HARRISBURG'S SARAH JONES • FOOTBALL'S OFF-SEASON • AT THE MOVIES

SOUTH CENTRAL MAGAZINE APRIL 1988

AL.TJ1 •JILL J Photos by Jeffrey King. Archival photos supplied by Neil Grimes and Ray Deck. BY BRIAN L. CLARK

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER The baseball memoirs of the College Hill Chix

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game—and do it by watching first some high school or small-town teams. Coble Grimes Stadium now . . . and then. —Jacques Barzun, God's Country and Mine, 1954

APPRISE APRIL 1988 51 Jimmy Miller Carlos Luciotti Buck Fields Hello, baseball fans, and wel- played for Wilkes-Barre in the Class in this town. And as they're coming come to Fredericksburg, Pennsylva- A Eastern League. It's said that back from the service," I said, "it nia, for a banner night of baseball three of his home runs were the wouldn't take them very long to get back into shape." tales with the College Hill Chix. longest balls ever in three of that Your lineup for this evening's session league's stadiums. So the dream became a team. Charlie is as follows. This evening's newspaper com- managed and ran it, and Coble [Charlie's In right field, at age 65, Buck mentary is brought to you courtesy of brother] provided financial support. The Fields. A leadoff hitter with good the late Tiny Parry, former sports first season was spent playing exhibition speed, Buck played a big part in the editor for the Lebanon Daily News. games against established semi-pro teams Chix's 1948 state championship sea- from other towns. son, which culminated with a fourth- place finish at the national tourna- * * * * ment in Wichita, Kansas. he Chix history goes back to June 11, 1945 May of 1945. Germany had Behind the plate, at age 71, just surrendered, and it seemed Ray Deck. Ray played through the T only a matter of time before the war with CHIX 1947 season, after which he says he Japan would be over. Meanwhile, troops just decided to quit—cold turkey. So were coming back to the area, looking OPEN SEASON cold, in fact, that he just took his for jobs and something to do. What they spikes and his glove out to the fire- found were factories, farms, and a man WITH interested in starting a semi-pro baseball place and burned them. No ill /eel- team. 11-4 WIN ings, it was just time. On May 16th of that year, a small At/irstbase, yo-year-oId Carlos article appeared in the Lebanon Daily OVERCRESSONA "Lucy" Luciotti. A jovial character News which invited local and county Semi-pro baseball was introduced to local fans Saturday afternoon when with an infectious laugh that rivals ballplayers to an open practice at Fred- about 500 of them turned out to witness Santa's on his best day, he helped ericksburg High School. the College Hill Chix come from behind to trounce a strong Cressona Ordnance organise the Chix. Carlos quit play- nine, 11-4 on the Lebanon High stadium ing in 1947 to become the team's field .... scorekeeper. He loves to tell a good story. BALL PLAYERS Starting at second base, age 73, That summer, the Chix continued Jimmy Miller. An in/ielder who left TO DRILL on, winning more often than not. As the home to play minor league ball at age AT season drew to a close and the Chix 17, Jimmy's career included stops in began to gather confidence, they sched- uled baseball "events" against the Elmira, New York; Asheville, North FREDERICKSBURG barnstormers—professional teams that Carolina; Greensboro, North Caro- traveled the country, looking for exhibi- lina; and Columbus, Georgia. Miller ... If the turnout warrants continued interest by the willing sponsor of such a tion games. The Chix beat the two signed with the Chix in 1945 after he team, efforts will be made immediately traveling teams they played in their first returned from the war in Europe. to draw up a season schedule for twi- season; victories that were like icing on light and weekend games in this vicinity the cake for the semi-pro team from And pitching tonight, at the age this season and baseball fans may be of 61, Luther "Lut" Soliday, who offered some attractive and interesting Fredericksburg, as they ended a very suc- exhibitions of their favorite sport. cessful inaugural campaign. joined the Chix in 1947. Luther, a The opening of the '46 season found good , has one rather dubious the Chix competing in the Bi-County claim to fame: giving up what's League with teams from Lebanon and jokingly referred to as the "longest The willing sponsors were Charlie Schuylkill counties. But the Chix's fol- home ever hit." It was hit by and Coble Crimes, and the team was the lowing had outgrown the facilities offered by the Lebanon High School Stadium, "Suitcase" Simpson of the Philadel- College Hill Chix. and people began to feel they needed a phia Stars, a team from the Negro CARLOS: Charlie asked me one time, home of their own. So through the . In Luther's de- he said, "Carlos," he said, "I would like efforts of Tiny Parry, with the financial fense, he's not alone. Simpson later to organize a team." I said, "Charlie, backing of Coble Grimes and the help of sounds good." He asked if I would help. the Lebanon School Board, a stadium Brian L. Clark is associate editor of I told him, I said, "Charlie," I said, "you was built, and on June 16, 1946, the APPRISE. know, there's a lot of good ballplayers Chix moved in. The story went like this: APPRISE APRIL 1988 53

Fredericksburg, more like a shell than an "Do anything you can get away actual stadium. It's inoffensive-looking— with." It's an old baseball axiom that a on the outside. Inside, it's a graveyard— lot of players still follow. Some will do CORNWALL for automobiles, and old baseball just about anything to gain that little memories. edge. TRIPS CHIX, 2-0 On the grounds, between deterior- Imagine everyone's surprise in ating cars, the stadium's current inhabi- 1974, when New York Yankee third AS 3,000 tants scamper through the tall grass. baseman Graig Nettles had the butt end THRONG STADIUM Packing the grandstand, rows of old of his bat break off to reveal a barrel automobile rims peer out through the loaded with Super Balls. Just last year, rusty backstop onto what was the play- Billy Hatcher of the Houston Astros was Brilliant Twelve Inning ing field. suspended when a bat he was using Game Features Opening Of The southwest corner of the stadium broke (it wasn't his, it was teammate New Coble Grimes Stadium was the home plate area; the place where Dave Smith's), and was found to be At Fredericksburg a moody sort, name of "Snowball" stuffed with cork. These little tricks, it is Klepper, pitched to hitters the same way believed, make the bat more lively. On Sunday- he negotiated with owners—hard and Cheating among hitters has encour- Miners Tie For Loop Lead fast. It's said that "Snowball" pitched aged cheating among —or vice By Virtue Of Victory whenever he wanted, for whoever paid versa. After all, pitchers have to make a Cornwall's Miners jumped into a tie the most that particular day. living too, and they can't do it if hitters with St. Clair for leadership of the hotly It's the place where the brother of have an unfair advantage. So they "scuff" contested Bi-County League by defeating Carl Furillo (of the Brooklyn/Los the ball. Hitters say "scuffing" makes the the strong College Hill Chix 2-0 in a Angeles Dodgers) was "hired" by the ball do funny things. brilliantly played twelve inning battle Sunday, as 3,000 rabid fens jam-packed Chix to pitch against Tremont, and had Every year, Mike Scott of the Astros the new Coble Grimes Stadium at Fred- to leave early in the game after he took a is accused of "scuffing" the ball. And ericksburg as the Chix dedicated their pitched ball in the ribs while batting. last season, pitchers Joe Neikro of the new home .... The partially completed Carl, also known as the "Reading Rifle," Minnesota Twins and Kevin Gross of the stadium was officially dedicated to the national pastime prior to the opening of spent 15 seasons with the Dodgers. That were caught red- the game as both teams marched to the day, his brother lasted about 15 pitches handed with abrasive substances that flagpole to the music of Cook's German with the Chix. "could have been used" to alter the Band who also entertained during the It's the place where the local favor- smooth surface of the ball. Some say the innings of the contest.... ites from the Bi-County League were effects are psychological. almost as popular as the big leaguers. They were "ballplayers." No plink of RAY: We often talk about the big fuss in aluminum bats, no big contracts, arti- Except for the final score, it was a big league ball today about scuffing the ficial turf or rubber spikes here—just proud day in Fredericksburg when Coble baseball. What the hell are they talking locals playing real, down-in-the-dirt and Charlie Grimes opened their brand about?... We didn't know anything but baseball. new stadium—a home field with a real playing ball with a scuffed ball. advantage. Lebanon Daily News editorial by JIM: We played the whole game with a RAY: It was quite a thrill. Tiny Parry, September, 1947, during the playoff series between College Hill and scuffed ball. Cornwall: CARLOS: You had the feeling of as CARLOS: Years ago we had to play with though you were somebody of impor- one ball during the Depression. And tance. Believe me, when you go from a boy, all you did was taped it. Now if you cow pasture to a brand new home ... The nearly 1800 fans who witnessed that overtime diamond tussle between wanna talk about scuffed. We taped it, the College Hill Chix and the Cornwall and when the tape wore off, you got RAY: But it was kind of a shame that we Miners this past Sunday out on Corn- more tape and taped the same ball. It lost... a good ballfield. wall's Blue Bird Field saw baseball drama tickles me when I hear them say scuffing enacted right before their eyes repeat- edly during that gripping epic .... As a the ball. I don't know what they're Today, the once-proud home of the matter of fact, it is doubtful if any fans talking about. anywhere, and that goes for those who Chix now sits quietly along Route 22 in take in the World Series classics, have seen any more gripping tussles than RAY: They say you can make the ball do The Chix in '47 most of the games in the current College Ray Deck—standing, far left; Buck Fields— Hill-Cornwall playoff series .... something if it's scuffed. We had fellows standing, second from left; Carlos Luciotti—stand- around here that threw pretty damn ing, third from left; Luther Soliday—standing, third hard with a scuffed ball and it didn't do from right; jimmy Miller—kneeling, second from right. anything.

APPRISE APRIL 1988 55 CARLOS: We had people that threw they used to put on a good show. The real hard, too. guy'd stand up there with a bat... it was something different. JIM: I saw some pretty good pitchers in ELITE GIANTS my time. JIM: They might have had three or four SWAMP CHIX different House of David teams. The In "their time," the Chix played a one I played against out in Little Wash- BY 13-0 lot of baseball. In fact, days off from ington [Pennsylvania], they had Babe league games were spent competing Didrikson as the feature pitcher. She COUNT against some of the best barnstormers in always pitched the first two innings. the country. And when lights were in- And that was a first for me, too .... I had Romby Southpaws Chix stalled at the stadium in August of 1946, one hit. I only batted one time against Into Submission With 4 Hits it meant the Chix would be able to her .... I tell you what, one fella hit a overcome weekend scheduling conflicts, triple off her and she cussed him out for FANS THIRTEEN by playing these teams on weeknights. ninety feet, at least. Boy, she really left him have it.... The manager said take it CARLOS: The House of Davids, they easy, but fellas can't do that. That was in Baltimore Negroes Flash used to have a terrific team. Understand. 1934 .... Power Under Lights It was all young fellows who used to have beards, but clean, cut short, under- Lightning, Black Lightning that is, The season also featured games struck the College Hill Chix stadium last stand, nice and well shaved and neat against the Birmingham Barons, the New night when the Baltimore Elite Giants of looking. They always had terrific teams. the Negro National League invaded the York Black Yankees, the Philadelphia Then we would play night ball with Fredericksburg baseball outdoor amphi- Stars, the New York Cubans, and the these guys. theater. When the storm clouds finally Baltimore Elite Giants—the finest teams cleared and the lights were extinguished, from the Negro Leagues. the College Hill Chix were crushed under a 13-0 deluge stirred up by the visiting Players on these teams weren't bigtime Negroes. It was the second ven- * * * * allowed to play organized professional ture of the season against a National (1947) baseball with whites until April 18, Negro League team for the Chix, but they 1946, the day Jackie Robinson made his were completely subdued by this Balti- more version of how bigtime Negro base- CHIX TURN BACK debut with the Montreal Royals of the ball is played. International League. It was the first time HOUSE OF DAVID in 48 years that a black man played for a recognized minor league team. Robinson BY 6-1 SCORE had four hits—one a —and Bringing in "name" teams from two stolen bases. around the country, combined with the The next year, on opening day, intense rivalries the Chix had with teams Overflow Crowd Witnesses Jackie Robinson made his debut with the in the Bi-County League, meant they Entertainment Brooklyn Dodgers. The color barrier received a great deal of fan support, first At Grimes Stadium had been broken; too late, unfortu- through collections at the games and nately , for most of the players from these later through ticket sales. That support Scoring five runs in the first inning, leagues. proved financially beneficial to Charlie more than enough, the College Hill Chix and Coble Grimes, who translated their turned back the bewhiskered House of David tossers by a 6-1 score at the Coble RAY: There were maybe five or six on fans' appreciation into something tangi- Grimes Stadium in Fredericksburg last each one of those teams that could have ble for their players. night in an arclight of entertainment. been in big-time ball. And an entertainment it was, too, as the CARLOS: We started as amateurs, and bearded players first regaled the crowd as we kept playing, people kept comin' with a rollicking exhibition of shadow- JIM: The major leagues... ball prior to the game to start off an and comin' and comin'. Finally, Charlie evening of merriment and an interesting Grimes said, "Hey, we're payin' you exhibition of the national pastime .... LUTHER: They would've been profes- guys." ... When you got five dollars a sionals. They were barred at that time. game, you know, you drove a lotta miles. Today, these guys would light a A newspaper article from "that cigarette with a five dollar bill. CARLOS: They would "shadow ball" time" reflects the prevailing attitude. out there in the infield, you know. In RAY: We got five dollars the first year, other words, like they had infield prac- the second year we got ten bucks. tice, only they'd do it without a ball. Believe me, they used to put on a good JIM: Three games a week, that was act. You don't see that no more, and thirty bucks.

56 APPRISE APRIL 1988 TT RAY: Yeah. Some weeks you got five CARLOS: But he wanted to be a coach, RAY: I tell you the ones that hurt you games. understand. And he put on the suit and more than anything were the foul balls he'd go to first base to coach and he that would spin; that would hit the CARLOS: Some guys were working 40 didn't know what was goin' on. All he ground and come up between your hours a week and didn't make thirty knew is when you gota hit you run. Go! legs. Those are the ones... bucks—at that time. Hey, this is no Go! baloney. I would make more money CARLOS: There were no cups... playing ball.... We used to play with the BUCK: He'd pick up half the team in his Chix Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. milk truck. Take 'em to the game, take ! RAY: Yeah. And then we would play in the Lebanon 'em out to the farm, drink chocolate County Twilight League on Tuesday milk, take 'em home. CARLOS: Oh mercy. and Thursday. That's what I say. All we would do is work and play, that's all. CARLOS: But, it was always fun. There And that's not all.. was a lot of love among all of us. RAY: And then your wife would raise RAY: You know, in all the years I hell because you were away all the time. That love, on more than one occa- caught, I was lucky. Only one time 1 was sion, took the unbridled form of practi- hurt. I split the finger and knocked it LUTHER: I thought Carlos was gonna cal jokes. Not even those members of the out of joint at the same time [with afoul get a divorce there for a while. He was team who took their baseball very ser- ball]. It scared the hell out of me, you [also] coaching the high-school team. iously were above being had—everyone know, I knew that I was hit. Then I was fair game. Like the time an intense looked at it, I thought, "What the hell?" CARLOS: I was coaching the high- outfielder for the Chix named Boop This thing was bent way back, you school team, too. My wife used to bring Leahy became a victim. know. And it was in high school—Frank my sandwiches there. Brenner was the coach. And he came CARLOS: When he played, he was all out and he looked at it—he got a hold JIM: My wife didn't care so much as baseball, you know. of it, you know, snapped it into place. long as she got to the game at eight And we didn't have a first aid kit. o'clock. RAY: We buried his bat one time...dug Somebody in the crowd gave him a a trench. And we put the bat in it and Band-Aid. He put that Band-Aid on and CARLOS: And after a ballgame, you covered it up. And it was his turn to said, "OK, now you can play." didn't go home. You stayed there, right? come up—and he looked for his bat Hey, they all gathered there. Then the and couldn't find it. Nobody had the CARLOS: What he said is a lot of truth. wife, you know, I remember telling my guts to tell him we buried his bat. Oh, In those days, you got hurt. Today, you wife ... [She'd ask] "How come you're was he furious. We uncovered it when get hurt, they don't touch you until so late when you get home?" You he wasn't around. Nobody knew [or after they get an x-ray. Everybody that know. And I didn't know what to say, admitted to knowing] where it came was there was a doctor, when we played, you know. "We played a doubleheader from. you know. Pull on this, or you'd be ... under the lights." laying down, he'd pick you up and put CARLOS: We had pranksters then ... you on your feet, "Come on, let's go BUCK: Enos and I, we didn't drink in But to us, it was just a joke, you know. and play." You had to fall over again those days. We'd be sittin' down there And in the end, you know, we'd all before you stayed down. in that Eagle Hotel ... We'd be sittin' laugh about it. down there on that damn front porch When the Chix organized in 1945, there waiting for these guys to come Ray Deck was a catcher for the it was Charlie Grimes who managed the back from runnin' around Fredericks- College Hill Chix. He always wanted to team. Coble provided the financial burg .... be a catcher—from the time he was a support—the money coming from his little kid. He worked picking boxes of poultry business. Poultry farms are The players had a good time, and strawberries for a penny a box so he pretty common in the area surrounding others wanted to be a part of it. It didn't could order a catcher's mitt from the Fredericksburg, hence the name "Chix," matter if you could play or not, you Sears Roebuck catalog. And wouldn't In fact, a baseball man for the Philadel- could go to the games and root for the you know it, "when the damn thing phia Phillies, pitching coach Claude team. Or maybe, you could be a coach. came, would you believe it, it was a Osteen, used to own a chicken farm in lefthander's mitt." the Annville area. And just up the road BUCK: I played for Davey Light at Sand It could have been a sign that Ray from the old Chix Stadium, there's Hill. Davey was a farmer. You won a was not destined to be a catcher, but he Charlie Grimes's old poultry business, game, you could go over to his farm and persevered. And, like others who've whose success eventually forced him to drink all the chocolate milk you could donned the "tools of ignorance"—the part company with the team. It's now drink. Davey didn't know anything mask, chest protector, shin guards, and Pennfield Farms. about baseball. the mitt—he's lived to tell about it... in But as much as Charlie Grimes "painful" detail. loved to be in uniform, he loved to win

APPRISE APRIL 1988 57 even more. That's when he realized that And there are other stories about Al Snowball, he had gotten mad at the if the Chix were going to compete against Krall. Chix and he quit. The Chix now were the caliber of teams they were playing, playing Cornwall, and Cornwall had a they needed a baseball man to run the CARLOS: Playing centerfield, we had a good team. So "Tippy" Karinch was the team. They found one. signal. When you see we're getting owner of the Cornwall team, and he close to the fence, yell, you know, see, financed it pretty good, and he was CARLOS: Charlie Grimes. He was a so we don't ... run into the stone wall. paying for players too. So he went to chicken man. We coached ourselves. So, Boop was going back, back—and Snowball Klepper, and he said to Snow- But Charlie was a wonderful guy and he when he hit the fence, Al yelled, ball, "Snowball, we're play ing the Chix." knew a little bit about baseball, "Whoa!" He hit the fence—when he He said, "I want you to pitch for us." understand. yelled whoa, he hit the fence. Snowball said, "How much?" Tippy says, "I'll give you a hundred twenty-five RAY: Until Jimmy Bucher. JIM: Now they have warning tracks. bucks." This is true. This is true. A hundred twenty-five bucks. Snowball CARLOS: Until Jimmy Bucher came [in LUTHER: Ray Rist used to really work says, "I'll be there." Snowball came and 1946]. He was a professional man. When him over.... ya know what, I believe he beat us one- Jim came, then we were all going one at nothing. We only had one hit. a time. He was bringing different CARLOS: How about the time he put people in. his sliding pads on the wrong way?... He Carlos's memory does not fail. couldn't run. James Quintner Bucher, from Man- assas, Virginia, was a professional man. And Carlos now is laughing so hard * * * * As a second baseman, third baseman, he can hardly talk. and outfielder, he spent seven years in September 8, 1947 the major leagues—1934-1937 with the CARLOS: He said, "I don't understand Brooklyn Dodgers; 1938 with the St. why I can 't run." He had his sliding SNOWBALL Louis Cardinals; and 1944-1945 with pads on backwards. Remember that, I the . He had his own forgot that... "I can't run! I can't run!" KLEPPER BLANKS agenda and knew who he wanted on the field to accomplish it. So the original LUTHER/BUCK: Krally was the one we CHIX 1-0, WITH Chix began to slowly disband in favor of picked on the most. a new crop of youngsters. ONE HIT IN But baseball was still just a game, CARLOS: Well, he did the darndest and even a "professional man" like things. You know, we'd come out here OPENING SERIES Bucher was not above being the target of and we would dress at the clubhouse.... a practical joke. Like the time "the guys" Al would come here with his uniform UNDER LIGHTS IN developed a new steal sign before one of on, but he had his good garments over. their games, told Al Krall—the unsus- This is true. And he wanted to hurry up MOUND BATTLE pecting victim—and "forgot" to tell and go on the field. He'd tell ya, boy. He their manager. was undressing himself as we were Snowball Klepper, the West Lebanon driving ... taking his shirt off and every- mound ace, fresh from his triumphs with the title-winning Lebanon CIO JIM: Krally was sort of... he was gullible. thing like that. That's how he would Steelies in Chicago, gave the Miners the You know, you always have one of operate. edge in winning the arclight opener on those on a ball team .... The rumor Saturday night at the Grimes Stadium. around the dugout, you know, that the There were other characters, too. The local righthander came up with a one-hit masterpiece as the Miners new signal was that when the light goes Some, like today's free agents, dangled blanked the Chix 1-0 .... on, you get to first, that's the steal, you their talents in front of team owners, know. Old Krally, he gets on first... the wearing the uniform of the highest old light went on... [Krally] took off and bidder. They could even be called the Jim Bucher said, "What the hell were forerunners of free agency. And even you stealin' for?" He said, "Well, the though they didn't get millions of dollars CARLOS: One-nothing ... he could light went on." for their talents, they did alright— pitch .... So we played another game the financially speaking. following week or something like that. CARLOS: He was the new coach, and One such player was named "Snow- And believe me, the people came from he didn't know anything about the ball" Klepper, a pitcher who, it was said, all over.... So, Tippy went to Snowball "new" steal sign. "didn't have to back down from anyone." Klepper. He said, "Snowball, we play the Chix," a certain date. "I want you to JIM: Yeah. Krally got thrown out that CARLOS: I'll tell ya about Snowball, he pitch. The salary'll be the same." Snow- time .... That was a lotta fun. pitched ... usually he pitched when he ball says, "No it won't." He says, wanted to pitch. Now another time, "Whad'ya mean it won't?" He says,

58 APPRISE APRIL 1988 "Two-fifty." That's when Tippy said, CARLOS: But, some of the fans, I'll tell do not confine their comments to the "The heck." This is no baloney. This is ya what they did do. If you did some- men in blue. And once the "starting true. I'm tellin' ya, he was a money thing great—that's the type of people nine" steps between those white lines to pitcher. they were—if they'd see you on the side play ball, everyone is a potential target. or something, they'd hand you a five When the "Snowball" was in his dollar bill every once in a while. I saw a RAY: Like [George] "Rinsow" Mar- pitching stable, an owner could afford to couple of guys get it. quette—he used to do needlework and be a little more confident—the odds we'd "needle" him about that, ya know. were now in his team's favor. The RAY: That happened to me .... "money pitcher" had accepted money "Rinsow" is currently Vice Presi- from the right people, and the other CARLOS: That happen to you, Jim? dent for Student Affairs and Dean of team might as well not even show up. Students at Lebanon Valley College. He's Why, an owner might even feel confi- JIM: I got a few five dollar bills up in been there for 35 years. dent enough to make a little wager ... just Palmyra. a little wager. CARLOS: I'm tellin' ya, that's how the August 11, 1947 JIM: Tippy and the fellows at Cornwall people used to be .... would bet the guys over here at Fred- [Notes from a game vs. the Middletown ericksburg .... That's how they made up Old Mick Gallagher was one of the Vets, August 10th] the salaries and stuff like that. They umpires who handled Chix games. The ... Still another crack picked up by eaves- weren't the ballplayers, they were the dangers of being an umpire then weren't dropping occurred when a pinch-hitter came up to the plate with one sleeve owners, the spectators .... I'll betcha the too much different than they are today rolled up and the other at full length. night we lost that game, I bet you the (see Sunday's Donneybrook ...). And One of the wise-cracking Chix promptly fellas from Cornwall, I betcha they won neither are the prerequisites. An umpire asked the pinch batsman if he kept his sleeves at different lengths like that to 10-hundred, 15-hundred [dollars] .... must be able to make firm, snap decisions remember which arm he throws with .... and move on to the next play—a short CARLOS: They bet like anything .... memory is of great value. Mick knew that. A favorite of the local ballplayers, Even though these guys played for he was thick-skinned and gave ample The only year Ray, Jim, Carlos, the "love of the game," teams like the warning when his cork was about to pop. Buck, and Luther really played together College Hill Chix and the Cornwall Mick was always confident that his deci- was 1947. The next year, the Chix won Miners were still "playing ball," and that sion was final, and even though he may the state tournament and went to Wich- was not to be taken lightly. Lest you have made a mistake or two during the ita, Kansas, to represent Pennsylvania in think the fans felt any differently, think game, he remained in charge—no matter the 15th Annual National Tournament again. who was playing. sponsored by the National Baseball Congress of America. They finished tied CARLOS: The Phillies were down here for fourth place with four wins and two playing at Indiantown Gap. And Mick losses. But by that time, the original September 16, 1946 said, "Carlos, how about going along to group had pretty much gone their sepa- umpire." I said, "Mick, that's a big rate ways, and only Buck, Luther, and ... Sunday's Donneybrook that threat- league team, I don't have the experi- Carlos, as the scorekeeper, went to ened to develop into a Pier Five brawl at one stage of the proceedings saw both ence." "Don't you worry," he said, Wichita—in style. teams hit hard and often as the sluggers "you just umpire on the bases, and do had their day in contrast to Saturday's the best that you can, and I'll umpire BUCK: You know that Coble, when we pitching domination. the strikes." And I remember, oh, it was went out to Wichita, we had our own Slugging was the keynote of the occa- sion and it wasn t all done with bats, about the third or fourth inning, Mick private railroad car. either. An overzealous Cornwall fan calls a strike on the guy, and the guy just objected to an official decision and gave looked at him, ya see. After a while the CARLOS: Coble rented a car—a sleep- vent to his disapproval by dashing on the guy yelled at Mick when Mick called ing car. The whole team went out there; field to take a couple of swipes at the umpire involved .... him out on strikes. And Mick says, hooked on to one of the railroads and "What are you yellin' about?" he says, went all the way to Wichita, Kansas, and "You missed two and I missed one, so came all the way back. what're you hollerin' about?" BUCK: I know I made out better than if But such incidents were the excep- RAY: Yeah. That was Mick. I'd a worked those two weeks .... We tion rather than the rule. Most times, the were at the nicest hotel in town. Most of teams put on such a good show they saw Umpires usually take the brunt of the other teams... nothing but fan appreciation. Sometimes the abuse if a call doesn't go the way a that appreciation meant added incentives. player or a fan thinks it should. But LUTHER: Flea bags. They were in flea ballplayers, never ones to discriminate, bags.

APPRISE APRIL 1988 59 CARLOS: The Dallas Hotel. It was a beautiful hotel. PUZZLER

BUCK: I believe they lost more towels ANSWER that week than they ever did. PUZZLE FOUND ON PAGE 100 In 1949 the St. Louis Cardinals brought a farm team to Fredericksburg to play at Grimes Stadium. It signalled the end of the College Hill Chix as a semi-pro team, and the beginning of the Lebanon Chix, a minor league team that was to play in the North Atlantic League. The Cardinal team was a class D team, roughly equivalent to today's Instruc- tional League. It's where Kenny Boyer, former third baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, got his start. Life seemed simpler in the old days...

May 9, 1949 CHIX OPEN NORTH ATLANTIC SEASON TONIGHT James Uebowttz never worried about his financial future. Play Nazareth At Grimes An executive with a major corporation, Mr. Liebowitz could look forward Field To Open Season to a substantial pension plus Social Security and a few safe investments. And he'd protected his family with insurance in case of his death. But as Jim contemplated the week's financial news, he started to worry... would his Professional Baseball "safe" financial plan cover the rising cost of living? Would his fixed-dollar Returns To This Sector For investments be able to withstand the rising cost of living? With financial coordination from Wienken & Associates, Jim Liebowitz was The First Time In Years able to consolidate his financial position. Planned investments and a Professional organized baseball re- schedule of steps designed to help Jim attain his goals have let him relax- turns to Lebanon County tonight at the sure that the Wienken planners have helped him focus on the things that Coble E. Grimes stadium in Fredericks- matter most. burg after an absence of more than four When you're ready to plan your financial future, call Wienken & Associates decades. The organized game will be for comprehensive, confidential financial planning revived in this sector by the College Hill Chix who represent this county for the For more information on holders of the Lebanon franchise in the current rates call: North Atlantic Baseball League .... FREDBOHLSof WIENKEN & ASSOCIATES FINANCIAL SERVICES 2090 Linglestown Road, The Lebanon Chix played a 140- Suite 105, Harrisburg, PA 17110 (717)657-2202 game schedule that first year; 70 of those games were played at Grimes Stadium. The Mutual Benefit Companies "They brought the kids in!" Ray says. "We were the grandparents." But the Chix, he swears, "were much better than D ball." Carlos agrees. Wienken & Associates "Oh, yeah." [A] Financial Services 2090 Linglestown Road • Suite 105 • Harrisburg. Pennsylvania 17110 • 717-657-2202 3939 South Atherton Street • State College, Pennsylvania 16801 • 814-466-6295

60 APPRISE APRIL 1988