ManDak Baseball League 1950 - 1957

---

News   History   Fuzzy Memories   All-Stars   Biographies   Rosters  Images   Author   

---

1951

When the 1951 Mallards opened their season on Memorial Day, the only players that played for the Mallards the previous year were shortstop Zoonie McLean, part time player Jack Bruton, outfielder Fred Shepard and pitcher Willie Cathey. The other players were first year players, most who arrived in Minot only a day or two before the season opener.

The Mallards started the 1951 season at home with a double header against the Elmwood Giants and  provided some Memorial Day fireworks as they whipped the visiting Elmwood Giants in both games. The afternoon game was won 13 – 5 behind the pitching of newcomer Sugar Cain. Willie Cathey, staff ace from the 1950 team pitched the second game as the Mallards won 11 – 6. Both pitchers threw complete games.  Minot punched out 28 base hits, 15 in the afternoon game before 1800 customers and 13 in the night tilt before 1400. First Baseman Ed Sudol laced five hits for the day including two doubles and a single in the first game. Sugar Cain scattered eight hits for the win in the opener and contributed a double and single at the plate.  Don Berg slammed a homer for the Mallards.

 The starting players and batting order were:

On the bench were other new players Jonas Gains, Henry McHenry and Bob Wiles. Also, Fred Shepard and Jack Bruton who had played part of the 1950 season.

Over the next week or so Norm Felde, Vallie Eaves, Wally Jako, Jim Kamis, and Brad Tolson arrived in Minot to join the team. Norm Felde and Bob Wiles were released on June 7.

On June 14 manager Otto Huber stated that the Mallards finally had their complete squad ready to play for the first time. By then they had signed Othello Renfroe and planned to alternate him at catcher with Charles Wiles. Wally Jako was now aboard in center field. Don Berg was assigned as a utility player. Huber felt that the Mallards needed more pitching as Jim Kamis had broken his leg on June 9. Sugar Cain, Willie Cathey and Jonas Gains were the Mallards’ only proven pitchers. Brad Tolson showed promise but had yet to win a game. Vallie Eaves, Henry McHenry and Bob Wiles had been released.

On June 22 the Mallards mauled the Elmwood Giants 17-2 at Winnipeg. Connie Juelke and Wally Jako had four hits each. Juelke had a home run and 5 RBI’s. Jako had three doubles and a single. All the Mallards except pitcher Brad Tolson had at least two hits. Tolson pitched a six-hitter and earned his first win. On June 25 the Mallards were in third place with an 11 – 9 record and only a half game out of second place. By June 27, Renfroe and Jako had taken over the Mallards’ top two batting averages and the team had nine home runs in 21 games compared to six home runs the entire season of 48 games in 1950. Things looked very good at that point of the season.

Then on July 1 Connie Juelke and Charles Wiles jumped the club. They left overnight without telling anyone where they were going or why they were leaving. The next day with Ed Sudol and Wally Jako injured and unable to play, Huber played four pitchers in fielding positions including Sugar Cain at third base. The Mallards lost 7 – 2 and stood at 14 wins and 13 losses.

The Mallards then brought in veteran outfielder Joe Mack and right handed pitcher Harold Schaker. Twenty-year-old Gerry MacKay, who had been released by the Brandon Greys after three seasons, was given a tryout and went 6 for 8 against his old team and won a permanent position in the outfield. MacKay put up very good numbers for the rest of the season. Cliff Kempf, who played for the 1950 Mallards, was brought in from the Minot Oscars as a catcher.

Otto Huber resigned from the Mallards on July 15 over a financial dispute with the Directors. The Mallards’ record was 18 wins and 17 losses when Zoonie McLean and Wally Jako took over as co-managers to replace Huber.

Through the rest of July the Mallards struggled to improve the team by bringing on new players before the August 1 cut-off date. Infielders Willie Blackshear, Joe DeGazio, and Roland Miles were given tryouts. Jim Kamis came back from his broken leg injury and Don Berg and Jack Bruton were re-signed. Pitchers Leonard Johnson, Nip Bruton and Frank Watkins were brought in to bolster the pitching staff. Bob Turner was brought in to backup Kempf at catcher when Othello Renfroe resigned on July 22 to begin his winter season in the Dominican Republic.

In spite of all this the Mallards continued to hover around the .500 mark in wins and losses. Zoonie McLean hit for the “cycle” on July 31 in a 15 – 8 win over the Brandon Greys at Minot. Wally Jako knocked in seven runs in an 11-10 win over Elmwood on August 7. Center fielder Harvey Beaster  hit in 17 straight games in July and batted .301 for the season.

Though posting just a 7-8 record, Cain showed promise of things to come when he turned in some brilliant pitching performances in the second half of the season.  Starting on Independence Day, Cain gave up only six hits while striking out eight in a 3-2 loss at Brandon. A week later, again at Brandon, Cain shutout the Greys on three hits.  In August against Carman he struck out 14 in a 12-inning complete game 2-1 victory.  Cain led the team with 129 innings pitched, 86 strikeouts, and 13 complete games.  He posted a .268 average at the plate.

The 1951 team, like the previous year, finished with a .500 record (32-32) for third place in the league.  The team won four of their last five games including two in dramatic fashion in a doubleheader against Carman on August 18.  In the first game, Minot scored two runs in the 12^th inning on an error to post a 2-1 win.  In the nightcap, catcher Bob Turner stroked an RBI single, again in the 12^th inning for a 5-4 victory.

In the playoffs, this year a seven game series, the Mallards faced the Winnipeg Buffalos again.  Unfortunately, the first game was rained out with Minot leading and ordered replayed, thus wasting a successful start by Sugar Cain.  After another day of rain, the series finally got underway on September 1 with Winnipeg beating Minot 11-0.  The Buffalos also won game two, shortened to five innings by rain, by a 7-5 score.

Sugar Cain took the hill in game three, and although his pitching was shaky, he went five for five at the plate to help his own cause in a 9-8 Minot victory.  This was to be Cain’s final appearance in the series as he left the club to rejoin his friend Othello Renfroe in the Dominican Republic.  The Mallards squared the series in game four behind the pitching of Willie Cathey and a three run homer by Wally Jako.  Minot took a 3-2 series lead the next day as late season pick up Frank Watkins beat the Buffalos 6-2 bolstered by home runs by Gerry MacKay and Bob Turner.

The Mallards returned home on September 6 for the sixth game, needing just one victory to win the series.  But the Buffalos jumped all over Cathey, working on just two days rest, for a 10-6 victory.  Winnipeg won the series the next day beating Jack Bruton 5-2.

The Mallards numbered thirty-three players for the season compared to thirty in 1950. In spite of  numerous player changes the Mallards did fairly well and continued to improve for the future. They now had one player from each of their first two seasons, shortstop Zoonie McLean and pitcher Sugar Cain to build their team around for future years. A catcher, third baseman and centerfielder would be added in 1952.

Zoonie McLean and Sugar Cain were the foundation for the Mallard teams

At the end of the season Roy Reimer, president of the seven member Minot Mallard Board of Directors announced that they were dissolved and selling all properties of the club. The other directors were Joe Probst, Ernie Thompson, Warren Bacon, Al Nybakken, Leo Gorder and George Mellem. The Board expressed interest in joining with a larger group that would spread the financial responsibilities of the club. They explained that operations had a $13,000 deficit in 1950, partially reduced by $5,000 made on a Fan Appreciation Day exhibition game at the end of the season. The 1951 club lost between $3500 and $4000.

A movement to secure 100 stockholders at an investment of $100 was launched. Warren Bacon, spokesman for the new group announced that chances were good for continuation of the team.

	Minot Mallards	1951
	Player	Pos.	Class	Seasons	Comments
	Harvey Beaster	Leftfield	Pro	51	played all season
	Don Berg	Outfield	Pro	51	played early & late season
	Joe Bestudick	Outfield	Pro	51	tryout
	Willie Blackshire	Infield	NL	51	tryout 7/17-7/23
	Jack Bruton	Utility	NL	50,51	played early and late season
	Nip Bruton	RHP	NL	51	joined late June
	Sugar Cain	RHP	NL	51-57	played all season
	Willie Cathey	LHP	NL	50, 51	played all season
	Joe DeGrazia	2B	Pro	51	joined mid-July; released
	Vallie Eaves	RHP	MLB	51	released 6/5
	Norm Felde	Outfield	College	50, 51	released 6/7
	Jonas Gaines	LHP	NL	51,52	played all season
	Jimmy Grant	3B	MLB	51	played all season
	Otto Huber	MGR, 2B	MLB	51	resigned 7/15
	Wally Jako	Centerfield	Pro	51,52	played all season
	Leonard Johnson	RHP	NL	51	joined  July; released 8/15
	Connie Juelke	Rightfield	local	51,53,54	jumped 7/1
	Jim Kamis	RHP	Pro	51	broke leg 6/ 9; played late
	Cliff Kemp	Catcher	local	50	filled in when Wiles jumped
	Joe Mack	Outfield	MLB	51	joined 7/4
	Gerry MacKay	Outfield	Pro	51	joined 7/4
	Henry McHenry	RHP	NL	51	released 6/25
	Zoonie McLean	SS	local	50-57	played all season
	Roland Miles	Utility	local	51	joined 7/29
	Othello Renfroe	C, Utility	NL	51,53,54	resigned late July
	Harold Schacker	RHP	MLB	51	joined 7/4
	Fred Shepard	Outfield	NL	50, 51	early season
	Ed Sudol	1B	Pro	51	played all season
	Brad Tolson	RHP	College	50, 51	joined early June
	Bob Turner	Catcher	NL	51	joined 7/29
	Frank Watkins	RHP	local	51	joined late July
	Bob Wiles	LHP	Pro	51	released 6/7
	Charles Wiles	Catcher	Pro	51	jumped 7/1
	Frank Duncan	RHP			no show
	Bill Anderson	RHP			exhibition game
	Elmer Kish				no show
	Hal Price	pitcher			did not appear

 

Home