Volume 2, Issue 9 Gary Bedingfield’s May 2008 Contact: Baseball in Wartime [email protected] www.baseballinwartime.com Minor League Baseball to Celebrate WWII Veterans aseball in Wartime’s Baseball in Wartime Newsletter main goal is to has WorldCat Listing preserve the B memories of Thanks to Amy O’Shea at the Wisconsin professional baseball Veterans Museum Research Center, the players who put down their bats Baseball in Wartime Newsletter is now and gloves and served their included on WorldCat, the online catalog of nation in World War II. the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). This means the newsletter is now available to Achieving this is done in a more than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries variety of ways including the around the world. Baseball in Wartime monthly newsletter and an extensive The Baseball in Wartime Newsletter’s website that now contains in OCLC listing is 191870594. excess of 650 biographies. But the quest to gain What was Ted Williams’ recognition for these men doesn’t end there, Art Johnson (1919 to 2008) batting average with and that is why Baseball in Wartime is proud the Minneapolis Millers to announce that it has teamed up with It is with much regret that Baseball in Minor League Baseball to remember those Wartime has to report the passing of former in 1938? who served. Boston Braves’ pitcher Art Johnson. How many games did At every minor league ballpark across the Stan Haney, assistant director at Gale Free Warren Spahn win with United States on Memorial Day, May 26, Library in Holden, MA, interviewed Art on the Hartford Bees in there will be a Public Address announcement behalf of Baseball in Wartime just weeks 1942? that will highlight the number of minor league before his passing. The full biography can be players who served during World War II and seen at: How many home runs those who made the ultimate sacrifice for www.baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/johnson_art.htm their country. did Joe DiMaggio hit Art pitched for the Braves from 1940 to with the San Francisco Please, try and make it to your local minor 1942. He was 7-15 in 43 appearances in Seals in 1935? game on Memorial Day and help to 1941. Serving with the Navy from November remember the 4,000 young men who served 1942 to October 1945, he was a yeoman in What was Early Wynn’s their nation and the 113 who lost their lives the Pacific aboard the light carrier USS ERA with the Springfield in military training and combat. Langley. Nationals in 1941? Baseball in Wartime is grateful to John Cook, With a sore arm and knees damaged during Senior Vice President, Business Operations a kamikaze attack, Johnson had no hope of at Minor League Baseball for making this returning to baseball and ran his own Find out the answers to these goal a reality. insurance agency in Holden. questions and much, much more with the In 1997, he was among many former Braves invited to Fenway Park to commemorate the Atlanta Braves' interleague series with the Professional Baseball Red Sox, the first time the Braves played in Player Database Boston since they defected to Milwaukee in 1953. Every major league and minor league players’ statistics from 1920 to 2004 Available on CD-ROM for your PC Joe Pinder (1912 to 1944) Baseball in Wartime is extremely grateful for all donations Minor League Pitcher from 1935 to 1941. www.baseballinwartime.com/donate.htm www.baseballinwartime.com/database.htm Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Ebbets Field Flannels is the finest manufacturer of vintage historically-inspired athletic clothing. www.ebbets.com Volume 2, Issue 9 Baseball in Wartime Newsletter Page 2 Playing Ball in the Marianas n September 1944, the Central government then in Pacific Area Championship Washington, and he got Series – better known as the every major league player Service World Series - was held in the whole United States Iin Hawaii between the Navy and who was in the Army Air Army. With Bill Dickey at the helm, Corps. In seven days’ time the Navy pulled out all the stops to I had my orders, and I was field the best possible team, going at a base in Utah. There as far as bringing Phil Rizzuto and were 48 of us. We had Dom DiMaggio all the way from Birdie Tebbetts catching, Australia. Billy Hitchcock, Joe Marty, Howard Pollett, Buster Mills, Ferris Fain, Sid Unfortunately, the Army reacted with Hudson, Taft Wright, Stan less haste and the Navy’s strength Rojek, Lew Riggs, Max was obvious when the Army crashed West, Tex Hughson. We to a 5-0 defeat in the first game of stayed there and got the best-of-seven series on shots, and they were September 22 at Furlong Field, Pearl supposed to fly us to Harbor. Honolulu. Instead, they took the football players and flew them over there The Navy went on to win the first six and we went by boat. games of the extended series (it had previously been agreed that all games would be played regardless of “When we got there, it result in order to provide maximum was too late; all the Navy entertainment for the troops) while was gone.” the Army’s reinforcement of players languished on the high seas. “The Navy was beating the hell out of the The Navy had succeeded Army in Honolulu,” recalled Enos in winning nine of eleven Slaughter some years later. “Larry games against the Army MacPhail was working with the and at the beginning of 1945 set off for a tour of forward areas of the Pacific to play exhibition games for the troops. Upon their eventual arrival in Hawaii, the Army Air Force players were assigned to various bases including Hickam Field, Wheeler Field and Bellows Field. But later in the year they embarked on their own tour of Pacific islands. Forty-eight players were divided between three teams representing bombardment wings of the 20th Air Force - the 58th Bombardment Wing Wingmen, led by Tigers’ catcher Birdie Tebbetts and featuring Enos Slaughter, Joe Gordon, Joe Marty, Billy Hitchcock, Howie Pollett and Chubby Dean; the 73rd Bombardment Wing Bombers, managed by Buster Mills of the Cleveland Indians and featuring Stan 58th Wingmen playing the 73rd Bombers on Saipan, August 1945. Joe Marty of the 58th Wingmen is Rojek, Taft Wright, Mike McCormick, at-bat. Charlie Silvera is the catcher and Joe Gordon is on deck (far left). Volume 2, Issue 9 Baseball in Wartime Newsletter Page 3 Playing Ball in the Marianas (continued) miles northwest of the Marianas. the 58th Wingmen, explained to Brent Kelley, author of The Pastime in Turbulence. “The soldiers would The 313th Flyers team was based at pack all on those trucks. It was North Field on Tinian, along with the 12,000 there for that opening. Just 58th Wingmen, who were at West scattered everywhere, all over the Field, while the 73rd Bombers were field. Didn’t have much of a foul line at Isley Field on Saipan. When the because they were sittin’ there in ballplayers arrived they helped foul territory.” engineers in the construction work of ball fields. Buster Mills’ 73rd Bombers beat Birdie Tebbetts’ 58th Wingmen, 4-3, “We have been busy building our in that opening game with a ninth own tents to live in and our own park inning home run from Ferris Fain, to play in,” Tex Hughson of the 73rd and won the round robin series with Bombers told Joe Cronin in a letter a second win against Lew Riggs’ dated July 20, 1945. “The ball park 313th Flyers. is no beauty, but will answer the purpose. Of course, there is no grass and seats for ‘customers’ are made “My club was on Saipan,” recalls Enos Slaughter of the 58th Wingmen signs exclusively of bomb crates, of which Charlie Silvera of his days with the rd baseballs for fans. we have plenty here.” 73 Bombers. “Bomb crates were used as side line markers and also Tex Hughson and Sid Hudson; and as fences. [Joe] Gordon and [Joe] the 313th Bombardment Wing Flyers, Herm Reich, a first baseman with Marty’s club [the 58th Wingmen] had managed by Lew Riggs of the Portland of the Pacific Coast League the most power so we would move Dodgers and featuring Johnny Sturm, before the war, Max West, Walt Judnich and Stan was also with the Goletz. 73rd Bombers and clearly remembers the conditions on “We were sent to Tinian and the islands. “The Saipan,” says Rugger Ardizoia, who places we played pitched for the 313th Flyers. “In order were pretty to boost morale we entertained the primitive, they’d troops while the B-29s were on their throw down a way to bomb Japan, and the soldiers home plate, make morale improved by being able to a pitcher's mound talk to and see some of their favorite and we'd go at it." players.” The three teams Tinian and Saipan are in the Mariana played a round- Islands and American forces invaded robin series of both islands in mid-1944 and games starting at immediately began construction of Tinian on July 27, what came to be the world’s largest 1945. “They’d just airfield for the Boeing B-29 bring in the Army Superfortress bombers of the 20th trucks and jeeps Air Force. The B-29s had previously and so forth and been stationed in mainland China, park ‘em around but supplying them with adequate the outfield grass fuel was a logistic nightmare. The beyond the little Marianas were seized to stage fence they built,” airborne strategic bombing of the Billy Hitchcock, Japanese homeland, about 1,500 third baseman for Joe Gordon of the 58th Wingmen discusses a close call with an umpire on Tinian.