( Line Drives Volume 18 No. 3 Official Publication of the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association September 2016 •Formerly the Fort Wayne Oldtimer's Baseball Association* the highlight of his illustrious career at that point in John "Red" Braden time but what he could not know was that there was Legendary Fort Wayne Semi- still more to come. 1951 saw the Midwestern United Life Insurance Pro Baseball Manager Co. take over the sponsorship of the team (Lifers). In He Won 5 National and 2 World Titles 1952 it was North American Van Lines who stepped By Don Graham up to the plate as the teams (Vans) sponsor and con­ While setting up my 1940s and 50s Fort Wayne tinued in Semi-Pro Baseball and Fort Wayne Daisies displays that role at the downtown Allen County Public Library back for three in early August (August thru September) I soon years in realized that my search for an LD article for this all, 1952, edition was all but over. And that it was right there '53 and in front of me. So here 'tis! '54. Bra- A native of Rock Creek Township in Wells Coun­ dens ball ty where he attended Rock Creek High School and clubs eas­ participated in both baseball and basketball, John ily made "Red" Braden graduated and soon thereafter was it to the hired by the General Electric Co. Unbeknownst to national him of course was that this would become the first tourna­ step in a long and storied career of fame, fortune and ment in notoriety, not as a G.E. employee, but as an all-time Wichita great semi-pro baseball manager. all three During the 1930s and early 40s Braden pitched for years and G.E. in the summit city's industrial league. In 1944, finished the G.E. Club (men's club on Swinney Avenue) de­ John "Red" Braden (1950) fourth in cided to sponsor a semi-pro team (named the Volt­ two of those years under the Vans banner. men by the Fort's Baseball Historian Bob Parker) In 1955 Fort Wayne's Allen Dairy jumped on the and named Braden the club's manager. Their home sponsorship bandwagon also for a three year stint as games were played at Dwenger Park. it turned out. Unfortunately, those three years would Braden fielded some very competitive teams dur­ be the last for these "Boys of Summer" as the team ing those early years (1944-45-46) but 1947 would would disband for good following the 1957 baseball prove to be the year that would launch him toward season. But wait, the redhead wasn't quite done with managerial greatness. his mastery just yet. The redhead managed his G.E. Club teams to Na­ In 1956, his "Allen Dairymen" or "Dairymen" won tional Baseball Congress titles in Wichita, Kansas yet another NBC title in Wichita, Kansas, their fifth, three straight times (1947-48-49) and again in 1950 followed by a second Semi-Pro World title (Global for a fourth straight title under the sponsorship of the World Series) at Milwaukee County Stadium in Mil­ ( Capehart-Farnsworth Co. It was then on to Tokyo, waukee, Wisconsin. His Dairymen prevailed over a Japan where the "Capes" or "Capeharts" won their field of teams representing seven other world nations first of two Semi-Pro World Titles by defeating a including the following: Japan; Puerto Rico; Hawaii; strong Japanese ball club four games to one. It was (Continued on back page) March 10 NEIBA Officers The White Stockings, of Chicago, start on a South­ President Larry Windmiller ern trip on the 17th inst. They have leased the lake VP Marketing Bill Derbyshire front grounds over which there was considerable dis­ VP Hall of Fame Joe Moorhouse cussion at one time. I VP Museum Joe Moorhouse The first game of the season for the championship oi Secretary Don Graham the Pacific Coast, was played on the 2d inst., between Treasurer Kaye Windmiller the Eagles and the Atlantics, both of San Francisco, and resulted in favor of the latter club by a score of HOF Committee 42-24. Larry Windmiller Bill Derbyshire The Kekiongas, as at present organized, will be ear­ Joe Moorhouse Don Graham ly on the field, and confident of their ability to make a Kaye Windmiller Brett Windmiller good record the coming season. Dick Crumback Gary Rogers Steve Warden alt. Marge Graham Line Drives News Publication Daisies Data Editor Don Graham Columnist Chad Gramling 1951 TEAM FIELDING Guest Columnist Fred Bielefeld American Girls League Guest Columnist Bill Griggs Association Office 6 | DP TP |PB PO A E Pet. South Bend ._ III |54 0 | 15 2848 1371 202 954 P.O. Box 12733 Fort Wayne, IN 46864 (260) 672-2585 [email protected] Grand Rapids 107 |*7 0 | 6 2746 1200 208 950 www .neibaseball.org Kenosha 106 57 1 30 2632 1235 204 950 Rockford 107 |9I 2 14 2718 1301 235 945 Peoria ._ 106 | 72 0 12 2708 1275 238 944 Dateline March 3, 9, 10, 1871 1 Fort Wayne . - 104 59 0 12 2667 1228 239 94| The Fort Wayne Daily Sentinel Kalamazoo 110 I 70 0 17 2771 1253 295 932 Baffle Creek . 10° | 52 1 | II 2727 1340 337 923 Base Ball Editors Note: The above is from a 1952 Official Fort Wayne Daisies Program/Scorebook - 10e\ March 3 The Kekionga Base Ball Club is fully organized for th the coming season. Our citizens have subscribed liber­ 19 Century Baseball Firsts ally toward sustaining a first-class nine and have ev­ (Continued from June issue of Line Drives) ery confidence that the coming season will be a series September 23.1890: The St. Louis Browns' Ed of victorious contests. Cartwright became the first player to hit a grand The following professionals will be placed in the slam and three-run homer in the same inning off the field: Robt. Matthews, pitcher; Wm. Lennon, catcher; Jas. E. Doyle, first base; Frank Lillian, second base; same pitcher (Ed Green of the Philadelphia A's). Ed. Foran, third base; Dick Flowers, short-stop; Ed. April 17,1892: The first Sunday game is played: Mincher, left-fielder; Thos. Carey, center-fielder; Cincinnati 5 versus St. Louis 1. Wm. Kelley, right-fielder. Mav 14.1892: Tom Daly, playing for Brooklyn, be­ comes the first pinch hitter in major league history to March 9 Base Ball - Messrs. Kelly, Matthews, Carey, Mun- get a hit - he hit a home run. cher, Selmen, Doyle, Flowers and Foran have been en­ June 6,1892: Benjamin Harrison is the first presi­ gaged by the Kekionga Base Ball Club of this city for the coming season. Selman and Muncher are from dent to attend a game. Baltimore; Flowers, Foran of the Haymakers, Troy, 1893: First rule moving the pitchers mound to 60 < N.Y.; Doyle from the Forest City, Rockford, 111. The feet 6 inches appears. season commences the first of April. (To be continues) cords, including tuna (758 lbs.), sailfish (135 lbs.), A Pearl on the Diamond, Zane Grey yellowtail (111 lbs.), tiger shark (1,036 lbs.), dolphin and his Fort Wayne Ties (63 lbs.), and striped marlin (1,040 lbs.). By Chad Gramling A dedicated conservationist, President Teddy Roo­ ( sevelt, appointed Grey to be Yellowstone National In 1895, Romer Carl "Reddy" Grey broke into Park's first game warden in 1904 when he chose the baseball with the Findlay club of the Inter-State Lea­ Park as the place to preserve the dwindling buffalo gue. He hit .343, stole 19 bases, and led the league in population. runs scored, hits, and home runs. On June 15 of that Grey's one room cabin on Rogue River in Oregon year, he hit a grand slam that drove in Pearl Zane, an was recently added to the National Register of His­ outfielder making his professional debut. toric Places. It has been acquired by the Haas family, Reddy played a handful of years in the minors and of Levi Strauss the company, after Grey's 1939 pas­ independent leagues, appearing in one Major League sing due to heart failure. The U.S. Bureau of Land game with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903. In that Management bought the cabin in 2008 to help pre­ game, which he played while on loan from the Wor- serve it and the remains of a wooden boat that's be­ chester Riddlers, he had a hit and a walk in four lieved to be one of the vessels from Grey's first jour­ plate appearances. ney down the river in 1925. Pearl, on the other hand, played in 21 games that It's often claimed that Zane Grey played for a Fort year, batting a respectable .295. He played a few Wayne team while more years while also running a modest but neglec­ pursuing his base­ ted dental practice. He never gained much success in ball ambitions. I've either field, and instead went on to become a highly personally found no acclaimed writer, movie producer, accomplished verifiable record of angler, and conservationist. him having ever The outfielder who Reddy drove in that day, Pearl played on a Fort Zane, was really Zane Grey, who was playing under Wayne team. Al­ a fictitious name to protect his college and scholar­ though, he likely ship eligibility at the University of Pennsylvania. did play in Fort When the Inter-State League folded in July of that Wayne as a visiting year, Reddy and Zane joined many Findlay players club member, with to finish the season with Jackson of the Michigan the Delphos team in State League.