Spartanburg American Legion Post 28

2014 Program

1933 – 2014

“For God and Country” 2014 Spartanburg Team Schedule

Senior Team

May 20 _ Gaffney @ Spartanburg_ Jun 17 _ Spartanburg @ Inman _ May 21 _ Inman @ Spartanburg _ Jun 18 _ Spartanburg @ Gaffney _ May 22 _ Union @ Spartanburg _ Jun 19 _ Spartanburg @ Union _ May 28 _ 7:30pm Sptbg@Gaffney _ Jun 23 _ Spartanburg @ Greer _ May 30 _ Spartanburg @ Greer _ Jun 24 _ Gaffney @ Spartanburg _ Jun 10 _ Greer @ Spartanburg _ Jun 25 _ Spartanburg @ Union _ Jun 12 _ 6 pm Sptbg@Travel Rest_ Jun 26 _ Inman @ Spartanburg _ Jun 14 _ 6 pm Travel Rest@Sptbg _ Jul 2 _ Spartanburg @ Inman _ Jun 16 _ Union @ Spartanburg _ Jul 3 _ Greer @ Spartanburg _ 2014 South Carolina State Tournaments Sumter American Legion Post 15 July 26-30th – Riley Park, Sumter, South Carolina

Junior Team

May 21 _ Spartanburg @ Greer _ Jun 12 _ Union @ Spartanburg _ May 22 _ Spartanburg @ Union _ Jun 13 _ Greer @ Spartanburg _ May 28 _ 5:30pm Sptbg@Gaffney_ Jun 18 _ Spartanburg @ Union _ May 29 _ Union @ Spartanburg _ Jun 19 _ Spartanburg @ Inman _ Jun 4 _ Spartanburg @ Greer _ Jun 23 _ Spartanburg @ Gaffney _ Jun 5 _ Spartanburg @ Inman _ Jun 25 _ Gaffney @Spartanburg _ Jun 9 _ Inman @ Spartanburg _ Jul 1 _ Inman @ Spartanburg _ Jun 11 _ Gaffney @Spartanburg_ Jul 2 _ Greer @ Spartanburg_

2014 Junior South Carolina State Tournaments Florence American Legion Post 1 July 19-23rd – Florence High School, Florence, South Carolina

Games start 7 pm unless noted otherwise. Playoffs for both Senior and Junior Teams begin July 7th Schedule Updates: http://www.legion.org/baseball/schedule?state=sc

Home Team Fields Union – Timken Sports Complex Inman – Jim Everhart Field Spartanburg – Duncan Park Stadium Greer – Stevens Field Gaffney – Jerry ‘Jug’ Wallace Field

Program produced by John J. Barron, Post 28 Athletic Director American Legion Post 28

Commander Jim Harbison “For God and Country”

It is with great pleasure I have the opportunity to pen about "Beautiful" Duncan Park and Spartanburg American Legion Post 28 Baseball. Since its opening, July 8, 1926, Historical Duncan Park has hosted many enthusiastic seasons of competitive baseball for Spartanburg County. Duncan Park is one of the oldest wooden grandstand baseball stadiums in the region, and one of the oldest remaining in America. Duncan Park has served as a center of culture and recreation in Spartanburg for 88 years, and is a rare gem that Spartanburg should be proud to have. I am most grateful to Spartanburg City Council, Spartanburg District #7 and Friends of Duncan Park for the incredible restoration. We can now call Duncan Park "Beautiful" once again. Duncan Park has been the home of Spartanburg American Legion Post 28 Baseball team for more than 81 years and it has been one of the top programs in the state. Post 28 and Duncan Park are the home of numerous state championship teams and has hosted the state tournament at more than15 times. Spartanburg American Legion Post 28 has a war chest of 8 State Championships wins and a National Championship! As our 2014 American Legion Post 28 Baseball team takes the field this season, remember, the WINNING Spirit of 81 years of Post 28 baseball players will be hoping for another State or National Championship. American Legion Post 28 implores our 2014 team to play with pride and dignity, always promoting good sportsmanship in the games.

Auxiliary Unit 28 President

Yay...... Baseball season is here! Duncan Park has had a face lift. The Veterans have been hard at work for the new season. Now everyone lets fill the stands with our orange and black team colors to represent Spartanburg Post 28 baseball team.

Thanks for all your support

Diane Norris President Unit 28 Spartanburg American Legion Post 28

Commander Jim Harbison 1st Vice Commander Avery Taylor 2nd Vice Commander Carroll Owings Chaplin Alfred (Joe) Belville Adjutant Leah White Sergeant-At-Arms Jimmy Bailey Service Officer Ted Hemenway Athletic Director John J. Barron Finance Officer John Rungo Historian/Museum Curator Ed Y. Hall Judge Advocate Dwight Patterson Honor Guard Commander Ken Barton

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 28

President Diane Norris Vice President Sarah White Historian Jo Barron Chaplain Elizabeth Pearson Recording Secretary Liz White Treasurer Carolyn Harbison Girls State Chair Geneva Padgett Public Relations Chair Shirley Putnam Veterans’ Affairs Chair Geneva Padgett

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 was being paid $30.000 a year; the very least I could do was hit .400.” - Ted Williams

The Golden Age of Baseball (1950-1964)

The Golden Age of Baseball set the stage for the game as we now know it today. The invention of television spread the game to a larger audience than ever before by bringing it into the American home. The average home runs, hits per team, per year in this era: 133.45. Baseball’s greatest hitters of the 1950’s; Stan ‘The Man’ Musial, Ted Williams and Yogi Berra’s lives played out on sports pages of every newspaper in the country. All of them now enshrined in Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame and one other thing they all had in common, all are American Legion Baseball alumni. In Spartanburg the Peaches Minor League Class B ball club and the American Legion Post 28 Baseball Team were the teams drawing crowds to Duncan Park Stadium. In early 1950, Spartanburg Post 28 was starting its 17th year of baseball.

Coach W. P. ‘Sarge’ Hughes was drilling 100 boys who turned out for practice in the windy, cold weather to compete for a place on the legendary Coaches Legion Team. That year the team would see action in the Mid-County League which would take the team around the state and to North Carolina as far as Hickory to play. The most memorable game of the season was the trip to Columbia, SC to play the Epworth Orphanage at the Veterans Hospital. Though it ended in a 6-4 loss for the Spartans, the experience of the juniors playing for those veterans and being the guests of the Columbia Reds that night showed that there is more to the game of baseball than just winning the games. Baseball builds character by taking a young man and placing him with a group of ball players of the same skill level and makes them realize that a team is the strongest when everyone pulls together and works hard. That year in the final American Legion regular season game, the Spartan Juniors lost out to Cowpens 1-0, and took second place in District 9.

That year turned out to be the Sarge’s last coaching the Spartan Juniors. He died March 6, 1951 at Fort Jackson Hospital in Columbia, SC after a long illness. His obituary read that he formed the Spartan Juniors in 1933, and was the at the time of his death. Well know in baseball circles for coaching the team to the Legion World Championship in 1936 and to the finals in 1938. His Army career began in 1913 and spanned two World Wars until he retired in 1944. He was a past Commander of American Legion Post 28 and an active member of Southside Baptist Church. Coach Sarge – as you look down on the team you built; you can be very proud of your legacy.

By early May 1951 Coach Roy Brannon picked up the ball for the Spartan Juniors. He formed a team of hitters which racked up wide spread scores against its opponents, ending the season with 132 total runs scored and 83 runs given up. The lowest score game was in the final League 9 game, the Spartans nosed out Woodruff 1-0 after 12 thrilling innings. When League 8’s Cowpens battled the Spartans for the district, the Spartans received a taste of their own medicine. In the best 2 of 3 games Cowpens wins game one 13-3 and the second 7-2 capturing the District Crown and moving on to be the State Champions. In January 1952 the U.S. Marines announce to recall Red Sox Ted Williams to fly combat missions in the Korean War. On April 30, Williams says his second farewell to in 10 years with a game-winning two homer. Williams returned to the Red Sox nearing the end of the 1953 season. The 1952 Spartan bats were almost silent. The season ended with the team only scoring 32 runs and giving up 2 for everyone scored. The 1953 season saw Cowpens, Gaffney, Buffalo and Greer open the season in June without the Spartan Juniors taking the field. It’s unclear why Spartanburg, for the first time since establishing Legion ball here in 1933, did not field a team.

Not to let another baseball season go by with the Spartan Juniors absence from Duncan Park, Ty Wood, the 1930’s team and Captain enters the fray to be the Spartan Coach and restore his beloved team to its former glory. The first home game June 10, 1954 opened with much fan fair, a motorcade left City Hall to proceed to Duncan Park for the pre-game ceremonies and game start at 8 pm. On hand for the big event: the usual fans, candidates for the Miss Universe title along with numerous city and county officials. Mayor Neville Holcombe threw out the first pitch and Rep. Robert T. Ashmore received it. The Spartan Juniors shaded Buffalo in 11 innings, 10-9. Gene Elsner was the leading hitter with four in five attempts and Bobby O’Quinn the winning . The season was off to a flying start, the Spartan Juniors won League 7 (6-1), eliminated Rock Hill (3- 2) in first round playoffs and Greer (3-1) in second, but were unable to defeat Greenwood (3-1) in the Upper State contest. What a year that must have been.

In the next three years the Spartans attempts for a winning season were dashed at the onset. Coach Ty Wood saw fewer boys turn out for positions on the team. The 1955 season ended with a 4-7 losing record and even worst in 1956 with a 3-8 record. In 1957, for the first time in 27 years Duncan Park was not available for the Spartan games, not only did the team not have an advantage of a home field to rally in, it placed a financial hardship on the team as they were unable to sell tickets to the games and raise funds to support the team. Despite all the hardships, six boys were back from the previous year, Wood had all the confidence in his team’s pitching, hitting and fielding. Post 28 Legionnaire

Curtis Sprouse, the 1956 batboy on the team remembers his brother the Co- Captain of the team, and he also remembers the team not being that good. That season also ended with a dismal 4-8 losing record. Coach Ty Wood started on the team as the batboy, rose to become the team captain, went on to play in the Textile League, for the Peaches and finished his baseball career as the Spartan Coach. He knew what it took to win and how it felt; he kept his pride under in victory and always a stout heart in defeat. More importantly he knew how to step forward and to be part of something bigger than himself. He was a man worthy of any baseball player to emulate.

Paul Edwards the 1957 Greer Juniors Coach (27-6 record), Greer took state regional and sectional titles that year and third place in the National Little , agreed to take charge of the 1958 Spartan Juniors being vacated by Ernie White. White, a former major league pitcher and minor league skipper had been drilling the Spartans in preparations for exhibitions games leading up to the season June 9 when an opportunity to become the of Midland, Texas, in the Class D Sophomore League faced him. White parted days before the Juniors opening season game wishing the new coach the best of luck. That year Stan Musial reached his 3000th hit and placed him among the all time greats: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Paul Waner and Adrian Anson. The Spartans after several years of ending up at the bottom of League 7 were winning games again. Nearing the end of the season both Greer and Spartanburg were sporting 10-4 records with only a few games left to play. On July 14, Spartanburg’s hopes of winning the League were broken by Woodruff in a well played contest when pitching duel between Spartan Bob Kimbrell and Woodruff Sam Page ended in the last two innings. Spartans took 3-0 lead in top of 8th, Woodruff scored 2 in the bottom, then Woodruff’s Page scored the tying run in the ninth, with Mike Hance with a full count, Kimbrell threw over Butch Bennett’s head, Reggie Christopher stole home scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give Woodruff a 4-3 victory over Spartanburg. Greer won League 7, 12-4 record.

The 1959 Spartan Juniors under Coach James ‘Peewee’ Lambert ended the season with a 7-7 record. All the teams in League 7 were pretty much equal in standing; however Greer with its strong pitching prevailed to win the League 7 title. As the decade was ending, the Sarge Hughes Memorial League named after the great Legion Junior Baseball coach started for boys ages 13-15. Ted Williams the “Splendid Splinter” won two titles, led the American League in slugging percentage twice, and also led the league in walks twice. Sporting News named him the “Player of the Decade.” As for Yogi Berra, he was the MVP for 1951,’54 and ’55 and one of the greatest hitter in the 50’s and early 60’s. What a decade it must have been for American Legion Baseball. Who would have known that the Golden Age of Baseball would end in 4 years?

Spartanburg Herald-Journal newspaper articles edited by John J. Barron, Post 28 Athletic Director

“When you’re a kid, what fun the game is! You grab a bat and glove and ball that’s it. I know what Ted Williams and Stan Musial meant when they said it got tougher to get in shape every year.” – Eddie Mathews, only Brave to play in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta

Spartanburg American Legion Post 28

2014 Junior Baseball Team

Sitting L–R: 26-Zach Greene, 42-Zach Warren, 33-Cameron Nugent, 37-AB Bullington, 36- Zach Lea, 34-AJ Ruff, 40-Jake Futrell, 40-Cory Barry. Standing L-R: Athletic Director John J. Barron, 27-Dawson Hoffman, 2-Brock Johnson, 17-Brandon Seay, 23-Russell Parry, 21-JP Pruitt, 32-Jared Hull, 46-Head Coach Blake Burress. Back Row L-R: 43-Cody Horton, 35- Will Watson, 39-Campbell Jolley, 41-Jon Bolin. 45-Coach Harper Grier (not pictured).

2014 Senior Baseball Team

Sitting L-R: 13-Chase Harper, 5-Josh Smith, 12-Matt Overton, 4-Grayland Fowler, 9-Ike Thalassinos, 6-Blake Transiskus. Standing L-R: Athletic Director John Barron, 20-Coach Craig Burnette, 25-Cameron Hall, 14-Ian Kimbrell, 15-Michael Fazzone, 7-Zack Pender, 22- Warren Bond, 10-Drew Prince, 8-Coach Kyle Keppeard, 29-Head Coach Barry Keith. 28-Luke Graves and 19-Wes Hallberg (not pictured).

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

Think!

How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time? — Yogi Berra

Spartanburg American Legion Post 28 Home Duncan Park, Spartanburg

Kimberly Hampton Honor Day

“On an All-Star team, I vote for players of one kind -- those I enjoy watching the most when the ball is hit or pitched in their direction.” - Stan ‘The Man’ Musial

“There's no crying in baseball!”

— Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own

“The Hall of Fame is for baseball people. Heaven is for good people. “ — Jim Dwyer

Baseball Season Donations from:

Frank and Dorothy Beer Todd and Cheri Metts

Jesse and Jeannie Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Earl Steadman Charles L. Dickson Jayne Gibbs

Lew and Carolyn Ballenger Elise Sophia Persson Ray and Diane Norris Jim and Betty Harbison Tony and Kathy Messel Robert and Carolyn Harbison Ed and Cathy Hall Jack Cothran Joe and Sharon Belville Maxie Deaton John and Jo Barron John E. Vernon Paul P. Barron Lenoard Zawacki Geneva Padgett Ben W. Crouch John J. Barron Johnny W. Casey Sven Alexander Persson Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Owings

Boston Red Sox Ted Williams Major League Totals BA G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI…SB .344 2,292 7,706 1,798 2,654 525 71 521 1,839 24

The Baseball Built 1960’s Restored 2013

Back in the day, this replica Baseball for many years was a familiar sight in Spartanburg. It informed the town’s people of scheduled Spartanburg Phillies baseball games in Duncan Park Stadium. Many people will remember this fine piece of Americana and have fond memories of seeing it at the corner of Pine and Main Streets. When the Phillies left town after the 1994 season, this baseball was given to the Spartanburg American Legion Post 28 Baseball Team. For many years it has been kept out of sight due to its deteriorating condition, until two local area businessmen and military veterans: Rick Conner - McElrath Trailers and Sherman Swofford - Skyvision Signs, teamed together to restore “The Baseball” for the town.