Marcusen Memorial Park – “The House that Scheid Built”

Austin’s town ball teams have at times been truly dominant. The 1912 edition that featured future Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes claimed a state championship prior to the state tournament even being created. When Burleigh returned to Austin with his Brooklyn teammates in 1921 the Austin team was playing at what was called the Hormel Ball Park near what later became the Terp Ballroom.

Austin featured a Southern Minny League team and a “Hormel Good Foods” team playing an independent schedule during the 1930’s. Those games were generally played at what is referred to as the “Marcusen lot.” When the Austin Baseball Association made the commitment to field one primary team in the Southern Minny, the team responded by winning the State Class A Championship behind the stellar pitching of Phil Golberg and hitting and fielding of tournament MVP Johnny Hulet.

Austin won the Southern Minny playoffs in 1939 playing its last games at the “Marcusen lot.” Despite the general airing of grievances about the conditions at the Marcusen lot, the next available option and the option used until Marcusen Memorial Field was built was the use of the Mower County fairgrounds. At least one drawing shows the baseball diamond in the infield area of the old track. The use of the fairgrounds effectively made the teams homeless as they physically could not play during the fair and usually didn’t play at home after the fair as the “field” was trampled and rutted.

Austin claimed an additional state championship in 1942 when Phil Golberg returned from playing in New Richland and shared pitching duties with Fred Ludke. Even though games continued to be played in the Southern Minny during the war, those games were played under travel restrictions with far fewer players let alone the best players available to play the games as many stars of the League entered military service. Austin’s baseball teams still lacked a permanent home.

With the end of the war, thoughts turned to recreational opportunities for the returning soldiers. With more players available, the Austin Baseball Association decided to field a team in the Southern Minny League and a team in the Cedar Valley League in 1946. Emil Scheid was given charge of the newly (re) formed Austin Merchants in the Cedar Valley League.

Emil had been involved in town ball in Waseca prior to moving to Austin. He knew how to build a team and his Austin Merchants were dominant in 1946. They won the Cedar Valley League and advanced to the Class A state tournament. But for an ankle injury to Bud Stanek, they might have claimed the championship before settling for runners-up status.

Emil was given charge of the Southern Minny entry in 1947 and set the stage for his later teams bringing in Earl Mosser and Ray Riley from out of town replacing Austin hometown players in the process. The transition to out of town players didn’t always sit well with the locals especially when Ray Riley replaced Bernard Stanek in center field. Even though Emil’s Packers didn’t always hit to the standards expected by the Austin fans the team record improved from a 6 and 8 in 1946 to 9 and 5 in 1947.

The problem was that the Austin teams were still largely homeless and it took revenue to pay top talent to play baseball. When paying players to play, it also made sense to play more games than just on Sunday. The problem being that of all of the teams in the league, Austin was the town without a ballpark and with no ballpark there were no lights. With no lights, there was no night baseball and with no night baseball. With no night baseball, playing opportunities on weekdays were also limited.

That stadium situation was finally rectified on June 8^, 1948 when Scheid’s Austin Packers welcomed Sam House’s Spencer (IA) Cardinals to Marcusen Memorial Park. Lights were installed and tested on June 7^th. With no time to build stands, bleacher seats accommodating up to 1,000 fans were installed.[1] 1,084 fans attended the game and hopefully were on hand to see Red Lindgren hit the first home run in the new park in the eighth inning.[2]

Even though the park was open for business, there was the matter of a formal dedication. The Local 9-CIO sponsored the ticket sales for the dedication game with the proceeds to be given to the city to help pay for the lighting system.[3] The game was initially scheduled as an exhibition game against Faribault to be held during the evening of June 27^th.[4] The game was washed away by the weatherman.

The dedication was finally rescheduled to July 25^th after another attempt was washed away. The event featured the municipal band and remarks by Mayor Merril Rolfson and Frank Schultz as union chief. The dedication included not only the field but the scoreboard and flag. The flag was donated by the American Legion and the scoreboard was provided by funds from the Earl Peterson estate.[5]  Red Lindgren homered twice and Dick Seltz held Faribault in check as the Packers beat Faribault 9-3.[6]

Even though the park was open for business, the matter of fan accommodations remained an issue. This photo from the Mower County Historical Society files shows the park as built but without the grandstand or, quite frankly, much in the way of fan seating:

Marcusen Park under Construction (Courtesy Mower County Historical Society)

The lack of fan accommodations had no impact on on- the-field performance. Scheid’s Austin Packers fell one out short of claiming the Southern Minny postseason title in 1948. His 1949 Packers utterly destroyed the Southern Minny losing only 7 of 35 games played and swept through the rest of the field at the state tournament to claim the state class AA championship.

Marcusen Memoral Park would finally have a grandstand during the 1950 season. Construction of the grandstand was scheduled to be completed in time for the season opener but as with many things baseball related, the weatherman intervened.[7] The season opened on May 21^st without the grandstand being available even though its construction greatly impacted parking. The Packers won 4-3 in extra innings with 1,505 fans in attendance.[8]

The Packers then went on the road for an extended period of time. By the time the Packers returned home to face Faribault, sections A,B and C and part of section D were available to the public.[9] Extra seating was needed because the Austin Queens team hired Negro League great and former Cleveland Indian Satchel Paige to pitch an exhibition game for them against Scheid’s Austin Packers on June 7^th.[10]

Work continued on the grandstand and all seats became available to the public for the Packers June 25^th game against Owatonna.[11] With the grandstand finished, the matter of dedicating it was scheduled for August 1^st[12] along with an announcement that an additional 1000 bleacher seats were being added down the first and third base lines to raise the Park’s capacity to 5,000. A previous crowd of 4,423 greatly exceeded the capacity of the new grandstand.[13]

The full page advertisement in the Austin Daily Herald announced the dedication of Marcusen Memorial Field.

Part of the dedication advertisement read:

Filling a long felt need Marcusen Memoral Field brings to Austin and Southern Minnesota a baseball field unsurpassed by any of its contemporaries. Seating capacity exceeds 4700. Accommodations for home and visiting teams. Concession stand and rest rooms for the public provide for every need.[14]

The one thing needed was a roof over the field as rain delayed the dedication until August 3^rd. Claude Moore, chairman of the park and recreation board served as master of ceremonies and introduced the speakers that included M.G. Rolfson, mayor, Waldo Swanson, president of the Southern Minny, and John Mayer, president of the Austin Baseball association. 4,057 fans turned out to see the Packers do their part on the field by defeating Waseca 8-7 with some late hitting heroics by Harry Elliot.[15]

Scheid’s Packer teams continued to dominate the Southern Minny in 1950, 1951 and 1953 advancing to the state Class AA finals in each of those years. With that success came crowds to Marcusen Memorial Park as this photo from the archives of the Mower County Historical Society amply illustrates:

(Courtesy of Mower County Historical Society)

Somewhat ironically, between 1949 and 1953 the Austin Packers made the finals of the State Class AA tournament every year except one:  1952. That was the year that Austin and Marcusen Memorial Field actually hosted the state tournament. It was also the only year during that time frame that Scheid’s Packers failed to even reach the tournament.

The House that Scheid Built was the scene of countless battles in the Southern Minny until the League’s demise in the 1960’s. Marcusen Park was, however, much more than just the home of the Austin Packers. Marcusen Park was and is the hub of baseball in Austin hosting a countless number of high school, American Legion, VFW games since its construction and continues today thanks almost entirely to the volunteers of the Marcusen Park Baseball Association that maintain the Park.

Thanks to those volunteers, Marcusen Memorial Park remains as a monument to a time before baseball on television and the internet. Even now, Austin’s Greyhounds remain atop of the Twin Rivers Conference after a hard fought victory over the Waseca Braves reminiscent of games between the Austin Packers and Braves in the old Southern Minny.

Marcusen will host more baseball this season as the Greyhounds host the Dodge County Diamondjacks on July 24^th at 7:30. That final game of the Conference regular season may well be a battle for the top seed in the conference playoffs. Let’s hope Marcusen Park will be hosting playoff baseball once again.

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[1] “Packers Open New Ball Park Against Spencer,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 8, 1948.

[2] “Packers Gain 9-5 Decision Over Spencer,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 9, 1948.

[3] Tom Koeck, “Success of Baseball Park Dedication Must be Credited to Local 9-CIO,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 16, 1948.

[4] “Marcusen Park Dedication Sunday,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 26, 1950.

[5] “Dedicate Diamond Sunday,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 24, 1950.

[6] “Packers Win and Lose as They Roll Up Hits and Runs,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 26, 1950.

[7] “Attendance Trophy Hopes at Marcusen Given Spur,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, May 18, 1950.

[8] “Packers Win 4-3 in Extra Innings,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, May 22, 1950, 8.

[9] “Faribault Lakers Play Here Sunday,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 3, 1950, 5.

[10] “Austin Raps Paige for 3 Hits, 2 Runs,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 8, 1950.

[11] “All Seats Available in New Grandstand,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 24, 1950.

[12] “Dedication Scheduled at Marcusen Park,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 1, 1950.

[13] “Additional 1000 Bleacher Seats Available Tonight,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 1, 1950.

[14] Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 1, 1950.

[15] “Elks Reward Scheid With Watch, Plaque,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 4, 1950.

Bill “Moose” Skowron – Austin’s Adopted Son – Arrives on June 17, 1950

Tom Koeck announced that William (Moose) Skowron had decided to join the Austin Packers for the summer in the May 24, 1950 edition of the Austin Daily Herald  .[1] Skowron was hitting an even .600 for the Purdue Boilermakers at the time. It turns out that Austin wasn’t the only team and town counting on Skowron to appear for them as The Lakes entry in the Iowa States League also announced that Skowron would be a new member of the combined Wall Lake / Lake View team.[2]

That same day the Austin Daily Herald noted that Skowron had the Western conference batting title in sight as the Boilermakers finished their season against Ohio State.[3] Skowron was originally expected to arrive by June 11^th. On June 8^th, however, the Austin Daily Herald announced the Bill Skowron would join the Packers on June 18^th.[4]

He was needed as the Packers were mired in fifth place (in an 8 team League) with four wins against five losses.[5] By the time Skowron arrived, the Packers had fallen into sixth place after losses to Mankato, Waseca and Owatonna. The one bright spot was an extra inning win over Faribault[6] but the 1950 Austin Packers had already lost more regular season games before June 18^th than the 1949 Packers team lost during the entire Southern Minny season.

Moose arrived in Austin on June 17^th to be ready for the important rivally game with Albert Lea on June 18^th. In fact, both he and fellow newcomer Roman Bartkowski arrived in time for the game but the weatherman had other plans as their debuts were pushed back to June 20^th against Faribault.[7] Even with reinforcement in hand, the Packers dropped two more games to drop them to 7^th place.

A sign of things to come for Southern Minny baseball fans occurred on June 25^th. The Packer bats pounded Owatonna in to submission scoring 27 runs. Skowron contributed on defense handling eight chances at third.[8] The Packers offense followed up with 20 hits against Albert Lea the following Tuesday.[9]  Jack LaVelle homered in the follow up game against Albert Lea for Austin’s third win in a row. Skowron batted sixth in a lineup filled with dangerous hitters.[10] The streak reached five games when the Packers chased Waseca ace Lefty Kraupa with Skowrun hitting third between Red Lindgren and Harry Elliot in the lineup.[11]

Skowron and Harry Elliot shared top billing as the Packers set back the Albert Lea Packers 12 to 11 in 11 innings. Skowron plated the winning run with a double to the left field wall. [12] The winning streak eventually reached nine games before Gread “Lefty” McKinnis of the Rochester Royals was able to shut down the potent Austin offense.[13] Because of the winning streak the Packers climbed out of the celler to within a ½ game of first place.

Despite the set back to the Royals, Moose was starting to warm up. He had a triple among his two hits against Owatonna.[14] He put the Packers on his back against Faribault twice tying the game with his three hits while plating four of Austin’s six runs. His hits included a three run home run in the seventh and a run scoring single in the ninth. [15]

He travelled to Chicago for a two day try out for the New York Yankees on July 28^th and 29^th. The tryout was arranged by Yankee scout Joe McDermott and Packer manager Emil Scheid. Arrangements were made to ensure that Moose would be back in time for the next league game with good reason. At the time Moose was hitting .324 with five doubles, two triples and two home runs.[16]

Moose and the Packer offense continued their torrid hitting pace. The Austin Daily Herald featured Skowron as a “Homerun King” in a rare action photograph for that era following a three home run game against the Rochester Royals.[17]  All three home run cleared the left field fence with room to spare.[18]

Bill “Moose” Skowron – Homerun King feat. in Austin Daily Herald, August 16, 1950

As the sun set on the regular season, the Austin Packers had risen from the cellar to share the regular season title with Waseca with 21 wins a piece.[19] During the regular season Moose played in 23 games and posted a .343 average. He was one of seven Packer regulars to hit over .300 during the season[20] with the Rochester Post Bulletin referring to the team as the “Hormel Howitzers” for their hitting prowess.[21]

In the Southern Minny postseason, Moose did his part smashing two home runs in a game against Albert Lea.[22] He signed a contract to join the New York Yankees on Sunday and helped eliminate the Royals from the finals with a four hits in four attempts that included a triple.[23]

The path to a second consecutive state championship looked rosy when Roman Bartkowski no hit the St. Paul Nickel Joints to open the tournament for the Packers.[24] A 3-2 loss to Litchfield in the second round changed that picture quickly. In order to claim the title in the double elimination tournament they would need five victories without a loss and it turned out they would need five victories in two days.

The Parkers started out well beating Fairfax 5-0 and followed up with wins over Marshall and Litchfield later that same day. The Packers kept winning but they were using up their pitching staff. They beat Fergus Falls in the early game behind a tie breaking home run by Skowron but ran out of steam in their fifth game in two days to finish the season as runners-up in the state tournament.[25]

Despite running out of pitchers in a state tournament grind the featured five games in two days, the Austin Packers made an incredible turn around from their early season start that found them mired in or near the League cellar. That turn around coincided with the additions of Moose and Roman Bartkowski to the Packers’ roster which makes sense as Moose’s ability to hit for high average and power made it that much more difficult for a pitcher to face the Packers’ potent lineup of Howitzers. It certainly didn’t hurt that Moose also fielded the critical “hot corner” position well keeping the Packers defense in many games.

Skowron’s 1950 Packers team is also uniquely connected to Austin and Marcusen Memorial Park. The 1949 team was truly dominant losing only 7 games the entire season but capacity at Marcusen was limited as the field opened without the grandstand in place. The 1950 team had the benefit of having the grandstand in place for at last a part of the season allowing 3-5,000 people to attend the games and see Austin’s many adopted sons batter the competition with Austin’s “A” on their chest.

In 1957 Moose was a guest of Emil Scheid at a baseball kickoff party for the newest franchise in the Southern Minny – the Mason City Braves. When asked about his greatest thrill in baseball he understandably said “hitting a grand slam homer in last fall’s World Series against Brooklyn.”[26] If you asked many Austin baseball fans from the early 1950’s that question, their answer may well be seeing Moose Skowron playing for Austin with an “A” on his chest.

What seems unique about the relationship between Austin and Moose Skowron is that he carried the connection to Austin forward as well. He passed through many other cities playing baseball on his way to to Yankee Stadium yet he remained in contact with many people here in Austin and spent part of his offseasons in the Austin during the 1950’s.[27]

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[1] Tom Koeck, “In the Press Box,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, May 24, 1950.

[2] “Lakes Team is Ready for Opener,” Odebolt (IA) Chronicle, June 1, 1950, 11.

[3] “Purdue Shortstop Eyes Bat Record; Joins Austin Soon,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 1, 1950, 10.

[4] “Bill Skowron, Big Ten Batting Champ, Joins Austin June 18,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 8, 1950, 10.

[5] “Hitters Food Pitchers in League Games,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 9, 1950.

[6] “Packers Win 7-6, in 13 Frames,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 16, 1950, 7.

[7] “Packers Club Meets Lakers Here Tuesday,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 19, 1950, 8.

[8] “Packers Throttle Owatonna, 27-4,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 26, 1950, 8.

[9] “Packers Blast 2 Pitchers for 20 Base Raps,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 28, 1950.

[10] “LaVelle’s Homer Beats Albert Lea,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, June 30, 1950.

[11] “Bartkowski Tames Waseca, 10-2,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 5, 1950, 9.

[12] “Close Call, but Packers Win, 12-11,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 7, 1950.

[13] “Rochester Stops Packers, 8 to 6,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 17, 1950.

[14] Tom Koeck, ”Stumps Owatonna Team with 3 Hits,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 21, 1950.

[15] “Skowron Paces 6-5 Austin Win Over Faribault,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 24, 1950.

[16] “Packer Star Joins Yanks for Workout,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 28, 1950.

[17] Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 16, 1950.

[18] Tom Koeck, “Skowron and Elliot Pace Homer Parade,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 16, 1950.

[19] “Packer Clubs Fails to Hold Waseca; Tie for S-M Title,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 18, 1950.

[20] “Lindgren and Elliot Lead Packer Attack,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 23, 1950.

[21] “Rochester Defeated, 6-3, in First Playoff Tilt,” Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin, September 1, 1950, 12.

[22] “5 Homeruns Give Austin Series Edge,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, August 28, 1950.

[23] “Sweep Royal Series with 13-11 Victory,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, September 5, 1950.

[24] “No-Hit Game by Bartkowski Nothing New,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, September 11, 1950.

[25] “Red Sox Turn Back Austin in Finals, 3-0,” Austin (MN) Daily Herald, September 18, 1950.

[26] “Skowron, Scheid, Jones Make Baseball Kickoff a Real Party,” Mason City (IA) Globe Gazette, January 22, 1956, 11.

[27] “Skowron, Scheid, Jones Make Baseball Kickoff a Real Party,” Mason City (IA) Globe-Gazette, January 22, 1957, 11.

Jack Shepard’s Many Paths Included One Summer in Austin

• 

  Jack Shepard with the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Debut on June 19, 1953

When I present on baseball in Southern Minnesota, I am often asked about whom and how many made it to the big leagues. Jack Shepard came to the Southern Minny after Moose Skowron and actually made it to the major leagues before Moose.  With Jack’s unique speed and versatility, he may have been able to have a lengthy major league career himself. Instead, Jack decided to go in a different direction at age 25 after three major league seasons and being assured of the number one catching spot in the upcoming season for the Pirates.[1]

Jack’s collegiate varsity career got underway with a splash at Stanford in 1951. Jack hit .368 while playing in the outfield. He was named the team’s MVP during his sophomore season. He caught and played first base as a junior.[2] Between his junior and senior year, he would go in a different direction joining Emil Scheid’s Austin Packers in the Midwest.

The Austin Daily Herald announced on Jun 12 that a new outfielder would be here on Sunday. That outfielder was Jack Shepard of Stanford University. The Herald noted his versatility having played in the outfield and first base along with some catching. [3] The Packers were in unfamiliar territory at the time – fourth place in the Southern Minny.

Shepard made his Southern Minny debut against Winona on June 17. He was 1 for 4 at the plate and fielded two balls to the outfield.[4] He had his first multi-hit game against Waseca collecting two hits including a triple.[5] He scored the winning run the following night against the Rochester.[6]

Shepard demonstrated his base running skills against the Faribault Lakers. He singled in the seventh and stole second. He scored on Campeau’s single. Shepard had two hits on the night.[7] He hit his first home run against Albert Lea on June 29.[8] By July 1 his average stood at .407. He collected two hits against Winona including a stinging single against future major leaguer Paul Giel.[9]

He was playing and hitting well enough to keep Mel Harpuder in a utility role. His speed on the base paths likely also contributed to Scheid’s decision to keep him in the starting lineup. Jack had three stolen bases against the Royals while Harpuder drew the bulk of the newsprint for his home run off the bench.[10]

His base running savvy was again on display against Albert Lea. He reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced on a ground out. He stole third base and came home on an errant throw trying to catch him at third.[11]

With Bill Campeau ailing, Jack went behind the plate for the Packers. The Packers won 6-3 with Jack being charged with only one error after spending the summer in the outfield.[12] Even as his batting average levelled off, he continued to help the team filling in for Red Lindgren at first base.

In the thick of a playoff race, the Packers pounded the Royals into submission to end the month of July. Shepard was part of the onslaught hitting his second home run of the Southern Minny season – a two run shot in the third.[13]

Winona’s Dick Hoeksema had the Packers under control until the eighth. Joe Raso reached on an error. Shepard followed with a single advancing Raso. Raso scored on Red Lindgren’s ground ball to break the ice after being moved into scoring position by Shepard. The wheels came off for Winona in the ninth as the Packers rallied to retain second place.[14]

The Packers would fall to Waseca 5-2. Shepard, however, was 2 for 4 at the plate. Shepard got the Packers’ first hit of the game – a single in the fourth inning. Shepard advanced to third on Roy Gilmore’s infield hit and scored on Olin Martin’s hit into centerfield. His double in the ninth plated Joe Raso.[15]

He continued his hot hitting leading the Packers hitting attack against the Faribault Lakers with a two run home run.[16]  The hits kept coming with three more against the Mankato Merchants[17] and a home run against Rochester in the eighth inning.[18] He contributed a double to a seventeen hit attack against Winona as the season wound down.[19]

He fattened up his batting average against the Owatonna Aces going 3 for 4 in the second to last game of the season.[20] With the rest of the offense failing to produce, the Packers dropped their final game to Mankato dropping them to two games back of first place and into the fourth seed in the playoffs.

Scheid’s Packers drew Albert Lea in the first round and the Albert Lea Packers demonstrated why they took first place shutting down Austin 6-1 and 6-0. Shepard had two hits in the second game.[21] He was on the basepaths in the eighth in the third game when Big Bill Campeau homered off former Austin Packer Sam House as the Austin Packers beat the Albert Lea Packers.[22]

Unfortunately for the Scheid men, Albert Lea was able to call upon Carl Ferullo, the League’s best pitcher for game four. Austin countered with Ray Rosenbaum and Ray did not disappoint. The score was knotted at zeroes in the ninth when Shepard led off the ninth with a single. Red Lindgren and Gilmore struck out and Ferullo induced a long fly ball out to end the threat.[23]

Rosenbaum was almost the better pitcher throwing a no-hitter through six innings. He struck out Billy Sundblad with the bases loaded in the seventh and left a runner stranded in the tenth. Rosenbaum walked Ferullo to start the fateful eleventh and Ferullo advanced on a ground out to third. He scampered home on a shot to the right of first base that Red Lindgren knocked down but Ferullo scampered home before Raso could retrieve the ball and relay home. Rosenbaum was touched for only four singles in eleven innings with two of the singles coming in the fateful eleventh.[24]

Shepard finished the season with a .302 average with five home runs and seven stolen bases in 28 games. He was third on the team in batting in the playoffs.

He returned to Stanford for his senior year primarily playing catcher. He led his Stanford team to its first College World Baseball Series Appearance.

He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 16, 1953 and made his major league debut three days later taking over behind the plate in the fifth against St. Louis. Shepard finished the 1953 season with Denver in the Class A Western League catching 82 games in succession including 12 doubleheaders. He finished the season with a .324 batting average and just as importantly for the critical catching position he held a .986 fielding rate.

Showing he was on a different path than most major leaguers, Shepard returned to Stanford in the off-season for graduate school. He returned to the major leagues in 1954 and was named the all-star catcher on an all-rookie team that included Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks. Things looked bright for Shepard and the Pirates as he rebounded from injury and he appeared ready to assume the mantle of the team’s number one catcher.

That is, until Shepard abruptly changed direction and retired from baseball on the eve of spring training in 1957. He had the opportunity to stay nearer to family by working in the development department at Stanford. He became its director in 1957 after leaving baseball.

In thinking about Shepard’s change in direction, one needs to remember that the National League in 1957 was entirely an east half of the United States proposition. The Boston Braves moved west to Milwaukee in 1953. The Dodgers and Giants would not move west to California until 1958. Once the season started the closest the Pirates would play to his home in California would be St. Louis.

In 1967, he left Stanford to become the CEO and GM of a telecommunications firm. After thirteen years, he returned to his baseball roots as chairman of the Athletic Training & Equipment Co. in Nevada.

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[1] Jack Zerby, Jack Shepard biography, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bbffffed (assessed April 12, 2020).

[2] Ibid.

[3] “New Outfielder Here Sunday,” Austin Daily Herald, June 12, 1952.

[4] “Campeau Cracks Homer to Hand Austin 5-4 Win,” Austin Daily Herald, June 18, 1952.

[5] “9 Hits and 4 Austin Errors Aid Waseca,” Austin Daily Herald, June 23, 1952.

[6] “Down Rochester, 3-1 as DeRose, Sack Star,” Austin Daily Herald, June 23, 1952.

[7] “Packers Defeath Lakers 4-2 and Gain on Leaders,” Austin Daily Herald, June 27, 1952.

[8] “Homers by Harpuder, Shepard Fail to Help,” Austin Daily Herald, June 30, 1952.

[9] “Giel’s Relief Pitching Slams Door; Fans 14,” Austin Daily Herald, July 2, 1952.

[10] “3-Run Homer by Harpuder Turns Back Rochester, 6-4,” Austin Daily Herald, July 5, 1952.

[11] “Kuhlman Tips Albert Lea on 3 Hits,” Austin Daily Herald, July 9, 1952.

[12] “Austin Turns Back Owatonna, 6-3,” Austin Daily Herald, July 21, 1952.

[13] “Packers Rap Hapless Royals, 13-1,” Austin Daily Herald, July 30, 1952.

[14] “Rally Gives Packers 3-2 Win Over Aces,” Austin Daily Herald, August 4, 1952.

[15] “Thomas and Kraupa Wreck Packers, 5-2,” Austin Daily Herald, August 5, 1952.

[16] “Austin Gains 5-3 Win Over Lakers,” Austin Daily Herald, August 6, 1952.

[17] “Packers Turn Back Mankato, 9-3,” Austin Daily Herald, August 8, 1952.

[18] “Rosenbaum Stops Rochester, 7-4,” Austin Daily Herald, August 12, 1952.

[19] “Austin Gains 17-9 Win Over Chiefs,” Austin Daily Herald, August 13, 1952.

[20] “Aces Wallop Austin, 26-0; Cinches Title for Albert Lea,” Austin Daily Herald, August 19, 1952.

[21] “No Hit, No Pitch, No Win … Packers,” Austin Daily Herald, August 25, 1952.

[22] “DeRose Tames Albert Lea, 3-0; Campau Homers,” Austin Daily Herald, August 27, 1952.

[23] “Albert Lea Eliminates Austin, 1-0,” Austin Daily Herald, August 29, 1952.

[24] Ibid.

Johnny Blanchard Was a Merchant Who Could Deliver

Moose Skowron may well have the most name recognition of any of the Southern Minny alumni.  Interestingly, Moose actually only played part of the 1950 season with the Austin Packers playing his first game for Emil Scheid in June and ultimately appearing in 23 (of 35) regular season games. Moose’s future Yankee’s teammate Johnny (Doc) Blanchard played in far fewer games for the Faribault Lakers in the Southern Minny in 1951 before signing with the Yankees.

New York Yankees 1961 Home Run Heroes: Roger Maris (61), Yogi Berra (21), Mickey Mantle (54), Elston Howard (21), Bill Skowron (28), Johnny Blanchard (21)

There are likely two reasons why Blanchard signed with the Faribault in 1951. The team was managed by Shanty Dolan and Blanchard shared the left side of the Carroll Merchants’ infield with Shanty’s son Bobby Dolan in the Iowa State League the previous summer. Second, Faribault was much closer to his home in Minneapolis than Carroll, Iowa.

Shanty was also likely looking for extra power in his Faribault lineup after outfielder John Ewaniak was hit by an errant fast ball from Austin’s Carl DeRose and lost for the season in the season’s first game. Interestingly, DeRose and Ewaniak also both played in the Iowa State League in 1950. Ewaniak was the leading batter in the Iowa State League in 1950 winning the ISL batting title with a lusty .413 average and tying for the League lead in home runs with 14. DeRose spent the summer with the Spencer Cardinals and won the final game of the championship series for Spencer after spending the early part of the season building up arm strength.

In actuality, Blanchard actually only played in a few games in the Southern Minny for the Lakers in 1951 hitting .333 in just 12 at bats with a single home run. The pro scouts were already on to him based on his performances for Minneapolis Central High School and with the Carroll Merchants in 1950. Ultimately the Yankees won him over.

 Blanchard made his debut for the Carroll Merchants on June 29, 1950. Joe McDermott, New York Yankees scout, was in attendance at the game.[1] Blanchard played third base and had one infield hit.[2] The 17 year old from Minneapolis Central High School was just warming up.

Blanchard was 2 for 4 with a triple against Audubon in the next game. “Doc” Blanchard was hitting eighth in the Merchants line up. Bobby Dolan was 2 for 5 while hitting third in the Merchants lineup.[3]

 Blanchard continued to move up the line-up card going 3 for 5 against Storm Lake with 2 runs batted in. Doc was now hitting seventh in the Merchants’ lineup.[4]

Blanchard had one of Carroll’s five total hits against former St. Louis professional Bob Eisiminger. He was four for six in an exhibition game against Coon Rapids.[5]

The Daily Times recognized his batting prowess on July 6 referring to him as the “Youthful John Blanchard, the Twin Cities third sacker with the dynamite in his bat.”[6] Blanchard, now hitting third, went two for four with four runs batted in on two home runs. [7]

 Facing Carl DeRose and the Spencer Cardinals, Blanchard batted in three runs. Blanchard was hitting .462 at the time.[8]  He followed up with a 3 for 5 night with two runs batted in against Bancroft.[9]

Of his start in the Iowa State League, the Carroll Daily Times noted on July 11 that “John Blanchard leads the Carroll batters, compiling a .444 average for eight contests … and that’s not bad for a 17-year old high school youth who will be a senior at Minneapolis Central high school next year.”[10] Even though the Merchants were in the midst of a losing streak, the Daily Times of July 13 noted Blanchard to be one of the bright spots as he had “not been checked in nine games for the Merchants.”[11]

Unfortunately the Daily Times article had the same effect as talking about a no-hitter as Blanchard had his first 0-fer that evening. He was robbed of a hit on a vicious drive to center and a hard hit ball to right tailed foul before he took first base on a walk.[12]  His batting average would continue to level off at .329 throughout the month of July. Even so, he would trail only player-manager Tom Sheehan for the team lead.[13]

 There were still bright spots with him going 3 for 5 against Schaller with a single, triple and a home run.[14] He collected four hits against Schaller with three of them being doubles. He also knocked in three of Carroll’s ten runs.[15]

 In August, he moved further down in the line-up to hit behind Sheehan and also out to left field on occasion. He responded well in his first game in left hitting a home run (his fourth) and a double.[16] Back at third base but still hitting behind Sheehan he blasted a three run homer to right-center and a double to single-handedly outscore the Lakes team.[17] He was four for five including two doubles against Estherville on August 14. He knocked in four of the Merchants runs.[18]

 He cleared the bases with a triple against Mason City and started a big inning against those Legionnaires with a double in the eighth.[19] He hit his sixth home run of the season against Storm Lake on August 23.[20] With the top spot in the League standings on the line, Blanchard “had a field night collecting four hits in four trips to the plate.”[21]

Winning the regular season title was certainly a team effort but the 17 year old Blanchard certainly had an impact. He hit .345 in 171 trips to the plate. His production included seven home runs and 46 runs batted in which tied him for second best on the team. He led the team in doubles with 14 and had more extra base hits than anyone else on the squad.[22]

The big three of Bill Evans, Dick Giedlin and Tom Sheehan were held in check in the first round of the League playoffs by Mason City. Blanchard, however, was one of Carroll’s top hitters in the series posting a .417 average on five hits in twelve trips.  The Merchants finished off the Legionnaires for the right to face the Spencer Cardinals in the finals.[23]

 Before even facing a pitch from the Cardinals, Lou Schweers was lost for playoffs after crushing two fingers on his pitching hand. The popular Dick Giedlin also left the team for a tryout with the Tigers before returning to Notre Dame for school. With all the changes to the roster, Blanchard was expected to play somewhere in the outfield.[24]

Spencer’s roster was also in triage mode with injuries to several key players. Spencer was fortified by Faribault’s Augie Schlaffer among others for the final month of the season and playoffs.

The walking wounded of Carroll did manage to take Game 4 of the series. Tom Sheehan sat out his second game of the series and shortstop Bobby Dolan left Game 2 in the fourth with a sore arm.[25] Spencer’s Carl DeRose finished off the depleted Carroll team with a 10-1 win with rumors of DeRose’s signing by Emil Scheid in full view in the Iowa newspapers.

 For his efforts throughout the 1950 ISL season the young Johnny Blanchard was named a second team all-star in the League by Jim VanHeel of Mason City.[26] His batting average was good enough for seventh in the League. He was also on the leader board for triples with four, runs (41) and runs batted in (46).  Given that level of success as a 17 year old, it is no wonder that he was pursued so heavily by major league scouts throughout his senior year at Minneapolis Central.

Even though Johnny (Doc) Blanchard ultimately left the Faribault Lakers after only 12 official at bats, he serves as a prime example of players spending a year or two in the Iowa State League and moving up to the Southern Minny.  Joining Bobby Dolan at Faribault would be Ewaniak and Audubon hurler Bob Eisiminger. Carl DeRose would have a season for the record books with Austin in 1951 but I’ll leave that story for another day.

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[1] Carroll (IA) Daily Times, June 30, 1950, 3.

[2] “Audubon Here Tonight as Rivalries Start to Materialize in Loop Play,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, June 30, 1950, 3.

[3] “Carroll Host to Storm Lake in Crucial Contest Sunday,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 1, 1950, 3.

[4] “Merchants Increase League Lead to Three Full Games,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 3, 1950, 3.

[5] “Merchants Meet Lakes Here After 5 to 0 Loss at Audubon,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 5, 1950, 3.

[6] “Blanchard’s Bat Proves Difference, Carroll Wins; Spencer Plays Here Tonight,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 6, 1950, 3.

[7] Ibid.

[8] “Merchants Bang Spencer, 11 to 1, Leave on Trip,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 7, 1950, 11.

[9] “Bancroft Comeback Sends Carroll to 9 to 8 Defeat,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 8, 1950, 3.

[10] “The Leaders,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 11, 1950, 3.

[11] “White Caps Hope to Snap Losing String Here Tonight,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 13, 1950, 3.

[12] “Carroll Collapse Complete as Storm Lake Rolls, 15-4,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 14, 1950, 3.

[13][13] Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 1, 1950, 3.

[14] “Early-Inning Splurge Lets Carroll Whip Schaller, 10-5,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 21, 1950, 3.

[15] “Carroll Beats Spencer Again, Meets Audubon Here Sunday,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, July 22, 1950, 3.

[16] “Evans Has Big Night as Carroll Beats Fonda, 8 to 3,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 3, 1950, 10.

[17] “Southpaw Has Given Only 11 Singles in Three Games,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 9, 1950, 3.

[18] “Merchants in 9-1 Win; to Hit Road,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 15, 1950, 3.

[19] “Carroll Trips Legionnaires,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 23, 1950, 3.

[20] “Cardinals to Send Ace, Don Opperman, to Mound,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 24, 1950, 3.

[21] “Carroll Meets Audubon Tonight; Needs Win,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 28, 1950, 3.

[22] “Legionnaires Here Tonight in Playoff Series Opener,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 30, 1950, 8; “Statistics,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, August 30, 1950, 8.

[23] Howard Brantz, “A Sporting Glance,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, September 2, 1950, 3.

[24] “Merchants Add Petrazelka, Dunagan to Baseball Roster,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, September 6, 1950, 3.

[25] “Merchants Get Off Floor After Near Knockout, 4-3,” Carroll (IA) Daily Times, September 7, 1950, 6.

[26] Carroll (IA) Daily Times, September 12, 1950, 3.