Synopsis of MITM

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Hall-- Author/Batboy</div> <bR> <div> It all began in the minds of four men, back in 1945.  Carthage newspaperman E. L. Dale, the legendary Charles E. "Gabby" Street of Joplin, MO, Clifton A. "Runt" Marr a longtime minor leaguer and St. Louis Cardinal scout and Hershel Beauchamp an attorney from Miami, Oklahoma set about to establish a Class D professional league.</div> <bR> <div> None of these men ever realized a cent of profit for their efforts but in planning to reintroduce baseball back into the mainstream of midwest society they eventually made a couple of million loyal baseball fans very happy.</div> <bR> <div> By 1946 Mssrs. Dale, Street, Marr and Beauchamp had done the almost impossible.  They had lined up six teams from the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri and had formed the KOM League.  From as far west as the oil town (Phillips 66) of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to the eastern most town of Carthage, Missouri the league branched north to Chanute, Kansas and South to Miami, Oklahoma.  In between lay the towns of Pittsburg and Iola, Kansas.</div> <bR> <div> The league had instant recognition by major league teams.  Carthage was sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals, Bartlesville formed an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Iola was affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, Don Gutteridge convinced the St. Louis Browns to sponsor a team in his hometown of Pittsburg, Kansas and Miami, Oklahoma was courted by the Brooklyn Dodgers but preferred to go as an independent team because they didn't trust the Dodgers.  Chanute, Kansas was taken under the wing of the Topeka, Kansas Owls who were operating as a Class C team totally independent of any major league influence.</div> <bR> <div> The KOM League opened on April 29, 1946 with a cast of characters that would never be seen again in the seven year history of the league.  Many young men were playing minor league baseball having barely seen their 16th birthday's.  Major league scouts had signed about any able bodied young man they could find in 1945 hoping that they would be able to fill up some minor league rosters in case the Second World War was not concluded by the time the 1946 season began.</div> <bR> <div> KOM League rosters featured high school sophomores and hardened, wounded veterans coming back from battles such as Guadacanal and the Bulge.  This group forged a league that had players ranging in ages from 16-30.  It was a time of great excitement and formed the "glory" years of minor league baseball.  </div> <bR> <div> The early success of the KOM League did not belong to the teams that carried the names of Dodgers, Yankees, Pirates, Cubs, Cardinals, Browns.  Rather the teams that were called Owls were the most successful in the first two years of the leagues operation.  Topeka, Kansas had better talent heading into the KOM League than the scouts for the major league teams could "rustle up."  </div> <bR> <div> Chanute was a winner, in 1946, due to factors such as low-turnover, good defense, and excellent pitching.  One hurler, Ross Grimsley, made it to the major leagues and but for a bad arm Lee Dodson would more than likely have done the same.  The news out of the Cincinnati Reds spring training camp in 1952 was the trading of Willard "The Knuck " Ramsdell for Frank Hiller. It was assumed the pitching staff would be comprised of Kenny Raffensberger, Herman Wehmeier, Ewell Blackwell, Frank Hiller and Bob Curley up from Tulsa in the Texas League.  Bob was a member of Goldie Howard's 1946 Chanute club and he was "nearly" a big leaguer.  However, in a last minute roster move, the boy wonder, Joe Nuxhall, got the nod over Curley, and Bob was back in the "bushes" after such a close call of getting that elusive cup of coffee.</div> <bR> <div> The KOM League's first season was marked by players such as Cloyd Boyer, Bob Habenicht, and Don Lenhardt who all made it to the major leagues.  However, one of the managers had major league experience namely Claude "Sleepy" Willoughby of Bartlesville.  Jim Crandall, the manager of the Pittsburg, Kansas Browns was the son of former big league pitcher, James Otis Crandall.</div> <bR> <div> The First Bootlegger in the KOM League</div> <div> The KOM League was a collection of veterans and rookies who would do anything to have fun, make an extra buck or to win.  One of the more remarkable men to play in the league's first season was a right-handed hurler by the name of Jack Bumgarner.  Jack was a native of Norman, Oklahoma.  He was a veteran by 1946 having started his baseball career in the PONY League in 1945.  To entertain himself, and the fans, he would warm up before he pitched by standing on his head and throwing the ball from the pitchers mound to home plate.  When Jack wasn't doing acrobatic feats he was looking for a way to make some extra money.  He liked playing in Carthage, Missouri for in that town he could buy alcoholic beverages.  When his Bartlesville club would come to Carthage for a series he would pack an extra empty suitcase.  He would purchase 59 cent bottles of wine and fill the suitcase and take them back to Bartlesville and sell them for $1.50 a piece.  Jack claims to have done that to be able to provide for the necessities of life that he couldn't afford on his $125 a month salary.  Jack later changed his name and he and his brother are now both actors.  Jim Garner was for years the star of "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files."</div> <bR> <div> At Least the Street He Lived on Was a Great Baseball Name</div> <bR> <div> The KOM League was a collection of great, average, mediocre, poor and even downright horrible ball players but they all have a story to tell.  Many players arrived on the KOM League scene because some scout for a major league team sent the boy there not knowing if he could play or not.  One terse note from a Cardinal scout to the Carthage Baseball Club read,  "Let us know if the boy has talent, if he lives up to the name of the street on which he lives he might be pretty good."  The boy in question lived on Hornsby Street in St. Louis.  He didn't live up to the name.</div> <bR> <div> Some Drank a Cup While Others Just Had a Sip of Coffee</div> <bR> <div> Baseball purist swill recognize most of the names of the former KOM Leaguers who made it to the major leagues, while some of the names will drive those same purists to the most thorough record books to find the names.  These are the KOM Leaguers who had their cup of coffee.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> William R. Upton</div> <div> William Pierro</div> <div> R. T. "Dixie" Upright</div> <div> Brandon Davis</div> <div> Ronnie Kline</div> <div> Ed Wolfe</div> <div> Ross Grimsley Sr.</div> <div> Vernon Jake Thies</div> <div> Robert Mahoney</div> <div> Harry Bright</div> <div> Al Pilarcik</div> <div> Jim Finigan</div> <div> Robert Wiesler</div> <div> Steve Kraly</div> <div> Mickey Mantle</div> <div> Bob Speake</div> <div> Don Taussig</div> <div> John Gabler</div> <div> Bill Virdon</div> <div> Cloyd Boyer</div> <div> Robert Habenicht</div> <div> Christopher Kitsos</div> <div> Don Lenhardt</div> <div> Lou Skizas</div> <div> Seth Morehead</div> <div> Jim Owens</div> <div> Jim Pisoni</div> <div> Charles Locke</div> <div> Gale Wade</div> <div> Jim Baxes</div> <div> Joe Stanka</div> <div> Ed Vargo-Made it as a National League Umpire</div> <div> Andy Varga-Had played in the major leagues before showing up at Blackwell, OK</div> <bR> <div> Numerous former big league players came around from time to time to manage such as; Burleigh Grimes, Boyd Bartley, Thomas Warren, Francis A. Pug Griffin, Charles Bates, Al Smith and Harry Craft.  </div> <bR> <div> Only one KOM League umpire ever made it to the major leagues, namely Leonard Roberts of Dallas, Texas.  However, Jack Fette became one of the most famous officials in the history of the National Football League.  He was the chief official when the NFL initiated instant replay.</div> <bR> <div> A Runt Marr Episode</div> <bR> <div> Runt Marr had a colorful past as a minor league baseball executive and later a successful major league scout.  Runt was instrumental in signing Wayne, Cloyd, and Kenny Boyer to professional contracts.</div> <bR> <div> An incident occurred in 1930 when Runt took his Ft. Smith, Arkansas Giants team to Independence, Kansas for a Western Association League game.  The headlines on the AP wire that day read, "Runt Marr Escapes."  The following is a direct quote from the July 5, 1930 edition of the Carthage Evening Press.  "C. W. Runt Marr, owner manager of the Fort Smith, Arkansas Western Association Baseball Club was reported today to have returned to Fort Smith.  Marr escaped from a Kansas City, Kansas Deputy Marshall yesterday after the latter had arrested him on a warrant charging child desertion.  Charles "Buck" Morrow, Fort Smith pitcher, was reported to have driven a motor car in which Marr escaped into Oklahoma.  Morrow returned here last night and reported to acting manager Andy Wally of the Ft. Smith club.  Wally suspended Morrow and ordered him to return to Ft. Smith."</div> <bR> <div> People on the run knew well the four state area of Northeast Oklahoma, Southeast Kansas, Southwest Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas for decades.  Such outlaws as Jesse James, the Dalton Gang, The Ma Barker Gang, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, and a host of other law breakers knew how to find sanctuary where there was no way they would be hassled if they stayed out of the state where they had committed their most recent offense.</div> <bR> <div> The Joplin Globe had written many such stories and covered the Runt Marr episode in this manner.  "C. W. Runt Marr, owner-manager of the Fort Smith, Arkansas baseball team of the Western Association, was hunted in Southeast Kansas tonight following the escape from officers after having been arrested on a child desertion warrant.  The warrant issued out of Wyandotte County, Kansas was taken to Independence by Clyde R. Morgan, Kansas City, Kansas Deputy Marshal to whose custody Marr was given after being arrested in the Carl-Leon Hotel here by Sheriff Robert W. Lewis of Montgomery County.  The arrest was made today shortly before Marr's team was to take the field against Independence in a game.  Marr and Morgan walked out of the hotel.  Morgan was detained momentarily.  Marr went to the curb, entered a motor car used by Western Association umpires, and in which was Charles "Buck" Morrow, a Fort Smith pitcher.  As Morgan emerged from the hotel the car left the curb, Morgan is said to have fired at the tires of the car before giving chase."</div> <bR> <div> An article datelined July 5, 1930 out of Kansas City, Kansas reported the story in this manner.  "David Kepler, city marshal, whose deputy, Clyde R. Morgan was sent to Independence to arrest C. W. "Runt" Marr, Fort Smith Baseball Manager, on a child desertion warrant said today an attempt was made to arrest Marr in Ft. Smith on a similar warrant about a year ago.  At that time, Kepler said the Governor of Arkansas refused to sign extradition papers for Marr.  Recently, when officers at Kansas City, Kansas where Marr is wanted on the charge, learned the baseball manager would be in Kansas with his team for a series of games, it was determined to serve the warrant.  The Kansas City, Kansas marshal tonight expressed the belief Marr might have raced for the Oklahoma line, only 20 miles south of Independence."</div> <bR> <div> The Joplin Globe reported that Runt headed to Shawnee, Oklahoma where his Fort Smith team would play after their series in Independence.  "The boy in question is 15 years of age and much bigger than Runt", the article stated.  </div> <bR> <div> Runt was safe the remainder of the 1930 season as long as he stayed out of Kansas.  So he managed against the Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas teams and stayed out of the one Kansas town representing the Western Association.  When Fort Smith went to Independence, Andy Wally was in charge.</div> <bR> <div> February 10, 1931 was Runt's day of reckoning since he couldn't leave well enough alone.  The Carthage Evening Press of that date reported the following.  "Clifton A. "Runt" Marr president of the Fort Smith club of the Western Association, who sprinted to liberty through a barrage of bullets at Independence, Kansas, last July, was charged today on a warrant charging child abandonment.  He was arrested as he apparently was about to enter the home of his former wife, Mrs. Sadie E. Marr.  He gave bond of $500 for his appearance at a preliminary hearing Friday.  Marr was first arrested on a charge of abandoning his 16 year old son Donald on July 4, while the team was engaged in a series of games at Independence, Kansas.  While giving instructions to a member of the team for its management during his absence, Marr suddenly sprinted from the side of the arresting officer, Clyde Morgan, and dashed for his automobile.  As bullets rained about him Marr, embarked on a home-run to Fort Smith."</div> <bR> <div> The Day Lou Gehrig Died</div> <bR> <div> On June 2, 1941 one of the immortals of baseball died.  The Iron Man of the New York Yankees, Lou Gehrig passed away from the disease that now carries his name.  That same day Carthage took over the St. Joseph, Missouri franchise.  They changed their mascot from the Pony Express Riders to the Browns.  They replaced Manager Walter Holke with Gus Albright their second baseman, but they couldn't change the players and that was the major problem.  Another player on the St. Joseph, Missouri club was Joseph Morjoseph.  Although it cannot be documented, he was sent to St. Joseph, Michigan shortly before the move to Carthage.  Had Mr. Morjoseph stayed with the St. Joseph club that moved to Carthage would his name have been "Morcarthage"?  It can be said that Morjoseph made a rapid "technological change" by going from the St. Joseph, Missouri Pony Express Riders to the St. Joseph, Michigan Autos.</div> <bR> <div> The Tale of Frank Mancuso-Carthage Catcher in 1941</div> <bR> <div> Frank's most vivid memory of his time in the Western Association was 1940 when he was still playing for the St. Joseph Angels.  It was the last of the ninth and Muskogee, Oklahoma scored on a disputed call at home plate.  He initiated the argument with the home plate umpire and was soon joined by his manager, Red Frazier.  Soon the fracas included the Muskogee manager, Jack Mealey.  As the argument grew more animated Frank saw a "very old man," dressed in the garb of a security officer, come out of the grandstand and position himself outside the circle of the disputants.  A few moments later Frank looked up and lost total interest in the argument.  The old security guard had pulled a loaded revolver from his pocket and had it leveled directly toward Frank.  Frank, in his youthful wisdom, turned to Red Frazier and was able to utter, "I think we need to go now."  Red was either totally stupid, didn't see the gun immediately, or his anger had dulled common sense because he refused to be intimidated by the gun toting fan.  He turned to the man holding the gun and said, "I sure hope you have two of those things because the one you are holding is shortly going to be in a place where it will make it difficult for you to sit down."</div> <bR> <div> Frank Mancuso and Dizzy Dean</div> <bR> <div> Frank was also a friend of Dizzy Dean, and they used to go out on season ticket promotions in the off season in order to attempt to bolster St. Louis Browns attendance.  During this time Dizzy was announcing the Browns games, and was being severely criticized by elementary school teachers for corrupting the English language, and being a bad influence on the youth of St. Louis.  Frank was with Dizzy on one of the ticket promotion events before a group of educators.  Prior to the evening meal Dizzy stood up before this group and proclaimed, "Those that ain't saying ain't, ain't eatin." </div> <bR> <div> Say Goodbye to Stan Musial</div> <bR> <div> On July 18, 1941 Joe DiMaggio's 51 game hitting streak came to an end, Stan Musial was leading the Western Association with a .380 batting average and 25 home runs, and Carthage lost to the Fort Smith, Arkansas Giants 13-5.  Musial had seen about all the Class C pitching he needed, for on July 20 the Cardinals decided to ship him to the Rochester Red Wings.  The problem was, they couldn't find him.  He had left early that morning for a fishing trip on the White River and did not learn of his promotion until late that evening.</div> <bR> <div> There Were No Rolaids That Night</div> <bR> <div> To indicate how bad things became for the Carthage Browns they played the Fort Smith Giants on July 26, and started John Mueller on the mound.  The final score was 23-4 in favor of Ft. Smith and John Mueller gave up every one of those runs.  There was no way to spell "RELIEF" for John Mueller and the bad news Browns that night.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> This Glove is Now in the KOM League Hall of Fame</div> <bR> <div> Oscar Pappy Walterman, who showed up in 1946 as a Carthage Cardinal, was released by the Springfield, Missouri Cardinals on June 19, 1941 and the future (1948) Carthage Cardinal manager Al Kluttz was signed to take his place.  While Walterman was playing for Springfield, he had a young bullpen catcher that warmed him up before the game.  The catcher was not on the official roster and, therefore, didn't travel with the team.  The owner of the Springfield, Missouri Cardinals, Al Eckert, bought this young catcher an old Model A Ford to drive around town while the team was on the road, and his duties were basically to keep the ball diamond in shape until the team returned.  This young catcher liked Pappy Walterman a lot, and before Pappy left the team he bought a catchers mitt from 15 year old, Joe Garagiola for $1.50.  Joe made a great profit on that sale, for he had been given the mitt by the Brooklyn Dodger catcher, Mickey Owen.  Pappy demonstrated that glove for me and it required a catcher to use both hands.  After viewing that piece of baseball lore it's easy to understand how Mickey Owen missed the third strike, in the 1941 World Series, against the Yankees.</div> <bR> <div> Well, at least Carthage Had a World Class Soccer Player</div> <bR> <div> Carthage was the beneficiary of a lot of talent, from St. Louis, that was not limited to baseball ability.  Frank Borghi was an exceptional athlete and the younger Carthage players looked up to him.  Joe Pusateri was just 16 when he joined the Carthage Cardinals, in 1946 and Frank Borghi was a man that "stood out" among the team that season, according to Joe.  Frank filled in at most positions and gave his best effort at all times.  Sometimes that effort resulted in injury which in one instance landed him on the disabled list and a return to St. Louis for a couple of weeks for rehabilitation.  Frank had spent some tough times, before playing baseball in Carthage, since he had fought in a critical encounter of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge.  Frank also excelled in the sport of soccer.  He made the 1950 U. S. Soccer team and was the goal tender for the USA at the World Cup held in 1950 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  In a feat that rivals that of the United States Hockey team beating the Russians in the 1980 Olympics, Frank Borghi and his teammates shut out the heavily favored team  from England 1-0.  It was the first game of the World Cup and the US did not win anymore games, but the ex-KOM Leaguer made his former teammates, Carthaginians, and people around the world very proud.</div> <bR> <div> A Glimpse of Bernie Tye</div> <bR> <div> Bernie had great natural ability and caught the eye of Tom Greenwade, the Yankee scout who signed Mickey Mantle.  Once, while visiting the KOM League, Mr. Greenwade was asked who impressed him the most in the league and without hesitation he replied, "Bernie Tye."  He elaborated on that statement by saying, "if the boy had two good legs I would give a million dollars for him right now."  Bernie didn't have to stay in Class D baseball because he lacked ability, rather he chose to stay in Class D because he liked the cities and the people represented in the league.  In discussing the talents of Bernie Tye with former Carthage and Chanute catcher, Sam Dixon, Sam says that many of the players in the major leagues couldn't have carried Bernie's glove if they played in the same time period.  In reminiscing about those years, Bernie says he owes his life to the good people of Chanute, Kansas.  When I went there, Bernie recalls, "I had an eighth grade education.  While I played in the KOM I got my GED and later at the insistence of the Harold "Cappy" Miller I enrolled at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and received my degree."  Even following Chanute's departure from the KOM League, after the 1950 season, Bernie could still be found in Chanute managing a semipro team that also featured former Carthage and Chanute catcher, Sam V. Dixon.</div> <bR> <div> Bernie Tye and the Candy Man--Earl Sifers</div> <bR> <div> There are many opinions by various people who saw the entire KOM League from its start in 1946 to its demise in 1952, about who was the best team. Bernie says that without doubt it was the 1946 Chanute Owls.  He also saw and played against the Independence, Kansas Yankees with Mantle and Company and he still feels that the 1946 Chanute team would have dominated the 1949 Independence Yankees.  It is a fact that no one on the Independence team could have matched Bernie's height.  While playing the outfield he was better equipped than anyone in the league to go to the wall and reach over it and take away a would be home run.  While playing for the Iola Indians in 1948 he made an attempt to make a leaping catch.  He went to the wall jumped high, hit his head and back, but the ball was out of the park.  When he went to the dugout at the end of the inning he was confronted by the team owner Earl "Candy Man" Sifers, who remarked, "Just because you hit the wall doesn't mean you're hustling."  Bernie retorted, "If you can do better you go try it."  After that verbal exchange Bernie whacked Mr. Sifers across the face with his baseball glove.  The next day Bernie Tye was no longer an Iola Indian.  On July 17, 1948 Bernie was on his way to join the Miami Owls.  Earl's candy factory was the production center for the Valomilk.  The confectionery  was a round candy bar and contained marshmallow in the center and was covered with chocolate.  They cost a nickel.  </div> <bR> <div> The One Armed Groundskeeper and Bernie Tye </div> <bR> <div> Skullduggery, pranks, criminal acts, bad mouthing umpires etc. were all things that made minor league baseball interesting.  Bernie remembers having the Chanute team bus "conk out" at Humboldt, Kansas one evening, following a game at Iola.  It quit running because someone(s) had filled the gas tank with sugar during the baseball game.  On another evening he had a contest with the groundskeeper at Carthage in seeing who could make the most obscene gestures toward the other.  In this case Bernie won.  Bernie was playing left field for Chanute and during one at bat he struck out on a terrible pitch.  When he took his position in left field the groundskeeper, who set in the left field bleachers, started to verbally blast Bernie pretty good.  For toppers he even gave Bernie the ultimate third finger gesture.  Bernie then retaliated by returning the gesture and went one step further.  He dropped his baseball glove and did the double feature of that act.  When he got through he yelled at the Carthage groundskeeper, "Now let me see you do that."  Well, the groundskeeper couldn't, because he only had one arm.  At that point Bernie remembers "that's when we both broke out into laughter, and at the end of the inning we got together and began talk and were close friends for as long as I stayed in the KOM League."</div> <bR> <div> Bernie Tye and "Blind" Mohs and the Excavation Project</div> <bR> <div> Few baseball players have anything good to say about umpires, Bernie is an exception.  He singled out Ward Mohs as the best he ever saw at umpiring the bases.  Calling balls and strikes, however, was not Mr. Mohs forte.  He missed one real bad in a game at Miami, Oklahoma.  It seems as though while Mr. Tye was at the plate Mohs got something in his eye as the pitch was headed toward the plate.  Mohs blinked, rubbed his eye, heard the ball hit the catchers glove, and he said, "Strike Three."  Bernie to this day claims the ball was over his head, and at 6' 7", that had to be close to a wild pitch.  Bernie said that he put up an argument and after a few minutes of that, Mohs informed him he would have to kick him out of the game.  Bernie retorted "if you're going to throw me out I will give you a reason to."  Bernie then got on his knees and began to pile dirt on home plate.  Not a little bit, according to the perpetrator himself, but a lot of dirt.  He claims he piled dirt "three feet" high or more on the plate.  Mohs told Bernie that his earth moving escapade would cost him $25.  Bernie said, "Lets make it $30."  Mohs settled on $35 and then ordered Bernie to clean the plate off.  By that time Jim Hansen, the Miami manager, arrived on the scene and told Bernie to head for the dugout and not to look back at Mohs.  Hansen knew the rule on umpires badgering players after they had been kicked out of a game and he prevailed.  Mohs wound up removing the dirt from home plate and in the process took quite a bit of verbal abuse from the Miami fans seated behind home plate.  The distance between home plate and the stands at Miami's park was about two feet according to Bernie.  Ward Mohs remembers that home plate cleaning as one of his most embarrassing moments as an umpire.</div> <bR> <div> "God Save(d) the King" but not the Iola bench</div> <bR> <div> Another umpire, in the 1946 season, was Bob Holloway who was born in Plymouth Devonshire, England.  Bernie Tye remembers that you could call him any name in the book and get by with it with one exception, you never called him "a dirty limey."  During a game that he was umpiring, in which Carthage was involved, Holloway was having a terrible night calling balls and strikes.  Sam Dixon was catching for Carthage that evening and heard the only confession of its kind in his life.  Holloway leaned over behind Dixon and said, "Son I'm having horrible night."  Dixon, rather than jumping on him said, "I know how it is, I make errors too, but you hang in there everything will work out." </div> <bR> <div> Oscar Walterman had another recollection, of Mr. Holloway, in a game that he wound up managing one evening at Iola, Kansas, in 1947. The master needler of umpires, manager Al Reitz, of Iola, got into a quarrel with Holloway that resulted in Al being banished from the game.  Oscar, an Iola pitcher. recalls "the whole incident started when Holloway called a runner out at second base and it was very obvious that the runner was safe."  After the call went against Ritz's team he attempted to engage Holloway in a discussion and Holloway's only response, according to Oscar was, "he gave Al the 'heave ho'."  When Al left the field he told Oscar to take over the team.  Oscar didn't make any decisions, on his own, since Al got dressed and mingled with the Iola fans sitting along the first base line.  Al spent the evening giving Oscar signals by waving his handkerchief.  Later in the game another call went against Iola, and the players began chanting, "God Save the King" for the benefit of the Englishman.  Either the Iola players were poor singers or bad judges of what is considered not in good taste by citizens of the British Empire.  Holloway stopped the game and banned ever member of the Iola team to the clubhouse.  They could only come on the field to take their defensive positions and then it was back to the clubhouse.  Oscar Walterman was placed at the clubhouse door and when it was an Iola's batters turn to hit, his name would be called and he was only allowed on the field as long as it took him to complete his plate appearance.  Oscar recalls, "We were hibernating under the stands on the first base side.  When our turn came to take up the defense, the team would take the field and I was allowed to stand at the end of the grandstand."  </div> <bR> <div> Paul Box, the first baseman for Iola that evening, remembers the incident all too well.  He recalls, "after the game was over a bunch of us Iola players drove all around town looking for a Western Union office that was open.  We thought that Holloway's action was ridiculous and we were going to send George Trautman, the head of minor league baseball, a telegram to protest what Holloway had done."  As Paul now looks back on the event, Trautman never got the message since there was no way to get a telegram out of Iola that evening.  However, Al Reitz and Oscar Walterman succeeded where Paul Box and teammates failed, for they got their message off to Mr. Trautman.  Their question was, "is it legal for an umpire to kick the entire team out of a ball game?"  Trautman responded that the umpire did have the right to banish an entire team and that it had happened in a major league game previously.  The benefactors of Hollway's actions, that night, were the Carthage Cardinals.  Oscar Walterman remembers that Carthage manager, Woody Fair, "had a hearty laugh over the fiasco."</div> <bR> <div> The Terror of War Carried Over into the KOM League</div> <bR> <div> The 1946 Bartlesville Oilers finished in the KOM League cellar but the memories that team left on Jack Bumgarner were indelible.  Ike Henderson was a pitcher for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, when he developed arm trouble and was shipped to Bartlesville.  Between Ike and Jack they won half of the games that year for Bartlesville.  Ike performed during the 1946 under great stress.  Jack recalls that Ike had trouble sleeping, and when he did he was haunted by terrible nightmares.  During the Second World War Ike had served in the Air Force and he went on thirteen bombing missions in which the plane he was on was shot down.  To exacerbate the terror and guilt that Ike carried with him into professional baseball, every crew member on each of the thirteen flights was killed.  </div> <bR> <div> Jack Bumgarner Lived on the Edge</div> <bR> <div> As far as Jack Bumgarner was concerned, George Durham, Bartlesville sportswriter recalls, "you never knew what to expect."  Ward Mohs came to be the umpire-in-chief of the KOM League each summer from his postal job in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  During the warm-ups, before the opposing  team batted in the top of an inning, Jack had finished his warm-ups, or so umpire Mohs thought.  George watched  from the press box as Mohs bent down to dust off the plate.  Some urge hit Bumgarner and he took aim at the unsuspecting umpire.  The ball speed toward the plate without Mohs knowledge.  The ball somehow missed Mohs, according to George, but not by much.  The first knowledge Mohs had of the "extra" warm-up pitch was the sound of the ball going into the catchers glove.  Mohs whirled around and took a look at Jack but didn't do anything, since he didn't know how close he came to being one of the few umpires ever to be hit by a pitched ball while standing in the batters box.  Jack not only had some speed on the pitch but he was also a great "walker."  In one of the many inane contests teams would promote, in order to draw a crowd, Jack drew the task of racing Gordy Hernandez.  Gordy was the Pittsburg, Kansas outfielder and not slow by any means.  The race required that Jack would be placed at second base and had to walk to the plate, via third base, and Gordy had to circle the bases.  The first one to reach home plate would be declared the winner.  Have any idea as to the winner?  Well, Jack won the race by "several lengths."</div> <bR> <div> The Fate of Two Carthage Pitchers</div> <bR> <div> Two pitchers from the 1946 Carthage squad finally made it to the major leagues.  Cloyd Boyer and Bob Habenicht.  Habenicht had started the 1946 season with Joe Pusateri and Bob Zachritz in the Northern League with the Duluth, Minnesota Dukes.  Bob did not have great success with Carthage but stayed in the minor leagues long enough to get a shot with the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and 1952.  After he left baseball Bob went to law school and for a time was the mayor of Richmond, Virginia.  He died on Christmas Eve in 1980 at Richmond, Virginia.</div> <bR> <div> He Was the First to Make it Big</div> <bR> <div> The first player to grace the field of the KOM League, and eventually become a major leaguer, was Don Lenhardt.  Don was 23 years of age when he reached the Pittsburg, Kansas Browns.  He had started the 1946 season with Aberdeen, South Dakota and was sent to Pittsburg with literally the shirt on his back.  Don currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri and remembers that upon arriving in Pittsburg, he had ten cents to his name.  Jim Crandall, the Pittsburg manager, and his wife provided Don with a place to live and meal money until he could get on his feet.  It took Don one game to accomplish that feat.  He hit a home run out of Jay Cee Park in Pittsburg, whereupon the hat was passed and when it came back it contained $110.00.  After that, each time Don hit a game winning homer, he would force one of his teammates to immediately head for the grandstand with the hat in hand.</div> <bR> <div> The Greatest Game Ever Played in the KOM League</div> <bR> <div> Don Lenhardt's arrival in Pittsburg came just six days before a very improbable game played between the Class D Pittsburg, Kansas Browns and the Class AAA Toledo, Ohio Mudhens.  The game was hatched in the minds of Nonie Baker, Business Manager of the Pittsburg Browns and former big league player and Toledo Mudhen manager, Don Gutteridge.  When Pittsburg was granted a team in the KOM League the two made an agreement to play an exhibition game during the American Association All-Star break.  The Mudhens showed up in Pittsburg, on July 17, 1946, with such players as Pete Gray, the one armed centerfielder-first baseman, Paul Lehner, Maury Newlin, Andy Gilbert, and Ellis Clary.  Each of these men had been, major league performers.  .</div> <bR> <div> Don Gutteridge never made it to the game in Pittsburg, Kansas due to an injury that Boston Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr suffered.  He had hurt is thumb and the Red Sox went looking for a second baseman.  Joe Becker, who had originally signed Don Gutteridge as a youth out of Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1934, contacted the Toledo Mudhens and got permission to sign Don once again.  Don, instead of managing a game on July 17, 1946 at Pittsburg, Kansas was playing second base at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.  Don does have a souvenir of the game played between the Pittsburg, Kansas Brown and Toledo Mudhens of the American Association.  In his living room at Pittsburg, Kansas is a beautiful silver platter with the engraving that says, "In Appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Don Gutteridge July 17, 1946."  The tray had been engraved prior to Don being signed by the Red Sox.  The platter was accepted by Don's parents and his mother and father-in-law.</div> <bR> <div> In the game with the Toledo Mudhens, Pittsburg started out in fine fashion scoring two runs in the first inning and holding that lead until the fourth.  Then the Triple A club unloaded on the hapless Class D club for six runs and the KOM League team's fate was sealed, or so it appeared.  However, in the bottom of the sixth, Tom Caciavely, hit a grand slam home run to put Pittsburg ahead by a run.  Tom went on that evening to hit for the cycle, drove in six runs, and stole home on a double steal attempt.  The game remained in Pittsburg's grasp until Pete Gray scored to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning.  To say that the game went into extra inning and that the Class D KOM League team won over the Class AAA affiliate would be too much to expect.  Well, that is just what happened, the Pittsburg crew held Toledo scoreless in the top of the tenth and won the game when manager Jimmy Crandall singled home the winning run in the bottom half of the inning.</div> <bR> <div> The Umpires Were Wrong</div> <bR> <div> It is the cardinal rule of every umpire to never admit to making a mistake.  However, toward the close of the 1946 season, on August 28, the Miami Blues were scheduled to play the Pittsburg Browns.  Before the start of the game umpires Bucky Walters and Ward Mohs strolled on to the field to take the lineups from Jimmy Crandall of Pittsburg and Guy Froman of Miami.  Since the KOM League only carried six umpires there were not any "spares".  However, on this night, shortly after Mohs and Walters arrived on the field, Vernon Stephens and the Englishman, Bob Holloway appeared "just like magic."  A very heated discussion commenced between the two sets of umpires on who should be where.  Each group felt that they were at the "right" game and that the other group should be down in Bartlesville, Oklahoma to umpire the Bartlesville-Iola contest.  With 66% of the total umpiring staff in one place, it should have been the best umpired game in the leagues history.  However, one thing is for sure, on that night two umpires were wrong.</div> <bR> <div> The Greatness of Woody Fair</div> <bR> <div> In 1947 Woody Fair managed a young catcher from Butler, Pennsylvania by the name of Ed Vargo.  Ed had been signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned to Carthage.  Ed Vargo did not last the entire season at Carthage.  He broke his thumb in an early season game and when he recovered he was sent to the St. Joseph, Missouri Cardinals in the Western Association.  He hurt his arm at St. Joseph and that ended his baseball career.  He then went to umpiring school and became a major league umpire in 1960 and he lasted through 24 seasons.  Ed is currently the supervisor of umpires for the National League.  In an interview with Ed I inquired about the person, who in his judgment was the finest hitter he ever saw.  Knowing that Ed had umpired regular season National League games as well as All-Star and World Series games I was expecting answers such as; Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Stan Musial etc.  To this writers amazement he did not mention the name of a major league baseball player.  In my astonishment I could not believe the answer the first or second time he gave it and I asked it third time, "Who is the best hitter you ever saw?"  Each time the answer was, "Woody Fair."  Ed said that one of the greatest mysteries of his baseball career was how Woody never got the chance to play with the "big boys."  It was the author's privilege to pass Ed's story to Woody.  Woody stated that he had never heard Ed's remark about his hitting prowess, but he was pleased to know someone thought that much of his ability.  Larry Tarbell, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and later a player for the Ponca City Dodgers, and Iola, Indians also attested to Woody Fair's ability.  Larry had grown up watching big league games at Fenway Park in Boston.  Larry asserts, "Ted Williams and Woody Fair were the two best natural hitters I ever saw."  Woody left baseball and settled in Carthage, Missouri and worked for many years in Joplin before retiring.</div> <bR> <div> Woody's numbers</div> <bR> <div> In his career Woody Fair played in 1892 games and had 2200 hits.  He played in 10 leagues of every classification, except the major leagues, with 15 different teams.  The 1947 season, with Carthage, was his most productive year statistically.  The movie, Bull Durham. was about minor league baseball.  Woody Fair played for the Durham Bulls in 1946 and was voted the most valuable player on the team.</div> <bR> <div> A Ballplayer, a dog and a "skinny kid"</div> <bR> <div> Jim Morris was reminded of his playing days at Miami, some three years later, when Loren Packard became his teammate with the Boeing Bombers of Wichita, Kansas.  The story that Loren regaled the Bombers with concerned a skinny little kid that used to shag fly balls during Miami's batting practice in 1947.  Jim recalls that when he wasn't scheduled to start a game he would go to left field, during batting practice, and shag a few balls himself.  Jim was always annoyed at the kid because he kept running in front of him and getting in his way.  Jim became so exasperated with the kid that he said, "I started taking his glove away from him and would throw it over the fence."  However, the ploy was not too successful because the "skinny kid" had a pet fox terrier that he always brought to the game with him.  Jim recalls that, "the dog would run around in back of the fence and bring the glove back to the kid."  After the retrieval of the glove, by the dog, the same scenario would unfold, over and over.</div> <bR> <div> Several years passed and the "skinny kid" put on some weight, played some professional baseball, and appeared at a luncheon in Joplin, Missouri.  At the luncheon the former "skinny kid" told the audience that Jim Morris was "my kind of hero until he treated me so mean."  How many KOM League players ever gave that kind of treatment to a future Hall of Famer?  Mickey Mantle was that skinny kid.</div> <bR> <div> The Night Two Former KOM Leaguers Wanted to Watch a Fight</div> <bR> <div> Gale Wade and Bob Speake, two former KOM League alums, both wound up on the Chicago Cub roster of 1955.  In a dual interview with these two men they both recalled a game in late September (the 21st), at the old Sportman's Park in St. Louis.  By that time it had been renamed, Busch Stadium.  The hurricane season was in full swing in the New York City area at that time and the much ballyhooed heavyweight championship fight between Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore was moved to September 21, 1955 in an attempt to let hurricane Ione pass by the city.  Gale and Bob remember that all of the members of the Chicago Cubs wanted to watch the fight, so they decided to do everything possible in order to get the game over quickly.  That never came to pass as the Cardinals and Cubs exchanged blows about as frequently as Marciano and Moore were doing in New York City.  The Cardinals drew the smallest crowd of the 1955 season that night 3,267, while about 68,000 watched the big fight in New York.</div> <bR> <div> Gale Wade went into that game with no home runs.  He went through a very unproductive eight innings going 0-4 in the batting department.  However, in the top of the ninth Gale was facing the big side arm pitcher of the Cardinals, Willard Schmidt of Hays, Kansas.  Then lightening struck, Gale Wade hit his first and last home run of his major league career to put the Cubs on top.  The last of the ninth inning was going great for the Cubs.  Two men were out when Cardinal catcher, Bill Sarni, lifted a fly ball to Gale in centerfield.  However, Gale probably still in euphoria from hitting his first home run dropped the ball and the Cardinals tied the score.  The game headed to extra innings and any chance that the Cubs and Cardinals would see any of the Marciano/Moore bout had gone down the drain.  The game drug through 13 innings before the Cubs scored four times to pull out the win. </div> <bR> <div> The win by the Cubs, over the Cardinals, the evening of the Marciano/Moore championship fight saw Bob Speake suffer more pain and suffering than either of the two prize fighters.  In the eleventh inning of the September 21st contest, the Cardinal's light hitting shortstop, Alex Grammas, sliced a line drive between Speake and Wade.  It looked like an uncatchable ball, however, Bob Speake remembers that he knew he could catch it and he was prepared to use the non-glove hand to brace himself when he hit the wall.  His wrist, rather than bracing him, folded under, on impact, and was dislocated.  Grammas was out, the Cardinals did not score, and Harry Caray, the Cardinal announcer, was glowing in his pronouncement that Bob Speake sacrificed his body to make a play, in a game, that was of no significance to either team.  This author remembers listening to that game and Harry Caray's remarks about Bob Speake are my only recollections of that game.  Bob Speake remembers two things about that game, the pain of the injury, and Gale Wade.  Bob made the catch in left centerfield moving toward Gale who had no chance of making the play.  After the ball was caught Bob was writhing on the ground, in pain, and Gale came up to him and said in a jovial tone, "You made a great catch Bob, but you had to break your arm to do it."  Speake said that Wade then turned and ran to the dugout.  Bob didn't sprint anywhere, he was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to Jewish Hospital, in St. Louis, to determine if he suffered a fracture.  The fight lasted nine rounds and the baseball game went 13 innings and took 2 hours and 58 minutes to complete.  For the benefit of Bob Speake, Gale Wade, and all the members of the Cubs and Cardinals who missed the fight, Marciano won in the 9th round after being floored in the second round.  Following the fight Marciano hung up his gloves after that bout as the only undefeated heavyweight champion.</div> <bR> <div> Bill Pierro--From KOM League to Pittsburgh Pirates.  Then Struck Down By a Career Ending Illness quoted the following poem.</div> <bR> <div> Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life</div> <div>          I ask but a field that is fair,</div> <div>     A chance that is equal with all in the strife</div> <div>         A courage to strive and to dare;</div> <div>     And if I should win, let it be by the code</div> <div>         With my faith and my honor held high;</div> <div>     And if I should lose, let me stand by the road</div> <div>         And cheer as the winners go by!</div> <div>     And Lord, may my shouts be ungrudging and clear,</div> <div>         A tribute that comes from the heart,</div> <div>     And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer</div> <div>         Or play any sniveling part;</div> <div>     Let me say, "There they ride on whom laurels rest</div> <div>         Since they played the game better than I"</div> <div>     Let me stand with a smile by the side of the road</div> <div>         And cheer as the winners go by!</div> <div>     So grant me to conquer, if conquer I can</div> <div>         By proving my worth in the fray;</div> <div>     But teach me to lose like a Regular Man</div> <div>         And not like a craven, I pray.</div> <div>     Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode</div> <div>         To victory splendid and high,</div> <div>     Yes, teach me to stand by the side of the road</div> <div>         And cheer as the winners go by!--Braley</div> <bR> <div> Recollections of Les Harris When Joining the Miami Owls in 1947</div> <bR> <div> I was released from Fond du Lac and was hitting around .280.  I went back to St. Louis and was contacted by Phil Kornhizer who asked if I wanted to still play and of course I said 'yes'.  We went to Topeka (the only hotel room we could get was the bridal suite.) and I worked out the next day.  I was asked if I played 3rd base and I said 'yes' although I had always been a shortstop and had never played 3rd.  About 3:00 P.M., after working out, someone drove me to Miami and I signed a contract and then left for Pittsburg (KS), where the team was playing.  I walked into the clubhouse and thought I was in the wrong place-these ball players were unshaven and much older than me.  At Fond du Lac, maybe only 2 or 3 were old enough to shave.  10 minutes later I found the manager, Bill Davis and he told me to get dressed.  These guys were serious ballplayers, they talked about winning and were only 1 1/2 games out of 1st place.  In the 2nd inning, I was told to bunt and was still wondering what I was doing and how I messed up by failing to bunt and was scared to go back to the dugout when someone said..'next time you'll get it'.  In the bottom of the 5th, Pittsburg had the bases loaded with 2 out and the batter hit a pop up in front of the plate and it went up above the lights.  All of a sudden, the catcher, (Jim) Hansen and the 1st baseman (Zeb) Snider called '3rd'.  I lost the ball but ran like hell with my glove held straight out and caught if about 1 foot fair.  It was half in/half out of my glove.  If I would have dropped it, I think I would have crawled under a rock!  After that, everything was O. K..  I learned a lot about baseball by just watching how the other Owls played because no one trained or taught rookies in those days.  The '47 Owls played to win and knew how.  They were great guys as well as good ball players.  They took care of me as I was about 3-4 years younger (19 yrs. old then) than most of them."</div> <bR> <div> A Pitcher With a REAL Gun</div> <bR> <div> Another great memory that Jim Hansen carries from that pennant winning team was their left-handed pitcher from Texas that they called, Tex, what else?"  Tex had a first and last name which is not that important.  Jim spent two years looking for Tex when he played in Texas, in 1950-51, but was never successful in locating him.  For this book, much research went into finding Tex, however, the effort was a little more fruitful than Jim Hansen's had been back in the early 1950's.  Tex was what could be termed as a "project."  Tex's last known Texas address, before coming to the KOM League, was Huntsville.  Hunstville, was and is, the site of the Texas State Penitentiary.  Tex had managed to gain entrance into that facility by putting a sawed-off shotgun under his coat and paying visits to filling stations.  He wasn't stopping by to buy gas or to pay a courtesy call, either.  His main interest was what was contained in the cash register.  Following his stint in the KOM League he appeared on the roster of Tyler, Texas in the East Texas League.  There is no indication that Tex ever returned to a life of "living by the shotgun."</div> <bR> <div> Some influential person in Texas convinced Fido Murphy, the owner of the Topeka, Kansas Owls, to give Tex a chance and Fido agreed.  The thing was, Fido shipped him to Miami, Oklahoma for rehabilitation.  Tex was no slouch, at Miami, posting a 14-5 record and basically fitting in as "one of the guys."  Jim Hansen recalls that Tex lived in the same rooming house with most of the other Miami players and he used to "entertain" us with his daring holdup stories.  Jim now chuckles about it but recalls, "you had the feeling that he could go off the deep end at any time."  </div> <bR> <div> A Former KOM Leaguer Forgave a Future Hall of Famer's Tickets</div> <bR> <div> Bud Mathey went back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and went to work for the police department.  Bud's assignment included the guarding of the Milwaukee Braves dugout.  While serving in the capacity as a police officer, he also became friends with some of the Milwaukee players such as Lew Burdette.  Bud recalls that every time Burdette had a back problem he would ask him to pop his back.  Bud would always comply and maybe that is the reason that Lew did so well while pitching in the 'beer capitol."  Bud was also fond of a modest and unassuming young outfielder for the Braves.  While on duty at his precient one day the young outfielder approached Bud and uttered, "Sir, I have all these tickets and they aren't mine, somebody borrowed my car and committed all these parking violation offenses."  Bud took them to his captain and the captain agreed to forgive the outstanding tickets which brought a "Thank you sir" from the lips of Henry Aaron.  Bud stayed with the Milwaukee Police Department until Uncle Sam called him to serve in the Korean War.  While stationed at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma Bud still had enough talent to make the post team and in 1952 was selected to the 4th Army All-Star team.  Looking back over two seasons in the KOM League with Carthage in 1948 and Miami in 1950 Bud has three vivid memories, namely; tornadoes, the big flood and "the nicest fans I ever met."</div> <bR> <div> A Slight Delay in Travel Plans</div> <bR> <div> One of the more unfortunate incidents in the career of any young player befell Jack Knott of Plains, Kansas.  It was right after the end of the Second World War and the Brooklyn Dodgers had their eye on the fine fielding first baseman from the wheat country of Southwest Kansas.  The Brooklyn Dodger Scout, Bert Wells, called to inform Jack that he was on his way to Plains to sign him to a professional contract.  True to his word, Bert showed up exactly one year later.  He explained that he had every intention of coming the previous spring, but he had stopped in Pueblo, Colorado, got drunk, and forgot all about Jack.  However, Bert made it right with Jack when he uttered the famous words, "I'm sorry."</div> <bR> <div> Two Former National League Batboys</div> <bR> <div> The 1949 Carthage Cubs had a distinction that probably was never duplicated anywhere else in organized baseball.  Johnny LaPorta, an infielder, and Ed Garrett, a pitcher, had both been in the major leagues.  Johnny had been with the Chicago Cubs and Ed Garrett had been with the Cincinnati Reds, both in the capacity of batboys.  LaPorta had been with the Cubs from 1941-43 and Garrett with the Reds from 1943-46.  Garrett was a pitcher for a Cincinnati American Legion team in 1947 that won the National title.</div> <bR> <div> Mantle's First Roommate Writes Home</div> <bR> <div> Dear Mom & Pop:</div> <bR> <div>     Say Dad, you ought to be down here--it is really delightfully cool.  They say they are having the funniest weather they ever had here in Kansas.  But it has really been nice and cool.</div> <div>     We won our 5th straight game last nite 4-2.  We end the series tonite at Chanute, then start a 3 game series with Iola, the second place team, at Independence, Wed. nite.   It will be my turn to pitch again Thur. nite.  It is a very crucial series.  I guess I have eight more games to start, we have about 40 more games left, and there are 5 starting pitchers.  I am going to bear down and try to make myself a good record here.  I have made a good start, and if nothing happens I should win a few more games.  I feel O. K. but my feet are a little sore, but they are getting better.  I am sending you a box score of my game.  This fellow Skizas, the third baseman can really hit.  He is only 17.  I room with Mantle, the shortstop.  He was hitting .230 a week and a half ago, he went on a hitting streak and jumped up to .300 in that time.  He's as fast as lightning, beats out a lot of infield hits and bunts.  There isn't much more news around here so I'll close for now.</div> <div>     Love Bob</div> <div>     P. S.    The mosquitoes chew you to death down here, I never saw so many.</div> <bR> <div> Woody Wuethrich Remembers Don Biebel .  Biebel later became the Traveling Secretary for the Chicago Cubs.</div> <bR> <div> Dean Manns usually caught for Carthage, when Woody was on the mound, but during mid season, in 1949, a young rookie catcher from Oshkosh, Wisconsin took his turn behind the plate.  On three consecutive pitches the batter hit high pop fouls.  The enthusiastic young catcher, out to impress, went after the first foul ball and missed it badly, on the second ball he raced after it and fell on his face without making the grab.  The third foul ball was the easiest of the three to catch.  As the ball went into the air the young backstop watched its ascent, when it reached its apex he confidently watched the ball return to earth, then he casually took his glove and tossed it aside and watched the ball fall harmlessly to the ground.  Don Biebel's entry to the KOM League is one of Woody Wuethrich's most unforgettable moments.</div> <bR> <div> Up in Smoke</div> <bR> <div> In one of the more peculiar incidents in the history of the KOM, or any other league, happened on the night of June 14, 1946. at Iola, Kansas.  It happened to Miami, Oklahoma Blues catcher, Dave Dennis.  The research on this particular incident was very difficult to collaborate upon since Dave Dennis had died by the time this book was being written and, no other player from that game remembered the incident.  After many attempts at ascertaining the true story, H. Laverne Dennis, the brother of Dave Dennis, came up with the particulars of that incident.  Laverne had just returned from military duty and Miami was in need of a back-up catcher.  Prior to that time Laverne had only played in five ball games before going to Miami.  Brother David and Miami pitcher, Steve Jordan, became involved in a very heated discussion with home plate umpire George Carney over a pitch that was called a ball, when it was obvious to Dave and Steve that it was right down the middle of the plate.  The heat was not only from inside Mr. Dennis but also from his chest protector.  George Carney listened to Dave's protestations until he saw the smoke begin to boil from underneath the angry catcher's chest protector.  Carney made an attempt to get Dave's attention diverted to the danger at hand which Dave only took to mean that the umpire was arguing back.  Dave finally got the 'heartburn" of his life and realized something was not right.  When he realized he was on fire he ripped off the chest protector, his shirt, and was soon standing in front of a crowd of Miami fans with an exposed upper torso.  Although it is not known how long the chest protector burned before Mr. Dennis "finally got the message" it was reported that the chest protector was totally destroyed.  Having spent many nights in a minor league dugout this writer originally surmised that a player was sneaking a smoke when the manager was not looking and stashed the evidence in the most convenient receptacle when he was about to be found out.  That was a pretty close interpretation of what happened.  Dave had piled his catching gear near the grandstand and an Iola fan had tossed a cigarette butt that landed in the fold of the chest protector.  That story was later picked up by the national press and Ira L. Smith and H. Allen Smith carried the story in a book entitled Three Men on Third.</div> <bR> <div> Coping With Home Sickness</div> <bR> <div> When Hank Wlodarczyk  played for Carthage, in 1948, he had a partial solution to homesickness.  Not only did the east/west Highway 66 pass through Carthage, but Highway 71 ran north and south.  Where those two highways intersected it was called the, "Crossroads of America."  Due to a lack of nothing better to do, on hot summer afternoons, Hank would stand at the stoplight and try to spot cars from Buffalo, New York.  When he spied the prefix on the license plate that indicated the occupants were from his hometown he would cry out, "Buffalo."  He got into a lot of conversations with his fellow hometowners by that practice.</div> <bR> <div> Too Much Fun in the Sun</div> <bR> <div> Earl Sifers, affectionately known as the candy man, gave a picnic one afternoon, in 1948, before his Iola club was to play an evening doubleheader.  The Iola players enjoyed themselves royally.  They took boat rides, and swam most of the afternoon in the process absorbing some excessive amounts of Kansas sunrays.  By game time very few of the players could stand the pressure of a shirt on their back.  One of the more severely sunburned players was Al Dunterman.  If asked to guess what position he played, everyone would guess catcher and they would be right.  None of the Iola players felt like playing and poor Al had to catch a doubleheader with the added chest protector weight.  Of course no player from that era has to be reminded of the heaviness of the flannel uniforms which were made even more onerous when drenched with perspiration.  That night, like true warriors, the Iola Indians went out to meet the foe.  The "pale-faces" on that team were truly "redskins" that night.  The problem was they got "scalped" in both contests.  The performance that Iola made during that doubleheader infuriated manager Al Reitz, but Homer muses that, "he shouldn't have allowed the picnic to happen in the first place."</div> <bR> <div> Bernie Tye Cured of Gambling</div> <bR> <div> Homer Cole of the 1948 Iola Indians rose out of poverty one evening at the expense of Bernie Tye.  Bernie was listening to a  St. Louis Cardinal rebroadcast when Homer said, "Bernie the Cardinals won that game 5-2."  Bernie was sure that Homer was pulling his leg and proposed a bet.  The bet was that if the Cardinals won 5-2, Bernie would fork over $10 to Homer.  Homer got the equivalent of 12% of his monthly salary from Bernie that night and forever cured Bernie of betting on rebroadcasts.</div> <bR> <div> The Amazing Casey Wonka</div> <bR> <div> Casey Wonka was born on Christmas Eve in 1922 in the small Nebraska town of Weston.  He stayed there until he reached the age of three and then moved to Rosemont, Nebraska where he stayed until the age of 14.  His family then took young Frank Emil "Casey" Wonka II to Blue Hill in Cornhusker land, where he graduated from High School in 1940.  Casey was always a good all-around athlete, in his youth, and following graduation from high school he played semi-pro baseball at Beloit, Kansas.  At the end of that season his teammate, Bruce Stockham, convinced Casey that California in the winter time was the place to be so they went west to Los Angeles.  </div> <bR> <div> Prior to reaching age 18, Casey Wonka did odd jobs to make ends meet.  When he reached  the magic 18th birthday he applied for employment with Paramount Studios. A according to his wife Shirley, Casey was built like the proverbial, "brick outhouse" and he didn't back down from anyone or any challenge.  At that time the fabled Bob Waterfield was the starting quarterback with the Los Angeles Rams and he and Casey became very close friends.  While working at Paramount Casey was the double for Mickey Rooney in three movies.  Although he was Mr. Rooney's "mirror image", he only saw Mickey one time while in Hollywood.  The meeting was a brief encounter on an elevator.  Casey's wife, Shirley, was with him at the time and she recalls it was quite an exciting experience.  However, she was more impressed with Bob Waterfield and his wife Jane Russell.  Shirley and Casey went to California after he had started his professional baseball career which coincided with the release of the movie that brought Jane Russell to immediate stardom, The Outlaw.  That Howard Hughes movie raised the hackles of the censors, but by today's standards it would most likely be given a "G" rating.</div> <bR> <div> Casey never lost his love for baseball even though he was hanging around the movie stars and starlets.  In an historical incident, Casey was playing for a United States All-Star baseball team in 1941.  On December 7, this team was playing an All-Star team from the Orient at San Francisco's Seals Stadium.  During the baseball game an announcement was made that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.  Casey, recalling that event for a family member, remembered how tough that Japanese team was and how in playing them previously, the game was very competitive.  Upon hearing of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, however, the Japanese team "fell apart" and the Americans won easily.  Following the game the police surrounded the baseball park and the Japanese players and fans were detained.  Ripley's Believe It or Not, got hold of this story and made a proclamation that the first battle of the Second World War, in which American participated and won, was that baseball game.  Ripley's proclaimed it was a victory for the United States since the American team was leading the Japanese All-Stars when the game was stopped.  So future KOM Leaguer, Casey Wonka participated in one of the most forgotten baseball games in history, that had historical significance.</div> <bR> <div> The Most Tragic Night In KOM League History</div> <bR> <div> The game was billed as a duel between two local boys, Elmer Peacock of Wyandotte and Joe Malott from Big Cabin, Oklahoma.</div> <bR> <div> Back in Wyandotte, Oklahoma Mrs. Elmer Peacock was busy getting ready to take the children to a movie at the local theater, that fateful night of August 3.  Upon arriving at the theater she advised a friend that she was going to go watch Elmer pitch and that she would like for the friend to look after the children.  Looking back on that night Mrs. Peacock recalls, "I just felt like I needed to be at the ball game."  All had gone well for Elmer since he joined the KOM League.  The Seneca Indian hurler was 4-0, in less than two weeks in the league, and on the night of his duel with Joe Malott he had not allowed an Iola batter to score in four innings.  In fact, he was batting for the second time after singling in his first time at bat.  On his second plate appearance one of Joe Malott's fastballs felled the tall Miami hurler.  Duane Melvin was playing shortstop for Miami that evening and this is his recollection of the event.  "I was on second base when Elmer Peacock got beaned.  The ball went clear out to shortstop and I scored, or thought I did.  When I got to home plate there laid Elmer."  Elmer was rushed to Miami Baptist Hospital where he arrived at 8:45 p. m.  Elmer came to on the way to the hospital, for a short time, but  shortly lapsed into a deep unconscious state.  It was not known, when he arrived at the hospital, if he would live through the night.  It was readily apparent that the skill of the surgeons in Miami could not help Elmer, and his condition was too serious for him to be moved to another facility.  Dr. Robert Hayne, a Tulsa specialist, was called and he drove from Tulsa to attend Elmer.  At 2:00 a. m., on August 4, Elmer had a two hour operation to have a blood clot removed from his brain.  Mrs. Peacock recalls, "I had a cousin who was a scrub nurse on that operation, and she told how the brain came back to its normal size immediately upon the removal of the clot".  Jack Schaening of Fullerton, California remembers being summoned into the game to take over for Elmer.  Jack recalls, nearly a half century after the accident, that "blood was everywhere, and that it wasn't easy pitching the rest of that game."  </div> <bR> <div> Elmer's life hung precariously in the balance and a team of doctors issued a prognosis, early on the morning of August 4, that if Elmer lived he would be hospitalized for at least three months and that he would never play baseball again.  Thirteen days following that surgery Elmer says, "I walked out of Miami Baptist Hospital and the only thing different was the plate in my head."  Joe Malott, in an interview for this book, remembers that after the baseball season, of 1949, was concluded he went to Wyandotte, Oklahoma and had a nice visit with Elmer.  Joe expressed how sorry he was that the episode ever happened, even though it was an accident.  One of Joe's questions to Elmer was, "did you ever see it coming."  Elmer now muses, "I guess I didn't, because from all accounts I never moved as the ball was headed toward me."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The Next Season He Would Have Been in Yankee Stadium</div> <bR> <div> It had been a dry late summer and fall in the Southwest Missouri and Northeast Oklahoma area.  The rivers and streams that fed Grand Lake in Oklahoma were drying up and the lake itself was the lowest it had been in a year and a half.  The weather was about to take a "turn for the better" and in a way had a profound effect on a former KOM Leaguer.  Max Buzzard remembers that he was preparing for a Friday night high school game on October 2, 1953 when Joe Crowder asked him to go fishing over the weekend.  Max said, "Joe I would love to, but I have a game to coach."  Crowder and his companion, Ray Coburn, crossed the Missouri State Line into Oklahoma and launched their boat into Grand Lake of the Cherokees near Wyandotte, Oklahoma.  As Crowder and Coburn were fishing, a heavy rain squall hit the area.  Crowder was piloting the boat as they headed for shore.  About 200 yards from dry land a gust of wind lifted the baseball cap, that Joe was wearing and deposited it into the choppy waters.  According to Coburn, it was at this time that Joe turned off the boats motor and informed him that he was going into the water to retrieve his "valuable" hat.  The hat was valuable, since it was the place that Joe kept his fishing plugs.  Before entering the water Joe advised his friend to start the boat back up and come and pick him up after he recaptured his plug studded baseball cap.  Crowder, in fact, did retrieve the cap but Coburn couldn't get the boat started immediately.  Unable to get the boat motor to take off, Coburn could see the chasm that was beginning to widen between the boat and Joe.  Coburn noticed some men onshore and called to them for help.  But before they could arrive Crowder disappeared without any further outcry.  </div> <bR> <div> The Grand River Dam Authority patrol searched for Joe Crowder until dark on Saturday October 3 without finding a trace of him.  Early on Sunday morning the search resumed at 10:05 a. m. he was located, with grappling hooks, in nearly the precise spot where he was last spotted.  Max Buzzard recalls, "If I had to choose anyone who could swim across that lake it would have been Joe."  However, after jumping into the water, Joe developed cramps and never again reached the safety of the boat.  The funeral for Joe Crowder was held at the first Baptist Church in Seneca, Missouri on Tuesday October 6, 1953 and the pallbearers included the famed Yankee scout, Tom Greenwade along with Max Buzzard.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Financial Solvency of the Team Rested With This Man</div> <bR> <div> One of the first orders of business for the Carthage Baseball Club, for 1950,  was to get their officers selected and the special personnel in place.  One department was officially called, "Ball Shaggers."  This was not a menial job.  The financial success of the team rested upon getting back every ball that was hit out of the park.  There was not too much to worry about regarding home runs but those foul balls going out of the park, along each base line and over the press box, could wreck a teams budget quickly, if a plan of retrieval was not in place.  Baseballs in 1950 cost $1.50 and to lose a couple each night would be disastrous.  Mr. Ed Palmer had the awesome duty and prestige of being "Head of Ball Shaggers."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> He Foresaw His Own Death</div> <bR> <div> John Lazar, of Russian decent was, a pitcher for the Pittsburg, Kansas Browns.  He had performed for the Browns in 1950.  He was reported killed in action on September 7, 1951.  Charles Locke (later pitched for the Baltimore Orioles) was a native of Malden, Missouri and was pitching for the Pittsburg Browns when Lazar was a member of the 1950 squad.  He recalls that Lazar kept repeating over and over that year, "I have got this weird feeling that I am going to get drafted and sent to Korea and I am going to be killed."  Charles recalls that everybody on the team dismissed the comments of the Kankakee, Illinois pitcher.  However, John Lazar was called up from the active reserves and Charles Locke recalls that at the end of the 1951 he returned from playing with Aberdeen, South Dakota. in the Northern League.  Upon arriving back in Poplar Bluff, Missouri he picked up the Sporting News and read where John Lazar's premonition of death had been prophetic.  </div> <bR> <div> Bert Convy Exited the KOM League Stage When Don Ervin Arrived</div> <bR> <div> Bert Convy's official statistics put out by the KOM League indicated that in 24 games he was hitting .239 and fielding at a .875 clip.  Bert's KOM League career was basically over the day Don Ervin of Kansas City, Missouri showed up.  By June 3, Bert had played his last KOM League game and Don Ervin went on to set an all-time KOM League home run mark.  At Miami, he was played leftfield and batted in the lead-off spot.  Bert's next stop was with the Philadelphia Phillies Class C affiliate in the Western Association, the Salina, Kansas Bluejays.  In 14 games Bert was unable to hit .200 so another career was in the offing.  In an article carried in Biography Index, Bert had a chance meeting, in 1952, with Mickey Mantle and after that session it said, "Bert realized the physical and economic realities of the sport and got out."   According to the New York Times, Bert changed careers in 1954.  He flirted with an acting career while attending the University of California at Los Angeles, and was a singer in a rock band called the Cheers.  The group Cheers, was a song writing and producing team that also included Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller.  The most famous song Cheers ever recorded was, "Black Leather Jacket and Motorcycle Boots."  Following the breakup of that group Bert went on to star on Broadway and then into his television career.  His television career included hosting his own variety show, "The Late Summer Early Fall Early Fall Bert Convy Show", roles in 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, Father of the Bride, Love American Style, the Partridge Family, The Snoop Sisters, guest host on the Tonight Show, emcee for Tattletales for which he won an Emmy award in 1977, Win Lose or Draw, and Super Password.  Arguably, Bert was seen by more people than anyone who ever donned the uniform of a KOM League team, since he also played roles in such movies as "Semi-Tough", "The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders," "The Man in the Santa Claus Suit", "Help Wanted Male," "Love American Style," "Love Thy Neighbor," and "Hero at Large."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The KOM League Was Dissolved</div> <bR> <div> The KOM League officially died on February 24, 1953.  The sports page of the Carthage Evening Press of February 25, 1953 headline read, "KOM LEAGUE FADES AWAY."  The article mentioned the fact that one of the leagues finest seasons was experienced in 1952 and some cities that wanted baseball regretted the decision not to operate.  When the issue of reforming the league in 1954 was discussed it was deemed as highly improbable. </div> <bR> <div> On the official National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues Transaction Form No. 26344 dated February 25, 1952, the Carthage Baseball Association sold the following players outright to Visalia, California;  Ernest W. Aiken, Vernon Scott Lovely Jr., Russell Oxford, William E. Eastburn, and James Ray McDaniel.  The total sale was $500.00.</div> <bR> <div> The author sometimes dreams that those days have returned and somehow he is again affiliated with it.  Maybe he could be the world's oldest batboy or even the president of the team.  Then he wakes up and realizes that he had the opportunity to experience a phenomena that no kid in Carthage, Missouri will ever again duplicate and only three or four boys previously had been honored to do.  He was too young to do what he did in 1951, today child labor laws would forbid it.  His mother didn't want me to run around a baseball park at night, since he was only an eleven year old.  Many times he was urged to wait until he was older but he had heard that same promise when he was seven years old.  He heard that phrase when he used to ask his father about doing some activity, "Wait until you're eight."  He waited, but his father passed away seven months before his son reached the magic age when he would be allowed to do some of those things only eight year olds are entitled to do.  So his mother's urging him not to go out to the ballpark did little to dissuade him.  Her relenting to his wishes allowed him to associate with a professional baseball club and that experience has provided some of the fondest memories of his life.  He knows what the word for that is, and if he could spell <B>nostalgia </b>that is what he would call it.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>