ManDak League
1950 - 1957
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News Archives - July 2006 through December 2006
December 2006
Happy Holidays to everyone and thanks to those people that contacted me this year about the Minot Mallards. My holiday wish list includes old photos of the Mallards or any other memorabilia or memories that you would like to share with the many people who visit this website. On average, 40 people visit the site each day. Included are baseball researchers, kids that grew up in Minot and sometimes former players or their families. I'd love to hear from any of you.
Connie Juelke Erickson
Connie Juelke Erickson, daughter of Minot Mallard Connie Juelke, contacted me in November. She reported that Connie is doing well in Mesa, Arizona. Connie is a computer user so hopefully I can make contact with him via the internet.
Bruce Anderson
I received a note from Bruce Anderson who is writing a book on the history of Minot; according to Bruce "a photographical history". He is asking for help locating old photos of the ball park, the Keg and other points of interest around Minot. Eastwood Park is an area of interest. You can contact him at sunshine@minot.com.
Prairie League Mallards
More information on the 1997 Minot Mallard team is added to the 1997 Season page.
I am still looking for information on the 1995 season team. So far I have nothing. Please contact me at bguenthner@comcast.net if you can help.
The 1996 season player cards 1996 Season are from an eBay auction that I won a few months ago. The seller, Mallard96 (eBay identification), is Loyd Jungling. Loyd often has sets of these card sets up for auction; so watch eBay if you would like a set. If I am able to get his eMail address, I will list it next month so that you can contact him directly.
Chris Coste Books (see last month's news for more about Philadelphia Phillies catcher)
Chris Coste, who completed a 12 year journey through the minor leagues last spring, has written two books.
The first book "Hey ... I'm Just the Catcher" captures the inaugural season of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and an inside look at a season from behind the plate in the Northern League. It uncovers the funny side of the game and how he became a Northern League All-Star.
RollerCoster, Coste's second book on life in the world of professional baseball is slated to be released no later than February of 2007. Chris takes readers through a journey of what life is like on the road, in the clubhouse, and on the field. The stories are full of humor and aimed for the everyday baseball fan. Note: When this book was released on March 18, 2008 it was titled "The 33-Year-Old Rookie". See April 2008 News Page for details.
Philadelphia fans are hungry for a championship team. The 2007 season may just be the one. I have a strong temptation to go down to Florida for spring training. See you there!!
Please visit Chris's website at www.chriscoste.com
November 2006
Magic City Youth Baseball Boosters
Rich Feldner, Board President of the Magic City Youth Baseball Boosters contacted me this month. The Boosters support Minot youth baseball (12 - 18 year olds) which includes Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth and American Legion teams. Rich has been active in the Boosters for over eight years and has served as Board President three years. He played college baseball with Zoonie McLean's youngest son, Mike.
The Boosters have a museum located in the entrance of the Minot Auditorium. The museum honors players, coaches and contributors to Minot youth baseball. Each year they have an auction to raise money. Rich contacted me about a 1957 Minot Mallard autographed baseball that they received. The ball is in perfect condition and is signed by Willard Brown, Sugar Cain, Dirk Gibbons, Zoonie McLean and other Mallard players. The ball will be displayed at the museum and possibly sold or auctioned later.
Prairie League Mallards
About a year ago I "won" an eBay auction for a set of 1996 Minot Mallard Prairie League baseball cards. I have added these to the 1996 Season page.
More information on the 1997 Minot Mallard team is added to the 1997 Season page.
I am still looking for information on the 1995 season team. So far I have nothing. Please contact me at bguenthner@comcast.net if you can help.
Chris Coste
Chris Coste is not associated with the Minot Mallards, but I have been a Chris Coste fan since he played for the Fargo-Moorehead RedHawks from 1996 through 1999. The RedHawks played in the Independent Northern League. During the 1997 Season I followed the Minot Mallards Prairie League team through a subscription to the Minot Daily News. The Prairie League folded at the end of the 1997 season. So I started following the RedHawks via the internet and attended a few games on my visits to North Dakota.
During the 1998 season Chris batted a career high .328 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs. He was the starting catcher for the West in the Northern League All-Star game, plus, was the MVP of the Northern League playoffs after batting .452. He was also named to the Northern League post-season All-Star team and was named All-Independent League "First Team" by Baseball America.
Chris's success with the RedHawks earned him a contract with the Cleveland Indians, and he began playing for the Indian's farm teams in the year 2000. He played for Akron (AA) and Buffalo (AAA) through 2002. He was signed by the Boston Red Sox for the 2003 season and played for the Gulf Coast Red Sox (Rehab assignment after injury) and Pawtucket (AAA). He next joined the Milwaukee Brewers and played for Indianapolis (AAA) in 2004. In 2005 the Philadelphia Phillies contracted with him and he played for Scranton-Wilkes Barre (AAA). During his years in the minor leagues, Chris was primarily a catcher, but also played first, second and third base. He also, did some pitching.
The Philadelphia Phillies invited Chris to 2006 spring training in Clearwater, Florida as a non-roster player. I live only about 40 miles from the Phillies home ballpark in Philadelphia and have been a Phillies fan for more than 35 years. I was excited for Chris and as usual, followed the team through spring training with special interest in the former RedHawk.
Chris did very well during spring training leading the Phillies with a .463 batting average. The Phillies were impressed and he was on with the team when the they broke camp and headed to Philadelphia. On the weekend prior to the season opener, the Phillies played two exhibition games against the Boston Red Sox in Philadelphia. Between games Chris was informed that he was assigned to Scranton-Wilkes Barre. As I understand it, Chris was so disappointed that he left for Scranton as the game with the Red Sox was just getting underway. At 33 years old he felt that maybe his last chance had just slipped away. But he soon regrouped and decided to make the best of his situation.
On May 21 Phillies reserve infielder Alex Gonzales unexpectedly retired. Chris was immediately called up, finally making the Major Leagues after 12 years of minor league baseball. He debuted on May 26. I got very nervous after a 0 for 13 start, but then he started getting hits. I saw his first hit, first home run and several times when he delivered clutch hits and was named "player of the game". As the season progressed he continued to contribute more and more. His playing time increased and by the end of the season he was one of the two Phillies regular catchers. Chris Coste ended the season with the Phillies highest batting average of .328. Other season stats for 2006 are: Played in 65 games, 198 at bats, 25 runs, 65 hits, 14 doubles, 7 home runs and 32 RBI's.
One of the things that always amused me was that the Philadelphia writers and sportscasters referred to Chris as a the rookie catcher and Mike Lieberthal as the veteran (13 seasons as the Phillies catcher). Chris is only 13 months younger. Lieberthal is thought to be near the end of his career. His contract with the Phillies is through the 2006 season and the Phillies have stated that they do not plan to re-sign him. He wants to play for the Phillies next year and said he would consider returning as a backup catcher. So Chris Coste is expected to play an even bigger role with the Phillies next season and boy did he earn it. I'm looking forward to next season.
Chris Coste - RedHawk Player Cards
Left to Right: 1998, 1999, 1998 Chad Akers, Chris Coste, Johnny Knott, Darryl Motley, 1999
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Chris Coste was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. Played baseball at Concordia College, Moorehead, Minnesota. He first played professional baseball in 1995 with the Brandon (Manitoba) Grey Owls of the Prairie League. Please visit Chris's website at www.chriscoste.com .
October 2006
Northern League Mallards Northern League
Team logo's for Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Athletics were added this month.
Baseball cards for most of the players that later played in the Major Leagues were added on the season page for the year that they played for the Mallards.
Prairie League Mallards Prairie league
The 1997 Season Page was started this month. Additional information is being prepared for the November website update.
Negro League Baseball
Free Mahlon Duckett cards available (see September News below). I have enough copies for those that would like one.
Contacts
Nancy Schmidt of Louisburg, Kansas, contacted me in in August and requested a CD copy of the Minot Mallards Book for her husband's Merle's 60th birthday. Merle was raised in Velva, North Dakota and attended many Minot Mallard games. He played High School and American Legion baseball at Corbett Field. Merle contacted me too, and shared some of his "fuzzy memories" of the Mallards. Sugar Cain and Zoonie McLean were his favorite ManDak Mallards. Some of his favorite Northern League Mallards were Max Alvis, Sonny Siebert, Chuck Hiller, Jerry Fosnow, Larry Stahl and John Scorupski. He enjoyed following their play in the Major Leagues after their playing days in Minot. He knew groundskeeper Eli Anderson and bus driver Cameron Skarstad since they were from the Velva area. He said that the Keg restaurant seemed like part of the ballpark.
Todd Newville: Baseball Todd's Dugout http://www.baseballtoddsdugout.com "surfed" onto this website and donated the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" music now included on the Home Page.
September 2006
Negro League Baseball
I
attended the annual tribute to Negro League Baseball held on August 19 at Judy
Johnson Field in Wilmington, Delaware. The ballpark is near my residence in
Hockessin, and is the home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Class A affiliate
of the Boston Red Sox. This
season
was the 11th annual tribute.
The event is attended by former Negro League players and their families. This year the main honoree was Mahlon Duckett (tipping his cap in the photo) who played ten seasons for the Philadelphia Stars (9 seasons), Homestead Greys and winter ball in Panama and Puerto Rico. Duckett, now 83 years old, was a second baseman. He is one of four surviving former Philadelphia Stars players.
Also, in attendance was last season's main honoree, Bill "Ready" Cash (wearing red cap in the photo), a former player with the Bismarck Barons of the ManDak League. I spoke with Bill and he has a good memory of his playing days in Bismarck. He remembers many of the Mallard players. He was considered one of the league's best catchers batting .357 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI's in 1955.
Each season a player card is produced and handed out at the admission gate. I have collected four of these cards that can be viewed on the new Images 7 page. I have extra Mahlon Duckett cards. You can obtain one of these free by contacting me at bguenthner@comcast.net.
Home Page Update
An excerpt from a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Minot Daily News on July 4, 1997, has been added to the Home Page . This letter was written on the occasion of a Mallard managerial change. It was written by two of the Prairie League Mallards owners, Ken Keller and Jim Rostad. The excerpt gives these two owners' vision of Mallard baseball that I like very much and believe applies to all three era's of Minot Mallard Baseball. This excerpt is only a small part of the letter that was very well written and did a good job explaining the owners decision to make the managerial change.
Player Cards
A Mallard player card for Jerry MacKay was added this month bringing the total to 35 cards. See Images 1 and Images 1A .
Northern League Mallards
Final season standings are now included for the years that he Mallards played in the Northern League .
Prairie League Mallards - League Champions 1996 and 1997
I plan to add Prairie League information over the next several months.
August 2006
Willard Brown
Former Mallard outfielder Willard Brown was inducted into the National Baseball
Hall of Fame on July 30, 2006 along with Bruce Sutter and 17 pre-Negro League
and Negro League players and executives. A special committee of baseball
historians made the 17 selections. Each received the necessary 75% of the
12-member voting committee to earn election to the Hall of Fame. The committee
reviewed the careers of 39 Negro and pre-Negro leagues candidates over a two-day
meeting in Tampa in February of 2006. The list was pared from a roster or 94
candidates identified by a five-member screening committee.
Bruce Sutter, is the lone electee from the 2006 Baseball Writers' Association of America election.
When he joined the Mallards, Willard Brown was an ex-major leaguer with sixteen years experience in the Negro Leagues. He was 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. He led the Negro American League in home runs seven seasons. Brown roomed with former Mallard Ted Strong for 10 years while with the Monarchs. He played for Houston and Dallas in 1953 – 1955. In 1955 he batted .301 with 19 home runs and 104 RBI’s. He played winter ball in Puerto Rico and held the record of 27 home runs in one season. He joined the Mallards in July 1957 and batted .307 with 9 home runs and 29 RBI’s
For more information see the National Baseball Hall of Fame website at: http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2006/060227.htm
Shades of Glory
The National Geographic Society recently published Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan. This book is a product of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball commissioned study of black baseball. This study included a special balloting that selected 17 Negro League and pre-Negro League players for induction into the hall of fame at the 2006 ceremony. The book includes this paragraph related to the Minot Mallards:
Canada was a new destination for black players. The Provincial League, centered in Quebec, attracted many Negro Leaguers in the post-World War II period when black baseball leagues were faltering in the U.S. So did the ManDak League, with teams in Manitoba, Canada, and North Dakota. Over the eight years the ManDak League lasted, more than a hundred Negro League players appeared on that circuit's teams. Even the ubiquitous Satchel Paige appeared there, pitching three innings in each of the first three games played by the Minot Mallards. As usual, Satch sparkled while striking out 13. In one game with the Mallards, Paige did not bother to warm up. A teammate recalled, "He was standing beside me during the National Anthem, and I asked him why he hadn't warmed up. Satchel turned to me and said, 'I've been warmed up since 1936".
It was reported elsewhere that the Mallard player was catcher Marly Strong and that Paige was referring to the time when he left the Negro Leagues to play in Bismarck, North Dakota.
I also updated the Home page based on information from Shades of Glory.
Player Cards
New player cards for Butch Davis, Frank Watkins and Willard Brown have been added to the Images 1A page.
Contacts
Wilbur Aiken of Plymouth, Minnesota, hung around the ballpark with the Minot Merchants in 1948 and 1949 and the Mallards in 1950 and 1951. He was a batboy and held several other positions. Wilbur recalled an incident when Othello Renfroe was standing in the Mallard locker room stealing signs from Elmwood Giants catcher Lou Louden. Tom Parker was on the mound and when Mallard Gerry MacKay took his turn at the plate he asked Renfroe to let him know when Parker was given the fast ball sign. Wilbur also remembered that Mallard centerfielder Harvey Beaster played with a large chew of tobacco and used a piece of broken glass to rough up his bat handle.
George Rokusek of Rapid City, South Dakota purchased a set of Mallard player cards. George grew up in South Dakota when the Northern League and Basin League were winding down. He is a sports card and memorabilia collector (all sports). He is especially interested in items that have a connection to North and South Dakota, Negro Leagues and learning more about Native American ballplayers.
Thanks to Gene Severson of Bismarck, North Dakota who sent me autographed player cards of three Bismarck Baron players.
(Ray Dandridge was voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1987.)
Northern League Mallards
Information on the 1962 Mallards was added this month. See 1962 Season.
Prairie League Mallards
I have collected some information on the Prairie League Mallards and will begin adding it in the Fall of 2006
July 2006
Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame - Annual Banquet
I am back from a visit to Morden, Manitoba where I attended the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame 2006 induction banquet on June 3. There was a large turnout of about 550. It was a very nice evening with many interesting baseball stories, sometimes very emotional, and a well run banquet.
Several inductees have connections with the Minot Mallards:
Dirk Gibbons pitched for the Mallards in 1955, 1956 and 1957. He was inducted for his play from 1947 through 1957 (with two years missed when he served in the Korean War). He was also inducted as part of the 1949 Brandon Greys team that won 108 games while losing only 8. Gibbons, a right handed pitcher, won 19, lost 5, had 229 strike outs for the 1949 Greys. So Dirk came away from Morden with two trophies.
Barry Swanton, ManDak League historian and author was inducted for his 50 years as a player, coach, manager and baseball executive.
Gerry Mackay played outfield for the Mallards in 1951. He was inducted with the 1949 Brandon Greys team.
Frank Watkins pitched briefly for the Mallards in 1951. He was inducted for his play with several different teams in Manitoba.
I renewed acquaintance with Dirk Gibbons who flew in from Tampa Bay. We had a nice talk about the Mallards; he remembered many of the Mallard players both from when he played in Minot and with the Brandon Greys and Winnipeg Royals. It was interesting that all the media attention was focused on Dirk He gave an outstanding acceptance speech. Bob Huculak and his crew were in attendance filming Dirk for a documentary on the black players of the ManDak League.
It was nice to meet Barry Swanton in person. Barry and I have exchanged information over the past eight years in numerous letters and emails on the ManDak League .
I sat with Gerry MacKay during the banquet. He is not well remembered in Minot but he had a fine season for the Mallards in 1951 after playing 3 1/2 years with the Brandon Greys. Gerry is a director for the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and was previously inducted for his baseball playing career in Manitoba.
Photos (left to right): Dirk Gibbons & Bill Guenthner, Barry Swanton, Gerry MacKay (seated in white shirt)
Visit to Minot
I visited Minot after the trip to Morden. I stopped by Corbett Field (called the Minot Municipal Ball Park in the 1950's) and chatted with Mike Littler. Mike has been the head groundskeeper for over 30 years. As usual, Mike has the ball park in top condition. The field is outstanding. I met with Mark Rasmuson, one of Minot's biggest baseball fans, and compared some Mallard memorabilia. Mark has contributed a number of things shown on this website. He suggested I visit "Sports on Tap" a new and very nice sports bar located in the old Sweetheart Bread Building on South Broadway. Owner/Manager Tom Mueller gave me a tour and showed me an extensive collection of Minot sports memorabilia displayed in the bar. I was most interested in the Johnny Joyce jacket and glove from his youth team at Washington grade school. I donated a set of Mallard Player Cards that will be put on display. So stop by "Sports on Tap" the next time you are in Minot. I also looked up Bruce Walker, a childhood friend. Bruce's family hosted Ed Albosta while he played for the Mallards.
Lastly, while in Minot, I found some time to spend at the college library digging out some information for Jay Dell Mah and his Western Canada Baseball website at www.attheplate.com/wcbl/ .
(1) Opening day button "found" while in Minot, (2) ManDak flag insignia on left sleeve of Mallard uniform, (3) Duck insignia from Mallard Uniform (4) Sports Bar in Minot - look for Mallard player cards soon.
Autographed Baseball
I received a surprise email from Jim Headrick from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Jim is a grown up Minot kid that surfed onto the Mallard website and contacted me about an autographed Mallard baseball that he found while reorganizing and cleaning out his home. Jim wondered if he should donate the ball to the dumpster but I begged him not to and instead he sent it to me. The ball was signed in 1953 by the same 13 Mallards that sighed Jim Stadick's book shown in the March 2006 News update on this website. Judging from the players, I think there is a good chance that they both were signed the same Sunday afternoon.
Jim Headrick's baseball showing autographs of Eddie Bowman, Warren Martin and Connie Juelke
(The ball is coated with shellac, making it shiny)
Minot Mallards Book Review
I added a Minot Mallards book review by Carlos Bauer. Carlos had some nice comments about my work. You can find the review on the Author Page.
Recent Contacts
Ralph Bolstad of Bellville, Texas, contacted me in June to obtain a set of Mallard Player cards. Ralph who grew up in Norwich and played American Legion Baseball for Granville. He was a Minot Mallard fan in the early 1950's and attended Mallard games. He was a fan of Mallard Ed Sudol who became a major league umpire after his playing days. Ralph recalled a "get together" and drive to the Astodome with Sudol when Ed was in town to umpire a series. Ralph also commented on how well he enjoyed playing on the Minot field and considered it a step above some of the other playing fields that he played on.
Gene Severson of Bismarck, North Dakota, is a Bismarck Baron enthusiast. He coached American Legion baseball in Bismarck for 25 years. His teams played on the Minot field many times. He is also an acquaintance of former Mallard and Bismarck Baron Connie Juelke.
Jack Morris of East Coventry, Pennsylvania, is a "budding" minor league baseball researcher. He is looking for information on the Inter-State league, a six team league in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the 1930's.
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