2006 - Tacoma ~ Pierce County - Old~Timers Baseball~Softball

Co-Sponsored by
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featuring
Hall of Fame Inductees
Dill Howell Award
Meritorious Service Award
and the Oldtimer’s Salute
Sunday, June 4 • Tacoma, WA
Tacoma-Pierce County Old-Timers
BASEBALLSOFTBALL
REUNION
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Schedule
Suds ‘n Stuff ................................ 2:00 p.m.
Dinner ......................................... 3:00 p.m.
Awards Ceremony .................... 3:45 p.m.
Committee
Bob Young
Chairman
Marc Blau
Master of Ceremonies
Clay Huntington
Publicity
Nick Dawson, Joyce Wolf, & Marc Blau
Souvenir Program
Bob Young
Advertising
Ted Lopat
Raffle
Other committee members:
Mike Dillon
Holly Gee
Ken Jones
George Karpach
Oscar Larsen
Mac Olsen
Trena Page
Ken Schulz
Ron Staples
Joe Stortini
Sue Vincent
Bob Zurfluh
Doug McArthur
Program Layout & Design:
Kellie Ham Type & Graphics
Check Us Out at
www.oldtimerbaseball.com
HELP!
The Tacoma-Pierce County Old-timers
Baseball-Softball Association is in need of
a few good people.
Won’t you consider membership on the
executive committee which helps promote the annual get together?
The committee meets quarterly, beginning in October, and needs members willing to help sell ads, obtain prizes donated
for the annual raffle, mail banquet flyers
and put together the program. If you are
interested, contact Bob Young, 253-7598127 or Marc Blau, 253-848-1360 or
[email protected].
Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Old-Timers Association
Welcomes You To the
Annual Hall of Fame Banquet
The Tacoma Pierce-County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Association is dedicated to recognizing and honoring the many players who
have been instrumental in the growth of baseball and softball in this
community over the years. Sponsored by the Tacoma Athletic Commission, Columbia Bank, and the Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Club, an
annual banquet is held every spring which honors various teams
and individuals who have made significant contributions in their sport.
In the past, these get-togethers have been very informal
gatherings of fans, pros, amateurs, duffers and all people interested
in America’s favorite pastime-BASEBALL! One of the first meetings was
held in the mid-fifties at the old “Firs” nightclub out on Pacific Avenue.
Dill Howell and John Heinrick were the heads of this occasion.
Then, in the sixties, with a great assist from the T.A.C., the next
banquet was held at the Top of the Ocean Restaurant in Old Town.
The get-togethers were held there until it burned down (no fault of
the Oldtimers).
The gatherings then moved along with the T.A.C. to the 9th and
Commerce location for about ten years. Here, Frank Ruffo, Rudy
Tollefson, Harold Smith, Dan Walton and others, joined Heinrick to
organize the affair. A lapse of four years followed until a committee
again organized a get-together in 1985 at the Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife, led by the hard-working Joe Hemel.
With a turnout of over 175 in 1990 at the Tacoma Elks Club, the
Oldtimers made the move to accommodate more fans by hosting
the banquet from 1990–98 at the Puyallup Elks. Since 1999 the banquet has been held at the Tacoma Elks Club with the continued support of our sponsors, in particular the Tacoma Athletic Commission,
Columbia Bank, and the Tacoma Rainiers. All three have been helpful in our efforts and deserve to be recognized for their community
service. Tell them about it and how much you appreciate it the next
time you have the opportunity.
Today’s banquet promises to be another outstanding recall of
the great moments in both baseball and softball in Tacoma and
Pierce County. We are welcoming some of the finest athletes every to
play, coach, umpire, and sponsor here. For some the recognition is
long overdue.
Doug McArthur and the organization called Baseball Tacoma
Inc are receiving the coveted Dill Howell Award and longtime sports
photographer Clarence Seman will be honored with the Marc Blau
Meritorious Service Award for his dedication and devotion over the
years to baseball and softball in the community. A special “Oldtimers
Salute” will be accorded Pat Rooney whose baseball lineage you will
find to be most interesting. Our list of talented Hall of Fame inductees
with their outstanding list of achievements can be found in this souvenir program and will make for good reading. Including the
McKnight’s Foods women’s slowpitch team, the great Stanley
Shoemen club of 1956, and our two national championship teams
from the 2005 season—the Washington Titans baseball team and
the First American Title Insurance slowpitch team— we have an impressive array of athletes to recognize this evening—honors that are
all most appropriate.
In closing, remember… May continuing good health be
your lot until the Great Umpire in the Sky dismisses you to the
Clubhouse.
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MISSION STATEMENT
TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY
BASEBALL-SOFTBALL
OLDTIMERS ASSOCIATION
The Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers
Association was conceived and organized to recognize and
honor those participants whose commitment and dedication has resulted in a significant contribution to the history
of those sports in the Tacoma-Pierce County community.
The Association shall conduct an annual awards
ceremony for the purpose of inducting worthy members
into the organization’s baseball, fastpitch, and slowpitch
“Halls of Fame” and other related categories. In addition,
certain special wards created to recognize and appreciate
efforts “above and beyond” shall also be presented at
the ceremony.
The Association shall establish the necessary
criteria to determine nominations for the respective
honors, and the Association shall elect inductees from those
nominations.
Other goals of the Association shall be to establish a
site, or sites, for its Hall of Fame (s) and the displaying of
appropriate recognition for all inductees. The Association
pledges cooperation with the Shanaman Sports Museum
in developing its Hall of Fame plans to be certain of not conflicting with their already-established public displays.
The perpetuation and recognition of the sports of
baseball, fastpitch, and slowpitch remain #1 priorities of the
Association, and all efforts of the organization shall be directed toward enriching the phrase, “Play Ball”!
Nominations for
Awards Encouraged
If you know of someone who is worthy of consideration for recognition at next years banquet, please
complete and return this form.
Hall of Fame
Baseball
1. ________________
2. ________________
Fastpitch
1. ________________
2. ________________
Slowpitch
1. ________________
2. ________________
Umpires
1. ________________
2. ________________
Sponsors
1. ________________
2. ________________
Executive/
Meritorious 1. ________________
2. ________________
Dill Howell Award
1. ________________
2. ________________
Marv Scott Award
1. ________________
2. ________________
Mail to: Old-Timers Banquet,
9908-63rd Ave. Ct. E., Puyallup, WA 98373
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees
Dill Howell Award Recipients
Baseball—
Rick Barnhart, Art Berg, Butch Dunlap,
Don Hansler, Horace “Pip” Koehler,
Art McLarney Sr., Bill Parker,
Frank “Bush” Tobin, and Roy Young
Fastpitch—
Keith Bauer, Ken Bauer, Pat Kelly,
Lowell Nelson, and Mac Olsen
Slowpitch—
Jerry Henderson, Nancy Jerkovich,
Peg Loverin, and Jack Scott
Umpires—
Paul Gustafson and Ron Shaw
Sponsor—
Don & Rita Kitchen/Schooner Tavern
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
Sportswriter— Stan Farber
Teams—
McKnights Foods (1972–74) Women’s
Slowpitch Team, Stanley Shoemen (1956)
National Championship Baseball Team,
Washington Titans (2005) National
Championship 55+ Baseball Team, First
American Title Insurance (2005) National
Championship 65+ Slowpitch Team
Roy Murphy
Don Danielson
Joe Stortini
Dick & George Pease
Marv Scott
Holly Gee
Bob Robertson
The Gottfried & Mary Fuchs Foundation
Marc Blau
Brad Cheney
Spud Hansen, Spud’s Pizza Parlor
Washington Hardware
Tom Cross
Ray Spurgeon
Clay Huntington & Stan Naccarato
Steve Orfanos
Bob Tourtillotte
Cammarano Bros., Inc.
John P. Heinrick
Previous Hall of Fame Inductees
Softball—Doug Adam, Don Anderle, Keith Bauer, Ken Bauer, Jay Beach, Gordy Bendick, Betty Rowan Bland,
Lloyd Blanusa, Hal Blumke, Bill Boyer, Wally Brebner, Glen Collins, Merle “Butch” Corbin, Frank Davies, Esther
Deuel, Marian Ricono Dubois, Bill Dunham, Bob Frankowsky, Vern From, Lloyd Glasoe, Jack Hermsen, Les
Holtmeyer, Hank Jarvits, George Karpach, Pat Kelly, Art Lewis, Fran Luhtala, Kermit Lynch, Earl Mahnkey, Don
Maitland, LaVerne Martineau, Louise Mazzuca, Roger McDonald, Dick Milford, Darron Nelson, Lowell Nelson,
Shirely “Mac” Olsen, Dan Oliver, Dean Pitsch, Woodrow Red, Lou Rickenbacker, John Rockway, George Roket,
Bill Ruehle, Peggy Moran Ruehle, Harry Rush, Ed Sabol, Delores “Dee” Sagmiller, Larry Slovek, Ken Stancato, Pat
Strachan Stavig, Gene Thayer, Leonard Thomas, Tommy Thomas, Bud Thomsen, Cleon Tungsvik, Alec Watt, Dick
Webster, Gertrude Wilhelmsen, Joyce Jones Wolf, Phil Yant, Dick Yohn, Cot Zehnder, Margaret Zepeda, Bob
Zurfluh, Don Zurfluh, and Tom Zurfluh.
Baseball—Morry Abbott, Harold Adams, Roy Archer, Primo Artoe, Rick Austin, Sonny Bailey, Cy Ball, Lou Balsano,
Otto Balmer, Tony Banaszak, Jr., Rick Barnhart, Art Berg, Ron Billings, Earl Birnel, Les Bishop, Dale Bloom, Frank
Bonaro, Ray Brammer, Jack Bratlie, Jess Brooks, Dick Browse, Frank Brozovich, Gordy Brunswick, Luther Carr,
Ron Cey, Vern Champagne, Jim Claxton, Gene Clough, Dick Colombini, Howard Davis, Bob Dawson, Sr., Mike
Dillon, Fred “Buzz” Doane, Richard “Butch” Dunlap, Ozzie Edwards, Cliff Ellingson, Jim Ennis, Les Faulk, Bob
Fredricks, Bill Funk, Maury Galbraith, Jim Gallwas, Holly Gee, Ron Gee, Bill Geppart, Ron Goerger, George
Grant, Dick Greco, Al Greco, Sr., Cy Greenlaw, Merle Hagbo, Dave Hall, Don Hansler, Ed Hardenbrook, John P.
Heinrick, Andy Helling, Joe Hemel, Ron Herbel, Garry Hersey, Gordy Hersey, Bob Houston, Glenn Huffman, Earl
Hyder, Floyd “Lefty” Isekite, Jack Johnson, Rick Johnson, Bob Johnson, Arley Kangas, Rod Keogh, Andy Ketter,
Horace “Pip” Koehler, Bob Kohout, Vern Kohout, Vic Krause, Earl Kuper, Ocky Larsen Sr., Tony Lavorato, Rick
Lewis, Al Libke Jr., Bob Lightfoot, Bryce Lilly, Chuck Loete, Larry Loughlin, Bob Maguinez, Mel Manley, Harry
Mansfield, Al Manter, Floyd Marcusson, Larry Marshall, Vic Martineau, David Mathews, Allan Maul, Neil Mazza,
Doug McArthur, Frank McCabe, Ed McCoy, Barney McFadden, Bob McGuire, Art McLarney Sr., Jack McStott,
Pete Mello, Lornie Merkle, John Milroy, Dave Minnitti, Phil Misley, Joe Mlachnik, Bill Moe, Vern Morris, Frank
Morrone, Dave Molitor, Jimmy Mosolf, Ford Mullen, Bill Mullen, Bill Murphy, Stan Naccarato, Jim Neeley, Bruce
Nichols, Harry Nygard, Clyde Olson, Marion Oppelt, Dick Palamidessi, Bill Parker, Don Paul, Roger Peck, Jim
Pelander, Al Pentecost, Cap Peterson, Aaron Pointer, Gilly Portmann, John Pregenzer, Bill Ralston, Fred Rickert,
Marv Rickert, Jim Robinson, Rance Rolfe, Pat Rooney, Duane Rossman, Ernie Ruffo, Frank Ruffo, Pete Sabutis,
Joe Salatino, Cliff Schiesz, Hal Schimling, Dick Schlosstein, Ken Schulz, Marv Scott, Don Semmern, Hank Semmern,
Bill Sewell, Otto Smith, Bob Snodgrass, Joe Spadafore, Ray Spurgeon, Ron Staples, Wes Stock, Ron Storaasli,
Jack Tanner, Morry Taylor, Elmer Thiel, Frank “Bush” Tobin, Erling Tollefson, Rudy Tollefson, Art Viafore, Chuck
Viafore, Heinie Vogel, Stan Wallace, Carl “Kak” Wasmund, Pat Weber, Russ Wilkerson, Ray Wing, George Wise,
Steve Whitaker, Mike White, Paul “Doc” Wotten, Roy Young, and Ed Yusko.
Slowpitch—Dave Benedict, Earl Birnel, Dave Bishop, Jan Chase, Ken Deforrest, Bill Fleener, Cal Goings, Dick
Halleen, Margaret “Maggie” Heinrick, Kathy Hemion, Whit Hemion Jr., Jerry Henderson, Nancy Jerkovich, Ken
Jones, Joe Kreger, Ken Laase, Jim Lane, Lynn Larson, Peg Loverin, Marco Malich, Sandy Molzan, Dick O’Brien,
Butch Pasquale, Jim Petersen, Darleen Peterson, Gordy
Pfeifer, Jack Scott, Joe Stortini, Jerry Thacker, Ken Schulz,
Terry Trowbridge, Sue Vincent, Bill Wheeler, Dave Wilsie,
Bill Winter, Bob Young and Dick Zierman.
Marc H. Blau Meritorious
Award Recipients
2005
2004
2003
2001
2000
2000
99-99
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
Walt Jutte
Jack Murphy
Tony Anderson
George Quigley
Ken Wilson
Bob Maguinez
Not Awarded
Joe Hemel
Jerry Geehan, Don Hill, and Clay Huntington
Tak Ikeda and Pat Steele
Dr. Sam Adams, Dr. Robert Johnson, and
Dr. Robert O’Connell
Maurice Turnbull, Bill Turnbull, Dave Turnbull,
Donald Turnbull, and Doug Turnbull
Broadcasters & Sportswriters —Rod Belcher, Stan
Farber, Jerry Geehan, Don Hill, Ed Honeywell, Clay
Huntington, Elliott Metcalf, Bob Robertson and Art Thiel.
Umpires—Joe Bailey, Hal Berndt, Bob Corbin, John
Heinrick, John Holliday, Bob Huegel, Paul Gustafson,
Joey Johns, Dave Kerrone, Rick Lewis, Steve Liptrap,
Ted Lopat, Lornie Merkle, Dave Minnitti, Frank Morrone,
Jim Oleole, Gerald Redburg, Chuck Ruth, Ron Shaw,
Clarence Stave, and David Van Hulle.
Sponsors—Frank Baskett/Baskett Lumber Co., Darold
Billings/Billings Electric, Cammarano Bros., Inc., Ben B.
Cheney/Cheney Lumber Co., Rufus “Boots” Christian/
Pacific Mutual Fuels, Harry Esborg/Hollywood Boat &
Motor, Ples Irwin/Irwin-Jones Motors, Don & Rita
Kitchen/ Schooner Tavern, Spud Hansen/Spud’s Pizza
Parlor, Len Manke./ Cloverleaf Tavern, Tacoma Elks
Club, Mike Tucci/Tucci & Sons, Washington Hardware,
and Alden Woodworth/Woodworth Co.
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Congratulations
to this years
Inductees!
253-843-9436
e-mail: [email protected]
SUPERIOR LINEN SERVICE
Serving the Greater Puget Sound Area Since 1926
Providing Rental Services and Direct Sales for Linen Supply,
Health Care, Industrial Uniforms,
Entryway Mats & Logo Mats
In Tacoma call 252-383-2636
Fax 253-383-1061
In Western Washington
Call 1-800-232-1012
Dill Howell Award—Doug McArthur
Doug McArthur—Put together a list of men who have had a
lasting impact on Pierce County baseball and softball, and the
name Doug McArthur would certainly be at or near the top of
that list. Ask 99 others to make a similar list, and the results
would be the same. All 100 lists would certainly feature Doug
McArthur as one of the greatest contributors to the sports’ promotion and development in the Puget Sound area.
first Tacoma men’s slowpitch team to compete in a national
tournament. Turned pitcher in the tourney’s opening game, he
tossed a rare three-hit shutout in a 10-0 win over Rhode Island’s
state champs.
Doug’s commitment to his community, to its people and to
sports is evident in looking at his resumé.
In the early 1960s he served as Superintendent of Public Recreation and Supervisor of
Athletics for the Tacoma Public Schools and
the Metropolitan Park District. Between 1966
and 1978 he was Director of Athletics at his
college alma mater, where he also coached
golf, baseball, and the schools first women’s
fastpitch softball team. He is a now a member of the Logger Athletic Hall of Fame.
It is for that reason that Doug is honored with the Dill Howell Award.
In his early years, Doug’s attraction to
sports came through the family radio,
listening to Seattle Rainier games
broadcast by Leo Lassen. At the time,
the McArthur family lived in Deming,
Wash., where Doug’s father had managed a St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber
Company mill until the Great Depression forced the mill’s closure. So
though he loved listening to baseball,
he had little opportunity to play the
game in remote and mostly
unpopulated Deming.
Doug later formed his own company, MAC
Northwest, combining his love of sports with
broadcasting, public relations and promotion. His company secured broadcast rights
for professional, college, and high school
sports in Tacoma, along with Portland Timbers soccer.
The family returned to Tacoma and
Doug graduated from Lincoln High
School in 1946. While at Washington
State College, Doug decided on a
communications major, which led to
a long and successful career in
broadcasting, athletics administration and promotion.
After he played third base on the varsity baseball team at the
College of Puget Sound, the Korean War led to military service,
with Doug ultimately graduating from the Armed Forces Information School.
He has been a longtime member of the
Tacoma Athletic Commission, coordinated
the successful Tacoma Dome bond issue
campaign n 1980, and was event director
for the 1987 U.S. National Figure Skating
Championships held in Tacoma. In addition,
Doug was one of the
founders and the 13year tournament director of the LPGA Safeco
Golf Classic.
The year 1956 turned out to be a very good one for Doug.
After returning to Tacoma, he became KTAC radio’s sports director in 1956. It was in that same year that McArthur left his
first lasting impression on Pierce County baseball. Securing financial backing from Stan Naccarato and Morley Brotman,
Doug built a group of local ball players into the 1956 Stanley’s
Shoemen baseball team. With Doug as manager, the squad
won its last 13 consecutive games on the way to claiming the
national amateur baseball championship in a tournament
played in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Not only was Doug an outstanding manager, he showed talent on the playing field. He enjoyed a successful career in
slowpitch softball, adding his talent to some of the area’s top
teams. He played third base for the four-time Northwest Regional Champions, Tucci and Sons, which in 1964 became the
❦
In Memoriam
Comrades who have passed on during the past year:
Check Us
Out For The
Latest Info &
Great Photos
www.
oldtimer
baseball.com
❦ ❦
Rod Dedeaux (1938 Tacoma Tigers and USC coach), Stan Farber (Tacoma News Tribune sportswriter),
Paul Gustafson (1959 Peninsula HS and longtime baseball/slowpitch umpire), Les Holtmeyer (longtime fastpitch player),
Jack Justice (Spanaway baseball Team of Valley League), Bill Kropf (1946 Bellarmine HS),
Craig Lowry (Founder of Northwest Boy’s Club and longtime umpire), Roger McDonald (longtime fastpitch player and TAC President),
Ann Pyfer (1940s Sumner fastpitch), Fred Shanaman, Jr. (Founder of Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission and namesake
for Shanaman Sports Museum), Don Taylor (1941 Lincoln HS state champs), John Webster (longtime fastpitch/slowpitch umpire),
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Dill Howell Award—Baseball Tacoma Inc.
Quick action kept Tacoma in game
1971: Twins affiliate
brought to town
after Cubs left
for Wichita
By Corey Brock, The News Tribune
Players, managers and teams
have come and gone, but professional baseball has had an uninterrupted run at Cheney Stadium since
1960.
But for two months in the fall of
1971, Tacoma didn’t have a team.
Less than a month after capturing the Pacific Coast League’s North
Division championship, the Chicago
Cubs severed ties with Tacoma.
The Tacoma Cubs — who
for five years were Chicago’s top 1982 President’s Trophy presented by the National Association of Professional Baseball
minor-league team — were sud- Leagues to the Tacoma Tigers and accepted on behalf of the ball club by Chairman, E.J.
denly moving to Wichita, Kan., for the Zarelli. L. to R.: Bill Cutler, PCL President; Jimmy Zarelli; and Bowie Kuhn, Commissioner of
Baseball.
1972 season.
Stan Naccarato, who was the
general manager at KLAY radio at the
time, was stunned after he got the news by telephone the Hall of Famer Leo Durocher and Ernie Bank made an apmorning of Sept. 21.
pearance for an exhibition game at Cheney Stadium in 1969,
“They basically left Tacoma in the middle of the night,” but the team didn’t make much of a profit and seldom atNaccarato said.
tracted more than 150,000 fans in a season.
“They had a few miserable years here and wanted to
Even after raising the money for the operating costs,
move the team to Wichita because it was closer to Chicago. Naccarato’ group still didn’t have a team line up for the 1972
It really surprised every-one”
season. That was about to change.
The hurried announcement left more than a few
The Pacific Coast League board of directors met in
people bewildered.
Phoenix a month after the Cubs announced they were go“I’m really amazed,” then-Tacoma mayor Gordon ing to Wichita. The board was impressed with how
Johnson told The News Tribune on the day of the announce- Naccarato’s group was able to quickly raise more than
ment. “... I’m sorry that the Cubs don’t feel more loyal to $100,000 in capital.
their many many fans in Tacoma.”
“It’s not often in a situation like this one that a commuNaccarato felt the same way. But he decided to do nity responds ii such whole-hearted fashion,” then PCL presisomething about it.
dent William McKechnie said. “I’d say that the Tacoma
“We had to act quickly because there were only a few group’s ability to pick up the ball has supplied solidarity in
teams that needed AAA teams,” Naccarato said. “I got on the Northwest ... some thing that for a while was in doubt.”
the phone and called some of the prime citizens in the area.
Apparently, the Minnesota Twins were impressed as
About 16 hours later, it was a done deal.”
well. A month after the meeting of the league directors, the
In two days, Naccarato pulled to-gether a group of Twins agreed to have their top minor league team come to
22 investors each paying $5,000— to form a partnership Tacoma. The Twins stayed for six seasons.
for the capitalization for a team.
Huntington said there are similarities between
Since most major league teams owned their minor Tacoma’s predicament in 1971 and the Rainiers’ current
league clubs, the money that Naccarato’s group raised search for local ownership, which began nearly two
would cover the team’s operating costs.
years ago.
“Back then, it was easy to get that many people to
KLAY owner Clay Huntington was part of that owner- pitch in $5,000 to save baseball,” Huntington said “They
ship team.
wanted to do their part to keep baseball here. And I think
“When the Cubs gave up, all we had to do was raise this is still something people want to see work here.
$100,000,” Huntington said. “Most minor league teams were
“But there’s a big difference between raising $100,000
owned by their major league clubs then. They supplied bats, and $10 million.”
players and the coaches. It’s not like that now.”
Tacoma had been home to the Cubs since 1966 and
Reprinted with permission from The News Tribune.
Dill Howell Award—Baseball Tacoma Inc. continued
9
Clay Huntington—Tacoma’s Clay Huntington has experienced it all as sports
journalist and announcer. He did more,
however, than just broadcasting, for he
led various efforts to make sure that the
county had the facilities needed for local sports. The first sportscast that he
ever did was in the fall of 1941 on KTBI. It
was a 15-minute show sponsored by
Kreme Krust Bread and Bert’s Mens
Wear and his two guests were Vic and
LaVerne Martineau.
While attending high school, Clay
launched his journalist career by writing
and editing the Lincoln High School
newspaper. By 1942 he was a journalism student at the University of Washington while also reporting the results of local high school games. He must have made
an impression on local sports enthusiasts, for just before his
war service he found himself in Mayor Harry P. Cain’s office
helping to form the Tacoma Athletic Commission.
Stan
Naccarato—Stan
Naccarato led the effort to
save Class AAA baseball for
the city in 1971 when the Chicago Cubs organization unexpectedly moved its franchise from Tacoma to Wichita,
Kan. In 16 hours, he and 19
other investors raised the
$100,000 needed.
For the next 20 years, Stan
was an award-winning president and general manager of
the Tacoma Tigers. In 1975, for
example, he was Minor
League General Manager of
the Year, was awarded the Charley McPhail Promotional Trophy, and “The Sporting News” General Manager of the Year
award. At that time, no one in the 77-year history of the national association had won all three major awards in one year.
Throughout the years his radio voice could be heard reporting
local football, basketball, and baseball games for KMO, KTBI,
AND KTNT. In the 1950s, before the time of on-site play-by-play
broadcasting, he re-created major league baseball games with
Rod Belcher over a 14-station network that covered Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. In 1953, he entered the realm of television announcing for both channels 11 and 13.
Stan was born in Tacoma in 1928, and by the time he graduated from Clover Park High School in 1946 he had already spent
four years playing on a semi-pro baseball team sponsored by
Western State Hospital. The Cincinnati Reds signed him out of
high school as a pitcher for the Ogden Reds of the Pioneer
League. During three years of minor league play he notched a
33-10 record, but his career came to a quick end due to an
injury in his right shoulder.
Sports broadcasting is not, however, all there is to Clay Huntington. He helped to find funding for the construction of Cheney
Stadium in 1960 and bring Triple A baseball back to Tacoma.
His is rightfully proud of his effort, one that has led to over 40
years of Pacific Coast League baseball in Tacoma.
After leaving the game, he came back to play an active role in
the city that he has always called home. One of Stan’s big highlights came in 1956 when the team he sponsored, Stanley’s
Shoemen, won the 1956 national amateur baseball championship.
His contributions to the community also include the promotion
of sports history. He initiated the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports
Hall of Fame in 1957, and in 1960 expanded this honor roll to
include the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame. Clay was
also instrumental in the creation of the Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma-Pierce County.
It is practically impossible to list everything that he has done
on behalf of Tacoma. Joined by Doug McArthur, who had managed that title-winning baseball team, Stan was a driving force
behind the campaign to build the Tacoma Dome. He has
chaired the Tacoma Athletic Commission twice and for over 50
years has served as Master of Ceremonies and Ring Announcer of the Golden Gloves boxing tournaments.
This city’s sport’s treasure continues his broadcasting career
through his own radio station-KLAY, one that continues to
provide coverage of local sports be it high school, college, or
professional.
Stan is married to Jeanne Maiden Naccarato, at one time one
of the brightest stars on the women’s professional bowling tour.
Jimmy Zarelli—Jimmy Zarelli’s passion for sports was obvious as he was one of the driving forces
behind a group of Tacomans who invested money and time in an effort to keep Class AAA baseball in
Tacoma in 1971.
Zarelli’s work as president of Baseball Tacoma, from its inception until his death in August 1985, paid huge
dividends when the Minnesota Twins decided to move their team from Phoenix to Tacoma. Class AAA baseball lives to this day in Tacoma with the Rainiers, Seattle’s top farm team.
As a proponent for the concept of the Tacoma Dome, Jimmy took the leadership role on the construction
team to make the Dome a reality within budget and on schedule. Someone wrote at the time that, “if the
Dome had a father, it would be Mr. Zarelli.”
Jim Topping—Jim Topping is another of the Baseball Tacoma Inc group that helped keep AAA baseball
in the area.
He was born in Tacoma in 1926 and attended Lincoln High School. He jokes that he attended the college of
“Hard Knocks,” but there can be no denying that he had great success as a car dealer with Topping Motors. He
is now retired.
Dill Howell Award—Baseball Tacoma Inc. continued
10
Bob Alessandro—A native Tacoman,
Bob graduated from Stadium High
School in 1952 and WUS in 1957. He
played second base at Stadium for two
seasons and also played in the American Legion program. His softball playing experience including several seasons with Ray Ridge Motors, O’Briens,
and the Tacoma Smelter club. Bob is a
stock broker for Smith Barney.
1. Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
2. If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with
cool thoughts.
3. Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you
move.
4. Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The
social ramble ain’t restful.
5. Avoid running at all times.
6. Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.
Francis Browne—Francis Browne was
born in Spokane in 1916 but graduated
in 1935 from Bellarmine Prep, where he
played football as a senior.
He went on to own one of the most popular restaurant in Tacoma for years—
Browne’s Star Grill— and was a original
member of Baseball Tacoma Inc.
Ray Carlson—Ray Carlson was born in
1926 in Duluth, Minn., and graduated
from Washington High School in that city.
Growing up, he loved baseball and
writes that he “was helped along by men
who coached Little League teams.” He
never forgot that youthful love of the
game and sponsored numerous Boys
Club teams.
Carlson was an owner/partner in Meyer Floor Covering and
was an original member of Baseball Tacoma Inc.
Bill Cammarano Sr.—Bill Cammarano’s
name is forever linked with sports history in Pierce County.
Cammarano, born in 1896 in Jessup,
Penn., came out west and graduated
from Lincoln High School in 1914.
He became a successful soft drink bottler
and beer wholesaler in Tacoma. He was
a great fan of auto racing, and from the
early days of City League baseball was a team sponsor. Bill managed The Whistle Bottling Company team, which had great success in the early City League years. Whistle was a forerunner to
the great Cammarano Brothers squads that Bill sponsored.
He was a strong supporter of baseball in the city and was a
member of Baseball Tacoma Inc.
ROBERT KELLY—In 1980, Robert began
a second career in broadcasting, when
moving from Sacramento to Tacoma to
begin building KCPQ-TV, Channel 13,
into a quality station serving Puget
Sound.
In his office on the wall above his desk,
Robert hung a framed photograph of
one of his childhood sports heroes,
baseball legend Satchel Paige. Under a
picture of Paige throwing the ball were listed six quotations,
which Robert labeled “Satchel’s Master Maxims.”
Everyone entering Robert’s office could read and ponder the
following:
For 17 years, Robert used this advice to help train and guide
the young, green staff as together they transformed an archaic,
dilapidated television station into the first all digital broadcasting facility in the world. When the new Q-13 moved from Clover Park Vocational Tech in Tacoma to Lake Union in Seattle,
one employee lounge was named the Satchel Paige Room in
honor of the station’s patron saint.
Robert himself has been inspired by Satchel’s sage advice especially to not live in the past, dwelling on mistakes or glory,
but to keep one’s eyes on the present. If he were able to attend
this Baseball Old-Timers Banquet, Robert would quote once
again his favorite maxim, “Don’t look back…Something might
be gaining on you.”
Frank Manley—Frank graduated from
Bellarmine Prep where he participated in
basketball and track He operated
Manley's Supermarkets for 40 years in the
community, was a member of the Fircrest
Golf Club for over 50 years, and was also
a proud member of the National Association of Lefthanded Golfers.
Frank Ruffo—Frank Ruffo, Sr., a partner
in Tacoma Baseball Inc., was himself a
great baseball player.
Frank was born in Tacoma in 1912 and
graduated from Bellarmine Prep in 1930.
He was signed by the Boston Red Sox
and eventually played third base for the
Hollywood Stars of Pacific Coast League.
Frank got his baseball baptism with
Shaffer Box Company in the Industrial League. “We got jobs in
the company for playing baseball for them,” he later wrote.
After more than 12 years of starring in the City League with
Cammarano Brothers, he signed with Boston.
Among the most memorable of his baseball experiences came
when the Tacoma Tigers, for whom Frank played, hosted a
barnstorming team in 1927 at Stadium Bowl. That team included
Yankee greats Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel and Earl Combs. Incidentally, that was the year that Ruth hit 60 homers, the singleseason record until broken by Roger Maris.
Frank had another big baseball moment in a City League exhibition game when he hit a homer against Grover Cleveland
Alexander, a Hall of Fame pitcher.
In 1937, Frank traveled with the Johnson Paint team that
became the first from Tacoma to travel away from the west
coast for the amateur baseball national tournament. The Painters, coached by John Heinrick, placed fifth in the event at
Wichita, Kansas.
Frank also played on Saturdays and Sundays for Shelton in the
Timber League.
Dill Howell Award—Baseball Tacoma Inc. continued
11
BASEBALL TACOMA INC: (*
means original investor in
1972)
*Stan Naccarato, GM
*E. J. Zarelli, President
*Robert Alessandro
*Tom Baker
*Dr. James Billingsley
*Mike Block
Harold Brotman
*Morley Brotman
*Francis Browne
*Bill Cammarano Sr.
*Ray Carlson
Brad Cheney
Warren Chinn
*Lawrence Ghildarducci Sr.
*Doug Gonyea
Norma Honeysett
*Clay Huntington
*Dr. Robert Johnson
Robert Kelly
*Frank Manley
*Carl Miraldi
Gus Paine
Tom Paine
*Frank Pupo
*Frank Ruffo
*Jim Topping
*Mike Tucci Sr.
Mike Tucci Jr.
*Walt Wiklund
*Alden Woodworth
John Xitco
(Apologies to anyone who
may have inadvertently
been omitted from this list)
In 1975, Stan Naccarato was
General Manager of the Year,
was awarded the Charley
McPhail Promotional Trophy,
and “The Sporting News”
General Manager of the Year
award. At that time, no one in
the 77-year history of the
national association had won
all three major awards in one
year.
12
Oldtimers Salute—Pat Rooney
Pat Rooney comes from a family of great baseball
players, one of four Rooney boys to make their mark in
Tacoma baseball lore. Brothers Tom, George, Jim and Pat
were all good players in the
1930s and 40s, and they
came from a family that
bled baseball.
George and Jimmy
Mosolf were the Rooney’s
cousins, and they were excellent players in their own
right. In fact, Jimmy Mosolf
played 118 games over four
seasons of major league
baseball, finishing with a
.295 career average.
Mosolf, a left-handed hitting
outfielder, broke in with
Pittsburgh in 1929 and
spent three seasons with the Pirates before finishing his
major league career with the Cubs. Mosolf also had success in the Pacific Coast League, playing for the Missions,
among others.
Mosolf's daughter is the
mother of Dave Brundage, Tacoma
Rainiers' manager.
Tom Rooney’s grandson is Jeff
Conine, for many years a major
league ballplayer and now a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Conine,
born in Tacoma to Pierce County
Sports Hall of Fame member Jerry
Conine, was a 58 th round draft
choice and played his first major
league game in 1990, 17 years ago.
Pat was born on Nov. 15,
1922, in Tacoma. A left-handed batter and thrower and a lanky 6-0 and
170 pound, Pat Rooney really broke
onto the local scene as one of the
stars on the
1941 Lincoln
High School
Abes
that
won the unofficial state title.
The senior first baseman helped
the Abes finish the regular season with
28 victories in 32 games, including
winning the Cross-State League
crown. The state title came via 4-0 and
8-2 wins against Walla Walla and
Bellingham in a three-team tournament played at Athletic Park in
Tacoma.
The following year, Pat got his
first taste of semi-pro ball, hitting .218
as a first baseman and rightfielder for
the Tacoma Tigers of the Western International league. Though his average wasn’t as good as he would have
like, Pat still drew high regard as an
outstanding baseball prospect.
As with many young men his
age, Pat enlisted in the military immediately following the season. Most of
his service to this
country during World
War II came aboard a
bomber in the
Pacific.
Upon his
return stateside,
Pat got a position as a scout
for the Dallas
Rebels of the
Texas League.
During that time, he got the thrill of a lifetime when he
played in practice games against Joe DiMaggio and
the New York Yankees, Stan Musial and the St. Louis
Cardinals, and the Boston Red Sox.
Pat finally returned to competitive baseball in
1946. After brief stints with Dallas of the Texas League
and Williamsport of the Eastern League, Pat settled
in with Lubbock of the Class C West Texas-New Mexico
League. He had a phenomenal year, hitting .347 with 26
doubles and 70
runs batted in
while playing just
108 games.
The following year, also with
Lubbock, Pat had
another phenomenal season with a
.328 average, 21
doubles, 11 triples,
five homers and 60
runs batted in
while playing 111
games.
Pat later played for Greenville in the Big State League
and Sherbrooke of the Canadian/American League. Alaska,
the “Land of the Midnight Sun,” drew Pat for one season of
baseball where he met his wife-to-be, Anne. Finally, he
closed out his career with two seasons in Coquille,
Oregon.
Pat and Anne came back to Tacoma to raise their
family, and now
they have nine
grandchildren.
Daughter Gail is
married to Gary
Cicelski, and they
have three children. Daughter
Debbie married
Gary Arneberg,
and they have
four children,
three of whom
are married. Son,
Greg, and his wife
Lori have two children.
Pat, now
retired from a career at Nalley’s
Fine Foods, lives
in Puyallup.
Marc H. Blau Meritorious Service Award—
Clarence Seman
In 1939, at the age of 14, Clarence Seman strolled into the Rexall
Drug store in Great Falls, Montana, and made a purchase.
That purchase that would mark the start of his interest in photography and would lead him to many years of enjoyment and
involvement in that field. Clarence acquired his first camera
that day, a brand new shiny Brownie model at a cost of $3.95.
It was quite an investment in that day, particularly for a 14 year old. But,
after arranging a “50
cents a week installment
plan”
with
the
storeowner, he was off
and running into the
world of photography.
In 1943, Clarence’s family moved to Tacoma, and
in 1944 he graduated
from Lincoln High School.
A few years later he had
landed a full-time job
with the Johnson Paint
Co. It was while at
Johnson that a co-worker
introduced him to Tom
Cross, Pierce County’s
first Parks and Recreation
director. Tom asked
Clarence if he’d be interested in taking sports pictures for the park district.
The rest is history.
Willie Mays and others. His work was award winning and received national recognition, prompting columnist Bernie
Brotman to write, “Clarence Seman is fast becoming the top
sports photographer in town.”
Through the years, times changed and so did camera equipment. Clarence followed the evolution of cameras all the way
from that 1939 “drug store Brownie” to the
digital era when he purchased one of the
first digitals available, a Sony model that he
still uses to this day in his retirement. Seman
retired from the Park District in 1990 and still
lives in Tacoma with his wife of 55 years,
Louise. They raised five children and all, to
some degree, have caught the same “photography bug” that he did back on that day
in Great Falls.
When asked what some of his fondest
memories were, Clarence said, “Taking pictures of the kids and then years later, pic-
For the next 40-plus
years, Clarence would
take all of Pierce County’s Clarence Seman--Pierce County's Sports Photographer
athletic pictures for youth Extraordinaire
baseball, football, basketball, swimming, track and more. He also covered the tures of their kids!” He also recalled the many nights that he’d
Tacoma Athletic Commission’s activities and events. “Whatever be up until 2 or 3 a.m. developing pictures in his home dark
Tom would ask me to do, wherever he would ask me to go, I’d room. Because, he was asked, you just could not get enough
be there,” remarked Seman in a recent interview. His travels of the rewarding world of photography that you loved?
took him everywhere from area sports fields, gyms and soap“No, because I’m a procrastinator!”
box derby hills to photo shoots with the likes of Sandy Koufax,
GENE DARRAGH
President
2309 Sixth Ave.
Tacoma, WA 98403
MODERN CLEANERS
“Where Quality is A Tradition”
(253) 627-1117
13
14
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees
BASEBALL:
Rick Barnhart—Rick Barnhart was born
in Seattle in 1956 and graduated from
Burien’s Highline High School in 1974. An
outstanding pitcher for three seasons at
Highline, Barnhart continued his playing
career first at Green River College, then
at the University of Puget Sound.
While at Green River, Barnhart caught
the eye of Los Angeles Dodgers scouts,
and the Dodgers selected him in the draft. He elected not to
sign with LA, however, and that proved fortuitous for the UPS
baseball program. Barnhart earned All Nor-Pac honors at Puget
Sound, and in 1978 not only graduated but also was drafted
by the Cleveland Indians. He signed that year, and from 197981 pitched in the Cleveland minor league system. He finished
his competitive baseball career with the Lakewood Royals.
Barnhart has since moved into the coaching ranks. He spent
two years at his college alma mater, then coached two more
seasons at Fort Steilacoom before taking the Bellarmine Prep
head job, which he still holds, in 1985. He has earned Narrows League Coach of the Year honors at Bellarmine, where
he is also a teacher.
Art Berg—Art Berg graduated from Stadium High in 1921 and then attended
Washington State University.
He was a standout baseball player in
Tacoma’s City League. In 1940, the slugging first baseman led the league with
a .491 average and also had the most
putouts.
Following World War II, the City League
made a return, and Berg stepped into the role of player-manager of the 6th Avenue club. The post-war era saw a return of
sponsorships by communities and neighborhoods as they had
been decades earlier, rather than by businesses.
After playing baseball, he worked as a lineman for Foss Launch
& Tug. Art passed away in 1980.
Butch Dunlap—Butch Dunlap was one
of a number of Tacoma area baseball
players who contributed in a significant
way to Washington State University’s
seventh-place finish at the 1965 College
World Series in Omaha. A catcher and
third baseman, Dunlap helped the Cougars, under the direction of legendary
coach Chuck “Bobo” Brayton, win the
1965 PAC 8 baseball title on the way to
the national tournament.
Dunlap was born in San Francisco in 1944, and after moving to
Tacoma graduated from Wilson High School in 1963. While at
Wilson, Dunlap was a three-year letter winner. The highlight of
his prep career came in 1963 when the Rams won the 1963
City League title under Marv Scott. That year, Dunlap earned
all-city and all-state honors.
Dunlap was also an outstanding basketball and football player
at Wilson, helping the 1963 Wilson basketball team to City and
Capitol League crowns.
During the summer of 1965 and 1966, Dunlap played for the
Cheney Studs. The 1966 team, under the guidance of George
Grant, placed second at the Amateur Baseball World Series in
Battle Creek, Mich.
Following his 1967 graduation from Washington State, Dunlap
played one year in the Detroit Tigers’ minor league system. He
later coached the Cheney Studs and Kitsap County Babe Ruth
baseball teams.
He is now retired from a career as a civil engineer.
Don Hansler—Every championship
team needs a strong defense up the
middle of the field, and Don Hansler provided that as a centerfielder on several
championship teams.
Hansler, born in Tacoma in 1929, graduated from Lincoln High School in 1947. A
three-year letter winner and team captain in wrestling, Hansler didn’t play
baseball at Lincoln High School until his junior year in 1946. He
eventually became a member of the Tacoma high school allstar team that won the City League championship.
From 1946-54, Hansler played for a variety of teams in several
area summer leagues. He played for South Tacoma in the Sunset League, for South Tacoma and Sportsmen’s Club in the
Tacoma City League, and for Midland in the Valley League. In
1950, he roamed centerfield for Doug McArthur’s Busch’s DriveIn team in the Valley League.
In 1951, Hansler played for the Oregon City Elks, helping that
squad to the state amateur baseball championship and with
it a berth at the amateur baseball national tournament in South
Dakota.
Hansler came back to the Puget Sound region and finished his
amateur baseball career with the Tacoma Athletics of the Northwest League.
He also played baseball from 1948-51 at the University of Washington, graduating from the school in 1951. He earned a
master’s degree in fisheries and later his teacher’s certificate.
He is now retired from his career as a teacher and administrator in the Bellevue School District.
Husky heavy hitters shown left
to right
are Gordy
Rodland,
above
are Gordy
Rodland,
Gene
Gene
Norton,
Bob Houbregs,
Don Hansler
and Lorne
Hurlbut.
Norton,
Bob Houbregs,
Don Hansler
and Lorne
Hurlbut.
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
15
Pip Koehler—Despite being only 5-10
and 160 pounds, Horace “Pip” Koehler
was a big man in Tacoma area baseball circles.
Pip was born in Gilbert, Penn., early in the
1900s and graduated from Penn State in
1923, earning letters in baseball, basketball and football. After two years of teaching, he signed with the New York Giants,
playing in their farm system for several
seasons. He was an infielder for the Toledo Mud Hens in the 1920s,
playing for Casey Stengel, who would go on to a Hall of Fame
managing career with the New York Yankees and Mets.
The 1927 Mud Hens won the American Association title and
what was called the Junior World Series. That the Mud Hens
even got that far was amazing because they had to win their
final 10 games, all on the road.
Pip was known to have a good mind for baseball, and he
turned that into a career as a baseball manager and administrator. His managing career started at Portsmouth (Va.) of the
Piedmont League, followed by a stint with Akron (Ohio) of the
Middle Atlantic League.
In 1941, Koehler was introduced to the Northwest baseball
scene when he moved to Tacoma to direct the Tigers of the
Western International League. He led the club for two seasons
as player-manager. During the team’s 58-76 season in 1941,
Koehler hit a solid .280 in 91 games. The following year when
the Tigers were 60-74, Koehler had a respectable .261 average while playing in an even 100 contests.
From 1943-45 he managed Todd Shipyards in the local Defense League. Walt Jutte, an Oldtimers Hall of Fame member,
played for Pip in 1944 and called Pip one of the best managers
he played for.
”I remember something I learned from Pip,” said Jutte. “I was
at bat with one out and the winning run was on third base. Pip
asked, ‘Can you hit a fly ball?’ I said, ‘I’ll try.’ Pip responded by
saying, ‘No, I said CAN you?’ I again replied, ‘Well, that’s what
I WANT to do.’ Pip them shot back, ‘Well, do you mind if I pinch
hit for you because I KNOW I can!’ I said, ‘Well, if you think you
can do it then go ahead because I want us to win the game.’
Well, darn if he didn’t walk up there and promptly hit a fly ball
to win the game. I was amazed that he could be so confident
to do that.”
When the Pacific Coast League’s Phoenix franchise became
the Tacoma Giants in 1960, Pip served as the team’s first ticket
manager. Koehler also served in the same capacity for the
Tacoma Cubs, eventually retiring in 1977. Several years during
the 1970s, Tacoma’s Pacific Coast League entry led minor
league baseball in season ticket sales.
Remember the part about Koehler’s size. That size didn’t stop
him on the baseball field, nor did it stop him from a successful
basketball career. During baseball’s off-season, Pip had a solid
professional basketball career, starting during the 1924-25
season with Philadelphia Crane Club of the Eastern League.
He also played for the Pittsburgh Morrys of the Central League
and Fort Wayne (Ind.) of the American Pro League, and was
player-coach for the Toledo Red Man Tobaccos. He also played
with Kingston (N.Y.) in the New York State League.
Pip had one memorable “mad dash” between playing basketball for Fort Wayne and baseball for the Toledo Mud Hens.
He was still playing basketball for Fort Wayne and was trying
to help the team beat Chicago in order to win the second half
championship. He was given permission by Stengel to report
late for Mud Hens spring training, but was told to be there by
Sunday or face a $50 per day fine
After helping Fort Wayne beat Chicago on a Saturday night,
Pip raced to catch the train to New Orleans, not even stopping
to shower. He boarded the train in his basketball uniform covered by an overcoat. He arrived at the New Orleans hotel at
12:30 p.m. Sunday and found out that the Mud Hens were playing an exhibition game an hour later. He caught a cab to the
ballpark and changed into his baseball uniform. “I reported to
Stengel and he asked if I was ready to play. I replied that I was
and he said, ‘You’re playing second base.’”
Pip Koehler passed away on Dec. 9, 1986 and was survived
by two sons, Tom and John.
Art McLarney—Art was born in 1908 in
Port Townsend and graduated from high
school there, but only after surviving a
bout with spinal meningitis. Despite suffering from lingering effects of the illness,
Art enjoyed an outstanding athletic career, earning three letters each in basketball and baseball at Washington
State College. A pitcher, first baseman
and shortstop, Art played at WSC from
1929-32, where in 1932 he earned All-America honors as a
shortstop by hitting .392. As if that wasn’t enough, he was the
school’s student body president as a senior.
Art’s baseball success earned him the attention of the New
York Giants, for whom he played in 1932 and 1933. He finished
his professional baseball career with the Seattle Indians of the
Pacific Coast League, playing in 1934 and 1935.
Art turned to teaching and coaching, where he was as successful as he had been as an athlete. His Roosevelt High baseball team won the 1946 state championship. The following year
he became head baseball coach and assistant basketball
coach at the University of Washington. His 1948 UW basketball
team finished third in the regional tournament. Ill health forced
him to retire from the college, but he came back to coach football, basketball and baseball from 1952-54 at Bellarmine Prep
in Tacoma.
McLarney earned induction into the WSU Hall of Fame in 1981.
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
16
Bill Parker—A native Tacoman who has
gone on to a career in dentistry, Bill
Parker was a three-sport standout at
Wilson High School from 1960-63.
Born in 1945, Parker was an all-city
player in 1958-59 for coach Dan Mullen
at Jason Lee Junior High and also during his three seasons at Wilson High
School. He played all three seasons for
legendary coach Marv Scott. As a
sophomore middle infielder in 1961, he hit .540 to lead the City
League in that category.
He took his baseball talents to the University of Washington,
playing in 1965 and 1966 and hitting better than .400 to earn
All-Northern Division accolades. He also led the teams in runs
scored, runs batted in and home runs. During the summer
months he played he played semi-pro baseball for Days Tailors, coached by Ken Jones, and for Cheney Studs, managed
by Doug McArthur.
Parker also made a big name for himself in football and basketball, playing both sports all three seasons at Wilson High.
He was so accomplished in football that he earned an athletic
scholarship in that sport from the University of Washington. He
played four seasons for the Huskies, and was picked as captain for several games.
Following his college baseball career, Parker was offered a
contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers but chose instead to attend dental school at UW.
Frank “Bush” Tobin—Frank Tobin had
a long and successful professional
baseball career from 1920 until his final
pinch hit appearance – he collected a
single – for Seattle in the Pacific Coast
League in 1944. He was 50 years old at
the time.
Tobin, nicknamed “Bush” because he
never made it out of the minor leagues,
was born in 1893 in California. He received his first professional experience in 1920, splitting a season between Vancouver of the Pacific International League and
Seattle of the Pacific Coast League. A catcher, he played in the
PCL with either Seattle or Portland from 1920-26.
Next came stops with several teams in the Texas League. His
best season came in 1930 when he his .338 with eight homers
for Dallas. He came back to the Pacific Coast League for stints
with Hollywood and Seattle. While in the minors, he caught
Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell and Dizzy Dean on their way to
the big leagues.
Tobin’s connection to the Tacoma area came as a semi-pro
player in the Northwest League in 1932 and again from 193539. The book, “Playground to the Pros: An Illustrated History of
Sports in Tacoma-Pierce County,” it is noted “When Tobin was
catching, it is rumored that his voiced carried to Fife!” He later
coached for the McKinley Hill in the City League in the 1950s.
He died in 1976 in Tacoma.
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My Memories of Frank
“Bush” Tobin
by Jerry “Cook” Murphy
Frank “Bush” Tobin was born in San Jose and
passed away in Tacoma in 1976. Tobin was a plumber
and got to know Jerry “Cook” Murphy’s father who was
also a member of the Plumber’s Union and worked as
an inspector for the City of Tacoma with the Health Department. Their friendship was a good one and because
of Bush’s extensive career as a catcher in baseball he
was more than happy to teach young Murphy the right
way to play the position.
As Jerry remembers today, “I was about 14 years old
and we went down to the Sound End Boys Club to practice.
If I didn’t catch the ball dead in front of my body, “Tob” was
all over me. He made me shift my feet and move my entire
body to get entirely in front of a ball to block it.”
“He taught me the right way to play the game,”
recalled Murphy, “but he also taught me a few tricks of
the trade. If there was a play at the plate I was taught to
toss off your mask and throw it out into the third base
path so the runner would have to deal with going around
it. If you thought it might be a close play then you were
supposed to toss it about three feet along the third base
line but only about 3-4 feet in front of home plate so the
runner had to think about sliding into the mask first.”
“Frank was a tough old ballplayer. He was about
6’4” at least. On his ring finger at the knuckle it made a
45 degree angle to the right. They never set it when it
broke,” according to Cook.
“Bush”, so named because he never made it out
of the minor leagues, was always telling me stories. Dick
Pease was umpiring one day and Frank, who was catching, was getting made because Pease wouldn’t give
them the low strike. Frank yelled, “c’mon, get that ball off
the ground so they can hit it. Pease started shaking his
finger at Tob and they went chin-to-chin on that one,”
said Murphy. Murphy added, “Then there was the time
where a throw came in from the outfield and the ball hit
his mask and stuck in between the bars.”
According to Murphy, Tobin caught the famed Carl
Hubbell and Dizzy Dean while they were on their way up to
the “bigs”. In the Texas League the games were at night
due to the humidity. One morning Tobin came down in the
hotel lobby only to find Dean in his full uniform. When asked
what he was doing Dizzy replied, “I’m just giving these fine
folks from Texas a chance to look at me because I won’t be
here next year.” And he was right—he DID make the “bigs”.
Bush told another story to Murphy about when his
team was playing in the finals one weekend. Their pitcher
was Al Libke Sr. whose best pitch was a great drop ball.
Well, the night before the team dug up the mound and
raised the pitching rubber another 12 inches to make Libke
that much more effective. It was. It worked. They won.
“The first time I ever got to see the inside of a professional clubhouse was in 1975 when Bush took me
and my Dad to watch the Seattle Rainiers play at Sick’s
Stadium. Bush was friends with a lot of the players and
manager Fred Hutchinson and they after the game they
let me walk around in the clubhouse. I can remember a
couple of stories that I overhead—but I know that I would
be in big trouble if I ever told those stories outside the
clubhouse. I’ll keep those memories of my friendship with
“Tob” to myself, “said Murphy recently.
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
Roy Young—Born and raised in
Tacoma, Roy Young has placed his
stamp on the local youth baseball
scene.
Roy was an infielder at Mount Tahoma
High School from 1972-74, graduating
in ’74, and he attended the University of
Washington, graduating in 1979. While
a college student, Roy played slowpitch
softball for Tipton’s Carpet Service. From
1980-91, he played modified fastpitch for Angleas and
Pederson’s.
As a teacher in the Tacoma School District, Roy has coached a
number of youth sports in the Puget Sound area, including
soccer at his alma mater. He served as Mt. Tahoma’s softball
coach from 1982-84 and took the head baseball coach job at
Henry Foss High School in 1988. He continues as the school’s
baseball coach.
Besides high school coaching, Roy coached the Tacoma Dodgers in summer baseball from 1989-94 and the Foss American
Legion team from 1995-2001.
Not many can claim that they teach diving, which Roy has done
for the Tacoma School District since 1982.
Ken Bauer—Ken Bauer, whose twin
brother Keith is also honored today,
played men’s fastpitch for 35 years.
Ken was born in 1942 and graduated
from Puyallup High in 1961. He is now
retired from a sales career.
A first baseman that hit for average and
power, Ken got his start in the game with
Manitou Fuel, playing with that team
from 1963-66. He played for Puget Sound Bank from 1967-70
and for Manke and Sons Lumber from 1971-73. He then settled
into a 21-year stint from 1974-94 with B&I Sports before finishing with Pegasus from 1995-98.
Ken earned numerous tournament all-star awards, and was
named to five regional all-tournament teams as well. In his 35
years, Ken averaged better than a .300 average and also
slugged more than 300 home runs.
It’s no wonder that with this kind of production that Ken Bauer
provided, not one of the teams for which he played in 35 years
ever had a losing record.
Ken also had great success as a coach. In 1982 and 1983 he
took the Puyallup Brothers girls slowpitch team to national tournaments in Georgia and Florida. He also led the Pegasus
fastpitch team to men’s nationals in both 1996 and 1997.
FASTPITCH
Keith Bauer—Keith Bauer played men’s
fastpitch softball from the early 1960s
through the mid 1970s with a variety of
teams. He started with Manitou Fuel,
then played with Cloverleaf Tavern,
Manke and Sons Lumber, B&I, Chalet
Tavern and finally with Pegasus, whom
he coached.
Bauer, a third baseman, had his most
notable years with B&I from the mid 60s
to the early 70s and for Manke and Sons for several seasons.
The 1974 Manke and Sons team, of which Keith was a part,
won the Northwest Regional tournament by defeating Pay N
Pak in the championship game. The team advanced to ASA
Nationals in Clearwater, Fla.
Keith earned numerous all-star team honors in tournaments
throughout his playing career, and he was most valuable player
at a tournament in Yakima. He was an excellent hitter who
kept his average above .300 and who consistently led his teams
in runs batted in.
Keith was born
in Puyallup in
1942
and
graduated
from Puyallup
High School in
1961. While in
the Air Force in
the 1960s, he
was an alltournament
selection in
baseball. Keith
passed away
in 2004.
Left
to right:
right: Ken
Ken Bauer,
Bauer, grandson Michael and
left to
Keith Bauer.
Bauer.
“C.J.” JOHNSON
BAIL BONDS
Serving the Community
Since 1951.
620 South 11th Street
Tacoma, Washington 98405
Call Anytime
253-272-1208
Nationwide 24-Hour Service
Superior • Federal
Municipal • District
Across from Courthouse
behind the Library
17
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
18
Pat Kelly—It is said of Pat Kelly that he
never pitched in a fastpitch softball
game that he didn’t remember, and
when you have pitched in nearly 1,000
games between 1954 and 1974, that is
some kind of memory. It also describes
Pat’s love for the game.
Pat started his pitching career with St.
Rita’s in the Church League, a very active league during the era. Pat was a
dominant pitcher for seven seasons with St. Rita’s, and with
several of his teammates was picked up by the Longshoremen. He pitched with that team until for six years. He finished
his hurling career with Puget Sound Bank from 1968 until 1974.
Any fan of the Seattle Mariners knows who Jamie Moyer is,
and what he does to be successful as a major league pitcher.
Moyer has used a great changeup and a lot of guile to win
more than 200 games in the “bigs.” Pat Kelly was his era’s
Moyer – not a great deal of velocity, but an intelligent and tenacious competitor.
His ability and competitive nature made him a favorite of various teams who needed an extra pitcher for invitational tournaments, and as a result he pitched in as many as 78 games
in a year. He earned many all-tournament and tournament
MVP awards and played in several regional tournaments.
Pat was born in Tacoma in 1939 and graduated from Stadium
High School in 1958.
Lowell Nelson—Lowell Nelson managed a number of successful men’s
fastpitch softball teams from 1962
through 1976. He was a likeable person
who got along with players, opposing
coaches and umpires, and his ability to
keep a nucleus of players together
proved to be a key to his managerial
success.
His top team was the 1974 Manke and
Sons squad that advanced to the ASA National Tournament
after winning the Northwest Regional title. That was Nelson’s
first season with the team. During a three-season run, Nelson
directed Manke and Sons to three straight Pierce County regional titles. They were the dominant team in county tournaments during the era.
Nelson started managing with Rohr Aircraft in 1962. He directed
that team, which played in the Auburn City League, until 1969.
Rohr Aircraft participated in the Pierce County Metro Tournament each of those years, winning the tourney title in the late
1960s.
He managed Pay N Pak to the 1970 Pierce County Regional
championship in his only season as the skipper. That team
played in the Northwest Major League against clubs from Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton, Olympia and Shelton.
In 1971 and 1972, Nelson led Ruth Realty to Northwest Major
League and Pierce County Metro championships.
Shirely “Mac” Olsen—Imagine this:
You’re 10 years old and you’ve been recruited to play in a women’s fastpitch
softball game when one of the players
in injured. The jersey falls below your
knees, and your cousin sticks a glove on
your hand. Intimidating? Apparently not
for Shirely “Mac” Olsen, who caught a
fly ball, threw out a baserunner and had
a hit in three at-bats.
That was an auspicious start for Olsen, who would go on to become one of the top women’s fastpitch players in Pierce County.
Born in 1936 in Anacortes, “Mac” learned how to play the game
while playing with her cousin in Oregon from 1946-49. When
her family moved to Tacoma in 1950, she had a head start on
a lot of her contemporaries.
While a student at Lincoln High School, Olsen played with
Baskett Lumber and the Fuelerettes, and then with Hollywood
Boat & Motor. After graduating from Lincoln, she joined the Air
Force and was stationed at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. Olsen
played on Barksdale’s traveling softball and basketball teams
for three years, and participated in the Air Force’s national
fastpitch tournament in 1954.
Upon her return to Tacoma in 1956, she hooked up with the
powerful Hollywood Boat & Motor squad.
Fastpitch softball continued to be a major part of Mac’s life.
She played in Oregon, for a couple of teams in Seattle, and in
Port Angeles. In 1971, with the support of the National Association of Blackfoot Indians, she became coach, manager and
player for the NABI Blue Embers. In the 1973 regional tournament she earned all-star honors as a utility player, while her
daughter Darvee was the all-star third baseman. The two
played together for seven seasons.
In addition to a long and outstanding playing career, Mac also
became a highly regarded umpire and sports official.
Mac’s final playing season came in 1997, more than 50 years
after she had started as a 10-year-old with a jersey that was
too long.
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
SLOWPITCH
Jerry Henderson—In the 1990s, no
church team dominated the local
slowpitch scene like People’s Church,
and Jerry Henderson was an important
part of that success.
Henderson, born in 1947 in Tacoma, had
a long and storied softball career with
People’s, primarily patrolling the outfield
from 1979-97. During that long run,
Henderson was a key player in People’s
winning USSSA World Church Championships in 1991 and 1993
and the NSA World Church Championship in 1995.
People’s won its share of tournament and league championships,
and Henderson brought home plenty of all-star hardware.
Prior to joining up with People’s, he started making a name for
himself in the local softball circles when he played for Lucky
Lager, Wested Tire, Heidelberg and Tacoma Slowpitch.
Henderson graduated from Puyallup High School in 1965 and
from Washington State University in 1969 where he
quarterbacked the Cougars for several seasons. He eventually earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is currently a
school psychologist in the Bethel School District.
Nancy Jerkovich—Nancy Jerkovich is
among the finest women’s slowpitch
players to play in Pierce County. She
earned many all-star, gold glove and
tournament MVP awards while playing
first base, third base or the outfield.
Jerkovich, born in Tacoma in 1952, graduated from Aquinas Academy in 1971. She
started her slowpitch career the same year
as a member of Tony’s Wazzoos. The following season she joined McKnight’s Foods, playing a key role in
that team becoming the first Tacoma-area women’s slowpitch
team to advance to a national tournament. Jerkovich finished her
women’s slowpitch playing days with B&I.
In addition to women’s slowpitch, Jerkovich stayed active playing volleyball, coed softball and basketball, helping her hoops
team win a number of league titles.
She also took a turn at coaching girls basketball at her high
school alma mater from 1972-75.
Jerkovich has worked in commercial fishing and sales and is
self-employed.
Peg Loverin—If playing field hockey and
basketball in college prepare you to
become one of the greatest women’s
slowpitch players ever to step on a diamond in Tacoma, then Peg Loverin had
the right training.
Loverin, a native of Hartford, Conn., and
a 1967 graduate of Lakes High School,
eventually ended up at Pacific Lutheran
University where she was one of the
school’s top athletes. She played both field hockey and basketball three years and was named the school’s Women of the
Year in Sports in 1973, the same year that she graduated.
After graduating from high school, Loverin was bit by the
slowpitch bug. She played two different stints totaling seven
years with McKnight’s Foods, and also saw action with Pizza
Pete and New Frontier Lanes before finishing with B&I from
1976-81.
Loverin’s list of slowpitch accomplishments is remarkable. She
earned most valuable player or all-star honors in six tournaments in 1971 alone and helped Pizza Pete win the state title
that year. She earned regional all-star honors playing for
McKnight Foods or B&I from 1974-77, and in 1976 hit .585 at
regionals and .500 at the national tournament in Jacksonville,
Fla. In 1971, 1973 and 1976, she helped her teams finish either
first or second at the regional tournament.
Loverin is a teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, and also runs a
bed and breakfast.
Jack Scott—His name is Jack Scott, but
you could just as easily call him “Great
Scott” because of the greatness he has
exhibited in men’s masters division
slowpitch softball.
Scott was born in 1934 in Seattle, and
he cultivated a love for baseball at an
early age. By the time he graduated
from Ballard High School in 1952, he had
twice earned all-city honors as a shortstop. He went on to play third base for two years at the University of Washington.
Jack made teaching and coaching his life trade, first in the Seattle School District and next at Pierce College. From 1959-68
he coached basketball at Garfield High School, and several
years later he took the Pierce College men’s basketball job,
which he held from 1971-78. He even coached men’s tennis at
Pierce for approximately six seasons.
In 1999, Jack hooked up with the Emerald City Masters 65 team.
This group of athletes age 65 years and older has put together
an enviable portfolio, winning 18 national tournaments and at
least 20 other tournaments. Along the way, Jack Scott truly has
been “Great,” earning several all-star awards.
Check Us Out
For The Latest Info
& Great Photos
www.oldtimerbaseball.com
19
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
20
UMPIRES—
SPONSOR—
Paul Gustafson—Paul Gustafson
graduated from Peninsula High School
in 1957 and later attended Seattle University. Paul had a particularly warm
spot in his heart for his high school alma
mater. For more than 40 years he served
as the school’s score and timekeeper at
basketball games. In fact, the PHS
scorer’s table was dedicated in his
honor.
Don & Rita Kitchen—It only
makes sense that Don Kitchen,
an avid softball player himself
and the owner of the Schooner Pub, would be a strong
supporter of slowpitch softball.
He and his wife, Rita, are honored today for their role as
long-time sponsors of the
sport in Pierce County.
As a member of the Western Washington Baseball Umpires
Association, Paul made his mark as a baseball and softball
umpire in Pierce County, calling balls and strikes in innumerable games throughout his career. Friends often said that if
they had a question about a baseball technicality, Paul was
the answer man.
Don was born in Tacoma in 1935 and graduated from Clover
Park High School in 1953. He participated in football, basketball, baseball and track at CPHS.
Paul was a prolific collector of sports memorabilia, starting at
the age of 10 when his father began subscribing to The Sporting News. Ultimately, he collected Sporting News baseball
guides for every year dating back to 1903. Among his collection were a 1914 World Series program and books on just about
every sports subject known to man. Many of these books were
autographed first editions, some going back to the turn of the
century. He knew quality and he knew what was rare.
Paul attended many antique and sports memorabilia shows
and enjoyed browsing through bookstores looking for that one
little gem.
Ron Shaw—You can’t play a baseball
game without an umpire, and Ron Shaw
remains among the best arbiters to work
in the Tacoma and Pierce County area.
He started umpiring locally in 1972, and
more than three decades later continues to call college and high school
games.
Shaw is a Los Angeles native but moved
to Tacoma and graduated from Stadium
High School, where he played basketball, in 1958. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Shaw returned to the
Puget Sound. He currently works for Simpson Tacoma Kraft in
paper production.
He also works a pretty good game on the diamond. He was
picked to work an Oakland A’s game at Cheney Stadium, and
has called balls and strikes at six Northwest Community College Athletic Association tournaments.
At the high school level, he has umpired numerous state tournament contests, and has been on the field during all of the
U.S. versus Japan All-Star games.
Ron has been president baseball umpires association for 10
years and is past president of the Western Washington Umpires Association.
The Schooner Pub name has been on men’s and women’s
slowpitch team jerseys since the early 1970s. The early Schooner Pub men’s team featured many great ball players, including the Hemion brothers. Schooner started out in the Western
Washington League, widely known as the top league in the
state as it featured such teams as Heidelberg, Wested Tire,
Lucky Lager and Durobilt Furniture.
A shortstop, second baseman and pitcher while on the diamond, Don played for a number of teams (Lake City, Murrey’s
Disposal, Mountain Tavern, B&I)
prior to becoming a sponsor
who also played. He played four
years for his own Schooner Tavern team, which was managed
by son, Steve. Schooner was always one of the top teams
around. As a player, Don participated on three tournamentwinning teams, twice earning
all-star honors and once being
named most valuable player.
In the early days, the Schooner
women’s team played against
top local teams such as
McKnight’s
Foods
and
Creekwater Dispensary and
was also a force to be reckoned
with.
Don’s commitment to sponsor
teams back in the early 1970s
has lasted now for more than 35
years. As one local softball
player has stated, “That’s a lot
of beer and pretzels.”
2006 Hall of Fame Inductees continued
21
SPORTSWRITER—
Stan Farber—One of the area’s top
sportswriters for many years, Tacoma
native Stan Farber gave much of himself to local sports until he passed away
on Sept. 5, 2005.
Stan’s passion for Tacoma sports happenings really blossomed in the late
1950s while a student at Stadium High
School. He served as sports editor of the
Stadium High School student paper and as manager of the
school’s 1959 state championship basketball team.
After graduating from Stadium in 1959, Stan served as student
sports information director at College of Puget Sound before
graduating in 1963. Names and numbers of athletes at his two
schools never escaped the mind of Farber, whose friends
dubbed him “Facts” Farber.
In 1959, the same year that he graduated from high school,
Stan started a 27-year career with the Tacoma News Tribune.
Stan covered nearly every Tacoma area sport and every team.
He was most proud of his coverage of the Tacoma Dome campaign when he championed the effort to build a “Dome of Our
Own” before many others came forward.
Stan was also a big Seattle Mariners fan, particularly enjoying
the home games. Prior to the Mariners’ existence, however,
he covered the 1969 Seattle Pilots for the Tacoma paper. He
was a long-time Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
After leaving The News Tribune, Stan formed the Farber News
Service, covering local sports for various media around the
country. For many years, Stan was an active member of the
Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Association,
helping to produce the souvenir program. Stan also helped
establish the Nifty Fifties, an organization that caters to former
1950s era high school athletes.
“Open at 11 am Every Day
“Sponsoring Teams
for over 30 Years”
Drink of Your Choice
Served in Trophy Room
Trophy Room 475-6555
These are just a few of the ways that Stan showed his commitment to his hometown, to its residents and to its wide variety of
sports.
And you couldn’t write a tribute about Stan Farber without acknowledging that he was the “King of Trivia.” Farber delighted
in compiling a long list of local sports trivia questions that invariably would stump his friends and acquaintances.
BASEBALL MEMORABILIA
WANTED!
Photos, gloves, programs, uniforms, caps, bats, balls,
schedules, tickets, contracts, and any other
memorabilia relating to Western International
League, Pacific Coast League, and Tacoma-area
semi-pro teams.
Also interested in other Tacoma-Pierce County area
artifacts for other sports such as basketball, football,
hockey, tennis etc. Items will be considered for display
purposes in the Shanaman Sports Museum of
Tacoma-Pierce County.
Stan Naccarato and Bob Alessandro look on as Baseball Tacoma
Inc President Jimmy Zarelli inks a working agreement with the
Minnesota Twins’ George Brophy.
CONTACT: Marc Blau at
(253) 848-1360 • [email protected]
22
Banquets - Catering Deli - Lounge - Community Fundraisers
Joe Stortini
Founder
2207 N. Pearl Street • Tacoma, WA 98406 • 253.761.5555 • 253.761.1606 fax
www.joeseppis.com
First American Title Wins Two “American” Titles
Have you ever heard of the same team winning two Obrien, a bases-loaded triple by Bob Young, and a defennational championships in the same year? That’s what hap- sive gem in centerfield by Bob Fontaine. With the bases
pened to the First American Title 65’s of the Senior Slow Pitch loaded his outstanding catch saved at least two runs.
ranks, comprised of players from Tacoma, Pierce County
Four Pierce County residents were selected to the Alland. the Puget Sound region.
Tournament team. Bill Meyer led the team in hitting with, a
The local softball veterans won 66 games during the .764 avenge, Dick Obrien was right behind at .739. Pitcher
2005 season (for a 66-19 record), seven tournament titles Sob Young had a .705 average (who said pitchers can’t hit?)
and a pair of national crowns.
and Bob Fontaine hit .571.
The team won the Western National Championship,
Two other Tacoma players performed well in the tourplayed in Kent, in August of 2005 and that qualified them to nament. They were third baseman Dale Harris (.578) and
meet the Eastern National Champions in a one-game de- outfielder Bill Zimmerman (.611).
cider for the USA Championship in Phoenix, AZ.
Sounds like the team name should have been First
First American Title dominated the Michigan Sports- American Two Titles!
man in the title tussle, 22 to 11. Top hitters in the game were
Dick Obrien (4 for 4),
Jerry Thacker (3 for 4),
Bob Young (2 for 3) and
Dale Harris (2 for 4).
Other members of that
team, from Pierce
County, were Bill
Meyer, Bob Fontaine,
and Walt Gronley.
In November,
First American Title
played its best tournament of the entire season, at Las Vegas.
Called the Winter
Worlds, the Northwest
contingent won six
consecutive games
and averaged 17 runs
per game in the twoday event.
The Tacomabased First American
Title outscored Top
Gun of San Diego 1510 in the finale to claim
its second National
Championship of the
year. Highlights of the First American Title 65’s National Championship Team
championship game Back Row From Left To Right Jerry Thacker, Walt Gronley, Mike Cordry, Bob Young, Bob Fontaine Middle
were a three-run Row From Left To Right: Bruce Evans, Bill Meyer, Dale Harris, Coach Frank Dvorak, Nate Aiwohi Front Row
home run by Dick From Left To Right Jon Becker, Del Helzer, Dick Obrien, Al Brotherton Not pictured - Bill Zimmerman
SENIOR SOFTBALL USA
ED ZENKER
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RES: 847-6204
“for the love of the game”
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Tacoma, WA
International Member
SSAC
Senior Softball Advisory Council
PHONE 253-759-8127
ROS-ED COMPANY INC. DBA
PARKSIDE REALTY
14609 PACIFIC AVENUE
TACOMA, WASHINGTON 98444
OFFICE
537-0274
FAX
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23
24
McKnight’s Foods Slowpitch Team—1972-1974
By Joyce Wolf, Oldtimers Committee Correspondent
Following the 1971 slowpitch season, players from the
championships Pizza Pete team parted ways and ended
up creating two new teams—McKnight’s Foods and the B
& E Tavern. Coached by Jan Chase and Nancy Craig,
McKnight’s Food’s began play in 1972 with three other former
teammates—Kathy Hemion, Dar Cartwright, and Sam
Turnley. An effective recruiter, Jan then added Babe
Timberman, Cheryl Nichols, Patty Knight, Debby McPherson,
Nancy Jerkovich, Marge Creech, Donna Hannity, Silvanna
Walker, Chris Johnson, Becky Pritchard, Pat Bortner, Myrna
Clevenger, Jackie Murray, and Jane Jobe to the roster.
McKnight’ s Foods had a productive first season, qualifying for the 1972 Northwest Regional Tournament as District runner-up to their nemesis B&E, coached by Joyce Wolf,
and the remaining players from the Pizza Pete breakup.
McKnight’s placed fifth, losing out to eventual tournament
champion Hamilton’s Towing from Bellingham, as well as
New Frontier Lanes of Tacoma in an exciting 1-0 game,
pitched by Carol Strong.
In 1973, McKnights bolstered their roster with several
players from the New Frontier team, picking up Sandy
Bickford, Denise Hoober, Peg Loverin, Judy Gray, and Sally
Grandquist.
McKnights again qualified for the Women’s Regional
31 tournament held in Everett and again finished fifth. Highlighting the tournament was Kathy Hemion’s selection as
the tournament’s Most Valuable Player where she finished
with an .875 batting average (14-16 hits), seven home runs
and 18 RBI’s.
MCKNIGHT’S FOODS SLOWPITCH
TEAM—1972
Back row l. to r.: Jan Chase (manager),
Babe Timberman, Donna Hannity,
Silvanna Walker, Chris Johnson, Kathy
Hemion, Becca Pritchard, and Nancy
Craig. Middle Row l. to r.: Cheryl Nichols,
Patty Knight, Darlene Cartwright, Sandy
Turnley, Debbie McPherson, and Marg
Creech. Front row l. to r.: Jeff Turnley (bat
boy), Walt Timberman (scorer), and Lorie
Timberman (bat girl). Missing: Pat Bortner,
Myrna Clevenger, and Jackie Murray.
In 1974, Jan Chase accepted a position with Women’s
International Bowling Congress and moved to Milwaukee,
leaving the coaching job to Nancy Craig and John Bickford.
They added Peg Zander, Evalyn Goldberg, Rose Johnson,
Pam McMains, Maggi Dusenbury, Peggy Boyle, Kathy
Spadoni, Sue Creaver, and Tammy Skubinna to the fold.
McKnights had a great year as they won the Pierce County
Pre-season Tournament and placed in several top tournaments including the Portland Invitational. Once again they
qualified for regionals which were played at Sprinker Recreation Center but the team faltered early and finished with
a 47- 17 season record.
At the end of the 1974 season, Ockie McKnight decided to pull hissponsorship. But as luck would have it, Ron
Irwin of B&I Sports was looking for a women’s team to sponsor. Ron knew McKnights had lost their sponsor so a meeting was arranged at B&I Sports which resulted in the B&I
taking over the team sponsorship. The B&I supplied the team
with all new equipment, uniforms, and paid for all tournament expenses, and the team played for several seasons
as the B&I before disbanding.
Like the Schooner Pub, Tony’s Wahzoos, Creekwater
Dispensary, New Frontier Lanes and others, the McKnight’s
Foods women’s slowpitch team was one of the pioneers,
bringing to this area savvy slowpitch softball-skilled players
full of energy and ready to have some fun. McKnight’s Foods
had many memorable games and teammates and their
unique personalities and hard play left an indelible imprint
on slowpitch in the community. They are very deserving of
this honor.
MCKNIGHT’S FOODS SLOWPITCH TEAM
Back row l. to r.: Kathy Hemion, Nancy
Jerkovich, Darlene Cartwright, Sylvanna
Walker, Peg Loverin, Sally Grandquist, and
Sandy Bickford. Front row l. to r.: Jan
Chase, Pat Bortner, Denise Hoober, Jane
Jobe, Sandy Turnley, Judy Gray, and
Nancy Craig. Kneeling: Cherry Goudeau.
John Bickford—McKnight’s Foods had been a top team in its
first two years, both times placing fifth at the regional tournament. When coach Jan Chase moved to Milwaukie, John
Bickford took over as coach of the McKnight’s Foods slowpitch
team at the start of the 1974 season.
Bickford, a 1944 graduate of Morton High School, had learned
the game as a third baseman playing on the diamonds in
Mineral, Morton and Mossyrock.
MCKNIGHT’S FOODS
SLOWPITCH TEAM—1973
Back row l. to r.: Nancy Craig, Peg Zander,
Kathy Hemion, Nancy Jerkovich, Evalyn
Goldberg, Peg Loverin, Sandi Klein??, and
coach John Bickford. Middle Row l. to r.:
Sally Granquist, Becca Pritchard,
Rosemary Johnson, Tammy Skubinna.
Front row l. to r.: Judy Gray, Denise
Hoober, and Sue Creaver.
With Bickford at the helm, McKnight’s Foods once again was
one of the top teams in the region, eventually finishing with a
47-14 record. They won the Pierce County Preseason Tournament and placed in several top tournaments, including the Portland Invitational. Once again, McKnight’s Foods advanced to
the regional tournament, this time held at Sprinker Recreation
Center.
McKnight’s Foods Slowpitch Team—1972-1974 continued
Darlene Cartwright—Darlene graduated from Renton High
School in 1964 and WSU in 1968 and coached volleyball, basketball, slowpitch, gymnastics, and track and field during her
tenure in the school system. She began her slowpitch career
in 1969 with Pizza Pete and also played with McKnight’s Foods
and Tony’s Wahzoos before hanging up the spikes but not before earning a number of All-Star team selections.
Nancy Craig—A Roosevelt High School
graduate of 1955, Nancy was an avid
fastpitch softball, basketball and field
hockey player before turning to the
coaching ranks of slowpitch softball in
Tacoma where she coached the
McKnight’s Foods team during their
glory days on the diamond. She was always volunteering to coach teams regardless of what level and these included junior high and high school rec
basketball and softball teams, a housewives softball team, and her work team.
She was a longtime employee with
Regence Blue Shield.
In 1973 she was a league all-tournament honoree and in 1974
while with McKnight’s won the Portland Invitational MVP award.
She continued to pile up all-star honors in various tournaments,
including the 1978 regional.
Evalyn was born in Tacoma in 1954 and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1972. She then attended the University of
Puget Sound, where she earned All-WCIC honors in both basketball and volleyball. She later coached
women’s basketball and softball and was
an assistant volleyball coach at UPS.
Evalyn served as the Seattle Mariners’
marketing and promotions manager from
1979 until 1982, when she moved to Houston to work in baseball operations and
scouting for one year.
PHOTO ID—McKnight’s Foods—1974
Back row l. to r.: John Bickford, Peg
Zanders, Maggie Dusenbury, Kathy
Hemion (dog unknown), Peg Loverin,
Sandy Bickford, Evalyn Goldberg, and
Nancy Craig. Front row l. to r.: Sue
Creever, Denise Hoober, Rosemary
Johnson, Pam McMains, Judy Gray, and
Tammy Skubinna. Photo courtesy of Evalyn
Goldberg.
Denise Hoober—Denise Hoober
played just about every position you
could play during more than 20 years
of slowpitch softball in Pierce County. She lists leftfield, shortstop, first base, third base, second base and rover as the positions at which she saw action during her outstanding softball
career.
Hoober was a member of the great McKnight’s Foods teams
in 1972-73, but that club was one of only eight for which she
played. She started with New Frontier Lanes for two years,
played with McKnight’s, then joined up with Gusto Granny’s
from 1973-74. Next came B&I from 1975-77, Pierce County
Medical (also in 1975), B J’s Allstars from 1977-79, Meridian Inn
from 1979-80, and finally Gray’s Business from 1980-85 and
again from 1988-92.
One of the highlights in Hoober’s 20-plus years of softball came
near the middle when, as a member of the Meridian Inn squad,
she earned the MVP Award at the 1979 Umpire’s Invitational
Tournament in Lynnwood. She helped lead B J’s Allstars to the
1977 national slowpitch tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., and
earned all-star team honors for several years in a row, beginning with her first year playing for New Frontier Lanes.
Hoober enjoyed more than just softball. She played on the first
officially established women’s soccer team in Washington in
1975 and played 15 years total, and she also participated in
women’s recreational league basketball for a decade.
Hoober was born in Tacoma in 1951 and graduated from Peninsula High School in 1970, but don’t think she was done with
school at that point. She eventually went back to earn a degree from Green River Community College in 1996. She is now
a computer analyst for Electronic Data Systems (EDS).
Evalyn (Goldberg) Schultz—Rec League softball from 196972 was the start of Evalyn Schultz’ slowpitch career. She moved
up to a more competitive league in 1972 as a member of BJ’s
All-Stars, and in 1973 played for Schooner Tavern. She joined
McKnight’s Foods in 1974 and stayed with that team for several years before finishing with B&I. She played all of the infield
positions except first base, and also saw time in rightcenterfield. When playing fastpitch, she was a catcher.
She now lives in Kihei, Hawaii, where she
manages Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventures.
Rose Johnson—A 1973 graduate of
Aquinas Academy, Rose could be found
on the diamond played catcher and first
base for McKnight’s Foods and the B & I
Sports slowpitch teams. She currently
works in the Pierce County Auditor’s office.
Tammy Skubinna—Tammy Skubinna was an outstanding
multi-sport athlete at Pacific Lutheran University before becoming an outstanding women’s slowpitch softball player.
Born in Walla Walla and a 1970 graduate of Shadle Park High
in Spokane, Skubinna played basketball and tennis four years
and field hockey for three years at Pacific Lutheran. In basketball, she led the team in scoring three seasons. She was the
school’s George Fisher Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 1974.
She first played softball for McKnight’s Food in 1974, earning
all-star honors in league play. An outfielder and pitcher,
Skubinna later played for B&I Sports and Robblees. She also
played coed softball in the area, and still plays in Corvallis,
Ore., where she currently resides as a 4-H Youth Development
faculty member at Oregon State University.
While playing for B&I, she earned MVP honors at the 1978 regional tournament, helping the team to a second-place finish
and a trip to nationals in Jacksonville, Fla. She also picked up
numerous all-tournament awards, and played on a B&I team
that won five straight league crowns.
Sandy “Sam” Turnley—Sandy (Sam) Turnley played softball
for four different teams, but the highlight for the 1957 Stadium
High School graduate was helping The Gage to a national
slowpitch tournament berth. The Gage was the first-ever
Tacoma area team to play at the national event. Turnley played
catcher for The Gage, Pizza Pete, McKnight’s Foods and Tony’s
Wahzoos.
For 34 years she has been an award-winning sales representative for Little Nickel News, including winning Sales Person of
the Year. She raised two children and enjoys “spoiling three
grandchildren.”
Silvanna Walker—A 1972 graduate of Lakes High School,
Silvanna burst onto the softball scene with McKnight’s Foods
and enjoyed a highly successful slowpitch career in Pierce
County.
25
26
Stanley Shoemen Won National Title 50 Years Ago
Fifty years ago the Stanley’s Shoemen of Tacoma would
have been happy to settle for the 1956 City League baseball
championship. They didn’t get it.
A few weeks later the Shoemen, with 13 consecutive
wins, were crowned state, regional and national champions of the American Amateur Baseball Congress. The title
game was a 10-0 shutout of East Chicago at Battle Creek,
Michigan.
Stung by a controversial forfeit loss to the Woodworth
Contractors in the final game of the city playoffs and a 3-1
loss to the Cheney Studs in the opening game of state tournament play, the Shoemen never lost again. Included in their
victory streak was a 7-2 verdict over Woodworth and backto-back wins for the championship over the Studs by scores
of 9-4 and 17-3..
Comprised mainly of Tacoma players who had starred
at local high schools and colleges like UPS, PLU, Seattle U.
games in state, regional and national competition. Dillon
pitched a four-hit win in the opening game against Michigan and Geiger held off powerful Texas as the Tacomans
went 3-0 in the national finals.
The Shoemen were sponsored by Stan Naccarato and
Morley Brotman, managed by Doug McArthur, and victorious in 50 of 61 games during their championship season.
The starting lineup in the regionals and nationals consisted of catcher Jack Johnson, first baseman Dick
Schlosstein, second baseman Jim Harney, shortstop George
Grant, third baseman Jim Gallwas, and outfielders Bob
Maguinez, Earl Hyder and Ron Storaasli. Other pitchers were
Dick Montgomery, Max Braman, and Manly Mitchell. Utility
players Pat Dillon and Ray Spalding completed the lineup.
Regular infielders Russ Wilkerson and Gordy Hersey
were unable to travel to regional and national play because
of employment obligations. The double-play combination
Back row, l to r: Gordy Grubert, outfield, Jack Johnson, catcher, Dick Schlosstein, first base, Monte Geiger, pitcher, Dale Bloom,
pitcher, jim Gallwas, third base, Mike Dillon, pitcher, Max Braman, pitcher, Tom Montgomery, scorekeeper and good luck charm.
Front row, l to r, Ron Storaasli, right field, Pat Dillon,infield, George Grant, shortstop, Manly Mitchell, pitcher, Doug McArthur, coach,
Earl Hyder, centerfield, Jim Harney, second base, Bob Maguinez, left field, Dick Montgomery, pitcher-first base.
and Washington, the local lads prevailed over teams from
the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Iowa, Michigan, Texas and Indiana.
It took a 4-3 decision over Portland, Oregon in the regional round in South Dakota and a thrilling 7-6 victory over
defending national champion Houston, Texas at the World
Series of the AABC to emerge as #1.
Pitchers Dale Bloom, Mike Dillon and Monte Geiger
refused to lose and the Stanley’s hitters pounded the opposition in the 13-game winning streak. Bloom won the title
of Grant and Harney became their replacements from the
Studs.
Storaasli and Bloom were named Most Valuable Players in the state tournament and Johnson earned that honor
at the regionals, but no MVP was selected from any team
at the national finals. The Shoemen settled for MVT (most
valuable team), becoming the first West Coast nine ever to
win the nation’s amateur championship. No other Tacoma
team, before or after, has enjoyed such success.
Washington Titans Win Roy Hobbs World Series
by Mic Stump
The Washington Titans, a Tacoma area 55 & Over
baseball team, won the 2005 Roy Hobbs World Series held
last November in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Titans, comprised of
nine players from Tacoma, six from Seattle and led by playermanager Mic Stump and coach Pat Weber, compiled a 7-1
record to win the championship.
The tournament, ongoing for 17 years and named after the mythical player in the movie “The Natural,” is held
annually at the Spring Training sites of the Boston Red Sox
and Minnesota Twins.
Waldman, the Seattle Mariners’ club attorney, ended
the tourney with 20 consecutive scoreless innings and a coMVP award. He shared his award with local banker Ron
Staples, who led the Titans offense with a .617 batting average, 14 stolen bases, 5 doubles and seven runs batted in.
Other hitting stars included Bob Jarrett, pediatrician
and former national advisor to the President’s health council, who batted .560 and Bill Ralston, former Tacoma Twin
and Albuquerque Duke who played for Tom Lasorda. Also
contributing to the offense were Dr. John Olerud, a former
WSU Cougar and minor leaguer in the Anaheim Angel or-
PUGET SOUNDTITANS
TITANS—2005
WASHINGTON
– 2005
Back Row l. to r.: Jim Lopez, Dan Wombacker, Ron Staples, Dr. Dave Mathews, Bart Waldman, Dr. John Olerud Sr., Dr. Dan
MacDougall, Gerry Slick, and Pat Weber. Front Row l. to r.: Jim Moore, Dr. Bob Jarrett, Tim Tucker, Mike Slattery, Dr. ,Marse
McNaughton, Mic Stump, and Bill Ralston. Photo taken at Lee County Main Stadium, home of the Minnesota Twins spring training
location. Ft. Meyers, FL on November 19, 2005.
Washington dominated the week-long event with
complete game pitching performances from all four of its
starters, including two from Tacoma attorney and pitching
coach Jim Lopez. Dan “Doc” MacDougal, a former Oklahoma State standout and a Seattle area physician, also
threw two complete games.
The Titans won their quarterfinal game, 4-1, over
Hunstville, Ala., led by Chipper Jones Sr., and took a 9-1 decision from Akron, Ohio, in the semifinals. Bart Waldman,
who played at Harvard, threw a three-hit shutout and allowed only four base runners in a 2-0 championship game
victory over Canton, Ohio.
ganization, and local Tacoma periodontist Dr. David
Mathews. Leading the defensive outfield was Marse
McNaughton, a Tacoma doctor who specializes in family
medicine.
Some of the Titans, playing as the Tacoma Tugs, have
won two straight championships in the 48 & Over division
of the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League. They have compiled a 52-2 record in the process.
Tugs players include manager Stump, coach Weber,
and players Staples, McNaughton, Lopez, Waldman, Bill
Ralston, Dan Wombacher, Gerry Slick, Mike Slattery, and
Dave Mathews.
27
28
The Home Run Ball King
By Louis M. Raphael
A lucky and alert San Francisco
fan recently retrieved two home run
balls hit into San Francisco Bay by
Barry Bonds. I couldn’t help but think
of Marv Howe when this happened
because Howe was the king of the
home run ball grabbers when we
were kids in Tacoma during the late
1930s.
The rules were different in
those days. The country was coming out of the Great Depression, and
money was tight. Nowadays, ball
players toss balls into the stands or
hand them to cute kids or curvy
blondes in front row box seats. When
a ball is hit into the stands, the fan
who grabs it keeps it. Not so back
then, at least in the old Lincoln Bowl
ballpark where we enjoyed watching Tacoma City League games almost every night of the week in the
Marvin Howe, (right), displays the ball Jess Brooks belted into Lincoln Gulch as Loouis
summer.
Raphael looks on.
Balls hit into the stands were
returned to the field of play. Furthermore, balls hit over the backstop and out of the ballpark to the plate, there was a rush for the right field corner and
were retrieved whenever possible. This was accomplished the short fence where even a banjo hitter would occasionthough the agency of “ball shaggers,” who were the tough- ally park one. If Jess Brooks or Cliff Cottler or Frank Ruffo
est older boys the teams could hire for maybe thirty-five cents came up swinging from the right side, Marv and the crafty
an hour. These young thugs would pursue balls bouncing little would-be major leaguers would head in the direction
into the Street over the head of the towering bronze statue of the bowl’s version of Fenway Park’s Green Monster. I guess
of Abraham Lincoln that stood outside the gate to the bowl. you could call it the chicken wire monster, because that’s
If a kid grabbed a ball and made a break for it, one or more what it was made from.
In one year Marv totaled 33 homerun balls that he
ball shaggers would try to catch him and take the ball away.
Fisticuffs might occur if the ball swiper were big and tough managed to retrieve and hide in the jungle of growth where
only he could find them later after the ball shaggers and all
enough.
Even home run balls were considered the property of the other boys gave up.
That is how it was done. If you found a ball amid the
the teams. The field was located in a large depression just
below Lincoln High School and the imposing statue. But it brush and trees and clumps of rank grass on the hill, you
was a mere shelf, in effect, because outside of the outfield hid it slyly behind a log or beneath some leaves and noted
confines, the land dropped off sharply into the vast and that it was just three feet from that candy bar wrapper with
a rock holding it down. Then you could come back later and
brushy Lincoln Gulch.
The tall green wooden fence surrounding the outfield safely, perhaps, pick up the ball and get away with it. After
had lost a few feet between it and the gulch. During games, all, many kids had balls with them along with their mitts so
lots of kids would hang out in those few feet and play catch they could play the interminable games of catch that boys
and visit while awaiting the shouting that announced a enjoyed in those days. So a boy with a baseball was not
homer. Over the years, a path had been worn all the way necessarily suspect.
I should mention here that the same enforcement
from the shallow right field to the left field corner, where a
screen extended maybe 20 feet or more into the summer methods of ball return were practiced by the Tacoma Tigers
when they began to play in the new Western international
sky.
Marv Howe was just a little guy 12 or 13 years old when League in 1937. In fact, many of the ball shaggers at Tiger
he established his enviable record for retrieving and keep- Park were the same ones as at Lincoln Bowl
We were delighted at Marv Howe’s success. In those
ing home run balls. He had a knack.
In those days, we kids played ball in one form or an- days, our neighborhood team, the L Street Orioles, pretty
other from morning till dark in the summertime. We learned much relied on Marv and occasional others to provide us
the rules of the game early and put them to use in our own with the balls we needed. Balls were used until the covers
neighborhood games. And one of the rudiments we learned came loose and then they were wrapped with friction tape
and used some more.
was how to play hitters, especially pull hitters.
Marv was generous with his donations of balls to our
Marv and some of the other boys wore the path
around the fence deeper by playing the hitters much as a team. He was our leadoff batter, a speedy lefty who was a
good and lonely outfielder would. If a lefty with power came valuable cog in our ragtag machine. His only drawback was
The Home Run Ball King continued
29
that when the fire engines roared out of nearby Station 8 on
an alarm response, Marv had to be restrained. Otherwise,
he would leap onto his green Elgin bicycle and pedal off in
the direction of smoke. Even in the midst of a game.
We used to train for the home run chasing event. Marv
had a large backyard with lots of weeds and bushes. Three
or four of us Orioles would line up on Marv’s front lawn,
and he would imitate a radio announcer, “There’s a long fly
ball going back for the left field fence. Going, going, and it’s
over.” With that, Marv would heave a ball into the brush
and we would scramble for it. The winner might get to keep
the ball —never one in very good shape, but okay for playing catch or batting practice. Marv sold most of the balls
back to team managers such as Ocky Haugland of Superior Dairy by going to their homes at night and getting 25
cents per ball, regardless of condition.
My only home run ball retrieval ever occurred one
summer evening when I was walking across the bridge that
ran from near the right field corner of the ball field to Lincoln
Park. As usual, I had my mitt with me, just in case. But the
mitt was of no avail, although my eyes were. A ball barely
cleared the right-centerfield fence and I was able to mark
the spot precisely from where I was atop the bridge. A
gentleman named Fox hit the ball. I don’t think he ever hit
another. Anyway, I retrieved it later.
The ball that Marv treasures most is one hit by a legendary Tacoma athlete, Jess Brooks. He was a star football
and baseball player at Lincoln High and for Cammarano
Brothers and Alt Heidelberg semipro baseball and football
teams. But for the fact that he was an Afro-American, he
undoubtedly would have been a major league shortstop.
Brooks was not only a dandy shortstop, but he was a
superb power hitter who pulled many a ball up against or
over the tall left field screen.
One evening as Brooks came to bat, Marv hustled to
one of the peepholes cut in the wooden outfield fence and
peered through as the slugger dug his cleats into the batter’s
box. When he connected, Marv followed the flight like an
outfielder backing up toward the warning track. As it happened, the ball hit a tall tree, falling straight down into a
patch of Scotch broom and resting there. Marv was the only
one who saw it. Everyone else hustled down into the gulch,
where the ball should have been.
It was the easiest finding of a ball Marv ever had. He
smugly pocketed the treasure and he still has it today some
64 years alter that mighty blow. It is almost pristine, except
for the signature of Juan Marichal applied one time years
later when one of Marv’s sons wanted to get an autograph
at the ballpark.
“I guess I was just lucky to be in the right place at the
right time,” Marv said. “Jess Brooks was one of the best players we ever saw, and I really value that ball. You can see
the purple stain where it came down on some blackberries. It was right out of the box and in great shape.”
The Tacoma City League was a venerable institution.
It numbered among its players Fred Hutchinson, Lou Tost,
and Jimmy Mosolf, along with Marv Rickert. All of these men
and many others in the league played major league baseball at one time or another. And Roy Johnson, brother of
“Indian Bob” Johnson and Marv Tommervik plus Billy Sewell
were other notables.
My favorite team was Cammarano Brothers. They
wore black uniforms and some of their players were Frank
Ruffo, a powerful third baseman; Joe Spadafore, superb
glove at first: and Joe Salatino, graceful centerfielder who
had starred as a quarterback and punter at Santa Clara
University.
I can still name the entire lineup, but you wouldn’t recognize the names. Other teams such as Superior Dairy,
Model Lumber, and General Motors, had their stars too.
Floyd “Lefty” lsekite and Bob Houston, who threw a
no-hitter, were two of many fine pitchers. And there were
managers such as John Heinrick and Willard Carpy.
Often there was no admission to the games, unless
they were exhibitions when the Piney Woods Collegians,
African Zulu Giants, House of David, Kansas City Monarchs,
or some other traveling aggregation visited. Otherwise, a
collection plate was passed. If you put a nickel in, you were
a supporter. Either way, you saw a good ball game.
I was thrilled when at age 12, I got to watch Satchel
Paige pitch three innings of an exhibition. And my high
school coach, Phil Sarboe, said that he had hit a triple off
Lefty Gomez in such an exhibition, although I don’t know for
sure that that was in Tacoma.
That was another day and age, but it burns bright in
memory. I only wish I had had a nickel to put in the collection plate. Or that I had Marv Howe’s knack of grabbing
those elusive home run balls.
30
Photo Gallery
I managed the 1938
Tacoma Elks softball
team, I love to play
tennis and I am the
oldest person in this
room today--in my
90s. Who am I?
_________________
i played for Model
Lumber, Western
State Hospital,
attended
Bellarmine and
was a darn good
basketball and
baseball umpire
and I love to play
tennis. Who am I?
_________________
WES HUDSON
A.C. FASTPITCH
TEAM-1940s
Back row l. to r.: Dick
Brown, Bob Lewis,
Dick Burrows, Mrs.
Bud Thomsen
(scorekeeper), Dick
Pease, Harold
Campbell, and Lee
Irwin. Front row l. to
r.: Bud Thomsen, Stan
Langlow, Lyle Kosbab,
Will Gee, Chet Dyer,
and George Pease.
Missing were Orvis
Harrelson, Jack
Duncan, Bill Fulwiler,
and Don Eshelman.
Centennial Softball Club
Back row l. to r.: ____________________, John Rockway, Sonny
Bailey, Chuck Gilmur, George Wise, Joey Johns, and
______________________. Front row l. to r.: Steve Orfanos, Russ
Soper, Frank Morrone, _____________________, Lornie Merkle,
and Tom Cross. Sitting in front: Skip Soper.
TACOMA TYPOS-1940
Standing l. to r.: George Coleman (mgr.), Frank Clark, Connie
Lea, Mike Curran, Dick Greco, Tony Marrone, Bob Gibson, Bob
Anderson, Mickey Stray, Walt Clifton, and Junior Lobeda. Middle
row l. to r.: Ed Miller, Dwain Erickson, Walter Harvey, Art Curran,
and Walter Rutt. Bat Boys front row l. to r.: Ted Coleman and
George Coleman. George Coleman was the manager and he
helped get the sponsor because he worked for the Tribune Typo
Union 170. Photo courtesy of Walt Clifton.
31
A Big Oldtimers Thank You to:
Cascade
Print
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472-5500
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For all your printing needs call and
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32
EXPECT ONLY THE
BEST IN PRIVATE
BANKING & RESIDENTIAL
LENDING SERVICES.
On or off the field, work or play, one should always
strive to be the exceptional.
We congratulate the past, present, and future inductees of the
Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Old-Timers Association.
From the moment you walk through the doors, you’ll notice something different about
Pierce Commercial Bank. You’ll notice a uniqueness that you won’t find at other banks. From our
Private Banking Services, attractive CD rates, our Hi-yield Checkingplus accounts, to our
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time to expect more from your bank.
THE EXCEPTIONAL CONTINUES
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