Correction leads to interesting biography

Someone anonymously corrected information at this blog about the Milwaukee Brewers/Braves and when I checked it out I came across a very detailed biography of Nelson Potter, Sr. with a number of quotes and anecdotes from our classmate Nelson "Tom" Potter. You'll enjoy reading this. If you grew up in MM, you remember all the Potters.

The town Commercial League baseball

If you lived in a small town 50 years ago, you probably either followed or played or sponsored a sports team.  These fine young athletes were sponsored by Dewey's Gulf Service, and they took second place in the Commercial League during the first half of play.  The competition were teams from the Moose, VFW, and Corbett Oil.  Members of the "Gashouse Gang" are (kneeling left to right) Jim Watt, Bill Lundholm, Harold Hanke and Orion Brunk.  Standing left to right are classmate Dave Bartow, Stan Messer, Bob Hanke, Bob Bartow, Dick Duffy, Don Morehouse and Bob Rawes, as identified in the July 21, 1955 Mt. Morris Index.

Bill L., Murray T., and Dave S. all played on these teams and have supplied me with some additional information not in the above article. Bill reports that in the mid-50s it was a strong league with Lou Behrens in charge.  You had to be in high school to play, but he remembers that Dick Highbarger played while still in elementary school because he was such a good hitter. There were also college age men on the teams.  Murray says the teams were built around the pitchers (he was a pitcher). Dave's recollection includes the teams for the younger players too.  He says, "The leagues were pretty much run by Lou Behrens. Depending on age, sign-ups were at the gym or at school. The Playground League, ages Jr High through Sophomore were: Police, Townview Dairy, Ogle Cafe and Zickuhr's. Commercial league was for anyone Junior through adults: Corbett-Coffman, VFW, Moose and Dewey's.

How team captains were selected, I don't know. However, Lou would get them together and each captain would select a player off the list of those signed up until all were selected. As teams were only as good as their pitcher, the first selected were guys like Darrell Cory and Bill Lundholm."

Thanks to all who contributed to this article!

Neighborhood sporting events

Mike contributes this memory of the old neighborhood:

"There was a barn in the back of the house where we lived on Main, but the barn in back of that belonged to Otto and Mae Herzfeldt. Greeley Myers and I built a basketball court in the upper story of our barn where all the neighborhood guys would gather to play hoops--Nels Potter, Mike and Dave Powers, Duane Blake, Gerald Blake, Greeley, John LeVar. Others I seem to remember playing were Marv Leopold, Jon Martin and maybe Lloyd Pretsch and Steve Brinker. Maybe Greeley would remember more detail. We used to choose up teams and smell armpits--(big joke back then). They all participated at one time or other, until someone fell through the floor and landed on top of Marge Tice's car's hood. He wasn't injured but put a considerable dent in the aforementioned auto. This not only made an impression in the hood, but also one on my father and Miss Tice. We promised to repair the hole in the floor before we played again, but that did not make my father happy. He removed the ladder that was nailed to the wall where we gained entrance to our gym and the future basketball schedule was cancelled.

There were great baseball games too in back of the Powers house in that field. I think that a car wash is there now. I don't remember any games in the street. I remember Dave Powers got hit in the head with a ball, but no damage except a large hematoma. His head looked like a basketball with a growth. All I can remember him saying was "I'm telling Mom"."