Sports in Midland

Please send your sports pictures to me at mamiedawson@sbcglobal.net or to Craig Robertson at crobertson1@prodigy.net

1904 Football Team

(photo courtesy of Ed Malloy, Sr.)

Pictured is the 1904 Midland football team, perhaps in preparation for its upcoming Homecoming Game.

Front row, left to right, Sam Stevens, Dick Stakem, Jack Malloy, Jimmy McGuire, Myles Stakem, James (Slugger) Hillary, and Jim French.

Second row, left to right, Frank Broaderick, John Seymour, H. Ross, Tom Trezise, Joe Ryan, Pete Monahan, and Jack Campbell.

Third row, left to right, Pete Firlie, Stump O'Rourke, Tom McFarland and Jack Smith.

 

 Little Leaguers

 Photo courtesy of Dennis Bartlett

Little League Banquet?

Can you help me to identify these boys?

I know the little one with the jacket & tie is my brother Tommy Dawson.

Trip to Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Dan Jones.

1937 Baseball Team

Row 1: Paul Fair, Betsy Robertson, Thelma Elliott, Cal Thrasher

Row 2: Charlie Bullock, Unknown, Jobie Marble (Catcher/3rd Base), Lou LaPorta (Catcher), Danny Thomas (Pitcher), Shooky Rogish (Pitcher), Harry Salada (Outfielder)

Row3: Larry Dunn, Frank Urbas (3rd Base), Bob Romasetti (Short Stop), Bill Frees

? Bolger (Left handed Pitcher), Tom McGuire (Manager), ? Smith, Bub Robertson.

 1944 Baseball Team

 Kneeling: Manny Yider, Murph Yates, Danny Thomas, Harry Salada, Bill Duncan, Elmer Robertson, Jim Dunn, Jim Murry, John Rogish

Standing: Pat Atkinson, ? McMillan, Her Bailey, Blaine McKenzie, Pat Corrigan, Frank Buskirk, Ken Harcolode, Joe Monahan, Bob Blair

Photo Courtesy of Bob Knippenberg

Photo Courtesy of Bob Knippenberg

1950 Baseball Champs

Click on picture for larger view & Roster

Photo Courtesy of Craig Robertson

1951 Baseball Champs

Click on picture for larger view & Roster

Photo Courtesy of Craig Robertson

1970 Baseball Awards

Click on picture for larger view & Roster

Photo Courtesy of Craig Robertson

Unknown Baseball Team

Photo Courtesy of Craig Robertson

Can anyone identify these Ball Players??. Pictures courtesy of Craig Robertson.

Bob Blair, Shortstop

Photo  & story below courtesy of Jim Blair

How Left Grove got to the Majors

Bob Blair was a local legend at shortstop.  Following his discharge from the Army in June of 1919, he immediately signed to play professional ball with Cumberland of the Blue Ridge League.  He finished the 1919 season, but was signed the following season to play with perennial league champions, Martinsburg, WV.
 During the 1920 season, he told team owners about a young pitcher who played for his hometown of Midland by the name of Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove.  They asked "Bob" to have the young, 19-year-old come to Martinsburg for a tryout and signed him immediately.  Young Grove didn't have much. He didn't know what a curve was; but boy was he fast.  His speed led him to a 12-2 record his first year. Grove pitched the rest of the season for Martinsburg, but the team owner  needed to replace the centerfield fence and converted Grove's fastball into the $3,000 he needed to build a new centerfield fence by selling Lefty's contract to Baltimore Oriole's manager, Jack Dunn of the International League.
My grandfather finished the year with Martinsburg, but got homesick and never followed Grove to the International League; instead returning home to Midland and going to work for the Celanese.  But Lefty never forgot Bob's contribution to getting him his chance in the "bigs" and they remained  friends throughout their lives.
Dunn kept Groves contract from 1920 through 1925, where Lefty won 108 minor-league games.  He then sold his contract to Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and, of course, the rest is history.  Mack paid $100,000 for Groves contract, which was $600 more than Babe Ruth's
contract  was sold. Grove went on to win 300 games between his years with Philadelphia and later the Boston Red Sox.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

Not too many people are aware that Lefty Grove pitched for Midland at the start of his career.
On a personal note, Lefty always felt indebted to my grandfather and gave him the ball, autographed by the entire Red Sox team, that Lefty won his  293rd game.  As a child, we lost a ball one day at the Midland ballpark and I got that ball to finish the game.  Of course, we lost that ball too.
Two of Bob's sons, George "Tubby" Blair and Robert "Cocoa" Blair, also played professional baseball.
 Jim Blair

Mo Shearer at Ball Park, 1940's

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