Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 1974)
Heppner, Ore., Gazette - aseball was serious business By GLENN MORRISON During the 1920s the Ameri can public went crazy over all types of sports. It was- hysteria . which carried through the depression and subsided bnly by the second World War. There, were, monv Jicroes 'o praise; Jack Dempsey layin' 'em in the aisles, Babe Ruth rounding the bases, Red Grange sweeping the end, Earl Sande booting home the I, big one. But all the hullabaloo wasn't reserved for national sports heroes. Local ones emerged from high school sports and participated in town and community leagues, which were supported by local citi zens. Morrow County was no exception. The funtime in formal community league which had been playing Sun day baseball suddenly emerged as a no-nonsense top-notch baseball competi tion. Some of the players turned professional. "Ring ers" were recruited for the county. It's hard to pinpoint the first year that formal baseball games were being played between communities in Morrow County, but there is evidence that the community games were being played before the turn of the century. .. W.S. Shiach in a book, Histor of Umatilla and Mor row Counties, printed in 1902, tells in flowery terms of the Morrow County young men and their athletic prowess. To back up his prose, Shiach notes that a community base ball team from Heppner tied for first place with Athena in a baseball tournament held in 1901 at Pendleton. Dutch Rietmann, a top baseballer of the 1920s for the lone town team, says he remembers seeing his first baseball game at lone in 1902 when the lone town team played a team from the Willamette Valley. A picture piiiiiiimiiunnnmiMii Elma's invites you to save money these two days by stocking up on: Women's cotton dresses, young men's slacks, boys' shirts, odds and ends of children's clothing, knit top blouses ALL Women's slacks With Mctching Top 13 OFF Elma's Apparel Shop hniimmiiiuimnimiHwiutiauiiMiiMMMiMiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiitiMiiiiiiiiiiitiimiiiwiiii CAL'S CAFE AND LOUNGE will be closed all day, Sunday, July 14 2nd ANNUAL PICNIC ANSON WRIGHT PARK Free food and beverages for young and old. Free ice cream for the kids. Games races horseshoes Fun for everyone. (If you plan to attend bring either a salad or dessert) THE FUN STARTS WHEN YOU GET THERE Times, Thursday, July taken in Arlington shows that lone did indeed have a team, and members were outfitted in matching uniforms. Newspaper coverage of the game prior to the 1920s was inconsistent, but writeup of the games occasionally found a front page berth. An exciting account of a game between Fairview and the Heppner town team ap peared in the Heppner Herald of May 7, 1915. The long worded and somewhat humorous account praised Heppner's "Husky" Knight for some fancy and apparently controversial ballplay. The article notes "it appears that Heppner has a first class team and will soon be in shape to issue some challenges to outside teams. lone has been angling for a series but it seems the players have not been sufficiently organized to go ahead in the .matter." Lineups for the 1915 game were: Heppner, Hayes, Hiatt, Jaynes, Raymond, Wilson, Knight, Elliott, A. Crawford and Henry Peterson; and Fairview, Griffin, Peterson, Griffin, Smith, Ball, Nelson, Bergstrom, Bates and Mc Elligott. But the 20s put an end to these informal tilts. The Morrow-Gilliam County League was formed and games began to be played in earnest. Another lone player of the 20s, Ed Bristow, remembers that game wages were being earned then for the pitchers and catchers. Ed claims pitchers, which were usually brought in from out side the county, were paid up to $35 a game. Catchers, which Ed was, received as much as $10. As the seriousness of the games increased towns went to great lengths to obtain good pitchers from outside the area. Rietmann remembers these "pros" being guaran teed good jobs in the harvest, and says often college boys were brought to the area to play ball while receiving top (MrtMiraumwniniimmmi All employees, guests and friends are invited 11, 1974 wages finance school. in the harvest their next year The April 22, 1926 edition of the Gazette-Times has an item that Fred Roberts had been signed to play for the Heppner team, and in another item on a different page it says that Fred would be working as an electrician for the City of Heppner. But this is probably just a coincidence! Also in the same issue is an ad for a boxing smoker to be held, where Fred Roberts would be heading the card. The Heppner Herald of April 28, 1922, tells that "Zip" Moeller from Oregon City would be playing for lone. It was noted that Moeller had played for other community teams in Morrow County. Baseball was taken seri ously in the county. Crowds of 500 people were not unusual for the big 4th of July games held each year to mark the end of the season. The competition usually began around the first of May, and the July 4th end was the result of the wheaharvest which traditionally starts the next day in the county. The teams of the league changed from year to year, but during the 1920s there were teams from Condon, Arlington, lone, Heppner, Hardman, Irrigon and Lex ington. For a couple of the years the Heppner squad played in the Blue Mountain League which included the above teams and groups from Cayuse, Mission, Pendleton, LaGrande, Helix, Fairview, Echo and Hermiston. Exhibition teams also came to reap the money being spent for baseball in the county. The famous House of David team played in the area as did the Slickapoo Indians of Culdesac, Wis., "the finest Indian team in the World," according to local news accounts. But the high style of play for the town teams soon ceased as the depression hit and monies previously spent on baseball were needed to stabilize the town's economy. The teams did continue, but the hiring of pitchers and public interest in the teams dropped consid erably. By 1933 the league had been changed to the Wheat land League.and games in Heppner were moved from the old Gentry field to the rodeo field at the fairgrounds. This league consisted of teams from Arlington, Fossil, Bla lock, Heppner, lone and Con don. By 1934 Umatilla re placed Blalock, but the rosters ByR&L It's Golden Tee time at the Tee Cup. Lowell Gribble and Marie McQuarrie each shot a hole-in-one on number 4 last week. Lowell sank his shot from the red markers on July 4. What a way to celebrate! Marie drove her single shot from the white markers last ladies' day. Congratulations to both. The Fourth of July Flag Tournament was a big suc cess, we hear. Dave Harrison and Monica Jones were first place winners in the men's and women's divisions, with Ron Jones taking second for men. Dave Gunderson and Vi Lanham had the long drives of the tourney; C.C. Carmichael show that more local high school boys were now in volved, and the players changed from week to week. The teams continued to play until the Japanese and Ger mans diverted their attention. For a brief period before the war a local "twilight" league was formed among the lodges and clubs as well as the local C.C.C. group at the fair grounds. These games brought the tone of the games 'back down to recreational standards. After the war a town team headed by LaVerne Van Marter had set up for a few years. LaVerne's father, "Red" Van Marter, had been manager of the team in the barnstorming days of the 20s and LaVerne remembers growing up around the town ball team. The post-war team soon died out as the previously unemployed veterans began to move on to jobs, and ball playing young men began to find less time for the diamond. The advent of television to the county helped with the decline of the town baseball team no doubt, as Ted Williams or Joe Dimaggio could be viewed as easily as Guy Cason or Gar Swanson were in the 20s. And so the town teams died out, leaving nothing but memories, some faded uni forms, a few pictures, and maybe a scar or two on an ageing leg. Ed Bristow remembers that although the country was under prohibition, and still owners in the county were being harassed by the local Ku Klux Klan, liquor was still always available for ball players after the games. Ed also claims that large sums of money were bet on the outcomes of the contests, which meant a losing team could be a financial drain on the community. Teams were financed by local subscribers and various fund-raising functions. Gate receipts were often large enough to insure good equip ment and uniforms for the team. A notable example of the seriousness of the game happened in 1922 in a game between lone and Heppner. The Heppner Herald of April 22 covered the incident like this: "At the end of the seventh, Pitcher Moeller covered home plate to flag Dutch Rietmann who was coming like a cyclone from Over The Tee Cq and Bev Gunderson won KP honors. All present helped Lowell Gribble celebrate his aforementioned feat in the great tradition of golfers, adding another festive note to an enjoyable afternoon. Gary Hunt was the big winner for Sunday play, capturing both low gross and KP on the second shot on 8. Dave Harrison shot the low net score. Fran Doherty put together the least putts; Harry McCauley had the long drive. La Verne Van Marter took KP honors on number 9. Marie McQuarrie was, of course, the woman of the hour last ladies' day. Unshaken by her "unusual" shot on 4, she completed her round with enough skill to win low net. Bev Gunderson posted the low gross score; and a new anonymous has appeared to earn a ball for the most putts. Quite a Tuesday! Another barbecue is slated for Saturday, July 13. A to I are the dessert group; J to Z will be the salad people this time. Tee-off time is 5 p.m. with barbecue to follow. Plan to attend the next Willow Creek celebrity might be you. ROYAL ARCH MASONS MEET AT CUTSFORTH The mountain meeting of the Royal Arch Masons, Chapter 26, Heppner Lodge, was held recently at Cutsforth Park. Masons from this area and from as far away as Washing ton attended the all-day meet ing. A luncheon of hotcakes, eggs, and sausage was served to 70 persons attending the meeting. The outdoor conferral cere mony was performed by Pendleton Chapter 23, and the meeting ended with a steak dinner in the evening. third, and while he got his man and ended the inning, he also got Dutch's spikes in his leg leaving a gaping wound 7 inches long." The Herald went on to say, "Dutch has had similiar 'accidents' in the past and while nobody believes he does it intentionally it would be mighty comforting to base runner on competing teams if he played the rest of the season in his stocking feet." When Dutch was recently interviewed a twinkle came into his eye at the mention of the incident of 52 years ago. He remembers the incident well, and still has a type written reminder of the play which he received the day Hi ' I ir tM;;l!.!.v:. . -J. Higher interest on your savings First Federal Savings & Loan now offers the following rates on Open Pass book Savings: S We also offer the following certificates of deposit: Minimum of $1,000, 90 days 5 Minimum of $1,000, 1 year Minimum of $5,000, 2 years &2 Minimum of $5,000, 2V2 years 6 Minimum of $5,000, 4 years 7l2 First Federal Savings HOME OFFICE 1 W S.W. Court, Pndlton AND LOAN ASSOCIATION BRANCH OFFICE BRANCH OFFICE . LENDER 1J in Roaring 20s after the game in the mail. The note read: "Dutch Riet mann: You are a dirty German murderer at heart, you are just the same as your relatives in Germany, who cut off babies arms and legs and committed outrages on soldiers in the war, you are not fit nor decentenough to play American games, you dirty butcher, that intentional spiking of the other teams best player is your old brute trick. But see here, Dutch, we are prepared for you at Sunday a week, and the very first man you cripple, a gang of white men will sure send you to Hell where you belong, (signed) One who saw you at lone, last A substantial interest penalty is required for early withdrawal on certificates of deposit. 108 N.I. 2nd. HrmUtofi .6101. Broadway. Mllton-Froawatar week." Other incidents like this suggests the game of baseball in Morrow County was played for blood as well as fun. There is no doubt that the quality of play was excellent. In the middle 20s lone had a pitcher named Curt Davis, who starred for them several years. Davis went on the next year after his last lone game to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had champion ship teams through the rest of the decade. Other imported players well-remembered by those who witnessed Morrow County-Gilliam County t. .-X'm Hvy Ione's first baseball team: 1. Forest Puyear; 2. Ralph Hymer; 3. Levi Hills; 4. John Clark; 5. John Ingram; 6. Ed Keller; 7. Hugh Currin; 8. Charles O'NeilJ; 9. Walt Puyear; 10. Frank Engleman. This photo was taken in 1902, from the Morrow County Museum collection. Page 3 League games include "Cupie" Clough, Toots Mon tague, Fred Roberts, Roche Palmer and Rube Evans. Evans had played for the Cleveland Indians before coming down to play for Hardman. The heavy betting on the games made the umpires unpopular fellows. The Heppner Herald of April 22, 1923 complained, "Strikes and balls all look alike to (umpire) Blake and a little matter of ten or fifteen feet in deciding whether a runner is safe or out or whether the ball passed over the plate didn't disturb his young life a-tall." 771 "Y-Tr"-, r
