Westfield Baseball Great Joe Mazieka Passes Away

Westfield baseball great of the late 1930s and 1940s Joe Mazieka passed away this past Monday. Joe was a great help to me while I was researching Westfield baseball during the late 30s and 40s and helping me identify key players from that time period beyond that of microfilm. For that I am grateful to have known him.

http://obits.masslive.com/obituaries/masslive/obituary.aspx?n=joseph-w-mazeika&pid=147476156

Wheelmen Single Game Ticket Sales Causes Frenzy at the 'Shire

By 9:00 AM this morning, four hours before single-game seats would go on sale at the 'Shire, thousands upon thousands of Wheelmen cranks caused mayhem on Rte. 10 & 202 and the Mass Pike clogging up roads and exit ramps. Wheelmen owner Anheiser Van Pilsner had no choice but to allow parking IN the stadium. Unfurtunately only about 28 seats were available for sale.

Actually, its a photo of Bush Stadium in Indianapolis which closed in 1996 as a minor league park and was also the home to many scenes from the movie 'Eight Men Out.' Saddly, it is currently housing cars from the "Cash For Clunkers" promo in that area. Back in 1931 when it was known as Perry Stadium, Ray Fitzgerald from Westfield, MA hit the first home run in the stadium, some 450 feet to leftcenter. For this achievement Ray received $100 bonus and a wristwatch. In the photo Ray is in his Indianapolis uniform.

Stadium photo by: Jalopnik

When Casey Slugged The Ball

A rare follow-up to the Mighty Casey striking out. This time Casey gets his revenge...written by Nat Wright as published in Sporting Life June 1895

WHEN CASEY SLUGGED THE BALL


Oh, you all have heard of Mudville,

Heard of mighty Casey, too;

Qf the groans amid the bleachers

As the ball thrice past him flew;

But you haven't heard the story,

The best story of them all,

Of the day in happy Mudville,

When great Casey slugged the ball.




"Twas the day they played "the Giants;"

And the score stood ten to eight;

Two men were on the bases,

And great Casey at the plate,

"Swipe her, Casey," yelled the rooters,

And the hero.doffed his cap;

Three to win and two to tie

And Casey at the bat.




Mid a hush of expectation,

Now the ball flies past his head;

Great Casey grins a sickly grin:

"Strike one," the umpire said.

Again the pitcher raised his arm,

Again the horse-hide flew;

Great Casey spat upon the ground,

And the umpire said, "strike two."




"It's a roast,” came from the grand stand,

"He is bought without a doubt."

"He is rotten!" roared the bleachers,

"Throw the daylight robber out!"

"I'll break yer face," says Casey,

"That wan wint below me knee;

If I miss the nixt, ye blackguard,

Ye won't live long to see."




The next one came like lightning,

And the umpire held his breath,

For well he knew it Casey missed,

"Twould surely mean his death;

But Casey swung to meet it,

Backed by all his nerve and gall:

Oh, if you had but heard the yell,

As Casey smashed the ball!




He caught the pigskin on the nose,

It cleared the big town lot,

It sailed above the high church tower,

In vain the fielders sought;

And Casey didn't even run,

He stopped awhile, to talk,

And then amid the deafening cheers

He came round in a walk.




And now he keeps a beer saloon,

He is Mayor of the town,

The people flock to see him,

From all the country round;

And you need not look for Mudville

Or the man upon the wall,

Because the town's called Caseyville

Since Casey slugged the ball.

#####

Happy Thanksgiving!

Modified 19th Century Glove

The next time I get any grief regarding my catchers glove I will direct them to these photos from an item that appeared on eBay.

19th Century Ballists Took PEDs

Why are we so hard on Barry Bonds and others when 19th Century ballists openly took PEDs? Checkout the ad from the 1890s promoting the benefits of sarsaparilla and then read the following excerpt from an on-line article titled 'What Are The Benefits of Sarsaparilla?';

"Sarsaparilla contains the plant steroids (steroidal saponins), which some believe can mirror the work of human hormones. However, the body is not able to transform plant steroids into human hormones, and the claim is yet to be validated by scientific evidence. Such perceived properties have resulted in the advertisement of sarsaparilla as a sexual enhancer for men and as an anabolic steroid replacement, for athletes and bodybuilders (sometimes under the name Smilax)."

WOW! I guess what Mark, Sammy and Barry did was exactly what any ball player would do in any era. HUZZAH!

19th Century Catcher's Hands

No those are not my hands (although sometimes I feel like they are) they are the hands of Doug Allison a 19th Century catcher. I truly believe I broke both my hands this year catching (1886 style) which proves the fact that what we 19th Century vintage ballists do is closer to the actual game than people realize or give us credit for. Its too bad more modern day ballists don't man-up and give it a try. Personally, I think they would shribble-up instead. Anyways, the challenge still stands...if you are out and want to take on the Wheelmen in 2011 contact me.

Westfield Wheelmen Unveil New Uniform Look

Here we see "Silky" Nick Och recently wearing a new prototype Wheelmen uniform outside of the Wheelmen offices on Elm Street in Westfield. The Wheelmen are entertaining new uniform styles for the 2011 season and will consider many ideas and options. "The problem," according to Wheelmen owner Anheiser Van Pilsner, "is that there are very few companies out there that support our trade...we could use a few more options to choose from...until then...(Pilsner looking depressed) what "Silky" is wearing is all we got so far."