11-6-09

Saint Paul Saints History 1940-1960

1940 1946 1952 1958

1941 1947 1953 1959

Index to players, managers and ballpark bios

-----1940-----

The fifth decade of the Saint Paul Saints franchise started poorly as the club again finished in fifth place winning four less games (with six fewer games) and attendance fell by nearly 57,000 fans [compared to 1939]. Only two players hit over .300 and two pitchers had ERAs under 4.00. In addition, there were seven players who played part of the season with other American Association teams which makes analysis difficult since currently existing minor league stats are not broken down by team, just league.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park Being Readied for Opening Day

It appears that deals were made, during the year, with Indianapolis [Gibby Brack and Dee Phillips for Jesse Newman and Lloyd Johnson], Milwaukee [Woody Abernathy for Ed Morgan] and Toledo [Saints obtained Vern Mackie].

The position of catcher was shared by last year's reserve Norm Schueter (.204 in 86 games), Vern Mackie (.224 for two A.A. teams), Neil Cornelius (.214 in 38 games) and a returnee bench player - Rufus Jackson (.245 in 15 games).

After hitting .229 in 40 games at first, the starting first baseman since 1938, LeRoy Anton went down to the Southern Association where he finished his pro career. Taking over first was Jesse Newman who was obtained from Indianapolis (.302 for two A.A. teams). Ollie Bejma (.297) returned as the second baseman after spending 1939 with the White Sox and Gil English (.317) also came back to lead the team in average, home runs (19), RBI (89) and slugging percentage. Newcomer John Gerlach (.247) played more at shortstop (81 games) then Lou Rogino (.241 in 67 games) and Dee Phillips who was sent to Indianapolis.

George Stumpf (.273) was the only returning outfielder and it appears that Ed Morgan (.292 for two A.A. teams) and Ralph McLeod (.269) were the other starters after the departure of Woody Abernathy (.281 for two A.A. teams) and Gibby Brack (.276 for two A.A. teams). Bob Reis (.273) was a power-hitting bench player with 16 homers as a outfielder (46 games) and infielder. He played third base in the year's All Star game.

Another All Star, Art Herring, returned to lead the team in victories (17-10) in 32 starts/239 innings and was second in ERA (3.80). Newcomer Bill Swift (13-10) led in two other categories with a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 24 starts as he compled 186 innings. Vedie Himsl (13-15) , in his second year, had an ERA of 4.05 and a 1.40 WHIP in 26 starts and 222 innings. Harry Taylor (5-15) returned for 22 starts and 150 frames, but didn't pitch very well (5.86, 1.64).

Other heavily-used pitchers were Tom Earley (12-12) who pitched in 139 frames with 17 starts and had an ERA of 4.47/ 1.56 WHIP and Lloyd Johnson, who after coming over from Indianapolis, was a starter (8-11 for two A.A. teams).

Ten other players were given a chance on the mound with veteran Saint Vic Frasier (3-4) [some sources spell his last name "Frazier"] getting into 18 games (7 starts) for 65 innings compiling a 5.40 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. Newcomers Al Fisher (1-3) got into 44 innings, Mac Beddingfield (0-0) in 20, Howie Belknap (0-1) in 15, Nate Andrews (1-3) in 24 and Ed Weiland (0-0), who played some games for the White Sox during the year, pitched in 21. The others (Jess Dobernic, Dwain Sloat, Ray Philps and Wilcy Moore) all returned for a few games each.

1940 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Norm Schlueter *# C-96 R 24 294 60 13/6 4 204 330 303 37/0 Bellevue, IL

Jesse Newman @ 1b-139 L 24 464 140 34/3 7 302 433 489 88/9

Ollie Bejma * 2b-149 R 33 549 163 33/2 14 297 441 421 69/9 South Bend, IN

Gil English *# 3b-127 R 31 480 152 15/9 19 317 504 410 89/6 Glenola, NC

John Gerlach * SS81,3b12 R 23 316 78 3/0 1 247 266 320 31/8 Shullsburg, WI

George Stumpf * OF-148 L 30 532 145 26/5 1 273 346 425 53/9 New Orleans

Woody Abernathy @ OF-135 L 32 506 142 35/4 10 281 425 352 87/5 Athens, AL

Gibby Brack *@ OF-134 R 32 475 131 26/7 18 276 474 413 99/7 Chicago

Ed Morgan *@ OF-128 L 26 435 127 30/7 7 292 441 379 48/14 Brady Lake, OH

Ralph McLeod * OF-103 L 24 386 104 11/5 1 269 332 373 23/11 West Quincy, MA

Lou Rogino SS-67 R 22 203 49 7/1 3 241 330 433 21/5

Bob Reis * OF46,3b19,1b16 R 31 315 86 11/2 16 273 473 384 66/6 Woodside, NY

Vern Mackie @ C-52 R 39 125 28 3/0 1 224 272 304 10/0

LeRoy Anton 1b-43 R 27 153 35 7/1 8 229 444 340 21/2 Oakland, CA

Neil Clifford C-44 R 25 126 27 5/1 0 214 270 278 12/0 Oakland, CA

Rufus Jackson C-15 L 23 49 12 2/1 1 245 388 367 6/0

Dee Phillips #@ SS-16 R 21 49 9 1/1 0 184 245 2/? Corsicana, TX

Keith Bissonnette 1b-5 R 20 20 3 0/0 0 150 150 3/0

Ed Hoffman OF-6 R 20 17 8 1/0 1 471 706 4/0

Frank Madura 2b-? L 26 1 250 3/?

1940 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Art Herring *# R 34 32 32 17-10 239 275 76 3.80 1.47 100 Altus, OK

Vedie Himsl R 23 37 26 13-15 222 257 53 4.05 1.40 58

Bill Swift *# R 32 30 24 13-10 186 163 51 3.29 1.15 97 Elmira, NY

Harry Taylor R 21 39 22 5-15 150 178 68 5.86 1.64 54 East Glenn, IN

Lloyd Johnson *@ L 30 39 23 8-11 183 213 69 4.67 1.54 59 Santa Rosa, CA

Tom Earley *# R 23 32 17 12-12 139 166 51 4.47 1.56 42 Boston

Vic Frasier * R 36 18 7 3-4 65 94 30 5.40 1.91 19 Ruston, LA

Al Fisher 28 8 1-3 44

Marc Beddingfield R 25 7 0-0 20 33 4 1.85 8

Howie Belknap R 23 7 0-1 15 Manisique, MI

Ed Weiland # R 26 7 0-0 21 33 14 2.24 8 Evanston, IL

Nate Andrews *# R 27 5 1-3 24 21 14 6.38 1.46 Pembroke, NC

Jess Dobernic # R 23 5 0-1 6 10 4 10.50 2.33 Mt. Olive, IL

Dwain Sloat # L 22 5 0-0 8 11 5 7.88 2.00 4 Nokomis, IL

Ray Phelps * R 37 4 0-0 6 6 3 1.50 1 Dunlap, TN

Wilcy Moore* R 43 1 0-1 5 12 2 12.60 2.80 Bonita, TX

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1940 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Kansas City Blues 95 57 625 -- 203,354

Columbus Red Birds 90 60 600 4 121,680

Minneapolis Millers 86 59 593 5.5 155,523

Louisville Colonels 75 75 500 19 206,529

St. Paul Saints 69 79 466 24 112,278 Babe Ganzel

Indianapolis Indians 62 84 425 30 97,859

Toledo Mud Hens 59 90 396 34.5 86,067

Milwaukee Brewers 58 90 392 35 72,489

John Gerlach played for Saint Paul in 1940. He was in 12 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1938-39 as a shortstop (8 games) and third baseman (one game). In 27 at bats, he had nine hits (.333) with a .419 OBP and .333 slugging %.

Gerlach was a pro player from only 1938-1941 with one year in the highest minor league classification. He died at age 82 on August 28, 1999, in Madison, WI.

Gilbert "Gibby" Brack was with the Saints for part of the 1940 season. He played 112 games for the Dodgers in 1937 (.274) and 40 games in 1938 (.214) before going to the Phillies for 72 contests (.287). His final big league year was 1939 when he performed in 91 Phillies games (.289).

He was an outfielder in 230 games and played first in 19 more (.967 fielding). Brack hit .279 in 315 major league games and 980 at bats with a .341 OBP and .436 slugging.

Brack played professional ball from 1933-1948 including four years in "AAA". Thereafter, he worked for Lone Star Steel in Longview, TX. Unfortunately, he died at age 51 in Greenville, TX, on Jan. 20, 1960. His body was found at a roadside park and the cause of death was determined to be suicide from a gunshot wound. Burial was at Memoryland Memorial Park in Greenville, TX.

Ed W. Morgan played part of the 1940 year with the St. Paul club. His first stint in the majors was in 1936 for the Cardinals when he played 8 games with a .278 average. During the next year, he completed his big league days with 31 games for the Dodgers (.188). He was in 39 major league games and had 66 at bats with a .212 average, .325 OBP and .303 slugging. Defensively, he had a .842 fielding average with 11 games in the outfield and 7 at first base.

Morgan was a pro performer from 1934-1950 with eight years in the American Association and managed in the minors from 1946-1950. Later he was a construction worker for the Cleveland (OH) Housing Authority. He died at age 67 on June 27, 1982, in Lakewood, OH. Cremation followed and burial was at the Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Bedford Heights, OH.

Ralph McLeod was with the 1940 Saints. He was in only six big league games with the Braves in September 1938. He had 7 at bats with 2 hits including one double (.286 average, .429 slugging). Ralph only had one appearance in the outfield.

He played as a pro from 1936-1940. He died on April 27, 2007, in Weymouth, MA, at age 91, after living in Wollaston, MA.

Robert "Bobby" Reis played for St. Paul teams in 1939-40 and 1942-43. In 1930-31, he was with the Dodgers for 6 and one game going 6-for-21 as a third baseman. Back with Brooklyn in 1935, he spent the whole year in the Bigs as a utility player playing all positions [he was supposedly the first major leaguer to do so]. Bob was in 52 games with 85 at bats for a .247 average.

He finished his MLB career with more back-up duty for the Braves from 1936-1938 in 37, 45 and 34 games. During this tenure he added catcher and shortstop to his resume and hit .217, .244 and .184. In his major league 175 games and 301 at bats, he batted .233 with a .291 OBP and .279 slugging. Defensively, he was in 51 games as an outfielder and played every other position including 69 as a pitcher. As a hurler, he completed 243 innings, including 139 in 1936, allowing 262 hits and 144 walks with 52 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.27 with a .277 OAV .379 OOB and he had a 10-13 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The versatile Reis played nearly every position during his career. Coming up as a third baseman, the singles hitter failed in two trials before reappearing in 1935 as an outfielder and pitcher. Traded to the Braves after the season, he was used primarily as a relief pitcher in 1936 and went 5-1 in that role. He caught one game in 1938 and filled in around the finfield when necessary." - Warner Rockford

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Reis was a professional ballplayer from 1930-40, 1942-43, 1946 and 1948. He then worked for the Fleishman Distillery and died, after a long illness, at the age of 64, in Saint Paul on May 1, 1973. Burial was at the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson, WI.

Damon "Dee" Phillips played for Saint Paul during part of the 1940 year. He played in 28 games as a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds in 1942 hitting .202 in 84 at bats. In 1944, he was with the Boston Braves as their starting third baseman/shortstop appearing in 140 games with a .258 average. His career ended with 2 games in 1946 for the Braves (1 for 2 as a pinch hitter).

In his career 170 games and 575 at bats, the right hander batted .250 with a .296 OBP and .315 slugging %. His fielding average was .956.

In the minors, from 1938-1943 and 1947-1959, he played on 25 teams with averages over .300 in 3 seasons. He played at the AAA level for 12 years including four in the American Association. Dee played for the 1959 Fargo-Moorhead Twins (.176) as a player/manager.

Phillips served in the military in 1945 and 1946 and was a minor league manager from 1957-1961. Phillips lived for some time in Joinerville, TX, and died on November 4, 2004, at the age of 85, in Fort Worth.

Tom Earley pitched on the 1940 Saints. He was with the Braves from 1938-1942 as a starter/reliever in 2, 14, 4, 33 and 27 games for 11, 40, 16, 139 and 113 innings with ERAs of 3.27, 4.72, 3.86, 2.53 and 4.71. After serving in the U.S. Navy in 1943-44, he ended his big league years back with the Braves for 11 games and 41 innings (4.61 ERA).

Early's MLB career was 91 games, including 37 starts, for 360 innings as he allowed 349 hits and 143 walks while striking out 104. He had a strong ERA of 3.78, a .256 OAV, .330 OOB and an 18-24 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Early wanted a tryout with the Red Sox but settled for signing with the Braves. After pitching for them for parts of five seasons, he went into the military where he damaged his arm irreparably, tearing ligaments playing first base." -- Norm Macht

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He pitched pro from 1936-1942 and 1945-1946. Later he became an expediter for the Fafnir Bearing Company in New Britain, CT, for 28 years. He died from a heart attack in his Roxbury, MA, apartment, at the age of 70, on April 5, 1988. His burial was at St. Mary's Cemetery in Nantucket, MA.

Vic Frasier [sometimes spelled "Frazier"] was a pitcher on the 1938-1940 Saint Paul clubs. After three minor league years, he joined the White Sox in 1931 and played with them through part of the 1933 season in 46, 29 and 10 games for 254, 146 and 20 innings with ERAs of 4.46, 6.23 and 8.85. He spent the rest of the '33 year with the Tigers in 20 games with a 6.64 ERA. He also pitched in 8 games for Detroit in 1934 (5.96).

His MLB career ended with 3 games with the Braves in 1937 and 10 for the White Sox in 1939. He made 126 big league appearances (68 starts) for 579 innings allowing 686 hits and 291 walks while striking out 170. Vic's composite ERA was 5.77 with a .293 OAV, .373 OOB and 23-38 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Frazier's (sic) 1937 homesickness created a roster spot for Braves rookie Jim Tuner. Turner responded with 20 wins, seven more than Frazier had collected in his top season (1931 with Chicago)." - Tom Jozwik

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Frasier pitched as a pro from 1927-1929, 1931-1934 and 1936-1941. After baseball, he worked for the W.H. Brown Co. in Jacksonville, TX. He died at the age of 72 on Jan. 10, 1977, at the Neptune Hospital in Jacksonville and was buried at Mount Bethel Cemetery in Gary, TX.

Nate Andrews was a pitcher on the 1940 Saint Paul team. He was in 4 and 11 games for the Cardinals in 1937 and 1939 completing 9 and 16 innings. Nate also had short stretch with the Indians in 1940-1941 for 6 and 2 games. He finally got his real chance with the Braves in 1943-1945 for 36, 37 and 21 games (34, 34 and 19 starts) with 284, 257 and 138 innings with ERAs of 2.57, 3.22 and 4.58 and records of 14-20, 16-15 and 7-12. He was named to the 1944 National League All Star team.

His major league career ended with 7 games for the Reds and 3 for the Giants in 1946. In his big league years, he appeared in 127 games, including 97 starts, for 773 innings allowing 798 hits and 236 walks while getting 216 strikeouts. His ERA, over those games, was a good 3.46 with a .265 OAV, .321 OOB and 41-54 record.

Andrews was a professional pitcher from 1934-1947 and managed in the minors in 1947. He died at age 77 at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, on April 26, 1991. Burial was at the Rowland Cemetery in Rowland, NC.

Andrew "Jess" Dobernic pitched parts of the 1938-1940 seasons with the Saints. In 1939, he was in 4 games for the White Sox and his next big league appearances did not come until 1948-1949 for the Cubs (54 and 4 games) with 3.15 and 20.25 ERAs. His final MLB games were 14 for the Reds in '49 (9.78 ERA).

In his major league career, he was in 76 games, all in relief, for 112 innings as he allowed 107 hits and 66 walks while striking out 55. His ERA was 5.21 with a .247 OAV, .349 OOB and a 7-3 record.

He was in the service from 1943-45 and played pro ball from 1937-42 and 1946-54. Dobernic died at age 80 on July 16, 1998, in St. Louis, MO.

Ed Weiland was a pitcher on the 1940, 1943, 1946 and 1947 Saints squads. He had two five-game trials with the White Sox in 1940 and 1942. In total, he completed 24 innings allowing 33 hits and 10 walks as he struck out 7. His ERA was 8.25 with a .317 OAV, .377 OOB and no record.

He was a pro pitcher from 1937-1943 and 1946-47. Weiland died at age 56 on July 12, 1971, in Chicago.

Foster "Babe" Ganzel managed the Saints in 1938-1940. He was an outfielder for the 1927-1928 Senators in 13 and 10 games going 23-for-74 (.311) with a .378 OBP and .473 OOB.

He played pro ball from 1922-1937 (including eight years in the American Association - he led the league in RBI in 1932) and was a minor league manager from 1928-1934 and 1937-1941. In 1,796 minor league games, he batted .317 with 6,415 at bats. Ganzel died on Feb. 6, 1978, at the age of 76, at a hospital in Jacksonville, FL.

-----1941-----

After one league championship and two fifth place finishes, Babe Ganzel did not return as manager in Saint Paul. His replacement was 13-year big league veteran Red Kress who was 34 years old and had a .286 life-time batting average as a shortstop and utility infielder. In 1940, he was a major league coach with the Tigers, but did play 68 games at first base and shortstop for the Saints. In 1937, he spent the season in the American Association with Minneapolis.

Kress

Red's rookie managerial season ended poorly as St. Paul settled in seventh place losing 8 more games then in '40 having played 5 more games. Attendance was the league's worst as they lost about 37,000 fans from the previous season. The club hit at the same rate, but pitching performances were worse.

After Bill Swift (7-8) was dwelt to Brooklyn after 16 starts (3.19 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 124 innings), Vedie Himsl (12-15) took over as the pitching corps leader. He led the team in victories, innings pitched (229) and WHIP of 1.34 (excluding Swift). Art Herring (11-17) pitched 190 innings and had a team-high 26 starts, but his ERA (4.59) and WHIP (1.48) suffered. Future National League star, Ken Raffensberger (10-9), came aboard for 32 games and 20 starts (156 innings) and pitched acceptably with a 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Two other newcomers, Clay Smith (8-10, 148 inn., 5.41 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) and Dick Lanahan (5-14, 134 inn., 5.37 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) were the other mainstays in the rotation, but they did not pitch well.

Ten-year MLB veteran, Oral Hildebrand (5-3), joined the team and got into 16 contests (12 starts) and 78 innings for a decent 4.27 ERA but a high 1.62 WHIP. Dwain Sloat (1-6, 30g, 105 inn., 7.03, 2.09) and Mearl Strachan (2-4, 15g, 35 inn., 7.46, 2.26) returned to the Saints but pitched poorly. Lloyd Johnson (5-6 for two A.A. teams) started with the club, but went back to Indianapolis during the season. The final mound corps members were newcomers Bill Clemensen (0-2, 5.06 ERA), Dick Coffman (0-2, 5.48) and Steamboat Struss (0-0, 1.73 WHIP).

New starting catcher, Ed Fernandes (.268), had a decent year with 82 games behind the plate and was named to the league's All Star team. He was backed up by veteran bench player Norm Schlueter (.242) in 46 games and Herm Bauer (.269) in 24. A fourth catcher, Bus Payton, also made appearances with the Saints.

After Jesse Newman (.282 for two A.A. teams) was moved to Toledo, manager Kress took over at first base hitting .293 with 10 homers and 57 RBI. Ollie Bejma (.300) continued to be the starter at second base finishing as the runner-up in team hitting. Third baseman and All Star, Gil English (.316), continued to be the team's hitting star leading the club in hitting, slugging % and RBI (93). Leo Wells (.277) came back to the team as the regular shortstop. The infield reserves were Sig Gryska (.218 for two A.A. teams) who arrived during the season from Toledo and Frank Knox (.182) who played in 10 games.

For the second straight season, George Stumpf (.254) was the only returning regular outfielder. However, his performance was overshadowed by the play of Fern (given name "Jerome" and AKA "Danny") Bell (.284) who led the team in homers with 18 and was second in team RBI at 80. Frank Kalin (.295) was the other starter in 86 games. Frank Silvanic (.225 for two A.A. teams) was with the team until he was sent to Kansas City.

Would things get worse in 1942?

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Picture from May 1 Showing Ceremonial First Pitch (Red Kress at left and Ed "King of the Bleachers" Boldt as catcher)

1941 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Ed Fernandes # C-102 S 23 257 69 16/4 4 268 385 615 48//2 Oakland, CA

Red Kress * 1b68,SS30 R 34 382 112 11/2 10 293 411 382 57/6 Columbia, CA

Ollie Bejma * 2b-123 R 34 417 125 8/1 3 300 345 405 53/5 South Bend, IN

Gil English *# 3b107,OF46 R 32 551 174 32/5 13 316 463 443 93/9 Glenola, NC

Leo Wells *# SS122,3b30 R 24 602 167 16/7 5 277 352 364 26/22 Kansas City, KS

Fern Bell * OF-151 R 28 567 161 31/1 18 284 437 388 80/10 Ada, OK

George Stumpf * OF-144 L 31 472 120 18/6 1 254 324 379 51/6 New Orleans

Frank Kalin * OF-94 R 24 329 97 17/2 5 295 404 343 36/33 Steubenville,OH

Jesse Newman @ 1b-111 L 25 354 100 13/7 3 282 384 438 30/4

Frank Silvanic @ OF-98 R 24 289 65 11/1 10 225 374 339 44/4 Pittston, PA

Sig Gryska *@ 2b61,3b52,1b23 R 26 450 98 19/1 14 218 358 318 49/9 Chicago

Norm Schlueter *# C-47 R 25 157 38 5/2 1 242 299 312 10/2 Bellevue, IL

Herm Bauer C-27 R 23 78 21 1/0 1 269 321 295 9/0 E. St. Louis, Ill

Frank Knox 2b-10 R 22 22 4 0/0 0 182 182 318 0/0

Bus Payton C-11 R 27 27 5 3/0 0 185 296 222 1/0

1941 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Art Herring *# R 35 31 26 11-17 190 200 82 4.59 1.48 76 Altus, OK

Vedie Himsl R 24 33 24 12-15 229 260 47 4.28 1.34 66

Ken Raffensberger *# L 24 32 20 10-9 156 183 49 4.85 1.49 89 York, PA

Clay Smith * R 27 30 20 8-10 148 180 59 5.41 1.61 75 Cambridge, KS

Dick Lanahan * L 28 28 18 5-14 134 156 66 5.37 1.66 49 Wash., DC

Bill Swift *# R 33 16 6 7-8 124 104 34 3.19 1.11 72 Elmira, NY

Oral Hildebrand * R 34 16 12 5-3 78 98 28 4.27 1.62 38 Indianapolis

Dwain Sloat # L 23 30 5 1-6 105 126 93 7.03 2.09 50 Nokomis, IL

Mearl Strachan R 23 15 5 2-4 35 52 27 7.46 2.26 12 Northwood, NH

Lloyd Johnson *@ L 21 22 5-6 106 108 28 3.99 1.28 38 Santa Rosa, CA

Bill Clemensen *# R 22 11 3 0-2 32 52 15 5.06 2.09 7 New Brunswick, NJ

Dick Coffman *# R 35 11 0-2 23 32 4 5.48 1.57 2 Veto, AL

Steamboat Struss * R 32 7 0-0 11 11 8 1.73 4 Riverdale, IL

Red Kress * R 34 2 0-1 7 7 5 2.57 1.71 3 Columbia, CA

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1941 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Columbus Red Birds 95 58 621 -- 159,534

Louisville Colonels 87 66 569 8 274,805

Kansas City Blues 85 69 552 10.5 137,820

Minneapolis Millers 83 70 542 12 118,707

Toledo Mud Hens 82 72 532 13.5 114,823

Indianapolis Indians 65 88 425 30 88,840

St. Paul Saints 61 92 399 34 75,178 Red Kress

Milwaukee Brewers 55 98 359 40 87,353

Ed Fernandes was a catcher on the 1941 Saint Paul club. He had a short stint with Pittsburgh in 1940 for 28 games and 33 at bats (.121). He returned the majors in 1946 for 14 games with the White Sox when he went 8-for-32. In his 42-game big league career, he hit .185 with a .338 OBP and .231 slugging. His fielding average was .952 in 39 games as a catcher.

He was a professional baseball player from 1936-1952 and 1954 and managed in 1952 and 1954. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and, after baseball, worked as a shipping clerk for Matson Ship Line. Fernandes died suddenly from complications of diabetes at age 50 on Nov. 27, 1968, in Kaiser Hospital in Hayward, CA. Burial was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.

Fernando "Fern" or "Danny" Bell played on the Saints in 1941. He was a back-up outfielder for Pittsburgh in 1939 batting .286 in 83 games. The next year he only got into 6 games for the Bucs which ended his big league career. In 89 games and 265 at bats, he hit .283 with a .383 OBP and .385 slugging mark. He fielding % was .975 with 67 games in the outfield.

Bell played pro from 1931-1943 with three years in the American Association. He died at age 87 on Aug. 29, 2000, in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Frank Kalin [born "Kalinkiewicz"] was on the Saint Paul team of 1941. He only had two very short trials in the majors with the first coming in September 1940 for Pittsburgh when he was 0-for-3, in 3 games, and the second in 1943 for the White Sox in 4 contests as a pinch hitter (0-for-4). Frank played the outfield in two games.

Kalin was a pro player from 1938-1954 (incl. 7 years in the A.A.) with 1944-45 being spent in the U.S. Army. He died of natural causes at the age of 58 on Jan. 12, 1975, in Steubenville, OH, and was buried at St. Paul Catholic Church Cemetery in Weirton, WV.

Ken Raffensberger pitched on the 1941 edition of the Saints. He had a long 15-year career in the majors. In 1939, he was in one game for the Cardinals and then had 43 appearances for the Cubs in 1940 (3.38 ERA). His 1941 season was also with the Cubs for 10 games (4.50) before he came to St. Paul. In 1943, he was in only one game for the Phillies.

He had an All Star year in 1944 for Philadelphia with 37 games (31 starts) and 259 innings for a 13-20 record and 3.06 ERA. Ken was only in five games the Phils in 1945, but then settled in as a full-time big league pitcher. For the Phillies in 1946-1947, he was called into 39 and 10 games completing 196 and 41 innings for ERAs of 3.63 and 5.49. He led the league in saves in 1946. The remainder of the '46 year, he was with the Reds for 19 games and 107 innings with a 4.13 ERA.

The left-hander continued to play for the Reds from 1948-1954 in 40, 41, 38, 42, 38, 26 and 6 games finishing 180, 284, 239, 249, 247, 174 and 10 innings compiling ERAs of 3.84, 3.39, 4.26, 3.44, 2.81, 3.93 and 7.84 and 11-12, 18-17, 14-19, 16-17, 17-13, 7-14 and 0-2 records. He led the league in shutouts in 1949 and 1952.

In major league years encompassing 396 games (282 starts) and 2,151 innings, he allowed 2,257 hits and 449 walks while striking out 806. He ERA was 3.60 with a .267 OAV, .306 OOB and a 119-154 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After a shoulder injury slowed his fastball, Raffensberger became a top control pitcher; over one four-year stretch he threw just two wild pitches. Representing the last-place Phillies in the 1944 All Star game, he was credited with the victory, but finished the season with a league high 20 losses...[He] led with 38 starts in '49. But in 1951, no NL pitcher lost more then Raffensberger's 17. He threw four career one-hitters, two against the Cardinals in 1948." - Norm Macht

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Raffensberger was a pro pitcher from 1937-1957 and he managed in the minors in 1956-57. He died at the age of 85 on Nov. 10, 2002, in York, PA.

Oral Hildebrand was a hurler on the 1941 Saint Paul club. He had a good 10-year MLB career. With the Indians in 1931-1936, he appeared in 5, 27, 36, 33, 34 and 36 games for 27, 129, 220, 198, 171 and 175 innings with ERAs of 4.39, 3.69, 3.76, 4.50, 3.94 and 4.90 and records of 2-1, 8-6, 16-11, 11-9, 9-8 and 10-11. He was named to the 1933 AL All Star team and led the league in shut outs that year.

From 1937-1938, he was a starter on the Browns for 30 and 23 games (201 and 163 innings) with ERAs of 5.14 and 5.69 and 8-17 and 8-10 records. His big league years ended in 1939-1940 with the Yankees in 21 and 13 contests and 127 and 19 innings as he compiled ERAs of 3.06 and 1.86 and records of 8-10 and 10-4.

Over his ten major league seasons, he appeared in 258 games (182 starts) with 1,431 innings as he allowed 1,490 hits and 623 walks while striking out 527. His composite ERA was 4.35 with a .267 OAV, .343 OOB and a 83-78 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The rangy righthander was a star basketball player at Butler University before turning to baseball. His best season, (16-11, 3.76) in 1933 with the Indians earned him a spot on the AL's first All-Star Game roster." - Morris Eckhouse

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Hildebrand played pro from 1930-1942. Thereafter, he became a tool and die maker for the Link-Belt Division of FMC Corporation and retired in 1972. On Sept. 7, 1977, he died at the age of 70, at his home in Southport, IN, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens in Greenwood, IN.

Bill Clemensen was a pitcher on the 1941 Saints team. He had limited major league chances over three seasons with the Pirates during the 1939, 1941 and 1946 seasons. He got into 12, 2 and one game(s) during those years for 27, 13 and 2 innings with ERAs of 7.33, 2.77 and 0.00. In total, he appeared in 15 games (2 starts) for 42 innings allowing 39 hits and 27 walks while striking out 19. He composite ERA was 5.57 with a .255 OAV, .377 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Clemensen was in the pros from 1937-1941 and 1946-1947. He served in the military from 1942-45 and was a superintendent for the California Youth Authority for 27 years. His death, at the age of 74, was on Feb. 18, 1994, caused by a heart attack. Burial was at Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento, CA.

Samuel "Dick" Coffman pitched with the Saints for part of the 1941 season. His major league career lasted 15 years with five teams. In 1927, he made 5 appearances for the Senators and finished 16 innings for a 3.38 ERA. From 1928-1932 he was with the Browns for 29, 27, 38, 32 and 9 games for 86, 53, 196, 169 and 61 innings with ERAs of 6.09, 5.98, 5.14, 3.88 and 3.10.

During the remainder of the '32 season, he was with the Senators for 22 contests and 76 innings (4.83). In 1933-1935, Dick was back with the Browns in 21, 40 and 41 games with 81, 173 and 144 innings compiling ERAs of 5.89, 4.53 and 6.14. Then he became a full-time relief pitcher for the Giants from 1936-1939 as he was called into 42, 42, 51 and 28 games with 3.90, 3.04, 3.48 and 3.08 ERAs. He led the league in appearances and saves in 1938.

For the Braves in 1940, he was in 31 games and 48 innings with a 5.40 ERA. His last MLB shot was in 1945 for the Phillies as he was in 14 games and 26 innings (5.13). Dick compiled 472 big league games (132 starts) and 1,460 innings allowing 1,782 hits and 463 walks for a 4.65 ERA, .302 OAV, .357 OOB and a 72-95 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"As a struggling starting pitcher for the lowly Browns, Coffman gained sudden recognition in August 1931 by pitching two 1-0 shutouts. He spent much of his later career in the bullpen and was among the first to log over 300 games as a reliever. With the Giants, he led the NL in relief wins in both 1936 and 1937...Dick was a more successful big leaguer than brother George "Slick" Coffman." - Bob Davids

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Coffman was a pro hurler from 1933-1946. He died at age 65 on March 24, 1972, at the Athens Nursing Home in Althens, AL and was buried at the Athens City Cemetery.

Clarence "Steamboat" Struss pitched for Saint Paul in 1941. On Sept. 30, 1934, he made his only major league appearance, a start for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lasted 7 innings allowing 7 hits and 6 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 6.43 with a .250 OAV, .382 OOB and a 0-1 record.

Struss pitched as a professional from 1931-39 and 1941. He died at age 76 on Sept. 12, 1985, in Grand Rapids, MI.

Ralph "Red" Kress managed and played for the Saints in 1941. "Red" played 7 games for the Browns in September 1927 hitting .304 with 23 at bats. That was followed by four years as their starting shortstop and, by 1931, a utility player. He hit .273, .305, .313 and .311 in 150, 147, 154 and 150 games. In 1932, after 14 games (.173) they traded him to the White Sox [April 27] where he played 135 games and hit .285. For the Sox in 1933, he was their first baseman, playing in 129 games and batting .248.

After 8 games for the Sox (.286), in 1934, Kress went to the Senators [May12] for 56 more games with an average of .228. With the Senators in 1935 and 1936, he appeared in 84 and 109 games with averages of .298 and .284. Also in 1935, he pitched in 3 games for 6 innings allowing 8 hits and 5 walks with 5 strikeouts and a 12.27 ERA. Back with the Browns for 150 games in 1938 [obtained Dec. 2, 1937], he batted .302 and led the league in shortstop's fielding percentage. Kress went to the Tigers after 13 Brownie games (.279) on May 13, 1939, and hit only .242 with 51 games and broke his leg.

His position player days ended in 1940, with the Tigers (.222 in 33 games). Red's last MLB performance was as a pitcher for the New York Giants when he relieved in a game for 4 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 walk with 1 strikeout. His ERA was 12.27.

As a major league position player, he played in 1,391 games with 5,087 at bats. His career batting average was .286 with a .347 OBP and .420 slugging %.

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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":

"In his prime, Ralph "Red" Kress was a wide-ranging fielder who hit unusually well for a shortstop. Kress began his professional career in 1927 with Tulsa, where he was dubbed 'the boy wonder of the Western League.' By season's end he had replaced Jim Levey as the Browns' shortstop. In 1928 the 21-year-old Kress hit .273 and led the league in both assets and errors.

"In 1929 Kress came into his own, hitting .305 with 107 RBIs and leading all shortstops in fielding percentage. In 1930 he batted .313 with 16 homers and 112 RBIs and again led the league in errors. Moved to third base in 1931, he hit .311 with 114 RBIs and slammed another 16 home runs. The following season Kress was traded to the White Sox [on Apr. 27] and played a variety of positions . In 1934 he was swapped to the Senators [on May 12], but he never matched his early offensive performance and was farmed out to the minor leagues after the 1936 season. Kress spent 1937 in Minneapolis, where he led the American Association with 157 RBIs.

"The Red Sox drafted Kress but traded him back to St. Louis before the 1938 season. He hit .302 that year but in 1939 was dealt to Detroit [May 13 in a 10-player deal]. After being released by the Tigers in 1940, Kress returned to the minors and began a new career as a pitcher. On September 22, 1945, he pitched 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball for Baltimore in the International League playoffs, but lost 1-0, in the ninth innings."

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As a minor leaguer in 1927, 1937, 1941-1946 and 1950-1951, he played on 9 teams In 1937, for the Minneapolis Millers, he hit .330 and led A.A. shortstops in total chances. He played for the Superior Blues in 1950 as a player(pitcher)/manager in 1950 (1-2, 2.00 ERA). Kress was also a minor league manager for 5 years with Sacramento, El Centro, Juarez and Daytona Beach. He was a major league coach for the Tigers (1940), Giants (1946-1949), Indians (1953-1960). Angels (1961) and the Mets (1962). He died on November 29, 1962, at the age of 55, due to a heart attack at his home in Canoga Park, CA, and was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.

-----1942-----

After the United States had finally entered the war in December 1941, the priority for young, healthy men was, of course, the defense of the country. Since playing professional baseball was a secondary occupation, the talent pool was reduced slowly, but surely over the next four years as more men entered the military service. The American Association, like all minor leagues, faced travel restrictions, some limits on night baseball and a shortage of materials causing the reduction of the quality of baseballs. [Home runs totals for all teams went down through the war years.]

From the 1941 squad, it appears the military took Dwain Sloat, Herm Bauer, Mearl Strachan and Bill Clemensen. Former Saints Leo Wells, Frank Kalin and Jesse Newman followed soon after.

Prior to the season, Red Kress was not invited back to manage the club and he was replaced by Virgil "Truck" Hannah who had been playing pro ball since 1909 and was 53 years old. He had been a catcher on the Yankees from 1918-1920 and had played, since that time, in the Pacific Coast League. Hannah had also managed Portland in 1925 and Los Angeles from 1937-1939. In addition, he was at the helm of the Memphis team in 1940-1941.

The Saints fell to last place with four less wins and again were last in league attendance. Their downward spiral from first to last took four years.

[Library of Congress]

Hannah

The Saints made wholesale changes to their offense which helped lead to the lowest team batting average since 1918, but the poor quality of baseballs contributed. Gil English (.253 for two A.A. teams) was the only regular position player to return and he was stationed in the outfield before being sent to Indianapolis. He was probably in a trade for outfielder Jake Powell (.324 for two A.A. teams) who apparently performed well for the Saints. The other outfield starter was Guy Curtright (.291) who led the team in home runs with 13 and had the best slugging %. Al Hunt (.247 for two A.A teams) also came over from Indianapolis and was a part-time regular. Future long-time major leaguer, Dave Philley (.237) was in 56 games for the Saints and may have left the team before the end of the season to enter the military.

Other players to see action in the outfield were long-time Saint George Stumpf who left after hitting .177 in 38 games, Keith Bissonnette (.237), who was in 42 contests, and Art Graham (.164) who went down to Memphis after 40 games.

The starter for most of the year at first base was former big league slugger Phil Weintraub (.268 for two A.A. teams) who left for Toledo during the season. Then taking over at first base was Bill Schalow who only hit .177 in 68 games and Saint Paul native-son Howie Schultz who got into 12 games batting .288.

Included on the year's All Star team was new second baseman Frank Drews (.256) who hit 11 homers. The best hitting newcomer was Jimmy Grant, at third, who led the club in hitting at .312 and in RBI (70). Newbie Dick Culler (.260) completed the infield regulars at shortstop. Sig Gryska (.189) returned as a seldom-used backup.

Stan Andrews (.240) was the catcher in 119 games and the back-up was again Norm Schlueter (.194 for two A.A. teams) before he was included in a deal to Indianapolis. From the Indians came John Pasek who had played on the Saints for four years from 1936-1939. It was that catcher's last pro year.

The pitching stats look good compared to the past couple of years, but with the league's offense reduced, they are probably misleading. The mound corps got a big boast by the return of Bill Swift (12-15) who led the club in ERA (3.15) and WHIP (1.15) in 28 starts and 220 innings. Vedie Himsl (16-13) was right behind him leading the team in wins and was second in WHIP (1.27) with a team-high 253 innings and 28 starts. Art Herring (13-11) also returned for 25 starts and 207 innings with a good 3.30 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Newcomer George Coffman (3-12) completed a good front-four with 145 innings, 3.48 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP and he played in the All Star game.

Dick Lanahan's (4-14) stats improved some (4.72 ERA, 1.64 WHIP) and Clay Smith's (5-11) were about the same as they contributed 139 and 145 innings respectively. A young Morrie Martin (1-4) was the top relief pitcher appearing in 25 games and 71 innings for a 4.69 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. Newcomer Joe Bowman (3-12) had to have had better days as he compiled a poor 6.28 ERA and 1.71 WHIP with the Saints. Howie Belknap (0-5) returned but was shelled for a 7.00 ERA and 2.18 WHIP in 45 frames.

The 1942 roster included the following players who entered the service before the 1943 baseball season: Vedie Himsl, Dick Lanahan, Dave Philley, George Coffman and Morrie Martin.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Packing Dirt at Lexington Park

1942 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Stan Andrews *# C-124 R 25 375 90 21/3 2 240 325 320 41/0 Lynn, MA

Phil Weintraub *#@ 1b-134 L 35 429 115 34/1 13 268 443 487 67/2 Chicago

Frank Drews # 2b-148 R 26 519 133 21/6 11 256 383 405 58/2 Buffalo, NY

Jim Grant # 3b-141 L 24 512 160 36/11 6 312 461 408 70/1 Racine, WI

Dick Culler # SS-143 R 27 570 148 15/4 4 260 321 342 43/8 High Point, NC

Jake Powell *#@ OF-133 R 34 488 158 38/0 11 324 469 381 74/6 Silver Spring, MD

Gil English *# OF-134 R 33 475 120 27/6 4 253 360 354 57/0 Glenola, NC

Guy Curtright # OF-103 R 30 347 101 14/4 13 291 467 415 45/4 Holliday, MO

Al Hunt @ OF-105 L 29 372 92 21/6 5 247 376 328 27/8

Norm Schlueter *# @ C-90 R 26 278 54 13/2 0 194 255 273 28/0 Bellevue, IL

John Pasek * @ C-66 R 37 184 35 4/0 0 190 212 315 11/1 Niagara Falls, NY

Dave Philley *# OF-56 S 22 173 41 12/2 0 237 329 324 13/6 Paris, TX

George Stumpf * OF-38 L 32 124 22 4/2 0 177 242 323 6/1 New Orleans

Keith Bissonnette OF-42 R 22 135 32 4/0 0 237 267 296 19/0

Art Graham OF-40 L 33 128 21 4/0 1 164 219 359 5/1 Sommerville, MA

Bill Schalow 1b-68 R 20 192 34 3/1 1 177 219 281 15/1

Howie Schultz # 1b-12 R 20 52 15 4/2 1 288 500 288 8/0 Saint Paul

Sig Gryska * 2b-12 R 27 37 7 0/0 0 189 189 351 4/0 Chicago

Bob Reis * R 33 0 109 5 Woodside, NY

Packy Rogers * @ R 29 3 232 36/? Swoyerville, PA

Harold Younghans ?-1 R 20 0 0 0

1942 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Vedie Himsl R 27 37 28 16-13 253 283 39 3.56 1.27 74

Art Herring *# R 36 29 25 13-11 207 187 89 3.30 1.33 93 Altus, OK

Bill Swift *# R 34 30 28 12-15 220 197 56 3.15 1.15 103 Elmira, NY

George Coffman * R 32 23 19 3-12 145 142 61 3.48 1.40 43 Veto, AL

Clay Smith * R 28 31 17 5-11 139 182 53 5.44 1.69 72 Cambridge, KS

Dick Lanahan * L 31 25 17 4-14 124 142 61 4.72 1.64 31 Wash., DC

Morrie Martin # L 20 25 1-4 71 80 37 4.69 1.65 19 Dixon, MO

Joe Bowman *# R 32 28 13 3-12 96 120 44 6.28 1.71 42 Kansas City, KS

Howie Belknap R 23 13 4 0-5 45 56 42 7.00 2.18 11

Jake Powell *#@ R 34 1 0-0 5 3 1 0.80 1 Silver Spring, MD

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1942 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Kansas City Blues 84 69 549 -- 113,372

Milwaukee Brewers 81 69 540 1.5 217,966

Columbus Red Birds 82 72 532 2.5 162,629

Toledo Mud Hens 78 73 517 5 110,164

Louisville Colonels 78 76 506 6.5 159,448

Indianapolis Indians 76 78 494 8.5 186,447

Minneapolis Millers 78 78 494 8.5 112,304

St. Paul Saints 57 97 370 27.5 73,990 Truck Hannah

Phil Weintraub was with the Saint Paul Saints in 1942. In 1933-1934, he played on the Giants part time as an outfielder-first baseman in 8 and 31 games with .200 and .351 averages. In 1935, he was with the club the complete season as a back up first baseman appearing in 64 games with 112 at bats (.241). After 49 games with the Reds in 1937 (.271), he returned to the Giants for 6 games (3-for-9).

During the 1938 year, he was a more-often-than-not starter at first base for the Phillies hitting .311 in 100 games and 351 at bats. He was unable to return to the majors until 1944-45 when he was in 104 and 82 contests with averages of .316 and .272 again for the Giants. In total, he played in 444 major league games with 1,382 at bats for a .295 average, .398 OBP and .440 slugging. He was stationed at first base during 293 games and in the outfield for 81 more (.990 fielding %).

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

A reserve outfielder and platooned first baseman, Weintraub was a heavy hitter in the minors. In 1934, he was helped to the first .400 season in Southern Association history by Nashville manager Chuck Dressen's ability to tip him off to pitches. As a Giant on April 30, 1944, he drove in 11 runs, one short of the ML record. He had the last hit in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl." - Norm Macht

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Weintraub was a professional ballplayer from 1932-1945 including four years in the American Association and also managed in 1946. In his minor league career, he played in 1,403 games and had 4,816 at bats for a .337 average [he hit 33 homers for Minneapolis in 1939 and 27 in 1940.] In 1983, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and lived until Jan. 21, 1987, when he died at age 79 from a heart attack at the Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, CA. Burial was at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, CA.

Dick Culler was a player on the 1942 Saints. His first taste of the big leagues was in September 1936 wen he played second base and shortstop in 9 games for the A's hitting .237. He wasn't back in the majors until 1943 when he appeared in 53 games for the White Sox batting .216. From 1944-47, he was with the Braves for 8, 136, 134 and 77 games batting .071, .262, .255 and .248. He was their starting shortstop in 1945-46.

His last MLB appearances came in 1948 for the Cubs (48 g - .169) and 1949 for the Giants (0-for-1). He was in 472 major league games with 1,527 at bats with a composite .244 average, .320 OBP and .281 slugging. As a fielder, he had a .954 fielding % with 398 games at short, 32 at third and 28 at second.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

An all-conference basketball player at High Point (NC) College, Culler became a good fielder but was a light hitter. His only service as a MLB regular came in 1945-46, when he also did his best hitting (.262, .255) - Norm Macht

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Culler was in the pros in 1936 and from 1938-1950 and he managed in 1939. Thereafter, he operated Autographed Ball, Inc. and Coin Banks, Inc. in High Point, NC. Dick also was director of the nonprofit Downtown Development Corp. After being in declining heath for 15 months, he died at the age of 49 on June 16, 1964, at Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. His burial was at Floral Garden Park Cemetery in High Point.

Gil English was a regular infielder on the 1939-1942 Saint Paul teams. He split the 1931-1932 seasons between the minors and the Giants getting into 3 and 59 big league games with .000 and .225 averages. He did not get back to the majors until 1936-1937 with one and 18 games for the Tigers (.000 and .262). The rest of his '37 season was spent with the Braves for 79 games (.290).

Gil stayed with the Braves as a utility player in 1938 for 53 games with a .248 average and had his last major league games for Brooklyn in 1944 (27 g, .152). His major league experiences came in 240 games and 791 at bats where he compiled a .245 average, .298 OBP and .321 slugging. As a fielder, he was positioned at third in 174 games, at short for 38, second for 16 and in the outfield in 3 contests. His fielding percentage was .950.

English performed as a professional baseball player from 1930-1946 with ten years in the A.A [led league in hitting in 1939]. He had eight minor league seasons when he batted better then .300 and performed in a total of 1,921 games and had 7,095 at bats with a career .306 mark. Gil became a scout for the Braves, Yankees and Giants and died at the age of 87 on August 31, 1996, at the Gray Brier Nursing Center in Trinity, NC. Burial was at the Mount Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery in Archdale, NC.

Guy Curtright was on the Saints roster for the complete 1942 season. From 1943-1946, he was an outfielder on the Chicago White Sox for 138, 72, 98 and 23 games with averages of .291, .253, .281 and .200. In his career, he was in 331 games and had 1,065 at bats with an average of .273 with a .363 OBP and .374 slugging. His fielding % was .973 with 278 games in the outfield.

As a pro, he played from 1934-1947 with seven years of averages over .300. During his minor league days, he earned a Master's Degree and, after baseball, became a high school athletic director in Denver from which he retired in 1983. He died at age 84 on August 23, 1997, at Sun City Center, FL, and cremation followed.

Jimmy Grant was on the Saints for most of the 1942 season. He went up to the White Sox in September 1942 for 12 games with a .167 average. He was back with the Sox in 1943 as he played third in 51 games and 58 in total with a .259 average. Sold to the Indians on Aug. 11, he batted .136 for the Tribe in 15 games.

In 1944 the left handed batter led the league in pinch at bats going 5 for 32 and had an overall .273 for the Indians. He also saw action at second and third bases in 24 games. In his 3-year career, he played in 146 games and had 354 at bats with an average of .246, 5 home runs, a .322 OBP and .367 slugging %. His fielding average was .907 in 70 games at third and 20 at second.

As a minor leaguer from 1937, 1939-42 and 1945-49, he played with 16 teams and hit over .300 for 6 seasons. He played for the 1937 Wausau Lumberjacks and the 1939-41 Grand Forks Chiefs hitting .275 in 1940 and ..331 in 1941.

Grant became a self-employed contractor in Racine before becoming a foreman for the Bukacek Construction Company also in Racine. He retired in 1969 because of ill health and was being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, when he died at St. Mary's Hospital there on July 8, 1970, at the age of 51 . He was buried at the West Lawn Memorial Park in Racine.

Norm Schlueter caught for the 1939-1942 Saint Paul teams. He played 35 and 34 games for the White Sox in 1938-1939 hitting .229 and .232. His final big league year was 1944 with the Indians for 49 contests (.123). In his 118-game and 296 at bats career, his average was .186 with a .230 OBP and .236 slugging. During his 109 games behind the plate, he fielded .974.

Schlueter was a pro player from 1935-1948 including eight years in the A.A. He died on Oct. 6, 2004, in Belleville, IL, at the age of 88.

Dave Philley performed with the 1942 St. Paul Saints. He had a productive 18-year major league career which started with seven games for the White Sox in 1941. After he served three years in the military, he was with the Sox from 1946-1951 in 17, 143, 137, 146, 156 and 7 games with averages of .353, .258, .287, .286, .242 and .240.

During the 1951 year, he was traded to the A's where he completed the season with 125 games (.263). Dave then continued as a full-timer with them in 1952-1953 for 151 and 157 games with .263 and .303 averages. In 1954-55, he played for the Indians in 133 and 43 contests batting .226 and .298. The rest of his 1955 season and the first part of the '54 year, he played for Baltimore in 83 and 32 games (.299 and .205).

The reminder of his 1956 season was spent on the White Sox roster again for 86 games (.265) and he stayed with them for 22 games in 1957 (.324). Again traded during the season, he also appeared in 65 games with the Tigers in '57. In 1958-1959, he had the stability of staying with the same club - the Phillies - for the complete years batting .309 and .291 in 91 and 99 games.

He split the 1960 year between the Phillies (14 g, .333), the Giants (39 g, .164) and the Orioles (14 g, .265). In 1961, he stuck with Baltimore the complete year getting into 99 games with a .250 average. He final big league year was 1962 with the Red Sox with whom he made 38 appearances batting .143.

During his 1,904 major league games he had 6,296 at bats with an average of .270, .335 OBP and .377 slugging %. He was an outfielder in 1,454 games, at first for 125 and at third for 21 all with a composite .981 fielding %.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Endowed with excellent speed and a fine arm, Philley led AL outfielders in assists three different years. But he is best remembered for his pinch hitting in the late 1950s. In 1958 the switch-hitter had a league-high 18 hits off the Phillies' bench, including eight consecutive pinch hits to end the season. On Opening day of 1959, he poked a pinch double establishing a record of nine straight successful pinch-hitting appearances. In 1961 Philley collected an AL record of 24 pinch hits with Baltimore. Overall, he hit .299 (93-for-311) off the bench." - Rich Marazzi

[As a pinch hitter in 1957, he was 12-for-29 (.413) and in 1958: 18-for-44 (.409)]

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Philley was a pro ballplayer from 1940-1963 and managed from 1963-1966. He became a scout for the Red Sox and was a cattle rancher in Texas. Dave still lives in Paris, TX, and was 88 years old in May 2008.

George Stumpf was a steady player with Saint Paul from 1938-1942. He played with the Red Sox from 1931-1933 in 7, 79 and 22 games batting .250, .201 and .341. George ended his major league years in 1936 with the White Sox in 10 games batting .273.

He was in 118 MLB games and had 260 at bats for a .235 average, .302 OBP and .296 slugging. As an outfielder in 77 contests, he fielded .969.

Stumpf played professionally from 1931-1948 which included 13 seasons in the American Association and he managed in 1948. During his minor league career, he played in 2,216 games with 8,254 at bats compiling a .289 average. He died at age 82 on March 6, 1993, in Metairie, LA.

Sig Gryska was with the Saints for part of the 1941-1942 seasons. His only big league appearances were in 1938-1939 when was in 7 and 18 games for the Browns as a shortstop. With 70 at bats, he hit .329 with a .405 OBP and .414 slugging. His fielding mark was .887 in 21 games.

Gryska was a pro player from 1935-1942 and served in the military during WWII. He died at age 79, on August 27, 1994, at Hines Memorial Hospital in Chicago and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL.

Vedie Himsl pitched for Saint Paul from 1939-1942 and in 1946. He never appeared in a major league game, but played professionally from 1938-1942, 1946, 1950-51 and managed in the minors in 1950-51, 1957, 1961 and 1964. He also was a major league scout and major league coach for the Cubs in 1960-1964. During the Cubs "collage of coaches" period in 1961, he was "head coach" (manager) over three different time frames. The team's records, for those periods, were 5-6, 5-12 and 0-3.

Later, Himsl became the Cubs' director of scouting from which he retired in 1985. He died on March 15, 2004, in Chicago two weeks short of his 87^th birthday.

William V. "Bill" Swift pitched for the Saint Paul clubs of 1940-1942. He was an 11-year veteran of the major leagues. From 1932-1939, he was a full-timer with Pittsburgh beginning as a starter and then becoming a reliever in 39, 37, 37, 39, 45, 36, 36 and 36 games with 214, 218, 213, 204, 262, 164, 150 and 130 innings for ERAs of 3.61, 3.13, 3.98, 2.70, 4.01, 3.95, 3.24 and 3.89 and 14-10, 14-10, 11-13, 15-8, 16-16, 9-10, 7-5 and 5-7 records.

In 1940, Bill was in 4 games for the Braves (2.89) and, in '41, nine for the Dodgers (3.27). Finally, in '43, he appeared in 18 for the White Sox (4.21). His record was 95-82 in 336 games (163 starts) and 1,638 innings as he allowed 1,682 hits and 351 walks while striking out 636. Swift's career ERA was 3.58 with a .263 OAV, .305 OOB and he had 20 saves.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A sidearming fastball pitcher, Swift was successful his first five seasons with the Pirates, winning 70 games in the years 1932-36. Used mostly in relief his final six years, he won only 25 more. As a late-season pickup in 1941, he chipped in three victories and a save to help Brooklyn beat St. Louis for the NL pennant." - Jack Kavanagh

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Swift was a pro pitcher from 1928-1943 including five years in the A.A. Thereafter, he owned and operated Swift Shoe Repair Company. He died at age 61, on Feb. 23, 1969, at Polk General Hospital in Bartow, FL, and was buried at Oakhill Park in Lakeland, FL.

George "Slick" Coffman was a pitcher on the 1942 and 1945-1948 Saints clubs. He pitched in 28, 39 and 23 games for the Tigers in 1937-1939 completing 101, 96 and 42 innings with ERAs of 4.37, 6.02 and 6.38. His last big league year was 1940 when he was with the Browns for 31 games and 75 innings with a 6.27 ERA.

During his 121-game major league career, he finished 314 innings allowing 400 hits and 132 walks while striking out 89. His ERA was 5.60 with a .309 OAV and .375 OOB.

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From the book "The Ballplayer":

"Although Coffman had more self-confidence than stuff, in the cocky Alabaman's MLB debut, he beat Lefty Grove 4-2..." - Norm Macht

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Coffman was a pro hurler from 1934-1942 and 1946-1949 including eight years in the A.A. His brother, Dick, was also a Saints pitcher. He died at age 92, on May 8, 2003, in Birmingham, AL.

Dick Lanahan pitched for Saint Paul in 1941-1942 and 1945-1946. In 1935 and 1937, he was in 3 and 6 games for the Senators with 5.66 and 12.71 ERAs. He returned in 1940-1941 for 40 and 7 contests with Pittsburgh as he completed 108 and 12 innings for 4.25 and 5.25 ERAs.

In his MLB career, he appeared in 56 games with 13 starts completing 152 innings. He allowed 177 hits and 75 walks while striking out 62 for a 5.15 ERA, .288 OAV, .371 OOB and 6-13 record.

Lanahan performed professionally from 1935-1942, 1946 and 1948. He died at age 61 on March 12, 1975, in Rochester, MN.

Morris "Morrie" Martin ("Lefty") pitched for the Saints in 1942 and 1948-50.

Morrie was taken away from spring training in 1949 for 3 weeks because of an illness and eventual death in his family. However, he did first pitch in the majors that season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 games including 4 starts. He gave up 39 hits, including 5 home runs, and 15 walks for a 7.04 ERA. During the 1950 spring training, he sprained his ankle and played the year in AAA. Martin came back in 1951 with the Philadelphia A's [obtained by a draft] and pitched through the 1953 season with them. During those years, he made 35 (3 starts), 5 (all starts) and 58 (11 starts) appearances with the limited games, in 1952, due to a broken finger. His ERAs were 3.78, 6.39 and 4.43. He had his career year in '51 going 11-4 and beating every AL club at least once before he collided with Indians' catcher Mike Hegan which ended his season.

In 1954, after 12 games with the A's (5.47), they traded him to the White Sox where he played 35 games for 70 innings giving up 52 hits and 24 walks for a 2.06 ERA. Morrie stayed all of the 1955 season with the Sox pitching in 37 games and 52 innings for a 3.63 ERA. Then, after 10 games in 1956, they sent him to the Orioles with whom he appeared in 9 games for a 10.80 ERA.

He went back to the minors for most of 1957, but did make 4 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2.53 ERA. Morrie started the 1958 year with the Cards (17 games - 4.74 ERA) and then was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he pitched in 14 games and 19 innings for a 2.41 ERA. He ended his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs in 1959, with 3 games and a 19.29 ERA.

In a well-traveled 10-year journey, Morrie pitched 250 MLB games for 605 innings allowing 607 hits and 249 walks while striking out 245 for a 4.29 ERA and .262 OAV. His record was 38-34.

In the minor leagues from 1941-1942, 1946-1950, 1957 and 1959-1960, he pitched for 12 clubs. He had 5 years with ERAs under 3.00 and had 8 years at the AAA level. He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (16-7, 2.05 ERA).

Morrie served from 1943-1945 in World War II as a combat engineer and was wounded in action. Martin later entered the meat backing business in Washington, MO, where he still lives. He turned 86 in September 2008.

James "Truck" Hannah managed St. Paul in 1942. He had three seasons as a backup catcher for the Yankees in 1918-1920 as he appeared in 90, 75 and 79 games with averages of .220, .238 and .247.

In his major league career, he was in 244 games with 736 at bats for a .235 batting average, .331 OBP and .300 slugging. His fielding average in 239 games was .973.

Hannah was a pro player from 1909-1938 and 1940 and he managed in 1925 and 1937-1942. He also coached from 1929-32 in the PCL. As a player, he was in 2,267 minor league games with 6,652 at bats for a .277 average which included 21 years in the PCL. He died at age 92, on April 27, 1982, in Valley Conv Hospital, Huntington Beach, CA. Death was caused by a chronic urinary infection and heart disease and cremation followed.

-----1943----

St. Paul and the Chicago White Sox discontinued their working relationship after seven years and the Saints were one of three teams in the league who played the season without a "parent" major league club. [Milwaukee and Minneapolis being the others.] Truck Hannah was replaced as manager by 31-year-old Francis "Salty" Parker who had played in the pros since 1927 with only 11 big league games in 1936 with the Tigers as a shortstop. He managed in the West Texas-New Mexico League in 1939, the East Texas League in 1940 and the Texas League in 1941-1942.

Parker's team was an improvement from the '42 club as they won ten more games and finished tied for seventh place only � game from sixth place. Attendance was up about 8,000 and they were no longer the worst draw in the American Association. Hitting was still quite poor with no regular hitting above .287 and the team leader in home runs hit only 11.

Parker

Stan Andrews (.242) was back as the most-used catcher (83 games), but he was pushed by Rae Blaemire who hit .301 with 64 starts. Vince Castino (.250) was in 16 games as a receiver.

Native-son Howie Schultz (.285) became the regular first baseman and was second in team RBI (53) and average. In August, he was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers for $40,000 and four players. Frank Drews (.258) was back at second and manager Parker (.247) manned third most of the time. Shortstop was a liability with Don Blanchard (.200) used most often. Joe Orengo (.286) played part of the season with the Giants and Dodgers and got into 35 games as a short. Joe Vitter (.274) was a reserve infielder for 75 games and Ed Patrow (.186) was in 28 contests.

Jake Powell (.283) was the most productive outfielder leading the team in RBI (57) and was third in average. He also had the highest slugging percentage on the club and the most home runs. Another career minor leaguer, Chuck Baron (.287), was a newcomer, but led the team in hitting. Art Rebel (.262 for two A.A. teams) came over from Louisville and Glenn Chapman (.265) joined the team for 86 games. Red Marion (.336) was the best new offensive guy joining the team for 42 games after playing part of the season with the Senators.

After losing pitchers Vedie Himsl, Dick Lanahan, George Coffman and Morrie Martin to the war effort, St. Paul was lucky to find decent replacements. Floyd Speer (15-12) came on board to lead the team in victories, game starts (30), innings pitched (234) and tied for second in best WHIP (1.36). Another newcomer, James "Otho" Nitcholas (13-14), had the club's best ERA of 2.99 and WHIP of 1.17 in 226 innings and 27 starts. Art Herring (13-10) returned for 25 starts and 195 frames finishing second in team ERA (3.37) and tied for second in WHIP (1.36). Ed Weiland (11-16) also came back and had an acceptable year with a 3.80 ERA. Completing the main-line starters was returnee Joe Bowman (9-12) who, in 159 innings, had a 4.02 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Clay Smith (5-12) pitched better finishing with a 3.96 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, but still was unlucky at being credited with wins as he had 17 starts and 116 innings. Howie Belknap (3-5) also returned for 22 games and 73 innings, but did not pitch particularly well (5.79/1.74). Ernie Rudolph (3-3 for two A.A. teams) came over from Minneapolis, but his performance was not memorable.

Rube Melton (2-6) was a boast for the team after arriving from Brooklyn as, in 8 starts and 60 innings, he had a 3.30 ERA. Other pitchers who had mound duties were: LeRoy Hewette (0-1) who had a 3.75 ERA in 10 appearances; Joe Strincevich (1-3) compiled a poor ERA of 7.71 with 13 games/28 innings; Bob Mistele ((0-1, 5.54, 7 g, 26 inn.); Bob Reis, who returned as a pitcher this time (0-0, 13 inn., 2.92 WHIP); Julie Morgan and Norm Dillard.

After the season, Salty Parker, Rae Blaemire, Don Yohe, Ed Weiland, Bob Reis and LeRoy Hewette joined the war effort.

1943 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Stan Andrews *# C-91 R 26 277 67 9/12 6 242 354 336 47/1 Lynn, MA

Howie Schultz # 1b-99 R 21 372 106 24/3 5 285 406 306 53/3 Saint Paul

Frank Drews # 2b-142 R 27 445 115 22/8 7 258 391 443 43/2 Buffalo, NY

Salty Parker * 3b-132 R 31 434 107 25/3 2 247 332 355 51/3 E. St. Louis, Ill

Don Blanchard SS91,2b11 R 32 350 70 8/0 0 200 223 257 27/7 Lone Rock, IA

Al Hunt OF-142 L 30 495 132 29/8 7 267 400 384 49/9

Jake Powell *# OF-97 R 35 364 103 19/2 11 283 437 354 57/9 Silver Spring, MD

Chuck Baron OF-118 L 30 334 96 9 2 287 371 380 28/8

Art Rebel #@ OF-102 L 29 317 83 19/3 1 262 350 331 37/5 Cincinnati

Glenn Chapman * OF-86 R 37 260 69 14/5 1 265 369 331 19/4 Cambridge City, IN

Rae Blaemire * C-72 R 32 219 66 7/3 2 301 388 361 30/0 Gary, IN

Jack Bolling *# 1b-34 L 26 118 33 7/1 0 280 356 322 14/3 Mobile, AL

Red Marion * OF-42 R 29 125 42 4/1 4 336 480 440 18/2 Richburg, SC

Joe Orengo *# SS-37 R 29 119 34 4/1 5 286 462 429 25/1 San Francisco

Ed Patrow SS-28 R 27 70 13 2/0 0 186 214 486 1/0

Joe Vitter 3b-75 S 32 237 65 5/5 2 274 363 388 15/10 New Orleans

Vince Castino # C-25 R 26 48 12 0/0 0 250 250 417 4/1 Willisville, IL

Lou Cardinal C-1 R 25 2 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/0

Don Yohe SS-1 R 24 2 1 0/0 0 500 500 0/0

Bob Reis * P/PH-18 R 34 18 4 0/0 0 133 133 3 Woodside, NY

1943 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Floyd Speer # R 30 44 30 15-12 234 254 65 4.19 1.36 94 Booneville, AR

Otho Nitcholas # R 35 36 27 13-14 226 218 47 2.99 1.17 59 McKinney, TX

Art Herring *# R 37 25 25 13-10 195 189 77 3.37 1.36 83 Altus, OK

Ed Weiland # R 29 34 23 11-16 187 195 100 3.80 1.58 51 Evanston, IL

Joe Bowman *# @ R 33 28 21 9-12 159 180 54 4.02 1.47 64 Kansas City, KS

Clay Smith * R 29 21 17 5-12 116 129 36 3.96 1.42 46 Cambridge, KS

Ernie Rudolph # @ R 34 27 7 3-3 93 123 46 6.58 1.82 39 Black River Falls, WI

Howie Belknap R 24 22 3-5 73 68 59 5.79 1.74 30

Rube Melton # R 26 9 8 2-6 60 54 34 3.30 1.47 40 Cramerton, NC

LeRoy Hewette L 21 10 0-1 24 25 23 3.75 2.00 12

Joe Strincevich R 21 13 1-3 28 29 22 7.71 1.82 7

Bob Mistele R 23 7 0-1 26 26 21 5.54 1.81 8

Bob Reis * R 34 6 0-0 13 17 21 2.92 4 Woodside, NY

Julie Morgan R 25 2 0-0 4 13 3 4.00 2

Norm Dillard R 19 2 0-0 2 5 1 9.00 3.00 0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1943 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Milwaukee Brewers 90 61 596 -- 286,979

Indianapolis Indians 85 67 559 5.5 215,278

Columbus Red Birds 84 67 556 6 111,398

Toledo Mud Hens 76 76 500 14.5 102,621

Louisville Colonels 70 81 464 20 142,580

Minneapolis Millers 67 84 444 23 90,904

St. Paul Saints 67 85 441 23.5 82,116 Salty Parker

Kansas City Blues 67 85 441 23.5 79,010

Francis "Salty" Parker managed the St. Paul club of 1943 and also played in the infield. His only big league experience was in 11 games for the Tigers in 1936 when he batted .280 and had a .333 OBP and .360 slugging in 25 at bats. He was stationed at short for 7 games and at first for 2 - all with a .906 fielding %.

Parker was a professional baseball player from 1927-1943, 1945-1950, 1952, 1954 and 1957. He played in 2,105 minor league games with 7,306 at bats for a .278 average and managed in the minors from 1939-1942 and 1946-1957. Salty was a major league coach for the Giants (1958-61), Indians (1962), Angels (1964-66), Giants (1967), Astros (1968-72) and Angels again (1973-74). He also managed the Mets in 1967 for 11 games (4-7) and the Astros for one game (a win) in 1972. Salty died at age 79 on July 27, 1992, in Houston due to pancreatic cancer. Burial was at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston.

Stan Andrews [born "Andruskewicz"] played for the Saints in 1942-1943. He was a seldom-used backup catcher for the Braves in 1939-1940 playing in only 13 and 19 games with .231 and .182 averages. Stan was back in the majors in 1944 for 4 games (1-for-8) and ended his big league stay in 1945 with 21 games for the Dodgers (.163) and 13 for the Phillies (.333).

He had played in 70 MLB games with 149 at bats compiling an average of .215 with a .259 OBP and .262 slugging. As a catcher in 61 contests, he fielded .938.

Andrews was a pro ball player from 1937-1951 and managed in 1948. He died at age 78 on June 10, 1995, in Bradenton, FL.

Howard "Howie" Schultz played for his hometown Saints in 1942-43 and 1945. The 6'6" Schultz played 45 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 as a first baseman batting .269. The right hander stayed with the Bums from 1944-1946 for 138, 39 and 90 games hitting .255, .239 and .253. He was reported to be a fan favorite in Brooklyn. However, after 2 games with them in 1947, he was sold to the Phillies for $50,000 on May 10 where he started at first base for 114 games with a .223 average. He was a Phillie for only 6 games in 1948 (.077) before he went to the Reds for 36 games and a .167 average. That was his last MLB year.

As a minor leaguer, he played from 1941-1943 and 1945 for 6 teams hitting over .300 for 2 of them. He played at class AAA for 3 years. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (.277, 7 HR, 60 RBI) and 1942 (.289, 12, 66).

Howie also played professional basketball for six seasons with the Anderson Packers, Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. After he retired from professional baseball, he played for some Minnesota "town" baseball teams during the 1950's. During that time, he also became a high school and university instructor (Hamline U. in St. Paul) while coaching basketball and baseball at those schools. He lived in Stillwater, MN, and after fighting cancer for four months, died in Chaska on Oct. 30, 2009. Burial was at Sunset Cemetery in Minneapolis. .

A more complete biography is available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Alvin "Jake" Powell was with the Saints in 1942-43. He made appearances in the majors in 11 seasons starting in 1930 when he was 0-for-4 in 3 games with the Senators. He was back with them in 1934-1936 for 9, 139 and 53 games batting .286, .312 and .295. During the '36 year, he was moved to the Yankees where he played 87 games with a .302 average.

Jake then stayed with the Yankees from 1937-1940 with declining playing time and batting averages in 97, 45, 31 and 12 games (.263, .256, .244 and .185). He returned to the bigs in 1943-1945 with Washington for 37, 96 and 31 contests compiling .265, .240 and .194 averages. During the '45 year, he went to the Phillies where he closed out his major league career in 48 games batting .231.

His MLB records in 688 games and 2,540 at bats were an average of .271 with a .320 OBP and .363 slugging. As an outfielder in 645 games, he fielded .975.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Powell hit his peak with a 10-for-22 showing for the Yankees in the 1936 World Series. Reckless and prejudiced, he broke Tiger first baseman Hank Greenberg's wrist in 1935, continually fought with other players and was suspended in 1938 because of anti-black slurs during a radio interview..." - Fred Stein

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He played baseball from 1931-1945 and in 1948. On Nov. 4, 1948, he was taken to a Washington, DC, police station and interrogated regarding a bad check charge. During his time in the station, he obtained a gun and shot himself in the head killing himself at the age of 40. Burial was at St. John's Cemetery in Forest Glen, MD.

Art Rebel played on the St. Paul club in 1943. He had only two short stints in the majors. In 1938, he was in 7 games for the Phillies (2-for-9) and in 1945 he was with the Cardinals for 26 games and went 25-for-72. However, he never got back.

His MLB career encompassed 33 games and 81 at bats with a .333 average, .386 OBP and .383 slugging %. He fielded .978 in 21 outfield games.

Rebel was a pro ballplayer from 1936-1952 and managed in 1950-1951 and 1953-1955. As a player in the minors, he appeared in 1,920 games and had 6,909 at bats with a .301 average. He died on July 10, 2004, at the age of 89, in Tampa, FL.

Rea Blaemire played on the 1943 Saints. In September 1941, he played in his only two major league games for the New York Giants. As a right handed catcher he appeared in 2 games and had 5 at bats. He had 2 hits, both singles and did not walk or strike out. Defensively, he was perfect with a 1.000 fielding average.

He played on ten minor league teams from 1935-1943 and 1946, including two years in the American Association. Rae hit over .300 in 4 seasons. He played for and managed the 1946 Grand Forks Chiefs (.353, 2 HR, 21 RBI). It was his last professional season.

Blaemire became an executive in the Eastern Illinois Baseball League and was president from 1962-1965. He also was a partner in the Blaemire-Saddoris Implement Company and later worked for the Hannagan Implement Company and Reigel Motors until his retirement in 1975. His death came on December 23, 1975, at the Burnham City Hospital in Champaign, IN, at the age of 64.

Jack Bolling was with the 1943 Saint Paul club for part of the season. In 1939, he was in 69 games hitting .289 for the Phillies and in 56 contests for the 1944 Dodgers (.351). That was the extent of his major league appearances.

He batted a commutative .313 with a .361 OBP and .427 slugging in 125 MLB games with 342 at bats. He fielded .985 in 75 games as a first baseman.

As a pro, he played from 1936-1944 and in 1946. He died at age 81 on April 13, 1998, at a hospital in Panama City, FL.

Joe Orengo was an infielder on the 1943 Saint Paul Saints. He started his big league career with the Cardinals in 1939 for 7 games and then became a regular infielder for them in 129 games during the 1940 season (.287). In 1941, he moved to the Giants for 77 games batting .214. He was back with N.Y. in 1943 for 83 games (.218) before going to Brooklyn (7g, .200).

His major league years ended with 46 games for the Tigers in 1944 (.201) and 17 for the White Sox in 1945 (.067). As a MLB player, he appeared in 366 games with 1,120 at bats with a .237 average, .332 OBP and .346 slugging. He fielded .957 with 117 games at third, 87 at first, 86 at second and he also played at short.

Orengo was a pro baseball player from 1934-1946 including six years at AAA. He managed in 1946 and 1948-1950 and was the Giants' director of their Speaker's Bureau for 30 years. Joe died at age 73, on July 24, 1988, at his home in San Francisco from a heart attack. Burial was at Italian Cemetery in Daly City, CA.

Vince Castino was a performer on the 1943 Saints. He was used as a back up catcher from 1943 through the 1945 seasons for the White Sox [he was not in a military draft because of his 4F status]. He played in 33, 29 and 26 games during those seasons and batted .228, .231 and .222. In '43, he was one of only four AL players to hit grand slams. His MLB career encompassed 88 games and 215 at bats. He hit .228 with 2 home runs and 23 RBI. His fielding average was .976.

On October 14, 1945, Castino participated in Huron, South Dakota's "Baseball Pheastival" which combined baseball with pheasant hunting. After reaching their limit of birds, current and former players played a ballgame won by a team managed by Paul Waner over won led by Ted McGrew. Other stars who played included: Phil Cavaretta, Jeff Heath, Bob Swift, Dizzy Trout, Paul Derringer, Mort Cooper, Andy Pafko, Bill Nicholson, Allie Reynolds and others. Gate receipts went to a fund for youth baseball in the city. The day before the game, Kiki Cuyler, McGrew and Tom Greenwade conducted an all-day baseball clinic for young players.

In minor league baseball for the years 1936-43 and 1946-51, Vince played with 23 teams hitting over .300 for 2 of them. Castino's AAA other stops were at Toledo (AA) in 1946-47 and Sacramento (PCL) in 1948 and 1950. He played with the Eau Claire Bears in 1937 (.318, 1, 20) and 1938 (.255, 1, 44). He also played with them and Grand Forks in 1939 (combined .307, 4, 46) and Fargo-Moorhead in 1951 (.263, 4, 34).

He worked for 13 years as the circulation manager for the Sacramento Bee. Castino died in Sacramento, CA, at the Sutter Memorial Hospital on March 6, 1967, of lung cancer. He is buried at the St. Mary's Cemetery in Sacramento.

Floyd Speer pitched for the 1943 Saints. He had two cups of coffee in the majors with one game and one inning for the White Sox in 1943 (gave up one hit, 2 walks and one run) and 2 innings for them in 1944 (2 runs allowed). In his 3 games and 3 innings, he allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 for a 9.00 ERA, .417 OAV and .500 OOB.

Speer was a professional pitcher from 1938-1953. He became a clerk in a pharmacy and lived in North Little Rock, AR, for 35 years. He died at age 56 on March 22, 1969, in Little Rock. Burial was at Carolan Cemetery in Booneville, AR.

Joe Bowman pitched for 1942-1943 Saint Paul teams and had an 11-year major league career. It began in 1932 when he was in 7 games for the Phillies (8.18 ERA) and continued for 30 games with the Giants in 1934 (3.61 ERA in 107 innings). Joe then was back with the Phillies in 1935-1936 as a starter-reliever in 33 and 40 games (148 and 203 inn.)for ERAs of 4.25 and 5.04. He was a starting pitcher in the first-ever night major league game.

From 1937-1941, Bowman labored for the Pirates in 128, 60, 185, 188 and 69 innings during 30, 17, 37, 32, and 18 games with ERAs of 4.57, 4.65, 4.48, 4.46 and 2.99. He got back to the majors in 1944 for 26 games and 168 innings with a 4.81 ERA. He ended his MLB tenure in 1945 with 3 games for the Red Sox and 25 for the Reds (186 inn., 3.59 ERA).

Joe pitched in 298 big league games and finished 1,465 innings allowing 1,656 hits and 484 walks while striking out 502. His ERA was 4.40 with a .282 OAV, .341 OOB and a 77-96 record. A good hitting pitcher, he batted a career .221 with a .275 OBP in 639 at bats.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The 6'1" 190-lb Bowman was one of two 20-game losers with the last-place 1936 Phillies and 33-38 in five years with stronger Pirate teams. After a sore arm and a sojourn in the minors, he bounced back with a 12-8 season with the wartime Red Sox. Often used as pinch hitter, he twice batted over .300." - Morris Eckhouse

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Bowman was a pro hurler from 1929-1950 and managed from 1947-1951. Later he became a scout and a baseball executive from which he retired in 1988. He died at age 74 on Nov. 22, 1990, at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, MO. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa, KS.

Clay Smith pitched on the 1941-1943 Saint Paul clubs. He had two short tours of duty in major league uniforms. In 1938, for the Cleveland Indians, he was in 4 games and 11 innings with a 6.55 ERA and in 1940, for the Detroit Tigers, he pitched 14 games, including 1 start, for 28 innings and a 5.08 ERA. His career ERA was 5.49 and his OAV was .309. He entered Game 4 of the 1940 World Series, with the Tigers losing in the third inning, and allowed one earned run in 4 innings, but the Tigers did not come back. They eventually lost the Series in 7 games to Cincinnati.

As a minor leaguer from 1935-1943, he pitched for 9 clubs having better then a 3.00 ERA for 2 of them. He was in AAA for 4 years. He pitched for the 1935 (5-3) and 1936 (15-5, 3.13) Fargo-Moorhead Twins and led the Northern League in ERA and win/loss percentage in 1936.

Prior to his pro baseball years, Clay attended Southwestern College and was on the wrestling and track teams. He is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame and, in 2000, was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Smith returned to Cambridge, KS, where he became a rancher, mail carrier and a father as he and his wife raised two sons and a daughter. He died there on March 5, 2002, at the age of 85.

Rueben "Rube" Melton pitched part of the 1943 season for the Saints. He was with the Phillies in 1941-1942 for 25 and 42 games completing 84 and 209 innings with ERAs of 4.73 and 3.70. His final big league games were for the Dodgers in 1943-1944 and 1946-1947 in 30, 37, 24 and 4 contests with 119, 187, 100 and 5 innings compiling 3.92, 3.48, 1.99 and 13.50 ERAs.

During his 6-year MLB career, he was 30-50 in 162 games and 704 innings. He allowed 624 hits and 395 walks with 363 strikeouts. Rube compiled an ERA of 3.62, .241 OAV.and 344 OOB..

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"An independent 6'5" country boy, Melton jumped the Cardinals organization and played two years of semi-pro ball before being reinstated in 1940. When St. Louis forgot to protect him in the draft, he was plucked by the Phillies.. He led NL pitchers in bases on balls in 1942, when he went 9-20. He was a cousin of Cliff Melton [8-year MLB pitcher]." - Jack Kavanagh

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Melton played pro from 1936-1937 and 1940-1951 and later he became a salesman for Chastain's, Inc. On September 11, 1971, he and his wife were killed in an automobile accident in Greer, SC. Rube was 54 years old and burial was at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, SC.

-----1944-----

As things were looking up for the allies in World War II, the Saint Paul Saints franchise also had an upswing. Most importantly, they became affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers who had teams in seven of the 13 minor leagues that were able to operate in 1944. The only other major league team who had that many players under contract was the St. Louis Cardinals. [The Braves had only one minor league team]. Both the Dodgers and Cards had two teams in the highest classification leagues. The Saints had to share the Dodgers' top prospects with Montreal of the International League.

Ray Blades was named manager and would be the last chosen under Saints owner Walter Seeger's tenure. Blades was 48 years old and had played pro baseball from 1920-1934 with appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922-28 and 1930-32 as an infielder and outfielder. He obtained much managerial experience at the helm of Columbus from 1933-35 and Rochester (IL) from 1936-38.

Blades

With limited resources, but also because of the limited resources of their opponents, Saint Paul finished in the first division for the first time since 1938. The fourth-placed club won 18 more games then in the previous season and drew about 34,000 more fans. The Saints fortunes had bottomed out in 1942 and would never reach those depths again.

No one on the pitching staff won more then 14 games, but the front liners had, for the most part, good to very good ERAs and WHIPs. Art Herring (8-5), now 38 years-old, was taken by the Dodgers after he had pitched in 15 games and 103 innings with an excellent 2.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Ernie Rudolph (14-14) returned and made an about-face completing 200 innings with a 2.88 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 27 starts. Otho Nitcholas (14-11) also came back and performed well in 218 innings and 28 starts (2.89 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Newcomer Cy Buker (11-3) finished 128 frames in 23 starts for a quite good 3.23 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Hank Camp (14-14), a new face and lifetime minor leaguer, led the team in games started (31), but his 4.69 ERA and 1.69 WHIP were high.

New guy, Willie Webb (10-7), filled in for Herring getting 17 starts and also had 16 relief appearances for 144 innings (3.56 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). Longtime Minneapolis Miller Wally Tauscher (6-7) had 13 starts in 36 games and pitched decently for a 43-year-old (139 inn, 3.88 ERA, 1.40 WHIP). Another heavily-used reliever was Frank Pugsley (2-2), a minor league lifer, who got into 30 contests and performed rather poorly (5.81 ERA, 2.03 WHIP).

Joe Strincevich (2-2) was again with the club and had 4 starts and 13 other appearances with an o.k. 4.03 ERA, but poor WHIP of 1.55. Claude Weaver (4-1) pitched acceptably in 48 innings (6 starts in 8 games) and finished with a 3.94 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Gene Werth, Mineapolis-born Dick Furey and Don Ernst also made a few appearances in '44.

Only one-half of the eight regular position players ever played a game in the big leagues. New catcher Dom Castro played full time, but hit only .206. Chuck Baron (.303) was back, this time as a first baseman, and finished third in club hitting and RBI. Frank Drews (.248) continued as the regular second baseman and was an All Star until he was traded to the Boston Braves after 95 games. Lifetime minor leaguer, Bud Kimball (.243), joined the team as the starting third baseman and was second on the team with 16 home runs. Frank Piet (.275 for two A.A. teams) apparently played more at short then any other Saints player, but was traded to Louisville at mid-season.

Catcher Mike Sandlock (.308) was received in the Drews trade from the Braves and played well in 35 games. The back-up catchers were Tom Padden who came over from Minneapolis and Charlie Bates who was obtained from Kansas City. Joe Vitter (.273) returned as the prime infield replacement and played in the All Star game.

Red Marion (.345) became a regular outfielder leading the team in average and slugging percentage. He also was second in RBI. Glenn Chapman (.326) again played well, at age 38, finishing second in average and first in RBI (93). The third outfield regular was newcomer Carden Gillenwater (.296) who led the Saints in homers with 19. Fred Schulte was a reserve until sent to Indianapolis and Ed Badke (.237) made 28 appearances for the club in a season that found him playing in three different leagues.

Having qualified for the post season for the first time since 1938, Saint Paul defeated second-place Toledo four games to three in round one. In the finals, Louisville sweep the Saints winning the first four games.

The Saints stats include appearances, during the year, by five teenagers: Ken Mauer (17), Don Froehle (18), Walt King (19), Dick Furey (19) and Don Ernst (19). There were also five players who were 37 or more years-of-age.

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On July 12, Herman Bauer, who played in 27 games as a reserve catcher for St. Paul in 1941, was killed in action in France. He was 26 years old and was buried at the Normany American Cemetery.

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On September 29, Ardys "Art" Keller, who played for Toledo in 1942-43, died while serving with the 82^nd Airborn in Vosges, France. He was 28 years old.

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Former Saints who were in the service or involved in national defense work through the 1945 season were: Leo Wells, Frank Kalin, Jesse Newman, Vedie Himsl, Dwain Sloat, Mearl Strachan, Bill Clemensen, Dave Philley, Bob Reis, Packy Rogers, Morrie Martin, Rae Blaemire, Jack Bolling, Don Yohe, Ed Weiland, Harry Taylor and Rube Melton.

1944 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Dom Castro C-128 R 30 389 80 9/3 3 206 267 265 42/1 ,CA

Chuck Baron 1b-148 L 31 541 164 29/11 5 303 425 386 73/15

Frank Drews # 2b-95 R 28 298 74 11/1 3 248 322 440 46/10 Buffalo, NY

Bud Kimball 3b-143 R 24 511 124 20/5 16 243 395 354 60/10 Armond, NB (Can)

Frank Piet @ SS-103 R 31 335 92 19/0 6 275 385 334 44/6

Glenn Chapman * OF-146 R 38 528 172 28/4 4 326 417 428 93/13 Cambridge City, IN

Carden Gillenwater *# OF-152 R 26 550 163 25/9 19 296 478 447 70/15 Riceville, TN

Red Marion * OF-114 R 30 394 136 21/3 10 345 490 459 80/8 Richburg, SC

Joe Vitter 2b53,SS45,OF20,3b15 S 33 447 122 15/6 4 273 360 385 57/19 New Orleans

Mike Sandlock *# C-35 S 29 120 37 5/0 1 308 375 433 15/0 Old Greenwich, CT

Fred Schulte *@ OF-37 R 43 99 19 5/0 0 192 242 263 5/0 Belvidere, IL

Ed Badke OF-28 R 22 97 23 0/0 0 237 237 351 7/3

Tom Padden *@ C-69 R 36 145 33 7/0 1 228 297 366 13/0 Manchester, NH

Charlie Bates *@ C-13 R 37 26 6 1/1 0 231 346 346 3/0 Philadelphia

Don Froehle ?-1 R 18 1 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/?

Walt King SS-9 R 19 9 1 0/0 0 111 111 1/0

Roy Eder ?-2 R 20 0

Ken Mauer ?-16 L 17 26 6 1/0 0 231 269 346 4/0

Jim Riskosky OF-5 R 21 18 5 0/0 0 278 278 1/0 Frederick, CO

Lou Rochelli # 2b-5 R 25 16 2 1/0 0 125 188 0/0 Staunton, IL

1944 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Otho Nitcholas # R 36 29 28 14-11 218 231 40 2.89 1.24 75 McKinney, TX

Hank Camp R 27 34 31 14-14 167 195 88 4.69 1.69 70

Ernie Rudolph # R 35 34 27 14-14 200 161 81 2.88 1.21 123 Black River Falls, WI

Cy Buker # R 25 25 23 11-3 128 125 49 3.23 1.36 62 Greenwood, WI

Willie Webb * R 31 32 17 10-7 144 158 48 3.56 1.43 50 Atlanta

Art Herring *# R 38 15 12 8-5 103 89 23 2.18 1.09 41 Altus, OK

Frank Punsley R 27 30 2-2 62 71 55 5.81 2.03 20

Wally Tauscher * R 43 36 13 6-7 139 152 43 3.88 1.40 53 LaSalle, IL

Joe Strincevich R 22 17 4 2-2 58 58 32 4.03 1.55 14

Claude Weaver R 39 8 6 4-1 48 50 15 3.94 1.35 14

Gene Werth L 25 6 0-0 8 11 5 2.00 6

Dick Furey R 19 5 0-0 8 9 4 1.63 5 Minneapolis

Don Ernst L 19 1 0-0 0 0 2 no calc 0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1944 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Milwaukee Brewers 102 51 667 -- 235,840

Toledo Mud Hens 95 58 621 7 198,870

Louisville Colonels 85 63 574 14.5 224,035

St. Paul Saints 85 66 563 16 116,315 Ray Blades

Columbus Red Birds 86 67 562 16 140,995

Indianapolis Indians 57 93 380 43.5 121,100

Minneapolis Millers 54 97 358 47 82,759

Kansas City Blues 41 110 272 60 37,199

Frank Drews played on the Saints from 1942-1944. Thereafter, he was in 46 and 49 games for the Braves in 1944-1945 batting .206 and .204 as a second baseman. In his 95 big league games, he had 288 at bats for a .205 average, .306 OBP and .264 slugging. His fielding percentage was .967 during his 94 games at second.

Drews played as a professional in 1938-1939 and 1941-1952. He was also a member of the Western New York Softball Hall of Fame. Frank worked from the Chevrolet Motor Division in their forge plant in Tonawanda, NY, from 1953-1969 and died at age 55 on April 22, 1972, in Buffalo General Hospital in Buffalo, NY. Burial was at St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Buffalo.

Carden Gillenwater was with the Saints for the 1944 season. He first appeared in a big league uniform in September 1940 for 7 games with the Cardinals (4-for-25). In 1943, with the Dodgers, he played in 8 games and was 3-for-17. Card was an outfield starter in 1945 for Brooklyn getting into 144 games with a .288 average.

In 1946, he moved to the Red Sox for 99 contests batting .228 and he finished his major league time with 77 games for the Senators (.244). For his MLB career, he preformed in 335 games and had 1,004 at bats with a .260 average, .359 OBP and .348 slugging. In 296 games in the outfield, he fielded .979.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

Gillenwater was a glittering defensive outfielder with speed and a strong arm, but disappointing bat. A regular only with the 1945 Braves, he hit a career high .288 and in 1946 tied a major league OF record with 12 putouts in a game." - Ed Walton

-----

Gillenwater played as a professional from 1937-1954 He died at age 82 on May 10, 2000, in Largo, FL.

Mike Sandlock played on the Saints in 1944 and 1946. He was with the Braves as an infielder for 2 games in 1942 and 30 more in 1944 (.100). In 1945-46, as mainly a catcher, he played for the Dodgers in 80 and 19 contests with averages of .282 and .147. His final big league chances came in 64 games for the 1953 Pirates (.231).

Mike was in a total of 195 MLB games with 446 at bats for a .240 average, .304 OBP and .305 slugging. He caught in 128 games, played shortstop in 31, third in 25 and second in 4 with a composite .989 fielding %.

Sandlock was a pro player from 1938-1954. He is currently living in Old Greenwich, CT, and was 93 in October 2008.

Fred "Fritz" Schulte [born "Schult"] played for the Saints during part of the 1944 season. He was a regular outfielder with the Browns from 1927-1932 appearing in 60, 146, 121, 113, 134 and 146 games with averages of .317, .286, .307, .278, .304 and .294. Fritz led all AL outfielders in fielding percentage in 1929.

He then move on to the Senators for the seasons of 1933-1935 getting into 144, 136 and 76 games hitting .295, .298 and .265. Fred finished his big league years in 1936-1937 for the Pirates in 74 and 29 contests with averages of .261 and .100.

In his 1,179 MLB games and 4,259 at bats, his average was a good .291 with a .362 OBP and .408 slugging. As an outfielder in 1,060 games, he fielded .976.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The mild-mannered Schulte was a reliable performer, a top center fielder and a consistent hitter. A Browns regular from 1928 through 1932, he was traded to the Senators and led AL outfielders in putouts as Washington won the 1933 pennant. In the World Series, which the Giants won in five games, Schulte led Washington hitters with a .333 average and four RBI. He later managed in the minors and scouted for four organizations from 1947 to 1964." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Schulte was a pro ballplayer from 1924-1944 with seven seasons in the American Association. He managed in 1941, 1942 and 1946. Fritz died at age 82 on May 20, 1983, at the Northwoods Healthcare Centre in Belvidere, IL, after a long illness and was cremated.

Tom Padden was with the Saints for part of the 1944 season. He was mainly a backup catcher for Pittsburgh from 1932-1937 in 47, 30, 82, 97, 88 and 35 games with averages of .263, .211, .321, .272, .249 and .286. His last year was 1943 when he was in 17 games for the Phillies (.293) and 3 for the Senators (0-for-3).

He appeared in 399 MLB games with 1,170 at bats for a .272 average, .345 OBP and .321 slugging. His fielding average was .977 in 379 games as a catcher.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A singles hitting catcher for six years with the Pirates, Padden was usually platooned with Earl Grace. His .324 was the best BA among NL catchers in 1934." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Padden performed as a pro from 1928-1945 and managed in 1948. He then coached baseball before becoming a steward at the Daniel F. O'Connell Club in Manchester, NH. Tom died after a brief illness at the age of 64 on June 11, 1973, in Manchester. Burial was at New St. Joseph's Cemetery in Bedford, NH.

Charles W. "Charlie" Bates was with the St. Paul club of 1944. His only major league experience was in September 1927, with the A's, when he appeared in 9 games and had 38 at bats for a .237 average, .293 OBP and .395 slugging. His fielding % was .857 in 9 outfield games.

Bates played pro from 1924-1944 and 1946-1950 on an amazing 40 teams during those years [8 were in AAA]. He died at age 72 on Jan. 29, 1980, at a hospital in Topeka, KS, after working for the State of Kansas. Charlie lived in Topeka and the Lake Waubaunsee area for 34 years. Burial was at Memorial Park Cemetery in Topeka.

Cyril "Cy" Buker pitched for the 1944 and 1947 Saints. He pitched his only year in the majors in 1945. For the Dodgers, he relieved in 38 games and started 4 more with a decent 3.30 ERA. In 87 innings, he gave up 90 hits and 45 walks with 48 strikeouts. His OAV was .268 with a .356 OOB.

From 1940-44, 1946-48 and 1951-52, he played for 12 minor league teams. He played for the Wausau Lumberjacks in 1940. Buker became a successful high school coach living in Greenwood, WI, and reached the age of 89 in Feb. 2008.

Art Herring was a trusted Saints pitcher from 1936-1944. He played on the Tigers from 1929-1933 appearing in 4, 23, 35, 12 and 24 games completing 32, 78, 165, 22 and 61 innings for ERAs of 4.78, 5.33, 4.31, 5.24 and 3.84. In 1934, he had his first stint with the Dodgers in 14 games (6.20 ERA in 49 innings).

Art returned to the majors in 1939 with the White Sox getting into 7 games (14 innings) with a 5.65 ERA. After his years with the Saints, he pitched for Brooklyn in 1944-46 in 12, 22 and 35 contests finishing 55, 124 and 86 innings compiling 3.42, 3.48 and 3.35 ERAs. His final big league appearances were with the Pirates for 11 games in 1947 (8.44).

He was in 199 MLB games (56 starts) and completed 698 innings allowing 754 hits and 284 walks while striking out 243. His ERA was 4.32 with a .276 OAV .349 OOB and 34-38 record.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The wiry, 5'7" Herring was at his best in relief. After his first MLB tour, he slipped back to the minors. He resurfaced with Brooklyn at age 37, during the war-caused player shortage to have his best seasons." - Ed Walton

-----

Herring pitched professionally from 1929-1947 including 13 years at the AAA level. He died at age 89 on Dec. 2, 1995, at Marion General Hospital in Marion, IN, and was buried there at Grant Memorial Park.

-----1945-----

The roster of the St. Paul club, during the last war year, turned over more then any other time in their history. Forty-four players played at least one game. At times, it must have seemed like spring training.

Ray Blades stayed on board and led the team to another fourth place finish even though they won 11 fewer games. The most important sign was an increase, at the gate, of approximately 71,400 fans.

The Saints pitchers allowed lots of base runners as only two ended the year with WHIPs under 1.40. Newcomer Tom Sunkel (13-8) had the most starts with 28 and pitched the second-most innings (170) finishing with an acceptable 4.02 ERA, but a rather high 1.54 WHIP. Dick Lanahan (11-9) returned from the war effort and had 22 starts and 152 innings for a good 3.73 ERA and too-high WHIP of 1.66. The only All Star pitcher, from the Saints, was returnee Claude Weaver (15-10), a lifetime minor leaguer, who was first in innings (186), second in WHIP (1.22), third in ERA (3.19) in 45 games (20 starts). Thirty-seven-year-old Otho Nitcholas (11-6) came back to lead the club in ERA (2.90) and WHIP (1.22) with 19 starts and 143 innings sharing part of his expertise, during the season, with the Dodgers. Before he was brought up to Brooklyn after 15 games, future big league star Ralph Branca (6-5), performed quite well with a 3.33 ERA and 1.51 WHIP as a 19-year-old.

Willie Webb (8-11 for two teams) returned but was traded to Minneapolis apparently for two position players. Ernie Rudolph (3-7) also came back and had a decent year (4.56, 1.69) with 15 games and 77 innings. Bob Tart (3-11), who had a short pro career, pitched in 25 games and 83 innings compiling a 4.55 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. Hank Camp (1-3) returned for 11 games and 56 innings (4.98, 1.73) and short-time pro Gene Kelly (2-3) got into 16 contests and pitched well with a 3.04 ERA.

The hero of the staff had to be 44-year-old Wally Tauscher (8-7) who appeared in 61 games to break the "games appeared" record of Chief LeRoy's that had stood since 1911. Tauscher completed 104 innings with a commendable 3.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Another returnee from the war effort was George Coffman who got into 11 contests, but had a bad 1.81 WHIP. The only other double-figure inning eater was John Miller (1-1) who pitched badly (7.65, 2.15) in 10 games. Returnees Gene Werth and LeRoy Hewette got into a few games and George Danniels [some sources show "Daniels"] also got into a couple of games.

The offensive was pretty much of a rag-tag crew with most of the players not ever reaching the majors. Old pros Sam Narron (.253) and Bill Lewis (.292) shared the catching duties and Lou Cardinal (.217) joined the group after being obtained from Minneapolis in the Willie Webb deal. Another veteran, John Dantonio (.407), saw some action in nine games

Paul Schoendienst (.315) finished his military duties and became the starting first baseman and tied for the team lead in average. Saints' vet Joe Vitter (.250) was a regular at second and Bud Kimball (.315) returned to third. Kimball tied for the club lead in average, but led in home runs (22), slugging (.527) and RBI (95). Eighteen-year-old Tommy Brown (.286) split the season between the Saints and the Dodgers as a shortstop [he had more appearances (85) for St. Paul]. Bill Hart was also a Saint/Dodger, but was a sensation in Saint Paul, as in only 38 games and 136 at bats, he hit 17 homers (second on team), had 46 RBI and batted .368. On September 5, he hit four consecutive home runs with nine RBI v. Minneapolis. [He tied a league record set by Dale Alexander (KC) in 1935 and Ab Wright (Mpls) in 1940.]

Infield reserves included first baseman Howie Schultz, who could only play home games and those in Minneapolis because of his draft status. He got into 19 games hitting a cool .366 before the draft board, in June, allowed him to be called back up to the Dodgers [in August they sent him to Montreal]. Long-time minor leaguer, Cecil Dunn (.158), also got into 10 games at first. After being obtained from Minneapolis in the Webb trade, Arnie Berge, played all of the infield positions. Bill "Pete" Boaz (.152) had 43 opportunities at second, old pro Gene Corbett (.312) performed well in 10 games at first and second and Ed Scheiwe (.314) [some sources spell it "Schiewe] got into 64 games and batted well.

Glenn Chapman (.308), now 39, was the best outfielder of an undistinguished lot sharing the field most of the time with minor league lifer, Ed Yaeger (.227) and the returning Red Marion (.256 for two teams) before he was sent to Louisville. Don Lund (.263), Stan Platek (.240) and Frank Powaski (.133) also played as outfielders.

In their second post season in succession, the Saints defeated Indianapolis in round one four games to two. In the finals, Louisville won by the same count.

With the War ending toward the end of the season, minor league baseball would enter it's glory years.

**********

The National Association [of minor leagues] calculated that about 4,350 minor league players entered the military during the war. In addition, 1,420 players went into voluntary retirement, during those years, with a large number of these being men who worked in defense plants and on farms.

Baseball historians have determined that 41 minor league and two major league players lost their lives.

**********

1945 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

Sam Narron * C-90 R 32 292 74 23/3 5 253 404 305 53/1 Middlesex, NC

Paul Schoendienst 1b-127 R 29 432 136 30/6 2 315 426 375 48/8

Joe Vitter 2b-127 S 34 468 117 25/5 5 250 357 393 45/9 New Orleans

Bud Kimball 3b-148 R 25 505 159 39/11 22 315 527 479 95/5

Tom Brown *# SS-85 R 18 301 86 13/3 10 286 449 395 48/5 Brooklyn

Glenn Chapman * OF-124 R 39 439 135 26/4 3 308 405 369 80/2 Cambridge City, IN

Red Marion * @ OF-116 R 31 348 89 16/1 1 256 316 491 44/4 Richburg, SC

Ed Yaeger OF-93 S 20 330 75 5/3 0 227 261 376 23/10

Bill Lewis * C-90 R 41 195 57 7/3 1 292 374 533 30/0 Ripley, TN

Arnie Berge @ Inf-89 R 26 273 71 17/1 1 260 341 344 34/3

Pete Boaz 2b-43 R 19 105 16 3/1 0 152 200 200 6/0

Lou Cardinal @ C-21 R 21 60 13 2/0 0 217 250 267 3/0

Gene Corbett * 1b,2b-10 L 32 16 5 1/0 1 312 562 313 3/0 Winona, MN

Bill Hart *# SS-38 R 32 136 50 9/0 17 368 809 500 46/2 Wiconisco, PA

Don Lund # OF-72 R 22 247 65 12/7 0 263 368 328 30/6 Detroit

Stan Plalek OF-60 L 27 192 46 8/2 0 240 302 354 23/2

Ed Scheiwe OF36,2b15 R 25 156 49 9/0 5 314 468 449 27/4

Howie Schultz *# 1b-19 R 23 82 30 4/0 1 366 451 402 13/3 Saint Paul

Jack Capelle 2b-3 5 1 0/0 0 200 200 0/0

John Dantonio *# C-9 R 27 27 11 0/0 0 407 407 3/0 New Orleans

Cecil Dunn 1b-10 R 34 19 3 0/0 0 158 158 211 2/0 Linden, AL

J.C. Ford C-2 L 31 1 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/0

Ken Mauer Inf-16 L 18 26 3 2/0 0 115 193 346 3/0

Frank Powaski OF-16 R 21 30 4 1/0 0 133 167 200 3/1

Marty Radmer C-1 S 21 2 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/0

Pat Riley OF-3 L 31 10 2 0/0 0 200 200 0/0

Carl Tucker 2b-24 R 24 38 6 1/0 0 158 184 289 1/0

Hank Welsch OF-6 L 22 5 1 1/0 0 200 400 1/0

1945 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Tom Sunkel * L 33 28 28 13-8 170 177 85 4.02 1.54 134 Paris, IL

Dick Lanahan * L 34 37 22 11-9 152 155 97 3.73 1.66 68 Wash., DC

Claude Weaver R 40 45 20 15-10 186 185 46 3.19 1.24 54

Otho Nitcholas # R 37 22 19 11-6 143 139 36 2.90 1.22 49 McKinney, TX

Willie Webb * @ R 32 31 17 8-11 148 176 43 5.72 1.48 46 Atlanta

Ralph Branca # R 19 15 14 6-5 100 87 64 3.33 1.51 94 Mt. Vernon, NY

Ernie Rudolph # R 36 15 12 3-7 77 82 48 4.56 1.69 37 Black River Falls, WI

Bob Tart L 23 25 13 3-11 83 80 73 4.55 1.84 35

Hank Camp R 28 11 9 1-3 56 70 27 4.98 1.73 23

Gene Kelly R 19 16 2-3 74 64 40 3.04 1.41 38

Wally Tauscher * R 44 61 8-7 104 105 41 3.98 1.40 35 LaSalle, IL

George Coffman * R 35 11 0-0 21 25 13 1.81 6 Veto, AL

John Miller R 24 10 1-1 20 20 23 7.65 2.15 11

Gene Werth L 22 3 0-0 3 4 3 2.33 3

George Danniels R 31 2 1 0-1 8 8 5 4.50 1.63 3

LeRoy Hewette L 23 1 0-0 1 1 0 1.00 0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1945 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Milwaukee Brewers 93 61 604 -- 249,819

Indianapolis Indians 90 63 592 2.5 229,145

Louisville Colonels 84 70 545 10 265,083

St. Paul Saints 75 76 497 16.5 187,780 Ray Blades

Minneapolis Millers 72 81 471 20.5 122,376

Toledo Mud Hens 69 84 451 23.5 146,638

Kansas City Blues 65 86 430 26.5 92,853

Columbus Red Birds 63 90 412 29.5 87,248

William H. "Bill" or "Buddy" Lewis ended his pro career with the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He played in 15 games for the Cardinals in 1933 as a catcher going 14-for-35 at the plate. In 1935-1936, he appeared in 6 and 29 games for the Braves with averages of .000 and .306.

Bill was in 50 major league games and had 101 at bats for a batting average of .327, OBP of .414 and .386 slugging %. His fielding percentage was .981 in 30 games as a receiver.

Lewis was a pro ballplayer from 1924-1927 and 1928-1945. In 1,824 minor league games, he had 5,626 at bats with a good .308 average. Five of those years were spent in the American Association. His obit states he managed in the minors, however, that can not be verified. Later he was a scout for the Cardinals and Mets and died at age 73 on Oct. 24, 1977, at his home in Memphis, TN. Burial was at Memorial Park Cemetery there.

Thomas M. "Tommy" Brown was the starting shortstop on the 1945 Saints. From 1944-1951 (excluding military service in 1945) he was a utility player with the Dodgers in 46, 57, 15, 54, 41, 48 and 11 games with averages of .164, .245, .235, .241, .303, .291 and .160. The remainder of his '51 season was spent with the Phillies for 78 games and a .219 average.

In 1952, he split the year between the Phillies (18 g, .160) and the Cubs (61 g, .320). His big league career ended with 65 contests for the Cubs in 1953 (.196). Tommy had 494 big league games with 1,280 at bats for a .241 average, .292 OBP and .355 slugging. He fielded a composite .916 with 166 games at shortstop, 93 in the outfield, 50 at third and assorted others at second and first base.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Brown was just 16 when he broke in at shortstop with the wartime Dodgers in 1944, the youngest player ever to see regular action. On Aug. 20, 1945, at age 17, he became the youngest player to homer in the majors. His weak hitting made him a utility infielder after the war. However, he hit three consecutive homers in a Sept. 18, 1950 game." - Bob Davids

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Brown played as a pro from 1944-1945 and 1946-1959. After baseball, he lived in Nashville and worked in the Ford Glass Plant for 35 years. He now lives in Brentwood, TN, and turned 81 years old on Dec. 6, 2008.

Glenn Chapman played on the 1943-1945 Saint Paul teams. He had his only MLB experience in 1934 while playing for the Dodgers in 67 games as an outfielder/second baseman. In 93 at bats, he got 26 hits (,280) with 5 doubles, 1 homer and 10 RBI. He struck out 19 times and had an OBP of .330.

He played in the minors from 1930-1941 and 1943-1946 with 21 teams and 14 combined years in all three class AAA leagues. Glenn hit over .300 with 9 of the minor league teams for whom he played. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1946 (.280, 1, 8) as their playing manager. It was his only year as a manager.

Chapman died at age 82 on November 5, 1988, at the Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond, IN, and is buried at the Lutheran Cemetery in Pershing, IN.

John "Red" Marion was a member of the 1943-1945 Saint Paul clubs. His only major league games were 4 for the Senators in 1935 and 14 for them in 1943. In those 18 games, he had 28 official at bats with a .179 average, .258 OBP and .321 slugging. He fielded .923 in 7 outfield games.

Marion performed as a pro player from 1933-1947 hitting over .300 eight times. He also had a pitching record during four of his minor league seasons. Red was a minor league manager in 1940-42, 1946-1959 and 1962-63. His brother, Marty, was a player, coach and manager in the majors. John lived to within two days of his 61^st birthday, passing away on March 12, 1975, at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA. Death was caused by lactic acidosia and shock from hemorrhaging. Burial was at Cedar Lawn Memorial Park in Fremont, CA.

Sam Narron was a catcher on the 1945-1946 Saint Paul teams. His first taste of the majors was with the Cardinals in 4 games when he went 3-for-7 in September 1935. He capped his big league days with 10 games in each of the 1942 and 1943 campaigns (.400 and .091). Sam had experience in 24 MLB games with 28 at bats for a .286 average, .310 OBP and .283 slugging. He was perfect with his fielding in 6 games as a catcher.

Narron was a professional baseball player from 1934-1943 and 1945-1949 and managed in 1948. He was a major league coach from 1952-1964 for the Pirates. During those years and thereafter, he was a farmer, hunter, fisherman and volunteer fireman. He died at age 83 on Dec. 31, 1996, in Middlesex, NC, and was buried at Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery in Middlesex.

Gene Corbett played on the 1945 Saints. He played 3 partial MLB seasons in 1936, 1937 and 1938 for the Phillies. He came up in September 1936 and played in 6 games hitting .143 with 21 at bats. He was the second former Northern Leaguer to appear in a major league game with a September 19 debut (Bill Zuber appeared in a game on September 16). In 1937, he had 12 at bats in 7 games and got 4 hits. Finally, in 1938, he was in 24 games and had 75 at bats , but had only 6 hits (.080). He played first, second and third bases those years with 37 total games and a career batting average of .120 and OBP of .181. He had 2 home runs and 10 RBI with 14 strikeouts in 108 at bats.

As a minor league player from 1933-52, he was with 21 teams. He led the International League in doubles in 1940 and batting average in 1941. Gene hit over .300 in 8 seasons and had double-digit home runs in 4. In 2,126 minor league games, he hit .285. Born in Winona, MN, he played for the Winnipeg Maroons in 1933 (.327, 18 HR), 1934 (.330, 6) and 1935 (.335, 19, 126 RBI). He led the Northern league in home runs in 1933 and in RBI in 1935.

He continued with baseball as a minor league manager in the lower minors from 1947 through 1952. He lives in Salisbury, MD and was 95 years old in October 2008.

Bill Hart was a performer on the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He played three partial years with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1943, he came up in September and was in 8 games playing third base and shortstop and was at the plate 19 times with 3 hits (.158). In 1944, he was in 29 games with 23 at shortstop for a .176 average. In his last year of 1945, he played in 58 games with 161 at bats and an average of .230. He was at third base for 39 games and at short for 8. In 95 MLB games, he batted .207 with a .272 OBP and .307 slugging percentage. His fielding % was .924.

In the minors from 1935 and 1937-1952 he played with 18 teams. He hit over .300 in 6 seasons and was a AAA player for three years. For 7 seasons, he hit 15 or more home runs. Bill played for the Duluth Dukes in 1937 (.269, 18 HR, 77 RBI).

After his baseball retirement, Hart worked for the Reifs and Nestor Company of Lykens, PA. On July 29, 1968, at the age of 55, he died at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Lykens and was buried at the Wiconisco Cemetery in Wiconisco, PA.

William F. "Willie" or "Bill" Webb pitched on the 1944-1945 Saints. He got into one big league game for the Phillies on May 15, 1943. Bill pitched one inning allowing one hit, one walk and one earned run.

Webb pitched as a pro from 1941-1948 and in 1950 including three years in the American .Association. He was 22-5 in 1947 in the Georgia-Alabama League and later was a fireman for 27 years in the Atlanta Fire Department. Bill retired in 1974 and died at age 80 on June 1, 1994, in Cobb General Hospital in Austell, GA. Burial was at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park in Marietta, GA.

Ralph Branca pitched for the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He was a steady performer on the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1944-1953 appearing in 21, 16, 24, 43, 36, 34, 43. 42, 16 and 7 games with 1, 15, 10, 36, 28, 27, 15, 27, 7 and 0 starts completing 45, 110, 67, 280, 216, 187, 142, 204, 61 and 11 innings for ERAs of 7.05, 3.04, 3.88, 2.67, 3.51, 4.39, 4.69, 3.26, 3.84 and 9.82 and records of 0-2, 5-6, 3-1, 21-12, 14-9, 13-5, 7-9, 13-12, 4-2 and 0-0. He was chosen for the All Star Games of 1947, 1948 and 1949 and appeared in the '48 contest.

The remainder of his 1953 season was spent with the Tigers where he appeared in 17 games (14 starts) and completed 102 innings for a 4-7 record and 4.05 ERA. His 1954 season was split between the Tigers (17 g, 5 s, 45 inn, 3-3, 5.76) and the Yankees (5 g, 3 s, 13 inn, 1-0, 2.84). He made his major league swan song with one game and 2 shutout innings for the Dodgers in 1956.

Ralph had pitched in 322 MLB seasons with 188 starts and 1,484 innings. He allowed 1,372 hits and 663 walks while striking out 829. Branca compiled a 3.79 ERA, .245 OAV, .328 OOB and an 88-68 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The fact that he threw the pitch Bobby Thomson hit for 'the shot heard round the world' to win the 1951 playoff has obscured much of the rest of Branca's career. The one-time NYU basketball player was the starter and loser of the first two NL playoff games in 1946 and 1951. In 1947, he won 21 games for the Dodgers at age 21. In the WS that year, he won the sixth game, saved by Al Gionfriddo's famous catch of DiMaggio's drive. Before the '51 playoffs, Branca had worn '13' and good-naturedly posed with black cats. Afterward, he changed his number, but not his luck. An off-season pelvis injury all but ended his career and he won only twelve games over the next five years..." - Tom Gallagher

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Branca played as a pro from 1943-1956. Thereafter, he was in the life insurance business and became a broadcaster for the Mets. He lives in Rye, NY, and was 82 in January 2008.

Ernie Rudolph pitched on the 1943-1945 St. Paul clubs. His last professional appearances came in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945 for 7 games. He finished 9 innings giving up 12 hits and 7 walks while striking out 3 for a 5.19 ERA and .333 OAV.

In the minors in1937, 1941 and 1943-1945, he played for 5 teams with 3 seasons at class AAA. He pitched for the 1937 Crookston Pirates (11-10, 2.24 ERA) and the 1941 Eau Claire Bears (1-2).

Ernie died on January 13, 2003, at the age of 93 in Black River Falls, WI, where he was also born.

Walt Tauscher pitched for the Saints in 1944-1945. He made 17 appearances for the 1928 Pirates completing 29 innings for a 4.91 ERA. His only other major league experience came in 1931 for the Senators as he got into 6 games and 12 innings with a 7.50.

Walt made 23 MLB relief appearances completing 41 innings and allowing 52 hits and 16 walks with 12 strikeouts. His ERA was 5.66 with a .333 OAV, .406 OOB and 1-0 record.

Tauscher pitched professionally from 1924-1948 including 13 years in the A.A. He was in 867 minor league games and finished 4,028 innings allowing 4,501 hits and 1,239 walks while striking out 1,389 for a life-time 4.32 ERA and 264-200 record. Walt managed in 1946 and 1948-1951. In 1947, he moved to Central Florida and died at age 91, on Nov. 27, 1992, in Winter Park. Burial was at Woodlawn Memorium in Orlando.

-----1946-----

Many familiar faces returned to Saint Paul as ball players and fans began rebuilding their lives after war. Ray Blades led the team to a third place finish with five more wins then in '45 and attendance exploded (as it did in all the minor leagues) upward by 102,000 (third in league). A one-game franchise attendance record was set on the season's opening day with 21,449 attendees.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Lexington Park Fans On Hill in Front of Right Field Fence During Sell-Out

The offensive was still so-so, but the quality of players certainly improved as only two starters returned from '45. First-string catcher John Dantonio (.306) had played only a hand full of games for the club the previous year, but ended the '46 season second on the team in average. He was backed up by Cliff Dapper (.210) who was back from three years in WWII, George Savino (after he was obtained from Minneapolis) and Mike Sandlock (.177) who was with the Dodgers for part of the year.

New to the Saints, John Douglas (.307), returned from three years in the military and led the team in hitting as the starter at first base. Ed Basinski (.252) was another newcomer at second base and Bud Kimball (.256) returned at third, but his production had decreased although he finished second in homers with 13. Future longtime major league manager and WWII vet, Gene Mauch (.248), became the number one shortstop. Super-sub Joe Vitter (.228) was again on hand and Lou Rochelli (.237) returned as an infield back-up after spending 1945 in the military.

Eric Tipton (.276) joined the outfield crew and led the team in homers (19), slugging % (.477) and RBI being the first Saint to reach the 100 RBI mark since Pete Fleming in 1939. Saint Paul native Larry Rosenthal (.278) was back [his last appearance was in 1936]. To complete the starters, new face John Rizzo (.298) was third in average and homers; second in RBI and slugging % after serving his country in WWII from 1943-1945. The main outfield replacement was Homer Matney (.268) another newcomer and three-year WWII veteran. Don Lund (.200) played in 14 games before he had stops in two other minor leagues. Another Saint Paul native, Ken Staples, made one appearance on defense.

Pitcher Harry Taylor (15-7) returned after five seasons including three years in the military to tie for the league-lead in wins and club-lead in innings pitched with 181 in 25 starts for a 3.33 ERA (led team). He also pitched part of the season with the Dodgers. Newcomer Walt Nothe (3-11) was tied for second in team starts (24) in 154 innings for a 4.44 ERA after four years in the armed services. Never-old Otho Nitcholas (12-10) tied as club leader with 181 innings in 24 starts and had the best WHIP (1.26) on the team. Ed Weiland (10-12) also came back to the Saints after two years in WWII and got into 36 games (21 starts) with a 4.45 ERA.

New to the Saints, Dutch Dietz (9-8) was a veteran of the baseball wars and WWII. He had 39 appearances for the club with a good ERA of 3.83 and WHIP of 1.35. Tom Sunkel (6-6) [who was blind in one eye] returned for 16 starts and 91 innings (4.05 ERA/1.47 WHIP). On September 12, he pitched a no-hitter v. Louisville in a playoff game which was the first no-no by a Saint Paul pitcher since May 1932 when Slim Harriss turned the trick. [It was the only playoff no hitter in league history.]

Minor league lifer and WWII vet, Al Sherer (6-7) pitched well in 45 games finishing 116 innings with a 3.96 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Long-time Saint Vedie Himsl (1-0) also was back from three years in the service and pitched in 27 games with limited results. Joining the reunion, was Dick Lahahan (5-1) who made his last appearances with the club before going down to the Southern Association and Dwain Sloat (2-2), now a four-year WWII survivor, who was in 11 games.

Completing the mound staff was future big leaguer Jack Banta (3-2) who pitched well in 8 games (2.89 ERA) and returnee Gene Kelly who pitched in four contests.

In the playoffs for the third year in-a-row, Saint Paul lost the first round to Louisville four games to one.

-----

Bob "Tex" Tarleton was the Saints' general manager for owner Walter Seeger. He had more then 35 years of baseball experience including as an umpire, scout and manager. Tex built some great teams for Dallas in the Texas League.

1946 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

John Dantonio * C-101 R 28 294 90 18/0 3 306 398 401 47/1 New Orleans

John Douglas * 1b-144 L 29 579 178 14/3 0 307 342 415 41/9 Thayer, WV

Ed Basinski * 2b-138 R 24 515 130 17/5 5 252 334 338 46/9 Buffalo, NY

Bud Kimball 3b-124 R 26 391 100 15/2 13 256 404 430 63/2 Armond, NB (Can)

Gene Mauch *# SS-149 R 21 536 133 19/3 6 248 328 418 55/9 Salina, KS

Eric Tipton *# OF-147 R 31 526 145 33/8 19 276 477 490 100/21 Petersburg, VA

Larry Rosenthal * OF-135 L 36 457 127 26/3 8 278 400 499 57/7 Saint Paul

John Rizzo * OF-110 R 34 369 110 16/4 12 298 461 436 88/3 Houston

Joe Vitter OF65,1b12,3b11 S 35 281 64 12/4 2 228 320 438 26/9 New Orleans

Lou Rochelli * 3b-58 R 27 156 37 6/2 5 237 397 314 27/2 Staunton, IL

George Savino @ C-85 S 36 235 52 9/2 0 221 277 345 30/0 Natley, NJ

Cliff Dapper * C-37 R 26 100 21 4/0 1 210 280 380 17/0 Los Angeles

Homer Matney OF-57 R 25 153 41 8/2 0 268 346 353 22/1 , TX

Mike Sandlock *# C-37 S 31 79 14 2/1 1 177 266 241 11/0 Old Greenwich, CT

Ernie Davis OF-1 R 23 5 2 0/0 0 400 400 2/0

Don Lund # OF-14 R 23 15 3 0/0 0 200 200 333 0/0 Detroit

Sam Narron * C-2 R 36 2 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/0 Middlesex, NC

Ken Staples OF-1 L 20 0 0/0 Saint Paul

1946 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Harry Taylor # R 27 29 25 15-7 181 149 98 3.33 1.36 91 East Glenn, IN

Walt Nothe L 29 33 24 3-11 154 149 94 4.44 1.58 134 Philadelphia

Otho Nitcholas * R 38 32 24 12-10 181 190 38 3.58 1.26 77 McKinney, TX

Ed Weiland # R 32 36 21 10-12 170 181 75 4.45 1.51 75 Evanston, IL

Dutch Dietz * R 34 39 17 9-8 155 154 55 3.83 1.35 53 Cincinnati

Tom Sunkel * L 34 16 6 6-6 91 79 55 4.05 1.47 71 Paris, IL

George Coffman * R 36 50 8-5 94 99 51 4.12 1.60 44 Veto, AL

Al Sherer R 32 45 8 6-7 116 128 31 3.96 1.37 38 Quincy, IL

Vedie Himsl R 29 27 1-0 51 63 15 5.29 1.53 9

Dick Lanahan * L 35 16 9 5-1 59 63 28 3.66 1.54 24 Wash., DC

Dwain Sloat # L 28 11 2-2 19 13 16 4.26 1.53 16 Nokomis, IL

Jack Banta # R 21 8 7 3-2 56 49 28 2.89 1.38 49 Hutchinson, KS

Gene Kelly R 20 4 0-0 7 7 3 1.43 5

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1946 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Louisville Colonels 92 61 601 -- 355,241

Indianapolis Indians 88 65 575 4 317,223

St. Paul Saints 80 71 530 11 289,544 Ray Blades

Minneapolis Millers 76 75 503 15 242,603

Milwaukee Brewers 70 78 473 19.5 257,694

Toledo Mud Hens 69 84 451 23 234,062

Kansas City Blues 67 82 450 23 222,259

Columbus Red Birds 64 90 416 28.5 102,127

Ray Blades managed the Saint Paul clubs of 1944-1946. He played his complete 10-year major league career for the Cardinals. From 1922-1932 (excluding 1929), he was in 37, 98, 131, 122, 107, 61, 51, 45, 35 and 80 games with averages of .300, .246, .311, .342, .305, .317, .235, .396, .284 and .229.

He played in 767 MLB games and had 2,415 at bats for a composite .301 average with a .395 OBP and .460 slugging. Ray played 623 games in the outfield, 14 at third, 7 at second base and 4 at short with a fielding % of .963.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Blades was an intelligent, aggressive reserve player for most of his 10 MLB seasons and he hit .300 in each of his three seasons as a starting outfielder for the Cardinals. After managing in the Cardinals farm system in the mid-1930s, Blades managed the parent club to 92 wins and second place in 1939, but was replaced with the Cardinals sputtered early in 1941." - Fred Stein

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Blades played as a pro from 1920-1934 and managed in the minors in 1933-1938 and 1944-1946. He was a major league coach for the Cardinals (1930-1932), Reds (1942), Dodgers (1947-1948), Cardinals (1951) and Cubs (1953-1956). His managing record for the Cardinals was; 1939: 92-61 (2^nd) and 1940: 14-24 and he was also was at the helm of one Dodger game in 1948 (1-0). In addition, he served with the U.S. Army in France during WWI. Blades died at age 82 on May 18, 1979, at Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, IL. His burial was at the IOOF Cemetery in McLeansboro, IL.

Ed Basinski played on the 1946 Saint Paul team. He was on the Dodgers in 1944-1945 and 1947 as an utility infielder in 39, 108 and 56 games batting .257, .262 and .199. Over his 203 big league games, he had 602 at bats for a .244 average, .292 OBP and .319 slugging. He played short in 104 games and second in 99 more - all with a fielding percentage of .925.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Basinski went straight from the U. of Buffalo to the Dodgers, where he was the regular Brooklyn shortstop in 1945 while Pee Wee Reese was in the service." - Morris Eckhouse

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Basinski played as a pro from 1944-1959 with 13 seasons in the PCL. He lives in Milwaukie, OR, and was 86 years old in November 2008.

Gene Mauch was an infielder on the 1946 Saint Paul club. He first saw action in the majors in four games for the Dodgers in 1944 (.133). In 1947, he was with the Pirates for 16 games (.300) and then went back to Brooklyn for 12 contests in 1948 (.154) before moving on to the Cubs the rest of the season (53 g, .203). He stayed with the Cubs in 1949 compiling a .249 BA in 72 games as an utility infielder.

In 1950-1951, Gene performed in 48 and 19 games for the Braves (.231 and .100). He was with the Cardinals for part of the 1952 year (7 g, 0-for-3) and then was out of the Bigs until 1956-1957 when he finished his major league tenure in 7 and 65 games with the Red Sox (.320, .270).

He had been in 304 MLB games with 737 at bats for a .239 average, .335 OBP and .312 slugging. Gene was positioned at second base in 158 games, at short for 65 and at third for 17 with a composite fielding of .958.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"When he retired in spring training of 1988, Gene Mauch had managed more games and for more years (26) than anyone in major league history but Connie Mack, John McGraw and Bucky Harris. He also managed the longest without winning a pennant; he came close three times. Leading by 6 � games with two weeks to go, his 1964 Phillies collapsed, finishing in a tie for second. Many said he overworked his three best pitchers at the end of the race. His Angels won two division titles, but suffered heartbreaking losses in the ALCS. They needed to win one of the final three games in 1982 against Milwaukee, but failed to do so. In 1986, California was one strike away when Boston's Dave Henderson homered to win game five; The Red Sox then easily took the final two contests. When asked by brave reporters how he could deal with those memories, Mauch replied, 'I have an amazing ability to forget.'

"Mauch's playing career began in 1943 in the Dodger organization. He relied more on brains than on brawn. He had trials with five NL teams [and] in 1953...he became the 28-year-old playing manager of the Southern Association's Atlanta Crackers. 'I really wasn't ready,' he later admitted. He had a low boiling point, often fought with umpires and expected too much of his players. With an eye on again playing in the majors, he gave up managing. He batted .348 as the 1956 PCL All Star second baseman, then spent all of 1957 with the Red Sox.

"Testy and combative as a player, Mauch mellowed in his second chance as a manager, beginning in 1958 with Minneapolis. He took the Phillies' helm in 1960, survived 23 consecutive losses in 1961 and was named manager of the year in 1962 and 1964. He was thrown out by umpires only three times in his first five seasons. When he left Philadelphia in 1968, he had compiled 645 wins - second most in franchise history.

"Mauch was chosen to be the expanision1969 Expos manager and lasted through 1975 winning a third manager of the Year award in 1973. He guided the Twins from 1976 until his resignation in late August of 1980, when he tired of having teams in the rebuilding stage. He vowed not to manage any club but a contender. The following May, he replaced Jim Fregosi in California. He resigned after the 1982 ALCS loss, moved up to become Director of Player Personnel for two years and returned to the Angels dugout in 1985.

"Mauch was known as a sharp tactician who loved the sacrifice bunt and the pinch hitter. His detractors faulted him for over managing and for giving more signs than the Coast Guard. He like to make use of his entire roster. 'I wanted everybody to feel he has a chance to get into a game when he comes to the ballpark,', he said. 'I play guys when I want to so they'll be ready when I have to. I don't consider myself a motivator of players. I think it's an insult to a ballplayer to have to be motivated.'" - Norm Macht

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Mauch played from 1943-1959 and managed in the minors in 1953 and 1958-59. His complete MLB managerial record is: Phillies: 1960 (58-94, 4^th); 1961 (47-107, 8^th); 1962 (81-80, 7^th); 1963 (87-75, 4^th); 1964 (92-70, 2^nd); 1965 (85-76, 6^th); 1966 (87-75, 4th);1967 (82-80, 5^th); 1968 (27-27), Expos: 1969 (52-110, 6^th); 1970 (73-89, 6^th); 1971 (71-90, 5^th); 1972 (70-86 (5^th); 1973 (79-83, 4^th); 1974 (79-82, 4^th); 1975 (75-87, 5^th), Twins: 1976 (85-77, 3^rd); 1977 (84-77, 4^th); 1978 (73-89, 4^th); 1979 (82-80, 4^th); 1980 (54-74, 4^th), Angels: 1981 (29-34); 1982 (93-69, 1^st); 1985 (90-72, 2^nd); 1986 (92-70, 1^st) and 1987 (75-87, 6^th). His record for 26 seasons was 1,902-2,037 (.483).

He died at age 79, on August 8, 2005, in Rancho Mirage, CA.

John Rizzo played for the Saints in 1946. He was with the Pirates from 1938-1940 in 143, 94 and 9 games with averages of .301, .261 and .119. The rest of his 1940 season was spent with the Reds (31 g, .282) and the Phillies (103 g, .292). He continued with the Phillies in 1941 for 99 games (.217) and finished with the Dodgers for 78 games (.230) in 1942. John hit 23 home runs and had 111 RBI in 1938 and had 24 homers in 1940.

His MLB career marks, in 557 games and 1,842 at bats, were an average of .270, .345 OBP and .435 slugging. He fielded .964 in 486 outfield games and 9 at third base.

Rizzo played professionally from 1932-1942 and 1946-1949 and managed in 1949. He served in the military in 1943-1945 and died at age 65 on Dec. 4, 1977, in Houston. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery there.

Lou Rochelli played on the Saint Paul clubs of 1944 and 1946. His only major league experience was with the Dodgers in 1944 for 5 games and 17 at bats as he hit .176 with a .263 OBP and .294 slugging. His fielding % was .964 with five games at second base.

Rochelli was a professional player from 1939-1957 and managed in the minors from 1947-1958 [highest classification was AA - The Texas League]. At the time of his death, at age 73, he was working at Radio Shack in Victoria, TX. He died on Oct. 23, 1992, in Victoria and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery there.

Cliff Dapper played on the 1946 Saints for part of the year. His taste of the big leagues came in eight games with the Dodgers in 1942 as he was 8-for-17 with a .526 OBP and .706 slugging. As a catcher in 8 games, he fielded 1.000.

The story goes that Earl Mann, who was president of the Atlanta Crackers, agreed in late 1948 to release announcer Ernie Harwell from his contract and let him join the Dodgers broadcasting crew if the Brooklyn team would send Cliff to Atlanta. There he played for and managed the 1949 Crackers.

Dapper was a pro ballplayer from 1938-1942 and 1946-1957 and managed in 1949 and 1951-1957. He was in the military from 1943-1945 and currently lives in Fallbrook, CA. Cliff was 89 years old in January 2009.

James "Harry" Taylor pitched for the Saints in 1938-1940 and 1946-1950. He got into 4, 33 and 17 games (0, 20 and 13 starts) for the Dodgers in 1946-1948 completing 5, 162 and 81 innings with ERAs of 3.86, 3.11 and 5.36. He led the league with the lowest OAV (.225) in 1947.

He finished with the Red Sox in 1950-1952 in 3, 31 and 2 games for 1.42, 5.75 and 1.80 ERAs. All told, he appeared in 90 MLB games (44 starts) and competed 358 innings allowing 344 hits and 201 walks while striking out 127. His career ERA was 4.10 with a .258 OAV, .359 OOB and a 19-21 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...he started game four of the [1947] World Series. But a sore arm forced his removal after he faced just four batters. In that game, Bill Bevins took a no-hitter into the ninth inning." - Jack Kavanagh

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Taylor pitched professionally from 1938-1940 and 1946-1952. He served from 1942-1945 in the military and farmed in the Shirkieville, IN, area. Later he worked for Bemis and Visqueen and then for St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Harry died after an extended illness at the age of 81 on Nov. 5, 2000, at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, IN. Burial was at Shepherd's Cemetery in Shepherdsville, IN.

Tom Sunkel pitched for Saint Paul in 1945-1946. He started his major league years with the Cardinals with 9 games in August-September 1937 (29 inn., 2.76 ERA). Tom came back to them with 20 games in 1939 for an ERA of 4.22 in 85 innings.

From 1941-1943, he appeared in 2, 19 and one game(s) for the Giants finishing 15, 64 and 3 innings with ERAs of 2.93, 4.81 and 10.13. His big league finale was in 1944 with the Dodgers for 12 games and 24 frames with a 7.50 ERA. In his 63 games (29 starts) and 220 innings, he gave up 218 hits and 133 walks while striking out 112. His career ERA was 4.53 with a .256 OAV, .358 OOB and 9-15 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Sunkel's left eye was damaged by a popgun shot when he was a child. He developed a non-operable cataract in 1941, lost all sight in the eye and compensated by pitching and batting with his head cocked to one side." - Jack Kavanagh

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Sunkel pitched as a professional from 1934-1948 and managed from 1951-1954. He died at age 89 on April 6, 2002, in Paris, IL.

Jack Banta was a pitcher on the 1946 Saints. He appeared in 3, 2, 48 and 16 games for the Dodgers in 1947-1950 with ERAs of 7.04, 8.10, 3.37 and 4.35 [a perfect case of the more he pitched, the better he was] in 8, 3, 152 and 41 innings.

In total, he appeared in 69 MLB games (19 starts) for 205 innings as he allowed 176 hits and 113 walks while striking out 116. His career ERA was 3.78 with a .232 OAV, .339 OOB and a 14-12 record.

On the final day of the 1949 season, the Dodgers were one game in front of the Cardinals. They were playing the Phillies and had a 7-6 lead when Banta entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning. He gave up a game-tying single, but then allowed only one more hit the rest of the game as the Dodgers won 9-7 in ten innings.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Banta, a sidearming reliever, had a 10-6 record for the 1949 Dodgers, winning the pennant-clinching game on the last day of the season. A 1950 arm injury ended his promising career." - Edward Maher

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Banta pitched as a pro from 1944-1952 and managed from 1953-1957. In the 1980s, he was employed by the Dillon Grocery chain in Hutchinson, KS. He died at age 81 from a cardiovascular disease on Sept. 17, 2006 in Hutchinson.

-----1947-----

Ray Blades moved up to Brooklyn as a coach and was replaced by veteran catcher (since 1932) and future major league manager Herman Franks. However, at the time, Franks had never managed before but had been a major leaguer from 1939-1941 and then served in the military from 1942-1945. A fiery type, he was not successful at St. Paul and his playing contract was sold to the A's on August 23 when it became evident that the club was not going anywhere and Philadelphia was looking for a back-up catcher. For the rest of the season, the Saints were managed by 44-year-old, 12-year big league veteran pitcher and Saints coach Curt Davis He also had no previous managerial experience except when he was at the helm of the team from August 1 through August 3 when Franks serviced a suspension for an overheated argument with an umpire.

Franks

Saint Paul finished in seventh place with 11 fewer wins and suffered a hit of 67,000 at the turnstiles. Their offense was up, but pitching suffered.

John Dantonio (.270) returned to share the catching job with newcomer Jack Paepke (.260). Manager Franks (.206) got into a number of games before he was injured in late June and then was in a few in August. First baseman John Douglas (.328) led the league in hits, the team in average and was second in club RBI. George Fallen (.258) came on board at second base and Lew Riggs (.315) was the regular third sacker finishing second in team batting. Another newcomer, Bob Ramazzotti (.305), played more at shortstop then any other Saint. The regular at third base since 1944, Bud Kimball, was traded to Louisville early in the season and a new guy in the infield, Al Brancato (.284), also played many games at third with good results. The back-ups at short were George Spears (.216) and Harold Younghans (.169).

All Star outfielder Eric Tipton (.308) again performed well leading the team in homers (19) and RBI (106). Joe Bastudik became a starter after he arrived from Milwaukee and Don Lund (.280) had his best year with the Saints leading the team in slugging and was second in homers with 16. Marv Rackley (.316) appeared in many games after being sent down by the Dodgers.

Historically, the most important player who played in a Saints uniform during the year, was future hall-of-famer Duke Snider. In only 66 games and 269 at bats, he clubbed 12 home runs, had 46 RBI and hit .316 with a .584 slugging percentage. He started the year with the Dodgers, was sent down to the Saints on July 4 and then called up again in September.

Native son Larry Rosenthal made his last appearances in a Saints uniform before going to Indianapolis and long-time utility player, Joe Vitter, got into five games before moving on to play in two other leagues during the year. Another reserve outfielder was Joe Tepsic (.302) who played well in 21 games.

The best performing pitcher was newcomer Phil Haugstad (16-6) who led the team in wins, innings pitched, games started, ERA (3.80) and WHIP (1.36) while being named to the league's All Star team. He was a Brooklyn Dodger before the end of the year as his contract was purchased by them for $15,000. Second in team innings pitched was another new guy, John Gabbard (11-15) who ate up innings but did not have the best ERA nor WHIP (5.28/1.60). Dutch Dietz (9-17) returned for 35 games/25 starts/184 innings ending with a worse record then in '46 (4.60 ERA/1.50 WHIP). The other double-figure games starter was newbie Lee Pfund (5-7) who had a 4.32 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 18 games and 123 innings.

A reliever in 52 games, Saints veteran George Coffman had a good ERA of 3.93, but a poor WHIP (1.80). Interim manager Curt Davis (4-5) did a good job in 26 games compiling a 3.97 ERA and was second in team WHIP at 1.38. Otho Nitcholas (6-5) ended his Saint Paul tenure, after five seasons, with 19 appearances and a fair record (5.28/1.51). Morrie Martin (2-3) was back for the first time since 1942 and did quite well in 19 games (4-12/1.37) and Cy Buker was a club performer after being away two years, but then was dwelt to Milwaukee. MLB-veteran Ed Head (3-3) arrived late in the year for 12 games (5.16/1.67) and Al Sherer (0-3) had four return chances with limited success. In addition, Bob Tart was given another 11 opportunities (5.59, 2.03), Ed Weiland (0-4) came aboard for the final time (6.75/2.08), new Saint Mel Himes (1-1) did well in three games (1.96/1.22) and Bill Eggert (0-1) failed in three (11.77/2.23).

Impressed with the Saints operation and having a willing seller in Walter Seeger, local ownership of the club ended on November 20 when the Branch Rickey-led Brooklyn Dodgers purchased the team. After 46 years, the club's fortunes would now be directed from New York.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Pre-game Fashion Show (Bob Ramazzoti and Herm Franks with models Eleonor DeJarlas and Donna Shoberg)

1947 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI/SB Birth Place

John Dantonio * C-99 R 29 293 79 13/3 2 270 355 433 39/0 New Orleans

John Douglas * 1b-155 L 30 594 195 25/11 1 328 412 438 88/8 Thayer, WV

George Fallon * 2b-144 R 33 551 142 25/6 11 258 385 352 64/5 Jersey City, NJ

Lew Riggs * 3b-115 L 37 378 119 17/9 11 315 495 484 62/2 Mebane, NC

Bob Ramazzotti *# SS-86 R 30 344 105 13/2 13 305 468 392 47/18 Elanora, PA

Eric Tipton *# R-138 R 32 452 139 18/5 19 308 496 595 106/15 Petersburg, VA

Joe Bestudik @ OF-115 S 31 366 103 21/0 7 281 396 440 59/1 Springfield, IL

Don Lund # OF-90 R 24 325 91 18/4 16 280 508 345 49/8 Detroit

Jack Paepke C50,OF31 R 25 292 76 13/2 4 260 360 432 45/2 Provo, UT

Duke Snider # OF-66 L 21 269 85 22/7 12 316 584 392 46/4 Los Angeles

Marv Rackley # OF-60 L 26 234 74 10/4 2 316 419 423 22/7 Seneca, SC

Larry Rosenthal * @ OF-93 L 37 297 95 11/4 7 320 455 488 49/2 Saint Paul

Joe Tepsic OF-21 R 24 63 19 2/2 1 302 444 317 12/13 Slovan, PA

Al Brancato * @ 3b-76 R 28 232 66 10/3 4 284 405 435 23/1 Philadelphia

Herman Franks *# C-49 L 33 102 21 3/2 2 206 333 390 16/0 Price, UT

Ken Mauer SS-6 L 20 21 4 1/1 0 190 333 3/0

George Spears SS-38 R 29 88 19 1/0 0 216 227 295 8/0

Hal Younghans SS-33 R 25 118 20 2/1 0 169 203 237 14/0

Wayne Blackburn OF-4 L 30 7 2 0/0 0 286 286 1/0 Harmon, OH

Ernie Davis PH-5 R 24 3 0 0/0 0 000 000 1/0

Bud Kimball @ 3b-104 R 27 301 71 8/2 11 236 385 415 46/1 Armond, NB (Can)

Ed Nulty OF-3 L 24 12 3 0/0 0 250 250 2/0

Joe Vitter OF-5 S 36 3 1 0/0 0 333 333 0/0 New Orleans

1947 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Phil Haugstad # R 23 37 28 16-6 230 199 114 3.8 1.36 145 Black River Falls, WI

John Gabbard R 24 35 27 11-15 191 228 78 5.28 1.60 56 Hamilton, OH

Dutch Dietz * R 35 35 25 9-17 184 203 73 4.6 1.50 59 Cincinnati

Lee Pfund * R 29 18 16 5-7 123 132 42 4.32 1.41 28 Oak Park, IL

George Coffman * R 37 52 6-4 71 84 44 3.93 1.80 20 Veto, AL

Curt Davis * R 44 26 5 4-5 77 90 16 3.97 1.38 26 Greenfield, MO

Otho Nitcholas * R 39 19 5 6-5 87 111 20 5.28 1.51 29 McKinney, TX

Al Sherer R 33 4 3 0-3 20 23 10 6.75 1.65 6 Quincy, IL

Morrie Martin # L 25 19 3 2-3 59 47 34 4.12 1.37 30 Dixon, MO

Cy Buker * @ R 28 34 16 8-8 139 178 71 5.31 1.79 52 Greenwood, WI

Ed Head * R 29 12 3-3 61 74 28 5.16 1.67 19 Selma, AL

Bob Tart L 25 11 1-2 37 40 35 5.59 2.03 22

Jack Paepke R 25 5 0-4 24 32 21 7.88 2.21 13 Provo, UT

Ed Weiland * R 33 8 0-4 24 37 13 6.75 2.08 14 Evanston, IL

Mel Himes R 20 3 2 1-1 23 20 8 1.96 1.22 10

Bill Eggert R 24 3 0-1 13 20 9 11.77 2.23 3

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1947 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Kansas City Blues 93 60 608 379,063

Louisville Colonels 85 68 556 8 339,872

Milwaukee Brewers 79 75 513 14.5 298,041

Minneapolis Millers 77 77 500 16.5 273,253

Columbus Red Birds 76 78 494 17.5 157,837

Indianapolis Indians 74 79 484 19 316,539

St. Paul Saints 69 83 454 24.5 222,331 Herman Franks/Curt Davis

Toledo Mud Hens 61 92 399 32 169,525

John "Fats" Dantonio was a catcher on the 1945-1947 St. Paul teams. He played in 3 games for the Dodgers in 1944 (1-for-7) and 47 for them in 1945 (.250). In his 50 big league games, he had 135 at bats for a .244 BA with a .301 OBP and .304 slugging. As a catcher in 48 games, he fielded .923.

Dantonio played as a pro from 1938-1948. He died at age 75 on May 28, 1993, in New Orleans.

Lew Riggs played on the 1947 Saint Paul Saints. He had a 10-year big league career beginning in 1932 with two games as a pinch hitter for the Cardinals (0-for-1). Lew then became the starting third baseman for the Reds from 1935-1938 for 142, 141, 122 and 142 games with averages of .278, .257, .242 and .252. He played in the 1936 All Star game.

Riggs stayed with the Reds one more season (1940) for 41 games (.292) before moving on to Brooklyn where he played in 1941-42 for 77 and 70 games with .305 and .278 averages. His swan song came in one game for the Dodgers in 1946 (0-for-4). In his 760 MLB games, he had 2,477 official at bats for a .262 average, .317 OBP and .375 OOB. He played at third for 627 games and also five at second and one at short with a .945 fielding mark.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Tall and slender, Riggs was a good glove man but an unreliable hitter as the Red's third baseman for four years. He lost his job to Billy Werber in 1939 when Cincinnati won the NL pennant. He became a good pinch hitter, leading the NL [with 10] in 1941." - Edward Maher

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Riggs was a pro ballplayer from 1931-1950 (excluding military service in 1943-45) including five years in the American Association. He died after being ill for several months at the age of 65 at the VA Hospital in Durham, NC, on Aug. 12, 1975. Burial was at the Rock Creek Methodist Church Cemetery in Graham, NC.

Don Lund played on the Saint Paul clubs of 1945-1947. In 1945, he had three at bats without a hit in four games for the Dodgers. During the 1947-1948 seasons, he was in 11 and 27 games for the Dodgers with .300 and .188 averages. The remainder of his '48 year was with the Browns for 63 games (.248).

Don then moved to the Tigers with whom he was in 2 games in 1949 and 8 in 1952 (.304) before he became their regular right fielder in 1953 for 131 games with a .257 average. He lost his regular spot in 1954 and ended his big league years with 35 contests (.130).

Lund played in 281 MLB games and had 753 at bats with a career BA of .240 and a .305 OBP and .369 slugging. As an outfielder in 236 games, he fielded at a good .983 clip.

He played professionally from 1945-1954 and managed in 1956. Don was a major league coach with the Tigers in 1957-1958. Lund earned nine letters from the U. of Michigan [he was drafted by the NFL's Bears] and was their baseball coach in the early 1960s. From 1963-1970, he was the Tigers farm system director. Lund lives in Ann Arbor, MI, and was 85 years old in May 2008.

Duke Snider played on the Saints during part of the 1947 season. His hall-of-fame career encompassed 18 seasons. For the Dodgers from 1947-1962, he played 40, 53, 146, 152, 150, 144, 153, 149, 148, 151, 139, 106, 126, 101, 85 and 80 games with batting averages of .241, .244, .292, .321, .277, .303, .336, .341, .309, .292, .274, .312, .308, .243, .296 and .278. His home run count from 1949-1961 was 23, 31, 29, 21, 42, 40, 42, 43, 40, 15, 23, 14 and 16. He hit over 100 RBIs in 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956. He was named to the NL All Star teams from 1950-1956 and played in all except the '52 contest.

Duke led the league in runs scored in 1953-1955, hits in 1950, homers in 1956, RBI in 1955, slugging % in 1953 and 1956 and OBP in 1956. In 1963 he was traded to Mets where he hit .243 in 129 games and played in that year's All Star game. His final season was 1964 with the Giants (91 g, .210).

Snider was in 2,143 major league games and had 7,161 at bats compiling an average of .295 with a .381 OBP and .540 slugging percentage. He fielded .985 in 1,918 outfield games.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Snider debuted in Brooklyn with Jackie Robinson in 1947, but it wasn't until 1949, after Branch Rickey hired George Sisler to help Snider 'establish an acquaintance with the strike zone,' that Snider showed the form that would make him the leading home run hitter of the 1950s, with 326... His power stroke was well suited to the bandbox structure of Ebbets Field and the drives he hit that didn't leave the ballpark regularly pounded the stadium's high right-field wall for extra bases...

"In 1955 'TSN' named Snider Major League Player of the Year in recognition of the completeness of his games...He was also speedy and graceful as an outfielder. Stan Musial named Snider, Carl Furillo and Andy Pafko 'the best-throwing outfield I ever saw.'..

"Although Snider did not hit lefthanders well, he was protected from facing them often by the Dodgers' lineup, which was heavily weighed with right handed hitters Reese, Robinson, Hodges, Campanella and Furillo. With those five Boys of Summer, Snider participated in five World Series from 1949 to 1956. He made his sixth and final appearance in 1959, en route to posting National League World Series home run and RBI records of 11 and 26. He hit four homers in each of the 1952 and 1955 Series and is the only man to accomplish that feat twice.

"Snider was not the darling of the press during his career. Over 50 newspaper articles castigated him following the publication of a 1956 Collier's article in which he told Roger Kahn that he wouldn't be playing baseball if it weren't for the money. Nevertheless, the was a favorite of Brooklyn fans, who rued his departure and that of the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958. From 1958 through 1961, the Dodgers played their home games in Los Angeles Coliseum, a football stadium converted to house the Dodgers. A vast right field compensated for a short left-field line and combined with injuries to end Snider's days as a dominant homer run hitter. Snider was named captain in 1962...

"The Mets acquired Snider for sentimental reasons in 1963 and he finished his career, ironically, with the Giants in 1964. After he retired, the Dodgers retired his uniform number 4..." - Tom Gallagher and Chris Renino

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Duke played as a pro from 1944-1964 (excluding 1945 when he was in military service). He then scouted for the Dodgers and Padres and managed in the minors from 1965-67 and in 1972 before becoming a major league coach for the Expos in 1974-75 and then their announcer from 1978-1986. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980. Snider lives in Fallbrook, CA, and was 82 years old in September 2008.

Lloyd "Dutch" Dietz pitched for Saint Paul in 1946 and 1947. He pitched for the Pirates during the 1940-1943 seasons in 4, 33, 40 and 8 games with ERAs of 5.87, 2.33, 3.95 and 6.00. The remainder of his '43 year was spent with the Phillies for 21 contests (6.50). He was used more then any other Pirates reliever in 1941 and1942.

In his 106 big league games, he completed 295 innings allowing 303 hits and 113 walks with 79 strike outs. His ERA was 3.87 with a .256 OAV, .334 OOB and had a 14-16 record.

Dietz pitched professionally from 1936-1949 (excluding 1944-1945). He became the recreation director for the City of Beaumont (TX) from 1950-1962 and then the personnel director for the city from 1962-1972. He died at age 60 on Oct. 29, 1972, at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park there.

Otho Nitcholas pitched for the Saints from 1943-1947. He made appearances in only seven major league games for the Dodgers in 1945. As a reliever, he finished 19 innings allowing 19 hits and one walk with 4 strikeouts. His ERA was 5.30 with a .257 OAV, .267 OOB and 1-0 record.

Nitcholas was a pro pitcher in 1930, 1932-1938 and 1940-1953 including 11 seasons in AAA. As a minor leaguer, he was in 625 games with a 254-200 record completing 3,922 innings and allowing 4,382 hits and 741 walks while striking out 1,386. His ERA was 3.56 and he managed from 1950-1952. He then became the first chief of police in Plano, TX, and retired, with the same position, at McKinney, TX. Otho died within two days of his 78^th birthday on Sept. 11, 1986, at the North Texas Medical Center in McKinney and was buried there at the Altoga Cemetery.

Ed Head pitched for the Saints in 1947. He pitched with the Dodgers in 1940, 1943-44 and 1946 in 13, 36, 47, 9 and 13 games for 39, 137, 170, 63 and 56 innings with ERAs of 4.12, 3.56, 3.66, 2.70 and 3.21.

Ed pitched in a total of 118 major league games and completed 465 innings allowing 434 hits and 174 walks while striking out 208. His composite ERA was 3.48 with a .245 OAV, .314 OOB and a 27-23 record.

Head was a pro hurler from 1939-1947 excluding 1945 when he was in the service. Ed managed from 1948-1956 and then worked for 25 years for the International Paper Company. He died at age 72 years, on Jan. 31, 1980, at Morehouse General Hospital after a brief illness. Burial was at Sardis Cemetery in West Monroe, LA.

Joe Vitter played on the Saints from 1943-1947. He never reached the majors.

Vitter played as a professional from 1934-1949 including five years in the A.A., two in the PCL and five in the Texas League. He hit over .300 five times and managed in 1948-1949. Joe died at age 83, on Feb. 19, 1995, in Denver.

Herman Franks managed and played for the 1947 Saints. He played 17 games for the Cardinals in 1939 (.059) and then was with the Dodgers in 1940-1941 (.183, .201). In 1947-1948, played 8 and 40 games for the Phillies hitting .200 and .224. His last major league game was in 1949 with the Giants when he went 2-for-3.

As a catcher, he played in 142 big league games with a .985 fielding mark. With 403 at bats in 188 games, he hit .199 with a .302 OBP and .275 slugging.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A graduate of the U of Utah, Franks was a weak hitting backup catcher for several NL teams. He scouted for the Giants for a dozen years, then became manager of their Salt Lake City club in 1961. He managed the Giants to four straight second place finishes, 1965-68. He was also credited with straightening Willie Mays' financial affairs which were a mess when Franks arrived in San Francisco. After leaving the Giants, he had a successful business career and formed a group that tried to buy the Yankees in 1972, He came out of retirement to manage the Cubs for three seasons beginning in 1977 as a favor to his friend, Cubs GM Bob Kennedy." - Norm Macht

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Franks played as a pro from 1932-1942 and 1946-1949. He was in the military from 1942-1945 and was a minor league manager in 1947 and 1961. From 1956-1964, he was a Giants scout and G.M. of the Salt Lake City club. Herman was a major league coach with the Giants (1949-55, 1958 and 1964) and the Cubs (1970). His MLB managerial record was - Giants: 1965 (95-67, 2^nd), 1966 (93-68, 2^nd), 1967 (91-71, 2^nd), and 1968 (88-74, 2^nd) and Cubs: 1977 (81-81, 4^th), 1978 (79-83, 3^rd) and 1979 (78-77, 5^th). In total, his record was 605-521 (.537). Franks was also the G.M. of the Cubs from May 1981-Nov. 1981. He died at age 95 on March 30, 2009, at his home in Salt Lake City from congestive heart failure.

Curt Davis pitched for and was the manger of, for a short time, the 1947 Saint Paul club. From 1934-1936 he performed for the Phillies in 51 (led league), 44 and 10 games with 31, 27 and 8 starts; 274, 231 and 60 innnings;19-17, 16-14 and 2-4 records and ERAs of 2.95, 3.66 and 4.62. The rest of his 1936 season was with the Cubs where he pitched in 24 games (20 starts) with a 3.00 ERA and 11-9 record. He pitched in the '36 All Star game.

He stayed with the Cubs in 1937 appearing in 28 games (14 starts) for 124 innings, 10-5 record and 4.08 ERA. He then moved to the Cardinals for the 1938-1940 seasons as he was in 40, 49 and 14 games (21, 31 and 7 starts) with 12-8, 22-16 and 0-4 records with ERAs of 3.63, 3.63 and 5.17. He was named to the '39 All Star team. After the 14 games with the Cards in '40, he was traded to the Dodgers where he played through 1946 in 22, 28, 32, 31, 31, 24 and 1 game(s) completing 137, 154, 206, 164, 194, 150 and 2 innings with 3.81, 2.97, 2.36, 3.78, 3.34, 3.25 and 13.50 ERAs.

In his good 13-year MLB career, he appeared in 429 games (281 starts) finishing 2,325 innings giving up 2,459 hits and 479 walks while striking out 684. His ERA was 3.42 with a .270 OAV, .310 OOB and 158-131 record.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Curt Davis, a 6'2" 185 lb...pitched in a NL-leading 51 games, winning 19, as a Phillies rookie in 1934. Davis won 15 or more three additional times during his career... Davis was named to the 1936 and 1939 NL All Star teams; he surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning as Carl Hubbell's reliever in the 1936 game and did not play in the 1939 game. Davis was the Dodgers starting and losing pitcher in the opening game of the 1941 World Series; the winner of that 3-2 contest was future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing. Davis was one of three players traded, along with cash, by the Cubs to the Cardinals for Dizzy Dean in 1938." - Tom Jozwik

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Davis pitched professionally from 1928-1947. After baseball, he became a self-employed real estate broker for 15 years. He died at age 62 on Oct. 12, 1965, at Inter-Community Hospital in Covina, CA, from a heart attack. Burial was at Oakdale Memorial Park in Glendora, CA.

-----1948-----

The post-war boom in baseball interest hit it's height for Saint Paul fans during the 1948-1949 seasons. The new owners (the Dodgers) named future hall-of-fame manager, Walter Alston, to head the team. He had played pro from 1935-1947 and had managed in the Mid-Atlantic League in 1940-42, Interstate League in 1944-45 and New England League in 1946. His only major league experience was one at bat, as a first baseman, for the 1936 Cardinals.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Alston

Saints Brain Trust in 1948 (From left: Alston, GM Mel Jones, and far right Branch Rickey)

It was also the year that Branch Rickey integrated the American Association by sending Roy Campanella and Dan Bankhead to the Saints. Both had amiable personalities and were accepted well in St. Paul for the short times they were on the roster.

The team set a franchise record attendance with approximately 320,500 attendees [98,000 more fans then the previous season]. The club finished in third place with 14 additional victories and, for the first time, were the American Association playoff champions.

No pitcher won more then 14 games as Alston sent 16 pitchers to the hill during the year. Morrie Martin (13-11) had more innings (186) then any other hurler and led the club in WHIP (1.30) and strike outs (129). Returnee Phil Haugstad (12-8) was second in innings with 182, had an ERA of 4.25 and pitched a few games for the Dodgers. Newcomer Pat McGlothin (14-7) had the most wins and was third in innings (172) compiling a 4.81 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. His most spectacular win was a no- hitter on Sept 8 over Milwaukee which was only the seventh in Saints' history.

Mel Himes (11-6) returned after three games in '47 to finish 167 innings for a 4.85 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Converted catcher Jack Paepke (7-8) had a good ERA of 3.93, but rather high WHIP (1.64). New face Charles Samaklis (10-10) had most appearances on the team (39) and completed 125 frames with an ERA/WHIP of 4.90/1.50. Newcomer Jim Romano (5-5) was the only other pitcher to reach triple figures in innings pitched (109) and led the club in ERA at 3.06.

Saints' vet George Coffman (5-6) relieved in 38 games for 62 innings and a 4.50 ERA. Future big leaguer, Dan Bankhead (4-0), arrived with the Saints after going 20-6 in the New England League and had good success with the Saints getting into six games and 35 innings with a 3.60 ERA. A young, Bob Ross (2-1), did not have as much luck ending with a 7.20 ERA in 40 innings and Harry Taylor (3-4/3.95 ERA) pitched in his fifth Saints season before being called up to the Dodgers.

Lee Pfund (0-1) came back for six games, but had a high 6.38 ERA, and Lee Griffeth got into his first game for the Saints and would be seen again by St. Paul fans. Heavily used in '47, John Gabbard, saw action in four games (2.77) but then was off to Portland where he ended his pro career. Also seeing action, on the mound for Saint Paul, was Joe Bielemeier (3g, 8.25 ERA) and Bill Eggert (1 g, 1.33 WHIP).

Catcher Ferrell Anderson (.294) joined the team for the first time in 1948 and was the starter until May 18 when future hall-of-famer Roy Campanella was sent to the Saint Paul. Campy, in 35 games and 123 at bats, batted .325 with a super .715 slugging % and 13 home runs as he found Lexington Park's left field fence very inviting. On June 21, the Dodgers, not surprisedly, called him back up, at which time Anderson returned to his starting duties. Another catcher in the mix (21 games) was Toby Atwell (.345) who led the team in hitting with 203 at bats and also played in the outfield . Former major leaguer, Stew Hofferth, also saw action in seven games, but went hitless and spent most of his last pro year in the Eastern Shore League. Future big leaguer, Tim Thompson, got into three games.

First base was the domain, for the third year, of John Douglas (.303) who was one of three regulars with an average over .300. Long-time Dodger employee, Danny Ozark (.226), was his main back-up. George Fallon (.259) returned as the starter at second and was backed up by last year's shortstop Bob Ramazzotti (.286) who became the team's utility guy. Young Buddy Hicks (.296) was the starter at short and the regular at third was the returning Al Brancato (.297) who also was at second in 48 contests. Newcomer Spider Jorgensen (.261) was stationed at third for 63 games and contributed greatly in the playoffs.

The only All Star on the club was Eric Tipton (.313) who was an outfield regular for the third year. He was third in team average, first in slugging %, home runs (26) [the most since 1938], RBI (126) [the most since 1935], stolen bases (14) and led all starters in OBP. Earl Naylor (.278) and Bob Addis (.314 -second on team) entered the Saints picture as outfield starters. The reserve was mainly career minor leaguer Dave Pluss (.271).

In the playoffs, Saint Paul defeated Indianapolis four games to two in the first round. They split the first four games and the Saints were behind 2-1 in the eighth inning of game five until Eric Tipton tied the game with a homer. In the ninth, Bob Addis threw out two Indianapolis players at the plate and the game went into extra innings. In the eleventh and twelfth, the Indians scored but were answered in kind by the Saints. Finally, in the thirteenth, Spider Jorgensen hit a homer over the right-field fence to win the game. In game six, Jorgensen again was the hero for the Saints with a two-run game-winning single in the eighth.

Next, the Saints played Columbus for the A.A. Championship, but were down three games to two in the series before Jorgensen hit a two-run home runs in fourteenth inning of game six to tie the series. In game seven, the Saints prevailed 5-3. Happy Days were there again!

The Saints played in the Junior World Series for the first time since 1931. They won game one, but then the next four to the International League champion and sister Dodgers affiliate, Montreal.

1948 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI /SB BB Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson * C-117 R 30 415 122 29/3 12 294 465 388 63/0 39 Maple City, KS

John Douglas * 1b-143 L 31 578 175 22/11 2 303 389 420 73/3 68 Thayer, WV

George Fallon * 2b-96 R 34 347 90 25/2 10 259 429 352 67/3 32 Jersey City, NJ

Al Brancato * 3b85,2b48(139) R 29 505 150 27/7 9 297 420 402 76/1 53 Philadelphia

Buddy Hicks # SS-137 S 21 534 158 26/5 5 296 391 429 61/10 71 E. Los Angeles

Eric Tipton *# OF-148 R 33 540 169 35/10 28 313 570 526 126/14 115 Petersburg, VA

Earl Naylor * OF-127 R 29 454 126 26/5 8 278 410 401 62/7 56 Kansas City,MO

Bob Addis # OF-126 L 23 456 143 20/11 11 314 458 393 67/6 36 Mineral, OH

Dave Pluss OF-73 L 28 203 55 8/4 7 271 453 478 33/1 42 Los Angeles

Spider Jorgensen # 3b-70 L 29 245 64 11/5 8 261 445 392 28/6 32 Folsom, CA

Toby Atwell # OF33,C21(60) L 24 203 70 16/3 3 345 498 502 39/3 32 Leesburg, VA

Bob Ramazzotti *# SS31,InfOF16 R 31 175 50 8/2 5 286 440 360 30/4 13 Elanora, PA

Roy Campanella # C35 R 27 123 40 5/2 13 325 715 512 39/0 23 Philadelphia

Danny Ozark 1b-23 R 25 62 14 1/0 5 226 484 403 12/0 11 Buffalo, NY

Stew Hofferth * C-7 R 35 9 0 0/0 0 000 000 2/0 Logansport,IN

Jim Phillips OF-6 R 24 8 0 0/0 0 000 000 0/0

Jim Baxes # 2b/1b-5 R 20 11 2 0/0 0 182 182 0/0 San Francisco

Tim Thompson # C-3 L 24 6 2 0/1 0 333 667 ?/0 Coalpoint, VA

1948 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Pat McGlothin # R 28 32 14-7 172 158 85 4.81 1.41 125 Coalfield, TN

Morrie Martin # L 26 35 13-11 186 171 71 4.16 1.30 129 Dixon, MO

Phil Haugstad # R 24 31 12-8 182 154 106 4.25 1.43 95 Black River Falls, WI

Mel Himes R 21 30 11-6 167 171 70 4.85 1.44 114

Charlie Samaklis R 29 39 10-10 125 134 53 4.90 1.50 86

Jack Paepke R 26 27 7-8 149 146 98 3.93 1.64 70 Provo, UT

Jim Romano # R 21 28 5-5 109 100 63 3.06 1.50 59 Brooklyn

George Coffman * R 38 38 5-6 62 74 31 4.50 1.69 26 Veto, AL

Dan Bankhead # R 28 6 4-0 35 34 18 3.60 1.49 22 Empire, AL

Harry Taylor # R 29 9 3-4 57 54 30 3.95 1.47 39 East Glenn, IN

Bob Ross # L 20 14 2-1 40 46 31 7.20 1.93 16 Fullerton, CA

Lee Pfund * R 30 6 0-1 24 25 16 6.38 1.71 7 Oak Park, IL

Joe Bielemeier R 21 3 0-1 12 19 3 8.25 1.83 2 Mt. Angel, OR

John Gabbard R 25 4 0-0 13 13 8 2.77 1.62 3 Hamilton, OH

Bill Eggert R 25 1 0-0 3 2 2 1.33 3

Lee Griffeth * L 23 1 0-0 1 2 0 2.00 1 Carmel, NY

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

1948 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Indianapolis Indians 100 54 649 -- 494,455

Milwaukee Brewers 89 65 576 11 364,510

St. Paul Saints 86 68 558 14 320,483 Walt Alston

Columbus Red Birds 81 73 526 19 216,388

Minneapolis Millers 77 77 500 23 274,890

Kansas City Blues 64 88 421 35 236,487

Toledo Mud Hens 61 91 401 38 114,310

Louisville Colonels 56 98 364 44 204,320

John Douglas was with the Saint Paul Saints from 1946-1949. He played in 5 major league games in 1945 for the Dodgers and was 0-for-9 at the plate. John walked twice for a OBP of .182 and played at first base in 4 games with a .971 fielding.

Douglas was a pro player from 1941-1953 (excluding his service years of 1942-1944) including eight years in the American Association. John hit over .300 in six seasons and later was associated with greyhound racetracks in Florida for 35 years and lived in Coral Gables for 42 years. He died on Feb. 11, 1984, at the age of 66 at the Baptist Hospital in Miami and was buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery there.

George Fallon played on the Saints in 1947-1948. In Sept. 1937 he appeared in 4 games for the Dodgers going 2-for-8. From 1943-1945 he played for the Cardinals in 36, 69 and 24 games as a utility infielder hitting .231, .199 and .236.

During 133 major league games, he had 283 at bats for a .216 average, .286 OBP and .270 slugging. George played at second base during 82 games, at shortstop for 44 and at third for 6 - with a composite fielding % of .966.

Fallon was a pro player from 1935-1951 (including seven seasons at the AAA level) and managed in 1950-1952. He then worked 25 years for the Remington Shaver Company in CT. George died at age 80, after an extended illness, on Oct. 25, 1994, in Lake Worth, FL. Burial was at Palm Beach Memorial Park in Lantana, FL.

John "Spider" Jorgensen played for St. Paul in 1948. The wiry Jorgensen came up to the Dodgers in the spring of 1947 and was their clutch starting third baseman for 129 games with a .274 batting average. In the off season, he bruised his throwing arm from hunting and further injured it in the spring training of 1948. In 1948-1949 he only played in 31 and 53 games for averages of .300 and .269. After 2 games with the Bums in 1950, the left-handed hitter was traded to the Giants where he played in 24 games for a .135 average. He finished his MLB career in 1951, with New York, in 28 games and a .235 average.

In his 267 major league games, Spider batted .266 with a .359 OBP and .384 slugging %. His fielding average was .940 with 195 games at third base and 11 in the outfield. He finished his playing career in the Pacific Coast League for Oakland (1951-1955) and Vancouver (1956-1959). In 1960 was a player/manager at class C.

Jorgensen was a minor league player from 1941, 1946, 1948 and 1950-1960 and a minor league manager for 4 years (1960-62, 1969 ) . He managed the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1969(26-43, 6^th). Spider continued as a major league scout for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is currently living in Cucamonga, CA, and was 89 years old in 2008..

Maurice "Toby" Atwell performed on the 1948 Saint Paul team. His first year in the majors was 1952 when he became the regular catcher for the Cubs and was named to the NL All Star team as he played in 107 games batting .290. Toby stayed with the Cubs through 24 games in 1953 (.230) and then went to the Pirates for 53 more appearances (.245).

From 1954-1956, he was in 96, 71 and 12 games for the Bucs batting .289, .213 and .111. He ended the '56 season (his last) with the Braves in 15 games (.167). In his 378 MLB games and 1,117 at bats, he batted .260 with a .357 OBP and .333 slugging. He caught in 344 contest with a .980 fielding percentage.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"This Army Air Corps veteran almost saw his career come to an end when he hurt his knee sliding while playing for Montreal in 1949...." - Rich Marazzi

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Atwell played as a pro from 1946-1958 including 8 years in AAA (four in the Amer. Assoc.). After baseball, he was employed doing special millwork in Leeburg, VA. He died at age 78, on Jan. 25, 2003, in Purcellville, VA.

Bob Ramazzotti played on the St. Paul clubs of 1947-1948. He played for the Dodgers in 1946 and 1948-1949 for 62, 4 and 5 games as a third/second baseman hitting .208, .000 and .154. The rest of the '49 year saw him with the Cubs for 65 games (.179). Bob continued with the Cubs from 1950-1953 in 61, 73, 50 and 26 contests with averages of .262, .247, .284 and .154.

He had a 7-year, 346-game MLB career with 651 at bats as he compiled a .230 average, .271 OBP and .291 OOB. He was stationed at second base in 126 games, at third for 82 and at short for 66 with a composite fielding mark of .966 (it was said that he had limited range).

Ramazzotti was a professional ballplayer from 1940-1954 (excluding his military service in 1942-1945). Later he worked for SFK Bearing Company in Altoona, PA. He died at age 83 on Feb. 15, 2000, in Altoona.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Roy Campanella played for the Saints in 1948. He then played for the Dodgers from 1948-1957 in 83, 130, 126, 143, 128, 144, 111, 123, 124 and 103 games with averages of .258, .287, .281, .325, .269, .312, .207, .318, .219 and .242. His home run count from 1949-1957 was 22, 31, 33, 22, 41, 19, 32, 20 and 13 with 82, 89, 108, 97, 142, 51, 107, 73 and 62 RBI.

He led the league in fielding for catchers in 1952 and 1957 and RBI in 1953. The only years he was not named to the NL All Star teams were in 1948 and 1957. Roy was the NL MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955. Campy played in 1,215 MLB games with 4,205 at bats for a .276 average, .362 OBP and .500 slugging %. In his 1,183 contests as a catcher, he fielded .988.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...Just 5'9" but solidly built, he had already proven himself as a catcher during nine years in the Negro National League, the winter leagues and Mexico. In 12 additional seasons, 10 in the majors, he was one of the era's outstanding players and his leadership and indefatigable enthusiasm made him one of the most popular players in the game.

"...In October 1945, Campanella caught for a black all-star team in a five-game exhibition series against a squad of white major leaguers managed by Charlie Dressen. Dressen had orders to arrange an appointment for Campanella with the Brooklyn Dodgers, who later signed the catcher for their Nashua, NH, Class-B farm team, a club run by Buzzie Bavasi and managed by Walter Alston. Campanella...won the MVP award. In 1947, he advanced to Montreal...and again was named the MVP, despite a season-ending slump that cut his average to .273. Paul Richards, then the Buffalo manager, called him 'the best catcher in the business - major or minor leagues'.

"Campanella made the Dodgers in 1948, but his promotion to Brooklyn was delayed by Rickey's plan to have him integrate the American Association. The owner forced manager Leo Durocher to play the catcher in the outfield, where he was not successful and then sent him to St. Paul in May... Campanella returned to the Dodgers to stay. For the next nine years, he caught for outstanding Brooklyn teams whose members have been lionized as 'The Boys of Summer.' They won National League pennants in 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956, narrowly missed two others and climaxed Brooklyn's baseball history with it's only World Series triumph in 1955.

"...Campanella's contributions to the Dodgers were remarkable...He fielded with grace that belied his physique and handled with distinction [their] pitching staff. Like those of many catchers, Campanella's career was punctuated by injuries. In spring training of 1954, he chipped a bone in the heel of his left hand and damaged a nerve. It affected his hitting and limited him to 111 games. Surgery helped in 1955, but the problem returned the next year. Then, in January 1958, Campanella was permanently disabled in an automobile accident. Returning home from his liquor store, which he ran in the off-season, he lost control of his car on an icy street. The car slammed into a telephone pole and flipped over, pinning him behind the steering wheel. The crash fractured his fifth cervical vertebra and damaged his spinal cord. He survived and endured years of therapy, living far beyond the normal span for quadriplegics, but his career was over. He committed himself to decades fo work in community relations for the Dodgers." - SG

-----

Roy played in the Negro Leagues from 1937-1945 and from 1946-1957 in the minors and majors. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1969. He died at age 71, on Nov. 19, 1993, in Woodland Hills, CA, due to a heart attack. Cremation followed and he was buried in Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills, CA.

Stew Hofferth played for a short time on the 1948 Saints club. He caught for the Braves in 1944-1946 for 66, 50 and 20 games hitting .200, .235 and .207. Stew was in 136 MLB games with 408 official at bats for a .216 average, .268 OBP and .277 slugging. He fielded .985 in 107 games behind the plate.

Hofferth played as a pro from 1936-1948 with four years in the A.A and managed in 1941-1942 and 1948. Thereafter, he was a steel worker for Inland Steel Company. He died at age 81 on March 7, 1994, at Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, IN, and was buried at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Louts, IN.

Dimitrios "Jim" Baxes played for the Saints in 1948, 1950 and 1954. He had only one year in the majors for two teams. In 1959, he was in 11 games for the Dodgers (..303) and 77 for the Indians (.239). His MLB career average was .246 with a .310 OBP and .471 slugging in 280 at bats. He hit 17 home runs and 12 doubles and fielded .931 in 48 games at second base and 32 at third.

Baxes played as a professional from 1948-1961 (excluding military service in 1951-1952) and had five seasons with more then 20 home runs and 10 years in AAA. He then was a sheet metal worker for 33 years in the heating and air conditioning industry. Jim died from heart failure at the age of 68 on Nov. 14, 1996, in Garden Grove, CA, and was cremated. His remains were buried at Magnolia Memorial Park in Garden Grove.

Charles "Tim" Thompson caught on the Saint Paul clubs of 1948, 1951 and 1955. He was in 10 games for the Dodgers in 1954 hitting .154 and then was a semi-regular for the A's in 1956-1957 for 92 and 81 contests with averages of .272 and .204. His last taste of the majors was in 4 games for the Tigers in 1958 (.167).

Tim played in 187 MLB games with 517 at bats for a .238 career average and a .294 OBP and .338 slugging. As a catcher in 136 games, he fielded .986. [He wore glasses while catching.]

Thompson was a pro player from 1947-1962 and managed in 1961. He was a major league coach for the Cardinals in 1981 and later a scouting supervisor for them. He lives in Lewistown, PA, and turned 84 years old in March 2008.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Ezra "Pat" McGlothin pitched for the Saints in 1948 and 1951-1953. His only big experience came in 1949-1950 in 7 and one relief appearance(s) for the Dodgers when he completed 16 and 2 innings for ERAs of 4.60 and 13.50. His career ERA was 5.60 with a .261 OAV, .320 OOB and a 1-1 record in 18 innings as he allowed 18 hits and 6 walks with 13 strikeouts.

McGlothin pitched as a professional from 1942-1954 (excluding his military service years of 1943-1945). He attended the U. of Tennessee and lives in Knoxville, TN, turning 88 in Oct. 2008.

Lee Pfund pitched for the 1947-1948 Saint Paul teams. He pitched in 15 games (10 starts) for the Dodgers in 1945 completing 62 innings allowing 69 hits and 35 walks while striking out 27. His ERA was 5.20 with a .274 OAV, .373 slugging and 3-2 record.

Pfund was a pro pitcher in 1941-1942 and 1944-1950. He coached baseball at Wheaton College (IL) in 1948-59 and 1961-1974 and basketball from 1951-1975. Lee was 90 years old in Oct. 2008 and lives in Carol Stream, IL.

Dan Bankhead pitched for the Saints in 1948. He was a Dodgers pitcher in 1947 and 1950-1951 for 4, 41 and 1 game(s) finishing 10, 129 and 14 innings with ERAs of 7.20, 5.50 and 15.43. His MLB totals in 52 games (13 starts) and 153 innings (161 h, 110 w, 111 so) was an ERA of 6.52, a OAV of .277, .395 OOB and 9-5 record.

Dan was the first black ever to pitch in the majors and also hit a home run in his first big league plate appearance. His scouting report was: "good fastball and screwball, needed better control."

Bankhead was a pro pitcher in the negro leagues from 1940-1942 and in 1945-1946 (appeared in three All Star games) and served in the military in 1943-1945. He was a minor and major leaguer in 1947-1964 (pitched a no-hitter for Nashua in '48) and 1966. After 1952, he played in Mexico as a pitcher-first baseman-outfielder. He died one day short of this 56^thbirthday on May 2, 1976 in Veteran's Hospital in Houston due to lung cancer.

----- 1949 -----

It was the closest pennant race in American Association history (to that point). The Saints led by 5 � games with eight days left in the year. Then they lost six in-a-row and Indianapolis did not. After the second-to-last day of the season, Saint Paul had a one-half game lead over Indianapolis with both clubs having double headers scheduled for the final day. Indianapolis won both games and St. Paul, with the help of Phil Haugstad's 14 innings [seven in each game], also won each of their games and first place by one-half game. [Due to a non-rescheduled rain out, the Saints played one less game then Indianapolis.] The Saints had not finished first since 1938.

Walt Alston returned and resided over a club who had it's first 20-game winner since 1936 and six of their starting eight position players hit over .300 - a feat which had been matched only a couple of times in franchise history. The club won seven more games then in '48 and set another club attendance record [391,269] drawing 32,400 additional fans.

All Star Ferrell Anderson (.303) was the full-time catcher appearing in 128 games and he was backed-up by Sam Calderone (.316) who saw action in 35 games. Danny Ozark (.307) took over as the starting first baseman after John Douglas was traded and he was backed by newcomer Wayne Belardi (.242) who played in three leagues during the season. Hank Schenz (.345) played several positions but most often second base after he arrived from the Cubs. He tied for the team lead with 17 homers, was first in 525 slugging % and stolen bases and was second in team batting. Another newcomer, future long-time major leaguer Danny O'Connell (.314), tied for the home run lead and was second in RBI as the first-line third baseman. Buddy Hicks (.268) came back as the shortstop and was also an All Star. The infield reserves were former starter, Al Brancato (.229), and new guy Lou Welaj (.176). With O'Connell's good early performance at third, the club traded third baseman Nanny Fernandez who went on to become the league's MVP at Indianapolis that season. From the Indians came Grady Wilson, also a third sacker, who hit .337 in 40 league games.

Returning All Star outfielder Eric Tipton (.320) had another good year leading the club in RBI. Bob Addis (.346) and Earl Naylor (.283) returned as regulars with Addis leading the team in average, but then moved on to Montreal. Naylor was pushed by newcomer Jim Pendleton (.274) who played in the field only five less games then Naylor. Pendleton was the first African-American to spend a complete season on a Saints roster.

Phil Haugstad (22-7), in his third year with the Saints, was the pitching hero leading the league in wins and the team in innings pitched (227), strike outs and ERA (2.85). Clem Labine (12-6) set a team record with 64 appearances as he pitched 139 innings for a 3.50 ERA. Harry Taylor (11-6) came back for 24 games and 118 innings and finished with a decent 3.89 ERA. Also returning were Jim Romano (10-12) who was second in innings, but had a high ERA of 4.64 and WHIP (1.61); Mel Himes (8-7) who compiled a 4.90 ERA in 112 innings (also spent time, during the year, in Montreal) and Lee Griffeth (4-1) a youngster with a good 3.47 ERA who was second on the team in appearances with 45.

Minor league lifer, George Brown (7-4), joined the team, but had a high ERA (5.34) in 31 games and 123 innings. Karl Morrison (4-2), a newbie in 14 games, performed at a fair level (5.01 ERA/1.93 WHIP) as a Saint and played in two other leagues during the year. Familiar faces Bill Eggert (3-2, 12 g, 44 IP, 5.73 ERA, 1.84 WHIP) [played his final pro year in three leagues]; Morrie Martin (3-6, 3.87, 1.44, 16 g, 79 inn.), who got a well-deserved promotion to the Dodgers during the season; and Bob Ross (0-0, 10 inn, 6.30, 2.00) also pitched for the Saints. Former major leaguer Ed Bahr came over from Indianapolis and, if we can assume he arrived early in the season, had a good year with a combined 8-9 record in 30 league games for a 3.52 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

The club had no post-season success losing to Milwaukee four games to two in the first round of the playoffs. They were shut out by Norm Roy in game one, won the next two and were nearly no-hit by Roy in game four [The Saints first hit came with one out in the ninth]. The Brewers then won the final two games

. [Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park in the Late 1940s

1949 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI /SB BB Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson * C-140 R 31 478 145 21/3 16 303 460 412 91/1 52 Maple City, KS

Danny Ozark 1b75,OF1(92) R 26 277 85 14/2 13 307 513 433 48/4 35 Buffalo, NY

Hank Schenz *# 2b108,OF11(123) R 30 516 178 26/8 17 345 525 421 77/30 39 New Richmond, OH

Danny O'Connell # 3b-138 R 22 493 155 29/1 17 314 481 438 102/7 61 Paterson, NJ

Buddy Hicks # SS-151 S 22 530 142 23/1 4 268 338 479 62/5 112 E. Los Angeles

Eric Tipton *# OF-146 R 34 516 165 35/12 13 320 510 525 106/11 106 Petersburg, VA

Bob Addis # OF-127 L 24 492 170 36/10 6 346 496 484 74/12 68 Mineral, OH

Earl Naylor * OF-104 R 30 290 82 14/2 13 283 479 393 58/2 32 Kansas City,MO

Jim Pendelton # OF-105 R 25 347 95 9/5 6 274 380 401 39/27 44 St. Charles, MO

Al Brancato * 2b49,3bSS(63) R 30 201 46 19/1 1 229 348 333 25/0 21 Philadelphia

Sam Calderone # C60 R 23 136 43 5/0 4 316 441 412 29/1 13 Beverly, NJ

Grady Wilson # @ 3b-40 R 27 113 38 8/0 3 336 487 425 21/0 10 Columbus, GA

Wayne Belardi # 1b-28 L 19 99 24 4/0 4 242 404 374 18/1 13 St. Helena, CA

John Douglas * @ 1b-115 L 32 404 108 18/0 1 267 319 413 32/5 59 Thayer, WV

Lou Welaj 2b3b-23 L 28 17 3 0/0 0 176 176 471 2/0 5 Barnsboro, PA

Nanny Fernandez *#@ 3b113,OF49 R 31 599 187 35/6 21 312 496 432 128/13 72 Wilmington, CA

Don Nicholas # PR-8 L 19 0 0 0/2 Phoenix

Oscar Grimes * 3b-7 R 34 6 1 0/0 0 167 167 ?/0 Mineral, OH

Ray Dabek C-1 R 22 2 0 000 000

1949 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Phil Haugstad * # R 25 35 22-7 243 216 150 2.85 1.51 140 Black River Falls, WI

Clem Labine # R 23 64 12-6 139 124 88 3.5 1.53 70 Lincoln, RI

Harry Taylor # R 30 24 11-6 118 112 58 3.89 1.44 43 East Glenn, IN

Jim Romano # R 22 36 10-12 161 170 89 4.64 1.61 71 Brooklyn

Mel Himes R 22 18 8-7 112 110 69 4.9 1.60 36

George Brown R 26 31 7-4 123 130 101 5.34 1.88 61

Lee Griffeth * L 24 45 4-1 83 75 42 3.47 1.41 49 Carmel, NY

Karl Morrison R 23 14 4-2 70 69 66 5.01 1.93 21

Bill Eggert R 26 12 3-2 44 47 34 5.73 1.84 18

Morrie Martin # L 27 16 3-6 79 83 31 3.87 1.44 51 Dixon, MO

Frank Laga R 29 4 1-0 7 12 4 2.57 2.29 3 Chicago

Nick Andromidas R 25 7 0-1 17 24 24 5.29 2.82 14 New York City

Bob Ross # L 21 4 0-0 10 14 6 6.3 2.00 1 Fullerton, CA

Ed Bahr * @ R 30 30 8-9 138 128 65 3.52 1.40 47 Rouleau, SK (Can)

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1949 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

St. Paul Saints 93 60 608 -- 352,911 Walt Alston

Indianapolis Indians 93 61 604 0.5 413,973

Milwaukee Brewers 76 76 500 16.5 266,061

Minneapolis Millers 74 78 487 18.5 247,637

Kansas City Blues 71 80 470 21 216,754

Louisville Colonels 70 83 458 23 227,758

Columbus Red Birds 70 83 458 23 170,464

Toledo Mud Hens 64 90 416 29.5 103,712

Walter Alston managed the 1948-1949 Saint Paul teams. His only major league player appearance was on September 27, 1936, when he played first base and had one at bat for the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out and fielded .500.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Alston carved out a Hall of Fame career as a manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. A product of the 'Cradle of Coaches,' Miami (OH) University, Alston tried almost every position during a 13-year minor league playing career (1935-47). Initially a third baseman, he moved to first base in 1936 and led the Mid-Atlantic League with 35 homers...His first managerial assignment came while he was still a player, with Portsmouth (Mid-Atlantic) in 1940. He led the circuit in homers (28), but the club finished sixth. The following two years, Alston led the Mid-Atlantic in homers and RBI. He moved up, as a player only, to Rochester (IL), but was released in 1944.

"Branch Rickey, who knew Alston from his days as the Cardinal's GM, hired him a player-manager at Trenton (Interstate) on July 28, 1944, beginning Alston's 33-year run as a skipper in the Dodgers' organization. He spent two seasons at Trenton, one at Nashua, one at Pueblo and two at St. Paul. After leading St. Paul to the Junior World Series in 1949, Alston was promoted to Brooklyn's top [?] minor league club, Montreal. During four seasons in Canada, guiding many of Brooklyn's future stars, Alston's Royals never finished below second place. Finally, on November 24, 1953, Walter O'Malley named Alston to replace Charlie Dressen, who wanted a multi-year contract, a Dodger taboo.

"Alston served under 23 consecutive one-year contracts. Following charismatic helmsmen like Leo Durocher, Bert Shotton and Dressen, Alston kept a low profile in the dugout. A quiet, dignified leader, Walt refused to panic following a disappointing second-place finish in 1954. He proved he was boss in 1955, quelling clubhouse turmoil just before the start of the season. With a lineup of stars, Alston led Brooklyn to its only World Series in 1955 and a pennant in 1956.

"Alston adapted to his talent: the power-laden Brooklyn clubs, the pitching-rich Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s and the young team in the 1970s. Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills led the group that earned four pennants in eight seasons from 1959 to 1966. Steve Garvey, Dave Lopes and Ron Cey headed Alston's last great team. At age 62, Alston guided his 1974 Dodgers to a seventh and final World Series. He was honored as Manager of the Year six times by Associated Press and five times by United Press International. In eight All-Star game assignments, he was the winning manager a record seven times. Alston was the first 1970s manager inducted into the Hall of Fame." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

His complete MLB managerial record (all for the Dodgers) was: 1954: 92-62 (2^nd); 1955: 98-55 (1^st, WS Champs); 1956: 93-61 (1^st); 1957: 84-70 (3^rd); 1958: 71-83 (7^th); 1959: 88-68 (1^st, WS Champs); 1960: 82-72 (4^th); 1961: 89-65 (2^nd); 1962: 102-63 (2^nd); 1963: 99-63 (1^st, WS Champs); 1964: 80-82 (6^th); 1965: 97-65 (1^st, WS Champs); 1966: 95-67 (1^st); 1967: 73-89 (8^th); 1968: 76-86 (7^th); 1969: 85-77 (4^th); 1970: 87-74 (2^nd); 1971: 89-73 (2^nd); 1972: 85-70 (3^rd); 1973: 95-66 (2^nd); 1974: 102-60 (1^st); 1975: 88-74 (2^nd); 1976: 90-68 (2^nd). His career record was 2,040-1,613 (.558).

Walter's induction into the Hall of Fame was in 1983. He died at age 72 on Oct. 1, 1984, at the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital in Oxford, OH, from heart disease after suffering a heart attack in early 1983. Burial was at Darrtown Cemetery in Darrtown, OH.

Hank Schenz played for Saint Paul in 1949. He was with the Cubs in 1946-1949 in 6, 7, 96 and 7 games hitting .261 in his 96-game year of '48. He then was a utility infielder for the Pirates in 1950-51 in 58 and 25 games batting .228 and .213. Hank ended the '51 season and his major league career with 8 games for the Giants.

He played in a total of 207 big league games and had 538 at bats for a .247 average, .291 OBP and .310 slugging. Defensively, he played second base in 118 games, 34 at third and 4 at short with a commutative fielding % of .974.

Schenz played as a professional from 1939-1942 and 1946-1955. He was in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1945 and, in the early 1980s, an estimator for Jack Moore Blacktop Company in Bethel, OH. Hank died at age 67 on May 12, 1988, at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati after suffering a massive heart attack. Burial was at Green Mount Cemetery in New Richmond, OH.

Danny O'Connell was a regular on the 1949 Saint Paul Saints. He became a 10-veteran of the major league wars. In 1950 and 1953 (he was in the U. S. Army from 1951-52), Danny was in 79 and 149 games for the Pirates hitting .292 and .294.

Danny moved on to the Braves in 1954-1957 as their starting second baseman in 146, 124, 139 and 48 games with averages of .279, .225, .239 and .235. He played the remainder of the '57 season with the Giants in 95 games (.266). Dan stayed with the Giants in 1958-59 for 107 and 34 games (.232 and .190). His big league career ended in 1961-1962 with the Senators for 138 and 84 contests where he hit .260 and .263.

He played in 1,143 MLB games and had 4,035 at bats with a .260 average, .335 OBP and .351 slugging %. Fieldingwise, his mark was .980 with 713 games at second, 335 at third and 68 at short.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Branch Rickey upset Pittsburgh fans when he traded O'Connell, a husting and intelligent infielder, to the Braves in 1953. O'Connell became Milwaukee's second baseman for three seasons. Though he was considered the weak link in their awesome offense, on June 13, 1956, he tied a major league record with three triples in a game. He played with the Giants from June 1957 until his demotion in 1959, resurfaced with the new Washington Senators..." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

O'Connell was a professional ballplayer from 1946-1963 (excluding his service years of 1951-52) and he managed in 1963. He also was a major league coach for the Senators in 1963-64 and, thereafter, a representative of the Whippany Paper Works. Dan died at age 42 in Clifton, NJ, when his car left the road and hit a utility pole after he had suffered a heart attack. Burial was at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Montclair, NJ.

Clarence "Buddy" Hicks was with the Saints in 1948-1949. His only big league games were in 1956 with the Tigers where he played in 26 games for a .213 average, .260 OBP and .255 slugging. He played 16 games at shortstop, 6 at second and one at first with a 1.000 fielding average.

Hicks was a pro player from 1944-1962 (excluding military service in 1945-46) and he managed from 1960-1969. In the early 1980s, he was manager for Automotive Warehouse Distributors in Bell, CA. He currently lives in Saint George, UT, and was 81 years old in Feb. 2008.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Bob Addis played for the Saints in 1948-1949. He was with the Braves in 1950-1951 for 16 and 86 games with averages of .250 and .276. Bob moved on to the Cubs for the 1952-1953 seasons appearing in 93 and 10 contests hitting .295 and .167. His last big league taste was in 4 games with the Pirates in '53.

Bob accumulated 208 MLB games and had 534 at bats for a .281 average, .327 OBP and .341 slugging. As an outfielder in 135 games, his fielding % was .986. His scouting report was: "Speedy with little power".

Addis played pro baseball from 1943-1956 (excluding his military service in 1944-45) but including five years in the American Association. He became the high school baseball coach at Euclid, OH, and now lives in Mentor, OH, turning 83 years old in Nov. 2008.

Sam Calderone caught for the 1949 Saint Paul club. He was a backup catcher for the Giants in 1950 and 1953 for 34 and 35 games hitting .299 and .222. Sam was in the same role for the Braves of 1954 (22 g, .379). In his 91 MLB games and 141 at bats, he batted .291 with a .324 OBP and .348 slugging %. He fielded .978 with 80 games as a receiver.

Calderone was a pro player from 1945-1958 (excluding service years of 1951-52) and including five years in AAA. He was a manager in 1960 and later became a liquor salesman in New Jersey. Sam lives in Beverly, NJ, at the age of 82 as of Feb. 2008.

Grady Wilson played with the Saints during part of the 1949 season. His only taste of the big leagues were in 12 games for the Phillies in 1948. He had 10 at bats with one hit (a double), no walks and a .846 fielding percentage in 7 games at shortstop.

Wilson was a pro baseball player from 1946-1959 and managed in 1957, 1961-1964 and 1966. He died at age 80 on July 23, 2003, in Columbus, GA.

Wayne Belardi was on the St. Paul team part of the 1949 year. He was a back-up first baseman and pinch hitter for the Dodgers in 1950-1951 and 1953-1954. In 1953, he hit .239 with 1963 at bats. The remainder of his 1954 season was with the Tigers for 88 games where he batted .232.

Wayne stayed with the Tigers the remainder of his major league years of 1955-1956 for 3 and 79 games batting .279 in '56. He had played in 263 MLB games and had 592 at bats for a .242 average, .332 OBP and .422 slugging. As a first baseman in 149 contests, he fielded .987.

Belardi played as a pro from 1949-1957 with three years in AAA and had two years with more then 20 home runs at the AA level. After baseball, he entered the fruit industry in San Jose, CA, and later operated a bar and restaurant for five years. He died at age 63 on Oct. 21, 1993, at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, CA, from a heart attack after suffering from cirrhosis of the liver for some time. His ashes were scattered off the coast of Santa Cruz.

Frolian [or Froilan] "Nanny" Fernandez was a third baseman/outfielder for the Saints during part of the '49 season. He was with the Braves as a starter in 1942 and 1946-1947 in 145, 115 and 83 games as he accumulated averages of .255, .255 and .206. His big league years came to a close in 1950 with 65 games for the Pirates (.258).

[His parents moved from Spain to California shortly before his birth.]

Nanny played in 408 MLB games and had 1,356 at bats for a .248 BA, .306 OBP and .334 slugging. He fielded .925 in 237 games at third, 60 at short and 66 in the outfield.

Fernandez' years as a pro were from 1939-1955, excluding his military service years of 1943-1945. In the early 1980s, he was a marine clerk for the longshoreman's union in Lomita, CA. All told, he was a longshoreman for 30 years and died at age 77 on Sept. 19, 1996, at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Harbor City, CA, from nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. He also had suffered from hepatitis "C" for ten years. Burial was at Green Hills Memorial Park in Verdes, CA.

Oscar Grimes was with the Saints in part of the 1949 year. He was a utility infielder for the Indians from 1938-1942 in 4, 119, 11, 77 and 51 games with averages of .200, .269, .000, .238 and .179. Oscar then moved to the Yankees for the 1943-1945 years appearing in 9, 116 and 142 games hitting .150, .279 and .265. [He led AL third basemen in errors in '45]. After 14 games with the Yanks in 1946 (.205), he ended his big league career with the A's in 59 games (.262).

He played in 602 MLB games and had 1,832 at bats with a BA of .256, OBP of .363 and .352 slugging. His fielding % was .940 with 257 games at third, 135 at second and he also played games at first and short.

His father, Ray, was a first baseman with the A's, Cubs and Phillies from 1920-1926. Oscar played as a pro from 1935-1950. He was a millwright at Republic Steel in Cleveland from 1951-1958 and a superintendent of a number of apartment buildings in the western suburbs of Cleveland from 1960-1982. He died at age 78 on May 19, 1993, at Hanbidge Centre in Westlake, OH, due to cancer and the complications of Alzheimer's. Burial was at Sunset Memorial Park in North Olmsted, OH.

Floyd "Bob" Ross pitched for Saint Paul in 1948-1949. He was a hurler on the 1950-1951 Senators for 6 and 11 games completing 13 and 32 innings for ERAs of 8.53 and 6.54. His last big league appearances were with for the Phillies in 1956 when he was in 3 games and 3 innings with a 8.10 ERA.

Bob was called into 20 MLB games (3 starts) finishing 48 innings allowing 55 hits and 38 walks while striking out 29. His ERA was 7.17 with a .299 OAV, .419 OOB and 0-2 record.

Ross was a professional pitcher from 1948-1959 excluding 1952-1953 when he served in the armed services. He played in the American Association for four seasons, graduated from Long Beach State and, in the early 1980s, was the assistant superintendent of schools in the Anaheim, CA, school district. He lives in San Jacinto, CA, and was 80 as of Nov. 2008.

-----1950-----

The Saint Paul franchise began play in their sixth decade with another quite good team. However, they did loss 10 more games and, with more television sets being purchased in the city, attendance dropped by the most-ever from one year to-the- next [a reduction of approximately 152,700]. They were now fourth, at the gate, in the steady-as-you-go American Association. But, the league would change radically in the next few years with the blame - again - going to television.

[Saint Paul's population stood at 309,474 in 1950 as compared to 163,065 in 1901.]

The Branch Rickey-less Dodgers [owner Walter O'Malley forced him to Pittsburgh] had Walter Alston swap his Saints' job with the manager of the Montreal Royals for the past four years, Clay Hopper. Hopper came to Saint Paul with a resume which included playing as a pro from 1926-1941 and managing in 1929-30, 1932-42 and 1946-1949. He had never reached the majors as a player.

Hopper

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

New Popcorn Machine Installed at the Lex (GM Mel Jones, Cliff Replogie, Dick Ericson, Bill Turner, Ciel Welp, Tom Caulfied, Bruce Hosack and Elton Schiller)

Offensively, the St. Paul club dropped from a team average of .289 in 1949 to .261 in 1950. None of the most-used position players hit .300. Ferrell Anderson (.277) was the catching regular for the third straight year and played nearly full-time in 133 games. The main back-up was Guy Wellman (.153) who played his last pro season. Receiver Steve Lembo got into 11 games for the Saints and also played for the Dodgers and in Montreal during the season.

First base was ably manned by newcomer Lou Limmer (.277) who led the league in homers (29 - all but two on the road) and RBI (111) as a league All Star. Former starter, Danny Ozark (.185), went down to the Eastern League after 24 games. Also new to the squad, at second, was speedster Jack Cassini (.276) who led the league in stolen bases. Al Brancato (.235) moved back into the starting third baseman job and also played all of the other infield positions. Another All Star, Jim Pendleton (.299), switched from outfielder to shortstop leading the regulars in hitting and slugging percentage and was second in RBI with 98. [He also led the league with 19 triples]. Bob Bundy (.244) played in 39 games as a back-up at third and second and also played in two other leagues during the year. Returnee infielder Jim Baxes (.132) was with the team for 13 games and then was assigned to the PCL. .

Saints' outfield mainstay, Eric Tipton (.288) was back finishing second in team hitting and third in RBI. Earl Naylor (.283) also returned for 106 games and there were numerous other players who had duty in the outfield. Cliff Aberson (.256) played the field in 59 games [also played in two other leagues during the year] and another speedster, Don Nicholas, returned for 71 games (55 as an outfielder) and was second in the league with 35 stolen bases. Cal Abrams (.333) was called to Brooklyn after 58 contests and 192 at bats compiling a .667 OBP. Another part-time Dodger, during the season, was George Shuba (.256) who got into 36 Saints games. Bill Antonello (.243) was gone to the PCL after 38 games and John Simmons (.247) performed in three leagues in '50 including 31 games for St. Paul. As if the outfielder traffic jam wasn't bad enough, Ted Bartz (.172) was in 12 games and Clint Conatser in four. After the season, Bartz went into the military to help in the Allied efforts in Korea.

Top pitcher, Phil Haugstad (16-11), returned to lead the team in wins, starts, innings pitched and strike outs. Morrie Martin (14-9) was sent down by Brooklyn and compiled a team-leading 3.65 ERA in 28 starts and 197 innings as he ended his Saints days and was soon to become a regular big leaguer. Another long-time Saint, Harry Taylor (13-9), was second in innings pitched for a 4.02 ERA before being dwelt to the Red Sox. Clem Labine (11-7) saw action with the Dodgers after his 37 games and 128 innings with the Saints (4.99 ERA).

Newcomer, Ed Chandler (9-7) , a former big leaguer, completed 154 innings in 37 games for a 4.44 ERA and Ed Bahr (7-7) returned as a runner-up in best team ERA of 3.69 in his final pro year. Another ex-major leaguer, but new to St. Paul, Johnny VanCuyk (7-9) led the team with the best WHIP (1.37) in 152 innings. Lee Griffeth (2-5) came back with 29 appearances ending with a poor 5.94 ERA and 2.02 WHIP before going down to the Eastern League. .

Jim Romano [saw action with the Dodgers during year], George Brown and Nick Andromdas returned for a few mound appearances each and newcomers Jim Hughes, Chet Kehn [played in four leagues during his final pro season] and Fred Waters saw their first action in Saint Paul.

The Saints went down quickly in the playoffs losing their first four games to Indianapolis.

1950 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI /SB BB Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson * C-135 R 32 430 119 16/4 14 277 430 402 60/1 54 Maple City, KS

Lou Limmer # 1b-149 L 25 501 139 23/6 29 277 521 469 111/7 96 New York City

Jack Cassini # 2b112,3b17 R 31 532 147 14/7 6 276 363 410 52/36 71 Dearborn, MI

Al Brancato * 3b125,SS2b1b(134) R 31 468 110 16/4 4 235 312 344 62/1 51 Philadelphia

Jim Pendelton # SS-145 R 26 571 171 25/19 10 299 462 375 98/25 43 St. Charles, MO

Eric Tipton *# OF-144 R 35 462 133 35/1 10 288 439 522 97/12 108 Petersburg, VA

Earl Naylor * OF76,1b1 R 31 286 81 7/2 13 283 458 395 65/4 32 Kansas City,MO

Cliff Aberson * OF-75 R 29 168 43 10/3 6 256 458 560 24/2 51 Chicago

Don Nicholas # OF55,SS3b(71) L 20 204 61 6/4 0 299 368 510 10/35 43 Phoenix

Cal Abrams # OF57,1b1 L 26 192 64 8/1 3 333 432 667 16/5 64 Philadelphia

Guy Wellman C-43 R 28 59 9 1/0 0 153 169 373 6/0 13

Bob Bundy 3b17,2b10 R 26 119 29 7/0 1 244 328 311 11/6 8 Kansas City,MO

Bill Antonello # OF-38 R 23 136 33 6/2 6 243 449 316 15/0 10 Brooklyn

George Shuba *# OF-36 L 26 117 30 3/1 4 256 402 359 19/1 12 Youngston, PA

John Simmons * OF-31 R 26 85 21 4/1 2 247 388 365 17/2 10 Birmingham, AL

Danny Ozark 1b13,3bOF R 27 54 10 0/0 1 185 241 259 6/0 4 Buffalo, NY

Jim Baxes # 2b-13 R 22 53 7 2/1 1 132 264 208 8/1 4 San Francisco

Ted Bartz OF-12 R 25 29 5 2/0 0 172 241 241 1/0 2 Detroit

Steve Lembo # C-11 R 24 29 7 2/0 0 241 310 310 5/0 2 Brooklyn

Clint Conatser * OF-4 R 29 16 4 2/0 1 250 562 2/0 Los Angeles

1950 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Phil Haugstad * # R 26 36 32 16-11 229 216 125 3.89 1.49 137 Black River Falls, WI

Morrie Martin * # L 28 31 28 14-9 197 216 62 3.65 1.41 114 Dixon, MO

Harry Taylor # R 31 34 31 13-9 206 216 88 4.02 1.48 102 East Glenn, IN

Clem Labine # R 24 37 13 11-7 128 139 64 4.99 1.59 64 Lincoln, RI

Ed Chandler * R 33 37 19 9-7 154 178 56 4.44 1.52 53 Pinson, AL

Ed Bahr * R 31 25 9 7-7 100 113 37 3.69 1.50 41 Rouleau, SK (Can)

John VanCuyk * L 29 38 13 7-9 152 151 57 4.44 1.37 102 Little Chute, WI

Lee Griffeth * L 25 29 3 2-5 53 74 33 5.94 2.02 18 Carmel, NY

Jim Romano # R 23 2 2-0 16 6 4 0.63 14 Brooklyn

Jim Hughes # R 27 6 1-0 7 19 9 23.14 4.00 7 Chicago

Fred Waters # L 23 5 1-1 12 17 7 6.75 2.00 6 Benton, MS

Chet Kehn * R 29 6 0-1 8 13 7 10.78 2.50 4 San Diego

George Brown R 27 3 0-1 3 1 6 3 2.33 1

Nick Andromidas R 26 9 0-0 24 27 19 5.63 1.92 9 New York City

Earl Naylor * R 31 4 0-0 9 17 6 2.56 3 Kansas City,MO

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

1950 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Minneapolis Millers 90 64 584 -- 238,285

Indianapolis Indians 85 67 559 4 294,451

Columbus Red Birds 84 69 549 5.5 170,950

St. Paul Saints 83 69 546 6 200,149 Clay Hopper

Louisville Colonels 82 71 536 7.5 219,429

Milwaukee Brewers 68 85 444 21.5 145,868

Toledo Mud Hens 65 87 428 24 88,393

Kansas City Blues 54 99 353 35.5 147,320

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Ferrell "Andy" Anderson was the mainline catcher for the 1948-1950 Saint Paul Saints. He played in 79 games for the Dodgers in 1946 compiling a .256 average and was in 18 games for the 1953 Cardinals (.286). In his 97 MLB games and 234 at bats, his BA was .261 with a .324 OBP and .338 slugging %. He fielded .968 in 82 games as a catcher.

Anderson was a pro player from 1939-1955 (excluding military service in 1943-1945) and managed in 1954-1955. [He hit over .300 in four seasons and played at the AAA level in five]. Andy was an all-conference lineman for two years at the U. of Kansas. From 1961-1978, he was a general agent for the Occidental Life Insurance Company. He died at age 60, on March 12, 1978, in Joplin, MO, after a year of poor health. Burial was at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery in Joplin.

Lou Limmer was the Saints first baseman in 1950. He was in the majors only two full seasons for the A's in 1951 and 1954. During those seasons, he was in 94 and 115 games with averages of .159 and .231. He had 530 at bats in his career 209 MLB games for a .202 average, .287 OBP and .360 slugging. Defensively, he had a .988 fielding % in 137 games at first base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Limmer suffered a broken neck in 1948 [he also temporally lost his eyesight]...Despite outstanding minor league stats, he failed two MLB trials because of his low batting average and indifferent fielding." - Bob Carroll

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Lou had graduated from the Manhattan High School of Aviation and served in Army Air Corps during WWII.

Limmer was a pro player from 1946-1958. He led the Western League in homers in 1949 and the A.A. in home runs and RBI in 1950. He had seven seasons of hitting over 20 homers. In 1,362 minor league games and 4,836 at bats, he hit .279 with 244 homers. After baseball, he entered the air conditioning and refrigeration business in the Bronx. In retirement, he lived in Manalapan, NJ, and "wintered" in Florida, but always attended the A's alumni meetings in Philadelphia. He died at age 82, on April 1, 2007, in Boca Raton, FL, and was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in St. Albans, NY.

Cliff Aberson was on the Saints team of 1950. He performed for the Cubs in 1947-1949 in 47, 12 and 4 games hitting

.251 in his MLB 179 at bats with a .343 OBP and .408 slugging. As an outfielder in 49 games, his fielding percentage was .913.

Aberson was a professional baseball player from 1941-1954 (excluding his military service of 1943-1946) and also played pro football. Thereafter, he was a real estate agent in Fairfield, CA. He died at age 51, on June 23, 1973, at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, CA, from cancer of the esophagus. Burial was at Suisun-Fairfield Cemetery in Fairfield.

Cal Abrams played with the 1950 Saint Paul club. He was in 8, 38, 67 and 10 games for the Dodgers in 1949-1952 hitting .280 during his 67-game season of 1951. The remainder of his '52 year was spent with the Reds for 71 games and an average of .274.

He then played with Pittsburgh in 1953-1954 for 119 and 17 games (.286 and .143). After leaving the Pirates in '54, he was a starter with the Orioles for the rest of the year (115 g, .293). In 1955, he was in 118 games for Baltimore with a decreased .243 BA. His last big league games were with the White Sox in 1956 (4 g, .269).

In his 567 MLB games and 1,611 at bats, he batted .269 with a .387 OBP and .392 slugging. He played 441 games in the outfield for a .977 fielding %. His scouting report was: "weak arm and a singles hitter". He was thrown out at home by Richie Ashburn during the last game of the 1950 season to clinch the pennant for the Phillies.

Abrams played as a pro from 1946-1958 with seven season in AAA. In the early 1980s, he worked for a plastic company and also was involved with an old timers speakers bureau living at Hand Lake, Amagansett, NY. He also had owned several cocktail lounges on Long Island and worked for New York City's off-track betting business before retiring to Florida in the mid-1980s. He died at age 73, on Feb. 25, 1997, at North Ridge Medical Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, from a heart attack. Burial was at Star of David Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale, FL.

George Shuba was with the Saints for part of the 1950 season. He played on the Dodgers from 1948-1950 and 1952-1955 in 63, 1, 34, 94, 74, 45 and 44 games as a spare outfielder. During those years, he batted .267, .000, .207, .305, .254, .154 and .275.

He played in 355 MLB games with 814 at bats for a .259 average, .359 OBP and .413 slugging. In 216 games in the outfield, his fielding percentage was .967. [His nickname was "shutgun" because his line drive hits came off his bat like bullets.]

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A utility outfielder and lefthanded pinch hitter during the Dodgers' Boys of Summer era, Shuba delivered a pinch-hit homer in the 1953 World Series opener...Knee surgery reduced his effectiveness after that season." - Ed Maher

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Shuba played as a pro from 1944-1957 and then became an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. He lives in Youngstown, OH, and turned 84 in Dec. 2008.

John E. Simmons played on the Saint Paul club in 1950. He had one full year in the majors with the Senators in 1949 for 62 games and 93 at bats. His BA was .215 with a .298 OBP and .215 OOB. Since he only played 26 games in the outfield (1.000 perfect fielding), it is assumed that he was more often used as a pinch hitter.

Simmons attended NYU and was a pro from 1946-1954 including parts of three seasons at the AAA level. He lived in Farmingdale, NY, and died there at age 84 on Aug. 1, 2008. Burial was at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, NY.

Steve Lembo played part of the 1950 season in St. Paul. He played in 5 and 2 games for the Dodgers in 1950 and 1952. In his 11 official at bats, he got 2 hits and walked once. He caught in all 7 games with a 1.000 fielding %.

Lembo was a professional catcher in 1944 and 1946-1952 with two years at AAA. In the early 1980s, he was working for Abraham and Strauss in New York. He died at age 63 in Flushing, NY, on Dec. 4, 1989. Burial was at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.

Clint Conatser played for the Saint Paul club in 1950. He played in 10 games with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1939 (303, 0, 3) and in 1940 (.236, 4, 26). Also in '39, he played for Logan [Mount.State] in 60 games batting .241 with 35 RBI and 37 games at Johnstown [Penn. State] (.283). In addition to playing for the Twins in 1940, he also appeared in 54 games for Flint [Mich. State] where he hit .327 with 44 RBI. His 1941 season was spent at Charleston, WV [Mid Atlantic] as he hit .248 in 74 games with 35 RBI. During this time, his contract was owned by the Indians. He serviced his country in the military from 1942 through 1945.

After the war, Conatser moved to the Tigers' organization and had a good year at Dallas [Texas] in 1946, where in 131 games, he batted .283 with 70 RBI. In 1947, for Buffalo [IL], he hit .279 with 8 home runs, before GM Paul Richards returned his contract to Detroit in July. Dallas immediately made a claim for him, but Tigers' GM Billy Evans sent him to Seattle [PCL]. The Rainiers only used him against left handers and he hit .298 with 5 homers in 54 games. After the season, he was again returned to the Detroit organization and they sold him to Buffalo [IL]. In November 1947, the Boston Braves drafted Conatser from Buffalo.

Clint made the Braves roster in 1948 when they let Danny Litwhiler go. "TSN" stated that Conatser had the best throwing arm of any Braves' outfielder that year and had good power and speed. He platooned with Jeff Heath in left field staying the complete year with the Boston Braves in 1948 getting into 90 games batting .277 with a OBP of .370. He appeared in the outfield in 76 games and was used as a pinch hitter 11 times with one hit.

A season highlight for him was on August 22. The Braves were in the pennant race and were facing the Dodgers who were ahead 3-2 in the 8^th inning with one on. The pitcher, Erv Palica, was behind in the count 3-and-1 and threw a fast ball down the heart of the plate. Conatser homered to left to give the Braves a 4 to 3 victory and a NL lead which they did not relinquish the rest of the season. On September 29, Jeff Heath broke his ankle and Clint became a starting outfielder. In the 8^th inning, on October 1, after having already made 7 putouts, he raced to catch a drive from Pee Wee Reese and dove to make a great catch. "TSN" thought he should not have risked injury since the Braves, at that point, had already clinched the NL pennant.

In the World Series, he appeared in 2 games and was 0 for 4 with one RBI (0 for 1 as a pinch hitter). His RBI came in the 8^th inning of game 6, when he pinch hit with one out, bases loaded and the Braves trailing 4-1. Cleveland brought in knuckle baller Gene Bearden whose first two pitches were wide. The next pitch, a knuckler, was over the plate and Conatser hit a long drive to center which was caught by Thurman Tucker, and the runner on third tagged and scored to make it 4-2. The next batter, Phil Masi, doubled to make it 4-3, but the Indians held on to win the game and the Series.

During Spring Training 1949, Clint was competing against five others for outfield duty, but he was the only right handed hitter [there were two switch hitters]. He started the season platooning with Marv Richert in left field, but wound up splitting 1949 between AAA [Milwaukee] and the Braves, getting into 53 MLB games with an average of .263 and an OBP of .325. That was the extent of his ride in the majors. In 143 games and 376 at bats, he hit a decent .271 average with an OBP of .352. He slugged 6 home runs with 39 RBI and had a slugging % of .375. He was 4 for 21 as a pinch hitter.

Conatser spent the year at St. Paul [A.A.] (250, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Hollywood [PCL] where he hit .231 with 7 homers and 27 RBI. In December, ending a working agreement with the Dodgers, Hollywood obtained outright title to Clint. With the Stars in '51, he again hit .231 and homered 9 times with 42 RBI. In October, Conatser played with Bob Lemon's "All Stars" in exhibition games at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. Also on the team were Chuck Connors, Rocky Bridges and Tommy Thompson.

Clint ended his pro career with Portland (PCL) in 1952 by hitting .268 with 8 home runs and 38 RBI. All told, as a minor leaguer, he played with 14 teams. He had 3 seasons hitting .298 or better.

He lives in Laguna Hills, CA, and was 87 years old in July 2008.

Phil Haugstad pitched for the Saints in 1947-1950. Phil had one complete MLB season and three short tastes of the majors. He came up with the Dodgers in September 1947 and appeared in 6 games for 12 2/3 innings giving up 14 hits and 4 walks with an ERA of 2.84. In 1948, he was in only one game and one inning allowing no runs.

His next major league experience was in 1951 when he stayed the whole season with the Dodgers. In 21 games including 1 start he finished 31 innings allowing 28 hits and 24 walks with 22 strikeouts. His ERA was 6.46 and he had a .233 OAV. On May 25, 1952, Phil was sold to the Reds for the waiver price and finished his MLB career with 9 games for 12 innings and a 6.75 ERA.

In his 37 MLB games, the right hander completed 56 innings giving up 51 hits and 41 walks with 28 strikeouts for a 5.59 ERA and .241 OAV. His minor league career occurred from 1946-1950 and 1952-1955 for 10 teams. His best year was in 1949 for the St. Paul Saints where he went 22-7 with a 2.85 ERA.

Haugstad was a fastball-type pitcher for Alma Center High School in WI where he pitched 3 no-hitters. Like most fastballers, control was a problem. In a September 1949 article in "TSN", it was said that his standard m.o. was to walk 2 or 3 and hit at least one batter in the first inning of his games. He had a violent motion throwing himself a fair distance toward home pate with every pitch. In 1949 he claimed that he had learned much at spring training that year as he said: "I think I've got the control problem about licked." He had a good year at St. Paul in '49 as he won 22 games for the Saints which was the first time the team had a 20-game winner since 1936.

Phil served as an airplane mechanic for the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII. He was in pro baseball from 1946-1955 [He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1946 (15-13, 3.34 ERA)]. Phil owned and operated a logging and pulping business in his home town of Black River Falls from 1955 to 1991 where he also helped out with local town teams. He died at age 74 in Black River Falls Memorial Hospital on October 21, 1998, and is buried there at Riverside Cemetery. .

Morris "Morrie" or " Lefty" Martin was a Saints pitcher in 1942 and 1947-1950. Morrie was taken away from spring training in 1949 for 3 weeks because of an illness and eventual death in his family. However, he did first pitch in the majors that season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 games including 4 starts. He gave up 39 hits, including 5 home runs, and 15 walks for a 7.04 ERA. During the 1950 spring training, he sprained his ankle and played the year in AAA. Martin came back in 1951 with the Philadelphia A's [obtained by a draft] and pitched through the 1953 season with them. During those years, he made 35 (3 starts), 5 (all starts) and 58 (11 starts) appearances with the limited games, in 1952, due to a broken finger. His ERAs were 3.78, 6.39 and 4.43. He had his career year in '51 going 11-4 and beating every AL club at least once before he collided with Indians' catcher Mike Hegan which ended his season.

In a well-traveled 10-year journey, Morrie pitched 250 MLB games for 605 innings allowing 607 hits and 249 walks while striking out 245 for a 4.29 ERA and .262 OAV. His record was 38-34.

Morrie served from 1943-1945 in World War II as a combat engineer and was wounded in action. Martin entered the meat backing business in Washington, MO, where he still lives. He turned 86 years old in September 2008.

Ed Chandler pitched for Saint Paul in 1950. His only major league experience came in 1947 for the Dodgers when he appeared in 15 games (one start) and 30 innings allowing 31 hits and 12 walks while striking out 8. His ERA was 6.37 with a .263 OAV, .331 OOB and 0-1 record.

Chandler was a professional hurler from 1941-1955 (excluding military service in 1942-1945) which includes five years in the PCL. He died on July 6, 2003, at the age of 81, in Las Vegas.

Ed Bahr was a pitcher on the Saint Paul Saints in 1949-1950. He got into 27 and 19 games for the Pirates in 1946-1947 with 137 and 82 innings for ERAs of 2.63 and 4.59. In his 46 MLB games (25 starts), he compiled 219 innings allowing 210 hits and 95 walks with 69 strikeouts for an ERA of 3.37, .257 OAV, .341 OOB and an 11-11 record.

Bahr pitched professionally from 1938-1950 (excluding his military service in 1942-1944) including four years in the American Association. He lived in Bothell, WA, and died at age 87 on April 6, 2007, in Fall City, WA [some sources say Seattle].

Jim R. Hughes was a Saints pitcher in 1950 and 1955. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1952-1956 in 6, 48, 60 (led league), 24 and 5 games as a relief pitcher for 19, 86, 87, 43 and 12 innings with ERAs of 1.45, 3.47, 3.22, 4.22 and 5.25. Jim led the NL with 24 saves in 1954.

After those 5 games with Brooklyn in '56, he went to the Cubs where he was in 25 games and 45 innings for an ERA of 5.16. In 1957, he wrapped up his big league seasons with 4 games for the White Sox (5 inn, 10.80). Over his 6-years, 172-game MLB career, he finished 296 innings allowing 278 hits and 165 walks with 165 strikeouts. He had an ERA of 3.83 and a 251 OAV, .344 OOB and 15-13 record.

Hughes was a pro ballplayer from 1946-1958 including seven years in AAA and managed in 1968. He stayed in baseball as a scout for the Blue Jays. Jim died at age 78 on Aug. 13, 2001, in Chicago due to a heart attack.

Fred Waters was a pitcher on the 1950 Saint Paul squad. His only big league experiences came in 1955-1956 for the Pirates in 2 and 23 games where he had ERAs of 3.60 and 2.82. Fred's MLB career ERA was a good 2.89 in 56 innings as he allowed 55 hits and 32 walks while striking out 14. He also had a .264 OAV, .365 OOB and 2-2 record.

Waters pitched professionally from 1949-1962 and was a minor league manager from 1964-1986 in the Twins organization. He also was a teacher, administrator and coach for high schools in Pensacola, FL, for 32 years. He died at age 62 on Aug. 28, 1989, at the West Florida Regional Medical Center in Pensacola from pancreatic cancer. Burial was at Roseland Park Cemetery in Hattiesburg, MS.

Chet Kehn was a short term pitcher on the 1950 Saints. He only had a cup of coffee in the majors for 3 games and 8 innings in 1942 for the Dodgers. In 3 innings, he completed 8 innings allowing 8 hits and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts. His ERA was 7.04 with a .267 OAV, .353 OOB and a 0-0 record.

As a pro, Kehn pitched from 1939-1950 (excluding 1943-1945) with seven years at the AAA level. He became a manager at a Handyman Hardware store in California. Death came at age 62 from a heart attack suffered in the [later named "Murphy"] Stadium parking lot in San Diego on April 5, 1984. Cremation followed.

Branch Rickey, as GM of the Dodgers, supplied players to the Saints from 1947-1949 and, many that he signed, contributed to the team well in the 1950s.. Without his good relationship with former club owner Walter Seeger, the Saint Paul franchise would not have been anywhere near as successful in it's post-war years.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The honorific The Mahatma combined respect for Rickey's baseball sagacity with amusement at his pontifical manner and florid speech, which gave him the air of a con man playing a parson. He could have been either, but essentially he was the traditional American type, the sharp trader. The basis of his success was a nearly infallible eye for baseball talent. Over and over again, he was the potential in raw youth, brought hidden qualities to light and calculated precisely the productive time left in a veteran.

"...he created the spring-training complex at Vero Beach, where players by the hundreds could be instructed, evaluated and assigned. And he encouraged such innovations as batting cages, pitching machines, batting helmets and a string outline of the strike zone rigged over home plate for pitchers working on control.

"Rickey's all-seeing eye enhanced his knack for trades, for the always knew precisely the players he wanted and exactly the players he was prepared to give up. Add to this his psychological ploys and circumlocutory argument and his trading partners often departed shirtless, but persuaded he had done them a favor. Perhaps the eye also prompted the most significant action of his career: destruction of baseball's persistent discrimination against blacks. For however noble his motives, he was undeniably the first beneficiary of the change. It certainly was a brave move to sign Jackie Robinson, breaking the silently-upheld color barrier that had existed since the 1880s. But by exploiting the Negro Leagues as a new source of talent, Rickey built a dynasty that won the NL pennant seven times from 1947 through 1956.

"Rickey was not much of a ballplayer himself, although he came to the Reds in 1904 well-recommended as a catcher...but [he was] cut before he ever caught a game. The Browns and the Highlanders tried him as a backup catcher until an injured throwing arm ended his playing career. At New York, he was behind the plate on a day Washington stole 13 bases.

"By 1913 he had coached at the U. of Michigan, earned a law degree and taken a front-office job with the Browns. Toward the season's end he replaced George Stovall as field manager. His record was well under .500 and he never got along with Phil Ball, who took over the Browns in the maneuvering that divided the Federal League spoils. In 1919, after a brief military service, Rickey became president and field manager of the Cardinals. Soon he began his long and profitable partnership with hardheaded Sam Breadon, the automobile-dealer-turned-baseball-magnate.

"The Cardinals...cashbox was empty. ...Rickey, now vice president, made his first investment in a minor a minor league farm team. Branch also managed for seven seasons, again slightly under .500. After finishes between third place and seventh place, Breadon ousted him...[but] Rogers Hornsby...promptly took the squad Rickey had assemble to the first of many Cardinals pennants and World Championships. Rickey was now a man of prominence. Yet with success came other qualities...[He] was a slick article, an ambiguous personality...

"He was equally successful in Brooklyn in the 1940s, crowning his achievement with the skillfully manipulated introduction of Jackie Robinson. He was eventually squeezed out of the picture by Walter O'Malley, but even after moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers continued to be successfully run according to his principles. In 1950, he undertook to put new life into the Pirates, but the Mahatma's magic was gone. After five doormat finishes, Joe L. Brown stepped in to take his place. However, Rickey did succeed in making the batting helmet standard gear during his time in Pittsburgh.

"In 1959 Rickey launched an effort to form a third major league, the Continental League. The majors reacted with alarm. They could not confront the new venture directly without raising antitrust concerns, so they preempted the new league's prime franchises in the expansion of 1961-62, an expansion Rickey had long advocated. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veterans Committee." - A. D. Suehsdorf

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Rickey died at age 83 on Dec. 9, 1965, in Columbia, MO, from a heart attack suffered while addressing the Missouri State Hall of Fame. [He had just been inducted into their hall of fame.] Burial was at the Rushtown Cemetery in Rushtown, OH

-----1951-----

Clay Hooper led the Saints to a second place finish - nine games out. They had won two more games, but attendance dropped another 28,000 fans, but other teams in the American Association were facing worse problems.

Johnny Rutherford (15-8) joined the club completing the second most innings (190), second best ERA (2.94) and tied for second most wins and in WHIP (1.30). He was the only Saint Paul player chosen for the league's All Star team. Pat McGlothin (15-7) returned tying for the lead in wins and tied for second in WHIP (1.30) while finishing with a club-leading 195 innings. Both Johnny and Pat started 24 games. Clem Labine (9-6) was in 20 games and had 15 starts [led team in ERA and was second in WHIP] before getting his first big league look with the Dodgers. Earl Mossor (9-10) had 22 starts in 27 appearances and completed 152 innings, but had a higher-then-good ERA and WHIP (4.80/1.53) after appearing in a few games for the Dodgers and pitching in the Southern Association. Minor league veteran, Bill Samson (8-9), made 18 starts and 11 relief appearances for 119 frames with an ERA of 5.14 and WHIP of 1.77.

Relief pitcher Al Epperly (13-4) was a new face for 34 games and 71 innings and led the team with the best WHIP (1.24) and had a good ERA of 3.80. Gaylord Lemish (5-6), who never made it to the majors, pitched the most games of any Saint that year (37), completed 111 innings, but his ERA (5.11) and WHIP (1.64) were not great. John VanCuyk (1-6) saw action in 36 contests and did not perform well (6.22 ERA, 1.72 WHIP).

Future Dodger star, Joe Black (4-3), spent more time in Montreal then St. Paul, but did make seven starts and had two relief appearances for 60 total innings compiling an excellent ERA of 2.25 and 1.13 WHIP. Jim Romano (2-5) came back for 16 games with a poor record (5.79 ERA, 1.68 WHIP). Kent Peterson (2-1) came from the Reds and was in 12 forgettable games
(6.07 ERA, 1.83 WHIP). Marion Fricano (2-0), pitched in 9 games for the Saints, but played most of the year in the Southern Association and Nick Andromidas ended his pro career with one game for St. Paul after walking four in his only inning.

Catcher Tim Thompson (.296) returned to the Saints after a two-year absence and started 92 games behind the plate. The backups were Dick Teed (.222) for 65 games and long-time major leaguer Mickey Livingston (.182 in 6 games) who was also in games for the Dodgers and in the Texas League during the year.

Danny Ozark (.261) was a Saints returnee and had his best year, with the club, as the first base starter. He was third in homers with 15 and was spelled by Micky Rocco (.234) who last played on the Saints in 1937 and also had time with Portland and Kansas City during the season. Jack Cassini (.305) continued to be the second baseman finishing second in team hitting and leading in stolen bases (34). Future major leaguer, Don Hoak (.257), arrived after four years in the lower minors and was the main guy at third base. It was obvious that shortstop Jim Pendleton (.301) was headed for the majors soon, but he was road-blocked by the great Dodger infield and outfield of the early 50s. Jim led the team in homers with 21, slugging % and was third in average and second in RBI (79). Al Brancato (.258) was back for his fifth year as a (generally) infield reserve and the club also used Jack Lindsey (.205) and Dick Raklovits (.250) for infield duty. Raklovits was in military service during the 1952-53 seasons and ended his career after one year in the lower minors.

At age 36, Eric Tipton (.275), played his sixth and last season for the Saints and still led the club in RBI (81) and OBP (.506) in 121 games. Bill Antonello (.253) returned as an outfield starter and was second in home runs (17) and slugging %. Minor league-lifer Frank Marchio (.247) was the other outfield regular. Dick Whitman (.311) played well in 97 games to lead the team in hitting with 334 at bats after arriving from the Phillies. Don Nicholas (.241) was second in steals again with 16 before going down to the Southern Association after 40 games. Bob Bundy (.132) also saw action in 17 games [also played in Eastern and Texas Leagues during year] and old-Saint Earl Naylor had 16 at bats in 13 games, but was only credited with two hits.

The team, at least, got past the first round in the post-season playoffs defeating Louisville four games to one. However, in the finals, Milwaukee beat the good guys four games to two.

All left-handed hitters in Lexington Park were blessed on July 20 when a wind storm completely destroyed the right-field fence. A new 25-foot tall wall was built 35 feet closer (now 330 feet) which also eliminated the slope in front of the wall.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park After Installation of New Right Field Fence

**********

Lt. Carroll Sweiger died in action in Korea on October 4 at the age of 27. He was born in Baltimore on May 20, 1924, and pitched for Indianapolis in 1948.

**********

1951 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI /SB BB Birth Place

Tim Thompson # C-108 L 27 335 99 15/5 3 296 397 376 38/1 27 Coalpoint, VA

Danny Ozark 1b-124 R 28 376 98 21/1 15 261 441 423 74/1 61 Buffalo, NY

Jack Cassini # 2b-130 R 32 463 141 29/0 8 305 419 443 50/34 64 Dearborn, MI

Don Hoak # 3b110,SSOF (126) R 23 366 94 10/4 5 257 347 443 34/4 68 Roulette, PA

Jim Pendelton # SS-143 R 27 564 170 18/13 21 301 491 379 79/14 44 St. Charles, MO

Frank Marchio OF-140 R 26 405 100 22/7 4 247 365 338 51/3 37

Eric Tipton * OF-132 R 36 385 106 26/6 11 275 460 506 81/9 89 Petersburg, VA

Bill Antonello # OF-116 R 24 363 92 13/7 17 253 468 333 65/4 29 Brooklyn

Dick Whitman * OF-97 L 31 334 104 21/6 3 311 437 434 57/4 41 Woodburn, OR

Al Brancato * 3b40,2b371b4 R 32 264 68 8/0 8 258 379 383 41/1 33 Philadelphia

Dick Teed # C-67 S 25 207 46 9/0 2 222 295 0.285 17/1 13 Springfield, MA

Don Nicholas # OF-40 L 21 108 26 0/2 0 241 278 509 2/16 29 Phoenix

Dick Raklovits 3b13,SS(23) L 23 36 9 2/0 0 250 306 333 3/0 3

Jack Lindsey SS2b3b-17 R 24 39 8 0/1 0 205 256 256 3/1 2

Mickey Rocco * @ 1b-72 L 35 175 41 7/1 7 234 406 440 27/0 36 Saint Paul

Bob Bundy 3bOF-17 R 27 38 5 0/0 0 132 132 237 0/1 4 Kansas City,MO

Earl Naylor * OF-13 R 32 16 2 0/0 0 125 125 188 0/1 1 Kansas City,MO

Mickey Livingston * C-6 R 37 11 2 0/0 1 182 455 3/0 Newberry, SC

Joe Torpey 2b-4 R 23 9 1 0/0 0 111 111 1/0

1951 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Pat McGlothin # R 31 30 24 15-7 195 184 69 3.78 1.30 91 Coalfield, TN

John Rutherford # R 26 26 24 15-8 190 194 53 2.94 1.30 72 Bellevue, ON (Can)

Al Epperly * R 33 34 1 13-4 71 65 23 3.80 1.24 33 Glidden, IA

Clem Labine # R 25 20 15 9-6 117 104 42 2.62 1.25 63 Lincoln, RI

Earl Mossor # R 26 27 22 9-10 152 164 69 4.80 1.53 87 Forbus, TN

Bill Samson L 25 29 18 8-9 119 130 81 5.14 1.77 64

Gay Lemish R 25 37 6 5-6 111 124 58 5.11 1.64 41

Joe Black # R 27 9 7 4-3 60 44 24 2.25 1.13 35 Plainfield,NJ

John VanCuyk * L 30 36 10 1-6 94 116 46 6.22 1.72 53 Little Chute, WI

Jim Romano # R 24 16 13 2-5 73 73 50 5.79 1.68 25 Brooklyn

Marion Fricano # R 28 9 2-0 35 29 17 4.89 1.31 14 Brant, NY

Kent Peterson *# L 26 12 8 2-1 46 52 32 6.07 1.83 26 Goshen, UT

Lee Griffeth * L 26 4 0-1 3 8 1 18.00 3.00 1 Carmel, NY

Nick Andromidas R 27 1 0-0 1 0 4 18.00 4.00 0 New York City

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1951 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Milwaukee Brewers 94 57 623 -- 245,066

St. Paul Saints 85 66 563 9 171,999 Clay Hopper

Kansas City Blues 81 70 536 13 242,118

Louisville Colonels 80 73 523 15 148,101

Minneapolis Millers 77 75 507 17.5 143,279

Toledo Mud Hens 70 82 481 24.5 99,932

Indianapolis Indians 68 84 447 26.5 181,241

Columbus Red Birds 53 101 344 42.5 102,320

Don Hoak was a member of the 1951 Saint Paul club. He was with the Dodgers in 1954-55 for 88 and 94 games hitting .245 and .240 as a back-up third baseman. Don then moved to the Cubs for 1956 in 121 games with a .215 average. His career turned around in 1957, for the Reds, as he hit .293 in 149 games, played in that season's All Star game and led the league in doubles and fielding % for third basemen.

He stayed with the Reds for the '58 year batting .261 in 114 games. Don's most productive years were with the Pirates during the 1959-1962 seasons when he played in 155, 155, 145 and 121 contests compiling averages of .294, .282, .298 and .241. He again led the league in fielding in '62.

His big league years closed out in 1963-1964, with the Phillies, for 115 and 6 games batting .231 and .000. In his MLB career, he was in 1,263 games and had 4,322 at bats with a .265 BA, .347 OBP and .396 slugging. In 1,199 games at third, he fielded a good .959.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Hoak was an outspoken, brawling firebrand, the spiritual leader of the 1960 World Champion Pirates. A pro boxer as a teenager, he lost seven straight knockouts before giving up. He carried his pugnacity to the ballfield. He broke in sharing third base in Brooklyn with Billy Cox and Jackie Robinson. As Cub on May 2, 1956, he set a NL record by striking out six times in a game (17 innings). In 1957, he...earned an All Star Game berth in the Cincinnati ballot-box-stuffing incident. Traded to Pittsburgh, he led the Pirates in walks in 1959-61 and paced the 1960 championship team with 97 runs scored.

"In a Braves-Reds game on April 21, 1957, Hoak was on second and Gus Bell was on first when Wally Post grounded to shortstop. Hoak fielded the ball himself, flipping it to a stunned Johnny Logan at short. Hoak was out for getting hit by a batted ball, but the Reds still had two on and Post was credited with a single. The third such incident involving the Reds that season, it moved league presidents Warren Giles and Will Harridge to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and the batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance.

"Hoak later managed in the Pittsburgh system. He died of a heart attack chasing his brother-in-law's stolen car on October 9, 1969, the day Danny Murtaugh was rehired as Pirates manager - a position Hoak had openly sought." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Hoak played as a pro from 1947-1964 and managed in 1968-1969. He also was a U.S. Marine during WWII, a major league coach for the Phillies in 1967 and a Pirates broadcaster. He was 41 years old when he died in Pittsburgh and was buried at Allegheny Cemetery there.

Jim Pendleton played with the St. Paul clubs of 1949-1951. He played for the Braves from 1953-1956 in 120, 71, 8 and 14 games with averages of .299, .200 and he went hitless in '55 and '56 with 10 and 11 official at bats those years. In 1957-1958, he played in 46 and 3 games for the Pirates with .305 and .333 hitting marks. Jim was in 65 games for the Reds in 1959 batting .257 and ended his big league years with 117 games for the expansion Colt 45s in 1962 (.246).

He performed in 444 MLB games and had 941 at bats compiling a .255 BA, .292 OBP and a .365 slugging. Defensively, he played 279 games in the outfield, 24 at third, 17 at short and also was positioned at first and second in a few games during his career. His career fielding percentage was .959.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"One of the top shortstops in the Negro National League during the late 1940s, Pendleton shaved two years off his age when he signed with the Dodgers. However, with Pee Wee Reese at short for Brooklyn, Jim sat in the minors for four years despite excellent hitting. Traded to the Braves in 1953, he switched to the outfield...in a part-time role..." - Merritt Clifton

-----

Pendleton was a pro from 1949-1963 (not including his professional year of 1948 in the Negro Leagues) and was at the AAA level during ten seasons. In the early 1980s, he was employed with the California Tanning Co. in St. Louis. He died at age 72 on March 20, 1996, in Houston and was buried at Houston's National Cemetery.

Bill Antonello played for the Saints in 1950-1951 and 1954. His only year in the big leagues was 1953 for the Dodgers when he appeared in 40 games and had 43 at bats for a .163 average, .200 OBP and .302 slugging. He played in the outfield for 25 games with a .964 fielding %.

Antonello was a pro player from 1946-1957 with six seasons at the AAA level. He was a WWII veteran and, after baseball, was a steam fitter in St. Paul and also worked on the Alaskan pipeline. He died at age 65 on March 4, 1993, in Fridley, MN, and was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in the Twins Cities.

Dick Teed was on the 1951 Saint Paul squad. On July 24, 1953, he made his only appearance in the major leagues. For the Dodgers, he pinch hit and struck out.

Teed was a pro from 1947-1965 (excluding 1956 and 1964), but including eight years in AAA. He managed in 1965-66 and then became a Phillies scout from 1968-1977 and a Dodgers scout thereafter. In the early 1980s, he was living in Enfield, CT. In March 2008, he turned 82 years old and lives in Windsor, CT.

Don Nicholas was a played for St. Paul from 1949-1951. His only big league games were 3 and 7 for the White Sox in 1952 and 1954 as he failed to get a hit in 2 official plate appearances (he walked once) as a pinch hitter It appears that he was called into more games as a pinch runner as he scored 3 runs, but he never played defensively. .

Nicholas played pro baseball from 1948-1959 including eight years at the AAA level. He won minor league stolen base crowns in 1948-1949, 1952-1954 and 1957. Don lived in Garden Grove, CA, for at least 25 years and died there at the age of 77 on October 23, 2007.

Thompson "Mickey" Livingston caught for the Saints for part of the 1951 year. He had a long ten-year major league career which began in 1938 when he was in 2 games for the Senators. His next experiences came in 1941-1943 for the Phillies in 95, 89 and 84 games with averages of .203, .205 and .249. He also played 36 games for the Cubs in '43 (.261).

Mickey stayed with the Cubs from 1945-1947 appearing in 71, 66 and 19 games compiling averages of .254, .256 and .212. [In the '45 World Series, he had 3 doubles and 4 RBI]. He was in five more games during the '47 season for the Giants (.167). The catcher had 45 and 19 games for the Giants in 1948-1949 (.212, .298) and finished off the '49 year with the Braves in 28 contests (.234). In 1954, he was in his final big league games (2 g, 2-for-5) for the Dodgers.

During his 561-game and 1,490-at bats MLB career, he batted .238 with a .310 OBP and .326 slugging. He fielded .984 in his 483 games behind the plate [he also played first in 14 contests].

Livingston was a pro player from 1937-1956 (excluding his U.S. Army service year of 1944) and he managed from 1952-1956. After baseball, he was employed by Bethlehem Steel and was retired to Gilchrist, TX, by the early 1980s. He died at age 68 at the VA Hospital in Houston on April 3, 1983, and was buried at Rosemont Cemetery in Newberry, SC.

Johnny Rutherford pitched for St. Paul in 1951 and 1954-1955. His only year in the majors was 1952 for the Dodgers when he was in 22 games (11 starts) with 97 innings allowing 97 hits and 29 walks with 29 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.25 with a .262 OAV, .319 OOB and 7-7 record. In the 1952 World Series, he pitched one inning allowing one hit, one walk and collected one strikeout.

Rutherford was a pro from 1947-1955. After baseball, he became a medical doctor and, in the early 1980s, practiced at the River Rouge Clinic in Dearborn, MI. He currently lives in Bloomfield Hills, MI, and was 83 years old in May 2008.

Joe Black pitched for the Saints in 1951. He was a relief pitcher for the Dodgers in 1952-1955 for 56, 34, 5 and 6 games as he completed 142, 73, 7 and 15 innings with ERAs of 2.15, 5.33, 11.57 and 2.93. Joe was 15-4 in '52.

The remainder of his '55 year was with the Reds in 32 appearances (11 starts) as he finished 102 innings with a 4.22 ERA. He was strictly a reliever for the Reds in 1956 in 32 contests and 62 innings (4.52). His final big league games were 7 for the Senators in 1957 (13 inn, 7.11 ERA). Joe pitched in 172 MLB games (16 starts) completing 414 innings allowing 391 hits and 129 walks while striking out 222. His career ERA was 3.91 with a .248 OAV, .306 OOB and 30-12 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Joe Black, who began in the Negro Leagues, won Rookie of the Year honors as a 28-year-old reliever for the 1952 Dodgers. He won 14 in relief and added 15 saves, using a blazing fastball and tight curve. At seasons' end, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen started him twice (a win and a loss) to prepare him for the starting of the first game of the WS. He won 4-2, but then lost two close games (also starts) 2-0 and 4-2. His victory was the only one by a black pitcher in the WS until Mudcat Grant won in 1965.

"In spring training the next year, Dressen insisted that Black learn several new pitches. He lost control of the two that had brought him success and was never effective again." - Gerald Bierne

-----

Black pitched as a pro from 1951-1957 and was in the Negro Leagues from 1943-1950 excluding military service in 1943-1945.. He graduated from Morgan State U. and took postgraduate studies at Seton Hall and Rutgers. Later he became vice president for special markets at the Greyhound Corporation. Joe was also associated with the baseball's commissioner's office, a director of the Baseball Assistance Team, worked for the Diamondbacks in community relations and wrote the book "Ain't Nobody Better Then You". He died at age 78 on May 17, 2002, from prostate cancer in Phoenix, AZ, and was buried at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, NJ. .

John VanCuyk pitched for Saint Paul in 1950-1951. He had limited appearances in the majors for the Dodgers in 1947-1949 appearing in only 2, 3 and 2 games. In his 7 MLB games (no starts), he finished 10 innings allowing 12 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 5.23 with a .293 OAV and .341 OOB. He had no big league decisions.

VanCuyk pitched as a professional from 1940-1953 (excluding military service in 1942-1945), but it did include seven years at the AAA level. He lives in Rochester, MN, and was 87 years old in July 2008.

Jim Romano was a pitcher on the 1948-1951 Saint Paul clubs. He only got into 3 big league games (one start) in September 1950 for the Dodgers. He completed 6 innings allowing 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8. His ERA was 5.68 with a .296 OAV, .345 OOB and no decisions.

Romano performed at the pro level from 1946-1952. He became a NYC policeman and then retired to Deer Park, NY. Jim died at age 63 on Sept. 12, 1990, in NYC.

Kent Peterson pitched on the 1951 St. Paul Saints. He performed for the 1944 and 1947-1951 Reds in 1, 37, 43, 30, 9 and 9 games (mostly in relief) with ERAs of 0.00, 4.25, 4.60, 6.24, 7.20 and 6.52. His record was 6-13 in '47 and 2-15 in '48.

He returned to the majors in 1952-1953 for 3 and 15 games with the Phillies earning 0.00 and 6.67 ERAs. His MLB career constituted 147 games (43 starts) with 420 innings as he allowed 434 hits and 215 walks while striking out 208. His ERA was 4.95 with a .266 OAV, .357 OOB and 13-28 record.

Peterson was a pro hurler from 1944-1956 (excluding his military service in 1945-1946). In the early 1980s, he was employed in the home improvement business in Orem, UT. Kent was also involved in community activities and was an avid golfer who was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. He died at age 69 on April 27, 1995, at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City from complications from an automobile accident in Highland, UT. Burial was at the Orem City Cemetery in Orem.

Robert "Clay" Hopper managed the 1950-1951 Saints. He never played in the majors. In the minors, as an outfielder, he played from 1926-1941 at class AA or less with 12 years of averages over .300. [He hit four home runs in one game for Danville on July 17, 1927.]

Clay was a minor league manger in 1929, 1931-1945 in the lower minors Then from 1946-1949 in the International League, 1950-1951 in the American Association and 1952-1956 in the PCL. His teams won five pennants over the course of his managerial career and he is #15 in wins for all minor league managers.

Hopper died at age 73 on April 17, 1976, in Greenwood, MS.

-----1952-----

Cl ay Hopper left the Dodgers' organization to manage Portland of the PCL. He was replaced by Clay Bryant who had managed in the Ohio St. League from 1944-47; Tri-State League in 1948 and 1950; Southern Atlantic League in 1949; and the Piedmont League in 1951. He had pitched pro ball from 1930-46 and was a major leaguer from 1935-40.

Bryant

Bryant's club dropped one place to third in the standings but lost another 47,000 at the box office with five less wins. Their attendance was now sixth in the league and had dropped to a little bit more then that of 1944. The American Association, which had been an unparalleled example of minor league stability for 50 years, had it's first franchise causality during the season. After drawing only 41,500 fans, the Toledo Mud Hens called it quits on June 20. The league shifted the franchise to Charleston, WV, and they drew about 122,000 the rest of the season.

Four of the regular position players hit over .300 and two heavily-used bench players also cleared that mark as the Saints offensive numbers were up. Frank Baldwin (.255) became the catcher in his only season with St. Paul and was backed up by Thad ("Ted") Bosiack (.274) for 40 games [also spent time in the Texas League in his last pro season]; Ray Cash (.212) in 23 games; and Merv Dornburg and Arnie Fischer with five games each.

Danny Ozark (.231) was the starter at first base for the final time and was spelled by 38-year-old Bert Haas (.251) who was new to the Saints. Mickey Rocco (.231) also got into 23 games with his home town club, but they were his swan song here. All Star Jack Cassini (.308) again had a good year at second with 35 steals. Newcomer and All Star Bob Wilson (.334) was the infield star at third base. He led the club in RBI with 117 and was second in average. Russ Rose (.226), a career minor leaguer, was the full-time shortstop. The Saints had an excellent infielder to plug any hole in Wayne Terwilliger (.312) as he was between major league assignments and compiled an excellent .568 OBP. Spook Jacobs (.232) also played at second in 15 games but was in the Southern Association most of the year. After four seasons, utility infielder Al Brancato played his last five games in a Saints uniform before going down to the Texas League.

Future Dodgers' regular, Sandy Amoros (.337), led the team in hitting, slugging %, OBP (of the regulars) and was second in RBI. He got the call to Brooklyn at the end of the season. Another future big leaguer, Gino Cimoli (.319) played well. The other outfield position was a platoon of Bill Sharman (.294) [he played pro basketball for 11 years and became a NBA hall-of-famer], and his left-handed counter-part, the returning Dick Whitman (.333) who was third in team hitting. Also playing as outfielders during the year were Frank Marchio (.276) and Gale Wade (.167) who both played in three leagues during the season

Leading the Saints pitchers was new hurler, Earl Mossor (14-13) who led the team in wins, strike outs and innings pitched finishing the year with a 3.94 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Pat McGlothin (13-14) came back for a team-leading 31 starts, was second in innings pitched and had a decent 3.97 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Also compiling similar numbers was new guy, Ron Negray (11-7) who completed 189 innings for a 3.95 ERA and 1.48 as he also made some appearances with the '52 Dodgers. It is not known at what point in the season Hugh Oser arrived from Minneapolis, but he did have a 11-9 league win/loss record with 173 innings for a 4.21 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.

Al Epperly (9-4) appeared in more games then any other pitcher (57) and had the club's second best ERA of 3.63 and 1.39 WHIP although he only completed 72 innings. Future long-time big leaguer Ray Moore (4-4) made 12 starts (3.46 ERA/1.60 WHIP) for the Saints and also pitched in the Texas League and for Dodgers in '52. Minor league lifer, Don Otten (9-9), was the only other pitcher to reach triple digits in innings as he finished with a 4.86 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.

Another MLB vet, Bud Byerly (3-2), came over from the Reds and made 23 appearances for 61 innings with the best ERA and WHIP of any Saints pitcher (3.54/1.38). Three other hurlers appeared in more the ten games: Tom Lakos (1-1), Joe Baliga (1-2) and Bill Glane (3-2). None performed very well. Eight other players made appearances of which some should be mentioned: Ken Lehman (3-1) came back from military service to pitch in 4 games for the Saints (3.75 ERA) and was with the Dodgers for a short time during the season; Rex Barney (0-1), a major-league vet who never fully conquered his wildness, was in four games and three innings, but walked 14 for a 51.00 ERA [they were his last in pro ball]; Earl Naylor, a former St. Paul regular outfielder pitched in two games (5.14 ERA/2.71 WHIP) and apparently had three other appearances as a pinch hitter; Clem Labine played nearly the complete season with the Dodgers, but did have two games with the Saints; and Marion Fricano went to the Phillies and pitched in the International League during the season.

The team made no mark in the post-season playoffs losing all four first round games to Milwaukee.

-----

"Rick" of La Crescent, MN, wrote the St. Paul Pioneer Press, in the late 1990s, with two memories of Lexington Park:

"In the olden days, the Saints always held a preseason rally at St. Paul Auditorium. I think it was 1951 that I first cheated. As you entered the building, you received a numbered ticket for the drawings. I went to the back of the building and went out the back door and then went around to the front again and received another ticket. I did this about 10 times and it really paid off. I won a season's pass for all the Saints' games!

"Another memory was the bank of dirt that rose up to the right-field fence, starting about 10 feet from the fence. One fine afternoon game, Duke Snider was setting on the bank by himself. I yelled to him and asked if I could get his autograph and he yelled back 'Sure, come here.' I couldn't believe it that I was actually going to go out on the field. He gave me his autograph and then chatted with me for a few minutes..."

**********

On August 8, Bob Neighbors died in action in Korea. He was born in Talibina, OK, on Nov. 9,1917, and was an infielder on the 1940 Toledo Mud Hens.

**********

1952 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI /SB BB Birth Place

Frank Baldwin # C-120 R 24 369 94 22/1 12 255 417 331 57/1 28 High Bridge, NJ

Danny Ozark 1b94,OF1 R 29 334 77 18/0 17 231 437 350 62/2 40 Buffalo, NY

Jack Cassini * 2b-133 R 33 504 155 23/4 3 308 387 425 37/35 59 Dearborn, MI

Bob Wilson * 3b151,2b1 R 27 626 209 31/9 13 334 474 374 117/7 25 Dallas

Russ Rose SS-153 R 25 513 116 10/3 7 226 298 343 59/8 60 Sierra Madre, CA

Gino Cimoli # OF-142 R 23 474 151 24/10 10 319 443 392 70/13 35 San Francisco

Sandy Amoros # OF-129 L 22 489 165 24/10 19 337 544 470 78/14 65 Havana, Cuba

Bill Sharman OF118,3b1(137) R 26 411 121 16/4 16 294 470 365 77/2 29

Dick Whitman * OF-116 L 32 415 136 27/5 6 333 465 434 83/5 44 Woodburn, OR

Bert Haas # 1b67,OF2 R 38 255 64 12/2 4 251 361 373 33/5 31 Naperville, IL

Wayne Terwilliger *# 2b27,SS3bOF(125) R 27 125 39 6/0 4 312 456 568 17/1 32 Claire, MI

Thad Bosiack C-41 R 33 106 29 0/1 0 274 292 321 6/1 5

Mickey Rocco * 1b-23 L 36 26 6 1/2 1 231 538 577 9/0 9 Saint Paul

Spook Jacobs # 2b15,SS1(17) R 27 56 13 4/1 0 232 339 411 5/2 10 Cheswold, DE

Frank Marchio OF-11 R 25 29 8 1/1 0 276 379 379 4/0 3

Gale Wade # OF-9 L 23 12 2 1/0 0 167 250 1/0 Hollister, PA

Earl Naylor * OF-7 R 33 9 1 0/0 0 111 111 0/0 Kansas City,MO

Merv Dornburg C-5 R 26 13 4 1/0 0 308 385 1/0

Al Brancato * SS3b-5 R 33 12 2 0/1 0 167 333 1/0 Philadelphia

Arnie Fischer C-5 R 23 5 0 0/0 0 000 000 1/0

1952 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Earl Mossor # R 27 36 30 14-13 226 241 105 3.94 1.53 145 Forbus, TN

Pat McGlothin * R 32 32 31 13-14 213 229 79 3.97 1.45 95 Coalfield, TN

Ron Negray # R 22 46 21 11-7 189 177 102 3.95 1.48 102 Akron, OH

Al Epperly * R 34 57 0 9-4 72 78 22 3.63 1.39 18 Glidden, IA

Don Otten R 25 37 12 9-9 126 143 59 4.86 1.60 44

Ray Moore # R 26 12 12 4-4 78 69 56 3.46 1.60 72 Meadows, MD

Bud Byerly *# R 32 23 2 3-2 61 63 21 3.54 1.38 30 Webster Groves, MO

Tom Lakos R 29 27 4 1-1 74 103 46 7.66 2.01 24

Joe Baliga R 19 12 1-2 36 47 20 7.50 1.86 19

Bill Glane L 25 11 3-2 33 37 26 9.55 1.91 23 Detroit

Pershing Mondorff R 34 6 1-1 9 15 1 9.00 1.78 4 Emmitsburg, MD

Ken Lahman # L 24 4 3-1 24 31 8 3.75 1.63 21 Seattle

Rex Barney * R 28 4 0-1 3 7 14 51.00 7.00 4 Omaha

Bill Sampson L 26 8 0-4 33 30 23 5.45 1.61 16

Earl Naylor * R 33 2 0-1 7 5 14 5.14 2.71 2 Kansas City,MO

Clem Labine # R 26 2 0-1 14 11 11 5.14 1.57 5 Lincoln, RI

Pete Nicolis L 22 3 0-0 5 6 9 3.00 5

Marion Fricano # R 29 2 0-0 6 12 2 6.00 2.33 2 Brant, NY

Hugh Oser @ R 24 34 10 11-9 173 176 98 4.21 1.58 80

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1952 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Milwaukee Brewers 101 53 656 -- 195,839

Kansas City Blues 89 65 578 12 243,974

St. Paul Saints 80 74 519 21 125,769 Clay Bryant

Minneapolis Millers 79 75 513 22 120,185

Louisville Colonels 77 77 500 24 132,626

Indianapolis Indians 75 79 487 26 165,220

Columbus Red Birds 68 85 444 32.5 78,132

Toledo/Charleston 46 107 301 54.5 164,641

Frank Baldwin played for Saint Paul in 1952. His only big league games were in 1953 for the Reds when he played in 16 games with 20 at bats (.100). He had a .143 OBP and .100 slugging. As a catcher in 6 games, his fielding average was 1.000.

Baldwin was a pro player from 1947-1959 which included three seasons in the American Association. He died at age 78 on Nov 18, 2004, in Beaver, OR, and was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Springdale, OH..

Edmundo "Sandy" Amoros was a player on the 1952 Saints squad. He played in 20, 79, 119, 114, 106, 5 and 9 games for the Dodgers. in 1952 and 1954-1960. During those years, he batted .250, .274, .247, .260, .277, .200 and .143. His final big league games were for the Tigers in 1960 (65 g, .149).

All told, he was in 517 MLB games with 1,311 at bats for a .255 BA, .363 OBP and .430 slugging. His fielding %, in 354 outfield games, was .976.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The Cuban native, who spoke almost no English, was never more than a semi-regular in the Dodger outfield, but he's remembered for one great play, generally listed among the most outstanding in World Series history. In game seven of the 1955 WS, his sprinting catch of Yogi Berra's drive down the leftfield line was the key to Brooklyn's victory . According to winning pitcher Johnny Podres: 'As great a catch as Amoros made, his relay to Pee Wee [to double up Gil McDougald] was even better.' When a reporter asked Amoros if he thought he would make the catch, he said: 'I dunno. I just run like hell.'" - Tom Gallagher

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Amoros was a pro player from 1950 (Negro League) and 1952-1962. Thereafter, he worked for the NYC Parks Department. Later he moved to Miami and became nearly destitute and had failing health his last years - he lost a leg to diabetes, had circulatory problems and died from pneumonia. Death was on June 27, 1992, at the age of 62, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and he was buried there at Woodlawn Park Cemetery.

Berthold "Bert" Haas was a player on the 1952 St. Paul team. He came up with the Dodgers in 1937-1938 for 16 and one game(s) going 10-for-25 as an outfielder, first baseman and pinch hitter. Bert then played some good years for the Reds from 1942-1943 and 1946-1947 appearing in 154, 101, 140 and 135 games with averages of .239, .262, .264 and .286 performing at third base, first and in the outfield. He played in the 1947 All Star game.

The right hander then moved to the Phillies for 1948-1949 in 95 (.282) and 2 contests before he was traded to the Giants where he finished the '49 year hitting .260 in 54 games. His last major league year was 1951 with the White Sox as he appeared in 23 games (.163). In his 721-game MLB career, he had 2,440 at bats with a .264 average, .323 OBP and .355 slugging. He was stationed at first base in 311 games, at third for 241 and in the outfield in 97 with a composite fielding average of .991.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"When Haas arrived in the majors with Brooklyn, he pinch-hit four days in a row, collecting a single and tree doubles. Haas served in Italy during WWII. Aggressive and hard-hitting, he hit a career-high .286 in 1947." - Ed Walton

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Haas was a pro ballplayer from 1936-1952 (excluding his service years of 1944-1945) and 1955-1958. He managed in the minors in 1956-1958 and 1961-1962. Bert became a wholesale liquor store worker and was retired in Tampa by the early 1980s. He died there at the age of 85 on June 23, 1999. Cremation followed.

Wayne Terwilliger was a player on the 1952 Saint Paul Saints. He arrived in the majors with the Cubs in 1949-1951 for 36, 133 and 50 games batting .223, .242 and .214 as a second baseman. During the '51 season, he was traded to the Dodgers where he was in 37 games (.280). After his stay in St. Paul, he played on the Senators in 1953-1954 and was generally their starting second baseman hitting .252 and .208.

Wayne played on the Giants in 1955-1956 in 80 and 14 games (.257 and .222) and ended his big league stay with the A's in 1959-1960 for 74 and 2 games with averages of .267 and .000. He had 666 MLB games with 2,091 at bats and hit .240 with a .323 OBP and .325 slugging. Defensively, he was at second in 605 games, at third in 14 and at short in 6 (career fielding average was .974).

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A star shortstop at Western Michigan University, Twig collected eight consecutive hits for the Cubs in 1949. The next year, he was included in the deal that sent Any Pafko to Brooklyn..." - Rich Marazzi

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Wayne remember his 1952 year with the Saints in his book "Terwilliger Bunts One":

"By '52 Lexington Park was definitely showing its age. The clubhouse was the smallest I ever saw in organized baseball. Left field was short because it ran up against the back wall of an indoor roller-skating rink; when you hit the ball onto the rook of the rink, you had a home run. The other memorable feature of Lexington Park: rats as big as rabbits. Our clubhouse was right next to the right-field stands, and the bullpen was in front on them. I went down there to warm up the pitcher a few times when I wasn't playing. The first time I did that, I said to one of my teammates, 'Look at all those rabbits running around under the stands.' He said, 'Hey, buddy, look again; those are no rabbits.' Sure enough, they were rats, and they were huge.

"We had a pretty good team, including three outfielders who became big names: Gino Cimoli, a future All Star; Sandy Amoros, who played on some great Dodgers teams; and Bill Sharman, who was an emerging basketball star. Bill Sharman had just started playing with the Boston Celtics, and I was surprised that they would let him play baseball. I guess it didn't hurt him, because he was an All-Star all through the '50s and they won a lot of championships. He was a decent baseball player, although he could shoot much better than he could hit. What surprised me was that he was slow. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him run. He was a flat-footed runner, clop, clop, clop, to first base. I thought, wow, this is the great Bill Sharman? But his basketball specialty was free throws, so I guess he didn't need speed.

"The Saints and the Minneapolis Millers were cross-town rivals...the crowds really turned out. Since the Saints were the Dodgers' Triple A club and the Millers were the Giants', it was a little like the rivalry I'd experienced in New York. I heard that over the years there had been plenty of brawls on the field, and sometimes even among fans. We felt the rivalry, too, but in those days you put your energy into the play, not into a brawl. At one point during the season, I was hit in the head with a pitch that was pretty obviously intentional. When I finally could get up and walk off the field, my teammate Jack Cassini went in to run for me. On the first pitch to the next batter, Jack took off for second base. He went roaring in with his spikes high, and he practically undressed Daryl Spencer, covering the bag for the Millers. The ball went one way, Spencer's glove went another, and when the dust settled Spencer was leaving the field with torn pants and a limp. There was no bawl, it was just one tough play following another and the matter was settled.

"Jack Cassini was our regular second baseman, and the fact that he was having an especially good year with the bat kept me from playing as much as I should have. I was hitting just under .300 most of the season, which wasn't bad at all. I did better toward the end of the season, and in the last game I went three for three and boosted my average in .312, the highest of my career. It was good enough that the Washington Senators bought my contract from the Dodgers in the off-season..."

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Terwilliger was a marine involved in heavy fighting, in the Pacific, during WWII and played as a pro from 1948-1961 and was in a few games in 1964 and 1967-1968. He managed in the minors in 1961, 1963-1968, 1973, 1975 and 1980 (1224-1089 record). Wayne was a major league coach for the Senators/Rangers in 1969-1972 and 1981-1985 and the Twins from 1986-1994. Thereafter, he was involved in independent "pro" leagues: as a coach in Saint Paul from 1995-2002; manager in Fort Worth (2003-2005) and has stayed as a coach with Fort Worth from 2006 through, at least, 2008. He lives in Weatherford, TX, and was 83 years old in June 2008.

Al Brancato played on the Saints clubs of 1948-1952. All of his major league appearances were with the A's in 1939-1941 and 1945 as he performed in 21, 107, 144 and 10 games batting .206, .191, .234 and .118 as generally a shortstop.

He played 282 games and had 930 at bats for a .214 BA, .290 OBP and .290 slugging. His fielding average was .927 in 230 games at short and 52 at third. He was known for having a strong arm.

He served on a heavy cruiser in the Pacific during WWII, was involved in the 5^th Fleet's baseball team's tour of the Pacific, a "storekeeper" on Tinian (who also organized boxing matches there) and was an Athletic Specialist at the Philadelphia Naval Yard.

Brancato lettered in four sports at South Philadelphia High School and was a pro player from 1938-1953 (not including his military service of 1942-1944) but does include seven seasons at the AAA level - six in the American Association. He is living in Upper Darby, PA, and was 89 in May 2008.

Forrest "Spook" Jacobs was a Saints infielder for part of the 1952 year. He played for the A's in 1954-1956 in 132, 13 and 32 games with averages of .258, .261 and .216 as a second baseman. He finished the '56 season and his big league career with 11 games for the Pirates (.162).

Spook was in 188 MLB games and had 665 at bats compiling a .247 average, .329 OBP and .274 slugging percentage. His fielding % was .971 in 180 games played at second.

Jacobs debut in the major leagues was on April 13, 1954, and he is apparently only one of two MLB players to go 4 for 4 in his first major league game. Spook was a pesky hitter who reached base by slapping balls through the infield. He got his "ghostly" nickname, in the minors, from his ability to dump hits just over the heads of opposing infielders. Jacobs was also known as being good in hit-and-run situations.

He was owned by the Dodgers' organization for eight years, but since they had a surplus of good infielders, he was never called up to the big club. Jacobs was involved in an on-the field disturbance while playing for Columbus in July 1955: Lou Lmmer of Toronto slid into him at second base, knocking Jacobs down. Spook then threw a punch and was ejected. Earlier that year, a sore arm caused the A's to sent him down to the minors. His arm got better and he was selected as the outstanding International League second baseman that season with a .316 average.

Playing for Hollywood (PCL) on April 11, 1957, Jacobs was injured when he collided with his double-play mate - shortstop Dick Smith - when both were chasing a fly ball . Spook was feared to have suffered a serious skull fracture after being carried from the field on a stretcher, but it was determined to be of only the "hairline" type. He returned to the Stars' lineup on May 7. Later that season, L.A. pitcher Tommy Lasorda hit Jacobs with a pitch which happened to follow a 400-foot home run by relief pitcher Fred Waters, that broke a 4-4 tie. Jacobs charged Lasorda and then fought with the Angels' second sacker, Sparky Anderson. Hollywood went on to score 7 runs in the 5th inning to win 11-4.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After years of minor league apprenticeship, the frail infielder was the regular A's second baseman in 1954, but his good glove couldn't compensate for his light bat..." - Jack Kavanagh

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Jacobs was a pro baseball player from 1946-1960 and managed in 1960. He then operated, at various times, a donut shop and a bus terminal-newsstand in Milford, DE. He also produced some autograph and baseball card shows. Spook continues to live in Milford and was 83 years old in November 2008.

Gale Wade played for the Saints for part of the 1952 season. He was in a few games (9 and 10) for the Cubs in 1955-1956 as an outfielder hitting .182 and .000. In his MLB career, he had 45 at bats with a .133 average, .220 OBP and .222 slugging. His fielding mark was .870 with 12 outfield games.

Wade was a professional baseball player from 1947-1961 with five years in the American Association and five in the PCL. After baseball, he was an electrician living in Nebo, NC. He turned 89 in Jan. 2008 and still lives in Nebo.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Earl Naylor was on the Saints rosters during the years of 1948-1952 and 1955. He was an outfielder-pitcher for the Phillies in 1942 and just an outfielder in 1943 in 76 and 33 games batting .198 and .175. His ERA in 20 pitching performances (4 starts) in '42 was 6.12. His last big league games were in 1946, for the Dodgers, when he was used as a pinch hitter going 0-for-2 in 3 games.

In his 112 MLB games, he had 290 at bats with a .186 average, .248 OBP and .245 slugging. His fielding average was .971 in 67 outfield games and 20 as a pitcher. As a hurler, Earl completed 60 innings allowing 68 hits and 29 walks with a .283 OAV, .363 OOB and a 0-5 record.

Naylor was a pro player from 1937-1955 including ten years at the AAA level. He managed in 1953-1955 and died at age 70 on Jan. 16, 1990, in Winter Haven, FL. Burial was at the Snelling National Cemetery in the Twin Cities of MN.

Earl Mossor pitched for the Saints in 1951-1952 and 1954. He made 3 appearances for the Dodgers in 1951 completing 2 innings allowing 2 hits and 7 walks with one strikeout. His ERA was 32.40 with a .333 OAV, .692 OOB and no record.

Mossor was a professional hurler in 1946 and 1949-1959 including seven years in AAA. Thereafter, he became a sheet metal worker in Bethel, OH, and died at age 63, on Dec. 29, 1988, in Batavia, OH.

Ken Lehman pitched for Saint Paul in 1952. He was with the Dodgers in 1952 and 1956-1957 for 4, 25 and 3 games with ERAs of 5.28, 5.66 and 0.00. [He mopped up the Dodgers' game two loss in the '52 World Series.] Ken pitched the remainder of the '57 season with the Orioles getting into 30 games and 68 innings for a good 2.78 ERA. He stayed in Baltimore in 1958 with 31 appearances (3.48). His final major league games were 41 for the 1961 Phillies when he had a 4.26 ERA.

In his MLB career, he played in 134 games, including 13 starts, and finished 265 innings allowing 273 hits and 95 walks with 134 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.91 with a .272 OAV, .337 OOB and 14-10 record.

Lehman was a pro pitcher from 1947-1962 (excluding 1951 when he was in the service). He was the coach at the U. of Washington from 1964-1971. As of the early-1980s, he was semi-retired, driving a school bus and living in Sedro Woolley, WA. He is now 80 years old (as of June 2008) and living in the same locale.

Rex Barney pitched a few games for the 1952 St. Paul club. He got into 9 games (8 starts) for the 1943 Dodgers (6.35 ERA - 41 walks in 46 innings). Then from 1946-1950, he appeared in 16, 28, 44, 38 and 20 games, for them, with ERAs of 5.87, 4.75, 3.10, 4.41 and 6.42. In 1948, he pitched a no-hitter and had a 15-13 record.

During his all-Dodgers career of 155 games (81 starts), he completed 598 innings allowing 474 hits and 410 walks with 336 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.31 with a .221 OAV, .350 OOB and a 35-31 record. His famous quote: "If home plate had been high and outside, I'd be in the Hall of Fame."

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Barney's fastball was unhittable but all too often unreachable. In six...seasons of unfulfilled promise, only in 1948 did he strike out more batters than he walked (138 to 122)...After that he grew progressively wilder, to the frustration of Dodger boss Branch Rickey, who even tried a hypnotist on him..." - John Devaney

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Barney was a pro pitcher in 1943 and 1946-1952. He served his country in the military in 1944-1945. Rex was a radio announcer, bartender and worked for a liquor distributor before returning to baseball as the public address announcer for the Orioles from 1974-1997 [he would announce "Sign that man to a contract" after a good foul ball catch by a fan]. In the 1990s, he co-wrote "Orioles Memories" and died at age 73, at his home in Baltimore from a heart attack on Aug. 12, 1997. Burial was at Lorraine Park in Baltimore, MD.

Clem Labine was a pitcher on the 1949-1952 St. Paul teams. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1950-1960 in 1, 14, 25, 37, 47, 60, 62, 58, 52, 56 and 13 games, mainly as a reliever, with ERAs of 4.50, 2.20, 5.14, 2.77, 4.15, 3.24, 3.35, 3.44, 4.15, 3.93 and 5.82. He was selected for 1956-1957 All Star games, led the league in appearances in 1955 (with a 13-5 record) and saves in 1956-1957.

The rest of his '60 year was with the Tigers (14 g, 5.12) and the Pirates (15 g, 1.48 ERA). Clem stuck with the Pirates in 1961 getting into 56 games for a 3.69 ERA and end his big league years in 1962 with 3 games for the Mets (11.25). He pitched in 513 MLB games (38 starts) and completed 1,080 innings allowing 1,043 hits and 396 walks while striking out 551. His ERA was 3.63 with a .256 OAV, .323 OOB and a 77-56 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The free-spirited sinkerballer was one of baseball's premier relievers in the 1950s. The durable Labine helped the Dodgers to four pennants in Brooklyn and another in Los Angeles...He retired Dodger-killer Stan Musial 49 consecutive times. After leaving the Dodgers, Labine pitched for the Pirates in the 1960 WS.

"Two of Labine's brightest moments came in the unaccustomed role as a starter, a 10-0 victory over the Giants in the second game of the 1951 NL playoff and a 1-0 10-innings shutout of the Yankees in game six of the 1956 WS. Although never a threat at bat, Labine's three hits in 1955 were all home runs." - Joe Lawler

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Labine pitched as a pro from 1944-1962 (excluding service years of 1945-1946). He became the manager of a sports apparel company (Jacob Finklestein's and Sons) and later a bank executive while living in Woonsucket, RI. In late Feb. 2007, Clem was hospitalized for pneumonia, had two strokes and then exploratory brain surgery. He died on March 2, 2007, at the age of 80, in Vero Beach, FL, and cremation followed.

Marion Fricano was a pitcher on the 1951-1952 Saint Paul clubs. He pitched on the 1952-1955 A's appearing in 2, 39, 37 and 10 games with 5, 211, 152 and 20 innings for ERAs of 1.80, 3.88, 5.16 and 3.15.

His MLB career was 88 games with 43 starts as he finished 388 innings allowing 393 hits and 164 walks with 115 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.32 and he had a .264 OAV, .341 OOB and 15-23 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Fricano made a promising 9-12, 3.88 ERA start as a 30-year-old rookie...in 1953. The next year, erratic control dropped him to 5-11 and 5.16. - Merritt Clifton

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Fricano was a pro pitcher from 1947-1961 including ten years in AAA (six in the American Association). He became a school teacher in upstate New York and was town supervisor in North Collins from 1961-1973. He had cancer and was visiting family in California when he died at age 52, in a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, on May 16, 1978. Burial was at Holy Spirit Cemetery in North Collins, NY.

-----1953-----

In Clay Bryant's second year, St. Paul fell to sixth place with ten less wins. Thankfully, attendance leveled off and actually increased by 13,500. The Saints failed to finish in the first division for the first time since 1947.

[Records indicate that, from 1908-1952, Saint Paul was a cumulative sixth in the league in attendance.]

The move of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee was, of course, a big blow for the American Association. The Braves did do the league a favor, however, by supporting the return of Toledo to the league under new management and as the big league club's AAA farm team.

Pitching appeared to be the '53 team's long suit. Ray Moore (11-14) was back to tie for the team lead in wins, led the club in WHIP (1.28) and was second in innings (187) with 28 starts. He also had another taste of the majors with Brooklyn during the season. Bob Darnell (11-12) joined the club to lead them in innings pitched (228), starts and ERA (3.12) while tying in wins. Ron Negray (10-12) had another good year, with the Saints, completing 182 innings with 28 starts for an ERA of 3.91 and WHIP of 1.43. Life-time minor leaguer and new Saint, Wade Browning (3-13), made 19 starts and relieved 12 times for 146 innings with acceptable numbers (4.13 ERA/1.41 WHIP). Future major leaguer, Don Bessent (11-10), was a newcomer and tied in wins in 31 games (4.32/1.49) and former Saint Johnny VanCuyk's brother, Chris (4-8), joined the club for 36 games and had a rather high ERA of 5.38 and 1.60 WHIP.

Norm Fox (6-3), who was a new face and never reached the bigs, appeared in 35 games for 79 innings with a good 3.65 ERA and Pat McGlothin (5-2) was back for 29 games finishing with the second-best team ERA of 3.26 and WHIP (1.31). Another new guy, Hal Erickson (5-3), made a good first impression in 15 games (3.76 ERA/1.27 WHIP). So good, in fact, that he was picked up by the Tigers during the season. Hugh Oser (1-3) was back for 16 contests and had a good 3.71 ERA. Al Epperly (4-2) pitched his last games for the Saints [his '53 A.A. complete record appears to have been lost.] Bud Byerly pitched for awhile in St. Paul before being sent to Minneapolis (A.A. record: 10-7, 4.36, 1.30). And finally, veteran Pete Wojey (1-0) saw action in five games (3.46 ERA).

Five of the offensive position regulars from '52 left the team and their replacements were generally so-so. Catcher Ray Dabek (.229), who was a Saint in 1949, returned to start 109 games and he was backed up by veteran Dixie Howell (.314) in 64 games and also got into a few with the Dodgers during the year. Another former St. Paul player, first baseman Ted Bartz (.280), who was last seen in 1950, was the starter at first and played acceptably. Newcomer, Joe Lutz (.238), was in Bartz' shadow getting into 47 games. Back for year number four and repeating as an All Star was second baseman Jack Cassini (.324) who led the team in hitting. Slugging third baseman, Bob Wilson (.317), also returned ending up second in hitting and first in team RBI (77). Completing the infield regulars was future baseball legend, Don Zimmer (.300), who in only 81 games hit 23 home runs to lead the team, had the second most RBI and was first in slugging %. His season ended on July 7 when he was hit in the head by a pitched ball. [For complete information, please see Zimmer's mini-bio elsewhere on this web page.] The club's reserve infielder was Jack Lindsey (.225) who had last seen action in St. Paul in 1951.

Saint Paul native, Walt Moryn (.306), saw his first action for his home town team hitting 13 home runs to finish second on the club in that department [he also played in Montreal during the year]. Gino Cimoli (.262) came back and was a steady outfielder in 143 games. Veteran Ray Coleman (.242) was the other regular and saw action in all but two of the Saints games. Dick Whitman (.251) returned as the number one outfield reserve in his last action for St. Paul [he also was in Montreal part of the season.] The other player to see outfield play was life-time minor leaguer Carlton "Allen" Leap (.194). Long-time Saint Danny Ozark made his last two St. Paul appearances as a player.

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In 2008, Bob Burt, a longtime St. Paul-area resident, recalled that there was a Lexington Park fan who usually bellowed "Come on, hit it over the 'Clesium' !" every time the Saints had a rally.- "Clesium" being the Coliseum Building right over the left-field fence.

He also remembered that future major league player and manager, Wes Westrum, who was in the stands for a game when his team was scheduled to play the Saints the next day [Westrum played for the Minneapolis Millers in 1941, 1942 and 1947], threaten a Saints player or players with some kind of mayhem the next day during their game. [Burt played against Westrum in Minnesota amateur games in the 1930s.]

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1953 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI SB Birth Place

Ray Dabek C-113 R 26 328 75 10/1 8 229 338 53

Ted Bartz 1b-149 R 28 529 148 20/8 7 280 388 69 Detroit

Jack Cassini * 2b-155 R 34 602 195 32/6 12 324 457 51 Dearborn, MI

Bob Wilson * 3b-147 R 28 575 182 32/5 12 317 452 77 Dallas

Don Zimmer # SS-81 R 22 320 96 14/4 23 300 584 63 Cincinnati

Ray Coleman * OF-152 L 31 532 129 21/4 7 242 336 57 Dunsmuir, CA

Gino Cimoli # OF-145 R 24 546 143 21/7 3 262 342 52 San Francisco

Walt Moryn # OF-87 L 27 304 93 12/03 13 306 493 38 Saint Paul

Jack Lindsey SS-106 R 26 293 66 14/2 5 225 338 35

Dixie Howell *# C-83 R 33 198 49 3/4 8 247 424 26 Louisville

Joe Lutz * 1b-76 L 28 172 41 8/1 9 238 453 28 Keokok, IA

Dick Whitman * OF-58 L 33 211 53 12/2 3 251 370 26 Woodburn, OR

Allen Leap OF-69 R 28 108 21 4/2 3 194 352 12

Danny Ozark PH-2 R 30 1 1 0/0 0 1000 1000 0 Buffalo, NY

Ray Cash C-6 R 28 0 385 0 Richmond, VA

1953 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Ray Moore # R 27 34 28 11-14 187 154 86 3.56 1.28 Meadows, MD

Bob Darnell # R 23 32 31 11-12 228 215 131 3.12 1.52 Wewoka, OK

Ron Negray # R 23 30 28 10-12 182 167 93 3.91 1.43 Akron, OH

Wade Browning L 31 31 19 3-13 146 139 67 4.13 1.41

Don Bessent # R 22 31 17 11-10 150 153 71 4.32 1.49 Jacksonville, FL

Chris VanCuyk * L 26 36 8 4-8 92 114 33 5.38 1.60 Kimberly, WI

Norm Fox R 25 35 2 6-3 79 66 60 3.65 1.59

Pat McGlothin * R 33 29 9 5-2 105 112 26 3.26 1.31 Coalfield, TN

Hal Erickson # R 34 15 10 5-3 67 74 11 3.76 1.27 Portland, OR

Hugh Oser R 25 16 3 1-3 51 52 32 3.71 1.65

Bud Byerly *# @ R 33 38 17 10-7 159 173 33 4.36 1.30 Webster Groves, MO

Al Epperly * R 35 4-2 Glidden, IA

Pete Wojey # R 34 5 1-0 13 11 9 3.46 1.54 Stowe, PA

Marv Robertson L 20 0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1953 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Toledo Mud Hens 90 64 584 -- 343,614

Kansas City Blues 88 66 571 2 247,556

Louisville Colonels 84 70 545 6 177,080

Indianapolis Indians 82 72 532 8 206,786

Minneapolis Millers 76 78 494 14 128,630

St. Paul Saints 72 82 468 18 139,348 Clay Bryant

Columbus Red Birds 64 90 416 26 84,995

Charlestown Senators 60 94 390 30 178,377

Jack Cassini played on Saint Paul clubs from 1950-1953. He had a short stay of 8 games in the majors for the Pirates in 1949 as a pinch runner. He never came to bat nor fielded a position, however, he did score 3 runs.

Cassini played as a pro from 1940-1955 (excluding his time in the Army Air Corp. of 1942-1945). He led his leagues in stolen bases in 1940-1941, 1947-1948, 1951 and 1952 having stolen 378 in 1,517 minor league games. As a second and third baseman, he had 5,677 at bats with a .304 average. Jack managed in 1955-1956, 1959-1960, 1962, 1964-66, 1969, and 1976-1977.

He also was a scout and instructor during his 50 years in baseball. At age 70, he retired to Florida but soon began to sell Fuller Brush products at Leisure World. After his wife died, while he was in his 80s, he moved to Mesa, AZ, , but still continued to sell the Fuller Brush line in hair salons of Phoenix's "East Valley". Jack was 89 years old in October 2008.

Robert "Bob" Wilson performed on the 1952-1953 and 1958 St. Paul teams. His only taste of the big leagues was in 1958 for the Dodgers when he was in 3 games and had 5 at bats with one hit (a single). In only one of those games, did he played defensively in the outfield. In the minors, he was also a third baseman.

Wilson was a a participant in the Negro Leagues from 1947-1950 and was in the minors and majors from 1950-1960 with nine years at the AAA minor league level [He hit over .300 in seven of those seasons]. Bob was a WWII veteran and became the supervisor in support services for the Dallas, TX, school district. He died at age 60 on April 23, 1985, in Dallas and was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery there.

Ray Coleman was a player on the 1953 Saints squad. He was off-and-on the Browns roster three different times. Ray played 110 and 17 games for them in 1947-1948 hitting .259 and .172. During the '48 season, he went to the Phillies for 68 contests (.243).

It was back to the Browns in 1950-1951 in 117 and 91 games batting .271 and .282. The rest of his '51 year was with the White Sox (51 g, .276). He stayed with the Sox for 85 games in 1952 (.215) and then finished his major league tenure again with the Browns during, '52 year, for 20 games (.196). Ray was in 559 MLB games and had 1729 at bats for a .258 average, .318 OBP and .374 slugging. He played 476 games in the outfield with a .980 fielding mark.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Traded five times in five seasons...The Dodgers acquired Coleman, a fine defensive player, after the 1952 season as insurance for Duke Snider but stashed him at the AAA level [the Saints]." - Merritt Clifton

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Coleman was a pro player from 1940-1956 (excluding his military service in 1943-1945). He had four seasons at the AAA level and became a tobacco and soybean farmer living in Mayfield, KS. He now lives in Hornbrook, CA, and turned 86 in June 2008.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Homer "Dixie" Howell was on the Saint Paul club of 1953 and 1957-1958. He was a catcher for the 1947 Pirates getting into 76 games batting .276. Dixie then had four complete seasons with the Reds in 1949-1952 as a back-up receiver in 64, 82, 77 and 17 games with averages of .244, .223, .251 and .189.

His services were then acquired by the Dodgers and he appeared in 1, 16 and 7 game(s) for them in 1953 and 1955-1956. He got into 340 MLB games and had 910 at bats for a .246 average, .315 OBP and .337 slugging. Dixie caught in 319 games for a .984 fielding %.

Howell was a pro player from 1938-1958 (excluding his service time in 1944-1945). He managed in 1942 and 1961 and later became a realtor in Louisville. He died at age 70, on Oct. 5, 1990, in Binghamton, NY.

Rollin "Joe" Lutz was with the 1952 Saint Paul club. He was in 14 games and had 36 at bats for the Browns in 1951 for a .167 batting average, .286 OBP and .222 slugging. As a first baseman in 11 games, he fielded perfectly.

Lutz played as a pro in 1942 and 1946-1956. He was a marine in the Pacific during WWII and received his Bachelors and Masters degrees while playing baseball. Thereafter, he coached high school baseball, basketball and football in Argyle and Davenport, IA. Then he was athletic director of Parsons College (IA), the coach of Southern Illinois University in the 1960s (led them to the College World Series in 1968-1969), was Cleveland's coordinator of their minor league teams and a major league coach for them in 1972-1973. In 1974, he was a coach for Hiroshima in the Japanese Baseball League and was manager for 15 games in 1975. From 1976-1988, he was the executive director of the Boys Club in Sarasota, FL.

Lutz died at 83 years old on Oct. 20, 2008, from complications of diabetes and a stroke. Burial was at the National Veterans Cemetery in Sarasota.

Dick Whitman played with Saint Paul in 1951-1953. He played for the Dodgers in 1946-1949 for 104, 4, 60 and 23 games batting .260, .400, .291 and .184. Dick finished his major league days with the Phillies in 1950-1951 in 75 and 19 contests with averages of .250 and .118. He led the NL in pinch hits in 1950 going 12-for-39 in their pennant winning season.

He was in 285 MLB games and had 638 at bats with a .259 BA, .316 OBP and .335 slugging. As an outfielder in 185 games, he fielded .992.

Whitman was a pro player from 1942-1957 excluding 1943-1945 when he was in the service. He was a U. of Oregon athlete and became the maintenance manager of the San Jose (CA) water works while living in Campbell, CA. Dick died at age 82 on Feb. 12, 2003, in Peoria, AZ.

Danny Ozark played for the Saints in 1948-1953 and managed them in 1960. He never played a major league game.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Signed as a first baseman by the Dodgers in 1942, Ozark played and managed in their farm system until 1964. He then coached for Walter Alston until he was named Phillies manager in 1973. He tried and easy-going, kid-glove approach, but by September '73, the players were in rebellion and the press was on his back. 'I felt like I was fighting five other clubs and the press,' he said. In a closed meeting near the end of the season, he told the players off, accusing them of acting like spoiled brats. He finished third the next year, then second. The Phillies won three Eastern Division titles from 1976 to 1978 but lost the LCS each time. Ozark was known to throw equipment in frustration and to toss reporters out of the clubhouse for dumb questions. Fired September 1, 1979, he returned to the Dodgers as a coach until 1982, then moved to the Giants where he was interium manager for the last two months of 1974." - Norm Macht

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Dan played as a pro from 1947-1959 [four seasons with average over .300] and managed in 1956-1964. He was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1965-72 and 1980-82) and the Giants (1983-84). Ozark managed the Phillies in 1973 (71-91, 6^th), 1974 (80-82, 3^rd), 1975 (86-76, 2^nd), 1976 (101-61, 1^st), 1977 (101-61, 1^st), 1978 (90-72, 1^st), 1979 (65-67, 5^th) and the Giants in 1984 (24-32, 6^th). The Phillies have never matched the three straight division titles of 1976-1978 attained by the teams he lead.

After baseball, Ozark lived in Vero Beach, FL, and died at his home there on May 7, 2009, at the age of 85. He was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Fort Pierce, FL.

-----1954-----

In his last year as Sant Paul manager, Clay Bryant was able to lead the team to three more wins, a fifth place finish (only two games out from a playoff spot). Attendance held steady for a power display by the club's offensive as, for the first time in franchise history, six players hit 15 or more home runs.

For the third straight year, the catching corp seems rather nondescript with newcomer Herb Olson (.276) seeing action in 86 games after John Bucha (.352) was off to Buffalo. Bucha, in 74 games and 256 at bats, finished with a higher average and slugging % then any other player on the club. Receiver Ernie Yelen (.181) also saw action in 31 contests.

The infield of future-big leaguers Charley Neal (.291), Jim Baxes (.226) and Don Zimmer (.291) certainly were the "name" players on the team. Neal, the second baseman, had 18 homers [second on team] and was third in RBI with 66. Baxes (.226) returned to lead the team in homers with 22 although his average was not great. Zimmer (.291) again played very well in a Saints uniform with 17 home runs and 53 RBI (in only 73 games and 268 at bats) to the point that the Dodgers called him up to the big league club in July. New faces Rudy Rufer (.186) and Stan Rojek (.227) attempted to fill in for Zimmer at short.

Returnee Ted Bartz (.258) was the first base starter and he was backed up, for awhile, by Walt Moryn (.301) who also was called to the Dodgers after hitting 18 homers and getting 50 RBIs in only 71 games. Moryn played in an outfield that was basically comprised of no-names. Minor league lifer Bud Hutson (.300) was second in home runs with 21 and led in RBI at 81 which earned him several return tickets to St. Paul, but none to Brooklyn. Another long-time minor league player, John Golich (.294), was an outfield starter and the other most-used garden spot player was Bert Hemric (.350) who led the regulars in hitting. Ed Moore (.261) also saw much action as an outfielder. Otherwise, future Hall of Fame manager, Dick Williams (.247), appeared in 49 games as a first baseman/outfielder as he split time between St. Paul and Brooklyn and Gino Cimoli was transferred to Montreal after nine games.

Saints pitchers had quite good numbers in 1954 and were led by five veterans of the team. The stud of the group was Ron Negray (17-12), who led the team in victories and innings pitched with a 4.14 ERA/1.35 WHIP. Wade Browning (10-8) was second in innings completed, ERA (3.67) and first in WHIP at 1.28. The season was his high-minor highlight, but he never played a major league game. Don Bessent (12-13) and Bob Darnell (12-9) both were under the 4.00 ERA hurdle (3.93 and 3.85). Lastly, Ray Moore (8-7) appeared in 20 games to led the hurlers with a 3.21 ERA and was second in WHIP (1.29). Of the five, only Darnell saw action with the Dodgers during the year.

Bill Darden (5-5) was in a team-high 58 games with a very good 1.25 WHIP, Ernie Nevel (3-4) performed quite well in 37 contests (3.51/1.35), Ron Lee (3-8) and Norm Fox (1-1) didn't reach expectations (5.18/1.65 and 9.39/2.22). All four were new to St. Paul. After 13 games, the returning Earl Mossor (0-3, 5.82, 1.79) went down to the Texas League. Saints' vet, John Rutherford (2-1), appeared in 11 games and pitched well (3.37/1.32).

The other hurlers who saw action included former big-leaguer Bob Milliken (1-4) who did poorly in eight games, and minor league lifers Dick McCoy, Gil Mills and Charlie Page whose historical records are not complete.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Clay Braynt and Stan Rojek Doing Some Pre-Game Dancing

1954 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI SB Birth Place

Herb Olson C-86 L 24 228 63 20/0 1 276 377 28 Wenatchee, WA

Ted Bartz 1b-145 R 29 500 129 15/5 14 258 392 53 Detroit

Charlie Neal # 2b-146 R 23 585 159 25/13 18 272 451 66 Longview, TX

Jim Baxes # 3b-148 R 26 523 118 14/6 22 226 402 73 San Francisco

Don Zimmer # SS-73 R 23 268 78 9/6 17 291 560 53 Cincinnati

Bud Hutson OF-142 R 28 493 148 17/4 21 300 479 81 Atkins, AR

John Golich OF-120 R 26 364 107 19/2 9 294 431 58

Bert Hamric # OF-88 L 26 309 108 14/7 12 350 557 45 Clarksburg, WV

John Bucha * C-74 R 29 256 90 15/3 14 352 598 43 Allentown, PA

Rudy Rufer * SS-62 R 28 167 31 2/0 1 186 216 9 Ridgewood, NY

Stan Rojek * SS-52 R 35 132 30 7/0 0 227 280 7 N. Tonawanda, NY

Ed Moore OF-109 R 25 268 70 14/2 15 261 496 48 Fort Worth, TX

Walt Moryn # 1bOF-71 L 28 269 81 9/3 18 301 558 50 Saint Paul

Dick Williams *# 1bOF-49 R 25 162 40 8/0 6 247 407 18 St. Louis

Ernie Yelen C-31 R 29 83 15 2/0 1 181 241 8

Gino Cimoli # OF-9 R 25 18 3 0/0 0 167 167 1 San Francisco

Bill Antonello # OF-5 R 27 17 0 118 Brooklyn

Lou Landini C-3 R 27 3 0 0/0 0 000 000 0 , Italy

Lyle Olsen Inf-5 R 25 17 294

Clint Weaver 1bOF-7 L 27 7 0 0/0 0 000 000 0

1954 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Ron Negray # R 24 32 32 17-12 211 209 75 4.14 1.35 Akron,OH

Don Bessent # R 23 35 26 12-13 183 187 67 3.93 1.39 Jacksonville, FL

Wade Browning L 32 31 25 10-8 196 177 74 3.67 1.28

Bob Darnell # R 24 28 24 12-9 180 174 86 3.85 1.44 Wewoka, OK

Ray Moore # R 28 20 18 8-7 112 87 58 3.21 1.29 Meadows, MD

Ernie Nevel * R 35 37 1 3-4 77 77 27 3.51 1.35 Charleston, NO

Bill Darden R 28 58 0 5-5 89 78 33 3.74 1.25

Ron Lee L 25 34 9 3-8 99 114 49 5.18 1.65

Norm Fox R 26 13 0 1-1 23 32 19 9.39 2.22

Earl Mossor # R 29 13 3 0-3 34 39 22 5.82 1.79 Forbus, TN

John Rutherford # R 29 11 8 2-1 56 58 16 3.38 1.32 Bellevue, ON (Can)

Dick McCoy L 25 9 0-1

Bob Milliken * R 28 8 1-4 29 49 9 7.45 2.00 Majorsville, WV

Gil Mills R 27 6 1-2

Charlie Page R 18 2 0-0 Hillsdale, OK

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

1954 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Indianapolis Indians 95 57 625 -- 282,979

Louisville Colonels 85 68 556 10.5 141,353

Minneapolis Millers 78 73 517 16.5 128,187

Columbus Red Birds 77 76 503 18.5 110,696

St. Paul Saints 75 78 490 20.5 134,006 Clay Bryant

Toledo Mud Hens 74 80 481 22 156,989

Kansas City Blues 68 85 444 27.5 141,905

Charlestown Senators 59 94 386 36.5 129,748

Charlie Neal played for the Saint Paul Saints in 1954. He was with the Dodgers from 1956-1961 getting into 62, 128, 140, 151, 139 and 108 games hitting .287, .270, .254, .287, .256 and .235. Charlie played in the All Star games of 1959-1960, tied for the league lead in triples in 1959 and also had the best fielding % for second basemen that year.

In 1962, he went to the expansion Mets and stayed with them through most of the '63 season appearing in 136 and 72 games batting .260 and .225. His final games of '63 and his big league career were performed for the Reds (34 g, .156). In his MLB career, he played 970 games and had 3,316 at bats for a .259 average, .331 OBP and .394 slugging (he had 22 homers in '58 and 19 in '59). As a fielder, his average was .978 with 663 games at second, 162 at short and 120 at third.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Neal was one of the heroes of the 1959 World Series, hitting two home runs for the Dodgers in game two at Comiskey Park and driving in the winning run with the second, a two-run shot. For the Series, he hit .370 and slugged .667.

"The versatile Neal came up as a second baseman in 1956, was a shortstop and occasional third baseman in 1957 and finally won the second-base job in 1958. He led NL second basemen in double plays that year and the next, also leading in putouts...in 1959. The Dodgers moved in 1958 to Los Angeles, where they played in the oddly shaped Coliseum and that stadium's 251' left-field line accounted for Neal's jump form 12 HR in 1957 to 22 (in 473 at bats) in 1958. His best season came in 1959, when he made the All Star team for the first time, hit 19 HR and reached career highs in triples (tied with teammate Wally Moon for the NL lead), doubles (30), runs (103), RBI (83), steals (17) batting average (.287) and slugging (.464). His offense and playing time declined after that and he was obtained by the expansion Mets for the 1962 season, serving as their best infielder (no matter where he played) until he was traded to the Reds in mid-1963, his last season." - Warner Rockford

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Neal played as a professional from 1950-1963. After baseball, he entered the securities business and died at age 65, on Nov. 18, 1996, at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas from heart failure. He was buried at Grace Hill Cemetery in Longview, TX.

Don Zimmer was on the Saints clubs of 1953-1954. He played on Dodgers teams of 1954-1959 for 24, 88, 17, 84, 127 and 97 games with averages of .182, .239, .300, .219, .262 and .165. Don moved on to the Cubs for the 1960-1961 season for 132 and 128 contests hitting .258 and .252. He played in the 1961 All Star game.

His 1962 season was spent with two teams starting with the Mets (14 g, .077) and then the Reds (63 g, .250). He was back with the Dodgers for 22 games in 1963 (.217) and then went to the Senators for 83 more (.248). Zimmer ended his major league years in Washington in 1964-1965 with 121 and 95 games batting .246 and .199. In his MLB 12 years, he was in 1,095 games with 3,283 at bats for a .235 average, .291 OBP and .372 slugging. His fielding average was .941 with 375 games at third base, 294 at second, 268 at short, 33 at catcher and a handful in the outfield.

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From the book "Zim" by Don Zimmer with Bill Madden:

"And after the year I was having at St. Paul [1953], I really believed it was just a matter of time before the Dodgers would call me up. Little did I know, I was going to be closer to death than the big leagues in a couple of weeks. By the first week of July, I was hitting .300 and battling Wall Post...and Al Smith...for the American Association home runs title. We were finishing up a homestand against the Yankees' Kansas City farm team and I hit three homers against a lefthander named Bob Wiesler. That put me up by five over Post and Smith as we went on the road.

"The first stop was Columbus where we had a twi-light doubleheader against the Cardinals' top farm team. A big righthander named Jim Kirk was pitching the first game for Columbus. I remember as I came up the first time against him there was a bunch of trees in center field that didn't have many leaves on them and it was tough picking up the ball. The first pitch from Kirk was a ball up close to my head and I turned to the catcher and said 'I didn't see that ball too good, did you?' His reply was that between the trees in center field and the twilight it was hard to see. Sure enough, the next pitch hit me right square in the left side of the head and I went down like a KO'd boxer.

"The next thing I knew, Clay Bryant, our manager, was standing over me. I said to him, 'Am I bleeding?' And he said, 'No Zim, just lie still, you're OK.' But I was anything but Okay. The ball fractured my skull and that led to blood clots forming on my brain which required spinal taps every two or three days afterward in order to monitor my condition. Bryant's reassuring words were all I remembered until I woke up in White Cross Hospital six days later.

"My wife and my parents were standing there at my bedside, looking down on me and, to me, it looked like three each of them. I was seeing triple! Then I tried to say something and found out I couldn't speak either! My wife began to explain to me what had happened. Like I said, my skull had been fractured and there had been a blood clot on the left side. After first thinking I'd have a quick and full recovery, the doctors realized it was a lot worse. I had been hit on the side of the brain that was my speech center. They had to drill three holes in the left side of my skull to relieve the pressure, but when my condition didn't improve, a couple of days later they drilled another hole in the right side of my skull. People think I've not a metal plate in my head - that's always been the story - but the fact is they filled those holes up with what they call tantalum buttons that act kind of like corks in a bottle. I can therefore truthfully state that all of those players who played for me through the years and thought I sometimes managed like I had a hole in my head were wrong. I actually have four holes in my head!

"The doctor would come in every day and test my reflexes with a rubber mallet and a needle to my foot. Day after day, I didn't feel anything when he moved the needle to the right side of my foot and I was really scared. My father, who owned a wholesale fruit and vegetable company in Cincinnati, made the trip to Columbus every day to offer me encouragement. Finally, I began to regain some feeling , and each day Soot [his wife]...would help me walk around the hospital corridors. To help restore eyesight, the doctors fit my head with a brace so I couldn't turn it and had me do eye exercises, identifying objects by moving them back and forth in front of my eyes. After a few weeks of that, my sight was almost back to normal, but I had developed a stutter in my speech. The doctors also had me taking anti-convulsion pills. In the meantime, my weight had dropped from 170 to 124. All I could think about was what was going to happen to my career.

"Then one day, the Dodgers' front office chiefs, general manager Buzzie Bavasi and farm director Fresco Thompson, came to the hospital to check out my condition and offer their encouragement. They told me not to worry about playing baseball anymore. There would always be a job in the Dodger organization for me. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I was only 22 years old and I was in the midst of my best season ever. I couldn't think about not playing anymore. Just the suggestion from them that I might not ever play again gave me the incentive to prove everybody wrong.

"After I was released from the hospital, they held a special day for me in St. Paul in September and I received dozens of telegrams from well-wishers. Two of them in particular were special and I still have them. The first was from the Columbus Redbirds team and it read: 'Congratulations to a great player on this your day. St. Paul will be missing its greatest shortstop next year when you're playing for the Dodgers.' The second read simply: 'Please accept my heartiest congratulations. I know your courage will continue to make your baseball career a bright one.' It was signed, Jim Kirk.

"...Knowing I had no chance of making the team [the Dodgers in 1954] that spring and that I was only going to get into games as Pee Wee's [Reese] backup in the eighth or ninth innings, I asked [Walter] Alston [Dodgers' manager] to send me out on the first round of cuts so I could play. He obligued me and sent me immediately to St. Paul were Clay Bryant was still the manager. [In spring training with the Saints, against Minneapolis Millers pitcher Pete Burnside, Zimmer swung at a pitch during a hit-and-run play and fouled the ball off his forehead and Buzzie Buvasi told him he was being sent home]. I assured him I was okay and managed to talk him out of it. Then once the regular season began, I started hitting homers again, just like the year before. This time, though, the opposing pitchers had begun to test me by knocking me down with regularity. It didn't bother me right then because I knew I had a part of it whipped. I wasn't afraid. I pretty much realized that the first time I faced Kirk again, early in the season in Columbus. I could tell he was scared to death, even though everyone knew hit hitting me in the head the year before was an accident...

"Even though I knew I had passed the point of any fear, when word of all these knockdowns got back to Brooklyn, Fresco Thompson was furious and ordered Bryant to start doing something to protect me. In a game against Toledo, it got especially nasty when their pitchers knocked me down a couple of times and afterward I heard two of their players, Bob Thorpe and Kermit Wahl, make some comments about how I could expect more of the same the next time we played them. We got back to St. Paul and out best pitcher that year, a lefthander named Wade Browning, called me aside before we were to play Toledo again, 'I'm going to look your way at short before facing every batter,' he said, 'and if you tug at your belt I'm gonna knock the guy at the plate on his ass. You got it?' I got it. When Thorpe came up in the first innng, I tugged at my belt and Browning threw a pitch right at his neck that just missed him. The next pitch didn't miss him. It was the same thing with Wahl. Browning had deliberately put the first two runners on base by hitting them. Now the third hitter in the inning...George Crowe, sees what's happening and he's halfway out of the batter's box as the first pitch from Browning comes in . That was the last time I had to give a tug. They had gotten the message..."

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...was Brooklyn's second baseman in the 1955 World Series. He was doing well in 1956 when a pitch from the Reds' Hal Jeffcoat fractured his cheekbone and ended his season.

"Built like a fireplug and nicknamed Popeye for his strength, the scrappy Zimmer came back again and was the Dodgers' starting shortstop in 1958, reaching career highs of 17 HR and 60 RBI. He lost the job to Maury Wills with a woeful 1959 season, spent his two busiest years with the 1960+61 Cubs and was an original New York Met. He finished his playing career in Japan...[He] was named Cubs manager by his high-school buddy, GM Jim Frey, for 1988. He won the division title and AP Manager of the Year in 1989 with unorthodox strategic moves (he likes the squeeze bunt with the bases loaded) and with lots of rookies and journeymen in his lineups." - Morris Eckhouse

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Zimmer played professional from 1949-1967 (excl. 1966) and managed in the minors from 1967-1970. He was a major league coach for the Expos (1971), Padres (1972), Red Sox (1974-76), Yankees (1983), Cubs (1984-86), Giants (1987), Red Sox (1992), Rockies (1993-96), Yankees (1996-2003) and, since 2004, has been a senior advisor with the Rays.

Don's major league managerial record: Padres- 1972 (54-85, 6^th), 1973 (60-102, 6^th); Red Sox- 1976 (42-34, 3^rd), 1977 (97-64, 2^nd), 1978 (99-64, 2^nd), 1979 (91-69, 3^rd), 1980 (82-73, 4^th); Rangers- 1981 (57-48, 2^nd and 3^rd), 1982 (38-58, 6^th) and Cubs- 1988 (77-85, 4^th), 1989 (93-69, 1^st), 1990 (77-85, 4^th) and 1991 (18-19, 4^th). His total record as a manager: 885-858 (.508).

He lives in Treasure Island, FL, and was 78 in Jan. 2009.

John Bucha was a Saints player in 1954 and 1956. He was a catcher for the Cardinals in 1948 and 1950 in 2 and 22 games and was in 60 games for the 1953 Tigers (.222). All told, his MLB career encompassed 84 games and 195 at bats. He hit .205 with a .295 OBP and .272 slugging percentage. He caught 74 games with a .980 fielding %.

Bucha played as a pro from 1943-1960 including four years when he hit over .300 and he had 14 seasons at the AAA level. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy during WWII and later an iron worker in construction and a mink farmer near Danielsville, PA. He died at age 71 on Apr. 28, 1996, at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, PA, from a heart attack and was buried in Cedar Hill Memorial Park in Allentown, PA.

Rudy Rufer was on the Saints for part of the 1954 season. He had two cups of coffee with the Giants in 1949-1950 for 7 and 15 games when he batted .067 and .091. His MLB career average was .077 in 26 at bats with a .143 OBP and .077 slugging. As a shortstop in 15 games, he fielded .938.

Rufer was a pro player from 1948-1957 which included four years of experience in AAA. He managed in 1956-57 and then stayed in baseball as a special assignment scout for the Dodgers. He lives in Malverne, NY, and was 82 years in Oct. 2008.

Richard "Dick" Williams played for the 1954 Saint Paul Saints. He was a sometimes utility player for the Dodgers from 1951-1954 and 1956 appearing in 23, 36, 30, 16 and 7 games batting .200, .309, .218, .147 and .286. During the '56 season, he went to the Orioles getting into 87 games (.286) and then stayed with them into the 1957 year (47 g, .234) before going to the Indians for the rest of the year (67 g, .283).

Dick returned to Baltimore in 1958 for 128 games and batted a decent .276. In 1959-1960, he was with the A's for 130 and 127 contests hitting .266 and .288. He went back to the Orioles for the third time in 1961-1962 getting into 103 and 82 games (.206, .247) and finished with the Red Sox in 1963-1964 (.257, .159). In total, Williams played in 1,023 MLB games and had 2,959 at bats with a .260 average, .315 OBP and .392 slugging. He fielded .989 in 456 games in the outfield, 257 at third base, 200 at first and 10 at second.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The emotional Williams is the only manger to win pennants with three different teams (Red Sox, A's and Pirates) [as of 1990] as well as win titles in all four divisions. But despite his team's successes, he always alienated management and players alike with his driving, hard-bitten, 'my way or the highway' attitude. He managed six different teams in a career that stretched over 21 years and often included clashes with similarly single-minded owners.

"A versatile performer in his playing days, Williams played three positions over a 13-year career with five teams...In 1967 he took over a Red Sox team that had finished ninth the year before and guided them through a successful four-team pennant race, before losing the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey grew impatient when Williams didn't repeat the feat in the following two years and Williams's relationship with his players, especially Carl Yastrzemski, started to deteriorate. Yawkey took Yaz's side and Williams was fired following a third-place finish in 1969.

"After Williams spent a year coaching with the expansion Expos, Charlie Finley hired him to manage the A's, a team with burgeoning stars on the verge of maturity. Williams, Finley's 11^th manager in as many years, guided the A's to the division title in 1971, then to their first pennant in 41 years in 1972. Williams was often accused of over-managing and it almost cost the 1971 Series...They went on to win the first of three straight championships...[After the '73 Series, Williams quit] George Steinbrenner tried to hire Williams for the Yankees in 1974, but Williams was still under contract with Finley...[and] Joe Cronin [nixed] the deal for tampering....Right after the ['74] All Star break, Williams replaced Bobby Winkles as manager of the Angels. After finishing on higher than fourth in three seasons, Williams moved back to Montreal, this time to manage....In 1982, Williams went back to California as the manager of the Padres. He took the Padres fo their only World Series in 1984, where they were over-whelmed by the much stronger Tigers. Williams spent the last three years of his career managing for tight-fisted George Argyros in Seattle, but decided early in the 1988 season that he had enough of both cheap management and mediocre players and retired." - Stewart Wolpin

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In his book (written with Bill Plaschke) "No More Mr. Nice Guy", Williams only mentions Saint Paul in passing:

"The morning after I arrived home [in spring 1951 from the service] I called Buzzie Bavasi, the new Brooklyn general manager, and he told me that under a new rule I could demand 30 days in the big leagues because I was an ex-serviceman who had been on a major league roster when I was called to war. This was the government's way of saying our careers would not be penalized. But, Bavasi advised, I should go to triple-A St. Paul first because I'd missing spring training. I got on the first plane there. At the time my concern was not the army but a return to my normal life...

"...I was busy...cramming a missed spring training into one afternoon workout in St. Paul during an off-day immediately after I arrived. I took a few swings, the knee felt good [it had been injured in the service], the timing wasn't too far gone, I was ready to begin my long-overdue triple-A career. But after that first workout St. Paul manager Clay Hopper said that owner Mel Jones wanted to see me in his office. 'Dick,' Jones said when I arrived, 'you can't play here.' My jaw grew tight and my face red. 'Okay, so I missed spring training,' I replied. 'But I've played a couple of good years in Fort Worth and played this winter and I can get back in shape quickly...'

" 'Dick,' he interrupted, 'we aren't sending you down. We're sending you to Brooklyn. Two other teams claimed you off wartime waivers, which means you've got to play one full year in Brooklyn or else the Dodgers have to give you up.'...

"...I became increasingly alienated from players who didn't understand the art of heckling and just thought I had a big mouth. I'll never forget Pee Wee Reese ripping my ass after I got sent down to St. Paul one year. 'Those jokes will go over good in St. Paul.' he said..."

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Williams was a pro player from 1947-1964 and managed in the minors in 1965-66. He was a major league coach for the Expos in 1970 and the following are his records as a manager: Red Sox- 1967 (92-70, 1^st), 1968 (86-76, 4^th) and 1969 (82-71, 3^rd); A's - 1971 (101-60, 1^st), 1972 (93-62, WS Champs) and 1973 (94-68, WS Champs); Angels - 1974 (36-48, 6^th), 1975 (72-89, 6^th) and 1976 (36-57, 6^th); Expos - 1977 (75-87, 5^th), 1978 (76-86, 4^th). 1979 (95-65, 2^nd), 1980 (90-72, 2^nd), 1981 (44-37, 3^rd and 2^nd); Padres - 1982 (81-81, 4^th), 1983 (81-81, 4^th), 1984 (92-70, 1^st), 1985 (83-79, 3^rd); Mariners - 1986 (58-75, 7^th), 1987 (78-84, 4^th) and 1988 (23-33, 6^th). His total record was 1,571-1,451 (.520).

He was named to baseball's Hall of Fame in 2008, lives in Henderson, NV, and turned 79 in May 2008.

Claiborne "Clay" Bryant managed the Saints in 1952-1954. He pitched for the Cubs from 1935-1940 appearing in 9, 26, 38, 44, 4 and 8 games (started 30 games in 1938) with 23, 57, 135, 270, 31 and 26 innings for ERAs of 5.16, 3.30, 4.26, 3.10, 5.74 and 4.78. He was 19-11 in 1938 and led the league in strikeouts.

In his MLB career, he was in 129 games (44 starts) with 543 innings allowing 511 hits and 262 walks while striking out 272. His ERA was 3.73 with a .249 OAV, .335 OOB and a 32-20 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Bryant spent 45 years in baseball as a pitcher, coach and minor league manager. A .266 lifetime hitter, he won his own game on August 28, 1938 with a 10^th inning grand slam. He went 19-11 for the 1938 pennant-winning Cubs, leading the NL in strikeouts and walks. In his World Series start in game three, he pitched almost five hitless innings before Joe Gordon started a Yankee stampede with a home run. Bryant's career was ruined by arm trouble the next year." - Dick Beverage

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Bryant pitched professionally from 1930-1946 (excluding the war years of 1942-43) and he managed in 1944-1960, 1963-1964, 1966, 1968-1969 and 1972. His minor league record was 1,727-1,680. He was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1961) and Indians (1967, 1974) and was a minor league pitching coach for the Dodgers in 1962. Clay died at age 87 on Apr. 9, 1999, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and was buried there at Forest Lawn South Cemetery.

Gino Cimoli played on the St. Paul clubs of 1952-1954. He was on the Dodgers teams of 1956-1958 making 73, 142 and 109 appearances and batting .111, .293 and .246. Gino played in the '57 All Star game. He moved to the Cardinals for the 1959 year and played in 143 game with a .279 average.

In 1960-1961, he was with the Pirates in 101 and 21 games hitting .267 and .299 and finished the '61 season with the Braves (37 g, .197). Gino then went on to the A's for the 1962-1964 years with averages of .275, .263 and .000 in 152, 145 and 4 games. He led the league in triples in '62. The rest of his '64 season was spent with the Orioles (38 g, .138).

He ended his big league stay with 4 games for the Angels in 1965 (0-for-5). During his 10-year, 969-game and 3,054 at bat MLB career, he batted .265 with a .317 OBP and .383 slugging %. As an outfielder, he played 909 games with a .974 fielding percentage.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The strong-armed journeyman outfielder and opposite-field hitter had a career high .293 BA for the Dodgers in 1957. Cimoli went to the Cardinals in Dec. 1958 for Wally Moon and Phil Paine, but was traded to Pittsburgh after the 1959 season. A fourth outfielder for the Pirates, he was a valuable replacement, especially when Bob Skinner was hurt during the 1960 World Series. Cimoli's pinch-single in game seven sparked a five-run rally that preceded Mazeroski's dramatic Series-ending homer..." - Morris Eckhouse

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Cimoli played as a pro from 1949-1965. In the early-1980s, he was a driver for United Parcel and lived in Tiburon, CA.. He now lives in Daly City, CA, and was 79 years old in Dec. 2008.

Ray Moore pitched on the 1952-1954 Saints. He was with the Dodgers in 1952-1953 for 14 and one game(s). From 1955-1957, he pitched with the Orioles in 46, 32, 34 games for ERAs of 3.92, 4.18 and 3.72. With the White Sox, he eventually became a full time reliever appearing in 32, 29 and 14 games during the 1958-1960 seasons with 3.82, 4.12 and 5.66 ERAs. The rest of his '60 year was in Washington where he made 37 appearances for a 2.88 ERA.

He finished his big league years with the Twins from 1961-1963 getting into 46, 49 and 31 games with a 3.67, 4.73 and 6.98 ERAs. In his MLB career, he was in 365 games (105 starts) for 1,073 innings allowing 935 hits and 560 walks while striking out 612. His ERA was 4.06 with a .238 OAV, .335 OOB and a 63-59 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Moore was a righthanded fastballer who walked almost as many as he fanned. Offensively, he hit six home runs despite a .187 average. In December 1957 he was traded with Billy Goodman and Tito Francona to the White Sox for lefthander Jack Harshman and Larry Doby." - Norm Macht

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Moore pitched professionally from 1947-1963 and was in the U.S. Army serving in the Pacific during WWII. Thereafter, he was a tobacco farmer living in Upper Marlboro, MD. He died at age 69 on March 2, 1995, at Southern Maryland Hosptial in Clinton, MD, from cancer. Burial was at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland, MD.

Ernie Nevel pitched for Saint Paul in 1954. He was a relief pitcher in parts of three big league seasons. For the Yankees in 1950-1951, he was in 3 and one game(s) and, for the Reds, he appeared in 10 games (6.10 ERA). His MLB career was 14 games (one start) and 21 innings allowing 27 hits and 8 walks with 9 strike outs. He had a 6.10 ERA, .329 OAV, .369 OOB and an 0-1 record.

Nevel was a pro pitcher from 1946-1954. Thereafter, he was an instructor at the Sho-Me Baseball Camp and lived in Branson, MO, for 29 years. He died at age 79 on July 10, 1988, at the Cox Medical Center in Springfield, MO, after a long illness. Burial was at Ozarks Memorial Park in Branson.

Bob Milliken played for Saint Paul in 1954 and 1957-1958. He pitched for the Dodgers in 1953-1954 getting into 37 and 24 games (10 and 3 starts) attaining 3.37 and 4.02 ERAs. In his MLB career, he finished 180 innings allowing 152 hits and 60 walks with 90 strikeouts for a 3.59 ERA, .225 OAV, .290 OOB and a 13-6 record. He injured his arm in 1950 and his arm problems came back in 1954.

Milliken was a pitcher at the professional level from 1947-1962 (excluding 1951-52 when he was in the military). He was a major league coach for the Cardinals (1965-1970 and 1976) and was a minor league pitching instructor and scout for them for many years. He died at age 80 on Jan. 3 or 4 [sources differ], 2007, in Clearwater, FL, and was cremated.

-----1955-----

The Dodgers swapped AAA managers by re-assigning Clay Bryant to Montreal and 40-year-old Max Macon to Saint Paul. . Macon was a pitcher in pro ball from 1934-1944 and 1946-1955 although, later in his carrier, he appeared in minor league games as an outfielder and first baseman. He had played in the majors part or all of six seasons. He was an experienced manager having led teams since 1949. The Saints finished the year with the same record as in '54, but they dropped to sixth place with a loss of 15,700 at the turnstiles.

Macon

During the pre-season, the American Association had more franchise turmoil, than at any time, in their 53-year history. The Athletics pulled out of Philadelphia and settled in Kansas City ending it's days as a minor league city. In addition, Columbus (who had the worst attendance in the league for three straight years) lost their league grip when the St. Louis Cardinals bailed as their parent club and backed Omaha's entry into the league. The Kansas City franchise was awarded to Denver with the Yankees blessing. [Columbus did gain an International League spot later].

The offense lost their name infielders from '54, but held up quite well. Tim Thompson (.313) came back to catch and led the team in hitting. He was backed by the returning Ernie Yelen (.267) who played his final pro year.

First base became the domain of future Dodger regular, Norm Larker (.302), who hit 14 homers with 71 RBI. Veteran Roy Hartsfield (.259) became the second baseman and led the club in homers with 26 and was second in RBI. Lyle Olsen (.311) played more games at third then any other Saint after appearing in a hand full of games for the team in '54. It was his career pro year as he finished second in team batting, however, it wasn't enough to ever get a call to the big leagues. Another life-time minor leaguer, Jasper Spears (.262), was the regular shortstop and the only St. Paul player named to the league's '55 All Star team. Stan Rojek (.227) was the main infield bench player as he ended his pro career during the season. Another third baseman was Willard Davis (.193) who spent more time in the Texas League. Bill Sharman (.262) played well in his last year in pro baseball as he split time between third base and outfield in 133 games.

Walt Moryn (.248) played nearly the whole year in his home town leading the club in RBI (88) and was second in home runs (25). His appearances with the Saints were his last in the minors has he was called up to the Dodgers toward the end of the season and stayed in the Bigs the rest of his career. Bud Hutson (.287) came back as an outfield regular leading the team in slugging % with 18 homers in 107 games. Bert Hamric (.291) was the other outfield starter and played some for Brooklyn during the year. Bob Borkowski (.338) played well in his limited time with the Saints (39 games) as he was between stints with the Reds and Dodgers. Ed Moore (.139) returned for 26 contests and then was sent down to the Texas League. Manager Macon played his last pro games with 14 at bats as apparently a pinch hitter and first baseman. Earl Naylor also closed out his career with eight at bats for the club.

Pitching seemed to slip from the previous year with youngster Chuck Templeton (14-9) leading the team in wins, innings pitched and was second in ERA (3.71) [He had a shot with the Dodgers at the end of the year]. Only one other hurler had an ERA under 4.00. Bob Darnell (9-9) came back to complete the second most innings but had high a high ERA (5.71) and WHIP (1.66). Veteran John Rutherford (6-10) was a regular in the starting rotation and was third in WHIP (1.39) as he ended his pro pitching career. Native St. Paul pitcher, Fred Baczewski (6-7), was the number four starter after arriving from the Reds and didn't do too well (5.82/1.62). Don Bessent (8-5) split his season between the Saints and the Dodgers and was first in St. Paul team ERA (3.58) and second in WHIP (1.31).

Reliever Bill Darden (7-5) also returned for 42 games (4.90/1.51), but lost his "most games pitched" title to Rene Valdez (or Valdes) (10-9) who pitched in 49 games and had the best WHIP (1.30) on the club. Ronnie Lee (2-1) came back and pitched less well (5.59/1.76) as he also spent much time in the Texas League. Former major leaguer, Dave Cole (3.-7), made some appearances with the Phillies during the season and never really settled in with the Saints as he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.84 WHIP.

Joe Baliga (2-6), who was last with the club in 1952 and then in the military in 1953-54, was in 22 games with a poor record (6.08/1.73). Ron Negray (4-3) played his last games for the Saints until 1957 as he was dwelt to the Phillies and another returnee, Jim Hughes (2-3) [last seen in 1950], was with the Dodgers during the year although his Saints' performances should be forgotten (6.00/2.17 in 9 games). Also getting into games for St. Paul, during the year, were: Armando Suarez (0-2) a Cuban native who played most of the year in the Mexican League; Ron Kump (2-1); Lou Hribar (0-0); and Clyde DeWitt (0-1) who ended his six-year pro career in St. Paul.

1955 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI SB Birth Place

Tim Thompson # C-121 L 31 390 122 32/3 3 313 433 38 Coalpoint, VA

Norm Larker # 1b-144 L 25 497 150 30/4 14 302 463 71 Beaver Meadows,PA

Roy Hartsfield *# 2b-145 R 30 564 146 21/5 26 259 452 85 Chattahoochee, GA

Lyle Olsen 3b-93 R 26 312 97 12/1 6 311 413 41

Jasper Spears 3b-154 R 25 637 167 12/7 16 262 410 76

Walt Moryn # OF-148 L 29 533 132 26/9 25 248 471 88 Saint Paul

Bert Hamric # OF-129 L 27 421 122 18/5 9 290 420 53 Clarksburg, WV

Bud Hutson OF-107 R 29 362 104 17/5 18 287 511 71 Atkins, AR

Bill Sharman 3bOF-133 R 29 637 167 32/7 16 262 410 58

Ernie Yelen C-71 R 30 202 54 11/2 0 267 342 19

Stan Rojek * 2b-71 R 36 132 30 5/1 0 227 280 8 N. Tonawanda, NY

Williard Davis 3b-35 R 25 88 17 6/0 2 193 330 7

Bob Borkowski *# OF-39 R 29 133 45 10/1 3 338 496 25 Dayton, OH

Max Macon * PH1b-7 L 40 14 357 Pensacola, FL

Ed Moore OF-26 R 26 59 8 4/0 1 136 254 5 Fort Worth, TX

Pedro Almenares OF-5 R 27 7 0 0/0 0 000 000 , Cuba

Earl Naylor * PHOF-5 R 36 8 1 125 Kansas City,MO

1955 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

Chuck Templeton # L 23 37 27 14-9 206 163 156 3.71 1.55 Detroit

Bob Darnell # R 25 31 26 9-9 175 206 85 5.71 1.66 Wewoka, OK

John Rutherford # R 30 29 22 6-10 166 188 42 4.88 1.39 Bellevue, ON (Can)

Fred Baczewski *# L 29 26 16 6-7 102 116 49 5.82 1.62 Saint Paul

Don Bessent # R 24 16 14 8-5 108 109 33 3.58 1.31 Jacksonville, FL

Bill Darden R 29 42 6 7-5 101 119 34 4.90 1.51

Rene Valdez(s) R 26 49 12 10-9 151 148 48 4.05 1.30 Guanabacoa, Cuba

Ron Lee L 26 21 2-1 37 41 24 5.59 1.76

Dave Cole * R 25 22 10 3-7 64 70 48 6.75 1.84 Williamsport, MO

Joe Baliga R 22 22 7 2-6 74 97 31 6.08 1.73

Ron Negray # R 25 9 4-3 66 60 26 4.77 1.30 Akron,OH

Jim Hughes # R 32 9 2-3 18 22 17 6.00 2.17 Chicago

Armando Suarez L 23 8 0-2 , Mexico

Ron Kump R 24 5 2-1

Clyde DeWitt R 27 4 0-1

Lou Hribar R 20 3 0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

1955 Standings W L Pct GB Attend. Manager

Minneapolis Millers 92 62 597 -- 177,307

Omaha Cardinals 84 70 545 8 316,012

Denver Bears 83 71 539 9 426,248

Louisville Colonels 83 71 539 9 139,948

Toledo Mud Hens 81 73 526 11 187,911

St. Paul Saints 75 78 490 16.5 118,318 Max Macon

Indianapolis Indians 67 86 439 24.5 129,517

Charlestown Senators 50 104 325 42 108,431

Walt Moryn played on his home town Saints in 1953-1955. He was on the Dodgers roster in 1954-1955 for 48 and 11 games hitting .275 and .263. Walt then moved on to the Cubs for the 1956-1960 seasons, where he had his best years. He performed in 147, 149, 143, 117 and 38 games with averages of .285, .289, .264, .234 and .294. Moryn was chosen for the 1958 All Star team and hit three homers in a game against the Dodgers. His shoestring catch with two outs in the ninth helped save a no-hitter for Don Cardwell in 1960. [Although he was never known as a great fielder.]

The rest of his '60 year was with the Cardinals where he played in 75 contests for a .245 average. His last year in the majors was 1961 when he played 17 games for the Cards (.125) and 40 for the Pirates (.200). He was in a total of 785 MLB games with 2,506 at bats for a .266 BA, .338 OBP and .446 slugging. Walt hit 23 homers in 1956 and 26 in 1958 (101 total). As an outfielder, his fielding average was .972 in 670 games.

Moryn served on an ammunition ship during WWII and played as a pro from 1948-1961. Later he became involved in liquor and bar businesses in the Cicero, IL, area. Also, he worked as a sporting goods manager for a department store and died at age 70, on July 21, 1996, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, IL. Burial was at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood, IL.

Stan Rojek was on the St. Paul Saints in 1954-1955. He played on the Dodgers in 1942 and 1946-1947 in 1, 45 and 32 games batting .277 and .262 in '46-'47. Stan then went to the Pirates for 1948-1951, where he was a regular in '48-'49. During his days with the Bucs, he appeared in 156, 144, 76 and 8 games with averages of .290, .244, .257 and .188. He led the league in at bats and shortstop assists in 1948.

Early in the '51 season, he was sent to the Cardinals where he was in 51 games (.274). His final big league games were for the Browns in 1952 (9 g, .143). He played in 522 MLB games and had 1,764 at bats with a .266 average, .327 OBP and .326 slugging. His fielding average was .965 with 463 games at shortstop, 17 at second and 13 at third. He stole 32 bases with 24 coming in '48.

Rojek was a pro player from 1939-1955 (excluding his military service in the U.S. Army Air Corp from 1943-1945). He became an owner of a dairy while living in North Tonowanda, NY, and also ran Rojek's Park Manor Bowling Lanes there for 25 years. He died at age 78, on July 9, 1997, after a long illness at DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonowanda. Burial was at Mount Oliver Cemetery in Buffalo, NY.

Bob Borkowski played for Saint Paul in 1955. He performed with the Reds from 1950-1955 in 85, 58, 126, 94, 73 and 25 games hitting .273, .157, .252, .269, .265 and .167. Bob ended his '55 season and major league career with 9 games for the Dodgers in 1955 (.105).

In his MLB years as a substitute and pinch hitter, he was in 470 games and had 1,170 at bats for a .251 average, .299 OBP and .346 slugging. He played 316 games in the outfield and 12 at first base for a .982 fielding percentage.

Borkowski originally was a pitcher in the minors (in 1946, he was 19-6), but when he hit .384 in '46, he became a position player until 1958. After baseball, he worked for the Akron Welfare Department and then from 1968-1988, he worked in the parts department of Harris-Siebold Printing Co.(Schriber Co.) a manufacturer of printing presses in Dayton, OH. Bob still lives there and was 82 years old in Jan. 2008.

Bob Darnell pitched on the Saints from 1953-1955 and in 1958-1959. He only got into 6 and one game(s) for the 1954 and 1956 Dodgers completing 16 innings allowing 16 hits and 7 walks while striking out 5 for a very good 2.87 ERA and .271 OAV, .348 OOB with no record.

Darnell pitched as a pro from 1953-1961 with all of those years spent at the AAA level. Later, Bob moved to Springdale, AZ. He died at age 64, on Jan. 1, 1995, in Fredericksburg, TX, and was buried in the West Prong Cemetery in Medina, TX.

Fred Baczewski, who was a St. Paul native son, pitched for the Saints in 1955. In early 1953, he was in 9 games with the Cubs for a 6.30 ERA. He then moved to the Reds for the rest of that season and, during the years of 1954-1955, appeared in 24, 29 and 1 game(s) attaining ERAs of 3.45, 5.26 and 18.00.

Fred pitched in 63 MLB games (40 starts) and finished 279 innings allowing 306 hits and 111 walks with 104 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.45 with a .282 OAV, .351 OOB and 17-10 record.

Baczewski was a professional pitcher from 1947-1961 which included eight years in AAA. He was a foreman at ARCO for 15 years and died at age 50 on Nov. 14, 1976, at Brotman Memorial Hospital in Culver City, CA, from lung cancer. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Don Bessent pitched for Saint Paul in 1953-1955 and 1959-1960. He was a reliever for the Dodgers in 1955-1958 appearing in 24, 38, 27 and 19 games with ERAs of 2.70, 2.50, 5.73 and 3.33. Don completed 211 innings in his 108 MLB games and allowed 196 hits and 88 walks with 118 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.33 with a .250 OAV, .327 OOB and 14-7 record. He led the Dodgers in ERA in 1955 and was the winning pitcher of game two of the '56 World Series.

Bessent was a pro from 1950-1962, later a mechanical engineer for Thompkins and Beckwith Co. and a sales manager for Pepsi-Cola Bottling while living in Jacksonville, FL. He died there at age 59, on July 7, 1990, and was buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville.

Rene Valdez (sometimes spelled "Valdes" in baseball records) pitched for Saint Paul in 1955. His only games in the bigs came in 1957, for the Dodgers, when he was in 5 contests and completed 13 innings allowing 13 hits and 7 walks while striking out 10. Rene's ERA was 5.54 with a .265 OAV, .357 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Valdez pitched as a professional from 1954-1961 with all but one year in AAA (he was 22-11 in '56). After baseball, he returned to his native Cuba (Havana) and was 79 years old in June 2008. .

Dave Cole pitched on the 1955 edition of the Saints. He had appeared in 4, 23 and 22 games for the Red Sox in 1950-1952 with ERAs of 1.13, 4.26 and 4.03. In 1953, he was in 10 games for the Braves (8.59) and then in 1954, 18 for the Cubs (5.36). His last taste of the majors was in 1955 when he was in 7 games for the Phillies (6.38).

Dave made appearances in 84 games (27 starts) finishing 237 innings allowing 221 hits and 199 walks with 119 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.93 with a .253 OAV, .395 OOB and a 6-16 record. His scouting report was: "good stuff and bad control."

Cole was a pro pitcher from 1948-1957. In the early-1980s, he was operating a Mack Truck dealership in Hagerstown, MD. He lives in Orlando, FL, and was 78 in Aug. 2008.

Ron Negray was a top pitcher for the Saint Paul Saints in 1952-1955 and 1957-1958. He had 4 games for the Dodgers in 1952 (3.46 ERA) and then had full trials with the Pirates in 1955-1956 for 19 and 39 games with ERAs of 3.52 and 4.18. His last major league shot came in 4 games with the Dodgers in 1958 (7.15).

Ron had pitched in 66 games with 15 starts and had finished 163 innings allowing 170 hits and 57 walks with 81 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.04 with a .271 OAV, .333 OOB and a 6-6 record.

Negray was a pro from 1949-1963 with 11 years at the AAA level. In the early-1980s, he was a sales representative for an athletic equipment company while he lived in Akron, OH. He was still living there when he turned 78 in Feb. 2008.

-----1956-----

The Saints accomplished something very unusual in 1956. The Max Macon-led club finished with the same record as they had in 1954 and 1955 (75-78), but moved up in the standings to fifth. Attendance dropped for the third straight year by 16,300 to barely over 100,000. Veteran Roy Hartsfield finished the year at manager ascending to the post on August 31 and the club went 9-12 with him at the helm.

The Toledo franchise which had a three-year reprieve after losing their slot in the A.A., for the first time, in June 1952, lost it for good during the 1955 post-season. The league awarded the franchise to Wichita, KS, and the Milwaukee Braves transferred their affiliation to that city. Then Cleveland dropped their ownership interest in Indianapolis and the city had to scramble to sell shares of stock to 6,700 fans in order to raise funds to keep the team there. In addition, with their eye on a possible major league team, the Minneapolis Millers left the band-box Nicollet Park and started play at Metropolitan Stadium, which was funded by $2.2 million of private individual capital, $1 million of local community bonds and $1.3 million of funds from 50 Minneapolis businessmen. It was built in the southeasterly suburb of Bloomington. [The purchase price of the 164-acre farmland was $478,899.] That, of course, caused ball park envy by the city of Saint Paul as they began to plan their own big league park alternative.

Only one pitcher broke the 4.00 ERA barrier as the starters were led by two life-time minor leaguers. Glenn McMinn (14-11) had the most club victories, innings pitched and led in WHIP (1.33) as he finished with a 4.31 ERA. The only pitcher on the team to make the league's All Star team was John Jancse (11-8) who was second in innings and had a 4.39 ERA/1.41 WHIP. The number three starter was the returning Chuck Templeton (6-9) whose ERA was 4.33, but he had a high WHIP of 1.66 [he played some games for Brooklyn during the season]. A 20-year-old Stan Williams (9-7, 4.54) made 22 starts which tied him with Templeton for third-high on team. Williams had arrived from the Texas League and was destined to be a full-time MLB pitcher.

Newcomer Joe Stanek (9-10) had 18 starting assignments for a 4.20 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. He never made the majors nor did John Forisz (3-7) [some sources say "Forizs"] who made a bad impression with a 6.61 ERA and 1.93 WHIP. The team leader in ERA (3.75) and who was second in WHIP (1.36) was Don Elston (7-8) as he played his last minor league games prior to eight years in the majors. Returnee Ron Lee (5-9) appeared in more games (51) then any other club pitcher and was second in ERA at 4.07.

Reliever and former big leaguer, Lee Wheat (6-3), arrived for 38 games with a good 1.28 WHIP, but had a higher-then-great ERA of 5.51. The returning Wade Browning (2-2) was in 27 games (4.89/1.58) and new guy John Ceplo (1-1) made appearances in17 contests (4.94/1.58). Future major leaguer Ralph Mauriello (1-1) was in 10 games with a heightened record (5.36/1.93). Otherwise, Ron Kump returned for six games which ended his career; former Saints Pete Nicolis and Bill Darden pitched a hand full of games each and ex-major leaguer Karl Spooner attempted to come back from an injury, but only lasted four games.

Offensively, only two regular players hit better then .300 and only three had more then 15 home runs. All Star John Bucha (.284) moved up from being the '54 back-up catcher to starter in 109 games and his able reserve was future major league sub Joe Pignatano (.295).

Norm Larker (.309) got a return ticket to Saint Paul and led the club in hitting and was second in RBI (77). Veteran Roy Hartsfield (.287) came back to man second base and lead the club in homers (19) and RBI (80). Lyle Olsen (.276) returned for his third year and second as the regular third baseman. The new shortstop was future-Dodger, Bob Lillis (.266), who finished second in team homers with 18 after two years in the military. Larry Curry (.306) played 114 games at second and in the outfield ending the year second in club batting. Don Eggert was in games at third and outfield before being traded to Charleston. The other infield reserve was Ed Winceniak (.273) who played some for the Cubs during the season.

Outfielder Solly Drake started the season like a house-a-fire hitting .333, with a .600 slugging % in 55 games and 195 at bats. That earned him a trade to the Cubs, but left the Saints rather short of outfielders. Bud Hutson (.248) and Bert Hamric (.299) came back and played in 119 and 117 games respectively as Hutson had the team's best slugging % and was third in homers. The other most-used outfielder was minor league-lifer Granville "Granny" Gladstone (.277). Two other experienced Saints players made some appearances as outfielders: Frank Marchio (.118) was with the Saints for the third year [played most of season in the Texas League] and Pedro Almenares (.227) for his second.

In the spring, ground was broken for a new Saints park at 1000 North Snelling Avenue and the ceremony was attended by Dodgers president Walter O'Malley. On June 13, he brought the Brooklyn Dodgers to Lexington Park for an exhibition game. They beat the Saints 7-2 and Saint Paul fans once again saw former players Duke Snider and Roy Campanella.

On September 5, 1956, with a crown of only about 2,000 fans, St. Paul ended it's regular season home schedule with Stan Williams shutting out Minneapolis. Roy Hartsfield hit the park's last home run in the last of the eighth as St. Paul won, 4-0. The Saints still had a chance at the post-season, but could not make up a three-game deficit behind fourth-place Minneapolis and no further Saint Paul Saints games were ever played at Lexington Park. It had served the city and team well.

["St. Paul Pioneer Press" writer Mark Tierney estimated, in an article dated September 2, 1956, that 7,630,000 fans had attended games at Lexington since 1908.]

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Fans Leaving Lexington Park through it's Lexington Avenue Gates

1956 Hitting Main Pos-G Bats Age AB H 2b/3b HR Ave Slg OBP RBI SB Birth Place

John Bucha * C-109 R 31 338 96 17/1 13 284 456 57 Allentown, PA

Norm Larker # 1b-150 L 26 534 165 34/5 13 309 464 77 Beaver Meadows,PA

Roy Hartsfield *# 2bOF-140 R 31 502 144 24/3 19 287 460 80 Chattahoochee, GA

Lyle Olsen 3b-112 R 27 398 110 12/4 5 276 364 45

Bob Lillis # SS-144 R 26 590 157 33/2 18 266 420 65 Altadena, CA

Granny Gladstone OF-130 R 31 393 109 22/2 12 277 435 59 Panama Canal Zone

Bud Hutson OF-119 R 30 371 92 16/7 17 248 466 67 Atkins, AR

Bert Hamric # OF-117 L 28 381 114 16/6 10 299 451 52 Clarksburg, WV

Joe Pignatano # C-81 R 27 224 66 11/1 5 295 420 29 Brooklyn

Lacey Curry 2bOF-114 R 28 399 122 21/4 4 306 409 43 Wichita Falls, TX

Don Eggert @ 3bOF-101 R 28 311 71 12/4 13 228 418 55 Milwaukee

Solly Drake # OF-55 S 26 195 65 13/6 9 333 600 27 Little Rock, AR

Frank Marchio OF-14 R 29 17 2 0/0 0 118 118 1

Ed Winceniak # 2b3b-52 R 27 161 44 9/3 6 273 478 27 Chicago

Pedro Almenares OF-13 R 28 22 5 0/0 0 227 227 2 , Cuba

Jim Koranda OF-7 R 22 18 2 1/0 0 111 167 0 Chicago

Frank Scannelli C-1 R 24 1 0 0/0 0 000 000 0

1956 Pitching Thrw Age G GS W-L IP H BB ERA WHIP SO Birth Place

John Jancse R 25 31 26 11-8 158 173 50 4.39 1.41 Slippery Rock, PA

Glenn McMinn R 23 38 23 14-11 188 188 62 4.31 1.33 Chillicothe, TX

Chuck Templeton # L 24 27 22 6-9 135 123 101 4.33 1.66 Detroit

Stan Williams # R 20 24 22 9-7 127 124 70 4.54 1.53 Enfield, NH

Joe Stanek R 25 30 18 9-10 133 156 61 4.20 1.63

John Forisz(zs) R 24 21 13 3-7 83 101 59 6.61 1.93 Bridgeport,CT

Don Elston *# R 27 45 10 7-8 132 13

1940 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Norm Schlueter *#	C-96	R	24	294	60	13/6	4	204	330	303	37/0	Bellevue, IL
Jesse Newman @	1b-139	L	24	464	140	34/3	7	302	433	489	88/9
Ollie Bejma *	2b-149	R	33	549	163	33/2	14	297	441	421	69/9	South Bend, IN
Gil English *#	3b-127	R	31	480	152	15/9	19	317	504	410	89/6	Glenola, NC
John Gerlach *	SS81,3b12	R	23	316	78	3/0	1	247	266	320	31/8	Shullsburg, WI
George Stumpf *	OF-148	L	30	532	145	26/5	1	273	346	425	53/9	New Orleans
Woody Abernathy @	OF-135	L	32	506	142	35/4	10	281	425	352	87/5	Athens, AL
Gibby Brack *@	OF-134	R	32	475	131	26/7	18	276	474	413	99/7	Chicago

Ed Morgan *@	OF-128	L	26	435	127	30/7	7	292	441	379	48/14	Brady Lake, OH
Ralph McLeod *	OF-103	L	24	386	104	11/5	1	269	332	373	23/11	West Quincy, MA
Lou Rogino	SS-67	R	22	203	49	7/1	3	241	330	433	21/5
Bob Reis *	OF46,3b19,1b16	R	31	315	86	11/2	16	273	473	384	66/6	Woodside, NY
Vern Mackie @	C-52	R	39	125	28	3/0	1	224	272	304	10/0
LeRoy Anton	1b-43	R	27	153	35	7/1	8	229	444	340	21/2	Oakland, CA
Neil Clifford	C-44	R	25	126	27	5/1	0	214	270	278	12/0	Oakland, CA
Rufus Jackson	C-15	L	23	49	12	2/1	1	245	388	367	6/0
Dee Phillips #@	SS-16	R	21	49	9	1/1	0	184	245		2/?	Corsicana, TX
Keith Bissonnette	1b-5	R	20	20	3	0/0	0	150	150		3/0
Ed Hoffman	OF-6	R	20	17	8	1/0	1	471	706		4/0
Frank Madura	2b-?	L	26				1	250			3/?

1940 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Art Herring *#	R	34	32	32	17-10	239	275	76	3.80	1.47	100	Altus, OK
Vedie Himsl	R	23	37	26	13-15	222	257	53	4.05	1.40	58
Bill Swift *#	R	32	30	24	13-10	186	163	51	3.29	1.15	97	Elmira, NY
Harry Taylor	R	21	39	22	5-15	150	178	68	5.86	1.64	54	East Glenn, IN
Lloyd Johnson *@	L	30	39	23	8-11	183	213	69	4.67	1.54	59	Santa Rosa, CA
Tom Earley *#	R	23	32	17	12-12	139	166	51	4.47	1.56	42	Boston
Vic Frasier *	R	36	18	7	3-4	65	94	30	5.40	1.91	19	Ruston, LA
Al Fisher		28	8		1-3	44
Marc Beddingfield	R	25	7		0-0	20	33	4		1.85	8
Howie Belknap	R	23	7		0-1	15						Manisique, MI
Ed Weiland #	R	26	7		0-0	21	33	14		2.24	8	Evanston, IL
Nate Andrews *#	R	27	5		1-3	24	21	14	6.38	1.46		Pembroke, NC
Jess Dobernic #	R	23	5		0-1	6	10	4	10.50	2.33		Mt. Olive, IL
Dwain Sloat #	L	22	5		0-0	8	11	5	7.88	2.00	4	Nokomis, IL
Ray Phelps *	R	37	4		0-0	6	6	3		1.50	1	Dunlap, TN
Wilcy Moore*	R	43	1		0-1	5	12	2	12.60	2.80		Bonita, TX

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1940 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Kansas City Blues	95	57	625	--	203,354
Columbus Red Birds	90	60	600	4	121,680
Minneapolis Millers	86	59	593	5.5	155,523
Louisville Colonels	75	75	500	19	206,529
St. Paul Saints	69	79	466	24	112,278	Babe Ganzel
Indianapolis Indians	62	84	425	30	97,859
Toledo Mud Hens	59	90	396	34.5	86,067
Milwaukee Brewers	58	90	392	35	72,489

1941 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Ed Fernandes #	C-102	S	23	257	69	16/4	4	268	385	615	48//2	Oakland, CA
Red Kress *	1b68,SS30	R	34	382	112	11/2	10	293	411	382	57/6	Columbia, CA
Ollie Bejma *	2b-123	R	34	417	125	8/1	3	300	345	405	53/5	South Bend, IN
Gil English *#	3b107,OF46	R	32	551	174	32/5	13	316	463	443	93/9	Glenola, NC
Leo Wells *#	SS122,3b30	R	24	602	167	16/7	5	277	352	364	26/22	Kansas City, KS
Fern Bell *	OF-151	R	28	567	161	31/1	18	284	437	388	80/10	Ada, OK
George Stumpf *	OF-144	L	31	472	120	18/6	1	254	324	379	51/6	New Orleans
Frank Kalin *	OF-94	R	24	329	97	17/2	5	295	404	343	36/33	Steubenville,OH

Jesse Newman @	1b-111	L	25	354	100	13/7	3	282	384	438	30/4
Frank Silvanic @	OF-98	R	24	289	65	11/1	10	225	374	339	44/4	Pittston, PA
Sig Gryska *@	2b61,3b52,1b23	R	26	450	98	19/1	14	218	358	318	49/9	Chicago
Norm Schlueter *#	C-47	R	25	157	38	5/2	1	242	299	312	10/2	Bellevue, IL
Herm Bauer	C-27	R	23	78	21	1/0	1	269	321	295	9/0	E. St. Louis, Ill
Frank Knox	2b-10	R	22	22	4	0/0	0	182	182	318	0/0
Bus Payton	C-11	R	27	27	5	3/0	0	185	296	222	1/0

1941 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Art Herring *#	R	35	31	26	11-17	190	200	82	4.59	1.48	76	Altus, OK
Vedie Himsl	R	24	33	24	12-15	229	260	47	4.28	1.34	66
Ken Raffensberger *#	L	24	32	20	10-9	156	183	49	4.85	1.49	89	York, PA
Clay Smith *	R	27	30	20	8-10	148	180	59	5.41	1.61	75	Cambridge, KS
Dick Lanahan *	L	28	28	18	5-14	134	156	66	5.37	1.66	49	Wash., DC
Bill Swift *#	R	33	16	6	7-8	124	104	34	3.19	1.11	72	Elmira, NY
Oral Hildebrand *	R	34	16	12	5-3	78	98	28	4.27	1.62	38	Indianapolis
Dwain Sloat #	L	23	30	5	1-6	105	126	93	7.03	2.09	50	Nokomis, IL
Mearl Strachan	R	23	15	5	2-4	35	52	27	7.46	2.26	12	Northwood, NH
Lloyd Johnson *@	L	21	22		5-6	106	108	28	3.99	1.28	38	Santa Rosa, CA
Bill Clemensen *#	R	22	11	3	0-2	32	52	15	5.06	2.09	7	New Brunswick, NJ
Dick Coffman *#	R	35	11		0-2	23	32	4	5.48	1.57	2	Veto, AL
Steamboat Struss *	R	32	7		0-0	11	11	8		1.73	4	Riverdale, IL
Red Kress *	R	34	2		0-1	7	7	5	2.57	1.71	3	Columbia, CA

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1941 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Columbus Red Birds	95	58	621	--	159,534
Louisville Colonels	87	66	569	8	274,805
Kansas City Blues	85	69	552	10.5	137,820
Minneapolis Millers	83	70	542	12	118,707
Toledo Mud Hens	82	72	532	13.5	114,823
Indianapolis Indians	65	88	425	30	88,840
St. Paul Saints	61	92	399	34	75,178	Red Kress
Milwaukee Brewers	55	98	359	40	87,353

1942 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Stan Andrews *#	C-124	R	25	375	90	21/3	2	240	325	320	41/0	Lynn, MA
Phil Weintraub *#@	1b-134	L	35	429	115	34/1	13	268	443	487	67/2	Chicago
Frank Drews #	2b-148	R	26	519	133	21/6	11	256	383	405	58/2	Buffalo, NY
Jim Grant #	3b-141	L	24	512	160	36/11	6	312	461	408	70/1	Racine, WI
Dick Culler #	SS-143	R	27	570	148	15/4	4	260	321	342	43/8	High Point, NC
Jake Powell *#@	OF-133	R	34	488	158	38/0	11	324	469	381	74/6	Silver Spring, MD
Gil English *#	OF-134	R	33	475	120	27/6	4	253	360	354	57/0	Glenola, NC
Guy Curtright #	OF-103	R	30	347	101	14/4	13	291	467	415	45/4	Holliday, MO

Al Hunt @	OF-105	L	29	372	92	21/6	5	247	376	328	27/8
Norm Schlueter *# @	C-90	R	26	278	54	13/2	0	194	255	273	28/0	Bellevue, IL
John Pasek * @	C-66	R	37	184	35	4/0	0	190	212	315	11/1	Niagara Falls, NY
Dave Philley *#	OF-56	S	22	173	41	12/2	0	237	329	324	13/6	Paris, TX
George Stumpf *	OF-38	L	32	124	22	4/2	0	177	242	323	6/1	New Orleans
Keith Bissonnette	OF-42	R	22	135	32	4/0	0	237	267	296	19/0
Art Graham	OF-40	L	33	128	21	4/0	1	164	219	359	5/1	Sommerville, MA
Bill Schalow	1b-68	R	20	192	34	3/1	1	177	219	281	15/1
Howie Schultz #	1b-12	R	20	52	15	4/2	1	288	500	288	8/0	Saint Paul
Sig Gryska *	2b-12	R	27	37	7	0/0	0	189	189	351	4/0	Chicago
Bob Reis *		R	33				0	109			5	Woodside, NY
Packy Rogers * @		R	29				3	232			36/?	Swoyerville, PA
Harold Younghans	?-1	R	20				0	0			0

1942 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Vedie Himsl	R	27	37	28	16-13	253	283	39	3.56	1.27	74
Art Herring *#	R	36	29	25	13-11	207	187	89	3.30	1.33	93	Altus, OK
Bill Swift *#	R	34	30	28	12-15	220	197	56	3.15	1.15	103	Elmira, NY
George Coffman *	R	32	23	19	3-12	145	142	61	3.48	1.40	43	Veto, AL
Clay Smith *	R	28	31	17	5-11	139	182	53	5.44	1.69	72	Cambridge, KS
Dick Lanahan *	L	31	25	17	4-14	124	142	61	4.72	1.64	31	Wash., DC
Morrie Martin #	L	20	25		1-4	71	80	37	4.69	1.65	19	Dixon, MO
Joe Bowman *#	R	32	28	13	3-12	96	120	44	6.28	1.71	42	Kansas City, KS
Howie Belknap	R	23	13	4	0-5	45	56	42	7.00	2.18	11
Jake Powell *#@	R	34	1		0-0	5	3	1		0.80	1	Silver Spring, MD

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1942 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Kansas City Blues	84	69	549	--	113,372
Milwaukee Brewers	81	69	540	1.5	217,966
Columbus Red Birds	82	72	532	2.5	162,629
Toledo Mud Hens	78	73	517	5	110,164
Louisville Colonels	78	76	506	6.5	159,448
Indianapolis Indians	76	78	494	8.5	186,447
Minneapolis Millers	78	78	494	8.5	112,304
St. Paul Saints	57	97	370	27.5	73,990	Truck Hannah

1943 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Stan Andrews *#	C-91	R	26	277	67	9/12	6	242	354	336	47/1	Lynn, MA
Howie Schultz #	1b-99	R	21	372	106	24/3	5	285	406	306	53/3	Saint Paul
Frank Drews #	2b-142	R	27	445	115	22/8	7	258	391	443	43/2	Buffalo, NY
Salty Parker *	3b-132	R	31	434	107	25/3	2	247	332	355	51/3	E. St. Louis, Ill
Don Blanchard	SS91,2b11	R	32	350	70	8/0	0	200	223	257	27/7	Lone Rock, IA
Al Hunt	OF-142	L	30	495	132	29/8	7	267	400	384	49/9
Jake Powell *#	OF-97	R	35	364	103	19/2	11	283	437	354	57/9	Silver Spring, MD
Chuck Baron	OF-118	L	30	334	96	9	2	287	371	380	28/8

Art Rebel #@	OF-102	L	29	317	83	19/3	1	262	350	331	37/5	Cincinnati
Glenn Chapman *	OF-86	R	37	260	69	14/5	1	265	369	331	19/4	Cambridge City, IN
Rae Blaemire *	C-72	R	32	219	66	7/3	2	301	388	361	30/0	Gary, IN
Jack Bolling *#	1b-34	L	26	118	33	7/1	0	280	356	322	14/3	Mobile, AL
Red Marion *	OF-42	R	29	125	42	4/1	4	336	480	440	18/2	Richburg, SC
Joe Orengo *#	SS-37	R	29	119	34	4/1	5	286	462	429	25/1	San Francisco
Ed Patrow	SS-28	R	27	70	13	2/0	0	186	214	486	1/0
Joe Vitter	3b-75	S	32	237	65	5/5	2	274	363	388	15/10	New Orleans
Vince Castino #	C-25	R	26	48	12	0/0	0	250	250	417	4/1	Willisville, IL
Lou Cardinal	C-1	R	25	2	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/0
Don Yohe	SS-1	R	24	2	1	0/0	0	500	500		0/0
Bob Reis *	P/PH-18	R	34	18	4	0/0	0	133	133		3	Woodside, NY

1943 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Floyd Speer #	R	30	44	30	15-12	234	254	65	4.19	1.36	94	Booneville, AR
Otho Nitcholas #	R	35	36	27	13-14	226	218	47	2.99	1.17	59	McKinney, TX
Art Herring *#	R	37	25	25	13-10	195	189	77	3.37	1.36	83	Altus, OK
Ed Weiland #	R	29	34	23	11-16	187	195	100	3.80	1.58	51	Evanston, IL
Joe Bowman *# @	R	33	28	21	9-12	159	180	54	4.02	1.47	64	Kansas City, KS
Clay Smith *	R	29	21	17	5-12	116	129	36	3.96	1.42	46	Cambridge, KS
Ernie Rudolph # @	R	34	27	7	3-3	93	123	46	6.58	1.82	39	Black River Falls, WI
Howie Belknap	R	24	22		3-5	73	68	59	5.79	1.74	30
Rube Melton #	R	26	9	8	2-6	60	54	34	3.30	1.47	40	Cramerton, NC
LeRoy Hewette	L	21	10		0-1	24	25	23	3.75	2.00	12
Joe Strincevich	R	21	13		1-3	28	29	22	7.71	1.82	7
Bob Mistele	R	23	7		0-1	26	26	21	5.54	1.81	8
Bob Reis *	R	34	6		0-0	13	17	21		2.92	4	Woodside, NY
Julie Morgan	R	25	2		0-0	4	13	3		4.00	2
Norm Dillard	R	19	2		0-0	2	5	1	9.00	3.00	0

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1943 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Milwaukee Brewers	90	61	596	--	286,979
Indianapolis Indians	85	67	559	5.5	215,278
Columbus Red Birds	84	67	556	6	111,398
Toledo Mud Hens	76	76	500	14.5	102,621
Louisville Colonels	70	81	464	20	142,580
Minneapolis Millers	67	84	444	23	90,904
St. Paul Saints	67	85	441	23.5	82,116	Salty Parker
Kansas City Blues	67	85	441	23.5	79,010

1944 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Dom Castro	C-128	R	30	389	80	9/3	3	206	267	265	42/1	,CA
Chuck Baron	1b-148	L	31	541	164	29/11	5	303	425	386	73/15
Frank Drews #	2b-95	R	28	298	74	11/1	3	248	322	440	46/10	Buffalo, NY
Bud Kimball	3b-143	R	24	511	124	20/5	16	243	395	354	60/10	Armond, NB (Can)
Frank Piet @	SS-103	R	31	335	92	19/0	6	275	385	334	44/6
Glenn Chapman *	OF-146	R	38	528	172	28/4	4	326	417	428	93/13	Cambridge City, IN
Carden Gillenwater *#	OF-152	R	26	550	163	25/9	19	296	478	447	70/15	Riceville, TN
Red Marion *	OF-114	R	30	394	136	21/3	10	345	490	459	80/8	Richburg, SC

Joe Vitter	2b53,SS45,OF20,3b15	S	33	447	122	15/6	4	273	360	385	57/19	New Orleans
Mike Sandlock *#	C-35	S	29	120	37	5/0	1	308	375	433	15/0	Old Greenwich, CT
Fred Schulte *@	OF-37	R	43	99	19	5/0	0	192	242	263	5/0	Belvidere, IL
Ed Badke	OF-28	R	22	97	23	0/0	0	237	237	351	7/3
Tom Padden *@	C-69	R	36	145	33	7/0	1	228	297	366	13/0	Manchester, NH
Charlie Bates *@	C-13	R	37	26	6	1/1	0	231	346	346	3/0	Philadelphia
Don Froehle	?-1	R	18	1	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/?
Walt King	SS-9	R	19	9	1	0/0	0	111	111		1/0
Roy Eder	?-2	R	20	0
Ken Mauer	?-16	L	17	26	6	1/0	0	231	269	346	4/0
Jim Riskosky	OF-5	R	21	18	5	0/0	0	278	278		1/0	Frederick, CO
Lou Rochelli #	2b-5	R	25	16	2	1/0	0	125	188		0/0	Staunton, IL

1944 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Otho Nitcholas #	R	36	29	28	14-11	218	231	40	2.89	1.24	75	McKinney, TX
Hank Camp	R	27	34	31	14-14	167	195	88	4.69	1.69	70
Ernie Rudolph #	R	35	34	27	14-14	200	161	81	2.88	1.21	123	Black River Falls, WI
Cy Buker #	R	25	25	23	11-3	128	125	49	3.23	1.36	62	Greenwood, WI
Willie Webb *	R	31	32	17	10-7	144	158	48	3.56	1.43	50	Atlanta
Art Herring *#	R	38	15	12	8-5	103	89	23	2.18	1.09	41	Altus, OK
Frank Punsley	R	27	30		2-2	62	71	55	5.81	2.03	20
Wally Tauscher *	R	43	36	13	6-7	139	152	43	3.88	1.40	53	LaSalle, IL
Joe Strincevich	R	22	17	4	2-2	58	58	32	4.03	1.55	14
Claude Weaver	R	39	8	6	4-1	48	50	15	3.94	1.35	14
Gene Werth	L	25	6		0-0	8	11	5		2.00	6
Dick Furey	R	19	5		0-0	8	9	4		1.63	5	Minneapolis
Don Ernst	L	19	1		0-0	0	0	2		no calc	0

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1944 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Milwaukee Brewers	102	51	667	--	235,840
Toledo Mud Hens	95	58	621	7	198,870
Louisville Colonels	85	63	574	14.5	224,035
St. Paul Saints	85	66	563	16	116,315	Ray Blades
Columbus Red Birds	86	67	562	16	140,995
Indianapolis Indians	57	93	380	43.5	121,100
Minneapolis Millers	54	97	358	47	82,759
Kansas City Blues	41	110	272	60	37,199

1945 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
Sam Narron *	C-90	R	32	292	74	23/3	5	253	404	305	53/1	Middlesex, NC
Paul Schoendienst	1b-127	R	29	432	136	30/6	2	315	426	375	48/8
Joe Vitter	2b-127	S	34	468	117	25/5	5	250	357	393	45/9	New Orleans
Bud Kimball	3b-148	R	25	505	159	39/11	22	315	527	479	95/5
Tom Brown *#	SS-85	R	18	301	86	13/3	10	286	449	395	48/5	Brooklyn
Glenn Chapman *	OF-124	R	39	439	135	26/4	3	308	405	369	80/2	Cambridge City, IN
Red Marion * @	OF-116	R	31	348	89	16/1	1	256	316	491	44/4	Richburg, SC
Ed Yaeger	OF-93	S	20	330	75	5/3	0	227	261	376	23/10

Bill Lewis *	C-90	R	41	195	57	7/3	1	292	374	533	30/0	Ripley, TN
Arnie Berge @	Inf-89	R	26	273	71	17/1	1	260	341	344	34/3
Pete Boaz	2b-43	R	19	105	16	3/1	0	152	200	200	6/0
Lou Cardinal @	C-21	R	21	60	13	2/0	0	217	250	267	3/0
Gene Corbett *	1b,2b-10	L	32	16	5	1/0	1	312	562	313	3/0	Winona, MN
Bill Hart *#	SS-38	R	32	136	50	9/0	17	368	809	500	46/2	Wiconisco, PA
Don Lund #	OF-72	R	22	247	65	12/7	0	263	368	328	30/6	Detroit
Stan Plalek	OF-60	L	27	192	46	8/2	0	240	302	354	23/2
Ed Scheiwe	OF36,2b15	R	25	156	49	9/0	5	314	468	449	27/4
Howie Schultz *#	1b-19	R	23	82	30	4/0	1	366	451	402	13/3	Saint Paul
Jack Capelle	2b-3			5	1	0/0	0	200	200		0/0
John Dantonio *#	C-9	R	27	27	11	0/0	0	407	407		3/0	New Orleans
Cecil Dunn	1b-10	R	34	19	3	0/0	0	158	158	211	2/0	Linden, AL
J.C. Ford	C-2	L	31	1	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/0
Ken Mauer	Inf-16	L	18	26	3	2/0	0	115	193	346	3/0
Frank Powaski	OF-16	R	21	30	4	1/0	0	133	167	200	3/1
Marty Radmer	C-1	S	21	2	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/0
Pat Riley	OF-3	L	31	10	2	0/0	0	200	200		0/0
Carl Tucker	2b-24	R	24	38	6	1/0	0	158	184	289	1/0
Hank Welsch	OF-6	L	22	5	1	1/0	0	200	400		1/0

1945 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Tom Sunkel *	L	33	28	28	13-8	170	177	85	4.02	1.54	134	Paris, IL
Dick Lanahan *	L	34	37	22	11-9	152	155	97	3.73	1.66	68	Wash., DC
Claude Weaver	R	40	45	20	15-10	186	185	46	3.19	1.24	54
Otho Nitcholas #	R	37	22	19	11-6	143	139	36	2.90	1.22	49	McKinney, TX
Willie Webb * @	R	32	31	17	8-11	148	176	43	5.72	1.48	46	Atlanta
Ralph Branca #	R	19	15	14	6-5	100	87	64	3.33	1.51	94	Mt. Vernon, NY
Ernie Rudolph #	R	36	15	12	3-7	77	82	48	4.56	1.69	37	Black River Falls, WI
Bob Tart	L	23	25	13	3-11	83	80	73	4.55	1.84	35
Hank Camp	R	28	11	9	1-3	56	70	27	4.98	1.73	23
Gene Kelly	R	19	16		2-3	74	64	40	3.04	1.41	38
Wally Tauscher *	R	44	61		8-7	104	105	41	3.98	1.40	35	LaSalle, IL
George Coffman *	R	35	11		0-0	21	25	13		1.81	6	Veto, AL
John Miller	R	24	10		1-1	20	20	23	7.65	2.15	11
Gene Werth	L	22	3		0-0	3	4	3		2.33	3
George Danniels	R	31	2	1	0-1	8	8	5	4.50	1.63	3
LeRoy Hewette	L	23	1		0-0	1	1	0		1.00	0

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1945 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Milwaukee Brewers	93	61	604	--	249,819
Indianapolis Indians	90	63	592	2.5	229,145
Louisville Colonels	84	70	545	10	265,083
St. Paul Saints	75	76	497	16.5	187,780	Ray Blades
Minneapolis Millers	72	81	471	20.5	122,376
Toledo Mud Hens	69	84	451	23.5	146,638
Kansas City Blues	65	86	430	26.5	92,853
Columbus Red Birds	63	90	412	29.5	87,248

1946 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
John Dantonio *	C-101	R	28	294	90	18/0	3	306	398	401	47/1	New Orleans
John Douglas *	1b-144	L	29	579	178	14/3	0	307	342	415	41/9	Thayer, WV
Ed Basinski *	2b-138	R	24	515	130	17/5	5	252	334	338	46/9	Buffalo, NY
Bud Kimball	3b-124	R	26	391	100	15/2	13	256	404	430	63/2	Armond, NB (Can)
Gene Mauch *#	SS-149	R	21	536	133	19/3	6	248	328	418	55/9	Salina, KS
Eric Tipton *#	OF-147	R	31	526	145	33/8	19	276	477	490	100/21	Petersburg, VA
Larry Rosenthal *	OF-135	L	36	457	127	26/3	8	278	400	499	57/7	Saint Paul
John Rizzo *	OF-110	R	34	369	110	16/4	12	298	461	436	88/3	Houston

Joe Vitter	OF65,1b12,3b11	S	35	281	64	12/4	2	228	320	438	26/9	New Orleans
Lou Rochelli *	3b-58	R	27	156	37	6/2	5	237	397	314	27/2	Staunton, IL
George Savino @	C-85	S	36	235	52	9/2	0	221	277	345	30/0	Natley, NJ
Cliff Dapper *	C-37	R	26	100	21	4/0	1	210	280	380	17/0	Los Angeles
Homer Matney	OF-57	R	25	153	41	8/2	0	268	346	353	22/1	, TX
Mike Sandlock *#	C-37	S	31	79	14	2/1	1	177	266	241	11/0	Old Greenwich, CT
Ernie Davis	OF-1	R	23	5	2	0/0	0	400	400		2/0
Don Lund #	OF-14	R	23	15	3	0/0	0	200	200	333	0/0	Detroit
Sam Narron *	C-2	R	36	2	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/0	Middlesex, NC
Ken Staples	OF-1	L	20	0							0/0	Saint Paul

1946 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Harry Taylor #	R	27	29	25	15-7	181	149	98	3.33	1.36	91	East Glenn, IN
Walt Nothe	L	29	33	24	3-11	154	149	94	4.44	1.58	134	Philadelphia
Otho Nitcholas *	R	38	32	24	12-10	181	190	38	3.58	1.26	77	McKinney, TX
Ed Weiland #	R	32	36	21	10-12	170	181	75	4.45	1.51	75	Evanston, IL
Dutch Dietz *	R	34	39	17	9-8	155	154	55	3.83	1.35	53	Cincinnati
Tom Sunkel *	L	34	16	6	6-6	91	79	55	4.05	1.47	71	Paris, IL
George Coffman *	R	36	50		8-5	94	99	51	4.12	1.60	44	Veto, AL
Al Sherer	R	32	45	8	6-7	116	128	31	3.96	1.37	38	Quincy, IL
Vedie Himsl	R	29	27		1-0	51	63	15	5.29	1.53	9
Dick Lanahan *	L	35	16	9	5-1	59	63	28	3.66	1.54	24	Wash., DC
Dwain Sloat #	L	28	11		2-2	19	13	16	4.26	1.53	16	Nokomis, IL
Jack Banta #	R	21	8	7	3-2	56	49	28	2.89	1.38	49	Hutchinson, KS
Gene Kelly	R	20	4		0-0	7	7	3		1.43	5

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1946 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Louisville Colonels	92	61	601	--	355,241
Indianapolis Indians	88	65	575	4	317,223
St. Paul Saints	80	71	530	11	289,544	Ray Blades
Minneapolis Millers	76	75	503	15	242,603
Milwaukee Brewers	70	78	473	19.5	257,694
Toledo Mud Hens	69	84	451	23	234,062
Kansas City Blues	67	82	450	23	222,259
Columbus Red Birds	64	90	416	28.5	102,127

1947 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI/SB	Birth Place
John Dantonio *	C-99	R	29	293	79	13/3	2	270	355	433	39/0	New Orleans
John Douglas *	1b-155	L	30	594	195	25/11	1	328	412	438	88/8	Thayer, WV
George Fallon *	2b-144	R	33	551	142	25/6	11	258	385	352	64/5	Jersey City, NJ
Lew Riggs *	3b-115	L	37	378	119	17/9	11	315	495	484	62/2	Mebane, NC
Bob Ramazzotti *#	SS-86	R	30	344	105	13/2	13	305	468	392	47/18	Elanora, PA
Eric Tipton *#	R-138	R	32	452	139	18/5	19	308	496	595	106/15	Petersburg, VA
Joe Bestudik @	OF-115	S	31	366	103	21/0	7	281	396	440	59/1	Springfield, IL
Don Lund #	OF-90	R	24	325	91	18/4	16	280	508	345	49/8	Detroit

Jack Paepke	C50,OF31	R	25	292	76	13/2	4	260	360	432	45/2	Provo, UT
Duke Snider #	OF-66	L	21	269	85	22/7	12	316	584	392	46/4	Los Angeles
Marv Rackley #	OF-60	L	26	234	74	10/4	2	316	419	423	22/7	Seneca, SC
Larry Rosenthal * @	OF-93	L	37	297	95	11/4	7	320	455	488	49/2	Saint Paul
Joe Tepsic	OF-21	R	24	63	19	2/2	1	302	444	317	12/13	Slovan, PA
Al Brancato * @	3b-76	R	28	232	66	10/3	4	284	405	435	23/1	Philadelphia
Herman Franks *#	C-49	L	33	102	21	3/2	2	206	333	390	16/0	Price, UT
Ken Mauer	SS-6	L	20	21	4	1/1	0	190	333		3/0
George Spears	SS-38	R	29	88	19	1/0	0	216	227	295	8/0
Hal Younghans	SS-33	R	25	118	20	2/1	0	169	203	237	14/0
Wayne Blackburn	OF-4	L	30	7	2	0/0	0	286	286		1/0	Harmon, OH
Ernie Davis	PH-5	R	24	3	0	0/0	0	000	000		1/0
Bud Kimball @	3b-104	R	27	301	71	8/2	11	236	385	415	46/1	Armond, NB (Can)
Ed Nulty	OF-3	L	24	12	3	0/0	0	250	250		2/0
Joe Vitter	OF-5	S	36	3	1	0/0	0	333	333		0/0	New Orleans

1947 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO	Birth Place
Phil Haugstad #	R	23	37	28	16-6	230	199	114	3.8	1.36	145	Black River Falls, WI
John Gabbard	R	24	35	27	11-15	191	228	78	5.28	1.60	56	Hamilton, OH
Dutch Dietz *	R	35	35	25	9-17	184	203	73	4.6	1.50	59	Cincinnati
Lee Pfund *	R	29	18	16	5-7	123	132	42	4.32	1.41	28	Oak Park, IL
George Coffman *	R	37	52		6-4	71	84	44	3.93	1.80	20	Veto, AL
Curt Davis *	R	44	26	5	4-5	77	90	16	3.97	1.38	26	Greenfield, MO
Otho Nitcholas *	R	39	19	5	6-5	87	111	20	5.28	1.51	29	McKinney, TX
Al Sherer	R	33	4	3	0-3	20	23	10	6.75	1.65	6	Quincy, IL
Morrie Martin #	L	25	19	3	2-3	59	47	34	4.12	1.37	30	Dixon, MO
Cy Buker * @	R	28	34	16	8-8	139	178	71	5.31	1.79	52	Greenwood, WI
Ed Head *	R	29	12		3-3	61	74	28	5.16	1.67	19	Selma, AL
Bob Tart	L	25	11		1-2	37	40	35	5.59	2.03	22
Jack Paepke	R	25	5		0-4	24	32	21	7.88	2.21	13	Provo, UT
Ed Weiland *	R	33	8		0-4	24	37	13	6.75	2.08	14	Evanston, IL
Mel Himes	R	20	3	2	1-1	23	20	8	1.96	1.22	10
Bill Eggert	R	24	3		0-1	13	20	9	11.77	2.23	3

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1947 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Kansas City Blues	93	60	608		379,063
Louisville Colonels	85	68	556	8	339,872
Milwaukee Brewers	79	75	513	14.5	298,041
Minneapolis Millers	77	77	500	16.5	273,253
Columbus Red Birds	76	78	494	17.5	157,837
Indianapolis Indians	74	79	484	19	316,539
St. Paul Saints	69	83	454	24.5	222,331	Herman Franks/Curt Davis
Toledo Mud Hens	61	92	399	32	169,525

1948 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI /SB	BB	Birth Place
Ferrell Anderson *	C-117	R	30	415	122	29/3	12	294	465	388	63/0	39	Maple City, KS
John Douglas *	1b-143	L	31	578	175	22/11	2	303	389	420	73/3	68	Thayer, WV
George Fallon *	2b-96	R	34	347	90	25/2	10	259	429	352	67/3	32	Jersey City, NJ
Al Brancato *	3b85,2b48(139)	R	29	505	150	27/7	9	297	420	402	76/1	53	Philadelphia
Buddy Hicks #	SS-137	S	21	534	158	26/5	5	296	391	429	61/10	71	E. Los Angeles
Eric Tipton *#	OF-148	R	33	540	169	35/10	28	313	570	526	126/14	115	Petersburg, VA
Earl Naylor *	OF-127	R	29	454	126	26/5	8	278	410	401	62/7	56	Kansas City,MO
Bob Addis #	OF-126	L	23	456	143	20/11	11	314	458	393	67/6	36	Mineral, OH

Dave Pluss	OF-73	L	28	203	55	8/4	7	271	453	478	33/1	42	Los Angeles
Spider Jorgensen #	3b-70	L	29	245	64	11/5	8	261	445	392	28/6	32	Folsom, CA
Toby Atwell #	OF33,C21(60)	L	24	203	70	16/3	3	345	498	502	39/3	32	Leesburg, VA
Bob Ramazzotti *#	SS31,InfOF16	R	31	175	50	8/2	5	286	440	360	30/4	13	Elanora, PA
Roy Campanella #	C35	R	27	123	40	5/2	13	325	715	512	39/0	23	Philadelphia
Danny Ozark	1b-23	R	25	62	14	1/0	5	226	484	403	12/0	11	Buffalo, NY
Stew Hofferth *	C-7	R	35	9	0	0/0	0	000	000		2/0		Logansport,IN
Jim Phillips	OF-6	R	24	8	0	0/0	0	000	000		0/0
Jim Baxes #	2b/1b-5	R	20	11	2	0/0	0	182	182		0/0		San Francisco
Tim Thompson #	C-3	L	24	6	2	0/1	0	333	667		?/0		Coalpoint, VA

1948 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Pat McGlothin #	R	28	32		14-7	172	158	85	4.81	1.41	125		Coalfield, TN
Morrie Martin #	L	26	35		13-11	186	171	71	4.16	1.30	129		Dixon, MO
Phil Haugstad #	R	24	31		12-8	182	154	106	4.25	1.43	95		Black River Falls, WI
Mel Himes	R	21	30		11-6	167	171	70	4.85	1.44	114
Charlie Samaklis	R	29	39		10-10	125	134	53	4.90	1.50	86
Jack Paepke	R	26	27		7-8	149	146	98	3.93	1.64	70		Provo, UT
Jim Romano #	R	21	28		5-5	109	100	63	3.06	1.50	59		Brooklyn
George Coffman *	R	38	38		5-6	62	74	31	4.50	1.69	26		Veto, AL
Dan Bankhead #	R	28	6		4-0	35	34	18	3.60	1.49	22		Empire, AL
Harry Taylor #	R	29	9		3-4	57	54	30	3.95	1.47	39		East Glenn, IN
Bob Ross #	L	20	14		2-1	40	46	31	7.20	1.93	16		Fullerton, CA
Lee Pfund *	R	30	6		0-1	24	25	16	6.38	1.71	7		Oak Park, IL
Joe Bielemeier	R	21	3		0-1	12	19	3	8.25	1.83	2		Mt. Angel, OR
John Gabbard	R	25	4		0-0	13	13	8	2.77	1.62	3		Hamilton, OH
Bill Eggert	R	25	1		0-0	3	2	2		1.33	3
Lee Griffeth *	L	23	1		0-0	1	2	0		2.00	1		Carmel, NY

1948 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Indianapolis Indians	100	54	649	--	494,455
Milwaukee Brewers	89	65	576	11	364,510
St. Paul Saints	86	68	558	14	320,483	Walt Alston
Columbus Red Birds	81	73	526	19	216,388
Minneapolis Millers	77	77	500	23	274,890
Kansas City Blues	64	88	421	35	236,487
Toledo Mud Hens	61	91	401	38	114,310
Louisville Colonels	56	98	364	44	204,320

1949 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI /SB	BB	Birth Place
Ferrell Anderson *	C-140	R	31	478	145	21/3	16	303	460	412	91/1	52	Maple City, KS
Danny Ozark	1b75,OF1(92)	R	26	277	85	14/2	13	307	513	433	48/4	35	Buffalo, NY
Hank Schenz *#	2b108,OF11(123)	R	30	516	178	26/8	17	345	525	421	77/30	39	New Richmond, OH
Danny O'Connell #	3b-138	R	22	493	155	29/1	17	314	481	438	102/7	61	Paterson, NJ
Buddy Hicks #	SS-151	S	22	530	142	23/1	4	268	338	479	62/5	112	E. Los Angeles
Eric Tipton *#	OF-146	R	34	516	165	35/12	13	320	510	525	106/11	106	Petersburg, VA
Bob Addis #	OF-127	L	24	492	170	36/10	6	346	496	484	74/12	68	Mineral, OH
Earl Naylor *	OF-104	R	30	290	82	14/2	13	283	479	393	58/2	32	Kansas City,MO

Jim Pendelton #	OF-105	R	25	347	95	9/5	6	274	380	401	39/27	44	St. Charles, MO
Al Brancato *	2b49,3bSS(63)	R	30	201	46	19/1	1	229	348	333	25/0	21	Philadelphia
Sam Calderone #	C60	R	23	136	43	5/0	4	316	441	412	29/1	13	Beverly, NJ
Grady Wilson # @	3b-40	R	27	113	38	8/0	3	336	487	425	21/0	10	Columbus, GA
Wayne Belardi #	1b-28	L	19	99	24	4/0	4	242	404	374	18/1	13	St. Helena, CA
John Douglas * @	1b-115	L	32	404	108	18/0	1	267	319	413	32/5	59	Thayer, WV
Lou Welaj	2b3b-23	L	28	17	3	0/0	0	176	176	471	2/0	5	Barnsboro, PA
Nanny Fernandez *#@	3b113,OF49	R	31	599	187	35/6	21	312	496	432	128/13	72	Wilmington, CA
Don Nicholas #	PR-8	L	19	0	0						0/2		Phoenix
Oscar Grimes *	3b-7	R	34	6	1	0/0	0	167	167		?/0		Mineral, OH
Ray Dabek	C-1	R	22	2	0			000	000

1949 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Phil Haugstad * #	R	25	35		22-7	243	216	150	2.85	1.51	140		Black River Falls, WI
Clem Labine #	R	23	64		12-6	139	124	88	3.5	1.53	70		Lincoln, RI
Harry Taylor #	R	30	24		11-6	118	112	58	3.89	1.44	43		East Glenn, IN
Jim Romano #	R	22	36		10-12	161	170	89	4.64	1.61	71		Brooklyn
Mel Himes	R	22	18		8-7	112	110	69	4.9	1.60	36
George Brown	R	26	31		7-4	123	130	101	5.34	1.88	61
Lee Griffeth *	L	24	45		4-1	83	75	42	3.47	1.41	49		Carmel, NY
Karl Morrison	R	23	14		4-2	70	69	66	5.01	1.93	21
Bill Eggert	R	26	12		3-2	44	47	34	5.73	1.84	18
Morrie Martin #	L	27	16		3-6	79	83	31	3.87	1.44	51		Dixon, MO
Frank Laga	R	29	4		1-0	7	12	4	2.57	2.29	3		Chicago
Nick Andromidas	R	25	7		0-1	17	24	24	5.29	2.82	14		New York City
Bob Ross #	L	21	4		0-0	10	14	6	6.3	2.00	1		Fullerton, CA
Ed Bahr * @	R	30	30		8-9	138	128	65	3.52	1.40	47		Rouleau, SK (Can)

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1949 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
St. Paul Saints	93	60	608	--	352,911	Walt Alston
Indianapolis Indians	93	61	604	0.5	413,973
Milwaukee Brewers	76	76	500	16.5	266,061
Minneapolis Millers	74	78	487	18.5	247,637
Kansas City Blues	71	80	470	21	216,754
Louisville Colonels	70	83	458	23	227,758
Columbus Red Birds	70	83	458	23	170,464
Toledo Mud Hens	64	90	416	29.5	103,712

1950 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI /SB	BB	Birth Place
Ferrell Anderson *	C-135	R	32	430	119	16/4	14	277	430	402	60/1	54	Maple City, KS
Lou Limmer #	1b-149	L	25	501	139	23/6	29	277	521	469	111/7	96	New York City
Jack Cassini #	2b112,3b17	R	31	532	147	14/7	6	276	363	410	52/36	71	Dearborn, MI
Al Brancato *	3b125,SS2b1b(134)	R	31	468	110	16/4	4	235	312	344	62/1	51	Philadelphia
Jim Pendelton #	SS-145	R	26	571	171	25/19	10	299	462	375	98/25	43	St. Charles, MO
Eric Tipton *#	OF-144	R	35	462	133	35/1	10	288	439	522	97/12	108	Petersburg, VA
Earl Naylor *	OF76,1b1	R	31	286	81	7/2	13	283	458	395	65/4	32	Kansas City,MO
Cliff Aberson *	OF-75	R	29	168	43	10/3	6	256	458	560	24/2	51	Chicago

Don Nicholas #	OF55,SS3b(71)	L	20	204	61	6/4	0	299	368	510	10/35	43	Phoenix
Cal Abrams #	OF57,1b1	L	26	192	64	8/1	3	333	432	667	16/5	64	Philadelphia
Guy Wellman	C-43	R	28	59	9	1/0	0	153	169	373	6/0	13
Bob Bundy	3b17,2b10	R	26	119	29	7/0	1	244	328	311	11/6	8	Kansas City,MO
Bill Antonello #	OF-38	R	23	136	33	6/2	6	243	449	316	15/0	10	Brooklyn
George Shuba *#	OF-36	L	26	117	30	3/1	4	256	402	359	19/1	12	Youngston, PA
John Simmons *	OF-31	R	26	85	21	4/1	2	247	388	365	17/2	10	Birmingham, AL
Danny Ozark	1b13,3bOF	R	27	54	10	0/0	1	185	241	259	6/0	4	Buffalo, NY
Jim Baxes #	2b-13	R	22	53	7	2/1	1	132	264	208	8/1	4	San Francisco
Ted Bartz	OF-12	R	25	29	5	2/0	0	172	241	241	1/0	2	Detroit
Steve Lembo #	C-11	R	24	29	7	2/0	0	241	310	310	5/0	2	Brooklyn
Clint Conatser *	OF-4	R	29	16	4	2/0	1	250	562		2/0		Los Angeles

1950 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Phil Haugstad * #	R	26	36	32	16-11	229	216	125	3.89	1.49	137		Black River Falls, WI
Morrie Martin * #	L	28	31	28	14-9	197	216	62	3.65	1.41	114		Dixon, MO
Harry Taylor #	R	31	34	31	13-9	206	216	88	4.02	1.48	102		East Glenn, IN
Clem Labine #	R	24	37	13	11-7	128	139	64	4.99	1.59	64		Lincoln, RI
Ed Chandler *	R	33	37	19	9-7	154	178	56	4.44	1.52	53		Pinson, AL
Ed Bahr *	R	31	25	9	7-7	100	113	37	3.69	1.50	41		Rouleau, SK (Can)
John VanCuyk *	L	29	38	13	7-9	152	151	57	4.44	1.37	102		Little Chute, WI
Lee Griffeth *	L	25	29	3	2-5	53	74	33	5.94	2.02	18		Carmel, NY
Jim Romano #	R	23	2		2-0	16	6	4		0.63	14		Brooklyn
Jim Hughes #	R	27	6		1-0	7	19	9	23.14	4.00	7		Chicago
Fred Waters #	L	23	5		1-1	12	17	7	6.75	2.00	6		Benton, MS
Chet Kehn *	R	29	6		0-1	8	13	7	10.78	2.50	4		San Diego
George Brown	R	27	3		0-1	3	1	6	3	2.33	1
Nick Andromidas	R	26	9		0-0	24	27	19	5.63	1.92	9		New York City
Earl Naylor *	R	31	4		0-0	9	17	6		2.56	3		Kansas City,MO

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB

1950 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Minneapolis Millers	90	64	584	--	238,285
Indianapolis Indians	85	67	559	4	294,451
Columbus Red Birds	84	69	549	5.5	170,950
St. Paul Saints	83	69	546	6	200,149	Clay Hopper
Louisville Colonels	82	71	536	7.5	219,429
Milwaukee Brewers	68	85	444	21.5	145,868
Toledo Mud Hens	65	87	428	24	88,393
Kansas City Blues	54	99	353	35.5	147,320

1951 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI /SB	BB	Birth Place
Tim Thompson #	C-108	L	27	335	99	15/5	3	296	397	376	38/1	27	Coalpoint, VA
Danny Ozark	1b-124	R	28	376	98	21/1	15	261	441	423	74/1	61	Buffalo, NY
Jack Cassini #	2b-130	R	32	463	141	29/0	8	305	419	443	50/34	64	Dearborn, MI
Don Hoak #	3b110,SSOF (126)	R	23	366	94	10/4	5	257	347	443	34/4	68	Roulette, PA
Jim Pendelton #	SS-143	R	27	564	170	18/13	21	301	491	379	79/14	44	St. Charles, MO
Frank Marchio	OF-140	R	26	405	100	22/7	4	247	365	338	51/3	37
Eric Tipton *	OF-132	R	36	385	106	26/6	11	275	460	506	81/9	89	Petersburg, VA
Bill Antonello #	OF-116	R	24	363	92	13/7	17	253	468	333	65/4	29	Brooklyn

Dick Whitman *	OF-97	L	31	334	104	21/6	3	311	437	434	57/4	41	Woodburn, OR
Al Brancato *	3b40,2b371b4	R	32	264	68	8/0	8	258	379	383	41/1	33	Philadelphia
Dick Teed #	C-67	S	25	207	46	9/0	2	222	295	0.285	17/1	13	Springfield, MA
Don Nicholas #	OF-40	L	21	108	26	0/2	0	241	278	509	2/16	29	Phoenix
Dick Raklovits	3b13,SS(23)	L	23	36	9	2/0	0	250	306	333	3/0	3
Jack Lindsey	SS2b3b-17	R	24	39	8	0/1	0	205	256	256	3/1	2
Mickey Rocco * @	1b-72	L	35	175	41	7/1	7	234	406	440	27/0	36	Saint Paul
Bob Bundy	3bOF-17	R	27	38	5	0/0	0	132	132	237	0/1	4	Kansas City,MO
Earl Naylor *	OF-13	R	32	16	2	0/0	0	125	125	188	0/1	1	Kansas City,MO
Mickey Livingston *	C-6	R	37	11	2	0/0	1	182	455		3/0		Newberry, SC
Joe Torpey	2b-4	R	23	9	1	0/0	0	111	111		1/0

1951 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Pat McGlothin #	R	31	30	24	15-7	195	184	69	3.78	1.30	91		Coalfield, TN
John Rutherford #	R	26	26	24	15-8	190	194	53	2.94	1.30	72		Bellevue, ON (Can)
Al Epperly *	R	33	34	1	13-4	71	65	23	3.80	1.24	33		Glidden, IA
Clem Labine #	R	25	20	15	9-6	117	104	42	2.62	1.25	63		Lincoln, RI
Earl Mossor #	R	26	27	22	9-10	152	164	69	4.80	1.53	87		Forbus, TN
Bill Samson	L	25	29	18	8-9	119	130	81	5.14	1.77	64
Gay Lemish	R	25	37	6	5-6	111	124	58	5.11	1.64	41
Joe Black #	R	27	9	7	4-3	60	44	24	2.25	1.13	35		Plainfield,NJ
John VanCuyk *	L	30	36	10	1-6	94	116	46	6.22	1.72	53		Little Chute, WI
Jim Romano #	R	24	16	13	2-5	73	73	50	5.79	1.68	25		Brooklyn
Marion Fricano #	R	28	9		2-0	35	29	17	4.89	1.31	14		Brant, NY
Kent Peterson *#	L	26	12	8	2-1	46	52	32	6.07	1.83	26		Goshen, UT
Lee Griffeth *	L	26	4		0-1	3	8	1	18.00	3.00	1		Carmel, NY
Nick Andromidas	R	27	1		0-0	1	0	4	18.00	4.00	0		New York City

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1951 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Milwaukee Brewers	94	57	623	--	245,066
St. Paul Saints	85	66	563	9	171,999	Clay Hopper
Kansas City Blues	81	70	536	13	242,118
Louisville Colonels	80	73	523	15	148,101
Minneapolis Millers	77	75	507	17.5	143,279
Toledo Mud Hens	70	82	481	24.5	99,932
Indianapolis Indians	68	84	447	26.5	181,241
Columbus Red Birds	53	101	344	42.5	102,320

1952 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI /SB	BB	Birth Place
Frank Baldwin #	C-120	R	24	369	94	22/1	12	255	417	331	57/1	28	High Bridge, NJ
Danny Ozark	1b94,OF1	R	29	334	77	18/0	17	231	437	350	62/2	40	Buffalo, NY
Jack Cassini *	2b-133	R	33	504	155	23/4	3	308	387	425	37/35	59	Dearborn, MI
Bob Wilson *	3b151,2b1	R	27	626	209	31/9	13	334	474	374	117/7	25	Dallas
Russ Rose	SS-153	R	25	513	116	10/3	7	226	298	343	59/8	60	Sierra Madre, CA
Gino Cimoli #	OF-142	R	23	474	151	24/10	10	319	443	392	70/13	35	San Francisco
Sandy Amoros #	OF-129	L	22	489	165	24/10	19	337	544	470	78/14	65	Havana, Cuba
Bill Sharman	OF118,3b1(137)	R	26	411	121	16/4	16	294	470	365	77/2	29

Dick Whitman *	OF-116	L	32	415	136	27/5	6	333	465	434	83/5	44	Woodburn, OR
Bert Haas #	1b67,OF2	R	38	255	64	12/2	4	251	361	373	33/5	31	Naperville, IL
Wayne Terwilliger *#	2b27,SS3bOF(125)	R	27	125	39	6/0	4	312	456	568	17/1	32	Claire, MI
Thad Bosiack	C-41	R	33	106	29	0/1	0	274	292	321	6/1	5
Mickey Rocco *	1b-23	L	36	26	6	1/2	1	231	538	577	9/0	9	Saint Paul
Spook Jacobs #	2b15,SS1(17)	R	27	56	13	4/1	0	232	339	411	5/2	10	Cheswold, DE
Frank Marchio	OF-11	R	25	29	8	1/1	0	276	379	379	4/0	3
Gale Wade #	OF-9	L	23	12	2	1/0	0	167	250		1/0		Hollister, PA
Earl Naylor *	OF-7	R	33	9	1	0/0	0	111	111		0/0		Kansas City,MO
Merv Dornburg	C-5	R	26	13	4	1/0	0	308	385		1/0
Al Brancato *	SS3b-5	R	33	12	2	0/1	0	167	333		1/0		Philadelphia
Arnie Fischer	C-5	R	23	5	0	0/0	0	000	000		1/0

1952 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Earl Mossor #	R	27	36	30	14-13	226	241	105	3.94	1.53	145		Forbus, TN
Pat McGlothin *	R	32	32	31	13-14	213	229	79	3.97	1.45	95		Coalfield, TN
Ron Negray #	R	22	46	21	11-7	189	177	102	3.95	1.48	102		Akron, OH
Al Epperly *	R	34	57	0	9-4	72	78	22	3.63	1.39	18		Glidden, IA
Don Otten	R	25	37	12	9-9	126	143	59	4.86	1.60	44
Ray Moore #	R	26	12	12	4-4	78	69	56	3.46	1.60	72		Meadows, MD
Bud Byerly *#	R	32	23	2	3-2	61	63	21	3.54	1.38	30		Webster Groves, MO
Tom Lakos	R	29	27	4	1-1	74	103	46	7.66	2.01	24
Joe Baliga	R	19	12		1-2	36	47	20	7.50	1.86	19
Bill Glane	L	25	11		3-2	33	37	26	9.55	1.91	23		Detroit
Pershing Mondorff	R	34	6		1-1	9	15	1	9.00	1.78	4		Emmitsburg, MD
Ken Lahman #	L	24	4		3-1	24	31	8	3.75	1.63	21		Seattle
Rex Barney *	R	28	4		0-1	3	7	14	51.00	7.00	4		Omaha
Bill Sampson	L	26	8		0-4	33	30	23	5.45	1.61	16
Earl Naylor *	R	33	2		0-1	7	5	14	5.14	2.71	2		Kansas City,MO
Clem Labine #	R	26	2		0-1	14	11	11	5.14	1.57	5		Lincoln, RI
Pete Nicolis	L	22	3		0-0	5	6	9		3.00	5
Marion Fricano #	R	29	2		0-0	6	12	2	6.00	2.33	2		Brant, NY
Hugh Oser @	R	24	34	10	11-9	173	176	98	4.21	1.58	80

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1952 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Milwaukee Brewers	101	53	656	--	195,839
Kansas City Blues	89	65	578	12	243,974
St. Paul Saints	80	74	519	21	125,769	Clay Bryant
Minneapolis Millers	79	75	513	22	120,185
Louisville Colonels	77	77	500	24	132,626
Indianapolis Indians	75	79	487	26	165,220
Columbus Red Birds	68	85	444	32.5	78,132
Toledo/Charleston	46	107	301	54.5	164,641

1953 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI	SB	Birth Place
Ray Dabek	C-113	R	26	328	75	10/1	8	229	338		53
Ted Bartz	1b-149	R	28	529	148	20/8	7	280	388		69		Detroit
Jack Cassini *	2b-155	R	34	602	195	32/6	12	324	457		51		Dearborn, MI
Bob Wilson *	3b-147	R	28	575	182	32/5	12	317	452		77		Dallas
Don Zimmer #	SS-81	R	22	320	96	14/4	23	300	584		63		Cincinnati
Ray Coleman *	OF-152	L	31	532	129	21/4	7	242	336		57		Dunsmuir, CA
Gino Cimoli #	OF-145	R	24	546	143	21/7	3	262	342		52		San Francisco
Walt Moryn #	OF-87	L	27	304	93	12/03	13	306	493		38		Saint Paul

Jack Lindsey	SS-106	R	26	293	66	14/2	5	225	338		35
Dixie Howell *#	C-83	R	33	198	49	3/4	8	247	424		26		Louisville
Joe Lutz *	1b-76	L	28	172	41	8/1	9	238	453		28		Keokok, IA
Dick Whitman *	OF-58	L	33	211	53	12/2	3	251	370		26		Woodburn, OR
Allen Leap	OF-69	R	28	108	21	4/2	3	194	352		12
Danny Ozark	PH-2	R	30	1	1	0/0	0	1000	1000		0		Buffalo, NY
Ray Cash	C-6	R	28				0	385			0		Richmond, VA

1953 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Ray Moore #	R	27	34	28	11-14	187	154	86	3.56	1.28			Meadows, MD
Bob Darnell #	R	23	32	31	11-12	228	215	131	3.12	1.52			Wewoka, OK
Ron Negray #	R	23	30	28	10-12	182	167	93	3.91	1.43			Akron, OH
Wade Browning	L	31	31	19	3-13	146	139	67	4.13	1.41
Don Bessent #	R	22	31	17	11-10	150	153	71	4.32	1.49			Jacksonville, FL
Chris VanCuyk *	L	26	36	8	4-8	92	114	33	5.38	1.60			Kimberly, WI
Norm Fox	R	25	35	2	6-3	79	66	60	3.65	1.59
Pat McGlothin *	R	33	29	9	5-2	105	112	26	3.26	1.31			Coalfield, TN
Hal Erickson #	R	34	15	10	5-3	67	74	11	3.76	1.27			Portland, OR
Hugh Oser	R	25	16	3	1-3	51	52	32	3.71	1.65
Bud Byerly *# @	R	33	38	17	10-7	159	173	33	4.36	1.30			Webster Groves, MO
Al Epperly *	R	35			4-2								Glidden, IA
Pete Wojey #	R	34	5		1-0	13	11	9	3.46	1.54			Stowe, PA
Marv Robertson	L	20			0-0

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB
@=played for another AA team

1953 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Toledo Mud Hens	90	64	584	--	343,614
Kansas City Blues	88	66	571	2	247,556
Louisville Colonels	84	70	545	6	177,080
Indianapolis Indians	82	72	532	8	206,786
Minneapolis Millers	76	78	494	14	128,630
St. Paul Saints	72	82	468	18	139,348	Clay Bryant
Columbus Red Birds	64	90	416	26	84,995
Charlestown Senators	60	94	390	30	178,377

1954 Hitting	Main Pos-G	Bats	Age	AB	H	2b/3b	HR	Ave	Slg	OBP	RBI	SB	Birth Place
Herb Olson	C-86	L	24	228	63	20/0	1	276	377		28		Wenatchee, WA
Ted Bartz	1b-145	R	29	500	129	15/5	14	258	392		53		Detroit
Charlie Neal #	2b-146	R	23	585	159	25/13	18	272	451		66		Longview, TX
Jim Baxes #	3b-148	R	26	523	118	14/6	22	226	402		73		San Francisco
Don Zimmer #	SS-73	R	23	268	78	9/6	17	291	560		53		Cincinnati
Bud Hutson	OF-142	R	28	493	148	17/4	21	300	479		81		Atkins, AR
John Golich	OF-120	R	26	364	107	19/2	9	294	431		58
Bert Hamric #	OF-88	L	26	309	108	14/7	12	350	557		45		Clarksburg, WV

John Bucha *	C-74	R	29	256	90	15/3	14	352	598		43		Allentown, PA
Rudy Rufer *	SS-62	R	28	167	31	2/0	1	186	216		9		Ridgewood, NY
Stan Rojek *	SS-52	R	35	132	30	7/0	0	227	280		7		N. Tonawanda, NY
Ed Moore	OF-109	R	25	268	70	14/2	15	261	496		48		Fort Worth, TX
Walt Moryn #	1bOF-71	L	28	269	81	9/3	18	301	558		50		Saint Paul
Dick Williams *#	1bOF-49	R	25	162	40	8/0	6	247	407		18		St. Louis
Ernie Yelen	C-31	R	29	83	15	2/0	1	181	241		8
Gino Cimoli #	OF-9	R	25	18	3	0/0	0	167	167		1		San Francisco
Bill Antonello #	OF-5	R	27	17			0	118					Brooklyn
Lou Landini	C-3	R	27	3	0	0/0	0	000	000		0		, Italy
Lyle Olsen	Inf-5	R	25	17				294
Clint Weaver	1bOF-7	L	27	7	0	0/0	0	000	000		0

1954 Pitching	Thrw	Age	G	GS	W-L	IP	H	BB	ERA	WHIP	SO		Birth Place
Ron Negray #	R	24	32	32	17-12	211	209	75	4.14	1.35			Akron,OH
Don Bessent #	R	23	35	26	12-13	183	187	67	3.93	1.39			Jacksonville, FL
Wade Browning	L	32	31	25	10-8	196	177	74	3.67	1.28
Bob Darnell #	R	24	28	24	12-9	180	174	86	3.85	1.44			Wewoka, OK
Ray Moore #	R	28	20	18	8-7	112	87	58	3.21	1.29			Meadows, MD
Ernie Nevel *	R	35	37	1	3-4	77	77	27	3.51	1.35			Charleston, NO
Bill Darden	R	28	58	0	5-5	89	78	33	3.74	1.25
Ron Lee	L	25	34	9	3-8	99	114	49	5.18	1.65
Norm Fox	R	26	13	0	1-1	23	32	19	9.39	2.22
Earl Mossor #	R	29	13	3	0-3	34	39	22	5.82	1.79			Forbus, TN
John Rutherford #	R	29	11	8	2-1	56	58	16	3.38	1.32			Bellevue, ON (Can)
Dick McCoy	L	25	9		0-1
Bob Milliken *	R	28	8		1-4	29	49	9	7.45	2.00			Majorsville, WV
Gil Mills	R	27	6		1-2
Charlie Page	R	18	2		0-0								Hillsdale, OK

* = Prev MLB
# = Future MLB

1954 Standings	W	L	Pct	GB	Attend.	Manager
Indianapolis Indians	95	57	625	--	282,979
Louisville Colonels	85	68	556	10.5	141,353
Minneapolis Millers	78	73	517	16.5	128,187
Columbus Red Birds	77	76	503	18.5	110,696
St. Paul Saints	75	78	490	20.5	134,006	Clay Bryant
Toledo Mud Hens	74	80	481	22	156,989
Kansas City Blues	68	85	444	27.5	141,905
Charlestown Senators	59	94	386	36.5	129,748