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100th Anniversary Souvenir Edition 29 June 2021

American Legion Post 28

Commander Carroll H. Owings

“For God and Country”

Welcome to Stadium and the series for 2021!

Our setting in historical Duncan Park, completed in 1926, is one of the oldest wooden grandstand stadiums in America. For over 94 years, competitive teams have made use of this facility. We are very proud to be a vital part of baseball history. Our American Legion Baseball program has been active for 88 years, and one of the most successful. We have hosted the state tournament more than 16 times, and our teams have won 9 state championships, two Regional and one National Championship. Last year our Juniors and Seniors played in the 2020 Dixie Youth Baseball League Program and had a super year both winning their league and The Seniors were runner up to N. Charleston for state Championship. As our 2021 competitive season begins, we know that our prestigious history of success will continue. Remember that our success is not only measured by our wins, but in how the game is played. American Legion Post 28 will always promote good sportsmanship, and expect our players, coaches, and fans to display the pride and dignity that is so needed in all aspects of our society today. Many thanks to the sponsors and the many individuals who donated their time and talent to participate in the program, making these games possible. Remember, all proceeds from this season goes to paying for these young men to play baseball.

29 June 2021, is Post 28’s 100th Year Anniversary.

Enjoy your time with us at Duncan Park!

Spartanburg American Legion Post 28

Commander Carroll H. Owings 1st Vice Commander John J. Barron 2nd Vice Commander Robert Greene Chaplain Ben Lineberry Adjutant David Ford Sergeant-At-Arms Robert Greene Service Officer Charles Landen Athletic Director John J. Barron Historian/Museum Curator Ed Y. Hall Judge Advocate Dwight Patterson Honor Guard Commander Jim Harbison

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 28

President Barbara Wright Vice President Joanne Greene Secretary Martha Badger Historian Lesa LePage Chaplain Elizabeth Pearson Parliamentarian Frieda Davison Treasurer Carolyn Harbison Girls State Chair Geneva Padgett Veterans’ Affairs Chair Geneva Padgett 1st Sergeant-At-Arms Maxine Sprouse

SPARTANBURG AMERICAN LEGION POST 28 94 WEST PARK DRIVE, DUNCAN PARK, SPARTANBURG, SC 29306 864-253-0376 www.al28sc.org

100th Anniversary Ceremony Duncan Park Stadium 29 June 2021

6:45 pm Coaches and Umpires meet at Home Plate.

Teams lineup for tonight’s game.

“Code of Sportsmanship”

Spartanburg Presentation to Inman Coach

7:00 pm Start 100th Anniversary Ceremony

Prayer: Chaplain Ben Lineberry

Welcome: CDR Carroll Owings

Empty Chair Ceremony: First Vice John J Barron

Read Proclamation

“National Anthem”

First Pitch: Jesse Campbell

Uniform: Legionnaires: Red, White or Blue Shirt. Honor Guard: Legion Full Dress. Empty Chair Ceremony: Summer Dress.

Spartanburg American Legion Post 28

2021 Program

Since 1933

“For God and Country”

American Legion Post 28 First Vice Commander Athletic Director John J. Barron

“For God and Country”

American Legion Baseball has a long and proud history since 1925. Each year, about 3,500 legion baseball teams are formed in rival townships for the summer throughout America. The best baseball players from middle and high schools and some return from college to join Legion teams for an experience of a lifetime. It is not , but it is the finest well organized community based program around. Legion baseball grew in when the Textile Leagues were king and Spartanburg’s Duncan Park Stadium was home to minor league teams – the Peaches and Phillies. Spartanburg Post 28’s team formed in 1933 is the longest playing team in Duncan Park Stadium, and still calls the stadium home. Fans in Spartanburg and surrounding towns: Buffalo, Inman, Greer, and Gaffney show hometown pride in their Legion teams and support them all the way. Townsfolk longing for a nearby professional team to support and pull for should take notice of South Carolina American Legion League V. Upstate American Legion Posts field Senior (18 & 19) and Junior (13–17) teams scheduled to play seven games during the summer starting in June and ending with the final game played in Keeter Stadium, Shelby, NC in August. This is a lot of baseball in just a short time and only committed teams pulling in the same direction will be successful. American Legion baseball is a team concept program, an opportunity for players to play at the next level, improve their game and become responsible community leaders. Spartanburg Post 28 covers the cost for players willing to commit 100% to playing baseball and wanting to become part of something larger than themselves. The “National Anthem” is played and “Code of Sportsmanship” repeated by competing teams before each game without exception. Please make plans to come out and support your hometown legion team.

I will see you at the ballpark.

2021 Spartanburg Post 28 Baseball Team Schedule

Senior Team 9/7

Jun 9 1 Spartanburg @ Greer 12 Jun 22 14 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 6 Jun 10 4 Spartanburg @ Inman 5 Jun 23 1 Buffalo @ Spartanburg 2 Jun 15 7 Inman @ Spartanburg 3 Jun 28 10 Spartanburg @ Buffalo 0 Jun 16 2 Buffalo @ Spartanburg 12 Jun 29 0 Inman @ Spartanburg 8 Jun 18 14 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 1 Jun 30 0 Spartanburg @ Greer 10 Jun 21 8 Greer @ Spartanburg 7 Jul 6 2 Gaffney @ Spartanburg 12

First Round Playoffs: Spartanburg Post 28 vs. Chester Post 27 July 12-Spartanburg won 6-2, July 13-Spartanburg won 16-6 Second Round Playoffs: Inman Post 45 vs. Spartanburg Post 28 July 20-Inman won 3-2, July 21-Inman won 8-1

2021 Senior South Carolina Tournaments July 30- August 1, State: Segra Park, Columbia, SC August 3-8 Southeast Region Tournament: Montgomery, AL August 12-17 American Legion World Series: Keeter Stadium, Shelby, NC

Junior Team 6/6

Jun 8 4 Gaffney @ Spartanburg 6 Jun 24 6 Spartanburg @ Inman 8 Jun 9 3 Inman @ Spartanburg 4 Jun 25 5 Spartanburg @ Greer 15 Jun 14 11 Inman @ Spartanburg 12 Jun 28 11 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 6 Jun 15 6 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 3 Jun 30 0 Greer @ Spartanburg 15 Jun 22 12 Greer @ Spartanburg 1 unplayed Spartanburg @ Greer _ S 6/11/21 Jun 23 1 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 11 unplayed Spartanburg @ Inman _ RO 6/7/21

First Round Playoffs: Spartanburg Post 28 vs. Lexington Post 7 Gray July 12-Lexington won 11-1, July 13-Lexington won 21-9

2021 Junior South Carolina State Tournament July 23-28 Riley Park, Sumter, South Carolina Games start 7 pm unless noted otherwise. Playoffs for both Senior and Junior Teams begin July 12th Schedule Updates: http://www.legion.org/baseball/schedule?state=sc

http://www.al28sc.org/baseball Home Team Fields Spartanburg-Duncan Park Stadium Greer-Stevens Field Buffalo-Timken Sports Complex Inman-Jim Everhart Field Gaffney-Jerry ‘Jug’ Wallace Field Schedule updated: August 8, 2021

John J. Barron, Post 28 Athletic Director American Legion Baseball

Purpose and Scope

 To inculcate in youth a better understanding of the American way of life and to promote the principles of 100 percent Americanism.  To instill in the nation’s youth a sincere desire to develop within themselves a feeling of citizenship, sportsmanship, loyalty and team spirit.  To aid in the improvement and development of the physical fitness of our country’s youth.  To build for the nation’s future through our youth.

Code of Sportsmanship

I will:  Keep the rules  Keep faith with my teammates  Keep my temper  Keep myself fit  Keep a stout heart in defeat  Keep my pride under in victory  Keep a sound soul, a clean mind, and a healthy body

"I can remember a sports writer asking me for a quote and I didn't know what a quote was. I thought it was some kind of soft drink." - Joe DiMaggio

Who Were the Other Teams That Called Duncan Park Home? by Ed Epps

Duncan Park Stadium, designed by local architect Frank Collins and built in 1926, is a classic wooden grandstand American ballpark. One of the oldest ballparks in the country, the Duncan Park field has been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, and the City of Spartanburg recently applied for an Historical Marker from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for its status as home stadium of The Spartanburg Sluggers, a Black semi-pro and barnstorming team that played for some thirty years and hosted noted Negro Leagues teams like The Homestead Grays, The Indianapolis Clowns, and the New York Black Yankees. Scores of future players ran the bases at Duncan Park, and vintage wooden seats from in are installed in the grandstand to this day. Most citizens of Spartanburg know about The Spartanburg Phillies and The Peaches, and if you are reading this program, you are certainly a fan of American Legion Post 28. There were other teams who played here too, though, and their tenure is also notable. The Spartanburg Spartans existed before Duncan Park Stadium was built, and they played in the historic structure from 1926 until 1940 except for some years when the hard times of the Great Depression brought an end to many sporting events and shuttered many league offices. During most of the years of their existence the Spartans were an Independent semi-pro team, playing as members of the old Sally league; during their final two years in Spartanburg they became a Class B affiliate of the . Few of the Spartans are remembered today, but three who are worth mentioning were Debs Garms, Hal Wagner, and Mike Kelley. Garms, who played for the Spartans in part of the 1929 season, had a twelve-year career in the Major Leagues and in 1940 led the Majors— including champ Joe DiMaggio—with a .355 batting

Mike Kelly, Spartanburg Spartans player-

average. Hal Wagner, who also played for a dozen years in the Majors, was twice an all-Star , and was a leading defensive player. Mike Kelly, who managed the Spartans for seven years both before and after the construction of Duncan Park, was also a pretty good first baseman and was so popular that the local newspaper said he could have won any elective office he decided to for. During the Spartans’ tenure in Duncan Park, another team also played there: The Spartanburg Sluggers, a semi-pro Black team owned by local businessman Newton Whitmire and later his son, Newton Jr., the pair sometimes called “Big Newt” and “Little Newt.” Since the Sluggers played during the Jim Crow era, their history is documented more dimly than that of the Spartans or other teams who played at Duncan Park Stadium. Nevertheless their presence in the stadium was significant. For one thing, they regularly played other regional Black teams like the Asheville Blues and Black Tourists, the Greenville Black Spinners, the Columbia Red Caps, the Orangeburg Tigers, and even the Atlanta Black Crackers. Sluggers players, too, were often stars in their own right; left-handed Bob Branson was widely regarded one of the best hurlers of his era, and other players like Al Cunningham and James Dunn played on regional and national All-Star teams. The Sluggers also brought to Spartanburg Negro Leagues teams with national reputations and their local fans, and in 1951 the Sluggers played a game at Duncan Park against ’s All-Stars, a barnstorming exhibition team that included some of the best African American players anywhere. The Whitmires who owned the Sluggers were prominent members of the Black business community in Spartanburg, operating a hotel and restaurant and promoting local shows by important performers on the Black “chitlin’ circuit” like Duke Ellington, Moms Mabley, and Cab Calloway. The Spartanburg Peaches played at Duncan Park from 1946 through 1955 as a member of the Class A Tri-State League and an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns (1946) and the Cleveland Indians (1947-1955). By far the best known Peaches player was Rocky Colavito, a star and fan favorite for the MLB Indians, whose tenure in Spartanburg has been popularized by Reverend Kirk Neely in a series of widely read articles and interviews. Colavito lodged in a room in the home of Reverend Neely’s grandmother on Union Street at the entrance to Duncan Park, and the Reverend tells the story of how, according to the ballplayer, the “rocky road” ice-cream that Neely loved as a youth was named after the young Peaches player! Current residents of Spartanburg who watched Colavito play still remember the strength of his arm and the towering home runs that he slammed over the old outfield fence. Other Peaches players also had success as professional players. These included Major Kerby Farrell, who played first base and pitched in for almost twenty years; Al “Lefty Aber, who pitched in the Majors for six seasons; James Henry “Jimmy” Bloodworth, who played eleven years in the Minors and the same number of years in the Majors; William Nelson “Billy” Moran, who twice beat out as the starter at second base in All-Star games; Spurgeon Chandler “Spud” Chandler, who played ten years for the Yankees and once a against ; and others. The Spartanburg Phillies is the team best remembered by current citizens of the Hub City. Not only were the Phillies the resident home team for thirty-one years from 1963 until 1994, but they also produced a large number of Major Leaguers, including , Willie Hernandez, , , Greg Walker, Andy Ashby, , MLB Hall of Famer , and likely future Hall of Famer . Phillies opponents also proved legendary. After Larry Bowa struck out four times during his first game as a Phillie, Manager told him that the pitcher he faced was “gonna be something special”—it was Nolan Ryan. Among other Phillies opponents here were current Braves Manager and many other Braves standouts, including , , and . Local fans have many fond memories of the Spartanburg Phillies. Among these is the team of 1966, which MLB named as number 78 on its list of the Top 100 Minor League Teams of All Time. The 1966 Phillies also set a Class A attendance record, and in 1967 Manager Pat Williams was named Minor League Executive of the Year. Williams was also a master promoter, hugely popular for contests and stunts during games. Another popular Phillies General Manager was Rosie Putnam, a Montana native and wife of the Spartanburg postmaster, who was initially hired as a clerical assistant in the office but worked hard and was everybody’s friend; she also “hired” a canine mascot who doubled as stadium security at night. Another Phillies fan favorite was , a lifelong baseball man who played and coached in the Minors for years before being elevated to the Majors. All good things come to an end, though, and the Phillies departed after the 1994 season, victims of declining attendance; the unwillingness of the City of Spartanburg to commit enough money to a losing enterprise; the proximity of newer stadiums in Greenville, Charlotte, and elsewhere; and the construction of a newer stadium and a better offer from Kannapolis, . Baseball didn’t entirely disappear from Duncan Park Stadium, but it almost did. A half dozen other teams of various levels of expertise and professionalism rotated through the turnstiles for a while. They were the following: 1991-1993 AND 1995-2003 University of South Carolina at Spartanburg Rifles 1995 Spartanburg Alley Cats (Atlantic Coast League) 1996-2003 Wofford Terriers () 2001-2005 Spartanburg Crickets (Southern Collegiate Baseball League) 2003-2006 Spartanburg Stingers ()

Spartanburg District Seven’s Myles Wilson inspects the work on the renovated and expanded dugouts and clubhouses under the stands.

Spartanburg High School Vikings 2008-current

In 2008 the City of Spartanburg entered into a long term agreement with Spartanburg County

School District Seven, under the terms of which the City and the District jointly maintain the field and ballpark, and the Vikings play all their home games at Duncan Park Stadium.

2021-current Spartanburgers (Coastal Plain League)

The new kids on the Duncan Park block! Inaugural Season Summer 2021 https://thespartanburgers.com

"They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And they tell you to hit it square." -

American Legion Post 28 Brian Peahuff Scholarship

1993 Demetrius Turner USC 1994 Thomas Martin Citadel 1995 David Pless Gardner Web University 1996 Jason Queen USCS 1997 Gary Lee Lander 1998 Tack Hill SMC 1999 Brian Casey Wofford 2000 Kevin White Presbyterian 2001 Ryan Parry Brigham Young 2002 Jordy Snyder Coastal Carolina 2003 Jordy Snyder SMC 2004 Will Dozier USC Upstate 2005 Ryan Wilkins SMC 2006 Ryan Wilkins SMC 2007 Kyle Worthy Clemson 2008 Andrew Patterson USC 2009 Brian Poteat Citadel 2010 Dominick Aiken USC Salkenhatchi 2011 Dillon Bonner SCC 2012 William Edward Schuler II USC Sumter 2013 Ian Riley Metts USC Sumter 2014 Luke Chandler Graves 2015 Chase Brown Harper USC 2016 Davis William Keller Wofford 2017 Zachary Harold Lea USC Upstate 2018 Lee Jordan Cavendish Clemson 2019 Robert Eli Ewing Wofford 2020 Carter Ryan Peeler Lander University

“I'm glad I don't play anymore. I could never learn all of those handshakes."

"I was in Little League. I was on first base-I stole third base. I ran straight across the diamond. Earlier in the week, I learned the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I argue with the umpire that second base was out of my way." Steve Wright

"They should move back first base a step to eliminate all those close plays." - John Lowenstein

"He slides into second with a stand-up ." -

2020-21 Baseball Season Donations

from

Commander Carroll H. Owings * Schanzlin Family Joanne & Robert Greene Frieda Davison Jesse and Jennie Campbell Earl M. Steadman Bob Justice

Ed & Cathy Hall * Jon Sagester Tony & Kathy Messel * Paul Manly Paul P. Barron Carolyn Harbison Geneva Padgett Ben Dawsey John J. Barron Nancy & Brian Walsh Sven Alexander Persson Ben Lineberry Elise Sophia Persson Bob and Denise Redman Joann Barron Doug and Brenda Kuykendall Joel & Maryann Morrow Joe and Kim White Jim Harbison Chad Caldwell * Leonard & Geraldine Zawacki Calvin Bridges Curtis & Maxine Sprouse Doug & Ann Gill Tollie Ross Mike Green Billy & Lib Spencer Claude Schmid Mike and Brenda Owensby Ray and Mary Parker Tom and Helen Lawson Scott Edwards Charles and Annette Landen Charles Wright Danny Smith El Ron Smelgrove David Ford

*Past American Legion Baseball Player

"I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give it up. I'm only six feet tall, so I couldn't play . I'm only 190 pounds so I couldn't play football and I have 20-20 vision so I couldn't be a referee." -Jay Leno

American Legion Alumni in Baseball Hall of Frame , Anderson, South Carolina Major League Player for

WAR AB H HR BA R RBI SB OBP OPS OPS+ 47.7 8,225 2,452 382 298 1,249 1,451 58 .352 .854 128

A native of Anderson, S.C., who led his American Legion Baseball team to the 1969 state finals. Jim Rice had a 16-year career with the Boston Red Sox. The eight-time All-Star and 1978 AL MVP got into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 15th and final ballot, in 2009.