Left - Pitcher Steve Stavrianoudakis. Right - Shortstop Koney Williams. (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left - No identification available for the this photo. Right - Ralph Mabee at warm-up (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left - A little warm-up, Jacobs, Rudy Garcia, Steve Stavrianoudakis, Bob Garcia, Charlie Beene.
Right - The Bentleys of Delisle (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left : Ralph Mabee (bottom right), his wife next to him. Right - Sherman Watrous at bat. (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left - A little warm-up, Jacobs, Rudy Garcia, Steve Stavrianoudakis, Bob Garcia, Charlie Beene.
Right -
Sherman Watrous behind the plate. (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left - Roy Taylor and Lefty Lauer. Right - California kids in Saskatoon, Charlie Beene (all of seventeen)
and his even younger pals. (Photos courtesy of Charlie Beene)
Left - Centre: Beene, unknown, Steve Stavrianoudakis. Right: Bob Garcia and friend. (Photographs courtesy Charlie Beene)
Eliminated in the 1951 Saskatoon Optimist tournament, members of the California Mohawks and Saskatoon 55s watch the final from centre field. Left to right, Bud Watkins, unknown, Steve Stavrianoudakis, Charlie Beene. (Photo courtesy Charlie Beene)
The 1951 season opener at Cairns Field in Saskatoon. Image courtesy of The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix via the Saskatchewan Archives Board
Baseball was big news on the prairies. This was a tournament preview -- taking up a major portion of the sports section. Left to right -- Bob Garcia, Bob Stevenson, Charlie Beene, Roy Dean, Jimmy Shields, Pete Polus, Andy Porter, Andy Swota (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 29, 1951)
On May 17, 1951, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix carried the news that two players from the College of Sequoias, Bobby Garica (left) and Charlie Beene would be arriving in about a month to join Roy Taylor on the Saskatoon 55s.
Below left - Player-manager Roy Taylor (extreme right) with three of his stars with the Saskatoon 55s. Jack Hannah left, Sherman Watrous centre, and Bob Herron right. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 13, 1951)
Below right - Roy Taylor takes a turn in the infield.
Left - 1993 in Billings, Montana. Gordie Howe comes to town while on a tour marking his 65th year. Charlie Beene and Howe go through Beene's album of their time playing ball in Saskatoon in 1951.
Above - Beene & Howe in photos from 1951. (Photo courtesy Charlie Beene)
Gordie Howe, a revered figure in Canadian sports, from his incredible hockey career which spanned 32 seasons -- 26 in the National Hockey League and 6 in the World Hockey Assocation. Sxi times he was named the Most Valuable Player in the NHL. He was 52 years old when he played his last game in the NHL.Howe also played local ball in the late 1940s and early 1950s until the Detroit Red Wings shut down his diamond play fearing injury to their star player. (Photo courtesy of Glen Gay & Michael Swank)
Lloydminster Tournament. The pre-game ground rules outlined by chief umpire Harry Ornest. Looking on are Emile Francis of North Battleford, umpire Johnny Lupul, Stud Samis and Al Brightman of Morinville. Beavers won 11-1.
Left - Import pitcher Sam Fowlkes of the Delisle Gems who was the top hurler in the Northern Saskatchewan
League in 1951 winning seven games in ten decisions. He pitched in twelve games, nine of them starts and completed six of them.
Right - home plate umpire Amby Moran, all dressed up and ready for action.
[Photos from the Ralph Mabee Collection]
Infielder Willie Reed (left) and pitcher Nat Bates (right) were among the California kids to suit up with the Medicine Hat Mohawks.
The team was comprised mainly of college students, including a group from the Bay area.
Reed and Bates were chums who went on to play with Contra Costra College and starred in baseball and basketball.
The pair were enticed to travel north in 1951 to suit up with the Mohawks. Both moved on to Saskatchewan and the Indian Head Rockets in 1952.
Seventy years later, the Rockets would be inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame. Bates, then 90, made the trip up to Battleford, Saskatchewan for the ceremony. Reed was unable to make the journey. Bates returned the followed year and was blessed with individual induction into the Hall.
Bates went on to a lengthy political career in Richmond, California, serving for more than 40 years as Mayor and Councillor.
Above right - Daryl Penn of North Battleford Beavers (Photo believed to be from 1951 or 1952)
Above left - Right-hander Reeve Bernard "Bud" Watkins (left) was not only a baseball star at the College of the Pacific, but a mainstay on the school's basketball team.
Watkins moved from Iowa to Richmond, California in his teenage years and was a star athlete in high school, excelling in both baseball and basketball which he continued to do in junior college at San Mateo and then at the University of the Pacific.
He had toured with the California Mohawks baseball team in 1949 and 1950 in the USA and Canada and in 1952 began a nine-year professional career, pitching mainly at the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League.
His best season came in 1953 with Stockton of the California League when he compiled a 2.59 ERA for a 9-9 record in 167 innings. He started 18 games, completing 11.
Among other honours, he was inducted in the College of Pacific Hall of Fame and the Stockton Athletic Hall of Fame.