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Little League Baseball Fever Claims
McKenzie in 1950 |
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The team picture, 1950. Front row:
(left to right) Marvin Pruitt, Legion; Gene
Hale, Legion; Herbert Blumenthal, Legion;
Tommy Campbell, VFW; Donald McClure, Lions;
Billy Joe Blaylock, Lions; Roger Dotson,
Legion. Second row: (left to right) Jackie
Hall, Rotary; Lewis Holmes, Rotary (but
wearing a Legion uniform); Jimmy Abernathy,
Legion; Harold Crocker, Legion; Tom Ingram,
Lions; Kent Jones, Rotary; Arden Reynolds,
Lions. Back row: Jim Alexander (Legion),
Manager, and Jack Pennell (VFW), Manager.
Rotary, Lions, VFW and American Legion
sponsored teams
Excitement filled the air in the spring of
1950 when Little League baseball was
introduced in McKenzie. No one was more
excited than me, although I was only six
years old and thus two years away from being
eligible to play. At that time, baseball was
my life; I would have played any time, any
place and with anybody, and usually I could
be seen around town wearing a baseball cap
and glove.
I pestered my older brothers, Sammy and
Tommy, constantly, and followed them
wherever they went to play a sandlot game. I
hoped - mostly in vain - to be able to bat a
few times or field some grounders or pop
flies.
Unfortunately I had a habit of standing too
close to the batter and got hit a few times.
I still have a scar on my forehead from the
time that a neighbor boy, Alfred Kinslow,
accidentally hit me with a bat when he was
pitching up rocks and hitting them. It took
several stitches by Dr. Holmes to get me
fixed up. In retrospect, it’s a wonder I
didn’t get killed.
My oldest brother Sammy, who ultimately
played more organized baseball than anybody
in the family, was 14, too old to play
Little League. McKenzie High School didn’t
have a team, and there was no organized
baseball such as the Babe Ruth League. But
he played a lot of ball on independent teams
and later played for Bethel College. Tommy,
my other brother, was 11, so he would get to
play two years in the new league.
Four Little League teams were formed, all
sponsored by local civic clubs and veterans
organizations - Rotary, Lions, VFW and
American Legion. The games were played at
Robins Field in the west part of town near
the pajama factory, and across the street
from the football stadium, which also was
called Robins Field (three or fours years
later, a new football stadium was
constructed near the high school). A wooden
homerun fence was built around the outfield,
dugouts were constructed and there were some
bleachers behind the back stop.
Players were chosen or “drafted” by the
managers, which included Clifford Gwaltney,
Rotary; Jim Alexander, Legion; and Swat
Scarbrough, Lions. Walter Parr started out
as the manager of the VFW, but had to bow
out for some reason. Two Bethel football
players, Grady Ferguson and Jack Pennell,
finished the season as co-managers.
Somewhere along the line I heard that Tommy
Campbell was the first player drafted. I
don’t know for sure if that is true, but it
would make sense in some ways. While he
wasn’t the best player in the league, he was
only 11, so would have two years to play,
whereas most of the better players were 12.
Tommy, a pitcher and shortstop, was joined
on the VFW by such players as Billy Webb,
Mack Curtis, Barry Baker, Joe Roberts,
Phillip Beasley, James Wallace and Jim
Arnold. Some of the players on the Rotary
were Kent Jones, Jackie Hall, Donald
Richardson, Lewis Holmes, Bobby Putman,
Bobby Poston, Ralph Golden, Bobby Gwaltney,
Kenneth Brannon and Lonnie Stoner Jr.
Jimmy Abernathy, who might have been the
best player in the league, played for the
Legion, along with Stanley Patterson, Gene
Hale, Herbert Blumenthal, Marvin Pruitt,
Roger Dotson and Harold Crocker. Dotson and
Pruitt were Legion’s pitchers. The Lions
featured a southpaw, Donald McClure, on the
mound, and other Lions included Joe Morris,
Billy Joe Blaylock, Arden Reynolds, Richard
Miller, Roland Argo, Tom Ingram and Eddie
Freeman.
As I mentioned, I was probably more excited
than anybody about the new league, and I had
my own uniform, which I wore as often as
possible. I was running around the
neighborhood telling everybody that I was
going to play in the league; one day I was
going to play for the Lions, the next day
for the Rotary, the next day for the Legion
and so forth. As I recall, the neighboring
parents played along with my exaggerations
and didn’t question my story.
The VFW sort of adopted me as a mascot since
I was always there for practices and games
anyway. In fact, when opening day came
around, there was a big parade all over
town, led by a police escort and Mayor Doug
Moore in a convertible. They were followed
by the teams on flat trailers as horns
sounded and spectators waved and applauded.
I was in heaven, having been allowed to ride
on the VFW trailer.
Thus, with rain threatening on an overcast
day in 1950, Little League baseball in
McKenzie was born. Mayor Moore made a few
remarks, threw out the first pitch, and the
historic double header was underway. During
the first two years of the league, all games
were played in the afternoon, starting at
3:30 or 4.
Since most of the players were not
accustomed to hitting fast balls, pitching
somewhat dominated, especially early in the
season. Harold Crocker, a tall, lanky
outfielder for the Legion, belted the
league’s only home run over the fence. There
were always people who watched the games
from their cars parked beyond the fence, and
they honked their horns for a full minute as
Crocker rounded the bases.
The Rotary, which had the most 12-year-old
players, won the pennant, but as I recall,
every team was pretty competitive. Legion
was outstanding, too, and had more all-stars
than any other team.
“We always did well against the Rotary, but
we couldn’t beat the Legion,” Tom Campbell
said.
At the end of the season, the all-star team
traveled to Humboldt to play that town’s
best players. Our family didn’t have an
automobile, but we were usually able to
hitch a ride. For some reason we didn’t go
this time, however, but never fear, the game
was broadcast on the Humboldt radio station,
which we were able to pick up easily.
Jackie Hall was the leadoff batter, followed
by my brother Tommy, who ripped two doubles
off the wall in the first inning as McKenzie
batted around twice and then some. Tommy
made the last out on his third time at bat.
My heroes racked up 14 or 15 runs in the
first inning, but then McKenzie pitcher
Donald McClure had control problems, and
Humboldt came back with seven or eight runs.
McKenzie did manage to win the high-scoring
contest, however.
Aside from Tommy, the all-star team included
Kent Jones, first base; Jimmy Abernathy,
catcher; Jackie Hall, shortstop and pitcher;
Donald McClure, pitcher; Lewis Holmes,
infielder; Gene Hale, infielder; Marvin
Pruitt, Harold Crocker, Herbert Blumenthal
and Roger Dotson. Tom Ingram, Billy Joe
Blaylock and Arden Reynolds were
outfielders. It’s worth noting that while
Lewis Holmes, son of Dr. J.T. and Mary
Holmes, played for the Rotary, in the
all-star team photo that accompanies this
article Holmes is wearing a Legion uniform.
This was because something happened to his
uniform - he either lost it or it was
damaged - so he ended up with a Legion
uniform. The team lost an exhibition game at
Milan, and in the official tournament
McKenzie beat Covington, but lost to Paris.
Interestingly, one manager from that first
season, Swat Scarbrough, and two players,
Bobby Putman and Joe Morris, later ended up
being elected mayor of McKenzie.
(Next week: the VFW goes undefeated to win
the pennant in 1951. Paul David Campbell is
editor and general manager of the Buffalo
Reflex, a weekly newspaper in Buffalo,
Missouri. He can be reached at paulc@buffaloreflex.com.)
Part 1
Little League Baseball Fever Claims
McKenzie in 1950
Part 2 VFW Goes Undefeated in Second Season
Part 3
Author finally gets to play Little League in
1952; brothers are manager, scorekeeper
Part 4 |
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McKenzie Banner
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McKenzie, TN 38201
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copyright 2006-2008 by Tri-County Publishing Co., 2007
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