Muskegon Big Red Baseball

Muskegon Baseball Preview - MLive

2011-04-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

Coach: Tom Lopez.

Last year: 4-24.

Home games played at: Marsh Field

Key returnees: Orlando Pena, Jamie Pesch, Amario Hobson.

Watch for: Owen Verge, Terrance Spears, Ryan Follins, Kevonte Keys, Jose Gonzalez, Thomas Goedert, Jailyn Thompson, Paul Casteneda, Darrion Hoggard.

Outlook: Inexperience is a big concern, but Lopez likes his team’s chemistry and work ethic.

2011 Muskegon Varsity Schedule

2011-04-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Big Reds Baseball

3/30 Muskegon Catholic
4/12 Mona Shores
4/14 East Kentwood @4:30
4/15 @East Kentwood @4:30
4/16 Big Red Invitational
4/21 @Rockford** @4:30 & 6:00 $
4/22 Montague** @4:00 & 6:00
4/26 Grand Haven @7:00
4/28 @Grand Haven @4:30
4/29 North Muskegon @6:30
5/3 @Hudsonville @4:30
5/5 Hudsonville @4:30
5/7 GMAA @ Mona Shores TBA
5/10 Holland West Ottawa @4:30
5/12 @Holland West Ottawa @4:30
5/17 @Jenison @4:30
5/19 Jenison @4:30
5/20 Newaygo**@4:15 & 6:15
5/21 @ Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills TBA
5/23 Grandville @4:30
5/25 @Grandville @4:30
5/31 MHSAA Districts TBA
6/11 MHSAA Regional
6/14 MHSAA Quarterfinals
6/17 MHSAA Semifinals
6/18 MHSAA Finals

** Doubleheader

$ Rescheduled

Home games played
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Muskegon High School - Harry Potter Award

2011-03-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Big Red Baseball MVP
1981 - James Aldrink
1982 - Scott Port
1983 - Matt Siuda
1984 - Darren Fairfield
1985 - Tom Siuda
1985 - Brian Hunter
1986 - Tony Cuti
1987 - Robert Picard
1988 - Brian Johnson
1989 - Tony Novak
1990 - Max Anderson
1991 - Joe Sherwood
1992 - Dan Ogle
1993 - Tom Lopez
1994 - Steve Lillmars
1995 - Joe Trigg
1996 - Nicholas Slater
1997 - Jason Hersey
1998 - Patrick Daniels
1999 - Jacob Reineke
2000 - Rob Backstrom
2001 - Aaron Skiles
2002 - Peter Grostic
2003 - Mike Gallegos
2004 - Mark Tillman
2005 - Josh Cherry
2006 - Jason Ruud
2007 - Kevin Cooper
2008 - Justin Tyler
2009 - Dennis Merritt
2010 - Evan Saxe

Negro League baseball legend Elston Howard got his start in Muskegon

2011-01-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2011

By Tom Kendra | The Muskegon Chronicle

Elston Howard is a well-known name to baseball historians.

Howard was a star catcher in the Negro National League who, in 1955, became the first black man to play for the most iconic of all sports franchises, the New York Yankees. Howard later became the first black coach in the American League and the first black to hold an executive position with a major-league team.

Associated Press - In 1955, Elston Howard became the first black player for the New York Yankees. Howard was a Negro League star who got his start in integrated professional baseball with the Muskegon Clippers.

Less well known is that Howard played his first season of integrated professional baseball for the Muskegon Clippers in 1950 at historic Marsh Field in Muskegon.

“Muskegon is the town where Elston Howard got his start after the Negro League,” local sports historian Ron Pesch said. “That is very significant.”

Howard and pitcher Frank Barnes were the first black players for the Clippers, who played in the Central League and were a Class A farm team of the Yankees.

Howard is just one of hundreds of great players from the Negro Leagues and one of the most notable Muskegon connections to that symbol of America’s segregated past, when blacks were not accepted into baseball’s major and minor leagues in the first half of the 1900s, instead forming their own teams and leagues.

Memories of those great players and teams will be on display starting tonight and running through March 13 in an exhibit titled: “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball” at the Muskegon Museum of Art in downtown Muskegon.

The event kicks off with a free reception at 5:30 p.m. tonight, featuring live music, a presentation by artist Kadir Nelson whose 33 paintings make up much of the exhibit and an appearance by Cecil “Aspirin Tablet” Kaiser, the oldest living player from the Negro Leagues.

Bringing back memories

Although Muskegon never had a team in the Negro Leagues, many black teams played games at Marsh Field in the middle of the 20th century.

Bob Ludwig, one of the top baseball players to ever come out of the Muskegon area, played for the Outwin Zephyrs and remembers games against all-black teams at Marsh Field, most of the time against the Chicago American Giants and other teams from the Chicago area.

“Those games were always packed; I’m talking 5,000 people in that stadium,” said Ludwig, 83, who plans to attend Thursday’s opening celebration for the exhibit.

Although blacks did not enjoy the same privileges or rights in those days as whites, Ludwig said “we never had a speck of trouble in any of those games.”

Contributed photo - The 1950 Muskegon Clippers baseball team was a Class A farm team for the New York Yankees. The Clippers featured two black players, pitcher Frank Barnes, and out- fielder-catcher Elston Howard, back row, fourth from the right. Howard went on to be the first black player for the Yankees, joining the team in 1955.

Those games reached the height of their popularity in the mid-1940s, shortly beforeJackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 by playing in a game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were played on Sunday afternoons and later on Wednesday nights.

“I still remember those black teams showing up in old buses that used to break down or run out of gas all the time,” Ludwig recalled. “They were playing those games to make a little money, but even though 5,000 people would show up, they wouldn’t get their fair share.”

The most famous black player to ever compete at Marsh Field was Satchel Paige.

Paige was a star pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League who played several exhibition games in Muskegon in the early 1940s. In 1971, Paige was the first Negro League player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Ludwig also remembers playing against Great Lakes Naval Training baseball teams out of Chicago, an organization which had a Great Lakes White team and a Great Lakes Negro team.

Ludwig played eight seasons of minor league baseball from 1946 to 1953 and played games in 45 different cities, but never was teammates with a black player.

Howell is the name

While Elston Howard was the most famous baseball player ever to play for a Muskegon team, he was not the most successful black baseball player to be raised in Muskegon.

Frank Howell was a three-sport star at Muskegon Heights High School in the late 1940s.

Howell, who turned 80 years old in November, was a great center fielder for the University of Michigan who led the Wolverines to the 1953 national championship. Howell was offered a contract out of college by the Boston Braves, but opted to enroll in U-M’s dental school instead.

“Unfortunately, Frank Howell was the only black baseball player of note to come out of Muskegon,” said local baseball historian Marc Okkonen, who has written several historical baseball books. “Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing that Muskegon has done so well in so many sports, but has not produced any black players in baseball’s minor leagues.”

But Elston Howard, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., and played with Paige with the Kansas City Monarchs, batted .283 with nine home runs in 54 games for the Clippers in the 1950 season.

He served two years in the military in 1951 and 1952, then continued to move up in the Yankees’ minor-league organization and finally became the first black to play for the Yankees in 1955.

Howard, who died in 1980 at the age of 51 from heart disease, played 14 big-league seasons and finished with a .274 career batting average and 167 home runs. He was the American League most valuable player in 1963 as a catcher and played in 10 World Series, winning six championships.

Then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had this to say about Howard shortly after his death in 1980.

“If indeed humility is a trademark of many great men, with that as a measure, Ellie was one of the truly great Yankees,” Steinbrenner said.

Howard was a giant of the game who started his climb to the top of the integrated baseball world in Muskegon — and there was a reason for that.

The Yankees recognized Howard’s talent and wanted to send him somewhere to play where he wouldn’t face the often nasty bigotry that was going on in southern ballparks at that time.

“It was a very racist time period in America, to be honest,” said Jim Moyes, a former Muskegon resident and noted sports historian and personality.

“But Muskegon was a great place for Elston Howard to start. Muskegon was certainly much more tolerant than most cities.”

Related events
• Today: 2 p.m., Autographed Memorabilia Sale. Louis Manley Jr. will have quality Negro League autographed memorabilia available for sale. A portion of the sales will support the MMA.

• Friday: Unity breakfast at Muskegon Community College with Kadir Nelson. Call 724-3172 for reservation and information. Tickets for sale in MMA gift shop.

• Jan. 27: 7 p.m.,“Shadowland,” a living history performance by Bobby Norfolk.

• Feb.12: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Super Baseball Saturday, a free family fun day.

• Feb. 24: 7 p.m., a lecture by Larry Lester, one of the founders of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

• Feb. 26: 1-4 p.m., a Negro League baseball memorabilia clinic with Louis Manley Jr.

• Feb. 26: 4 p.m., a panel discussion and reception featuring Lester, former Negro League players, a former sportswriter and others.

March 3: 7 p.m., talk by Ron Shapiro, a sports agent, New York Times bestselling author and civic leader.

March 10: 7 p.m., performance and talk by Joyce Stearnes Thompson, daughter of former player Turkey Stearnes.

Brown Bag Film Series
January and February Brown Bag films celebrate the opening of “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.” Admission is free with coffee and cookies. All showings are at 12:15 p.m.

• Today: “There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro League Baseball Leagues,” (58 min.) Learn about Negro League Baseball by watching compelling interviews of players.

• Jan. 27: “Pitching Man, Satchel Paige Defying Time,” (55 mins.). This is the story of Satchel Paige, an extraordinary athlete who overcame major adversity to play baseball.

• Feb. 10: “Inning 5–Shadow Ball, 1930~1940,” (151 mins.). This is part of the PBS series by Ken Burns.

• Feb. 24: “Only the Ball was White,” (30 mins.). This is based on the 1972 book by Robert Peterson.

Kurt Knutson and the amazing 1951 Muskegon Big Reds

2010-07-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Muskegon Chronicle
Sunday, July 11, 2010

by Jim Moyes
jimmoyes@aol.com

It was a year that arguably remains at the top for Muskegon High School in terms of athletic excellence, but victories came interspersed with moments of joy and tears of sorrow.

When Muskegon’s 1951 football team capped its season with a 26-6 victory over rival Muskegon Heights, there was unbridled enjoyment when Harry Potter’s gridders were acclaimed as the mythical Class A state champs.

However, it wasn’t the only state championship Muskegon High earned in 1951.

Many of those same Big Red football legends of yesteryear also played huge roles in leading Muskegon to the Class A baseball state crown in the spring of 1951, Coach Potter’s second state title in the same calendar year.

The 1951 Muskegon High School mythical state championship team.

Muskegon overcame adversity to claim the baseball state championship with its standout pitcher on the sidelines with an undisclosed illness, the severity of which was a mystery to his teammates and media.

I know that the state did not officially sanction a state playoff for baseball until 1971. However, in 1951, the winner of a Memorial Day tournament in Battle Creek was recognized as champs by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

This tournament pitted the winners of the four major Class A conferences in the state of Michigan in a two-day format. Teams invited included Flint Northern, winner of the Saginaw Valley; Monroe, the top team of the Detroit suburban area; and Battle Creek, champion of the Five-A Conference.

Muskegon earned its trip to the Cereal City by capturing the highly competitive Southwest Conference championship. And the Big Reds accomplished this feat with their ace pitcher, not on the mound in Battle Creek, but being tested for an undisclosed illness many miles away at the Mayo Clinic.

When a large influx of baseball players reported for tryouts in the spring of 1951, Harry Potter knew he was blessed with a ton of talent, including the ace of the pitching staff from 1950.

Kurt Knutson had a monster year in leading the Big Reds to a very respectable 9-2 record. The 16-year old junior hurler shut out four foes during the 1950 season and posted a minuscule earned-run average of 0.78.

Three of those shutouts came against some top-notch competition at the time. Knutson posted successive 1-0 masterpieces against the Holland Dutchman and the Benton Harbor Tigers before blanking archrival Muskegon Heights 5-0.

Only three teams Knutson that faced during the 1950 campaign were able to score off the slender righthander. A powerful North Muskegon squad could later boast of scoring a pair of runs off the Muskegon ace in dropping a 5-2 tilt to the Big Reds.

During this era, the big rival for Muskegon in baseball was the Maroon Giants of Kalamazoo Central. Kalamazoo won its 38th straight game over the Big Reds in front of a large crowd at historic Marsh Field. Knutson carried more than his share of the load for Muskegon, but the normally airtight defense of Muskegon allowed a pair of unearned runs to cross the plate in Kalamazoo’s 2-0 win.

What a collection of candidates greeted Coach Potter prior to the 1951 baseball season! Recently I had a chance to reminisce with Jerry Eaton, one of the many galaxies of stars on this Big Red machine.

“Look at the great athletes we had on this team,” replied an awestruck Eaton.

Certainly the person most well-known was Big Red shortstop Earl Morrall. Morrall, who has long been overlooked for a place in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, was a three-sport star at Muskegon High.

While everybody recalls Morrall’s legendary exploits on the football field, Morrall was talented enough in baseball to become the regular shortstop for the Michigan State University baseball team.

All four members of the Big Reds’ starting backfield in 1951 were also regulars on the baseball team.

Joining Morrall in the starting lineup were halfbacks Leland David and Bob Fairfield, while the bruising fullback on this Big Red team, Dick Fett, was also a regular. Five years ago, this Muskegon football squad of 1951 was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Genetics ran deep on this Big Red team. Lee David’s son years later would be a first-round draft pick for the Toronto Blue Jays. And the late Bob Fairfield’s son, Dusty, became a legend as the longtime football coach at Ravenna.

“We had two exceptional catchers,” Eaton recalled. “How many teams can boast of having two great catchers on one team? It didn’t matter who Harry threw out there, Bob Soderholm and Dick Fett were just terrific players.”

Captain Jerry Stephens joined Morrall and David in the starting infield at second base with Bill Nyblade at first.

Fairfield was a hard-hitting left fielder, while Tom Byrnes was a steady performer in right field. Patrolling centerfield was Bob Hill.

“Hill was a great player,” Eaton recalled. “He could really hit and had great speed for an outfielder”

While Knutson was expected to be the mainstay on the pitching mound, Potter quickly recognized the potential talent of Eaton. The flame-throwing righthander would sign a contract with the Detroit Tigers before returning to his alma mater to coach Muskegon’s baseball team for many years.

“I was a young sophomore in 1951 and Kurt Knutson took me under his wings,” Eaton said. “He was always talking baseball with me and certainly helped make me a better pitcher.”

For whatever reason, there were a limited amount of games scheduled in the 1940s and 1950s, as evidenced by the Big Reds’ 13-0-1 record, with only a season-ending tie to cross-town rival Muskegon Heights marring a perfect record. The game was called with the Big Reds batting in the eighth inning, with two runners on and nobody out, when a sudden storm quickly deluged Mona Lake Park.

There were no cupcakes on the 1951 Big Red schedule. How disappointed was this author when the Big Reds twice defeated a North Muskegon team, the only losses suffered by the Norsemen who were coached by my father, Paul Moyes.

Coach Potter sent out his ace pitcher to battle Heights in the first Southwest Conference game of the season. The Big Red bats were booming as Knutson allowed the Tigers no earned runs in a convincing 10-3 victory.

A week later, a gritty Knutson tossed a neat two-hitter as the Big Reds disposed of the Holland Dutch, 5-1. Unbeknownst to all but perhaps Kurt Knutson, there began some ominous signs that all was not well with the popular Muskegon pitcher.

Time and time again during my research for this story, there were frequent game articles that depicted Knutson “wobbling” or “stumbling” around the mound. However, when the big game of the year rolled around, Coach Potter sent Knutson to the mound to face the mighty Maroon Giants of Kalamazoo Central.

Not only was the Southwest Conference championship at stake, but also Kalamazoo, with a winning streak that had reached 46 games, was a definite threat to eclipse the state record of 55 held by Potter’s own Big Red powerhouses from the early 1940s.

The Maroon Giants were aptly named, as not only had they become a dynasty in baseball, but Central had also won three consecutive Class A basketball championships. The big star on the basketball court, as well as the baseball diamond, was 6-foot-6 first baseman Ron Jackson.

Jackson played parts of seven season in the major leagues, mostly with the Chicago White Sox, and would go down as Kalamazoo Central’s most heralded athlete until a guy by the name of Derrick Jeter appeared on the scene in the early 1990s.

With the score knotted at 2-2, with Kalamazoo batting in the third inning, Knutson stunned all those in attendance when he turned ill and began vomiting uncontrollably near the pitching mound. A very concerned Potter replaced Knutson with sophomore standout Jerry Eaton. Eaton permitted Kalamazoo just two additional runs while the potent Big Red batsmen did the rest.

The big blow in Muskegon’s victory was a bases-loaded triple by Bob Hill that provided some much-needed insurance runs for the victors. The Big Reds won convincingly, 8-4, and snapped the Kalamazoo winning streak.

The following week, a courageous Knutson would pitch in his final game for the Big Reds in the team’s final conference game with Grand Haven. Knutson was far off form, but he somehow mustered enough stamina to pitch the Big Reds to a 9-4 win over the Bucs, clinching the conference championship and earning Muskegon a berth in the Battle Creek Invitational.

It would prove to be a bittersweet Memorial Day weekend for this Big Red baseball squad. While Knutson headed to the Mayo Clinic for testing, the Big Reds were determined to “win this tournament for Kurt.”

And win it they did.

Coach Potter surprised many Muskegon supporters when he sent out a young sophomore by the name of Brad Hart to pitch the opener against Monroe. Hart pitched a gem, going all nine innings in a 2-1 Muskegon victory.

Monroe’s only run came at the expense of a disputed balk call against inexperienced Hart. Muskegon trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the last scheduled inning. Never known as a speedster in his Hall of Fame career, Morrall used his legs, and not his fabled right arm, to send the game into extra innings.

Morrall singled, took second on the catcher’s wild throw, advanced to third on an infield out and then tied the game on a clean theft of home. After Fett led off the deciding ninth inning by being hit by a pitch, Morrall singled, and after Tommy Byrnes laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, Fett raced home with the winning run when the pitcher threw wide to first base.

Eaton was “effectively wild” in the championship game with Battle Creek. None of the Bearcats were digging in at the plate after Eaton hit a batsman and tossed three wild pitches as Muskegon fulfilled its pledge to “win this for Kurt” by defeating Battle Creek, 5-3.

Many of these same Big Reds formed a team to play in the State American Legion tournament in late July. Muskegon swept through three opponents to win a prestigious zone tournament played at Marsh Field.

On July 29, 1951, just two months after Muskegon had won the Battle Creek Invitational, and recognized as the 1951 state champs, Knutson passed away, a victim of leukemia.
That evening, the players from the Muskegon Elks team were gathered at the local American Legion Post where the club’s victory was being celebrated. The celebration came to a crashing standstill when word was received that their beloved teammate had passed away. Many of Knutson’s fellow Big Reds wept unashamedly.

When I asked Eaton what kind of a person Knutson was, he quickly burst out: “Oh my God! You’d want him for a brother!”

When they laid Knutson to rest on July 30, 1951, among the pallbearers were Eaton and Morrall.

“At the funeral we were given identification bracelets in memory of Kurt,” recalled an emotional Eaton.

“I have worn that bracelet ever since his funeral. And I know Earl did the same for many years.”

Kurt Knutson was just 17 years old.

E-mail: jimmoyes@aol.com

Grand Haven stops Muskegon's 55-game win streak

2010-05-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 24, 2010,

Dave LeMieux | Muskegon Chronicle

This week 65 years ago...
Pitcher Bob Ludwig took the only loss of his three-year prep career and the Muskegon’s only loss from 1941-1945. The Big Reds’ 55-game win streak is still third-longest in state history.
The Chronicle said on May 23, 1945:

The Muskegon Big Reds, rolling along undefeated since the opening game of the 1941 season, were nipped 4-3 Tuesday afternoon at Marsh Field as the Grand Haven High school nine snapped the long, 55-game winning streak.

Grand Haven won the game on two big runs in the first half of the extra inning eighth inning by bunching three singles and two Muskegon errors. The defeat was a heartbreaker for Coach Harry Potter, the Muskegon players and the fans because Muskegon had come from behind in the sixth to tie the score after trailing for four innings and Muskegon had the pepper to come through with one run after two were out in the last of the eighth.

This long, history-making winning streak of 55 games began back on April 25, 1941 for the Big Reds. On that day, Muskegon defeated Montague in the season’s opener and then went on to win every game in the 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944 seasons and on into the 1945 schedule.

In addition to holding the honor of defeating Muskegon, Grand Haven today stands first in the northern half of the Southwest Michigan Conference.

Johnny Mahder, sophomore southpaw, was the winning hurler, limiting Muskegon to seven hits. Bob Ludwig hurled an eight-hit game for Muskegon.

Entering the first of the extra inning, with the count tied at 2-all, Grand Haven got started when Mahder was safe on an infield error after two were out. DeWitt and Fekete singled to fill the bases and then Mahdre came home on an infield error. The Bucs ran the margin to 4-2 when DeWitt crossed the plate on Westerhof’s single.

Ludwig smacked out a double after one was out to get a Muskegon rally started in the last half of the eighth. Mahder than fanned Jack Streeter for the second out, but Tom Carr brought Ludwig home with a rousing double. Muskegon trailed 4-3 but the game ended as Fuller flied out.

Muskegon started the game in good style in the first inning when catcher Don Ohs walloped a homer. Grand Haven countered with two runs in the second when DeWitt and Fekete, who had hit both safely, came home on a single by Westerhof and a fielder’s choice.

The game was tied by Muskegon in the sixth when Jack Streeter singled to drive in Nick Yonker, who had walked and went around to third on a fielder’s choice and another walk.

More on the story
By Dave LeMieux

Memories last a lifetime

Now 82, losing pitcher Bob Ludwig still remembers the end of Muskegon’s win streak.

“You would ask me about that,” said the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame inductee with a chuckle. “Thing is, we could’ve won it with a base hit. It was just one of those things.”

“The thing about that game wasn’t that it ended the streak, it’s that we lost. You have to remember, the guys on that team had never lost before,” Ludwig said.

Something else you need to know about Ludwig and the 1945 Big Reds is that they never lost again.

The Big Reds’ 55-game win streak still ranks as the third best in state history behind Grand Haven’s 56 (1960-1962) and Homer’s 75 (2004-05).

The Big Reds finished the 1945 season 10-1 and were 59-1 from 1941-45.

On June 5, 1945, Ludwig and the Big Reds avenged the streak-ending loss by beating host Grand Haven 3-0 for the Southwestern Conference’s Northern Half title. Ludwig gave up just three hits and struck out 11 to get the win.

On June 9, 1945, at Upjohn Field in Kalamazoo, Muskegon won its fifth straight Southwestern Conference title with a three-run, two-out rally in extra innings to beat Kalamazoo Central 6-4.

Ludwig, pitching his third game in a week, including a 12-0 win over Muskegon Heights, went all nine innings against Central, striking out seven to finish his three-year prep career with an 18-1 record.

Ludwig’s two no-hitters at Muskegon came two weeks apart during his sophomore season. He might have had at least two more if it weren’t for fleet left hander Larry Boone from rival Muskegon Heights.

Boone broke up a pair of Ludwig no-hitters with sixth-inning bunt singles; one on May 12, 1944 and another on May 11, 1945.

“He could run like a deer and laid down a couple of bunts down the third base line,” said Ludwig, who now counts Boone among his best friends. “It was just baseball.”

“I got copies of those (box scores) from Coach Harry Potter’s daughter Ann (Potter) Moore and sent them to Larry. I didn’t put my name on them. I just wrote, ‘What a dink,’” Ludwig says, laughing at the memory.

It’s a laugh the two old rivals share every month when they meet for breakfast at a local restaurant with a group of other old-timers from the area.

“Those Heights guys turned out not to be so bad after all,” Ludwig says.

1940 - Briggs Stadium Expert Watches Bleachers Start

2010-05-18T18:59:00.001-07:00

Framework To Be Laid Under Eye of Walter Gordon; Work on Moving Fences Back Has Begun.

League baseball moved closer to Muskegon today than for many years. Work on moving back left and right field fences to the same distance from the home plate as the distances at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, and laying of the framework for new bleachers designed to seat an additional 1500 customers in all started.

The initial stages of the work was under the watchful eye of an expert, none other than Walter Gordon, who has charge of Briggs Stadium in Detroit, and is head of the much bigger job of keeping that stadium and its fences and seats in proper repair.

Gordon will stay here until the framework of the bleachers are in position and satisfactory to himself, probably until next Tuesday when he will return to Detroit. Improvements for the most part are being done on the recommendation of the Briggs Stadium expert.

Other improvements also will be rushed, as only a short time remains to improve dressing rooms, rest rooms, to paint the stands and fences and repair seats before a baseball school is started here May 1.

No word has been received as yet by Business Manager Harry E. Potter as to when Jack Tighe, playing manager, will report. Tighe will run the baseball school assisted by Potter, with Wish Eagan, scout of the Michigan territory for the Tigers.

MARSH FIELD MEMORABILIA

2010-04-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

Michigan High School Athletic Association historian Ron Pesch of Muskegon and Lakeshore Baseball Club officials are working together to gather images and stories of Marsh Field. The goals are to start capturing the memories and using these items in the future on a website, in print, or in the form of historical placards that could be displayed at the site.

Items being sought are: photographs, game programs, scorecards, home movies and baseballs.

Pesch said they want to capture images of the items, or will accept scans of the images. They are looking for written or verbal memories of the Lassies, Clippers, Reds, Detroit Tigers, football games, traveling road shots and other events that took place at Marsh Field. They include visits by the Negro League teams and Jessie Owens.

Anybody interested in forwarding their Marsh Field memories for the project should contact Pesch at peschstats@comcast.net or call him at 231-759-7253.

Neighborhood gets a boost from spruced-up Marsh Field

2010-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Mike Mattson | Muskegon Chronicle
April 25, 2010, 10:33

Muskegon varsity baseball coach Tom Lopez appreciates historic Marsh Field.

He’s heard the oldtimers’ stories.

He’s read articles about the baseball diamond that served as home field to the professional Clippers and Lassies in years gone by.

And he grew up with special childhood memories at the park.

“My dad always brought me to the field,’’ Lopez said. “And I chased foul balls for Les David. He’d pay us a hot dog and a couple bucks to chase foul balls.’’
In recent years, Lopez watched the decline of Marsh Field, which serves as the home field for the Big Reds.

Weeds and dandelions invaded the grounds that Les David once cared for with his heart and soul.

The overall upkeep of the facility diminished.

And the playing conditions bordered on being unsafe. Infielders needed mouth guards and face masks as all ground balls were an adventure.

“There are players who dreaded to play here because of the playing conditions,’’ Lopez said recently after an OK Red home game against East Kentwood. “Everyone in the place knew about the Marsh Field ground ball.’’

Marsh Field, located at the busy corner of Laketon Avenue and Peck Street, simply became a victim of its time.

Obviously, the City of Muskegon has faced shrinking revenue and tight budgets. Officials had more important issues on their plate than the maintenance of a baseball field.

Enter the Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC, which reached an agreement in January with the city to operate, maintain and improve Marsh Field.

Take a visit to Marsh Field and you’ll notice some obvious improvements.

• The stands behind home plate sport a fresh coat of green paint and new green padding.

• Burned out bulbs have been replaced on the light towers.

• Dugouts have been refurbished and include a new step for players to view action on the field.

• Tons of new dirt/stone dust have been added to the infield.

• The scoreboard has been repaired.

• The home plate area and pitching mound were rebuilt.

• Baselines were cut and the place is neatly groomed. Players get to play on a lush green grass surface.

• All games have an announcer and the national anthem is played before each game.

• Ballpark food will be coming soon after inspections are complete, but for now there are basic treats available at the concession stand.

Overall, the best thing about Marsh Field is it’s alive with daily activity.

There are two games a night at Marsh, including high school and middle school action. Summer tournaments are being lined up as travel teams will come to town to enjoy the facility.

Neighborhood residents also enjoy walking and jogging on the paved paths that circle the Marsh Field perimeter.

The spruced up park is now the center of the Marsh neighborhood.

It’s alive with baseball and good clean fun.

Lakeshore Baseball Club officials probably could have built a new spiffy facility somewhere in the suburbs.

But their investment in Marsh Field is a wise decision that means its legacy will continue for many years to come.

“The improvements have been great,’’ Lopez said. “It’s been awesome. Our team takes pride in the field and helped with the cleanup and painting. If they will build it for us, I say let’s enjoy it and take care of it.’’

Coach had his field of dreams

2010-04-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

When Muskegon's baseball season ends later this spring, Coach Jerry Eaton will walk off the field with memories and stories from a wonderful 26-year career.

By MIKE MATTSON
Muskegon Chronicle staff writer
May 19, 1994

Muskegon baseball coach Jerry Eaton motivates the Big Reds in many ways.

But forget about the compliments and criticisms. Eaton still chuckles about his most bizarre ploy in the heat of a game long ago.

"We were playing in Grand Rapids, using wooden bats in those days," Eaton recalled. "We just weren't hitting the ball. I noticed a lot of scrap paper in the dugout. So I put it in a pile and lit a fire.

"Smoke was pouring out of the dugout and the fans didn't know what was going on. I told the kids, 'We're going to warm these bats up, so put them all on the pile.' We loosened up and went out and just pounded the ball. That's a true story."

That's Eaton, the motivator.

That's Eaton, the story teller.

That's Eaton, only the third head baseball coach at Muskegon.

When Muskegon's season ends later this spring, Eaton will walk off the field with memories and stories from a 26-year career.

"I've had 26 years of having fun," Eaton said this week from his Beach Street home. "I've had tremendous kids to work with. I can't ever remember a year not looking forward to practice."

A talented player
Baseball has always been Eaton's favorite sport, especially the pitching aspect.

He fell in love with the game while growing up near Pere Marquette Park. Neighbors could trace thumping sounds to Eaton, who pitched baseballs into a blanket near the side of his house.

"When I was 10 years old, I got a book from my grandfather called 'How To Pitch' by Bob Feller." said Eaton, who was inducted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1993. "It was my Bible."

Eaton became a Bob Feller-type pitcher. The 1953 Muskegon graduate never lost a decision as a pitcher for the Big Reds.

He'd fire blazing fastballs past hitters, while helping the Big Reds snap Kalamazoo Central's 49 game win streak en route to the 1951 state championship.

"I could throw hard," said Eaton, who delivered fastballs in the high 80s. "I was a thrower at that time. I'd just aim it down the middle of the plate."

Eaton exited professional baseball after two years in the Detroit organization. He married his wife Nancy in 1957 and headed for Western Michigan University for his teaching degree.

And then it was off to Bunker Junior High School, where he taught many subjects in 29 years and coached many sports. He still chuckles about his two-year stint in charge of the golf team.

"I had two girls on the team who could beat me," Eaton said. "They called me the advisor, not coach. That was my idea."

Just call him 'Coach'
In baseball, Eaton is 'Coach.'

The title comes from years of service and dedication.

He's taught hundreds of kids how to catch, throw, and hit a baseball. How to get to practice on time. And how to look and act professional on the field.

Haircuts are mandatory, too. Players always wear a cap at practice. Wearing shorts is a rare treat. Miss practice or arrive late and you pay the consequences under the competitive Eaton, who followed Harry Potter and Ray Ritter as Muskegon' baseball coaches.

Mike Taylor, Muskegon's junior varsity coach. played for Eaton in the early 1980s. He knows quite a bit about 'Coach.'

"He's a disciplinarian, very much so," said Taylor, who has been assisting Eaton for the past seven years. "He stressed to give 110 percent. He only asked that we improve."

One time, a player stole Eaton's master key to the high school at practice. The team ran for about an hour until the guilty player confessed.

"No, we weren't upset," Taylor said. "Everybody respected him. High school baseball is going to miss him."

Taylor still laughs at Eaton's many superstitions. 'Coach' takes the same routes to the field, uses the same scorebook pencil, eats at the same restaurant at the same time and is reluctant to change his socks. "He won't change his routine," Taylor said.

Eaton often lets Taylor coach third base in a move to generate good luck and runs.

Eaton has compiled a 382-213 record, including nine county baseball championships and no district titles. His best team finished 21-2 in the early 1970s, suffering a pre-district qualifying loss to Grand Rapids Creston.

"A kid hit a home run and we lost by a run," said Eaton, who missed his only game this year when his grandson was seriously ill with pneumonia. "I'll never forget that as long as I live. I didn't sleep for a week. The district has been my nemesis."

Leaving a mark
Eaton, like many coaches, has been a father figure to some players.

His toughest job isn't teaching baseball fundamentals. It's other tasks, like informing two players about their fathers' deaths.

That was sad," Eaton said.

Another sad time occurred when high school teammate Kurt Knudson died of leukemia. The family gave the pallbearers, including Earl Morrall and Eaton, identification bracelets. Morrall and Eaton still war those bracelets.

Eaton has sent dozens of players on to college baseball. Many former players still call and write him.

"I got a call about two years ago from a player whose daughter was on a softball team," Eaton said. "He wanted to know how to get his daughter more playing time.

"What did I tell him? 'Be polite. And ask (the coach) what can I do to make my daughter a better softball player?' That's the best way to handle it."

"I know he left a mark on a lot of these people," said Nancy, his wife of 36 years. "I think the dedication Jerry showed all these years has paid off."

Eaton has no set plans for retirement. He'll do some traveling with Nancy, spend quality time with his grandchildren and likely tell plenty of baseball stories.

Marsh Field had a roar of its own

2010-04-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

Thousands of fans once packed the bleachers at Marsh Field. Today, the stadium is a shell of its former self.

By RON ROP
Muskegon Chronicle Staff Writer
April 25, 1993

The roar of the crowd was deafening when more than 4,000 fans packed into the covered grandstands at Marsh Field to take in an afternoon of America's pasttime.

There were appearances by the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox that brought numerous stars and hall of famers to the storied facility, located at Laketon Ave. and Peck Street.

According to Marc Okkonen's chronology of baseball in Muskegon, 21 Hall of Famers jave appeared in Muskegon including Charley Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, Harry Heilmann, Johnny Mize and Satchel Paige. The storied past is well-documented by Okkonen in his manuscript called "Baseball in Muskegon."

But, that was all a thing of the past.

The crowds are gone, the grandstand has been demolished and today's stars are amateurs on high school teams and summer city leagues.

Muskegon High School coach Jerry Eaton experienced both the heyday of Marsh Field and the present day when few spectators show up at the field which is merely a shell of its former self.

Eaton, who first played at Marsh Field in the late 1940s in the American Legion leagues, recalls the days of the covered grandstand, the wooden fence and the field caretaker named Henry Connoll, who went by the nickname "Foghorn."

"It was a real thrill to get in here and play," said Eaton. "We used to sneak in."

When the Muskegon Clippers, members of the Central League, faded in 1951, most of Muskegon's baseball had come to an end.

The final women's baseball game at Marsh Field was an exhibition game between the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox. The game featured former Muskegon star Donna Cook.

One last try at the girls' league failed in 1953.
Marc Okkonen with his scale model of Marsh Field

It was also about that time when the Big Reds began calling Marsh Field their home and it's been that way ever since.

While baseball remained popular among participants, the number of spectators continued to diminish.

The aged grandstand began deteriorating with age and was demolished in 1957.

"The city condemned the stands," Eaton said. "They had it marked off so you couldn't go up high. The next year they tore them down."

The concrete section containing the dugouts as well as the concession stand along the ramp was preserved.

"I tell the kids some of the things that happened around here," said Eaton. "But, it's hard to visualize what it used to be like."

Later, city fathers wanted to finish demolition of the park and turn it into administration buildings or a civic center. However, Charles W. Marsh's deed to the city stated the property had to be used for baseball or the property reverted back to the Marsh estate.

"They wanted to build the county building here, but Marsh was smart," said Eaton.

In stepped the late Les David, who spent the countless hours and many dollars keeping the facility operating. Led David served as coach and commissioner for many years. David, Muskegon's Mr. Baseball, was a fixture at the field.

The job of commissioner of the Inter-City Baseball League remains in the David Family. Leslie Ruth Luttrull, Les David's granddaughter, has been serving as commissioner since David's death on Nov. 9, 1988.

"This is still a nice field," Eaton said. "We're fortunate to be able to play here."

Minor improvements made to field
While the crowds have diminished since professional baseball left Marsh Field, it remains the hub of local baseball activity.

And maintenance of the field remains a high priority with the city's Parks Department.

Any changes or improvements at the field come from the Marsh Field Improvement Fund Tournament. This year's event, scheduled for late August and early September, is the 30th annual.

"Two years ago, we totally redid the infield," said Luann Price, recreation supervisor for the City of Muskegon. "That cost us $10,000."

"There were dips at third base," Eaton said of the old infield. "I give a lot of credit to the recreation department for the maintenance they've done to it."

Rebuilding the press box area and concession stand area are high on the priority list for the future, said Price.

Field remains active
Before Muskegon Catholic Central High School built Sikorski Field, there were plenty of headaches encountered with scheduling games at Marsh.

Catholic, Muskegon, Western Michigan Christian and Muskegon Community College all shared the facility.

"Now that was a mess," Eaton said. "We used to search out places to practice before Sikorski Field was built."

Muskegon Community College also has its own baseball field.

Currently, two high school teams and the Inter-City Baseball League still call Marsh Field home.

The Muskegon Big Reds and the Western Michigan Christian Warriors share the field.

This year, the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks used the facility during the early season because the MCC field wasn't ready.

Next Saturday, the Led David Memorial Baseball Tournaments will commence, with the Class C-D tournament. The Class A and B teams will battle for the county title on May 8.

2010 Varsity Schedule

2010-03-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

Muskegon Big Red Varsity Baseball
Home Games at Marsh Field

03/29 @ Reeths-Puffer
03/31 @ Coopersville
04/01 @ Whitehall (Doubleheader) - 4:00
04/13 @ Mona Shores - 4:15
04/14 @ Grandville - 4:30
04/16 Grandville - 4:30
04/19 Muskegon Heights (Doubleheader) - 4:00
04/20 @ East Kentwood - 4:30
04/22 East Kentwood - 4:30
04/23 @ North Muskegon (Doubleheader) - 4:00
04/27 Rockford - 4:30
04/29 @ Rockford - 4:30
05/01 GMAA Tournament @ Reeths-Puffer
05/04 @ Grand Haven - 4:30
05/06 Grand Haven - 4:30
05/07 @ Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills - 6:15
05/11 Hudsonville - 4:30
05/13 @ Hudsonville - 4:30
05/14 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian - 4:00
05/17 OK Conference Rain Date - 4:30
05/18 @ Holland West Ottawa - 4:30
05/20 Holland West Ottawa - 4:30
05/24 Jenison - 4:30
05/26 @ Jenison - 4:30

What a wonderful event!

2010-03-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Muskegon Baseball's 2010 St. Patrick's Day party.

Many thanks to those who attended the fundraiser, as well as to those from the community who donated door prizes, time, and effort toward helping kids play ball! It was a grand success!

2010-02-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Lakeshore Baseball Club goes to bat for Marsh Field

2010-01-30T02:58:00.000-08:00

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

January 30, 2010

A summer evening baseball game at Marsh Field, the city of Muskegon's historic athletic facility - Chronicle file photo.

MUSKEGON — In a move they are hailing as a home run, Muskegon city commissioners have reached an agreement with the Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC to operate, maintain and improve Marsh Field.

Commissioners last week unanimously approved a three-year contract with an organization led by two local, longtime amateur baseball promoters. Money will not change hands between the club and city but both expect to benefit.

The city will get a group passionate about promoting baseball and willing to restore some of the glory to historic Marsh Field at Laketon Avenue and Peck Street. The Lakeshore Baseball Club will get a baseball field and revenues generated from the facility from tickets, concessions and advertising.

The city will save on maintenance and operating costs while having a private group improve the field and its facility. The city will still own the field.

MARSH FIELD

Marsh Field improvements by the Lakeshore Baseball Club over the next three years:

• Infield upgrades (already under way)

• Renetting backstop

• Renovate dugouts

• Field lighting upgrades

• Grandstand and seating improvements

• Scoreboard upgrades

• Landscaping

— Source: City of Muskegon agreement with Lakeshore Baseball Club

“This is a great example of the public and private working together,” Mayor Steve Warmington said. “This group has stepped up to make improvements to Marsh Field and to bring it back to its full luster.”

The Lakeshore Baseball Club is led by Pete Gawkowski and Len Piasecki. Gawkowski owns and operates Extra Innings — a Norton Shores indoor baseball training facility — and owns local Subway sandwich shops. Piasecki heads the Muskegon ChannelCats travel youth baseball club.

The Marsh Field agreement resolves several issues for commissioners. The first is continued public access to the Marsh Field parking lot, children’s playground and walking path.

“In the agreement, the track, parking lot gate and ‘tot lot’ will continue to remain open to the public,” Gawkowski told commissioners. “Nothing will change. We will be only inside the baseball field fences.”

The Muskegon Big Reds high school baseball program will continue to use Marsh Field for practice and games free of charge, City Manager Bryon Mazade said. Also, the contract allows Muskegon-area Little League organizations to use the field free of charge for all-star events.

The Lakeshore Baseball Club also will use Marsh Field for various baseball and softball youth camps. Those activities will be open to city of Muskegon youth, free of charge, the contract states.

Lakeshore Baseball Club hopes to improve the field that dates back nearly 100 years and in its heyday was a minor league baseball park for both men’s and women’s teams. The club also will boost the field’s use. It will conduct spring, summer and fall league games for teams along the lakeshore and hold regional and state tournaments on weekends.

“We love the fact that you are taking care of upgrades to Marsh Field and maintenance that the city right now can’t afford,” Commissioner Larry Spataro said.

Private group plans to maintain Marsh Field

2009-11-20T02:51:00.000-08:00

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

November 20, 2009

Chronicle/Ken Stevens

Marsh Field, at the corner of Peck Street and Laketon Avenue, has hosted professional baseball and Olympic track stars. The field, which was built in 1916, is starting to show its age. The city of Muskegon and Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC are working on a agreement to make improvements to the field, which could be used to host youth baseball activities.The old field where Jesse Owens once dusted his toes and Satchel Paige trotted the bases is about to get a facelift.

Marsh Field, on the corner of Peck and Laketon, has hosted professional baseball stars, an Olympic track champion and high school games for nearly 100 years. But, it’s starting to show its age.

And officials from the cash-strapped city of Muskegon, which owns and cares for the field, think it might be time to forge a relationship for upkeep of the field with a private entity.

Enter the Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC. The new organization, led by Pete Gawkowski and Len Piasecki, hopes to make improvements to the facility so that it can host local and out-of-town youth baseball activities from tournaments to summer camps.

“Marsh Field has been in a state of decline over the past 10 years,” said Gawkowski, a West Michigan Subway sandwich shop franchise owner and developer of Extra Innings — a Norton Shores indoor baseball training facility.

Chronicle/Ken Stevens

Marsh Field also has a walking path as part of the recreational facilities at the city park. A formal three-year agreement having the Lakeshore Baseball Club take over the operation and maintenance of Marsh Field is being put in final form by attorneys. The field would remain the home and practice field for the Muskegon High School Big Reds baseball team.

For other events, however, the club would have rights to the field’s gate reciepts and concession stand revenues.

“Marsh Field is one of the oldest minor league fields in Michigan,” Muskegon City Manager Bryon Mazade said. “It has a long history. The facility needs some work.”

For the city, an agreement with the Lakeshore Baseball Club would save city parks department resources during extremely difficult budget times. It’s a public-private partnership similar to the longstanding agreement the city has with a fishing group, which maintains and operates Fisherman’s Landing boat launch and camping facility.

Jim Grevel is a member of Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC and special events coordinator for Extra Innings. “Marsh Field is a very special place,” he said.

Marsh Field dates back to 1916. Founder Charles W. Marsh sold the site to the city in 1920.

Through the 1920, ’30s and ’40s, the covered grandstands held up to 4,000 screaming baseball fans on many nights. Those grandstands — built by Marsh who was the president of Muskegon’s Michigan State League team — survived until 1957.

Marsh Field reportedly provided a showcase for the likes of baseball Hall of Famers Charley Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, Harry Heilmann, Johnny Mize and Satchel Paige to name some who played there. The baseball park was home to the American Legion leagues in the 1940s.

Marsh Field also hosted the Muskegon Lassies beginning in 1946. By 1948, the Lassies drew 78,000 fans and the Clippers courted 83,000 — the best attendance year for the ballpark, according to sports historians.

The Central League Muskegon Clippers faded in 1951. The last women’s baseball ended in 1953.

After the removal of the covered grandstands, the baseball field became home to the high school Big Reds. It has served Muskegon area high school and youth leagues ever since.

Gawkowski said his company wants to begin working on Marsh Field yet this fall in preparation for the 2010 season. Eventually, the group wants to build a new infield which could be up to a $40,000 investment. A new backstop, concession stand upgrades and security measures also are being planned, he said.

Historic Marsh Field in 1956 - Chronicle File Photo.

The Lakeshore Baseball Club has been asked to limit access to Marsh Field at the baseball field gates and not the facilities’ parking lot enterances. The Marsh Field property also has playground equipment, a walking trail and other general recreation areas that will remain open and free to the public.

The facility upgrades and Lakeshore Baseball Club’s sports contacts should boost the potential of hosting local and statewide youth baseball tournaments at Marsh Field, said Piasecki, president of the Muskegon ChannelCats youth baseball club. The potential is to have the facility used five nights a week by local and regional teams and host events for out-of-town teams every weekend.

Youth sports — like baseball, hockey, volleyball and basketball — have become big business as parents travel far and wide to have their children play on elite travel teams. All of that means tourism business for the community, according to Muskegon County Tourism Manager Jill Emery.

“Sports marketing is one of the top areas of growth for all convention and visitor bureaus,” Emery said. Sporting events generate hotel room nights and spending at local restaurants, gas stations and retailers, she said.

“Sporting events affect several sectors of our economy,” Emery said. “These events generate big bucks.”

For the owners of the Lakeshore Baseball Club, the Marsh Field initiative is simply about the love of baseball and the community.

“We want to polish a diamond in the rough,” Piasecki said

2009 Muskegon Big Red Baseball Golf Outing

2009-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Location:
Bent Pines
2480 Duck Lake Road
Muskegon, MI 49461

Date:
Saturday, June 6, 2009

Time:
7:30 Check-in
9:00 Shotgun

Format:
4-person Scramble

Cost:
$220.00 per Team or
$55.00 per person
(Single entries accepted to match with other players)

Includes:
18 holes of golf
2 carts per foursome
Steaks, 2 sides, roll
Door prizes

Registration:
Yes! We want to be a part of the 2009 Muskegon Big Red Baseball Golf Outing. The proceeds from this fundraising event support Big Red Baseball. You may register as a single or as a foursome. Below, please complete the names, addresses and phone numbers of all golfers. Send check and Registration by May 30.

Contact:
Chris Hilliker for additional information at 231-329-3108 or 231–747-7713.

Team:

1.
____________________________________________________

2.
____________________________________________________

3.
____________________________________________________

4.
____________________________________________________

Make checks payable to:
Muskegon Big Red Baseball

Send entry form and check to:
Chris Hilliker, Big Red Baseball
2118 Deerwood Rd
Twin Lake , MI 49457

Total:
Enclosed $ ___________

2009 Muskegon Baseball Teams

2009-04-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Varsity
2 - Enrique Pena, OF/IF/P - Senior
3 - Elan Banks, OF/P - Senior
4 - Josh McMann, OF/IF/ P - Senior
5 - Xavier McCarty, OF - Sophomore
6 - Ben Klemm, IF/P - Senior
8 - Ben Carson, OF/IF/P - Junior
12 - Brett DeCheney, IF/P - Junior
16 - Nate Smith, OF
23 - Marshall Werling, IF - Senior
24 - Dennis Merritt, IF/P - Senior
32 - Justin Brownlee, IF - Senior
33 - Evan Saxe, IF/P/OF - Junior
34 - Randall McMurray - Player/Manager

10 - Tom Lopez - HEAD COACH
13 - Jesse Pena - ASSISTANT COACH
31 - Eric Alcorn - ASSISTANT COACH
Dexter Larabee - MANAGER

Junior Varsity
1 - Xavier Mccarty, OF/IF - Sophomore
3 - Sam Kohley, P/IF - Sophomore
4 - Jeff Shanty, P/IF - Sophomore
8 - Jamie Pesch, P/IF - Sophomore
10 - Terrance Spears, OF/IF - Sophomore
12 - Orlando Pena, P/IF - Sophomore
13 - Andra Jolly, P/IF - Sophomore
16 - Cameron Hunter, OF - Freshman
21 - Amario Hobson, P/OF - Sophomore
23 - Jared Holmberg, OF - Sophomore
24 - Mathew Murar, IF - Sophomore
31 - Troy Hurlbert, IF - Sophomore
32 - Jai'lyn Thompson, OF - Freshman
33 - Tom Geodert, IF - Freshman
34 - Brett Kammers, P/IF - Freshman

Chris Hilliker - HEAD COACH
Brad Casciano - ASSISTANT COACH

55 Wins in a Row - the legacy of Muskegon Baseball

2009-03-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to imagine any high school team accomplishing the feat, but between the seasons 1941-1945, Muskegon High School's baseball teams established a Michigan High School state record with a string of 55 consecutive victories. Even more astonishing is that the record was bested in the 1960's by Grand Haven's prep teams, who strung together 56 straight wins. It was a Grand Haven squad that had ended the Muskegon streak. Over 40 years later, Homer High School finally broke Grand Haven's mark with a national record 75 victories compiled during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

It's interesting to note that it took five years for Muskegon's team to total 55 wins, while Grand Haven needed only a portion of three seasons to win 56. It took Homer only two years to total 75 straight. My, how times have changed!

Here's an article from an old Muskegon Chronicle covering Muskegon's win streak. Click on the image for a large, easy to read version.

Muskegon Big Red Varsity Baseball Schedule

2009-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

03/30/09 4:00 pm Muskegon Western Michigan Christian

03/31/09 4:30 pm Grand Rapids Creston

04/02/09 4:00 pm Whitehall (doubleheader)
04/14/09 4:30 pm Muskegon Mona Shores
04/15/09 4:30 pm @ Jenison
04/17/09 4:00 pm Jenison
04/20/09 4:30 pm Grand Rapids Central
04/21/09 4:00 pm Grandville
04/23/09 4:30 pm @ Grandville
04/24/09 5:30 pm Orchard View (doubleheader)
04/27/09 4:00 pm East Kentwood
04/29/09 4:30 pm @ East Kentwood
05/01/09 4:30 pm @ Rockford
05/02/09 9:00 am GMAA Tournament @ Mona Shores
05/04/09 4:00 pm Rockford
05/06/09 4:00 pm Grand Haven
05/08/09 4:30 pm @ Grand Haven
05/09/09 10:00 am Jon Hooker Memorial Invitational
@ Holland High School
05/11/09 4:00 pm @ Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
(at McCrea Field)
05/12/09 4:30 pm @ Hudsonville
(at Baldwin Middle School)
05/13/09 4:30 pm OK Red Rain date
05/14/09 4:30 vs. Hudsonville
05/15/09 4:30 vs. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
05/18/09 4:00 vs. Holland West Ottawa
05/20/09 4:30 @ Holland West Ottawa
05/22/09 4:00 @ Muskegon Catholic Central
05/23/09 10:00 am @ Grand Rapids Union (doubleheader)
05/26/09 Pre-Districts @ Holland West Ottawa
05/29/09 Districts
06/06/09 Regionals
06/09/09 Quarterfinals

Click here for more details on the varsity schedule. Click here for a copy of the Junior Varsity Schedule

Special thanks to all that came out for our

2009-03-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Second Annual
St. Patrick's Fundraiser for

Muskegon
Big Red
Baseball
on
Saturday
March 14, 2009 at

Tatra Hall - 2526 Sixth Street

Dinner included: Steak, Potato, Garlic Bread, Salad, Dessert & Coffee

with entertainment by
the Carl Webb Band

Congratulations to the winners of our

* 50/50 Raffles * Door Prizes * Silent Auction *

A great time was had by all!

Thanks, of course, to all who bought tickets to the event!

In addition special thanks to all those who helped us stage this event, including the Big Reds Baseball Parents Group; Tatra Hall; all the volunteers that offered their time in the kitchen, clean-up, grilling steaks, making food and desserts, and decorating and our sponsors:

Kohley's Superior Propane
Lakeside Emporium
The Meat Block
Meijer
Frederik Meijer Gardens
Muskegon High School Bookstore & Principal David Lewis
Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Sportsman Association
O'le Henry Gardens
Sports Clips
Sports Pro Stop
Stonegate Golf Club
Sysco Foods
Tourcotte/CT Gallery
Trophy House/Jones Sporting Goods
Wayne's Deli
Carl Web Band
Wesco
West Michigan Whitecaps

See you next year!

Bowling Fundraiser - Sunday, February 22

2009-02-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

The first of our annual fundraisers kicks off this Sunday, February 22 at1:30 at Sherman Bowling Lanes in Muskegon. Cost is $15 per person or $25 a couple and includes three games plus shoe rental. We'll also have a 50/50 raffle and Strike pot.

Contact Coach Tom Lopez at 720-3015 for tickets. Come out and support your Big Reds!

Paul Bard: A baseball legend

2009-02-15T04:47:00.000-08:00

Local sports broadcasting legend Jim Moyes has returned to to the local sports pages. Once a stringer for the Muskegon Chronicle, Jim has started to write a series of articles on local sports that will cover a wide range of subjects, individuals and teams. His first article from the series appeared in early February, and focused on a former Muskegon Big Red, Paul Bard.

Bard was a starred in football, basketball and baseball for the Big Reds back in the early 1940s "whose college career at Western Michigan University was cut short because of service to his country."

The full article is currently available on on the web. Click the following link to check out the complete version: Paul Bard: A sports and war hero.

For the benefit of Muskegon Baseball fans, we highlight Bard's career on the baseball diamond, as pulled from the Moyes article.

Beginning with his first game during his Junior year of 1941, when he no hit the Montague Wildcats, Bard would go on to have a high school baseball career that arguably was the best in state prep annals.

Thousands upon thousands of players have played the great game of baseball at the prep level in the state of Michigan. Sixty-one years after Paul Bard played his last game at Muskegon High his legacy has been restored. Miraculously enough Hall of Fame baseball coach Harry Potter's scorebook, found recently collecting dust in his daughter's (Ann Moore) attic, gives authenticity to Bard's achievements.

The Big Reds were a perfect 26 and 0 in 1941 & 42 and here is where Bard ranks in MHSAA history.

Career ERA (Earned Run Average): 0.76 No 3 All time.
Season (1942) ERA: 0.11 No 1 All Time.
Fewest walks Allowed in a Season: 5 in 1942 No. 1 All Time.
Fewest Wild Pitches Career: (0 in 120 innings) No. 1 All Time
Strikeouts in a Game: 20 No. 2 All time.
Assists by a Pitcher in a Game: 11 No. 1 All Time.

Bard also was the cleanup hitter for Muskegon and was a lofty slugger. In 1941 he posted a batting average of .524 and a slugging percentage of .881. For his two-year career (1940 batting stats are unavailable) Bard crushed the ball at a .439 clip. As a fielder Bard went through the two seasons without committing an error.

Bard followed his amazing high school career by posting very similar numbers while twirling in the very competitive Tri-State League. On Saturday, August 17, 1942 Bard hurled a 4-0 nine-inning shutout in a City League game.

In looking back this may have been a very poor decision on Bard's (or his coach's) part. Two days later a group of area Muskegon All Stars assembled to play the Detroit Tigers at Marsh Field. The Tigers absolutely "bombed" the outmatched area stars while only Paul Bard was able to slow down the heavy hitting Bengals. Pitching on but one days rest Bard allowed one run in his first inning of work and retired the side in order in his second and final inning pitched. What kind of impression might Bard have made on the Tiger brass if he was fully rested?

Moyes notes that in February 1943, less then a year after graduating from Muskegon High School, Bard joined the Armed Forces, serving his country bravely.

"There is no question but that World War II prevented Paul Bard from achieving his dream of being a Major League Baseball player." recalled former classmate and former school board member, Ray Carlson.

Marsh Field

2009-02-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

From the State of Michigan Historical Marker at the corner of Peck Street and Laketon Avenue

Marsh Field began its tenure as the principal home of Muskegon baseball when it was completed in 1916. Charles W. Marsh - a Muskegon civic leader, industrialist and sports enthusiast - spearheaded construction of the park, which he donated to the city in 1919. The first minor league franchise to play here, the Reds, was a member of the Central League. Muskegon teams were later part of the Michigan State and the Michigan-Ontario Leagues. The Muskegon Lassies of the All-American Professional League played here from 1946-1950. The last professional team played here in 1951. The location of the diamond has not changed since the park opened, and it has been the site of high school games and local amatuer baseball programs ever since. The original grandstand was raised in 1957.

How it all began - the story of Muskegon Baseball

2009-01-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Baseball at Muskegon High School begins with a single name.

The Big Red Marching band has William Stewart. Baseball has Harry Potter.

A graduate of Manistique High School in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Harry pursued a college career at Western Michigan University (then called Western State Normal). In the early‑1920s Harry was a three‑sport star at Western in football, basketball and baseball.

Following graduation, Potter turned down a professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He accepted a teaching and coaching position at Crystal Falls High School and returned to the U.P. C. Leo Redmond, a teammate on the football squad with Potter during their days at Western persuaded Potter to join him at the high school as an assistant coach and physical education teacher in 1927.

Between 1927 and 1942, Potter handled the football and basketball second-team coaching duties at Muskegon High School, compiling an 84‑14‑3 mark on the gridiron and a 154‑62 record on the cage court. He became the school's head basketball coach in 1943, then Muskegon's varsity football coach and athletic director in 1947.

While the city of Muskegon had a long history of baseball, it wasn't until the spring of 1937, when Potter established a baseball program, that the Port City school took up the game. Competing at Marsh Field in Southwestern Conference, and later in Lake Michigan Athletic Conference competition, Potter led the Big Red baseball team for 30 years. Along the way, his team established a stellar reputation, that included a state record streak of 55 consecutive victories between 1941 and 1945. Before the days of Michigan High School Athletic Association baseball competition, his 1951 team scored a mythical baseball crown in a tournament in Battle Creek. Potter's skills helped develop professional ballplayers, including Bob Ludwig, a outstanding AAA prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization, John Huizenga, a AAA catcher in the Detroit Tiger system, Major League pitchers Ray Newman (Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Tigers) and Jim Johnson (San Francisco Giants).

Potter's baseball squads grabbed S.W.C. conference crowns in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1951 and 1952 and L.M.A.C. titles in 1962 and 1963. In 30 He retired from active coaching in1964, remaining as the school's athletic director until his retirement in 1966. He passed away in 1980.

Muskegon Big Red Baseball

Muskegon Baseball Preview - MLive

2011 Muskegon Varsity Schedule

Muskegon High School - Harry Potter Award

Negro League baseball legend Elston Howard got his start in Muskegon

January 13, 2011

IF YOU GO

Kurt Knutson and the amazing 1951 Muskegon Big Reds

Muskegon ChronicleSunday, July 11, 2010

Grand Haven stops Muskegon's 55-game win streak

Monday, May 24, 2010,

1940 - Briggs Stadium Expert Watches Bleachers Start

MARSH FIELD MEMORABILIA

Neighborhood gets a boost from spruced-up Marsh Field

By Mike Mattson | Muskegon ChronicleApril 25, 2010, 10:33

Coach had his field of dreams

Marsh Field had a roar of its own

2010 Varsity Schedule

What a wonderful event!

Lakeshore Baseball Club goes to bat for Marsh Field

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

January 30, 2010

Private group plans to maintain Marsh Field

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

November 20, 2009

2009 Muskegon Big Red Baseball Golf Outing

2009 Muskegon Baseball Teams

55 Wins in a Row - the legacy of Muskegon Baseball

Muskegon Big Red Varsity Baseball Schedule

Special thanks to all that came out for our

Bowling Fundraiser - Sunday, February 22

Paul Bard: A baseball legend

Marsh Field

How it all began - the story of Muskegon Baseball

Muskegon Chronicle
Sunday, July 11, 2010

By Mike Mattson | Muskegon Chronicle
April 25, 2010, 10:33