Bill Clark is the real name and he has been around the sports world and the actual world many times. He is a living storehouse of great stories which he promises he’s going to share with the world in the form of three books. This writer is dubious that three will be sufficient.
Much of Clark’s baseball archives were destroyed in a fire, two years ago, but I’m sure much of that remains in his total recall memory bank. So, I await his upcoming literary works as much as pondering what to do about continuation of these reports. However, a constant reminder will be ever present. Clark concluded his remarks by stating “So—writers write even when no one reads them.” And for clinchers he said “No charge for the sermon.”
______________________________________________________________________________
In the spirit of the times
With the spread of the Chinese plague one is always concerned about the elderly and those with immune deficient conditions. As readers are aware most of the former KOM leaguers are either at least 90 or are so close to it they can see it on the horizon.
At the start of 2020, the top five oldest living former KOM leaguers included Nicholas Timothy Kucher. In going through the listing of Nick or Nicholas Kucher’s, who passed away, there wasn’t anything located in an obituary listing. On a whim his name was entered into Ancestry.com and there was a Find-A-Grave citation for the former KOM leaguer. www.findagrave.com/memorial/214613060/nicholas-kucher
At that juncture an even more concentrated effort was made to find an obituary for the former Ponca City Dodger was undertaken. Even the standby source, Jack Morris, couldn’t locate one either. At that point Morris was advised that an attempt would be made to come up with some information on the deceased.
Nicholas Timothy Kucher was born November 1, 1924 in New York City to Alex and Mary Kucher who were Polish immigrants. On his Sporting News card the word “Ukrainian” is typed on the top of that document as shown here. digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/112856...
Upon reaching the age of 18 he signed up for the draft and was listed as living at 315 E. 9th St. in New York and was employed by the Baker and Taylor Company at 55 5th Avenue. He filled out his card as being 6’ and weighing 170 with a scar on his left forehead. It would not have been possible for him to call his employer to report being unable to come to work, for any reason, since the family didn’t own a telephone.
Upon reporting to Ponca City in late April of 1947 this profile was shared under the heading “Meet the Dodgers.” Nick Kucher—is an outfielder, 22 years old and played his first competitive baseball with the Seward Park high school in his home town, New York city. A first baseman in prep school, he worked both the initial sack and the outfield with a semi-pro club last season (1946). He served three years in the marines, including duty at Okinawa and Saipan, and was discharged in 1945. He stands an even 6 feet, weight 172 pound and is single. A lefthanded batter and thrower, Kucher trained at Thomasville, N. C. this spring.”
What led to Kucher coming to Ponca City is contained in this late April, 1947 edition of the Ponca City News. “…Business Manager Owen Martinez announced the trade of George Schneider, 18-year-old New York city lad who has been here since last weekend, for Nick Kucher of the class C Three Rivers, Quebec, club. Schneider left Ponca City by plane in an effort to arrive at Three Rivers in time for the Canadian-American league’s opening game today. Kucher is due here this weekend.”
Upon Kucher’s arrival the KOM league season had not commenced but the Ponca City club was playing exhibition contests around the area. The first game he ever saw was from the bench as his new team was playing the Oklahoma A & M Agvets at Stillwater. This was long before that school was known as the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Ponca City News reported “Nick Kucher, an outfielder who came in last weekend from Thomasville, N. C., on a trade with Three Rivers, Quebec was on the bench at Stillwater with a sprained ankle will probably be out of play a week, his doctor says.”
When the KOM league season began Kucher was in the outfield playing both right and centerfield but not at the same time. In his first nine games he hit nearly .300 but by his 18th contest his average slipped to the .200 level and his baseball days in the KOM league were history. In a long ago conversation with Kucher he blamed the bad ankle for his not being able to perform at the level he wanted.
Not long after leaving Ponca City Kucher returned to New York and married Anne Zatowsky on January 16, 1948. They lived happily ever after until her death in 2017. When this source communicated with the Kucher’s they lived in East Northport, New York at 154 Cedar Road. They later moved to Commack, New York. I believe that Nick even lived in Scottsdale, Arizona for a time in his later years.
It can’t be determined the day and month Kucher passed away but it was in 2020. Thus, he was either 95-96 when St. Peter came calling.
The ninety two year-old penny
Most of what is contained in this article came from scrapbooks kept by a young female fan of the 1946-48-49 and 1950 Ponca City Dodgers. It is my belief she fell in and out of love with someone on each of those teams. Her scrapbooks followed her to California where they were kept for over 60 years before she finally contacted Gale Wade and offered them to him. Wade, who had played at Ponca City in 1947 and 48, didn’t want those items and suggested she get in touch with a fellow who writes about the KOM league.
In those scrapbooks are hundreds of photos of Ponca City and other KOM league players that included future big leaguers Jim Baxes, Chris Kitsos, Gale Wade and former Dodger Boyd Bartley. The scrapbooks featured many social events such as picnics. Most every box score of Ponca City home games is in those scrapbooks along with a comment about the game inserted by the “keeper of the scrapbooks.” In some places a memento of a game or from a social gathering was included.
For over a decade Yours truly has looked at those scrapbooks, from time to time. One item placed under a box score was a penny scotch taped thereto. It dawned on me, in looking at that page, to decipher the number of games in which Nick Kucher played, that the tape was still holding the penny in place. Peeling back the taped it was a bit exciting to anticipate the date on the penny knowing it had to have been minted in 1947 or earlier. What was on the front of the Lincoln head—wheat ear coin was “1928-D.” On top of that it was in good condition. At the time it was placed in the scrapbook it was only 19 years old.
So, I guess I could offer that penny to some reader for their thoughts. Do I have to say “A penny for your thoughts?”
Who remains?
When a former KOM leaguer passes away a quick check is made to see how many of his teammates remain. As of this moment I believe the list includes: William Skeen, Dale Hendricks, George Fisher, Larry Tarbell and Gale Wade. Robert Clark Taylor and Phillip Adams were never located although there is a high level of suspicion where they currently reside.
In reviewing the list of the members of the 1947 Ponca City Dodgers who were once contacted and then nothing being heard from or about them in a long time included John Dominic Ferluga and Donald Andrew Tisnerat.
John Ferluga was a native of Seattle, Washington born 10/28/1926. He graduated from Queen Ann High School in 1946 and was the opening day hurler for the 1947 Ponca City Dodgers. That was the only game in which he played with them. There has never been an obituary located for him but a listing from his high school alumni publication shows he passed away on 2/13/2017 in Renton, WA.
Donald Andrew Tisnerat was born 4/14/1927 in Long Beach, CA . He also pitched for the 1947 Ponca City Club. He had graduated from David Starr Jordan high school in Long Beach and served in the U. S. Navy during WW II. He lived in a number of places and when this source contacted him a couple of decades ago he was living in Las Vegas, NV. That is where he passed away on 6/29/2014. He was buried at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA. That is a spectacular and somber place. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_National_Cemetery
4 years ago!
Pen an watercolor on paper.
4 X 6 inches.
From imagination
Pen held between the toes of my right foot, watercolor applied with my right hand. Eyes open.
Original Post
I always like to try something new on my birthday - this time drawing with my foot (though I realized I was sometimes keeping my foot pretty still and simply moving the paper - with my hands!)
Today's Commentary
It was my birthday when I originally posted this, not today.
It doesn't seem surprising that I was an early adoptor of drawing on mobile digital devices - even with the clunky early interfaces, it was easier than some of this other stuff I was fooling around with!
I've meant to try this again and not allow myself to move the paper, but haven't gotten around to it yet. 4 years ago. Sheesh the days just keep rolling by.
This is a past self-portrait from my Daily Portrait Project, in which I made a non-photographic image of myself every day for three years, from 3/15/07 to 3/15/10. Soon they'll all be loaded on flickr, you can find them in this set: www.flickr.com/photos/juliakay/sets/72157619599543783/
The first year of the project is now available as a book: www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2418516
Volumes II and III coming soon...
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. John Curley tagged me, but I already did this on Facebook (and tagged my people)...but since he twisted my arm (ever so gently), I posted a self portrait from the only camera I had with me at work today, my minidigi rollei.
1. I have been to the hospital about 11 times in the past year, of that, thrice admitted for at least a night, twice to the ER, yet I have never broken any bones.
2. 9/11/01, the day before my 24th birthday, was the day I decided to get up early and go to work in Manhattan to fix up my portfolio and start looking for a new job. I left my job in Manhattan 6 months later and spent another year looking for full time employment.
3. I was once robbed at gunpoint with 3 other friends in South Philly. I lost waaaaaaay more time and money in the judicial system while the guy (who was caught) was prosecuted than I did in the initial robbery, which was $80. I ended up being the star witness in the trial because I had nothing to drink that night and miraculously identified him in the lineup.
4. I often have hallucinations of things floating over my bed when I wake up in the middle of the night, such as stereos, lamps, furniture and people. It happens at least 3 times a month, sometimes more, sometimes not happening at all for months.
5. I cannot read analog clocks. Well I can, but it takes me a while to decipher. I will only ever have a digital watch no matter how pretty the design of others, it is useless to me.
6. I have a completely irrational fear of radiation poisoning and nuclear disaster. This made K-19: The Widowmaker the most terrifying movie I have ever seen.
7. I really adamantly disliked photos and photo-making until I was in college, now I can't stop.
8. Despite being an abandoned building exploring junkie of four years, its only in the past
two months that I have done any damage to myself in them- once falling through the floor (just my leg, but no other real harm came of it) and running into a house and falling in the door, massacring my knee which still hurts a bit.
9. I would walk everywhere I could if possible, I hate to drive. I also have a completely rational fear of driving on Route 76, the main artery for the Philadelphia area and refuse to use it. I get whiteknuckled even as a passenger on it.
10. I was born a blonde but have been a redhead for 14 years.
11. I am lefthanded.
12. I hate talking on the phone. I don't like voices without visual cues unless I *really* know you pretty well. Pierre you don't count when you call me to tell me you are peeing.
13. I used to draw almost constantly and by the time I was in high school I thought I would be an illustrator. I fell in love with graphic design in college and fell out of love with it after I got my first job in it. It is still mostly paying my bills today. I am hoping to change that in the next two years.
14. As a child I was a nature freak, hoping to one day become the Jane Gooddall of the ornithology world. I also kept pet insects in cages built of legos and referred to my Audobon Field Guides for what to feed them. I had a pet praying mantis I fed peanut butter and pet store crickets that lived well into February.
15. I don't have any real sweeping long term goals but am not lacking in ambition. This year I want to find a publisher and a gallery for my construct series.
16. I drive an ancient piece of crap car that still has a hole in it from my one and only car accident. Driving in the Poconos in a snow and ice storm, my car slid across the expressway and got hooked on the back bumper of an 18wheeler who never even noticed it happened. I have never had a moving violation.
17. I was born via caesarian section a full month over term.
18. One day I will be a full time photographer and artist.
19. My face was on a magazine cover once. I have gotten to a point where I really don't care to see or make images of myself at all after having made self-portraits in different media most of my life.
20. I am a realist. And apparently very much the Virgo stereotype.
21. Feet disgust me. I don't like seeing them, even my own and touching and being touched by them grosses me out no end.
22. I wish I could become invisible at will. Mostly so I can go to the shadiest neighborhoods and take photos without being in danger, and also slip into abandoned buildings unnoticed by everyone. Not so I can be a super spy or a perve. I am already a bit of a perve and not invisible at all.
23. I never want to have children and I am really not fond of them at all.
24. I hate consuming beverages. I have gone entire days not thinking to drink at all. I may be part camel.
25. If I did not have a career in the arts I think I might be a hair stylist. My hair has always had a (rather rich) life of its own.
Watercolor on paper.
13 X 19 inches.
Left-handed with some right-handed blotting.
From imagination and riffing loosely on this self-portrait from 2002.
In the middle of the night, still not fully recovered from a nasty chest cold, and knowing I have to get up early tomorrow, suddenly nothing will do but I must, yes must, play with extremely unfamiliar wet on wet watercolor techniques with my left hand. I blame the incredible, inspiring watercolors of Anne Watkins.
This is the fourth attempt, and it bears no resemblance to the first three complete failures...
Better photo coming with daylight.
If you say something that hits her ear in a certain way, she'll whip out a journal or a scrap of paper and write it down. I kind of love it when this happens.
Today's FGR theme was "I am...", which was the perfect opportunity for me to finally respond to being tagged by lesamonster and Utahbeach (sorry for taking so long, folks!). Since I was tagged, I have to give 16 random facts about myself. Coincidentally, I was tagged on Facebook by my lovely wife for something similar a few days ago, only for that one I had to do 25 facts. So I figure hey, I might as well do put up all 25 here, eh?
1. I'm going to be a dad in less than a month (Due date = February 19)!
2. I'm left-handed...kinda. Things I do left-handed: write, draw, paint, play baseball, play football, hold a hockey stick, talk on the phone, wear a watch (I put it on my right arm). I also us my left foot to kick when I play soccer. Things I do right-handed: Play tennis, play golf, use a computer mouse, take pictures (is it possible to take pictures left-handed?). When I play basketball I dribble and shoot right-handed, but I do layups and hook shots left-handed.
3. When I was a kid I loved flying and wanted to be a pilot when I grew up, but then I met a friend whose dad was an airline pilot and he wasn't home a lot, so I decided I'd rather not be a pilot because I wanted to be home with my family every night.
4. When I was young, my hair was almost totally white. If the sun was behind me, it looked like I had this bright white halo above my head.
5. Video game systems I've owned: Atari 2600, NES, Game Boy, Super NES, Game Gear, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Gamecube, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.
6. My dad used to have a big beer stein filled with coins in his dresser that my sisters and I would sneak money out of. To this day I'm not sure if he ever knew we all did it. I also keep a big beer stein filled with coins on my computer desk and I put all my spare change in it.
7. At my heaviest, I weighed 215 lbs. That was a few years ago. For the last 10 months I've been going to the gym regularly and I'm down to about 190 lbs.
8. I was raised in a Christian and conservative household, and was quite religious and conservative until after I graduated college. Since 2000, I've slowly transitioned away from Christianity and conservatism, and now I'm agnostic and somewhat liberal (although my parents would say I'm very liberal). I still do, however, understand and respect many of the feelings, beliefs, and arguments from Christians and conservatives even if I don't share them.
9. My dad is a dentist and my mom is a dental hygienist, but I floss my teeth probably once every 5 months.
10. 10 is my favorite number.
11. I love all kinds of music and artists, but the two artists that I can always listen to, no matter what the song, are Tom Petty and Jack Johnson.
12. When I was a kid I used to pick my nose and stick the boogers underneath tables (or my bed).
13. I've taken lessons for clarinet, piano, and guitar but I never was very good at any of them.
14. I only went to high school for three years. I participated in a program called the Resident Honors Program that allowed me to skip my senior year in high school and go to USC instead. But my parents made it a condition that for the first year I had to come home every couple of weekends, which I didn't mind doing because I missed my family and friends back home in Ventura County.
15. I really wanted to have a nickname when I was in elementary school. For a couple days I tried to make my sisters call me Beaver, but it didn't stick.
16. When I got my wisdom teeth out, the doctor told my dad he had to give me enough sedative to tranquilize a horse. After the operation I had all sorts of problems including dry sockets (where the gum doesn't grow over the hole like it should, so your jawbone is sitting there exposed...painful!), something that made it so that I couldn't swim, blow my nose, or drink through a straw for a few weeks (the tissue between my nose and mouth was barely there, and doing those things would blow it apart apparently), and continued numbness in the right part of my lower lip. That part of my lip is still numb.
17. I own a shotgun, but it lives in Southern California at my parents' house because Trish doesn't want guns in our house.
18. I snore really loudly. Always have. But now I have a snore guard that I wear at night and it helps a lot.
19. I got my first real job when I was 14, working for a fence company. I got paid under the table. My first day I didn't wear sunscreen and I didn't have work gloves, and I came home incredibly sunburnt and with very blistered hands.
20. I really enjoy eating, but I don't savor my food. I eat very fast (normally I'm done with my plate before anybody else at the table, unless I'm eating with my family because we're all pretty fast eaters). I'm also very bad about portion control. I'm learning, but it's hard for me to leave food on my plate.
21. My grandpa, dad, mom, and aunt all went to USC, so I was raised a Trojan. It was a dream come true when I ended up going there.
22. I almost drowned when I was 17 when I was trying to swim to the shore but a rip current kept pulling me under. I was only about 50 meters from the shore and could clearly see people, and I kept thinking how crappy it was that I was going to die 50 meters away from people. The next day, I was on a tall rock at a different beach that was about 40-50 feet high, and I almost got thrown off it (and into very rocky, rough water below) when some waves came in and crashed against the rock.
23. My favorite food is Mexican food. I never really had Indian food until a couple years ago, but it has quickly become one of my favorite types of food, as well.
24. I have asthma but thankfully I don't have to use my inhaler very often. When I was younger it was worse, and I always had to have my inhaler handy when I was playing a sport just in case. I'd even get asthma if I laughed too hard at something. It's a lot better now, but it acts up if I get a cold or if my allergies flare up.
25. Before I met my wife, the longest I'd ever "gone out with" a girl was 6 months. My wife and I have been together for almost 12 years now.
shot with my iphone after he played his heart out in two soccer games in a row, never coming out of play. and then, essentially, played a third on the sidelines, while his sister's game was going.
Format: Glass plate negative.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Repository: Phillips Glass Plate Negative Collection, Powerhouse Museum www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/collection=Phillips_Glass_Plate_Negative
Part Of: Powerhouse Museum Collection
General information about the Powerhouse Museum Collection is available at www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database
Persistent URL: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=385862
Acquisition credit line: Gift of the Estate of Raymond W Phillips, 2008
- early vintage autograph - his writing style has changed now...
David Lewis Marshall (b. January 14, 1943, at Artesia, California) is a retired professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and the San Diego Padres.
He was one of many promising outfielders to come up with the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s. He was never quite able to crack a major league starting lineup, but the lefthanded hitter became a valuable pinch-hitter for the New York Mets and San Diego Padres after leaving San Francisco.
MLB statistics:
Batting average - .246
Home runs - 16
RBI - 114
Teams:
San Francisco Giants (1967–1969)
New York Mets (1970–1972)
San Diego Padres (1973)
Link to all of his issued baseball cards - www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/3665/col/1/yea/0/Dav...
TodaysArt 2015
Pier, Scheveningen
A live concert driven by the sea.
Two man angling, trying to catch ‘A tempo Hydro’.
Perhaps the sea will release the Accelerando. and returns to it’s A tempo.
For this piece the environment is the instrument.
The works from Onno Poiesz are very varied. From large 2D works such as; ‘EXIT’ which existed out of stickers made specially for the Central Station of Rotterdam- to glaced keramic airplanes and bronzed doorknobs in the Dutch public transport. For this eleventh edition of TodaysArt , Poiesz created a project intended for the most lefthanded island on The Pier which will be demolished at the end of 2015. This projects is inspired on one of the original ‘ZERO on Sea’ installations. Artist Heinz Mack planned to place pillars made out of mirrors into the sea. Poiesz is planning to wrap the left hand island completely in mirroring foil. By doing so, a new dimension will arise and will change the context of the building. The building will gain body and the exact contours will fade. During the day, light and colors will change and reflect in the sea.
© 2009 Sarah Brooks. All Rights Reserved.
Day 365 of 365 (The End!!)
Wow! 365 days! I'm so glad that I made it. One year ago I was psyching myself up for this project and now, today, it's done. I feel grateful to everyone who's left me comments and spoken to me about this project. It meant so much to me to hear that people like what I do. In computer world, and in real life.
There have been a few times where I go to a BBQ or something else with my extended circle of friends and have someone mention that they like my pictures or how they look forward to when I post and it humbles me.
I've learned a lot during this year about photography and about myself. I've learned about most of the capabilities of my advanced point and shoot camera and I've watched myself grow and develop in the ways I compose shots, in the ways that I develop shots, and just the way I see the world. I can't count the number of times that I see something while driving and then curse because I really can't stop the car to take a shot there. I can count the number of times that I have stopped though, it was two times on the interstate, and 3 in other places. Including once when I trespassed with my friend, hershdrums. (It was totally worth it!)
I would like to thank my husband, Charlie (aka: Amazing Mr. Brooks), my family, friends, and my contacts here on flickr. Ali has been an awesome source of inspiration, as has Brad, Carrie, Mattea, Derrick, Maria, Ryan, Sheila, Anna, Henry, Terri, Beryl, Ari, Julie, and Todd among many others. Thank you for your inspiration and support!
As for doing another 365... well, not right now, but soon... Right now I'm about 1/3 of the way saved up toward a DSLR and I'd like to do another year to help me learn more about that camera... but I've got to keep saving. Just because I'm done however, does not mean that I'm going to be disappearing... I love taking pictures and I love hanging around here. I just won't feel bad if I miss a day now...
Random Fact: This shot was taken in the same room as my day one shot. Also, it was pajama day today.
25 Things About Me (Facebook meme)
OK, I broke down and did this. And, I'm here to tell ya -- it's a worthwhile exercise!
1. I grew up from ages 5-9 living with my mom’s parents who were both first generation American immigrants. My nana’s family came from Italy, and my grampy’s family came from England. They had both lived through the Great Depression and were incredibly frugal. When I was in high school during the 1980s, my Nana used to yell at me for spending 30 cents to drive on the Mass Pike (Massachusetts turnpike) 12 miles from Framingham to Weston, rather than surface roads which were slower but cost nothing. Here is a photo of my nana.
2. My grandfather was an avid deer hunter, and when I was growing up during hunting seasons there would usually be a dead deer hanging upside down and gutted in our garage. I didn’t want to eat “Bambi” so I grew up eating “beef stew” that years later I realized was actually “venison stew.”
3. My little brother and I would take the deers’ paws/hoofs and trade them with the neighborhood kids for Star Wars figures. (No one else had dead animals hanging upside down in their garages, so we were practically neighborhood celebrities.)
4. My grandfather taught me to shoot at the Southborough Rod and Gun club when I was 11. I shot targets with .22 rifles and skeet with shotguns. By age 12, I was an NRA-certified sharpshooter and I had all the patches and medals to prove it.
5. I’m still a pretty good with a gun (so you might want to have me among your friends in the event of an apocalypse like in the book "The Road.") Nowadays I shoot Glock and Baretta 9mm handguns at LA Gun Club downtown. (I only shoot at targets and have never shot animals of any kind, but I suppose I would if I had to for survival.)
6. I was a total tomboy as a child and I hated baby dolls and dolls of any kind. If relatives gave a doll to me for Christmas or a birthday gift, I would throw a hissyfit. Instead, I loved stuffed animals (mostly dogs and unicorns) and I had a huge collection and they all had names. Up until 4th grade, I would sleep at night with all 45 stuffed animals in my bed with me, and I wouldn’t go to sleep until I had said goodnight to all 45 by name.
7. My dog, Bocce, an Italian Greyhound has slept in bed with me for every day of the eleven years I have had her for. As you might imagine, my boyfriend Chris is not thrilled about this. (Our other dog, Maggie, the Boston Terrier, sleeps in a crate downstairs.) Here is a photo of Bocce in the bed
8. My parents both have incredibly strong Bahstan accents, although please don’t ever tell them this. (They will say “Heah we tahk just like people on TV.”) My own severe Masshole/Bahstan accent was beat out of me during my freshman year of college at Vassar. I used to say “Pahty” and “Wicket cool” and “Beeah” and “Pissah” and “Ruhm” (instead of room), and I will sometimes still break into these types of enunciations if I’m drunk or talking on the phone with my parents. I decided to shorten my name to “Jess” because my parents and other people in Massachusetts called me “Jessicahr” due to the accent.
9. I’ve always loved reading, writing, and learning about unusual things (including but not limited to -- nutria, native Peruvian shamanism and ayahuasca ceremonies, and how to build a pirate TV transmitter. I was the only girl in my school’s talented and gifted program in 6th grade. The other girls quit because (as one of them told me) “Jon Willman (a cute guy in our class) doesn’t like smart girls.” Somehow – despite the peer pressure -- I decided to stay. I still prefer being around smart/geeky/nerdy people to this day.
10. In 7th grade I had HUGE hair (courtesy of Aqua Net hairspray and a curling iron) and dated the types of guys who drove stolen cars, listened to Metallica, and spent more time smoking pot than attending school. By 8th grade, thankfully, I was over this phase. In addition to my brief time hanging out with metal-heads during the 80s, other lifestyle/subcultures I have had substantial phases with belonging to include the gothic and electronic music scenes.
11. My first concert (in 1987) was Ratt at the Worcester Centrum. Poison opened up for them. We sat way up in the nosebleed seats and as excited as I was to be at MY FIRST CONCERT I remember Ratt’s singer Stephen Pearcy’s voice sounding absolutely horrible when he sang their seminal hairband hit "Round and Round.” My second concert was INXS with my girlfriends in the summer of 1988. I had the HUGEST crush on Michael Hutchence.
12. In elementary school, I got free lunch from the town because we didn’t have very much money, but I was mostly too embarrassed to accept it.
13. My first-ever crush was on Han Solo in first grade when I saw “The Empire Strikes Back” at the drive-in. Later crushes included Michael Hutchence (in 8th grade) and Kyle McLaughlin's Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks.
14. I’m lefthanded.
15. I have 20/20 vision and have never worn glasses or contact lenses except once on Halloween in 1997 where I wore blue colored contact lenses (without vision correction) to make my Aeon Flux costume “more realistic.” Here is a photo of that costume.
16. My favorite movie is David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive.” I met David Lynch at an “Inland Empire” DVD signing at a bookstore in LA and I was awestruck and speechless for the first time ever in my life. Here is a photo of that moment. I’m not afraid to admit that I love cheesy movies as well including late ‘80s chick flicks such as Dirty Dancing and Mystic Pizza.
17. I freakin love karaoke (and Rock Band). Chris won my heart with his skeet-shooting and karaoke skills. He outshot me and got the high score of the night on video skeet at the Yahoo Year-End-Party in Dec 2005. He also sings a mean Michael Hutchence.
18. I’ve never been a smoker or addicted to anything (except maybe caffeine). My worst habit is that I bite my nails until they are incredibly stubby and short and gross.
19. During my freshman year at Vassar I was the hooker on the women’s rugby team. In addition to having an awesome name, the hooker is in the middle position in the front line of the scrum and “hooks”/kicks the ball into the scrum. Because of the pressure put on the hooker by the scrum it is considered to be one of the most dangerous rugby positions to play. I never got injuries beyond bruises, though I played in a match where an ambulance came because another girl broke her collarbone.
20. I went to college at Vassar on a full scholarship. I still feel grateful to this day, and continue to donate money to the school.
21. I feel so guilty about having someone clean for me that I have never paid anyone to clean my house even though it is dirt cheap in Los Angeles to do so. I would never judge anyone who has hired a housecleaner, and as soon as I can get over my guilt I am sure I will someday hire someone to help out around the house – especially if I ever decide to have children.
22. I’ve worked on the Internet for 13 years now, and I love technology and the way it has improved so many people’s lives worldwide by expanding/sharing knowledge and communication with others as well as people’s enjoyment of their lives. I’ve had a personal website (poprocks.com) since 1997, before they were even called blogs. It’s in an unforgivable state of disrepair and poor maintenance today. Please don’t judge me.
23. I went to Burning Man for the first time in 1999, and I liked it so much I’ve gone 8 times, but I have never referred to myself (nor to any of my friends) as a “burner.” Here is one of my favorite photo/memories from Burning Man.
24. When my younger brother Jimmy died in 2002, my mother was contacted by a psychic who said she had talked with my brother from the spirit world. The psychic told me that Jimmy said that he tried to speak to me when I’m meditating in yoga class. I’m pretty sure I believe this. In my dreams, I have had conversations with my Nana and my brother. Also, a huge percentage of my dreams are set in the house I grew up in -- in Southborough Massachusetts even though I have not set foot in that house in over 14 years.
25. I grew up in Massachusetts, went to college in New York, and then moved to California where I’ve lived for the past 10 years. (I lived in San Francisco for 5 years, and in LA for 5 years.) I may be one of a rare type of person who loves both NorCal and SoCal. Today I live in Marina del Rey, near the ocean on the Westside in Los Angeles. On weekends we ride our bikes practically everywhere, and almost never get in our cars. Maybe surprising to some people, I love Los Angeles and think I could live here forever. I have an inner conviction that I am absolutely in the right place.
26. I truly feel as if I have lived the American dream.
Various water-soluble pencils on paper, and electric eraser.
From life / observation / mirror
26 X 20 inches
Started as left and right handed together, but after the first 10 minutes, converted to strictly left-handed with right-handed erasing.
(Working title was Pinhead)
Day 01 - 01/18 - 30 m - red oxide. Left & a little right.
Day 02 - 01/19 - 70 m - deep rose. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 03 - 01/21 - 30 m - leaf green. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 04 - 01/22 - 30 m - payne's gray. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 05 - 01/23 - 36 m - dark purple. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 06 - 01/24 - 30 m - thistle. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 07 - 01/25 - 35 m - dusky purple. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 08 - 02/05 - 30 m - prussian blue. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 09 - 02/07 - 35 m - prussian blue & indian red. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 10 - 02/10 30 m - prussian blue & light olive. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 11 - 02/11 40 m - prussian blue & light olive. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
~6.5 hours.
Since it can be hard to see without lining them up side by side... main differences here are lower left side of the face, and the shirt.
I think I have one more day here. I'm curious what, if anything, you think needs to be worked on before I call this finished?
boston, massachusetts
august 1975
u.s. professional tennis championship
longwood cricket club, chestnut hill, massachusetts
first-round action - jan kodes vs. patrice dominguez
part of an archival project, featuring the photographs of nick dewolf
© the Nick DeWolf Foundation
Image-use requests are welcome via flickrmail or nickdewolfphotoarchive [at] gmail [dot] com
Marker and Acrylic Paint on Paper
4 X 6 inches.
15-20 minutes.
From imagination.
In the spirit of left-hand-blind (LHB)... I did draw with my left hand, and I started with my eyes closed. However, I peeked a couple times :) And since I used acrylic paint, which is opaque, I did change a couple things in the painting process, which I don't usually do for a full-on "LHB" painting.
This is part of my Daily Portrait Project, which can be viewed in it's entirety at studiojuliakay.com/portraitproject.
Various water-soluble pencils and crayons, and water, on paper.
From life / observation / mirror
26 X 20 inches
Left and right handed together, sometimes multiple pencils in each hand.
30 minutes
1. soy diestro, pero siempre quise ser zurdo
2. hablo (y pienso) en tres idiomas, español, esperanto e inglés, sueño con hablar ruso, frances y japonés
3. soy firmemente de izquierda, el capitalismo a ultranza y el conservadurismo social me scan ronchas (y se burlan de mi por los gadgets que tengo) [pero la distribucion equitativa de los bienes y riqueza no tiene nada que ver conla privacion]
4. me enanta andar en dos ruedas, sea la moto o la bici, me parece inescesario andar cargando tonelada y media de fierros
5. me sé de memoria las priemras 10 temporadas de los simpons, son como la biblia, siempre hay un capiulo (de este antiguo testamento) que tiene la respuesta
6. siempre lloro en las peliculas, en la escenas donde se reconoce la labor de un heroe.... sin falta
7. tecleo mas rápido de lo que escribo a mano (y aunque no lo crean, mas entendible)
8. creo que las mate,áticas lo explcian todo, jhasta el amor.. lo unico que pasa es que no sabemos tantas mates como quisieramos
9. me gusta la música, pero mucho menos que a la mayoría... 1 giga de mp3 es mas que suficiente y dos generos definen todo lo que me gusta: latin rock fusion y progresivo
10. todo me entra por los ojos.. el cine, al foto.. los recuerdos...
11. por momentos desprecio la cultura occidental basada en el materialismo que dejo a un lado el honor, de ahi mi acercamiento a las culturas orientales
12. uso trackball en lugar de mouse, nadie mas quiere usar mi compu
13. en el cine siemrpe me siento en el centro, para oir como se debe y ver como se debe
14. me encanta toda la comida derivada del maiz, soy un adicto a los carbohidratos
15. me gustan las cosas con botones, y me llevo bien con ellas
16. explico mi vida con mis disléxia
- - - - - - - - - -
1. mi estas desktrulo, sed mi ĉiam volis esti maldekstrulo (pri manoj)
2. mi parolas (kaj pensas je) tri lingvojn: esperanto, hispana kaj angla. mia rvo estas paroli la rusan, francan kaj japanan
3. Mi estas tute (politikoekonomike) maldesktrulo, malsanigas min la dekstrega ekonomio kaj la socia malliberalismo (oni mokas pri mi, tial ke mi havas elektonikajn ilojn) [sed mi certas ke ĵusta disigado de riĉeco ne kontraŭas haveĵojn]
4. mi ŝatas veturi du-rade, same biciklo kaj motorciklo.. mi ne komprenas kial oni veturu per 1,500-kg-a ilo.
5. mi konas ĉiujn epizodojn de "The Simpsons" (el la unuaj dek epizodaroj).. ili estas kvazaŭ la biblio (ti ĉiu malnova libraro).. oni ĉiam trovos respondon al ĉia demando
6. mi ĉiam ploras dum filmoj, kiam la heroo estas konigita kiel heroo.. ĉiam-ĉiame
7. mi tajpas pli rapide ol kion mi skribas mane (kaj certe pli klare, eĉ oni ne kredu tion)
8. mi kredas ke matematiko povas klarigi ĉion, eĉ amo.. la afero estas ke oni ne scias sufiĉan matematikon
9. mi ŝatas muzikon multe malpli ol plejmulto.. 2 GB sufiĉas por ĉio.. kaj nur du genroj listigas kion mi ŝatas, latin-rok-miksigo, kaj progresiva roko
10. ĉio enigas min per la okuloj, fotoj, kino, memoraĵoj
11. fojfoje mi malamas la okcidentan kulturon, kiu malaprezigas la honorn, kaj premias la materialaĵon... pro tio, mi ŝatas orientajn kulturojn
12. mi uzas 'trackball' anstataŭ 'mouse' (komputile), neniu volas uzi mian komputilon
13. ĉe la kinejo mi ĉiam sidiĝas meze, por aŭskilti kaj vidi inde
14. mi tre ŝatas manĝaĵojn eligita el maizo... mi amas karbonhidratojn
15. mi amegas aĵojn kun butonojn.. kaj mi tre bone kunvivas ilin
16. mia vivo estas klarigita per mia disleksiko
- - - - - - - - - -
1. I'm righthanded, but I always wanted to be lefthanded
2. I speak (and think in) three languages, english spanish and esperanto, I dream about speaking russina, french and japanese
3. Im left in economics, the extreme right and social conservatism make me sick (sometimes they mock me because I use and have gadgets) [but i´m sure equality in wealth distribution is not opposite to private property]
4. I like to ride two-wheeled transports, bicycle and motorcycle.. I ant understand why everybody carries more than a thousand kilos for transport themself
5. I know by heart all the episodes of teh first ten seasons of teh simpsons .. tehy are like the bible (this 'old testament').. you can always find an answer
6. I always cry on films, in scenes when a heroe is distinguished as a hero... always
7. I type faster than i handwrtite (and clearer, even thats hard to belive)
8. I belive math explains everything.. the issue here is the limited knowledge of math
9. I like music a lot less that the mayority, 2GB are enough, and ony two genres are needed, latin-rock-fusion, and progerssive
10. I get everything trought the eyes, photos, movies and memories
11. some times I hate occident.. because it forgots about honor, and only worries about material stuff.. that's why I like oriental cultures
12. I use trackball instead of a mouse, nobody wants to use my computer
13. at the movie theater i always sits in the middle, to sea and heard as its intended to
14. i love all food from corn.. Im addicted to carbohidrats
15. I love things with buttons, and we understand each other
16. all my life is explained by my dislexia
Málaga Beach vs Team G Solà, final femenina del 'V Open Ciutat de Calella'
_____________________________________ GRAN / GRANDE / LARGE ___________
Sunday Almanac @St.George's, 33 Upper Sudeley Street, Brighton.
Dom played
Girl Of My Dreams- Glenn Gray & his Casa Loma Orchestra
I Can't Write A Letter Lefthanded- Bill Withers
He Was A Friend Of Mine- Willie Nelson
Denham Town- Winston & George
Mother's Last Words To Her Son- Washington Phillips
Just As Long As You Are There- Vanessa Paradis
Promenade Sentimale- Vladimir Cosima
Moonlight Swim- Tony Perkins
Let 'Em In- Wings
Voodoo Woman- Koko Taylor
The Shuffle- Van McCoy
Blam Blam Fever- The Valentines
I'm Gonna Run Away From You- Tami Lynn
Martha My Dear- The Beatles
Soldier Jane- Beck
I Can Only Give You Love- Jackson 5
The Folks Who Live On The Hill- Peggy Lee
Chris Played
Classical Gas- Mason Williams
Blue Hotel- Chris Isaacs
The Fool On The Hill- Sergio Mendes
I Only Have Eyes For You- The Flamingos
A Little More Love- Olivia Newton John
Simple Game- Four Tops
The Day I Met Marie- Cliff Richard
To Sir With Love- Dawn Penn
The Puppy Song- Nilsson
It Must Be Love- Labi Siffre
Elusive Butterfly- Bob Lind
Born Free- Matt Monro
Singing On A Star- Big Dee Irwin
My Name Is Jack- Manfred Mann
Eleanor Rigby- The Beatles
I Try- Macy Gray
Over The Rainbow- John Martyn
This Flight Tonight- Joni Mitchell
The Lady Is A Tramp- Peggy Lee
Ode To Billie Joe- Bobby Gentry
Dom played
Rock With You- Michael Jackson [Reflex Refix]
Sinner- Neil Finn
Moon River- Audrey Hepburn
Good Song- Blur
Something To Remind Me- Royksopp [album version]
Angeleyes- Czars
Harley Davidson- Brigitte Bardot
I Hear You Knocking- Smiley Lewis
I Hear You Knocking- Dave Edmunds
For All We Know- Carpenters [acapella]
Pretending As Always- Anouk
Union City Blues- Blondie
If I Ever Recover- Basement Jaxx
Summer The 1st Time- Bobby Goldsboro
Drift So Far- William Orbit
All Kinds Of Everything- Dana
Sweet Harmony- Beloved
The Man I Love- Billie Holiday
Chris played
Cast Your Fate To The Wind- The Vince Guaraldi Trio
The Moon Is Blue- Colourbox
The Letter- Boxtops
Beautiful Noise- Neil Diamonds
Everything I Own- Ken Boothe
Baby Don't Chnage- Gladys Knight
I Can't Let Go- Evie Sands
Here I Am- Al Brown
Changes- David Bowie
Manhattan- Ella Fitzgerald
Excerpt From A Teenage Opera- Keith West
Ready Or Not- Delphonics
Do You Know- Michelle Gayle
Oom Pah Pah- Oliver [Original Soundtrack]
Sundown- Gordon Lightfoot
My Sweet Lord- George Harrison
What A foold Belives- Doobie Brothers [12'']
Who Loves You?- Four Seasons
Dom played
Take Me With U- Prince
Moonlight Shadow- Mike Oldfield
Je Suis Un Rockstar- Bill Wyman
That's Me - ABBA
Rock On- David Essex
Beltane Walk- T Rex
Then He Kissed Me- The Crystals
Sorrow- David Bowie
Our Lips Are Sealed- Fun Boy Three
Let Her Down Easy- Terence Trent Darby
Right By Your Side- Eurythmics
Something Good- Christopher Plummer & Julie Andrews
Your Silent Face- New Order
Stars- Dubstar
You're So Vain- Carly Simon
Vintage left handed pitcher. Like New condition with no chips, cracks or scratches. White & blue. Featuring a windmill scene on the front along with a poem. "I'm a left handed pitcher made 'specially for you. I'm quite original-and practical, too! A "southpaw" pitcher to bring you good cheer, with luck & happiness for many a year." On the back it features an ocean scene with sailing ships. On each side is a dutch girl & a dutch boy. On the bottom is written 1096. Such a cute unique pitcher! Measuring 5 inches tall, 2 1/2 inches across the base & 1 3/4 inches wide.
Various water-soluble pencils and crayons on paper.
From life / observation / mirror
26 X 20 inches
Started as left and right handed together, but after the first 10 minutes, converted to strictly left-handed with right-handed erasing.
210 minutes... 3.5 hours... so far.
Day 01 - 01/18 - 30 m - red oxide. Left & a little right.
Day 02 - 01/19 - 70 m - deep rose. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 03 - 01/21 - 30 m - leaf green. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 04 - 01/22 - 30 m - payne's gray. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 05 - 01/23 - 36 m - dark purple. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 06 - 01/24 - 30 m - thistle. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
Day 07 - 01/25 - 35 m - dusky purple. Drew with the left, erased with the right.
~4.5 hours... so far.
It's getting close now, but I think at least a couple more sessions. Not how I usually work, so an interesting process for me. At least I have fewer pieces of paper to store at the end of the week if I keep working on the same one...
Halfstock percussion rifle made by Theodore Clark Spangler, in either Neponset or Annawan, Illinois. It is .34 caliber, with back action lock, and made for a left-handed shooter. Left handed firearms were very rare during the 19th Century. If one was born left-handed, it was considered a birth defect. Most were "converted" to be right-handed at home or in school.
Theodore Clark Spangler was born in Center Township (now Wyanet Township), Bureau County, Illinois, July 11, 1850. He was one of twin sons (Theodore & Theory), born to Jacob Young Spangler and his wife, Jane Clark, who came to Bureau County from Ohio, in 1847. The family moved to Manlius Township, Bureau County, in 1852.
Theodore Spangler is listed as "Gunsmith & Town Marshall" in Neponset, Bureau County, in "Taxpayers & Voters of Bureau County, 1877". He is listed in the 1880 census as a gunsmith in Annawan Village, Henry County, Illinois, which is just across the county line from Bureau County. Theodore Spangler married Janetta Peebles, in Annawan, Illinois, December 11, 1871. By 1885 he was a gunsmith in Tabor, Iowa. He died in Nebraska in 1903.
Exists for lefthanded and righthanded ergonomics : built-to-fit-the-hand for one-hand operation.
Halfframe SLR.
Not a videocamera, but an analoge filmcamera.
Has even a LCD display on his back.
Yashica technology at his bests.
There are 19 individuals in this photo and here is my best attempt at identifying them. From left to right: Hugh B. Lott Jr., Laverne Schneider, Frank Johnson, Dick Drain, Joe Beatka, Frank Winkler, Kenneth McGee-head turned to left, person with hand on shovel-unidentified but is definitely a female, Bob Ottesen, Loyd Wayne Simpson, Joe Carolan-(I think), Robert Wesley James (I think), Pat Gosney, Lloyd Koehnke, George Wegerek, May be Lowell McMillen, guy with head barely visible is not identified, Bill Enos-turned around, mining company employee and Stan Costales. Anyone wanting to add to or correct me on any of this identification, feel free to do so.
Look closely: The hand on that big shovel belongs to a female. Look at the fingers, the length of the sleeve as compared to the guys and the bun hair-do. Do you agree that has to be a female? If not, justify your position.
The KOM League
Flash Report
for the week of
June 28 thru July 3, 2015
Note: This report is also posted at: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/19185443761/
Wonder of wonders, the previous Flash Report received a huge boost in readership by virtue of it being picked up and placed in the Sunday June 21st edition of a newspaper in a former KOM league city. If you read the last Flash Report concerning James Albert Murphy now is the time to play “Guess What Newspaper Printed It.”
Okay, time is up. What was your guess? In the previous report the names of former Pittsburg, KS, Ponca City and Miami, OK players were mentioned. So, if you guessed a newspaper in any of those three cities carrying the article you are as wrong as those who picked the Milwaukee Brewers to be in first place on the 4th of July of this year.
Once something is written you wish like mad you had left some things unsaid and added other things. To illustrate my point Wayne Simpson told me that after he left Pittsburg he was confronted by Tedd Gullic, the manager of the Bartlesville Pirates, who was upset he didn’t get a chance to add him to the Bartlesville roster. At that time Gullic had just lost future big leaguers Ronnie Kline and Brandy Davis to the New Orleans Pelicans. Now, I’ve given a hint as to what newspaper picked up on the last Flash Report and shared it with their readers. If the hint isn’t clear enough here’s the link:
examiner-enterprise.com/sports/local-sports/story-reveale...
There is a common trait that the article generated in both the Flash Report and Bartlesville newspaper—very little comment.
References to check:
www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&am...
www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&am...
www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&am... (Ed note: I learned long ago NEVER to do a Google search for Brandy Davis. What you will find, under that search, has nothing to do with baseball or the guy who my wife and I called “Friend” prior to his death.)
______________________________________________________________________________
A brief respite:
If my memory is still functioning, I recall only two comments from the previous Flash Report that dealt directly with the late Mr. Murphy. One comment came from someone who sounded like Lawrence Welk, or a broken record, for the three word comment was “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.” I noticed that the Bartlesville newspaper was overwhelmed with one comment on the story.
Another link that story had with Bartlesville was Charles “Buddy” Closs. Prior to showing up with Miami, in 1951, he had initially pitched for a brief time, in 1949, with the Bartlesville Pirates.
So, where am I? I think I mentioned last time I’d make some comments on the things shared with me by the fellows from the 1951 Miami Eagles, if it was possible to ascertain five to ten people had any interest in reading it. I think 10 people said in one way or another “Go for it if you don’t have anything better to do.
So, I’ll start with Wayne Simpson and then move on to Delbert Wichtendahl.
•
Wayne Simpson first tried out with the St. Louis Cardinals and later the St. Louis Browns after he go out of service in 1950. He had graduated from an agriculture high school in 1947, in three years, but elected to gone on to Roxanna, Ill. High School for another year, since it was brand new and it offered him a chance to complete four years of secondary education.
After graduating from high school he joined the US Navy. He tried out for both of the St. Louis teams ad good enough to be offered a $5,000 bonus by the Cardinals but he thought by signing with the Browns his trip up the baseball ladder would be much faster. He later go to know Roy Sievers who was nearly four years his senior. As they did with Simpson later, the Cardinals offered Sievers a $5,000 bonus and he turned it down thinking the road to playing big league ball in his hometown of St. Louis would be much greater by inking a pact with the “lowly Browns.” By the time Simpson was signed by the Browns, Sievers was playing in the big leagues.
Simpson has had a long friendship with Sievers since his early days in professional baseball that didn’t happen until 1951. After graduating from Roxanna High School Simpson spent two years in the U. S. Navy aboard a submarine. Following his one season in the KOM league he was back in the service for another four years which about sealed any baseball hopes he had. However, he never gave up on the game. Although he is now in his 85th year he maintains a great deal of interest in his vocation and avocation as a baseball card dealer. Late last year Sievers called him and said he was going to visit a casino in the area and invited Simpson to come along for breakfast. Simpson recalled that Sievers was still “pissed off” that the Browns gave Simpson a $100 bonus and didn’t give him anything. Of course, the Browns of that era were a bad organization, in Simpson’s words, and they didn’t spend any money, mostly because they didn’t have any.
Simpson always admired the talent of Sievers and might well be the trivia expert on the former big league star’s career. He pointed out to me that Sievers is the only man to hit pinch hit homers in both of the major leagues.
Coming back from his first tour of duty in the submarine corps, the Browns sent Simpson to spring training at Pine Bluff, Arkansas who then assigned him to Pittsburg, Kansas for the 1951 season. There he was managed by Bill Enos who at the time, in Simpson’s words “Was a bachelor, a close watcher of the stock market ticker tape in the hotels where the teams stayed, a decent man and a stickler for rules.”
One of the things for which Enos was famous involved the time the Pittsburg club left on their road trip. They always met in front of Otto’s Café on North Broadway Ave. at precisely 3:00 p.m. for all games except when the team traveled to more distant towns such as Ponca City and Bartlesville in Oklahoma. Simpson recalls that Enos would sometimes leave prior to the announced time. He recalled walking toward the meeting place one afternoon and while it was prior to the departure time, the Pittsburg bus was headed out. Although he was spotted, carrying his equipment, Enos refused to stop the bus and let him board.
At that juncture Simpson recalled doing an about face and stuck up his thumb as a hitchhiker. The destination that evening was Bartlesville and when he went on the field Enos approached him and exclaimed “You showed me something today .”When Simpson asked him what that was Enos proclaimed “You proved to me you want to play.”
Simpson played most every game with Pittsburg during his three month stay with the club except for a game in Ponca City. The team arrived in typical 100 degree Oklahoma weather and in checking into the Jens-Marie Hotel they were tired and hot. A man in an adjoining room knocked on Simpson’s door and offered him a cold beer. Simpson said that he wasn’t allowed to imbibe in a “cool one” previous to a game and the fellow offering the beer told him to drink it after the game. Before the game Enos was making the rounds of the rooms and spotted the beer. Without any discussion he told his young third baseman not to even put on the uniform that night for he wasn’t going to play.
In that era none of those team buses were air-conditioned except the one the Independence Yankees rented from a Greyhound subsidiary in Coffeyville, Kansas. Simpson recalls that no matter how hot the team bus got his wouldn’t allow the players to have a cold soda on those one to five hour trips. Once confronted as to why he had the rule of no cokes on the bus, Enos responded that someone could step on a empty bottle and break an ankle. In that era all the soda bottle were glass, so it was probably more of a danger getting cut than breaking a bone. Anyway, that was the thinking Enos had brought with him through a baseball career that had begun in 1939.
In mid-August Simpson was summoned by Enos to met him at Otto’s Cafe. When he walked in Simpson said Enos said very tersely. “Pack your bags and get out.” Then, Enos added “The incident in Ponca City didn’t have a thing to do with your release.” That was the cruelty of baseball in that era. There was always a fresh supply of “raw meat” ready to replace a player on the roster.
One thing that got a player released was when someone in the organization, of influence, had a relative or friend who wanted to join a certain club. Simpson’s recall of the event was that his replacement’s father was an executive with the St. Louis Browns who had once also pitched for them. He recalled seeing his replacement during fielding practice and saying to himself “And, they are replacing me, with him?” Wishing to identify the replacement I went over a list of every member of the 1951 Pittsburg Browns with Simpson. Only one player on that team I could identify as having a father who played major league baseball was Ted Koenigsmark but his father, Willis, pitched for the “other team” in St. Louis, in 1919. All the information at my disposal only indicates Pittsburg having two regular third basemen that year and other than Simpson the other guy carried the last name of England with a first name of James. Now, if someone can trace England’s father’s work history and find that he played for the Browns this part of the story will be complete.
With the news of his release Simpson was ready to board the Greyhound and head back to eastern Illinois but prior to leaving Otto’s, Enos said to the recently discarded ballplayer “Hang around.” In that era there was an unwritten pact that guys with teams with major league affiliation were prized commodities with other teams in the league who operated as independents and managers of those major league affiliated clubs would recommend a departing player to the independent teams.
Shortly, Simpson was making the short trip from Pittsburg, Kansas, down old Highway 69 to Miami, OK. Upon arriving in Miami, Simpson first met Tommy Warren who he declared was the best manager he ever had. He recalled Warren as a guy who never got on to him for anything other than admonishing him to “lay off the high, hard one.”
Simpson recalled that the Miami club was a lot more cohesive group who got along well and did off-field things together. When he got to Miami he saw one player on a daily basis who didn’t look like a ballplayer and did nothing by the book. He was once described as having to play the outfield for a lack of any place else to put him. When the ball was hit to him he didn’t know where to throw it so he always aimed it in the direction of the pitcher.
It is about time to bring Delbert Wichtendahl on to the stage for he had some vivid memories of the outfielder was “all hit and not field.” He recalled as proclaiming “I’m the greatest hitter there is.” He recalls that everything the guy did in swinging at the ball defied baseball orthodoxy but somehow he always managed to put the bat on it and frequently.
When people who look for “The Best Ever” in KOM lore I always advise them to take a peek at the minor league career of James “Windy“ Eldridge.. www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=eldrid001jam This guy was on a tear hitting nearly .500 in 1953 when he was injured. In spite of his injury, which was severe, he “limped” to a .407 batting average. I wish I had the citation I read many years ago but it documented how he, barring the injury, might have been the first .500 hitter in baseball history outside the Little League.
Wichtendahl had joined the Miami ball club prior to Simpson’s arrival. He was there the night manager Tommy Warren made off with the wrist watches and billfolds of the player’s under the ruse that he would keep on eye on them during the game. That chore usually went to Hubert “Whispering” Brooks of Benton, Arkansas. However, Brooks pitched that evening and Warren stepped up to offer his “help.”
When queried about the loss of the billfold and wrist watch Wichtendahl said that he didn’t lose a wrist watch for he didn’t own one but he finally had his billfold returned with the money still in it. At that point I said to him that he was the first player from that team that I ever heard from who got his valuables returned.
On October 28, 1931 Wichtendahl entered this world in Whittemore, Iowa. He developed into a hard throwing left-handed pitcher who was on an 11-man high school team, in 1950, that was the scourge of most all opponents in the Hawkeye state. In the state championships he hurled a no-hitter, striking out every batter he faced in the seven inning affair. In the next game he fanned 10 and attracted the attention of a Brooklyn Dodger scout. Shortly thereafter he was on an all night bus ride to Hazard, Kentucky to pitch for that Dodger minor league club managed by Max Macon in the Appalachian league.
What the Dodgers were looking to find out was if the 18-year old, who threw 96 mph could get the ball over the plate. Wichtendahl experienced culture shock when he arrived in “the hills.” He wasn’t sure if the locals were going to love the farm boy from Iowa or in his words “Shoot me.”
Well, they didn’t shoot him and in the spring of 1951 he was invited to the Dodger camp at Vero Beach. In any early exhibition game he was given the starting role against the Brooklyn Dodger regulars and shut them down 3-0. He didn’t attribute his performance as spectacular but rather claimed the Dodgers didn’t want to get hurt batting against a wild young lefthander.
As the cut down time arrived it was decided Wichtendahl would join George Scherger’s KOM outfit in Ponca City, Oklahoma. At least, while still being a Class D team, Wichtendahl was not going back to the hills of Kentucky.
What Wichtendahl experienced at Ponca City was the vast resource of Brooklyn Dodger talent. On that pitching staff with him at one time or another were 14 other guys who wanted to make a name for themselves. Joe Stanka, Dick Wiegand, Lloyd Brazda, Cliff Ohr, and Eldon DeRoin won the bulk of the games for Ponca City that year and thus guys like; George David, Don Smith, Ralph Cascella, Walt Hines, Roland Alexander, Joe Gravino, Mike Krmpotic, Gerald Foreman and Frank Alessandro were like Wichtendahl, looking for another team.
After appearing in six games for Ponca City, Wichtendahl was headed east to Miami, Okla. It was a good year for “Lefty” as he posted an 8-2 record, had a respectable earned run average and struck out more than he walked. And with only four wild pitches charged against him he proved not to fit the mold as “A wild lefty.”
There are always memorable stories no matter how long or short the stay was with any ball club. While pitching at Ponca City their first baseman, Stan Santo, fielded a ground ball and attempted to get the runner going from first to third. His mighty heave made it as far as the pitchers mound where it came in contact with Wichtendahl’s left temple and that’s all he remembered until waking up in the hospital.
While still at Ponca City his catcher during a contest with Miami, the team he would join later, was Gerald Boldt. The legendary minor leaguer, Gaspar del Toro, was a bit cocky in the minds of the pitcher and catcher in that game and Boldt gave the sign for Wichtendahl to “Stick the ball in the batter’s ear.” Dutifully, adhering to his catcher’s signal Wichtendahl threw the high hard one at Del Toro and he stepped back and the ball made contact with something other than the left ear. Wichtendahl turned to watch that “high hard” one clear the left field wall, easily.
At that juncture it was time for me to share my story, Wichtendahl, as to why Del Toro could hit a ball so far if he made contact. He used a 44-ounce Rogers Hornsby model Louisville Slugger. It was tacked and held together with white tape. I know for I still have it. During a visit to Carthage one evening in either late May or June, Miami was to play twi-light doubleheader. Tommy Warren didn’t want Del Toro using that bat and promised me it would be mine if I hid it from him for both games of the twin-bill. I’ve told this story many times and most of the readers are tired of it. However, I did say that that old bat, or its twin brother, is about 10 feet or less from where I’m sitting.
To make life interesting while on bus trips and to draw crowds the teams come up with various promotions. Catching animals released onto the ball field was always fun and games for the country boys and frightening to the big city boys. Miami had a contest prior to a game in 1951 where they released chickens and if one of those was captured the player received $1. The greased pig capture was more difficult and thus reaped $3 to the team holding on to the slippery animal. Simpson recalled his partner in the roundup was Jim McHugh, from Philadelphia, and he sensed that his big city teammate was afraid of both the animals they pursued that evening.
On road trips Tommy Warren would lead the team in gambling on license plates. Simpson recalled that Warren would always chose to play the Missouri tag numbers and his opponent would have to take the Oklahoma license numbers. The short story on that was “Missouri had more numbers on its plate than those from the Sooner State.”
It is likely that the Ponca City boys had more fun on their bus trips than did Miami. After a game at Pittsburg the young Dodger players loaded up and headed toward Oklahoma. They had lost the last game of the series and George Scherger wasn’t too happy to begin with. After stopping for some food and gasoline the team was loaded on the bus and awaiting Scherger’s return to the bus after paying all the bills. When Scherger got back to the bus or better yet, where the bus had been, it was gone. While Scherger was away the boys decided to make some “cat calls” in the direction of some of the Pittsburg “cuties” and the police were summoned. They ordered one of the players, which I think may have been Joe Stanka, to drive the bus to the nearby police station. That is where Scherger eventually wound up and not too happy at that.
Those are a few memories of two guys who played for three different teams during the 1951 KOM season. Wichtendahl accomplished something few ever did in that he played eight positions in a game that year for Ponca City. Scherger wouldn’t let him go for all nine positions since there weren’t any catcher’s mitts for lefties. However, I suspect that Wichtendahl was the only KOM player ever to play the left side of the infield who was lefthanded.
No matter what any of those guys experienced in the 1951 it was always difficult to top Tommy Warren. He pitched a no-hitter against Iola that year and on the day the judge’s decision came down that he would be sent to prison at the close of the season, I made the trip with the Carthage team to Miami and Warren pitched and threw a two-hitter against us.
A trick question might be “When did Warren appear in his last game at Miami?” Well, the year wasn’t 1951 but the next one. After arriving at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Warren managed and played for the prison team inexplicably called “The Outlaws.” Wayne Simpson recalled that he had two brothers who played for Northeastern Oklahoma Juco at Miami and in 1952 that team played the “Outlaws” in a spring exhibition game. I would give all the nickels I own to have been able to speak with Warren after that game to get his comments on how it felt to return to the scene of many diverse memories.
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Featured team of the week
And now we come to the second in a fifty-week series of remembering a specific KOM league team. I hope I don’t spend as long on the remaining 49 teams as I did on the 1951 club. If I do that I’ll be around for another 200 weeks with this stuff and no one could handle that.
During the days of the Pittsburg Browns era in the KOM league on of the most productive items in that era was “Big Bertha.” Don’t get of me. Bertha was the workhorse of the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company. In looking for creative ways to depict a baseball team the Pittsburg Browns had a team photo taken in front of the largest coal bucket ever made. www.worldslargestthings.com/kansas/bigbrutus.htm
Eleven years after the team photo was taken, Bertha was succeeded in the coal digging business by her son, Brutus.
During one of the field trips during the 1996 KOM reunion at Pittsburg, Kansas a large group of former players made the trip to West Mineral, Kansas and recalled that Brutus was no where near as large as his mother, Bertha. Here is a link to the team photo taken in front of Bertha in the mid part of the 1951 season. www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/19185443761/ The faces in the photo are totally from my recall from the time I was visiting team batboy for them on a couple of occasions when they came to Carthage. There are five guys I couldn’t identify so if you recognize a face I missed I’d love to add you as the photo editor of the KOM Flash Report and Old Photo Store. The names of the guys in the photo are on the Flickr site just cited.
Members of the 1951 Browns for at least one game were: “D” after name indicates deceased.
David Warren Barrows-D
Batboy-William Bartley- Whereabouts or fate unknown
Joseph Paul Beatka-D
Russell H. Bland Jr-D
Joseph Leduc Carolan-D
Peter Aull Cerick-D
Stanley Costales-D
George Sousa Dias-Probably still living in Hawaii
Richard Lee Drain-D
George V. Edwards Jr.-D
James Robert England- D
William Donavan Enos-D (Player-Manager)
Herb Fleischer-Whereabouts or fate unknown
Lloyd Edsil “Pat” Gosney-D
Anthony F Grundmeyer- Last known to be in Iowa.
RobertWesley James-From Datto, AR whereabouts or fate unknown
Charles Wallace Jenks-D
Lloyd Ervin Koehnke-Last known to be in Orlando, FL
Theodore Robert Koenigsmark-Last known to be in Forest Park, GA
Russell Paul Letterman-D
Hugh Benwick Lott Jr.-Killed in National Guard plane crash in 1959 at Peoria, IL
Josep hFrancis Lyles-D
Robert Kenyon McEvilly-Last known to be in Joliet, IL
Kenneth Merle McGee-D
Lowell A. McMillen-Last known to be in Park Rapids, MN
Robert John Ottesen-D
LaVerne Cleo Schneider-Last known to be in Winslow, IL
Loyd Wayne Simpson- Spoke with him this week on telephone in Godfrey, IL
Thomas T. Skole Jr.-Last known to be in Marietta, GA
Frank Albert Vaselenak-D
Walker first name unknown-In one game as pinch hitter—could have been misprint.
George Gregory Wegerek-D At time of death was known on talk radio as Dan Gregory
Fred C. Wehking Jr.-Last known to be in St. Louis, MO
Loren H. Weigelt-D On roster but never got into a game. From Spokane, WA
Roger Garon Whitehouse-Last known to be in Hillsboro, IL
Oscar Charles Wigman Jr.-D
Frank P. Winkler-Last known to be in Detroit, MI
Robert L. Zuccarini-I get my e-mail from Bob from his home in Savannah, GA
Although Pittsburg wound up with a 40-80-1 record, they escaped the cellar because Iola was in the league that year. The team was never going to scare anybody with their hitters with the exception of Bob Ottesen who could whack them out of the park. I recall him hitting one on the night of July 1, in Pittsburg, and the public address announcer saying he did that for a child born to him and his wife the previous night. As I recall Ottesen launched two bombs in the night doubleheader and sent Carthage down to a double defeat. That was the same night I was left behind at the Pittsburg ball park and thought I’d never see home again.
Numbers for the pitching staff weren’t eye-popping but Pat Gosney and Joe Beatka won 23 of the 40 games Pittsburg posted in the win column. The rest of the pitchers had to look to their earned run averages to feel good about their season. The leader in that department for the Pittsburg moundsmen was Lowell McMillen. One of the most vivid memories of the 1951 season was the bench jockeying at which Walt Babcock of Carthage excelled.
It was traditional that a pitcher who had pitched the previous night would be the third base coach. Lloyd Koehnke had pitched the previous night for Pittsburg and was at his coaching station when Babcock bellowed out “Koehnke, if you don’t ship up they are going to send you to Wheeling.” Koehnke was a nice guy and very polite. He turned to the dugout and asked “Where’s Wheeling?” Babcock replied “Wheeling horse manure, you dummy.” Koehnke turned around and never replied during the rest of the game to Babcock’s razzing. And, I add that like Harry S. Truman, Babcock used the barnyard name for the horse “offering.” And on that note I’m out of here.
KOM League
Flash Report
Entering 27th Year
January 1, 2020
This report is a “pieced” together effort that covers the past three weeks when nothing was shared. The issue is a bit like a puzzle and can be viewed by clicking on this link: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/49287415601/
Believe it or not this issue is the initial communication of the 27th year something has been shared, by this source, regarding the KOM league. Obviously, the well has about gone dry so don’t expect another 27 years of material. In fact, I’m not real sure this publication will survive the year 2020. I know 20/20 vision left me long before the effort to write of the KOM league commenced. The only way this publication will last is if someone likes it and that can only be determined by the responses these reports generate.
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Another contact with Bill Bagwell of the 1948 Independence Yankees
This source spoke with Bill Bagwell (Independence Yankees—1948) on his birthday and he said “Everyday was a blessing, every meal a banquet and I do what I want.” He reported that what he liked doing was fishing, checking up on his old buddies and building boat docks for his neighbors.
Keeping up with his old buddies is getting scare since he only has Frank Hungerford and Ray Haley left on his calling list. Others are still living but they don’t communicate anymore.
There was a call from an opponent of Bagwell, from 1948, and he inquired as to whether Bagwell was still around. Unfortunately, he missed a reference to Bagwell in a recent Flash Report, not unlike a whole bunch of other readers. So, for those who missed it the first time around here is a great video carried on Shreveport, Louisiana television earlier this year. www.google.com/search?q=bill+bagwell+homer%2C+louisiana&a...
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Update on a member of the 1949 Independence Yankees
Yours truly received a Christmas card from Kenny Bennett a member of the 1949 Independence Yankee pitching staff. He is in a St. Louis, Mo. area nursing home.
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Companion baseball—1948 Ponca City Dodgers.
In a recent Flash Report a baseball, owned by Shannon Deniston, was featured. It contained the names of the members for the 1948 KOM League All-star team.
When entering one of my baseball storage places a ball rolled off the shelf containing the names of some of the 1948 Ponca City Dodgers. On the ball are: Dick McCoy, Gene Rogers, Joe Tufteland, Dale Copps, Leon Irwin, Ewing Turner (now in a Phoenix Nursing Home), Joe Beran, Bob Casey, Don Hall, Dale Hendricks, Boyd Bartley, Alex Muirhead, Gene Castiglione, Ray Scherschlight, Bill Delich, John Hall, Dick Spady and Edward Lefty Grove,
Those in the All-Star game were; Castiglione, Turner, Scherschligt, J. Hall, Dick Spady, Grove, Rogers, Delich, Casey, Beran, Muirhead, Irwin and Bartley.
Those who were on the team, mostly early in the season, who aren’t on the baseball or played in the All-Star game are;. Jim Carney, Bill DeGeer, Al Endriss, Robert Fiser, Donald Fleisch, Cecil Gregory, John Knott, William Korte, Tom Kubat, William Morris, Ralph Norris, William Olsson, Dane Petit, Joe Tufteland, Gale Wade, Ray John Wilson and Claude Wurman. Of all the names listed for the 1948 Ponca City Dodgers only Ray John Wilson, from Denver, was never located.
Hershel Leon Irwin—1948 Ponca City Dodger
During the month of December, after locating a 1948 Ponca City Dodgers baseball, I decided to check on Leon Irwin. In our conversation some things were learned that I didn’t find out when I first met Leon, in 1995, at a reunion of former Ponca City Dodgers.
His parents married in 1927 and they were natives of Stuart and Hughes, Okla. respectively.
Leon’s mother was picking cotton near Verden, Oklahoma the day he was born and was taken to hospital at Chickasha where he first saw the light of day. Shortly afterward the family moved to Waco, Texas. Then they moved to Tulare, California by 1930. He attended Tulare Union High School and graduated in 1947 a couple of years ahead Bob Mathias who became a household name due to his feats in the Olympic decathlon. www.google.com/search?q=bob+mathias&oq=Bob+Matthias&a... In 1948 when Leon was with Ponca City his high school friend was winning the first of his two Olympic gold medals in the decathlon.
Leon Attended St. Mary’s College and broke in with the Asheville Tourists of the Tri-State league in 1947 with the likes of other Dodgers hopefuls Billy DeMars, Clem Labine and Jim Roman. In 1949 he was with the Danville, Ill. Dodgers where he played for Lou Rochelli and had teammates such as Walt Moryn and Johnny Rutherford who went on to the big leagues.
Of all the teammates Leon ever had Mathias was the most famous.
Leon joined the United States Marines, in 1950, and was at the battle of Pusan where he was injured by enemy machine gun fire. He later returned to action.
He spent 1951 in Pearl Harbor Hawaii playing service baseball. Returning home he attended Fresno State and got a degree in physical education. Spent most of his career teaching and coaching at Hanford, California High School.
In our conversation Irwin recalled everything about his Ponca City teammates including’ the name, hometown, position and whether the player was right or lefthanded. He even claimed to remember me by saying “Ponca City wasn’t that long ago.” In that case he was in error but had the correct name for John Hall who was born at Cartoga, Costa Rica and pitched for that 1948 Ponca City team. Leon thought I was that John Hall but he passed away in Sarasota, Florida on 8/24/2018.
Here is an offer that most will refuse. If anyone would like to have the background information regarding every member of the 1948 Ponca City Dodgers, send along a SASE, along with several shekels, frankincense or myrrh and the data will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and sent your way, sooner or later by one of the wise-men. The question is—how many people even know what a SASE is?
To generate a little interest one member of the 1948 Ponca City team played professional football for the San Francisco 49ers. He is in numerous halls of fame and even played amateur baseball in Western Canada after his KOM League days. How many readers know the person that is being referenced? Send along your answer to be in the running to win absolutely nothing other than recognition for being a trivia junkie. If you want to know the answer and would like to see an article about this fellow, someday, you can make that request for the ridiculous sum of $0.00.
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Potpourri of comments
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December Greetings John,
I have just now been able to get to the recent Flash Report and very much enjoyed reading about the folks who signed the ball (1948 KOM league all-stars) and those who missed out on that opportunity. Fun Stuff!
Thank you so much for providing this report which I’ll share with Shan (Deniston) in the days before Christmas when we return to Lakeside for our monthly visit. I have no doubt that he will enjoy it and have his own recollections of the players which I will try to capture.
Keep those wildlife and kiddo pictures coming. Best wishes to you and yours for the Holidays,
Tom Ashcraft--Tucson, Ariz.
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Happy Holidays everybody. Loved this issue, John. Elaine Brooks from the San Francisco Bay area.
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Excellent report, John! Found the trail of Robert Montgomery pretty darn interesting! Also, the condition of the signed all-star ball is amazing! What a treasure!
Thank you!--CORD COSLOR -- Port Charlotte, FL
Reply:
I found one yesterday that happened to roll out of my collection which was a signed ball of the 1948 Ponca City Dodgers. I'm sure it wasn't signed at the all-star game.
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Thanks for the interesting stories. I enjoyed the history of the players in the All star game. Also the part about the ladies having the crush on the player. Thanks for the effort and sharing the history. BRUCE HAYSE Tallahassee, Florida
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The photo of the five names on the signed baseball from the 1948 KOM league All-Star game.
Thanks. Got it, thanks! Got it. Here you go. Jim Jay-former Kansas City A’s batboy.
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I want you to know I do read the report. If I see something that Harry might like I read it to him. We do the best we can at this age. We eat out twice a day just to get out of the house. Think of you and Noel often. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy New year. Love to all. Pat Crandall--Denver, Colo.
A note to Judith Jordan—“This is an e-mail I just received from the Crandall’s. Harry played for your dad on that 1950 championship team.”
Judith’s reply –“That's awesome! Merry Christmas to you too! I know you do. I just loved and where very close to my parents. Never thought about not being able to ask question when they where here. Hindsight is amazing.” Judith Jordan—daughter of the late Boyd Bartley.
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Belated Happy 80th birthday! That is a special one for sure. Hope you and family, friends did some serious celebrating! I will hit 85 in June. Jim will be 89 in January.
I am so ready for spring and some warm walking weather. I love to walk and go to the fitness center but not the same as being outdoors. Our holidays are kind of laid back. Not having children makes holidays less exciting. However the nieces and nephews make up for it. My shingles are still hanging on. Started on Sep 10 and pain doesn't want to leave. But as the saying goes "it is what it is" Jim watches lots of basketball and football and glad he finds it interesting. My niece found the book you wrote Majoring in the Minors on Ebay. She got it for Jim and it is
different than the one he has. I think maybe it is your first publication.
Well, i have rattled on long enough. If you hear any news of Bill Virdon please share. Marge Qualls.
Reply:
That second book you got was the hard copy which was the much revised second edition.
Sorry that your shingles are still hanging on. Still don’t hear anything from the Virdons.
Tell Jim to keep watching all those ballgames. He might need to make a comeback.
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John, Thanks and have a great holiday season! I hope you were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with your family. R. Jason Wallace –Grandson of the late Matthew Leroy Robert Saban
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Many thanks for your reports and pictures John. I'd like to wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hank Chott—1950 Iola, Kans. Indians He was born in Chicago and now sends messages from his home in Glendora, Calif.
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Thank you John for the final FR of 2019. I really enjoyed looking at all the baseball cards. Hope to hear from you in 2020. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New. Don Papst-Chanute, Kans.
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Obituary of Bobby Ramsey—1950 Independence Yankee
www.tnfunerals.com/obituary/bobby-ramsey-sr
Mr. Bobby Lamontte Ramsey, Sr., age 88, a resident of Spring Hill, (Tenn.) passed away Saturday, December 14, 2019 at Williamson Medical Center.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 2 PM at Heritage Funeral Home with Rick Points officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens with Military Honors provided by the United States Air Force. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 4-7 PM at the funeral home. Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Born on February 18, 1931 in Ooltewah, Tennessee, Bobby was the son of the late Willie Mae Ramsey and the late Eston E. & Claudia Ramsey. He graduated from Ooltewah High School and attended Tennessee Tech University. He served his country in the United States Air Force and was a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Bobby enjoyed raising cattle while working as a maintenance welder for Monsanto Chemical Company, retiring at the age of 55. After retirement, he continued farming. He was an excellent all-American athlete who played professional baseball for the New York Yankees. In addition to baseball, he also played softball and basketball and participated in the Senior Olympics where he received numerous rewards and bowled the first 300 game at Columbia Lanes. Bobby was a great husband and caregiver to his wife, Joanne and an excellent father and grandfather who will be missed by those who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his sons: Bobby (Iris) Ramsey, Jr. of Madison, AL, and Timothy Eston (Tammy) Ramsey of Hohenwald, TN; grandchildren: Breanna (Andrew) Daniel, Cassie Ramsey, Cameron Dorning, Austen (Laura) Dorning; great grandchild, Clara Elizabeth Dorning; and great grandchild on the way, Saylor Jo Daniel.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne Doris Cole Ramsey on December 19, 2016; and brother, Harold Ramsey.
Pallbearers will be: Bobby Ramsey, Jr., Timothy Ramsey, Stan Coffman, Andrew Daniel, Cassie Ramsey, and Logan Bradford. Honorary pallbearers will include: Monty Uptain, Ray Uptain, and Jeremy Taft.
Ed comment:
What seems like a few months ago is in actuality, eight years. In 2011 the first contact I ever made with Ramsey occurred. A number of his 1950 Independence teammates had inquired about him and an exerted effort was made to locate the “real” guy after communicating with many men with his name.
During our first conversation Ramsey was very excited to know his former buddies remembered him and he inquired about all of them. He was like most fellows from that era who remembered everyone on the team and the details of where they were from, the position they played and how they acted both on and off the field. Some of those off-field antics have been related from the players to me but never revealed in these reports. If I were a younger person those “things” would make a book that a lot of “weirdos” would consume.
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Passing of Thomas Tilo Skole—1951 Pittsburg Browns 1952 Independence, Kansas Browns.
www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/roswell-ga/thomas-skol...
As the finishing touches were being made to this report an e-mail was received from Jack Morris, baseball necrologist. The terse message stated “Unfortunately, your wish for no more KOM League deaths in 2019 didn’t come true. Here’s the obituary for Tom Skole. Let’s hope there’s no more with three full days left in the year.”
Skole played the outfield for the Pittsburg Browns, in 1951, and its successor the Independence Browns in 1952. Also, in 1952 he played with Pine Bluff, Arkansas in the Cotton States as well as Wellsville, New York in the PONY leagues. However, the best club for whom he played was the 1953 Sandia Air Force Base team at Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Bombers were the state semi-pro champs that year and participated in the National Baseball Congress tournament at Wichita, Kansas as the representative from New Mexico.
The Obituary
Thomas Tilo Skole, 87, of Roswell, GA. passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at his home surrounded by his family.
Tom was born on September 13, 1932 in Philadelphia, PA. to Peter and Rose Skole. He grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Southside High School where he was a four-sport star in baseball, basketball, football and track and field. After high school, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati. Soon after, he signed a contract to play professional baseball with the St. Louis Browns. Tom had a stellar athletic career and after his baseball career was complete, he enlisted in the Army and attended Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia.
During his time in the service while stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tom met the love of his life Stella Roybal. They were happily married and inseparable for 65 years. While starting a family, they lived in numerous cities around the country before finally calling Roswell, Georgia their home in 1972.
Tom was a strong patriarch of his family and a good friend to all. He was a great father who always took care of his children. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren and loved being involved in their lives. It was always about “the family” to him and even in his final days would say to his loved ones, “just take care of Mom and take care of each other when I’m gone.” Tom was a strong, proud, and good man. He is loved and leaves a lasting legacy. He will be missed by many!
He is preceded in death by his parents Peter and Rose Skole, his two older brothers Warren and Ed, and his grandson, Tommy Burnett.
Tom is survived by his loving wife, Stella Skole of Roswell, GA; sons, Mike Skole (Roswell, GA); Tony Skole (Jody) of Charleston, SC; and Scott Skole (Tampa, FL); daughter, Robyn Burnett (David) Roswell GA; grandchildren Mackenzie Morris (Will) and Valrico, FL; Matt Skole (Madison) of Roswell, GA: Jake Skole (Athens, GA); Mickey Skole (Roswell, GA); Tilo Skole (Charleston, SC); Jack Skole (Charleston, SC); Gehrig Skole (Charleston, SC); Great Grandson Hayes Morris (Valrico, FL) and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A visitation will be held at Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road Roswell, GA. on Thursday, January 2, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Funeral service will be Friday, January 3, 2020 at 2:00 pm at St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, 11330 Woodstock Road, Roswell, GA. with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that a memorial donation be made to Roswell High School (Tommy Burnett Memorial Scholarship), 11595 King Road, Roswell, GA. 30075
Condolences may be left on the Thomas Tilo Skole online guest book at: www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/roswell-ga/roswell-...
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Necrology listing for 2019
With the foregoing obituary it segues into the listing of former KOM leaguers saying “so long” to this world in 2019. Format is month, date and team for whom the deceased played, by year. There is no claim made that this listing is an accurate listing of all former KOM leaguers departing this realm in the past year.
January
2—Paul Herman Hoffmeister—1949-50 Carthage Cubs
3---Donald Thomas Barclay—1949 Carthage Cubs
February
8—Stanley Ira Santo—1951 Ponca City Dodgers
March
1---Dale Edward Lober—1950 Carthage Cubs
30—Manley Griffin “Bud” Fossen 1950 Chanute Athletics
April
2—Gerald Conrad Dahms—1949-50 Bartlesvville Pirates
2---James Henry Neufeldt—1948 Carthage Cardinals
10—Leo Albert Kedzierski—1951 Bartlesville Pirates 1950 Iola Indian
19—Donald Louis Gebbs—1951 Bartlesville Pirates
25---Orville Nathaniel Eckstine—1951 league umpire
May
9---John William Knoke---1947-48 Pittsburg Browns
13---Ronald Julius Minnich—1952 Independence Browns
June
6---John David Mudd—1951 Carthage Cubs
11---Edward Clifton Scott—1949 Bartlesville Pirates 1949-50 Iola Indians
14---Ray McKee Birch—1948 Bartlesville Pirates
July
22---Robert Edward Lee—1946 Bartlesville Oilers
24---Joe Zavattarro Jr.—1951 Iola Indians
August
4--- George Seely---1947 Ponca City Dodgers (Sometimes spelled Seeley)
9---Stephen Thomas Kovach 1947 Pittsburg Browns
20---Wayne George Benstead (DVM)---1952 Blackwell Broncos
24---Richard Theodore Getter—1949 Iola Indians
29---Gilbert F. Flauto—1948 Chanute Giants 1949-50 Iola Indians
September
9—Casimir Ralph Stackowiak—1947 Chanute Athletics
October
4---Leonard Elmer Van de Hey—1950-51 Carthage Cubs
November
12—Keith Virgil Speck—1949-50 Independence Yankees
12---Charles Melville Sisson—1952 Iola Indians
December
14---Robert Lamonte Ramsey—1950 Independence Yankees (Obituary in this report)
24---Thomas Tilo Skole—1951 Pittsburg, Browns 1952 -Independence Browns
29---Joseph Walter Turek--1947 Bartlesville Pirates.
Former Iola batboy, Donald Womack, for three seasons --1946-48-- passed away on October 4 of this year in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Tidbits on some other deceased KOM leaguers
During the 1951 season, I recall when Thomas Edward Paddock joined the Carthage Cubs in the latter part of the campaign. He was born 3/24/1933 in Glen’s Valley, Ind. and died on his 61st birthday, 3/24/1994 in Beach Grove, Indiana at St. Francis Hospital. He had been signed by Tony Lucadello out of Southport H. S. in Indianapolis. He played 28 games for Carthage in 1951 and had a full season at Blackwell, Okla. in 1952. He was in the Army from 1953-55. After his military service he played for Burlington, Iowa in 1957 and developed into power hitter. He married 1967. In writing my first book about the KOM league many things were learned from his widow with the exception of his baseball days. They weren’t married until 10 years after he hung up his spikes. The low water mark of his career was hitting into four DP’s in one game.
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Death of George Seel(e)y—Ponca City 1947
Born 1/3/1924 Pueblo, Colo. Died 8/4/2019 Colorado Springs. He pitched in two games for Ponca City. Let go by Ponca City and went to Zanesville, Ohio to finish season. He spent the next season with Superior of Northern league where he posted an 8-0 record.
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Update on former Ponca City Dodger
Jerry Lawrence McKown. Ponca City 1947. He was originally listed as being born March 8, 1928. However, a birth certificate was recently found that stated he was born in 1924. He graduated from Technical High School in Ft. Worth in 1946 which casts doubt on the 1924 birth date. He was 5’ 160” with blonde hair and blue eyes when he registered for the draft. On 1/19/2003 he passed away in Homassas, Florida.
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An article about George Beck.
www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1951-carthrage-cubs-george...
For those of you who can’t or won’t click on URL’s you are missing some great images. However, here is the narrative.
“Game used bat from the Kansas Oklahoma Missouri League KOM 1951 Champion Cubs. This has the name Beck stamped. Used by George beck. He can be seen in the team photo. Last Picture. (Not Included) Shipping on bat is 12.95. Please see my rare book "Majoring In The Minors" by John G. Hall listed separately. The book and bat are from the George Beck estate. “
That link was shared with both Walter Babcock and Don Biebel who were members of that 1951 Carthage team. As expected, Babcock was too busy to read the article but this was received from Biebel. “Thx, very interesting. Merry Christmas and yes I'm still above ground out here.”
“Out here,” that Biebel referenced is in Orange County, California. Biebel was the Carthage catcher the year I was batboy. He went on to a “real” career while I stayed behind and wrote about old Class D baseball some 50 years later. Biebel was the roving instructor for Chicago Cub catchers and fill in for injured Cub minor league catchers until he got the job as traveling secretary for the Wrigley Field Cubs. He held that job for about a decade before becoming the last public relations director for Charlie O. Finley’s Kansas City Athletics. I can’t think of a tougher job. If I lived closer to Biebel we could collaborate on some kind of book from that era that would most likely fall into the category of “unbelievable.” I could call it “peculiar” for there is a town south of Kansas City where Finley once threatened to move the team.
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Well, that concludes the first report for 2020. All reader comments will be read and those that are flattering, flowery and fantastic will be shared in the next report. Those that are vulgar, profane and critical will be sent along to my group of censors, counselors and lawyers for future action.
Hold the presses:
Just moments prior to this report being sent to the “chosen few” another obituary for 2019 was discovered. Here is what was contained therein.
“Obituary for Stephen T. Kovach--Stephen T. Kovach, age 94, of Commack, NY passed away on August 9, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. Proud US Navy WWII Veteran. Beloved husband of Patricia for over 71 years. Loving father of Stephen (Terrell) Kovach, Kathy (Michael) Berka, and the late Thomas (Karen) Kovach. Cherished grandfather of six and great-grandfather of one.”
A photo of Kovach, later in life is found in this link. www.fivesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Stephen-Kovach-2/#!/O... I have numerous ones of him in my files and must say that he didn’t change that much from his playing days until later in life. If you have a copy of “Majoring in The Minors” his photo is found on page 342 of the second edition. Even if you don’t have that book, it’s still there.
Ed comments:
Kovach was a native of Brooklyn, NY and began his career as catcher for the 1947 Pittsburg, Kansas Browns. In 1948 he was with the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Northern league. In 1949 he was with Marshall of the East Texas league. By 1950 he was with Wichita of the Western league. He stayed in Wichita for two years where he had a career with Boeing Aircraft, playing for the Boeing Bombers championship teams and also playing with the Western league Wichita team on occasion.
Over the past couple of decades I always heard from Kovach around Christmas. When not hearing from him this year a check was made of the obituary files and sadly he was located. In our many conversations Kovach recalled that he caught all the highly touted St. Louis Browns pitchers in the minor leagues. He had great stories about Don Larsen, Ryne Duren and Bob Turley. Of course, baseball fans know that trio all wound up wearing the pinstripes of the New York Yankees. Larsen and Kovach remained close friends up to the time of his death. In a quirk of fate, Larsen died the day this report was shared---January 1, 2020.
The KOM League
Flash Report
For week of
November 27, 2016
This report is as close as I will come of mentioning the world champions of baseball in 2016. For the success of any endeavor the road has to be paved by many others. In the case of the Chicago Cubs it took over five generations. Coming up this week is a speech I will be making to a Rotary Club. To make it a bit relevant I’ll mention the Chicago Cub affiliates of the KOM league of which there were three: Iola, Carthage and Blackwell. If my memory holds out and time permits I’ll mention a few of the KOM leagures who had a special connection with the Cubs and others who were phantoms, “passing in the night.”
In the previous Flash Report a photo of the 1949 Carthage Cubs was shared that was taken in front of the third base bleachers. This photo was taken a few weeks later and 350 feet in the opposite direction but on an almost direct line. It was taken in front of the scoreboard in right field. www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/30445174213/
There was no plan to prepare a report for this week. However, I put together some information that is contained in some of my files on each of the 36 roster members and one batboy for the 1949 version of that team: The photo included in this report is on page 65 of the KOM League Remembered book published by Arcadia in 2005 and it is still available from almost any book source.
1949 Carthage Cubs--Taken in front of scoreboard in right field. The only name missing from the previous night’s game, as indicated on the scoreboard, was the third baseman which was, Johnny LaPorta. Bob Speake had the evening off for that game and Hal Brown, basically a catcher, played right field. Phil Costa had replaced Bob Speake at first base.
Back Row: Glenn Walden, John LaPorta, Art Leslie, Allen Burger Jr., Darrell Lorrance, Denny Moffitt and Don Anderson.
Middle Row: Hal Brown, Hank Paskiewicz, Don Schmitt, Paul Hoffmeister and Frank Morrow.
Front Row: Ed Garrett, Woody Wuethrich, Bob Saban, Dean Manns, Phil Costa and Bob Speake. Harry Smith Batboy-lying down.
Here are a few bits of information regarding the 36-man roster plus the batboy, Harry Smith. I would suggest you only consider a name or two at each sitting and peruse the URLs to get your dose of this club. It isn’t likely I’ll ever prepare another Flash Report with this amount of detail regarding any team.
Alsop, Charles Franklin
B. 1/10/1929 La Porte, IN
D. 1/8/2015 LaPorte, IN
He was released by the club on June 1. He didn’t play in 1950 but played from 1951 thru 1956 in the Southern Assn., Northern, Three-I, Western, Texas, Tri-State, South Atlantic, Carolina and Midwest leagues.
Worked for Ford Motor Company and later in life collected Thunderbirds. He once inquired about one I owned.
www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazettenet/obituary-preview.asp...
Anderson, Donald Edward
B. 10/22/1918 Chicago, IL
D. 11/22/2010 Hemet, CA
Anderson’s career began n 1939 and was soon interrupted by WWII. After the war he began playing and managing in the Coastal Plain and Florida State leagues. He arrived in Carthage in 1949 and stayed until July 9, 1951. I have long claimed that had it not been for Anderson I would have never written a word about the KOM league. My earliest memories of him were not pleasant and I thought he disliked me as his batboy. When first starting to write about the old league I was ambivalent. In the course of writing I located Anderson and it led to one of the greatest friendships a former manager and his batboy ever had. Anderson came to Missouri a few times to visit me and from our initial reconnection, in 1995, we spoke about once a month, for over an hour each time about the past. He taught me more than anyone in my life about not holding on to misconceptions formed in youth. Much has been written in my books, newsletters and Flash Reports regarding the batboy/manager relationship. Amazingly, I’m writing this section six years to the day of his death and that wasn’t planned. Prior to his death he paid me the greatest compliment that one person could bestow on another fellow human and it is so personal I’ve never uttered it to anyone.
Bailey, Jr. Turner W.
B. 10/9/1928Earl Twp. LaSalle County, IL
D. 12/06/2004 Tampa, FL living in Tallahassee
He was a lefthanded pitcher who was released shortly after the opening of the season due to a sore arm. He was one of the very few roster members of that team who wasn’t located while still living.
Barclay Jr. Donald Thomas
B. 2/1/1926 Oak Lawn, IL
He began his career in 1947 in the Arizona-Texas league and wound up the season in the West Texas/New Mexico circuit. He was with Reno, NV in the Sunset league in 1948. He left Carthage on the 15th of June of 1949 and played the rest of the year at Charlotte, NC in the Tri-State and Concord, in the North Carolina State league. He played through 1951 winding up with Flint, MI of the Central Association.
Current location: Chicago, IL
Barclay is the first KOM leaguer that I ever recall seeing.
Brown Jr. Harold Albert
B. 6/7/1930 Chicago, IL
Current residence: Mt. Prospect, IL
When it came to write about Mr. Brown I sent a note, by e-mail, to his neighbor, Jim Gray. The following is Brown’s profile, in his own words prepared during Thanksgiving week of 2016.
After the season I rode home to Chicago with Bill Hornsby in his convertible. Worked in a factory waiting to be drafted in USMC (served 1951 - 1953) which was one of the best things to happen to me. Made Sergeant (in) 1952. Married Babe July 12, 1952 while still in the Corps. Got a job in furniture store late 1953 in Chicago. Nine years later opened my own furniture store with a partner. The business lasted eight years when he moved to Florida. I stayed in home furnishings and carpeting for 35 more years, showing furniture and carpeting to clients at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. We have lived in the same house in Mount Prospect, Ill. where we raised 2 daughters who gave us 2 granddaughters. I played hand ball at the local YMCA for 50 years. I am still moving, but slowly. I try to exercise daily with light weights and bicycle. My good neighbor Jim is the go between. He says he enjoys your reports as much as I do. We have made him into a Cub's fan. All in all we have had a good and happy life and would not change a thing. Sincerely, Hal Brown.”
Jim Gray is Brown’s friend who secured the foregoing information. “Babe and Hal are wonderful people and I wish we knew them much longer. Hal has a great since of humor and Babe is great cook, gardener and loves to set a beautiful table and decorate their home for all the holidays. Their home backs up to a park with a creek 100 feett to the north, the coyotes stroll past and attempt to nail squirrels and rabbits at my bird feeders. Hal sits and listens to his favorite team the Cubs when they aren't on television. He was excited to finally see his team win the championship through a couple nail biters that made his stomach do a couple of flips. Chicago had the 7th largest crowd ever attend the parade and celebration. They estimated five and a half million fans at the parade and Grant Park lake front venue.”
Burger, Jr. Allen
B. 8/26/1930 Centerville, OH
1951-53 Military Service stationed at Ft. Myer, VA
Member of the Presidential Honor Guard
Played for the 1952 Ft. Myer Colonels baseball team that won the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas The Ft. Myer team included big league hurlers Bob Purkey, Alex Konikowski and Tom Poholsky, NBA Basketball player, Jack George and former Pittsburg, Kans. Browns pitcher, John Manopoli, among notable others. I guess I could dig up the photo of that team Burger gave me and identify all the guys shown. But, very few people today would recognize any of the names shared.
Contreras, Jr. Domingo
B. 6/12/1930 Los Angeles, CA
He joined the club on June 26 and stayed until July 18. He had been sent to Carthage by Des Moines and when he left Carthage he went to the Cub affiliate in Visalia.
Current status: Unknown
In the many years of research I never learned anything about this man, other than he also played for Visalia, CA in 1950. The Social Security Index shows him as still being alive.
Costa, Philip Anthony
B. 2/22/1931 Chicago, IL
Costa’s father was 60 years old at time Philip was born. The family lived near Al Capone
Current residence: Berwyn, IL 60402
Costa was the team comic and knew a little bit of outlaw lore. On one trip from Carthage to Independence, Kans. the team passed through the town of Coffeyville. He announced to the team that he would depart the bus and finish the job the Dalton Gang bungled. That was when the townspeople armed themselves and thwarted the gang’s last bank heist. Costa promised to join the team, later, in Independence. In his trips to KOM reunions he had a lot of comments on how the Italians of KOM towns knew nothing about real cuisine of Italy. In later KOM events he’d favor his “adoring fans” with an aria from Chicagoland. Most of those within earshot welcomed the silence at the end of each outburst. Yeah, everyone enjoyed Costa. He played in 1950 for the Janesville, WI Cubs and in his in final year, 1951, he traveled a lot. He played for New Bern and Edenton, NC; Sioux Falls, SD and Clovis, NM.
Courtney, William Leroy
B. 5/6/1931 Camden, DE
D. 6/30/2000 Dover, DE
He reported to Carthage, in August of 1949, as a shortstop, and was too late to get into any team photo. Had he been in any of them he would have stood out as one of the tallest and slimmest fellows in the picture. He was over six feet tall and weighed less than 170. He played in the Cubs minor league system at Moultrie, GA; Sioux Falls, SD; and Grand Rapids, MI before the outbreak of the Korean War. That concluded his baseball career. I did locate him in the mid-1990’s but he didn’t have too many memories of his KOM league career other than to reflect on the fact that he and Mickey Mantle played the same position for their respective teams.
Erath, George Snider
B. 7/10/1927 Chicago, IL
D. 11/7/2003 High Point. NC
Career: Owner of a large furniture manufacturing company in High Point. Later owned the High Point baseball club and gave Curtis Flood a chance to play professional baseball. This URL is worth opening. It is a great story and also has a photo of Erath. www.greensboro.com/news/george-erath-patron-philanthropis... The only home run Mickey Mantle ever hit in Carthage was a fly ball to centerfield that Bill Hornsby lost as it went above the light standard and it came down and hit him in the head. Mantle circled the bases on that time at bat. Here is a brief quote from the aforementioned URL. “For all his success, George Erath often talked of one big failure — the time a then-unknown Mickey Mantle hit a home run off a young minor-league pitcher one afternoon in Missouri. Erath was that young pitcher. “I mentioned to him one time, bragging, that I’d seen Mickey Mantle play baseball in Joplin, Missouri,” remembers Bill Fenn, who was Erath’s friend for more than 30 years. “And he said, ‘That’s nothing’ and told me his story, and we had a great laugh.”
Another link: www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2002/06/03/daily34.html
Ed note: Here is this editor’s account of the Mantle home run. Sunday, August 21, 1949 was the scene of an afternoon doubleheader between the Carthage Cubs and Independence Yankees. Carthage won the first game and Erath started the second contest with a scoreless innings string of over 20 innings. He got into the third inning without being scored on. He was one out of extending his scoreless streak when a runner reached by virtue of an error. That brought up the left-handed hitting Mantle and he lofted a fly ball into medium left center. By that time of day the lights had been turned on and when the ball went above the level of the lights, Hornsby lost it. When the ball came down it hit Hornsby in the head, left fielder Don Schmitt told me that his teammate was more embarrassed than he was hurt. Anyway, Dr. Tom McNew was summoned on to the playing field to take a look at the fallen outfielder and pronounced him fit to continue. However, Erath’s scoreless streak was over although Carthage wound up winning the game. Ten years prior to that incident Dr. McNew arrived at 1226 Valley Street to bring the author of this article into the world. He pronounced the new arrival fit for this world and 77 years to the day this section was written (11/27/2016) is when McNew was the first person to lay eyes on me.
Garrett, Edward Franklin
B. 4/13/1925 Cincinnati, Ohio
D. 5/25/1983 Cincinnati, OH Univ. Hosp.
Batboy 1943-46 Cincinnati Reds
He was a member of the national championship American Legion team, from Cincinnati, in 1947.
Garrett's boyhood friends were Don and Hal Zimmer. Don is the guy who hung around the big leagues for many years as player, manager and coach. Hal, the better player of the two, was a member of the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers. Garrett was older than the Zimmer brothers by 5-6 years but according to an interview I did with Hal Zimmer, they looked up to the former Redlegs batboy. The Garrett family lived at 926 Wells St. and the Zimmers lived at 777 Sedam St. which was 1.8 miles apart. When Garrett went to his duties as batboy he was 3.1 miles from Crosley Field where the Reds played in those days. For the Zimmer brothers to get to Findlay and Western Ave. they had to travel 3.8 miles to see the Reds games, which they did as often as possible.
Garrett’s address was mentioned for I did the same for Johnny LaPorta, his big league batboy counterpart and Carthage Cub teammate, in 1949, in a recent story.. I gave the Google URL for LaPorta’s boyhood home and was going to do the same for Garrett but 926 Wells St. is now a vacant lot.
In the days the Garretts and the Zimmers were youngsters their parents took whatever Depression jobs were available. The Zimmer family operated a vegetable stand and Garrett’s father was a waiter and his mother a waitress as late as 1940
Hoffmeister Paul Herman
B. 12/23/1928 E. Chicago, IN
Current residence: Arlington Heights, IL 2014
He played in the North Central Kansas Amateur Baseball League of America. That is where many young men, from the Midwest, honed their baseball skills. Paul was with Manhattan, Kans. in 1948.
He also pitched at Mattoon, IL in 1949 and came back to Carthage in 1950. He didn’t play during the Korean War years of 1951-52 but returned to play from 1953-1958 with teams in the Three-I, Texas, Western, and Pacific Coast leagues.
Career: Was a Certified Public Account in Arlington Heights, Ill until retirement
In retirement he still has to put up with these Flash Reports each week.
Hornsby William Pennington
B. 6/2/1925 St. Louis, MO –Son of Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.
D. 6/29/1984 Goodlettsville, TN
He played minor league baseball from 1946 through 1951.
Was hit in head by a fly ball that allowed Mickey Mantle to hit his only home run in Carthage. It was an inside-the-park homer. See that story in the URL under the George Erath citation.
Operated an Anheuser Busch distributorship at time of death.
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=58549245
Johnson Leslie Thomas
B. 12/27/1929 Chamberlain, SD (Pukwana)
He reported to Carthage on May 31st as an outfielder. He also played part of that season with Boise, ID of the Pioneer league.
Current residence: Mt. Vernon, WA
My only contact with Johnson has been in regard to some very rare baseball cards, from the 1930’s, that he collected as a young man. They are so rare and expensive that I’ve given him the name of a couple of former KOM leaguers who I trust and who collect rare cards. To my knowledge, Johnson still owns those treasures of his youth.
Kirschner, Gordyn Samuel
B. 10/8/1930 Galveston, TX
He was a pitcher who joined the team on August 5th from Sioux Falls, SD
Current residence: Galveston, TX
Knapton William Bruce
B. 8/21/1927 Bloomer, WI
He played third base and catcher before being released on May 19th.
Long time basketball coach with a great record.
Current residence: The Villages, FL
www.beloit.edu/archives/documents/archival_collections/fa...
LaPorta, John Joseph
B. 11/19/1926Chicago, IL
He joined the team on May 27th from St. Augustine of the Florida International league where he had played for Don Anderson in 1948.
D. 6/1989
After his baseball career John worked for his father-in-law, Frank Longo, in his plating shop in Chicago.
Since the report from last week featured the LaPorta family you can refer back to it to learn about his three-year big league career with the Chicago Cubs which occurred long before he ever saw the bright lights of the Carthage town square.
Leslie, John Arthur
B. 10/10/1929Scott. OH
He was a pitcher who joined the team on May 26th from Clinton, IA of the Central Association. He joined the Topeka Owls in 1950 and from there it was off to the Korean War from 1951-53.
Current residence: Houston, TX
Lorrance, Jr Darrell Morris
B. 2/28/1928Conway, MO
D. 10/20/2013 E. Moline, IL
He first came to Carthage in late 1945 for a tryout camp held by the St. Louis Cardinals and didn’t make it. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1948 when he pitched for Janesville, WI. He joined Carthage in 1949 and stayed until a sore arm caused him to quit on July5th.
Lorrance was known for his basketball talent. He led Conway, Missouri to a state basketball championship in 1945 (45-3) and was recruited to play for the legendary Adolph Rupp at the Univ. of Kentucky. He later left Kentucky to play for Sparky Stalcup at the Univ. of Missouri. He played AAU basketball for a number of years leading his Conway team to the National tournament in 1948.
Manns, Louis Dean
B. 2/23/1929 Centralia, IL
Dean played with Carthage in 1949 and fell in love while there. He stayed in town during the winter and worked for the B &G Construction Company and even spent some time that off-season as a cast member in Little Theater productions. He returned to Carthage in 1950 and shared the catching duties with Don Stange and Don Biebel. For an early Christmas present he went to Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. on December 13, 1950 for induction into the army. He got back to baseball in 1954 with Blackwell, Okla. after they joined the Western Association and saw action in the Pioneer and Evangeline leagues before calling it quits in 1955.
I tracked Manns for a few years before finding him in the Villages, in Florida. He finally made it to a couple of KOM league reunions. My oldest sister attended one of those events and upon seeing him exclaimed “Dean, I had a crush on you when I was a waitress at Red’s Café.” That was news to him and to me as well. He was one of the more popular players in Carthage baseball history.
Current residence: Centralia, IL 2010
McCalman, Jack Elton
B. 4/21/1930 Caddo, OK
D. 11/9/1978 Caddo, OK
There was never much found on McCalman except that he joined the Hutchinson, Kansas team later in the 1949 season after having been with both Carthage and Lumberton of the Tobacco State league. In 1950 he played at Hickory, NC and Baxley, GA before being inducted into the US Army where he spent the next two years. I never had any success in locating an obituary for Jack but did find one for his older brother that mentioned him. www.meaningfulfunerals.net/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view...
Meier, Allan Alfred August
B. 12/18/1928 Dixon, IA
D. 6/29/2002 Marengo, IA
Meier spent a very short time with Carthage as he didn’t show up until August 22. He had reported from Elizabethtown of the Appalachian league. He spent time serving during the Korean War which is explained in his obituary. The following was his obituary and baseball wasn’t mentioned. www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazettenet/obituary-preview.asp... “Services for Allan ‘Al’ Meier, Marengo, will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. John's Lutheran Church, Marengo. Burial will be in Marengo Cemetery, with military honors. Visitation is 4-8 p.m. today at Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo. He died Saturday, June 29, 2002, at his home following a brief illness. Allan Alfred August Meier was born Dec. 18, 1928, in Dixon, Iowa. He married Janice Bruckman in 1953 in Calamus. He managed and in 1961 purchased the Marengo Elevator Company. He served in the Army from 1950-52 as a paratrooper during the Korean Conflict. A memorial fund has been established. Survivors include his wife, Janice; a daughter, Julie Storck, Marengo; sons, Steven and Greg, both of Marengo, and Scott, St. Louis, Mo.; 12 grandchildren; a sister, Nellie Weih, Bennett; brothers, Mel and Dennis, Marengo; and a brother-in-law, Clifford Danielsen, East Moline.”
Moffitt, Dennis Eugene
B. 3/28/1929 Visalia, CA
D. 11/7/2015 Exeter, CA
He split his time pitching for Carthage and Visalia in 1949 and in 1950 he pitched for a semi-pro team in Regina, Saskatchewan. From there he went into the service, as his obituary states.
This is the location of Moffitt’s obituary:
www.legacy.com/obituaries/visaliatimesdelta/obituary.aspx... This is a quote from it. “Dennis Moffitt was born March 28th, 1929 to Harold "Pete" and Olga Moffitt in Visalia, CA. Dennis grew up in Farmersville where he met the love of his life, Carolyn DeVault. He graduated from Visalia High School in 1948. Dennis played football and baseball in high school then attended COS following graduation. Dennis played Minor League baseball in Canada, the Visalia Cubs and in Carthage, Missouri. Dennis was drafted into the Army in 1950 for the Korean War. Dennis and Carolyn were married after his return in 1952. Dennis started up his first business in Visalia, Service Station Repair and Maintenance which he owned and operated for eight years. In 1960, Dennis managed the Consolidated Peoples Ditch Company in Farmersville, retiring after 35 years.”
Morrow, Frank J.
B. 4/21/1931 Brockton, MA
D. 11/26/2000 Brockton, MA
He joined the Miami, OK Eagles in 1950 and was then sent to Gladewater, TX which displeased him. Thus, he jumped that club and joined the House of David team from Benton Harbor. MI. Unable to grow facial hair the club gave him some.
Knew Rocky Marciano and worked out in his gym many times.
He always wanted to attend a KOM League reunion but each year, at the time they were held, his health prohibited his travel. In 1998 he even got as far as the airport before having to return to his home. He wrote at the time that he cried because he couldn’t make the trip. In the spring of 2000 a very happy man came up to me at Chanute, Kansas and introduced himself as Frank Morrow. He was as happy as anyone I ever met. His wife told me that her husband wasn’t doing very well but looking forward to seeing some of his old teammates was the best medicine he could take. He left the reunion and died five months later.
Paskiewicz, Henry F.
B. 4/15/1930 Chicago, IL
Current residence; Albuquerque, NM
Long time educator and coach in New Mexico
Hank played competitive seniors tennis and won many championships both at the state and national levels. Unbeknownst to Yours truly, Paskiewicz was coaching at Sandia High School in Albuquerque, when I lived there and my home was just a few blocks from there. Sure wish I had known at the time he was there.
Passarella, Robert E. Nicknamed “The Grouse”
B.2/5/1927 Scranton, PA
D. 1/3/2010 Scranton, PA in Hospice
He was released by the club on May 31st. He didn’t play again until 1951 when he signed with Cordele, GA. He played for two more seasons with the Hot Springs Bathers of the Cotton States league.
Loved reliving his memories of the KOM league with Yours truly during long telephone conversations. He was a died in the wool Yankee fan. When connections were first made between Bob and this author he had just suffered a near fatal accident while pitching batting practice to a local high school team. The communication between Passarella and I was made possible through his brother. Bob was pitching batting practice to a high school team when he was hit in the head with a line drive. He was in a coma for several days. Upon gaining consciousness he was very despondent and had lost the ability to speak or write. According to Bob, being able to talk about his baseball days helped him restore all of his communication skills. To say the least, he was an inspiration to me. He was such an inspiration that Brandy Davis, former Pittsburgh Pirate, would make special trips, on his scouting tours, in order to go to Scranton and visit Bob.
Rine, Jr. Robert J
B. 4/12/1926Beatrice, NE
D. 2/06/1990 Seward, NE
Robert Rine showed up at Carthage on May 5, 1949 and stayed for about a week, as a catcher, which coincided with the arrival of Dean Manns. The task in locating Rine was difficult and by the time it was accomplished I learned that he had passed away. About the only thing I knew about him, after his departure from Carthage was a June, 1950 wedding announcement. “Miss Frances Moore, daughter of Mrs., Walter Moore of Liberty, was married to Robert Rine, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cam Rine of Beatrice, Saturday, June 17, at the First Christian church. The Rev. Wayne Greene officiated in the presence of the immediate families. Attending the couple were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Qssowski. The bride was married in a white afternoon dress and wore a white carnation corsage. A wedding dinner was served at the home of Miss Bertha Rine.”
At one of the KOM league reunions, in Carthage, Rines’ daughter attended to visit with some of the fellows from the 1949 club, but since he was with the team such a short time, no one remembered him. In 2010 Rine was inducted, posthumously, into the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame. This site shows a photo of his son receiving the award for his late father. beatricedailysun.com/sports/local/hunter-one-of-five-indu...
Roman, Robert Anthony
B. 1/17/1927 Syracuse, NY
D. 12/24/1996 Durham, NC
Career: Roman is featured on page 59 of the book, the KOM League Remembered. He was a handsome fellow who only had to take second place to his wife, Mona, in that department. His career was 21 games for St. Augustine, FL in 1948 and he followed his manager, Don Anderson, from there to Carthage in 1949. Combined, Roman had a 41 game minor league stint. When he left Carthage he headed back to his home in Syracuse. While there he worked in retail sales and developed an interest in singing and acting in local stage productions. He was encouraged to go to New York City for tryouts on the Broadway stage. He made it and performed on Broadway as well with numerous traveling stage shows throughout this country. When the curtain calls ceased Roman and his actress wife, Mona, settled down in Durham, North Carolina. He entered the automobile business and stayed in it until his death on Christmas Eve of 1996.
SabanMatthew Robert Leroy
B.12/22/1930McCook, IL
D. 10/25/2008 Tempe, AZ
Career: Played 12 years of professional baseball and teamed with most of the Washington Senators, of his era who played with either Chattanooga, TN or Charlotte, NC such as Harmon Killebrew. Saban is kin to every football coach in America with his last name. That is from Lou Saban to the current coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Nick Saban.
Here is his obituary: www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?n=matth... This is a brief statement from the obituary. “Bob graduated from Lyons Township High School, IL in 1949. He then began a career in baseball, playing in the KOM (KS, OK, MO) League in Carthage, MO. In 1950, Bob played in Sioux Falls, SD for a Cubs farm club, and then in Rock Hill, SC in 1951. In 1952-53, Bob served in the US Army in Albuquerque, NM at Sandia Base and was the base's ace pitcher. After serving in the Army, Bob was drafted by the Washington Senators (which became the Twins organization) and played in the South Atlantic League, primarily with the Charlotte Hornets, from 1954-1962 with stints in Macon, GA and Chattanooga, TN. In 1966, Bob and his family moved to Champaign, IL. He was an electrician in Local 601.”
Schmitt Donald Harald
B. 5/5/1929 Davenport, IA
He returned to Carthage in 1950 where he was a member of the All-Star team. He played most every position on the field except pitcher and catcher that year.
Current Residence: Rock Island, IL
He attended the last KOM league ever held. It was in Iola, Kansas and he was very upset on his arrival for he had received a speeding ticket on the outskirts of town. That was no way to treat a former ballplayer returning to the site of many of his All-Star performances. He had just lost his wife, Gloria, prior to the reunion.
Smith,Harry WilliamBatboy
B. 1/18/1935 Fayetteville, AR
D. 8/30/1999 Carthage, MO
Frederick “Pee Wee” Smith and his little brother Harry were fixtures of Carthage Cardinal and Cub teams. Pee Wee was batboy in 1947 and 1948 and was assistant groundskeeper in 1949 and the head groundskeeper in 1950 and 1951. Harry had enough of the baseball business after the 1949 season and turned the batboy job over to Estel Back. There were two young men who I recall in grade school who could hit a softball harder and further than anyone else. They both had the same last name of Smith. One was Harry who was four years my senior and the other one was Gary who was my age and no kin to either Harry or Pee Wee.. All of the Smiths, mentioned in this section, have passed away. Harry worked for Atlas Powder Company near Carthage until his death. He fell a year short of retirement.
Speake, Robert Charles
8/22/1930 Springfield, MO
Current residence: Topeka, KS
He was the only member of the 1949 Carthage Cubs to play major league baseball.
After his major league days became one of the top softball players in America while playing in Springfield. Mo. Moved to Topeka, Kansas where he became very successful in helping a fledgling insurance company became a powerhouse firm.
Many years ago Speake reminded me that I was a Class D writer, writing about a Class D league and that I should never pay much attention or worry about any criticism of my efforts. That sound wisdom has guided me through the two decades of chronicling the old league. He also warned me not to fall for anybody telling me how interested they were in what I was doing and how they could help me. Again, he was a prophet in his own time.
In retirement Bob has become a very talented woodcarver.
Stephens Frederick John
B. 8/9/1931 Cranston, IA
D. 7/25/2015 Rock Island, IL
He was another of the fellows to play shortstop for the 1949 club. He was very difficult to locate. In fact, it wasn’t until a couple of years before his passing that I located him. He said at the time that he spent his extra money and spare time at the river front casinos.
The following site contains his obituary which also includes a photograph. Since he was never in a Carthage team photo it is the only image I ever saw of him. qctimes.com/news/local/obituaries/frederick-stephens/arti...
Thomas Harrison Irwin
B. 11/22/1929Milan, MO
D. 2/14/2009 Edwardsville, IL
He was a left-handed pitcher who joined the team from Clovis, NM. He stayed with Carthage until June 15th when he quit due to the sore arm.
His obituary was carried in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: www.legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday/obituary.aspx?n=harris...
Walden, Glenn Lawrence
B. 5/31/1927 Manson (Calhoon County, IA)
D. 10/5/1993 Ft. Dodge, IA
Joined the team on June 16th from the Sioux Falls Canaries where he had pitched in 1948 and part of 1949. He returned to Carthage for a brief time in 1950.
Buried Keokuk National Cemetery; Section J Site 1001.
Enlisted in United States Navy 4/5/1945 and discharged 7/10 1946.
May 31, 1949 received $200 W. W. II Compensation Payment from State of Iowa
Occupation in 1959 was that of bartender in Ft. Dodge, Iowa
Married to Janet Borland from Minnesota prior to 1959
Married Alice Roths 9/29/1969 at Ellsworth, Iowa
Married Ina Lewis 7/19/1983 at Shasta, Calif. (I believe this is correct)
At one time lived in Tecumseh, Kansas (East side of Topeka)
Werling, Ralph Charles
B. 1/11/1925 Angola, IN
D. 12/17/1994 Ft. Wayne, IN
He was one of a rather large number of catchers Carthage considered in 1949. He was released on May 31st.
Sometimes you locate a former player or his fate through the obituary of a next of kin. In this case it was his widow, Nadene. qctimes.com/news/local/obituaries/frederick-stephens/arti...
After reading Nadene’s obituary I located Ralph’s final resting place which is shown here: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inallcem/wayne/stjohn/new/werl...
Ralph went ahead of Nadene by 16 years.
Wuethrich, Merle F. "Woody"
B. 9/4/1925 Eureka, IL
D. 4/17/2013 Peoria, IL
Comment: He was one of the best pitchers to ever pitch for Carthage or any other team in the KOM league. His best season was 1949 but he was pressed back into duty, on short rest, and was never the same afterward. 1950 was his final shot at baseball. His obituary tells of his life’s work in the oil business. The following URL tells it better than I can
.http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?pid=164319588
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Keeping track of a few former players
Sometimes I only know of the status of a former player by reading obituaries of their loved ones.
A number of years ago Don Annen, of the 1950 Carthage Cubs, asked to be taken off the mailing list for I carried the news of too many deaths. Checking on him last week I found the obituary of his wife: host.madison.com/news/local/obituaries/annen-dorothy-a/ar...
Richard Loeser of the 1948 Ponca City Dodgers is one guy who never answered any of my attempts to locate him. Even in ignoring me I have known for many years that he lives in St. Louis. In checking his status, recently I found the following: “LOESER, DELLA L. (nee Muhr) fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on August 25, 2016 at the age of 85.
Beloved wife of Richard Loeser for 62 years. Dear sister-in-law of Robert J. Loeser.
She was a lifelong resident of St. Louis and was a very caring and loving lady to anyone she met.
Della will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Funeral Mass will be held Monday, 8/29, 10 am at St. Norbert Catholic Church. Interment Calvary Cemetery. “
VISITATION SUNDAY 4-8 PM at Stygar Florissant Chapel and Cremation Center.
Memorial contributions to American Cancer Society or American Kidney Fund appreciate
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Death of former Ponca City Dodger
HOPKINS-WILLIAM J. "HOPPY"--Age 87, of Castle Shannon, passed away on October 14, 2016, peacefully surrounded by loved ones. He was born on March 10, 1929, to the late Aaron Hopkins and Catherine Stoyle Hopkins. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy (Locke) Hopkins. He is also survived by his daughter, Pamela Morocco and son-in-law, Richard Morocco; grandson, Brad (Brittany); and granddaughter, Courtney; sisters, Norma Scholl and Mary Jane (Frank) Palmer; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers and sisters, Ethel (Ed) Clark, Aaron (Grace) Hopkins, Daniel (Eleanor) Hopkins, Dorothy (John) Wasieleski, and Nancy Davies. Mr. Hopkins was a veteran, having served in the US Army from 1951 through 1957. He was also inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and served on the Executive Board until his death. Per Mr. Hopkins and his family, there will be no viewing, however the family invites you to a Memorial Mass on Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Anne's Church in Castle Shannon. Arrangements by JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME. Contributions may be made to Pilgrimage Hospice, 2000 Cliff Mine Road, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15275.
Ed comment:
William Hopkins was one of the first of the former KOM leaguers located some two decades ago. In our conversation he recited his baseball career as beginning in 1948 with Youngstown, Ohio and Johnstown, PA in the Middle Atlantic league. In 1949 he was with both Ponca City and Johnstown, PA and in 1950 didn’t play at all. He entered military service in 1951 and played on the 28th Artillery team in Germany that finished second in the European Championships.
At this juncture the baseball researchers are not in agreement with Hopkins. Baseball Reference shows him back in Class D ball, in 1951, as a member of the Ada, Okla. Herefords of the Sooner State league. Hopkins told me, and his obituary shows, that he stayed in the service until 1957. That conflicts with Baseball Reference showing him playing in the St. Louis Cardinal organization as late as 1955.
When Hopkins was with the Ponca City Dodgers he played the outfield.
The foregoing information was shared with Jack Morris, baseball necrologist. His group, who look into baseball deaths, may be able to clarify the discrepancies between the record books and his obituary which states he was with Uncle Sam after 1951 and through 1957.
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I was shocked and awed yesterday...when I was able to get the little man to sit down and do his homework, without any footdragging or complaining.
The KOM League
Flash Report
June 10, 2021
Go to this site for the latest KOM League Flash Report: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/51136298245/
April 24, 2021 was the last time anyone has turned on the big computer at the KOM League office. On June 7 the owner of said computer attempted to turn it on and in so doing couldn’t remember how to use it. So, this is akin to learning to walk and talk once more.
What follows is a note from a California reader that inspired an attempt to piece together another report. “Hi John. Hope this message finds you happy and healthy. Haven’t received a new report from you in a while. Whether you are taking a well-deserved break, or maybe there is just nothing new to say, I just wanted you to know that some of us (at least me) miss hearing from you and haven’t forgotten about you. Many thanks for all that you have done. Enjoy your time off. “ Mark Santo (Son of the late Stan Santo of the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers.)
In the response to Santo he was informed that the recipient of his message had neither been healthy or happy for about a month. By asking he received some of the details. However, they won’t be shared in this report since most readers would either be bored or wouldn’t care all that much.
Whereas there hasn’t been a report for a few weeks, catching up on some obituaries will comprise the greater part of this missive.
Manuel Abril Obituary (2021) - Colton, CA - San Bernardino County Sun (legacy.com)
Manuel R. (Ed note: The “R” stood for Ruiz which was his mother’s maiden name) Abril, 89, loving father and grandfather, lifelong resident of Colton, CA, passed away April 23, 2021 of congestive heart failure at home. He was preceded in death by his parents Frank & Carmen Abril, brothers Frank and Arnold Abril and wife Frances Abril. He is survived by his twin brother Ernie Abril and five children: Manuel (Mooch) Abril, April Abril, Stephanie Gonzales, Ernest (Odie) Abril, Franses Homsi, 6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was a graduate of Colton High School class of 1951. He signed and played professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization for a year before being called to duty. He served 2 years with the U.S. Army in the Korean War. After service he resumed his baseball career for another 2 years, playing in the Kansas-Oklahoma Missouri League and the Texas League in Mexico. After his career he returned home, married and raised a family. He coached baseball for many years. First with the Catholic Youth Baseball League in San Bernardino and at Ken Hubbs Little League in Colton. Dad touched many lives. He retired from Smith Packing House in Colton. He worked for The City of Colton Community Services Parks & Recreation Department and retired after 25 years in 1994. He was a member of Immaculate Conception Church. He will be laid to rest on May 20, 2021. Services will be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Colton. Rosary at 10:30am, Mass to follow at 11:00am. Interment at Hermosa Cemetery in Colton.
Ed note:
Emmanuel and Ernesto Abril were one of three sets of twins to play in the KOM league and all did it in 1952. The others were Ronald and Donald Saatzer with the Independence Browns and Gerald and Harold Crucani of the Blackwell Broncos.
A picture is worth a thousand words and in this case possibly many more. Take a gander at this link if you are interested in how the Abril brothers met probably the most famous woman in the world in 1953. www.google.com/search?q=manny+and+ernie+abril+marilyn+mon...
In every way the sights and sounds were different, in 1953, than they were in 1952 when the Abril twins were traveling to the bright lights of small towns in Southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma.
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Death of a former member of the 1946 Chanute Owls.
www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/jasper-jay-bono-obituary?p...
Jasper Bono died on April 20th, 2021 at the Cottages at Shawnee, KS, at 9:48 p.m. of heart failure after living 97 amazing years.
Jasper (Jay) Bono was born in 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri in the Old Deaconess Hospital on Oakland Avenue. His parents were Joseph and Lena, (nee Biondo) Bono. Both his parents immigrated to the United States from Sicily Italy. His father, Joseph, immigrated first and lived in New York for a period of time then went back and got married to Lena and brought her back to the US and moved to St. Louis. They started their family and had 3 boys and 1 girl, Ben, Sam, Rosie and Jay. Jay was the youngest of his family.
He loved baseball and played stick ball during his childhood years in St. Louis. He attended Beaumont High School and later attend Hadley Vocational School. where he learned technical drawing. After vocational school he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 World War 2 and was honorably discharged in 1943 after getting very ill. From there he began his career at the Defense Mapping Agency. He worked for 3 years for the Defense Mapping Agency as a Cartographer, but the love of baseball was calling him.
Jay went to play ball from 1946-1948 and played for the Chanute Athletics in the KOM league in Kansas and KITL league in Illinois for the Fulton Chicks. He loved it and stayed with host families through those years of playing ball. Goldie Howard was a coach with the Chanute Athletics, and he always talked about Goldie used to call him Bosco Kid because he spiced things up. After playing in those two leagues, he tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals and made their minor league team with having pretty good stats and had a batting average of 290 but was offered a job back at the Defense Mapping Agency. Colonel Nugent at the Defense Mapping Agency liked my dad wanted him back, but he said once you leave again you can’t come back. Jay thought hard about the choice and he always said his dad said get a job with a retirement and baseball in those days wasn’t the big money it was today. He took the job at the mapping agency and worked there for an amazing career of 42 years. There he made maps for the different military service branches as well as NASA for various projects such as Apollo and Space Shuttle Missions before he retired for the first time. Later he was called back after to make maps for Desert Storm the old school way before they were fully were computerized. They need his drawing skills. He met Maxine Lee Miller at the start of his career in 1948 at the defense mapping agency in the Forest Park Highlands in the dance hall and danced his first dance with his wife to be to the Bumble Boggie by Jack Fina. From there they got married in 1949 and had 4 girls, Sandra, Cynthia, Susan and Christine. He loved his girls always and worked hard to provide awesome birthdays, holidays and family vacations in the family truckster station wagon. Plus, he was always faithful in taking his girls to church every Sunday through their growing up years.
Jay was married for 59 years to Maxine and was only two months shy of 60 years before her passing. During his retirement after all his girls grew up, he ushered for Costello’s Ushering Company and became a main stay at the Blues Hockey Suite at the Area, (The Old Barn). He got to meet Bob Costas and Dan Kelly which he thought was so cool. Go Blues! Then he ushered Cardinal Baseball and met Jack Buck, another even cooler moment, and Ram’s Football during their Super Bowl year. Which was amazing. Also, in his retirement he ventured down to Florida with Maxine to Disney World over 40 times. They loved their time down in Florida and at Disney in particular. Maxine worked for the Disney Store for 17 years and got amazing discounts. That was one of their happiest times and if their daughters could join them, they loved it even more. During the span of his long life of 97 years, he loved baseball and hardly ever missed a Cardinal game if he could help it. If it wasn’t on TV, he had his hand-held transistor radio tuned to KMOX listening to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. Same goes for Blues Hockey. If he wasn’t ushering a game, he was watching them play on TV. Jay loved God, life, family and fun. He was the most happy chilling watching sports, eating some good food and taking a good snooze as he would say. He will be missed by all. Rest in peace Jay!
Predeceased by:
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister Rosie and brothers Bennie and Sam and his beloved wife of almost 60 years Maxine.
Survivors:
Jay is survived by his daughter Christine and her husband Jerry and his granddaughter Hayley of Shawnee Kansas. his daughter Cynthia and Gary of Bonne Terre Missouri, daughter Susan and husband Pete of Imperial Missouri his daughter Sandra and husband Bruce and his granddaughters Mary and Melanie of Fenton Missouri.
Funeral service at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Saturday, 2:00 p.m. Interment Bethel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to In lieu of flowers, go out in honor of Jay Bono and have dinner with that money. Enjoy family time. He would really like that. Visitation Saturday from 12:30 p.m. until the time of the service at 2:00 p.m. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.
Ed note:
Contact was made with Mr. Bono during the research of the KOM league and when conversing with him he was living in Owensville, Mo.. He extended a standing invitation to make the trip to his home for a visit but, unfortunately, that never happened. With his passing there remains only one member from the 1946 Chanute Owls and I’m not mentioning his name in this report due to the fear it might jinx him.
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Member of the 1948 Bartlesville Pirates
WILLIAM "BILL" DEE JARRETT, JR.
www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/21057270/William-Dee-Ja... There is photo on this link.
August 22, 1926 - May 8th, 2021
Bill was born in Spartanburg, SC over 94 years ago to William Dee (Red) Jarrett, Sr. and Josephine Frances (Foster). An only child, he was raised in West Tulsa and graduated from Webster High School in 1944, aspiring to be a professional athlete. He married the girl next door, Betty Lou McDowell in 1945 and served in the army stationed in the Philippines. They settled in Red Fork in Tulsa and raised two children, then later relocated to SW Tulsa to build the house on the hill. He was self-employed in two businesses, A/C-refrigeration and commercial water treatment.
In 1981, he married Kathryn Zoe Burke Walker and welcomed in her children and grandchildren. They enjoyed their golden years together and he took good care of her until her death in 2020. His many lifelong enjoyments included baseball and other sports, fishing, quail hunting, gardening, family reunions, and spending time in Peel, Arkansas. If anyone needed help, you could always call on him. He was a handyman, mechanic, do-it-yourselfer, and Mr.-fix-it.
He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Zoe. He is survived by his daughter Heather and son Cary; granddaughters Elizabeth and Amy and grandson Jason; and great-grandchildren She'la, Abbigayle, Elijah, and Philip. Also, stepdaughters Diane Tompkins and Beverly Wilson: stepsons Burke Walker and Blake Walker, 6 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Papa was loved and will be missed.
Ed comment::
Contact was established with the deceased early in the effort to document the history of the KOM league. He was a catcher for the 1948 Bartlesville Pirates, briefly, and he didn’t have a lot of memories of the old league.
His obituary was found this past Memorial Day and the following was shared with Jack Morris of Baseball Necrology. It pretty much sums up my knowledge of the deceased. “I had a premonition about this guy in recent days, it turned out he died earlier this month about the same time I felt as though I was going to myself.
His dad played a lot of minor league ball in the 1920’s and later. The Jarrett’s were from Carl Junction, Mo. near the baseball town of Alba. The senior Jarrett was playing for Spartanburg, SC the year his son was born. They settled in Tulsa following the end of Jarrett Senior’s playing days.
I had been working on a story about the Jarrett’s just before getting whacked by the recent illness.”
digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/98771/... Baseball career of Jarrett Sr.
digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/83646/... Baseball career of Jarrett Jr.
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Alex Grieves.
Jack Morris of Baseball Necrology sent this note.
Unfortunately, I found another former KOM leaguer – Alex Grieves
www.kevinbrennanfamily.com/obituaries/Alexander-Grieves-2...
His wife died a couple of weeks later -https://www.kevinbrennanfamily.com/obituaries/Marjorie-Grieves/#!/Obituary
As it turned out Alex passed away in 2020 and his wife a year and two weeks later. This was my response to Morris. “I knew Marg as well and knew of her death. She and Alex spent their last days in. Topeka nursing home. Back to Alex and amateur baseball. He and Windy Johnson were from Burlingame, Kansas and knew each other very well. When Windy was named manager of the 1950 Iola Indians he offered Alex a chance to make the team. Having pitched for the Miami Owls in 1948 Alex was familiar with the KOM league. Alex refused the offer saying he could play amateur closer to home in Topeka. Alex was a prophet for the 1950 Iola club was one of the worst teams anywhere that year with nearby Chanute being just as futile.”
The Topeka Capital Journal obituary:
Alexander Junior Grieves, 93, passed away Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
Alex was born July 25, 1926, in Burlingame, Kansas, to Alexander Grieves and Thelma L. Russell Grieves.
He graduated from Burlingame High School in 1944. Alex served two years in the Navy as a Seabee in the Philippines. After his discharge from the service, he was a pitcher for the Topeka Owls of the Western Association League from 1948-1950.
Alex worked for the Topeka Air Force Depot and at DuPont for many years. He was also a sales manager for several trucking companies in Topeka.
He married Marjorie Zwonitzer June 14, 1952. They had two sons, Kevin Dean and Brad Alexander. They spent their married life in Topeka and upon retirement traveled to Arizona and Texas to spend their winters.
Alex was a member of Hope Lutheran Church and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. He was also a member of the Topeka Officials Association and spent many nights and weekends officiating high school and college football and basketball. Some memorable stories came from his officiating travels. Alex also enjoyed coaching his sons' baseball and basketball teams as they grew up.
Alex was an avid golfer. He had two holes-in-one and played well into his eighties. While in his eighties he twice scored his age in a round.
He dearly loved country dancing with Marge and the pair could burn up the dance floor. He also loved gardening and grilling and his family was quick to ask why they didn't get an invite to the steak dinners he made the two of them though occasionally he caved and invited his "crew".
He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Barbara Tindell. His wife, Marge, died May 11, 2021.
He is survived by his sons, Kevin (Jane) and Brad (Pam) of Auburn, KS; five grandchildren, Kyle (Megan) Grieves of Kathleen, GA, Ryan (Kelli) Grieves of St. George, KS, Kimberly Grieves (Shaun McLean) of Frisco, TX, Cole (Alex) Grieves of Manhattan, KS, and Rachel Grieves of Topeka, KS; and five great grandsons, Eli, Joel, Leo, Luke and Laine Grieves.
Visitation is set for Sunday, June 6th from 5-7pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. A dual Celebration of Life for Marge and Alex will be Monday, June 7th at 10am at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, followed by a family graveside service at the Burlingame Cemetery.
Baseball career:
www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=grieve...
digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/67400/...
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Charles Key
memorials5.frontrunnerpro.com/memorials/charles-key/41272... Photo is included in the link.
Charles Henry Key, 88, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, passed away on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Pryor. He was born on August 4, 1931 in Rogers, Arkansas; the son of Henry Newton and Winnie Marie (Hampton) Key. He was raised mostly by his Uncle Louis and Aunt Eulalia Corrall of Garden City, Kansas. Charles married Wilma Marie Galliart in 1950 and they were married 61 years, until her passing in 2011.
After graduating from Garden City High School in 1949 Charles was attending Junior College when two major league scouts from the baseball teams Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Red Sox came to look at him. Named as the Southpaw Pitching Ace, Charles signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. Charles worked as a self – employed contractor most of his life. He wrote two books on the Winchester Model 61 Rifle with the first edition being a sell out the first year. These books have been shipped to people all over the world. Charles enjoyed his hobby of being a Winchester collector and he and his wife turned it into an eBay business. He loved attending or just watching KU Basketball and OU football games. He was a master of puzzles. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Charles is survived by his son, Larry Key and wife Maria of Bixby, Oklahoma; a daughter, Jackie Weaver and husband Doug of Pryor, Oklahoma; three grandchildren, Jason Key of La Junta, Colorado, Jacqueline Hill and husband Tyler of Sunnyvale, Texas, and Kyle Weaver and wife Courtney of Yukon, Oklahoma; two great grandchildren, Tadem Key Hill and Adeline Michelle Hill. He is also survived by a brother-in-law Willie Galliart of Hutchinson, Kansas; 3 sisters-in-laws MaryAnn Ricketts of Sublette, Kansas, Renie Quint and Shirley Nuzum both of Garden City, Kansas. He was preceded in death by his parents, the Corrall's and brother-in-law Richard Galliart.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Shipman’s Funeral & Cremation Service.
Ed comment:
In the obituary it is mentioned that Mr. Key was scouted by both the Red Sox and Dodgers. Bert Wells was the man who signed most of the Dodger players out of Western Kansas and I can’t imagine the Red Sox had much of a presence there. Actually, it is my best guess that the Red Sox had their bird dog, Joe Becker, looking at the lefthanded pitcher.
With the passing of Charlie Key there are seven members of that 1950 championship team still with us. They live in Colorado, Arkansas, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in California. Their names are Harry Crandall, Gary Donald Anderson, Luther John Burleson, Ernest Jordan, Clyde Girrens, Loren Doll and Roger Rossier.
This is the profile of Charlie Key’s career in baseball or better stated “The Brooklyn Dodger Minor League Shuffle.” digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/116528...
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Hank Chott
Over a month has transpired since the promise to write about the late Hank Chott was made. Some things have happened, in the meantime, and still no write-up. Since it has to be done right or not at all, the plans are to work on that subject for the next report. Had he still been living encouragement would be forthcoming to keep the Flash Report project going. He was a huge fan of these reports and since that placed him in a category of “a select few” he is owed a nice tribute.
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A book forthcoming.
Fear not, the subject of this section doesn't imply that a fellow who has written three non-bestsellers is attempting a fourth tome.
In the past month this old guy was contacted by a person writing the official autobiography of a former KOM leaguer. All that is being revealed is the subject of the book was one of the 33 fellows who played in the league who wound up in the majors. He spent a whole lot of time playing, managing and coaching in both the American and National leagues.
It wouldn’t take a genius to surmise who that person might be but since I jinx most everything I’m not revealing that person’s name or the author. When the book hits the street all the pertinent information will be revealed and the reader will be apprised on the way to receive a copy of the autobiography.
Contact was made with the old batboy for his input about the person who is the subject of the book and the general conditions under which guys played back in the days of the KOM league.
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This is the end
Preparing this report was a difficult task as figuring out how to turn on the computer was tough and it got more difficult as each task such as cut and past was attempted. Sometimes it took a dozen attempts before success was attained.
If this report makes sense to you that would come as a surprise. It you run into something that makes as much sense as taking a shower wearing a raincoat, send along your question for clarification.
I had an accident August 21, 2014 in the morning. I was opening a 20 year old vinyl window and the top frame came down instantly as I unlatched it to lift the bottom pane up. My middle finger of my right hand was wedged in the latch assembly and it took a bit to get my finger out. I was by myself but fortunately this was a type of window that the bottom pane tips inward for cleaning if you unlatch a small lever and my left hand was free to unlatch one side and pull my finger out. I amputated and fractured my right middle finger tip. It didn't bleed much due to the crushing. I could fill you all in on the events of that day but I don't want to keep reliving it and just heal so I can go back to work. Got five stitches, needed a splint and antibiotics for the broken bone.
It's been 25 days now and I still need to have a tiny cast protecting the fingertip which tingles still when I just touch it. I have feeling there but it is elevated.
If you've noticed I haven't been posting much lately this is why. With my nine good fingers I am still somewhat able to handle my camera. You don't know what you've got till it's gone. - Dan