Biographies 3

Cliff Kempf – Enderlin, North Dakota

Manager for the 1949 Minot Merchants and batted .337. Played on the North Dakota State semi-pro championship team in 1939 and the Montana State semi-pro championship team in 1940. Caught for the Mallards in 1950 and scored the Mallards first run on opening day 1950 against the Brandon Greys. Re-joined the Mallards in July 1951 after Charles Wiles jumped the club and was the Mallard catcher for 27 of 28 games until the Mallards signed Bob Turner.

Year                Home runs        RBI’s                Average
1950                       0                  14                     .181
1951                       0                  15                     .193

John Kennedy – Jacksonville, Florida

Played for the Richmond Giants in 1949 and for the Winnipeg Buffaloes in 1950 and 1951 Three years pro experience before joining the Mallards as a second baseman in 1952. Batted .286 with 1 home run and 26 RBI’s. Signed a contract to play for the 1953 Mallards but joined St. Cloud of the Class C Northern League instead. Later was the first Negro ballplayer for the Philadelphia Phillies appearing in five games in 1957. The Phillies did not think that Kennedy would make the team but he did so well in spring training that he made the cut and then the day before the season began the Phillies got infielder Chico Fernandez in a trade with the Dodgers. Kennedy was sent down to the Class B farm team in High Point, NC. Later he played for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Kansas City Monarchs.

Roy Klaudt – Salem, North Dakota

Was at the Pittsburgh Pirates farm camp in Huntsville, Texas and assigned to Waco’s Class B team of the Big State League but chose to join the Mallards in 1953. Record 0-1. 

Bob Landers

Left handed Negro League pitcher 1947-1952 for the Kansas City Monarchs. Joined the Mallards in 1952 and pitched a seven inning no-hitter against the Carman Cardinals in a league tournament at Brandon. Record was 0-1 when released on July 4. 

Lowell “Whitey” Landsen – Edmore, North Dakota

Right handed tryout pitcher from May 26 to June 22, 1953. Record 0-0. 

Harvey Lapides – New Haven, Connecticut

Brown University player recommended by Lefty Lefebvre along with Paul Wasseth. In 1949 ,batted .381 for the Fort Fairfield, Maine semi-pro club. Played for a New Haven semi-pro club in 1947 and 1948. Joined the Mallards in June 1950 and played outfield. Had two of Mallards’ six home runs for the 1950 season. Batted .248 with 12 RBI’s. 

Wilfrid “Lefty” Lefebvre – Natick, Rhode Island

Left handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators of the American League and the Minneapolis Millers and Louisville Colonels of the American Association. Appeared in 36 Major League games in four seasons. Baseball Coach at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Managed a semi-pro team at Rutland, Vermont, in 1948. Scouted for the Washington Senators. Lefebvre was a pitcher in organized ball from 1938 until 1947 when he played for Pawtucket of the Class B New England League. Called up from Louisville to the Boston Red Sox in July 1939. Also pitched for the San Francisco Seals, Little Rock Travelers and Jersey City Giants. Named as the Mallards’ first manager in 1950 but did not join the club until mid-June when his coaching duties at Brown ended. Ev Faunce filled in for him until then. Brought two of his college players: Harvey Lapides and Paul Wasseth with him from Brown University. He batted .241 with 7 RBI’s. 

Cliff Lemme

Right handed pitcher with sixteen years of baseball experience when he joined the Mallards for the 1954 season. In 1953 he pitched for North Battleford of the Saskatchewan league and appeared in two interlocking games against ManDak League clubs. Pitched the Mallards’ home opener against the Carman Cardinals on May 29 and won 14-1 with four-hit pitching. Lemme was only available for home games. Season record was 1-2.

Neil Lettau – Fon du Lac, Wisconsin

Left handed pitcher with pro experience. Signed by the New York Yankees in 1947. Pitched for Grand Forks in the Northern League in 1949 with a 15-10 record. Played in the Class AA Southern Association in 1952 and was 4-1 with Binghamton of the Class A Eastern League in 1953 before joining the Mallards on August 1. In his first start on August 1, he threw a two hitter in a 10-0 Mallard win over the Winnipeg Royals at Minot. In 1954, he won his thirteenth game on August 20 at Williston and set a new and all-time ManDak League record for wins in one season. He pitched a three hitter in game one of a special series against the Brandon Greys to determine the 1953 pennant winner. The Mallards won 8 – 2. In July 22, 1955 he was landed by helicopter on the pitching mound at Minot in pre-game festivities and then pitched poorly in a 9-3 loss against the Williston Oilers. He was released on July 25.

Year                             Pitching record
1953                                   4 – 1
1954                                 13 – 2
1955                                   3 - 6
Total                                  20 - 9

Lou Lombardo

Veteran of the Brooklyn Chain.  Debuted in Major League baseball with the New York Giants in 1948 at the age of 19 but lasted only two games and a total of 5 1/3 innings. In 1950 he pitched for the Class AA Little Rock team of the Southern Association. In 1952 he was 11-3 for Montgomery of the Class A Sally League. He was a teammate of Dean Scarborough at the Rochester, Minnesota Club of the Southern Minny League prior to joining the Mallards in 1953. Left handed pitcher for the Mallards from June 22 to July 16, 1953 when he was released. Was 0-3 with the Mallards appearing in six games.

Tom Lowe

Right handed pitcher signed by the Detroit Tiger organization in 1940. Pitched for Jersey City of the AAA International League and Jacksonville Class A. In 1949 pitched for Danville of the Class B Carolina League. Pitched for the Mallards from June 22 to July 16, 1953 when he was released. Appeared in 11 1/3 innings in three Mallard road games. His record was 1-2.

Joe Mack (Maciarz)

Veteran professional player with a career spanning 1935 through 1947. Played first base for the Boston Braves in 1945 appearing in 22 games Batted .231 with 44 RBI’s and 3 home runs. In 1937 he won the batting title and was second in MVP voting while with Waterloo of the Western League. Played for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association prior to joining the Mallards as an outfielder on July 4, 1951. On July 15, 1951 he had two doubles and a single to lead the Mallards to a 7-4 win against Brandon. Batted .242 with 2 home runs and 22 RBI’s. 

Gerry MacKay – Kenton, Manitoba

Played for the Brandon Greys for 3 ½ years before trying out for the Mallards as an outfielder in early July 1951. Proved to be a valuable player with 125 official at-bats, a .264 batting average, three home runs and 13 RBI’s. 

Rudy Mayling – Los Angeles, California

Three years of pro experience. Played in the Kansas City A’s chain. Led the Class B Big State League with 32 home runs in 1956. Batted .280 with 106 RBI’s, 33 doubles and 7 triples. Played for Grand Forks of the Class C Northern League. Played briefly as an outfielder for the Mallards in 1957 but was released on June 12  with a .149 batting average and joined the Williston Oilers for the remainder of the season. 

Warren Martin – Saginaw, Michigan

Right hand pitcher for Saginaw in the Class A Central League in 1950 and 1951. Pitched for the Mallards in 1952 with a 3-2 record.  In his debut with the Mallards on June 25, 1952 he pitched a four hit shutout.  Re-joined the Mallards on July 16, 1953. Also pitched in 1954 and 1955.

Year                        Pitching record
1952                            3-1
1953                            6-3
1954                            7-5
1955                            2-2 

Joe Massaro – Vineland, New Jersey

Five years pro experience. Played for Saginaw in the Class A Central League as a teammate of Yogi Giammarco. They joined the Mallards together in 1952. Stocky, heavy bearded Mallard catcher and perennial RBI leader for four seasons. In 1952 he led the ManDak league with 55 RBI’s which was a record up to that time.  Started out the 1953 season with Richmond of the Class B Piedmont League then jumped to the Mallards on June 1 to replace Phil Tomkinson.

• In a 17-15 win over Winnipeg on  June 12, 1952 he had three home runs.

• Hit an inside-the-park home run on July 27,1953 against Moosejaw in interleague play.

• In game one of a special series against the Brandon Greys to determine the 1953 pennant, he had four hits for three RBI’s in a 8 – 2 win.

• In the 1953 semi-final playoffs versus Winnipeg he had 12 hits in 30 at bats (.400) with six RBI’s.

• On May 31, 1954 had 5 RBI’s, on two home runs and two singles in a 14 – 0 win over the Carman Cardinals at Minot.

• On June 14, 1954 he hit two home runs in a 13-7 win over Williston at Williston.

• On July 18, 1954 he had 5 RBI’s in a 18 – 7 win over the Carman Cardinals at Minot.

• Led the league with 92 hits in 1954.

• Twice in 1955 he had 5 RBI’s in a game.

• Led ManDak League catchers in fielding in 1954.

 

Year                Home runs           RBI’s              Average
1952                   3                       55                  .286
1953                   2                       41                  .305
1954                   7                       66                  .325
1955                   2                       37                  .279
Totals                14                     199                  .301

Frank McCollum

Right handed pitcher. Negro League career 1954 – 1956. Played for the Louisville Black Colonels, Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons. Pitched for the Mallards in 1957. Was with the team until  June 13 when he was released with a 12.87 ERA.  Record was 0-1. 

Henry McHenry

Right handed pitcher. Had previous Latin America experience. Played under Otto Huber in 1948. Pitched for the Mallards in 1951 until he was released on June 25. Record was 0-1.

Clifton “Zoonie” McLean – Rugby, North Dakota

Mallards’ all-time favorite player. Played for the Minot Merchants in 1947, 1948 and 1949. His batting average for 1949 was .467. Coached high schools at Underwood and Plentywood, Montana. Was offered a chance to play for the Philadelphia Athletics Class A farm club in 1947 but declined in favor of continuing his education. Played shortstop all eight years that the Mallards were in the ManDak League. Team manager for 1952, 1954,1955 and 1957. Also co-managed the 1951 club after Otto Huber resigned on July 15.

•  In 1950 he led the team in batting with a .267 average, 50 hits, 11 doubles and 4 triples.

•  Hit for the cycle on July 30, 1951 against the Brandon Greys.

•  Managed the Mallards to their first and third ManDak League Championships in 1952 and 1954.

•  Hit a grand slam home run July 28, 1952 at Carman. Mallards won 10-5.

•  1952 League batting champion with a .369 average.

•  Led the league shortstops in fielding in 1954.

•  Hit three home runs and went 5 for 5 in a game on June 19, 1955 against the Williston Oilers at Williston. This extended his hitting streak to 11 games during which he batted .538 and raised his season average to .478

•  At the end of the 1957 season he went 18 for 31 to raise his batting average from .337 to a team leading .365.

Cread McKinnes

Left handed pitched for the Mallards in 1956 with a record of 0-2. Formerly played for the Brandon Greys.

Rollie Merrill

Right handed pitcher for the Mallards in 1954 with a record of 0-1.

Buddy Messina – Glenside, Pennsylvania

Pro baseball for four years in the Cincinnati chain . Played for Sunbury of the Class B Piedmont League in 1955 and with Norfolk of the Piedmont League in 1952. Played Class A baseball for Columbia. Did not play in 1956 and then joined the Mallards as the second baseman for the 1957 season. Highly rated fielder by the Mallards. Batted .269 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI’s. Hit a grand slam home run on July 7, 1957 against Bismarck.

Stan Milankovich – Farrel, Pennsylvania

Seven years pro experience. Right handed pitcher for St. Petersburg in the Class B Florida league. Led the league with 18 wins.  Played for Dallas of the Class AA Texas League in 1954. Joined the Mallards in 1955 and pitched a 4-2 record. He debuted on July 7 and pitched a seven-hit 9-2 win over the Dickinson Packers at Minot

Roland Miles

Infielder that joined the Mallards on July 29, 1951 from the Regina Caps. Later signed a football contract with the Green Bay Packers. Went on to a Hall of
Fame career in the Canadian Football League.

Don Miller – Bottineau, North Dakota

Local athlete from the University of North Dakota. Amateur pitcher. Played catcher and outfielder for the Mallards in 1956. No statistics available.

Joe Montiero

All Star with Superior of the Northern League in 1951 and Richmond of the Class B Piedmont League in 1953. Won of the Provincial League batting average crown in 1951 while with the Grandby Club. Played in the Piedmont League in 1952-1954. Joined the Mallards as left fielder for the 1955 Season. Was a very sensational defensive outfielder. He hit home runs in four consecutive days in early July. Batted .313 with 14 Home runs and 55 RBI’s before leaving the club mid season when he signed a pro contract with the Philadelphia Organization.

Howard Morgenstern – Long Island, New York

Started his career in 1953 as a pitcher and had little success. Joined the Mallards in 1957 as an outfielder. He came to Minot June 20th on his own and requested a tryout. Released July 4. Batted .222 in nine at-bats.

Malachi “Mal” Murray - Philadelphia

Right handed pitcher that joined the Mallards at the age of 19. He was recommended by Ben Cain, Sugar Cain’s brother. Ben Cain was the manager of the Philadelphia Meteors and Murray had an 8-1 record with that team. In his debut on June 22, 1952 he pitched a 5 hit shutout against the Carman Cardinals in Minot. Minot won 13-0. Then in his second start on June 26 he threw another 5 hit shutout versus the Brandon Greys in Brandon. Minot won 5-0. He began the 1953 season with the Mallards but left the team on June 15 to serve in the military. In his first game in 1953 against Winnipeg he led the Mallards to a 9-8 ten inning win and hit a two RBI double in the 10th inning.

Year                        Pitching record
1952                              5-3
1953                              2-1

Chuck Orner – Gowan City, Pennsylvania

Six years of pro baseball experience including two years of Class AA with the Southern Association in 1953 and 1954, two years of Class A and two years of Class B with the Philadelphia A’s organization. Joined the Mallards as catcher mid-season 1956 as a replacement for Dewey Williams. Batted .265 in 1956 with 4 home runs and 20 RBI’s. Also led the league catchers with only one error and a .994 fielding average. In 1957 batted .275 with 2 home runs and 28 RBI’s.

Year                Home runs        RBI’s                Average
1956                     4                    20                   .265
1957                     2                    28                   .275

Bill Oster – East Norport, Long Island, New York

Left handed pitcher with three years experience with the Kansas City Athletics organization. Appeared in 8 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954. Joined the Mallards mid-July 1956 and compiled a 1-2 record. Was 2-0 in the playoffs that year including a 3-1, four hitter against Williston in the championship series. His record for 1957 was 9-5.

Satchel Paige

Legendary Negro League pitcher and future “Hall of Famer” that was contracted to pitch in three of Minot’s first five games in 1950 to generate interest in the club. Also played in the major leagues as an aging player for the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and 1949, the St. Louis Browns in 1951-1953 and the Kansas City Royals in 1965.  Played for Neil Churchill’s Bismarck, North Dakota semi-pro team that won the National semi-pro tournament in 1935. He, along with other Negro players, was supplied by Abe Saperstein owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. Paige pitched against Jamestown pitcher Barney Brown on August 10,1933 in a North Dakota semi-pro game. Barney later pitched in the ManDak League and with the Minot Mallards in 1955.

Fred Parker - San Francisco, California

Right Handed pitcher. Signed by the Cleveland chain in 1947 and assigned to Bakersfield of the Class C California League, then pitched for Bisbee-Douglas in the Class C Arizona-Texas League. Was 9-7 for Reno of the New York Giants chain in 1949. Continued in pro ball until he joined the Mallards in 1954.

Pitching record was 3-7.

Willie Patterson

Negro league player from 1950 – 1953. Played for the Birmingham Black Barons before joining the Mallards on August 1, 1955 as a utility player and batted .286.

Jimmy Peet – Portsmouth, Virginia

Left handed pitcher played three seasons semi-pro ball for the Portsmouth Barons and Sportman Athletics. Joined the Mallards in 1950 at the age of 17. Pitched a 2-2 record before resigning on July 8. Was the losing pitcher in the Mallards first ManDak League game on May 24, 1950 at Brandon.

Don Petschow –  Clarkson, Washington

Six years of organized baseball with a batting average of .325. Played for Lewiston, Idaho of the Class B Northwest League. Played in Mankato, Minnesota in 1953 and 1954 batting .375 and .319. Spent 1949 and 1950 in the Class C Rio Grande League. Had 28 home runs, 146 RBI’s and batting average of .282 for Brownsville in 1949. In 1950 he was with Harlington of the same league and had 20 home runs, 119 RBI’s and an average of .345. Harlington moved up to Class B in the Gulf Coast League in 1950 and he batted .350. Joined the Mallards in 1955 as first baseman. He suffered a cracked elbow in mid-June and was out of action for several weeks. On July 7 he paced the Mallards with his 4th home run of the season, a double high off the right field fence and a single in a 9 – 2 win over Dickinson Packers at Minot. He was released in late July and joined the Dickinson Packers.

Frank Pickens

Right handed pitcher picked up from the Louisiana Travelers as a replacement player in July 1950. Record 0-1.

Joe Piercey – Salt Lake City, Utah

Left handed pitcher with fourteen years experience. Came to the Mallards in 1956 after three seasons with Houston of the Class AA Texas League. Was 6-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 1955. Previous experience with Macon of the Class A Sally League, Atlanta of the AA Southern Association and Shreveport of the Texas Loop. Managed the Mallards from opening day 1956 to July 21 when he left the club to return to pro baseball. Pitching record was 1-2