Research on the Southern Minny remains a bit stagnant as I adjust to my fall graduate study workload. I hope to get back into the microfilm shortly as I will be presenting on the Southern Minny from 1954 to 1957 or 1958 at the Hormel Historic Home in April of next year. Even so, the Minny remains in my thoughts and Ebay searches.
Working on a very regional semi-pro baseball league, you take whatever you can find. Earlier this year, I thought a pencil with the schedule of the 1940 Owatonna Aces was quite the find. Ebay went above and beyond in September, however.
One of my routine searches for area baseball artifacts found an item listed as a 1950s vintage Mankato Baseball Jersey. From there, the dilemma starts – is it from the Southern Minny, from one of potentially many high schools, colleges, or an altogether different summer team? Fortunately, I purchased a photo of legendary Southern Minny manager Shanty Dolan wearing a 1954 Mankato Merchants uniform a few years ago. A quick comparison led me to pull the trigger on what I hope and will call a game used Mankato Merchants uniform until someone proves otherwise.
southernminnybaseball 