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The KOM League
Flash Report
For
August 4, 2020
For those with the courage to open another edition of the KOM League news it is posited at:
www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/50171270986/
This being primary election day, in Missouri, my duty as a citizen was exercised twenty minutes after the polls opened. There was no sign of a crowd so I was in and out, quickly. With a little steam left from the exhausting trip to the voting site it was decided to send out the selection day report.
Please give it your best shot to consume some of this report. It took a whole bunch of effort to piece it together due to the vicissitudes of life. Bet you all know what that means and have experienced similar challenges.
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Feedback regarding recent article.
Hey John. Thank you for this latest report. I have to say that this was both a fascinating story about the life of James Wesley and a great piece of detective work on your part. In my humble opinion, it is probably one of the best pieces from you that I've read. Entertaining and inspirational at the same time. So glad you decided to head down the stairs.
As far as the raccoon goes, I feel bad about the birds but I also think that the raccoon has a good argument that his actions were justified by the laws of nature. I would go easy on him. Stay well and keep up the faith. Mark Santo—Son of Stan Santo—1951 Ponca City Dodgers
Ed comments:
In the story regarding James Wesley the account of his time with the 1946 Miami Blues was not cited. Thus, the note from Santo prompted me to put a little more effort into finding it. On August 6 of the initial year of the KOM league the Bartlesville Oilers were in Miami for a twi-light doubleheader.
Game summary--Note that all items in parenthesis were added by the editor of this report.
In the second inning Miami scored three times on singles by (Loren) Packard, (Oscar) Engel, (Dale) Burich and (Laverne) Dennis and a walk to (Bill) Chandler. In the fourth, the Blues added three more on bingles by Engel, Burich, (Ralph) Marler and (Jimmy) Cooke and an outfield error by (Whitey) Woods. The final tally in the ninth came on a walk to Cooke, (Newt) Keithley's infield single, a passed ball and Packard's infield safety. Joe (actually Oscar Engel and Loren Packard led the visitors at the plate, each pounding out three hits in five attempts. Manager (Adolph) Arlitt of the Cards, the league's No. 1 hitter most of the season, was blanked last night, failing to connect in four attempts. N. A. Keithley (Stood for Newton Arthur), who has been closing in rapidly on the big first sacker for batting honors,
The Blues didn't yield, however, scoring two runs which were driven across by N. A Keithley and Joe (Oscar) Engel. Joe (Oscar) batted in four runs in all with his three base hits. Each club scored once in the tenth, but the Oilers clinched the argument in the top half of the 13th, when outfielder (Gerald) Cross singled with the bases loaded to plate a pair of teammates.
James Wesley makes his Miami debut
Fans who stuck out the full program, which began at 6:30 p. m., got a glimpse of all three new mound prospects, including James Wesley, righthander from Wetumka; Bob Dennany, southpaw hailing from Paris, Ill., and the right-handed (Robert) Chambers of Sapulpa (Okla.). Of the three, only Wesley lasted more than two innings, his appearance coming in the second game after Dennany was greeted with a five-run attack in the initial stanza. Chambers lasted less than two heats in the first game, during which Ralph MarIcr sparkled in a relief role until a leg injury forced him to retire. Bill Morgan also showed to advantage in the opener after being nicked for a couple of earned runs in the seventh.
On August 10 Dennany was on his way home and it is believed Wesley left the club about the same time. Never do Wesley and Dennany show up in another Miami box score. Thus, it could be said that Wesley never appeared in a KOM league game although he pitched three innings of the second game of the August 6th doubleheader. That second game was called because of the curfew and the game was to be replayed from the start, ten days later, when Bartlesville made a return visit. By that time only Chambers, of the three new pitchers appearing on August 6th, was still on the roster.
On August 6, Ralph Marler pitched well for Miami and a week later he was featured in a Miami News Record feature article. This game summary was presented for August 13 after another win by Marler. “Blasting Oscar Walterman, Carthage's ace pitcher, for eight hits in the first four innings, the Miami Blues took a commanding lead and went on to win handily, 7 to 3, last night for the Sooners' sixth straight KOM league victory. The triumph left the Blues only one and one-half games out of the lead since Chanute was rained out with Bartlesville. Ralph Marler kept five Card hits well-spaced in seven innings on the mound and was credited with the victory. Joe Beran hurled the final two frames. After Walterman was driven out, newcomer Cloyd Boyer, young right-hander, toiled four innings for the Cardinals was relieved in the ninth by Buzz Arlitt after developing a sore shoulder.”
Items on the August 13th sports page that few would notice and connect.
Ralph Marler most likely first saw Walterman when the Carthage hurler was a member of the 1941 Springfield, Mo. Cardinals. One of Walterman’s teammates went by the name of Stan Musial and the clubhouse boy at the time was Joe Garagiola who the St. Louis Cardinals were trying to hide from other teams. Also in that July 13th edition of the Miami News-Record was a column that featured Musial taking over the batting lead in the National league. So, Marler beat a pitcher he most likely saw play as a 17 year old and maybe read about Musial’s accomplishments of leading the league in hitting. But, and that is a very big “but,” he may have missed the sports column entirely for there was story on that same page dedicated solely to him and not much of anything in it related to baseball.
Trial run
Prior to placing the article in this report, written by a 21 year-old young lady, it was shared with a lady I have known for 60 years and has never been hesitant to give her opinion when asked. Sometimes she doesn’t even need that much urging. The article follows and the readers who are prone to respond can share with me what they think. For those sharing their opinion they will in turn be rewarded with the comment my “First Wife” made.
Special note:
Nearly a week ago a photo of Ralph Marler, from 1949, was posted on the Flickr site announcing the next edition would feature this former player. His name wasn’t mentioned and anyone finding that site, quite by accident, was offered a special citation if they could guess his identity. Well, very few people came across that item. However, the fellow who gave up major league baseball for 2020 in favor of reading these reports over and over spotted it. Your attention is directed to the comment section as the terminus of this report if you have quit watching MLB. Which brings up the question, how do you spell MLB backward?
Ralph Marler Toils Hard On Mound for the Blues-- BY BERNADINE LOWE
(Photo of Marler taken circa. 1949 is the feature photo of this report)
On Jan. 29, 1925 in Springfield, Mo., a poet was born He is Ralph Wesley Marler. There is poetry in his eloquent brown eyes, and when he speaks it is like listening to a haunting melody. He is sharply aware that he is too impractical for this world and has begun to fight against his lack of initiative, determination and his indecision, He lives in a dream world because he says in that he can accomplish what he thinks he cannot in reality, He thinks life is wonderful arid wants to wring every iota of happiness out of every minute,' for once a moment passes, it is forever lost. He realizes that he works so hard at trying to enjoy his life that he defeats his purpose. Music is one of the most important things in his life. He thinks "Claire DeLune" is the most beautiful piece of music ever written. He loves people and likes to study them. He will enter college this fall to study to be a psychiatrist. Any subject appeals to Ralph until he has mastered it. He works hard to achieve something, then when it is within his reach, he finds he doesn't want it anymore. He is never completely happy. Reading provides for him an escape from reality, and he likes to read of unusual people possessed of strong character. Shakespeare is one of his favorites. He likes an imaginative girl with expressive eyes and the ability to understand him. To begin a perfect day, he would stand on a high hill and watch the sun rise. Then he would like to stroll through the country, talking with someone who understands him. He sees beauty in the heavens, in every tree, in every blade of grass, in the common dirt of the road, life is so precious to him. He would like to travel in Egypt and China, the cradle of civilization. He spent three years in the Army, eleven months in combat in Europe. The Army brought him disillusionment and stark reality. In sharp contrast to his predominant personality, he loves to pitch, thrills to applause, loves to be noticed. He works hard to win, for he is exuberant in victory, but the slightest defeat will plunge him into deepest despair. He wants to be someone of great renown; a great poet, a great composer of music, a great writer, a brilliant psychiatrist. He should be an outstanding success as a writer, for his method of expression is sheer beauty.
Curiosity aroused;
After reading the Bernadine Lowe article curiosity took over and it had to be determined if Marler lived up to the expectations she espoused.
An advantage of writing about history many questions are answered about predictions and assumptions made many decades previous. What this source knew about Ralph Wesley Marler was that he was born January 29, 1924 in Springfield, Mo., not 1925 as the article by Miss Lowe stated. He passed away July 3, 1978 in Springfield.
Following his stint at Miami, in 1946, Marler was off to Independence, Kansas in 1947. That was brought about since Tom Greenwade was the Yankee scout at Willard, Missouri and Goldie Howard from nearby Branson, Mo. were close friends and both of those guys knew about Marler’s ability from his Springfield high school days as well as his time playing against Howard’s 1946 Chanute team. This is his Sporting News card.
digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/166021...
Marler was initially signed by Tom Greenwade, as a third baseman in 1946, and sent to Joplin, Mo along with other local Springfield boys such as; Lou Michels, Sam Richisen and Don Harliss. All those young men had made a name for themselves with local teams such as Springfield General Tire (Thus known as the Springfield Generals.) Later in history Whitey Herzog would also play on that team when he was stationed at Fr. Leonard Wood during the Korean War.
Arriving at Joplin on April 13, Marler was fighting for a roster spot along with other guys such as Kansas Citian, Harry Bright. Over a decade later (13 years) Bright finally saw the “bright lights” of big league baseball Marler, along with Lou Michels, Robert Cobb and Hercules Varellas were cut from the Joplin team on April 28 and were escorted by Jim Adlam-manager to their new team, the Fond du Lac Panthers of the Wisconsin State league. One can’t pass commenting on a famous name. For those wondering how large Hercules was, in this case he was 5’ 8” and weighed 164. He was from Chicago and a high school all-sport athlete including wrestling.
Marler, after starting the 1946 season at Fond du Lac, was on his way to Miami, Okla. by the middle of May..
Probably the best scorecard format in KOM league history was that of the 1946 Miami club On the front cover were 15 photos of the individual team members. In my possession are various versions of that cover. When the season opened the photo in the middle of the fourth row belonged to Robert Field of Hutchinson, Kansas. (On 8/27/2020 Bob Field, the oldest living former KOM leaguer, will celebrate his 98th birthday.) Three weeks into the season the photo occupying that spot was that of Ralph Marler. For those owning a purchased, borrowed or stolen copy of the “great tome” The KOM League Remembered, that photo is depicted on page 12. If you don’t have that book you might find it by searching the Internet since some pages of the book are displayed for free. www.google.com/search?q=The+KOM+League+Remembered+arcadia
Miami had a working agreement with the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1946, but Marler was never affiliated with the Dodgers. He would only have been had they selected him as one of the six Miami players they wished to retain as a result of the working agreement.
Going backward
Prior to World War II about all that could be learned of Ralph Marler was his days at Springfield Central High School where he played all sports. The school’s yearbook was called “Ozarko” and he was in it many times. One of the more interesting items was his high school baseball team in 1940. In glancing at it the first couple of times not much attention was paid to the other names. Then, a name finally popped out at me. It was R. F. Smalley. Sure that was familiar. R. F. graduated from high school a couple of years after Marler. When Marler was fighting in Europe the not as yet old enough to enter the army, R. F., was in Los Angeles playing for the Angels. R. F. was in the army shortly thereafter and returned to civilian life and took over the shortstop position for the Chicago Cubs. Everyone then knew him as Roy Frederick Smalley, Jr. www.google.com/search?q=Roy+Smalley%20sr. (Note: The record books show Smalley graduating from a Catholic high school in Springfield. However, in 1940 he was in the public Springfield Central high school. (If memory serves me correctly the Catholic school was called Greenwood and later changed to St. Agnes. If memory doesn’t serve me that well then I’ll get mail from the masses.)
With the exception of a former KOM leaguer, Chris Kitsos, Smalley held that position until Ernie Banks came along. Phil Cavaretta lost his job over the Kitsos/Smalley issue. Mr. Wrigley announced at the start of the season Banks was his choice and Cavaretta said Kitsos was his man. History and common sense tells you who won that argument. Cavaretta lost his job over someone he wasn’t “banking” on.
When Marler got back from his army service he tried baseball during the summer and attending Southwest Missouri State in the fall and winter sessions. While in college he became the point guard for teams 1946 through 1949. At SMS the team played at the NAIA level and was a powerhouse. The star of that team was Preston Ward who made his home in Springfield after his birth right here in Columbia, Missouri. He happened to enter the world in “Mizzou City” for his parents, both teachers, were attending summer school.
A number of former KOM leaguers were also members of athletic teams at SMS during that era and could play any sport except baseball. Included on the basketball teams with Marler and Ward were Frank Hungerford and Bob Gott. Baseball scouts from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Browns were frequent visitors to “The Queen City of the Ozarks—Springfield.”
For a few hours of fun at the old computer it would be easy to enter names such as all those just listed along with Jerry Lumpe, Norm Sieburn, Bob Speake, Dale Ward and learn more of the rich history of baseball in the Ozarks.
Totally unrelated to baseball is another fellow who was playing football at SMS and his senior picture is on the same page with Marler’s. That person was a coach at the high school I attended from 1953-57. The coach also taught social studies. In his classes he told of playing college football and delved into issues of a political nature. There are not many class sessions that are memorable from my high school years but that coach and teacher, Jim Mentis, posed a question one day. It went something like “Who will be the Russian leader remembered longer than any of the others?” Hands shot up from the class and Joe Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Nikita Khrushchev all got votes. Mentis disagreed and asked for more guesses. Mine right hand went into the air and he asked my opinion and when I uttered “V. M. Molotov” he said I was right. Of course, that was due to V. M’s fame as the advocate of using the simple bottle of gasoline with a rag as a wick. Looking around the world and this country, currently, maybe the teacher and student were prescient.
In a strange bit of coincidence Mentis was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and died in a veterans home at Mt. Vernon, Missouri
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Coming to the end
Find A Grave—https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81094506
Did Marler follow the path predicted for him in the Miami-News Record of 8/13/1946? Read for yourself.
Springfield News Leader July 4, 1978--Ralph Marler
Ralph Wesley Marler, 54, of 2002 Swallow, died about 6 a. m. Monday in St. John’s Hospital of a heart ailment.
Mr. Marler was a building contractor and member of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The Springfield native was a veteran of World War II.
He graduated from Southwest Missouri State University, where he was a basketball letterman. Mr. Marler received his master’s degree from University of Missouri.
Survivors include his with, Ginger, a son, Mark Wesley of the home, and a daughter, Mrs. Nancy Shea, Kirkwood; his parents Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Marler, 1712 S. National; two sisters, Mrs. Virginia Coon, 2111 S. Luster, and Mrs. Marilyn Coon, Boute 1, Sparta, and a grandchild.
Memorial donation to be made to the SMS Educational Foundation.
Graveside services will be at 10:320 a. m. Wednesday in Maple Park Cemetery with Rev. Curtis a March officiating. Burial will follow under direction of German-Scharpf-Abbot.
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First baseman for the 1947 Carthage Cardinals passes away.
Nicholas Frederick Casaletto passed away April 9, 2020 in Summit, Illinois. His cause of death was listed as Coronavirus. He was born 2/9/1926 in Lyons, Illinois
Most of what is shared regarding the first baseman for the 1947 Carthage, Missouri Cardinals is found in the form of URL’s. Read it over and if there are any questions regarding his life, let me know. He was contacted in the early days of researching the KOM league and had many fond memories of playing minor league baseball after his days as a Marine in World War II.
www.foranfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Nicholas-Casaletto/#!...
Obituary for Nicholas F. Casaletto
Nicholas F. Casaletto, Veteran Marine Corps. World War II, Beloved Husband of the late Eleanor, nee Master. Loving Father of Gregory (Elaine), Candace, and Kenneth (Sherry) Casaletto. Proud Grandfather of Nicole, Brian (Sara) and Matthew. Dear Great-Grandfather of Grace and Emily. Cherished Son of the late Rocco and late Victoria, nee Dziadura, Casaletto. Fond Brother of Jerry (Linda) and the late Eugene (late Pat) Casaletto.
Due to the COVID-19 concerns Nichols’ family is having a private burial. A Celebration of Nicholas’ Life with a Memorial will be scheduled for a later date.
www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=casale...
This is the link to his Sporting News card. digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/7846/r...
With the passing of Casaletto only two roster members of the 1947 Carthage Cardinals remain. They are Hank Zich and Christopher Haughey. John E. O’Grady has never been located so his fate has not been determined.
Since O’Grady was mentioned in the previous paragraph, as “missing,” an all-out effort has been made to determine his whereabouts or fate. The list has been narrowed to two people and for sure when the determination is made it will be regarding O’Grady’s fate, not whereabouts.
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Finally made it to the last of the May photos! Only 3 and a bit months late!
I had a lovely day. A bit of glamming up, some sewriously sinful strawberry cheesecake, and a visit from my friend with his gorgeous dog George!
Responding to feedback at public meetings during the Bronx Bus Network Redesign process, MTA Bus Chief Craig Cipriano rode the Bx34 and Bx28 bus routes on Thursday, March 5, 2020 where suggestions have been made on improvements to route maps. This is part of extensive outreach, which is reflective of real world observations and customer and employee feedback. Cipriano was joined by MTA Bus Company and NYC Transit officials working on the Network Redesign.
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