The Woods Hole Clippers: Filling the Postwar Years with Baseball, Basketball, and Camaraderie by Deborah Griffin Scanlon
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The Woods Hole Clippers: Filling the Postwar Years With Baseball, Basketball, and Camaraderie by Deborah Griffin Scanlon From 1946 to 195 1, the 2 1 members of the Woods The Woods Hole Athletic Association sought and Hole Athletic Associatio n met in an upstairs room gained membership in the Fa lmouth Twili ght League of the Community Hall to plan thei r upcoming baseball association, and since there was no basketball sporting events. The Woods Hole Clippers baseball league, organized its own basketball schedule. The team played a full sched ule through the summer members named their team the Clippers, long before months, and then it was time for the C li ppers' bas the Falmouth schools adopted the nickname. "We ketball season. just discussed it and decided that this was appro priate fo r a ream representi ng a Cape Cod seaport vill age," How d id a vill age the size of Woods Hole - the M r. G riffin said. popul ation in 1950 was about 600 - come to have an athletic association and such an acti ve SPOrtS program? "After the Second World War, the soldiers came home, and people wanred to get together," explained Ro bert W. Griffin , who fo unded the athletic as sociation with Norman "Nog gie" Eldridge, and was its fi rst pres ident. " It was the era before TV, and baseball and basketball games afforded the opportunity to not only play the spans, but fo r the townspeople to spend evenings together and social ize." The Falmouth Enterprise repoered, " It has been unau Some of the Woods Hole Cli ppers got their start in baseball playing for lhe Woods Hole t ho ri tative ly sa id that fis hing Yankees. In the early 19305. Bob G riffin organized (he (cain schedule, and his uncle. boars often put in early at Woods T.S. Perry G ri ffi n, d rove {h e {cam ro their games. Photo is 3 1 North Falmouth ra il road Hole in o rder to be on hand fo r starion. Front row from left: Bud Denny, Jackie Quicken. Jimmy Cavanaugh. Eugene Young. Frank Cavanaugh. MidcU e: Jack Cavanaugh, Richard McKenzie. Leslie Hilton, a Clipper game." Ji mmy Giffo rd. Back: John Ki rtila, Rogcr Savery, Billy Mcinnis, and Bob G ri ffi n. Phoro cOUflCSY Robert W. G riffin . 4 The Clippers baseball team played mostly Falmouth Cape Cod Standard- Times read "Sports Program at teams: Johnny Pena and the Falmouth Giants, the Woods Hole Attended by 100." The Story reported North Falmouth team with its star and former semi that "Baseball jackets were presented to 16 members pro player Marshall Douthart, Waquoit, and the of the Woods Hole Clippers baseball team, Falmouth Town club. The teams played on hardball diamonds Twilight League champions of 1947, at a sports night throughout the town, Nye Park in North Falmouth, program in Community Hall here last night." the Woods Hole ballpark at Bell Tower lane, Fal mouth Heights field and Fuller Field, which had The Woods Hole C lippers baseball squad was made been built for football and baseball during the De up of Woods Hole natives and young men who had pression. Mr. Griffin said that Charlie White, town other connections with the village. Charlie Vail lived engineer and WPA coordinator, studied Fenway to in Waquoit but his sister worked at WHO\. When get the dimensions of Fuller Field correct. he came back from college during the summer, he was the team's catcher. Bob MacMillan was in the They only played five years, but those were glory days Coast Guard; Mr. Griffin, the team manager, grew for the Woods Hole Clippers baseball team, based on up in Woods Hole and was a civil engineer and land the news clippings of that time. A headline in 7he surveyor. FALMOUTH TWILIGHT LEAGUE FIRST HALF ECOND HAll: JUl\r July. 3 GIJUb n . Wouds Hole, IIf F ;UIIlOO lil Heiglus :. 18 Nt). Falmoulh "s Tn.... · n Club. III No. FalmoUl h I () Falmourh vs. Waqoon. II I No. Falmouth Waquoit ,'s, Glanu. II I F:al moulh Heighu 6 WooJ. Ilule \':" No, Ellmoulh. al Wood, Unle 22 Ci:aJH.s , 's, No. Fl1 lnkJu l.h, :al U.s.O, .5 W liqUOIf vs To ..... n Oub. lIf F.. lmDtHh lif'ighls I Town G ub " J. \'(foods Hole. al 1:"llIlouth H}:lhu. 10 TO"fl aub vs, Giams.:at FalmoUlh Hdgh[J 2) \'(/0005 Hole \'S, Glams, ;&1 Woods Hole \,\/000.\0 I-Iolc vs. Waqul)il. II I Woods Hole A r \'(/lIquoir "s. No. Fli lmoulh, II I Fil lmotllh 1'18hl_ I} I 0 FOl lnlnulh vs. Town Qub. :11 0. 1:.. I01oulh " 29 No. FalnM nh V.I. ~' oods Holt-, :11 Nu. Falmuudl \\7aqu IJ u "S. Gianls. lII l Fllimoulh Heights TOwn Club "s. "" lIquoi l. II I Falmouth HeiShu 1- C Ul. nu VI. No. Falmouth. II I U .0 . :; I GiantS " $. To ....' n Club. II I .S 0 T~n C.lub v ~ . Wood. Hole. lac F:dmouth Hgl). W:aquoil ,'s.. W oods liolt:, 111 FJhnuUlh Ht'ighu " .. 19 Woods J lule \'S. Giants. :u Woods Hnk 1'. Au!:u5l : W aqUO!! "s. No, Fal mouth. al F;lJmouth Hgu S Town Club VI. No. FlllmC: lUl h, II I Fill. Helglu.li rl.. 2 No. l'ulmutHh ,'s. Woods Hole. ;&1 No. F.llmouth Ginnls \·s. Wllquoir, 21 U.s.O, " . Tuv.'11 Club vs. Wllquoit. :It FalmCXllh Heights I 7 No. F:&Lnoulh vs. Gi!U1ts.. al No. F;1hnouth G. 16 G uants "" To ....' n Club. II I US.O. ~ Woods HoJco vs. Town Club. II I 'Ji'oods Hole .r( \X/:&q uoit \IS. W oods Hole... \I F:llmotllh Hc.ights - 11 Gilluf.S ,.:It. \'(/oods Hole. :& 1 f JlmI)l.nh Hei8111s r; . • July No. falmouth "s. Waquoit, al Nil. falmoulh ' : I T gv;n Club VI. Nil, P"lnxx.IIh. III )::d, Heighu I) Woods Hule ,'s, No. f;tlmouth. In Woods H ~ G,nofJ ".I. \'(Illqunil. II I U.s.O. W:&quoit ,'s. To ..... n Club. lit Falmouth HC: I ~lu s NOrth Falmouth vs. G i:ams. ilt No. Ealmout h 19 To ..... n Club vs. Gi;1 nr ~. Itt Flt lrnoluh lit'iglus Wood~ Hole " S, Town Clu b. 11 1 Woods Hole Wood5 Hole VI. \'(i'!!q uoil, 21 Woods Hole 8 G ilUlU vs. Woods Hole. :11 F:IIlmoulh Heighu I 21 No, f almmuh ,'s. Town Club. al No. f almuuth No Fll lmuulh "s. Woquoil. tt l No. f ll imouth ;! I \'Claquoir Vi. Cil,m. II F:&lmnut h I-I d~hts I J Woods Hole ,'s. No. F:t.l moulh. :II Wood Hole 26 Gilll1lS \ No. Falmouth. II U.s.O, W :.quoit vs. Town Oub. at Fl1hnoulh Heights T O'A'n Cub vs. Woods Hole, al F:l 1. Hc: i#ItS 1~ To.·n Club VI, Cunli. al Fillmnulh Hd&h ls 29 Woods Hole V~ . \'(/aqu 'I. :n W oods Hole PLAYOFF GAMI;5 Schedule I() bt I1rrungro later. Twilight League baseball schedule. Clipping courtesy Robert W, Griffin. 5 The Woods Hole Clippers. Kneeling rrom left: Noggic Eldridge. Charlie Vail , Jimmy Giffo rd, Bob MacM illan. and Bob Grir fi n. Smnding: Sam C... hoon Jr., El lie Eldridge. Jack Cavanaugh, Alben Chase, and Eugene Young. Also on lhe Icam were l hure Blomberg. Jim Cavanaugh. Dick A1bcns, Wa rren "Whitey" Windl. Al Graham. Dave Graham , Don Beers and Edd ie Pelerson. Phmo cou nesy Roben W. Griffi n. O rh er baseball playe rs included Thure Blomberg Along wirh his brorher Noggie Eldridge, Elwood of Woods Hole, a ca retaker; Jimmy G iffo rd , Mr. "Elli e" Eldridge grew up in rh e vill age and they we re G riffin's cousin , worked ar WHO!. W hirey W itzell "outstanding athletes," according [ 0 Mr. Griffin. wo rked ar rh e Fisheries and for Sam Cahoon ar his Borh played for the C lippers, Elli e during his sum icehouse. Jack Cavanaugh worked ar MacDougalis mer vacations from Brown University and Noggie boarya rd and Gene Young worked ar Edwards while he worked ar WHO!. Ellie Eldridge could boaryard . AI C hase and Sa m Cahoon Jr. worked ar play any posirion in jusr abour any sporr, Mr. Griffin Sam Cahoon Sr.'s fi sh market. Eddie Pererson, Dick remembered. A srar arhlere in high school, he also Alberts, AI Graham, Dave Graham, Don Beers, and played foorball ar Brown with Joe Parern o, who larer Jim Cava naugh were also on rhe rea m. became Penn State's legendary football coach. 6 In an interview in July 2009, Mr. Eldridge, who protest. The Cape Cod Standard- Times reported that died several months later, talked about playing every at the time the game was ea1led off, the Townies had position on the Clippers baseball team, but claimed, one man on second. twO out and the count was two "We didn't have any superstars." balls and two strikes. "You werd" interjected Mr. Griffin. Foggy, wet conditions were frequent problems. "Some days we had to have someone toss the ball Both men recounted the details of the games and in the air before the game to see ifit could be seen," players as ifit were yesterday, not 50 years ago. "There Mr. Eldridge said. was that pitcher, Ernie Upton, who I couldn't hit. Well, once I did go three for four against him," Mr.