ManDak League

1950 - 1957

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Biographies 1

Dan  Ahtipis – Sacramento, California

Right handed pitcher who entered organized baseball in 1949 in the Brooklyn Dodgers chain. Pitched three seasons for Santa Barbara Dodgers in the California League. Joined the Brandon Greys in 1954 and played for the Mallards in 1955. Pitched a 2-3 record for the Mallards in 1955. On July 9 he pitched against the Bismarck Barons at Bismarck and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning finishing up with a two-hit 3-1 win. He developed a sore arm and requested his release on July 29.

Ed Albosta – Saginaw, Michigan

Former major leaguer with the Brooklyn Dodgers and right handed pitcher that joined the Mallards mid-season 1952. Albosta made his Major League debut in 1941 at the age of 22. He pitched for the Dodgers in parts of two seasons losing all eight decisions. Fiery manager and strategist of the 1953 Mallards. His frequent and antagonizing “rhubarbs” were troublesome to the team directors and on August 17 he resigned as manager after failing to get a vote of confidence in a team poll. He was stunned by the outcome but the resignation lasted only one day. At that time the Mallards were 3 ½ games out of first place with eight games remaining. After that the Mallards won 6 in a row and went on to win the league pennant and championship. He managed the Carman Cardinals in 1954.

                                                Year                        Pitching record

                                                1952                                1-6

                                                1953                                8-2

Eddie Allen

University of Southern California right handed pitcher. Pitched for the Mallards in 1952. Joined the team shortly after the season started and was released in mid-June. Record was 2-1.

 John Andre – Brockton, Massachusetts

Right handed pitcher. Appeared in 22 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1955. In one game he retired the side on one pitch when he got Roy Campanella to hit into a triple play. Was a twenty game winner four times in his career. Led the Texas League with 22 wins in 1954 while with pennant winning Shreveport. Was Most Valuable Player that season. Pitched for the Mallards for the 1957 season and started out with three straight wins including two shutouts but developed arm problems and was released on August 10 with 3-3 record.

Andy Anderson – Providence, Rhode Island

Left handed pitcher from Brown University that played in the Class B New England League in 1947. Pitched for Pawtucket of the Boston Braves Farm system in 1947.  In 1948 he played for Kingston of the Class C Border League and  St. Albans in a Vermont Semi-pro League. Andy Anderson was recommended by Minot Mallard Manager, Lefty Lefebvre, who was his coach at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He pitched for the Mallards in 1950 and was the winning pitcher in the Mallards first home game, a 9-8 victory over the Carman Cardinals. He pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief of Satchel Paige and Bob Cope. In Minot’s first 13 games he pitched a 2-3 record and appeared in five games as a fielder.

Orinthal “Andy” Anderson – Los Angeles, California

Utility player and right handed pitcher. Played one season for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro League in 1951. Was 7-2 for Rochester of the Southern Minny League in 1955. Played in the Class A Western League in 1952, 1953 and 1954. Had a no-hitter for Lincoln of the Class A Western League on September 10, 1954. Signed on with the Mallards as an outfielder early July 1956 but played third base, catcher and pitcher. Hit two home runs on August 9, 1956 against the North Battleford Beavers in an interlocking game. Hit a grand slam in 1956 playoffs against the Bismarck Barons. Won a game pitching in 1957.

                                Year                Home runs        RBI’s           Average

                                1956                      8                 17                .262

                                1957                    10                 37                .249

Bill Anderson – Fargo, North Dakota

Right handed pitcher in Minnesota AA circles. Pitched for the Mallards in 1950 as an early season fill in player and for an exhibition game in 1951. Pitching record for 1950 was 1-0.

Quincy “Bud” Barbee – Durham, North Carolina

Thirteen years of pro baseball experience in the Negro Leagues and Panama. Played for both the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Kansas City Monarchs. Also, believed to have played for the Louisville Buckeyes in 1949. Played for Granby, Quebec of the Provincial League in 1951 before joining the Mallards as a first baseman in 1952. He participated in a Mallard triple play against the Brandon Greys during a playoff game in Brandon in August 1952. With the bases loaded, second baseman John Kennedy fielded a ground ball, forced the runner at second and threw to Barbee at first. Barbee threw home to catcher Joe Massaro who tagged the runner coming home. Barbee ended the season with a .279 batting average, 3 home runs and 32 RBI’s.

Ed Barr – San Diego, California

Pro player with eleven years experience, four with Austin of  the AA Texas League. Also played with Salt Lake City of the Pioneer League in 1955 and earlier in the Pacific Coast League. Joined the Mallards as a centerfielder in 1956. Hit a grand slam home run in his second game (Mallards’ 1956 home opener). He hit two home runs on June 16 against the Bismarck Barons at Bismarck. Led the club with a .324 batting average, 12 home runs and 62 RBI’s.

 Harvey Beaster – Kenosha, Wisconsin

Came to the Mallards in 1951 with 6 ½ years of professional experience. Belonged to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Began his professional career with Carthage of the Arkansas-Missouri League in 1939. In 1940 he played for Hutchinson, Kansas of the Class C Western Association and hit .310. Played for Harrisburg of the Class B Inter-State League in 1942 and at York, Pennsylvania in 1946. In 1947 he was with Albany of the Class A Eastern and Selma of the Class B Southeastern League. In 1948 hit .325 with Fort Wayne Class A Central League. Played at Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1949 and 1950. Played outfield for the Mallards. Had a 17 game hitting streak for the Mallards in 1951 and batted .301 with 5 home runs and 30 RBI’s for the season.

 Don Berg – Oakes, North Dakota

Played 24 games at Madisonville Kentucky of the Class D Kitty League in 1949.  Connie Juelke who managed the Madisonville club recommended him to the Mallards. Tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 and the Cleveland Indians in 1948. Attended Ellendale Normal. Joined the Mallards in 1951 and played several positions but was primarily used as a center fielder. He played early in the season until June 11 and re-joined the team on August 13. Hit a home run in his first at bat in the first game of the 1951 season at Minot. Finished the season with a .314 batting average, 1 home run and 10 RBI’s.

 Joe Bestudik

Played outfield for the Carman Cardinals in 1951. Tried out for the Mallards in 1951 and appeared in several games before his release. Played in the American Association for Indianapolis in 1946 and hit .279 with 25 doubles, 2 triples and 15 home runs. Played for Milwaukee and St. Paul in 1947 and hit .281.

 Jack Bishop – Minot, North Dakota

Local player brought in as a reserve catcher in mid-June 1955 when Don Petschow was injured. Appeared in a game on June 21.

 Willie Blackshire- Houston, Texas

Infielder who tried out for the Mallards July 17-23 , 1951. Played in one game and then resigned. Had been with Joe Ligon’s traveling team.

 Duke Bowman – Kernersville, North Carolina

Four years of pro ball rising as high as Class A for Wichita in 1951.  Played for the Cleveland Indians organization. Was selected to the All-star team when with Burlington in the Class C Central Association. Played for Harrisburg of the Class B Inter-state League. Joined the Mallards in 1952 and was the regular third baseman for the next six seasons. First of three Bowman brothers to play for the Mallards. Ended the 1953 season with a 20 game hitting streak as his hot hitting sparked the Mallards in a sensational drive to the pennant. Was a power armed third baseman who specialized in line drives to center field. He started the 1957 season with the Mallards but left the team to play in the Basin League. Later that season he re-joined the Mallards.

• In game 4 of the 1952 championship series against the Carman Cardinals he had an inside-the-park home run in the 9^th inning to give the Mallards a 4 – 3 win.

•  Tied for most hits in the league in 1953 with 98 and was second in the league in batting with a .336 average.

•  In game 1 of the 1953 playoffs against the Winnipeg Royals, he had two home runs in a 11 – 1 win.

•  In game 6 of the 1953 playoffs against Winnipeg, he had a triple, three doubles and 2 RBI’s in a 6-5 win that put the Mallards into the championship series against the Brandon Greys.

•  In 1954 he had seven RBI’s in game 3 of the playoff series against the Carman Cardinals.

•  On July 24, 1955 he had 5 RBI’s in a 19-5 win against the Dickinson Packers at Dickinson with a home run and three singles.

•  On July 29, 1955 against the Bismarck Barons at Minot he went 5 for 5 with 2 doubles in a 9-8 win.

•  In 1956 he had 13 hits in 20 at-bats in a series against the Bismarck Barons.

•  In 1957 he played in Minot’s pre-season exhibition games and the first week of the season prior to reporting to Huron of the Basin League.

                                Year                Home runs            RBI’s                Average

                                1952                 2                           27                   .300

                                1953                 2                           57                   .336

                                1954                 3                           57                   .337

                                1955                 2                           52                   .321

                                1956                 6                           45                   .292

                                1957                 3                           23                   .299

                                Totals               18                        261                  .315     

Ed Bowman – Kernersville, North Carolina

Younger brother of Duke Bowman by four years. Slick fielding second baseman. Two years pro experience with New Bern in the Class D Coastal Plain League. Was rushed into Minot for the 1953 season as the Mallard second baseman when John Kennedy did not report. In his debut with the Mallards he showed fielding class with eight assists and five putouts. He led the league’s second baseman in fielding his first two years with the Mallards. Hit a home run in game 4 of the 1953 championship series in a 6 – 4 win over the Brandon Greys. On July 16 and July 18, 1954 he raised his batting average from .227 to .276 with 7 hits. On July 16 he led the Mallards to a 10 – 0 win over Brandon with a two run triple and three singles for three RBI’s. Then in his next game on July 18 he scored 5 times and reached base in all six at-bats. . On July 20, 1955 he drove in brother Duke with a 10^th inning hit off the outfield fence in a 6-5 win over the Dickinson Packers at Minot

                                Year                Home runs        RBI’s         Average

                                1953                        0                22               .242

                                1954                        0                32               .247

Walt Bowman – Kernersville, North Carolina

Third of the Bowman brothers to play for the Mallards when he joined the team July 28, 1954. Played for Williston earlier that season. Appeared in only a few games and batted  .130.

Barney Brown – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Left handed pitcher with long time experience in the Negro Leagues. Pitched for the Cuban Stars, Philadelphia Stars (1942 - 1949) and the New York Black Yankees from 1931 to 1949. He played in the Mexican League  and played on the 1941 Vera Cruz Championship team that was considered by some to be one of the greatest teams in the history of Mexican League baseball. He had a 16 - 5 record pitching with that squad. He also played  a number of winter seasons in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Pitched  a 9-3 record for the Brandon Greys in 1953. Pitched in the Dominican Republic and Brantford, Ontario in 1953. Played for Jamestown North Dakota in the 1930’s. Pitched for the Mallards in 1955. Record 0-3.

Willard Brown

Former major leaguer with sixteen years experience in the Negro Leagues.  One of the premier players and most prolific hitters of the Negro Leagues. From 1935 to 1950 he slugged over 500 home runs for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1947, he was one of the first Negro players in the American League when he played for the St. Louis Browns. He hit the first home run by a Negro player in the American League on August 13, 1947. Led the Negro American League in home runs seven seasons. Roomed with former Mallard Ted Strong for 10 years while with the Monarchs. Played for Houston and Dallas in 1953 – 1955. In 1955 he batted .301 with 19 home runs and 104 RBI’s. Played winter ball in Puerto Rico and held the record of 27 home runs in one season. Joined the Mallards in July 1957 as an outfielder. Batted .307 with 9 home runs and 29 RBI’s. Elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

 Jack Bruton

Right handed pitcher and utility player with Negro league experience. Played for the Mallards beginning in early July 1950 and early season 1951. Rejoined the Mallards as a late season fill in player, beginning August 10 upon his release from Estevan. Pitched the Mallards to a 17-2 victory over the Winnipeg Buffaloes and hit an inside-the-park, grand slam home run on August 21, 1951.  Pitched and lost (5-2) the final playoff game of 1951 against the Winnipeg Buffaloes. These were his only wins/losses.

                                Year                Home runs        RBI’s                Average

                                1950                      0                   5                      .304

                                1951                      1                   5                       .125

Nip Bruton – Wilmington, Delaware

Right handed pitcher with a Denver Bears contract that joined the Mallards in late June 1951. Played in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1949. Brother of Major Leaguer Bill Bruton. Recorded his first and only Mallard win at Brandon with a 3 hitter on August 4, 1951. Batted .156 with 1 home run and 8 RBI’s.

 Al Bryant

Left handed pitcher for the All Nations Team, Memphis Red Sox and Kansas City Monarchs from 1938 to 1946. Pitched for the Minot Merchants in 1949 and the Mallards in 1952. Pitched 2 2/3 innings in one game before his release on June 22. Record was 0-1.

 Carl Bush – Bridgeport, Connecticut

Ten years of pro experience. Broke in as a pitcher for Hornell of the Class D Pony League. Was in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. In 1954 played in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League where he batted .337 with 6 home runs and 47 RBI’s. Played three years of Class A baseball. Played part of a season with Baltimore in the AAA International League. Joined the Mallards in 1956 from Portsmouth of the Class B Piedmont League Hit a home run in his first game with the Mallards. Was considered the best Mallard defensive first baseman. Led the ManDak League first basemen with  .902 fielding  average. Also played in 1957.

                                Year                Home runs        RBI’s                Average

                                1956                   11                   38                     .256

                                1957                   11                   55                     .338

Bernard Busse – Minot North Dakota

Local College teacher and coach of the Minot American Legion Team. Joined the Mallards August 1, 1955 as a non-playing manager to replace Zoonie McLean who wished to concentrate on his playing performance. Under Busse the club compiled a 19 – 12 overall record and won the 1955 playoff and championship series.

 Norman Budz – Chicago, Illinois

Twenty year old left handed pitcher that came to Minot on his own for a tryout and pitched relief in the Mallards second game of the 1957 season.

 Jerry Cabana – North Bay, Ontario

Started pro career in 1946 and then played six seasons in the Quebec Provincial League with several teams. Played briefly for the Mallards as an infielder in 1957. Committed two errors in his first start for the Mallards and was replaced by Don Smith.

Marion “Sugar” Cain

Right handed pitcher and veteran of the Negro Leagues. Joined the Minot Mallards in 1951 and quickly became the Ace of the pitching staff. Primarily a pitcher, he was also an excellent hitter and swift, long striding runner. When not pitching he was a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter. Sugar was one of the most talented and popular athletes ever to play in Minot.

He was born in Macon, Ga. and listed Philadelphia as his hometown. He broke into the professional Negro Leagues in 1934 and played for several teams including the Indianapolis Clowns, Pittsburg Crawfords, Brooklyn Royal Giants, New York Black Yankees, Kansas City Monarchs, and San Francisco Cubs. During the winter months he played in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela. Several books on Negro League Baseball list him as Marlon Cain. Sugar came to the Mallards from Torreson of the Mexican League along with catcher, Othello Renfroe. He played for the Mallards through the 1957 season winning a total of 62 games

During his seven seasons with the Mallards he amassed 188 hits in 589 “at bats” for a .319 batting average. In 1954 he hit .451 in 82 at-bats. Other high lights of his career with the Mallards include:

• In August 1951 he struck out fourteen in a 12 inning complete game and earned a 2 – 1 win.
• In 1951 game 3 of the playoffs against the Winnipeg Buffaloes he batted 5 for 5 to help himself in a 9-8 win.
• Fanned 15 Winnipeg Giants in a 1952 game.
• Pitched a 3 hit shutout against the Brandon Greys on May 30, 1952. Mallards won 10 – 0. This was the Mallards 5^th straight win without a loss for the season.
• Pitched a three hit shutout against the Carman Cardinals in game 1 of the 1952 Championship series.
• Had 8 hits in 9 plate appearances during the 1952 playoffs.
• Led the ManDak League with 123 strikeouts and 12 wins in 1953. That was an all-time ManDak League record.
• Threw a 10 inning, one hit shutout with 13 strikeouts against the Winnipeg Royals on May 25, 1953 for a 1-0 win for the Mallards.
• Recorded his eighth shutout as a Mallard June 24, 1953 against Saskatoon at Saskatoon and 10 shutouts through 1954.
• In June 1954 he had completed 40 of his 45 starts as a Mallard and had finished and won all seven playoff games (1951-1953) that he pitched. In seasons through 1954 he completed 56 of 63 starts including playoff games. All 10 of his playoff appearances were complete games (through 1954).
• Won his first 11 decisions in 1954.
• In the 1954 playoffs he batted .353 with 12 hits in 34 appearances including two doubles, a triple, a home run and 11 RBI’s. He played right field for these series when he wasn’t pitching.
• In 1955 he won his first six decisions led the league with a 2.94 ERA for the season. That was the all-time League record.
• On June 30, 1955 he fanned 13 batters (9 on called third strikes) in a 2 – 1 win against the Dickinson Packers at Minot
• In the third game of the 1955 championship series against the Dickinson Packers, he hit a two run, pinch hit home run in the top of the ninth inning to give the Mallards a 7 – 6 win and 3 – 1 lead in the series.
• In the final game of the 1956 first round playoffs he pitched a two-hit 3 – 1 win over the Bismarck Barons to advance to the championship series.
• Led the league with 2.33 ERA in 1956
• Completed all fifteen games that he pitched in 1956.
• Through 1956 he completed 69 of 78 games pitched and completed his first 14 playoff games.

Sugar Cain, whose age was never exactly verified, was listed as 36 years old for the 1954 season. That year he was as dominant as any pitcher in any league in the country. During his streak of eleven straight wins, he posted a sparkling 1.87 ERA. He hurled one shutout, a two hitter and two three hitters during this period.

Because players not in “organized baseball” were no longer allowed to play in the Mexican Winter League, Cain spent that spring pitching for the Birmingham Black Barons. He was so impressive that he was offered professional contracts from the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. He rejected the offers because he was expected to start in the low minors and he insisted that he would only play in Triple A or the Majors.

Pitching Record:

            Batting Record:

(Also see a section on Sugar Cain in the "Looking Back" in the History Section)

Ernie Canada

Right handed pitcher who pitched briefly for the Philadelphia Stars in 1951. Played four years for A&T College, Greensboro North Carolina. Then played for Greensboro semi-pro teams. Released by Winston-Salem of the Class B Carolina League before joining the Mallards in 1954 on the recommendation of Larry Dempsey. Pitched a 1-1 record before departing for the military on June 19.

 Wyman Carey

Leading pitcher for the Bradley College Braves in 1956. The Braves went to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha. Later that season he was a left handed pitcher for the Mallards August 3 to August 19, 1956 and had a 0-0 record.

 Chuck Carroll – Brookfield, Illinois

Seven Years of Class A baseball experience with Greenville, Hartford, Saginaw and Charleston. Played outfield for the 1953 Mallards. Dependable player. Considered to have one of the best arms among outfielders in the ManDak League. Played first base during the playoffs. In game one of the playoff series against the Winnipeg Royals he had two home runs leading the Mallards to a 11 – 1 win. Finished season with .287 batting average,  3 home runs and 38 RBI’s.

 Rabbit Cartledge  (given name thought to be Menske Cartledge)

Negro League player 1951 – 1954. Right handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Stars and Birmingham Black Barons. Joined the Mallards on August 1, 1955 and had a 1-3 record.

 Willie Cathey – Cincinnati, Ohio

Left handed pitcher. Had a 13-0 record with the Atlanta Brown Bombers of the Negro League before joining the Mallards. Pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League in 1947 - 1949. Played in Carcass, Venezuela in 1948 and 1949. Also played for the Cincinnati Cresants and the Cincinnati Red Sox semi-pro team. Was the Mallards leading pitcher the first two seasons with a combined total of 16 wins. Joined the Mallards in mid-July 1950 as a replacement when Steve Wylie jumped the club on July 2. Won 9 and lost 3 by the end of the season. Also pitched for the Mallards in 1951 to a 7-7 record. Agreed to a contract with the 1952 Mallards but joined Winnipeg instead.

 Roy Chapman – Brooklyn, New York

Left handed pitcher. Experienced in the Negro American League and organized ball. Pitched for the New York Black Yankees from 1949 to 1951. Joined Mallards July 16, 1953 from a team in the Big State League. Pitching record 0-1.

 Lou Ciola – Norfolk, Virginia

Pro player who joined the Mallards on August 31, 1955. He pitched for Austin in the Southern Minny League that summer. He was a veteran right handed knuckleball pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinal Organization and had five years of Class A experience. He was brought in as a league sanctioned replacement for the sore-armed Stan Milankovich and was credited with the final win over the Dickinson Packers in the 1955 championship series. That was the only game he pitched as a Mallard.

 Jack Cooper – Greensboro, North Carolina

Two years of pro experience with Wilkesboro and three years semi-pro experience with Plessisville, Quebec of the Laureaton League where he batted .319 in 1952. Joined the Mallards as an outfielder in 1953 but was released June 22 to make room for an additional pitcher.

 Bob Cope – Missoula, Montana

Right handed pitcher for the University of Montana. Also pitched for the  Missoula Pirates of the semi-pro Montana State League. Outstanding basketball player drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1950. Pitched for the Mallards in 1950 but had limited success and resigned early in the season (6/19). Played several games as an outfielder.

Don Corcoran – Minot, North Dakota

Six years of pro ball experience, four with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins of the Class C Northern League. Played in the Class B Three-Eye League in 1948. Played for Springfield of the Western Minnesota League in 1951. Piloted the Moorhead Minnesota Red Sox in 1949. Joined the Mallards as a center fielder in 1952 and played with the team for five seasons. Short, speedy outfielder that hit for power. Second most all time home runs among Mallard players. Had two home runs, 6 RBI’s on August 15, 1952 against the Winnipeg Giants in a 28-5 Mallard win. Had 9 home runs in 1952 which was second for the team. In the 1954 playoff series, he batted .511 with 24 hits in 47 at-bats including two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 11 RBI’s. On August 11, 1955 he hit a grand slam home run in an 8 – 7 win over Dickinson at Minot. He also had a grand slam on June 16 at Dickinson.

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