Flashback Friday: 1948 Program Article

This week's Flashback Friday is an article by Gordon McIntyre that appeared in the 1948 Appleton Papermakers program. The image at the top of this article is a roster from that same year. The cover and back cover of the 1948 program are posted at Rattler Radio.

Baseball in Appleton 81 Years
By Gordon McIntyre

Baseball has been played in Appleton for 81 years, the sport being introduced by a group of young men at the college. Even in those early years the greatest rivalry came from Appleton's greatest rivals today, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Fond du Lac. The scores were terrific, almost as bad as today's high scoring basketball games.

Strong competition generally was the desire of Appleton fans as far back as 1886, there was interest in a league which would have included Milwaukee, Duluth, Oshkosh, Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Eau Claire. However, it didn't materialize.

About that time names of persons still living in Appleton were associated with the sport. Dr. H.E. Ellsworth and P.M. Conkey were inclined to do a little pitching and the late Pat Ryan, who long was identified with baseball, was an outstanding performer as either a catcher or pitcher.

On June 18, 1891, one Geo. Hogriever joined the Appleton Club them playing league ball and 90 games. He was destined to move up in baseball until eventually he played with the Cincinnati Reds. He is still an Appleton resident as all good Elks know.

Shortly after the turn of the century the late Clarence Currie, also destined to go up in the majors, joined Appleton as a pitcher.

In 1909, Appleton fans organized and purchased the franchise in Wausau in the Wisconsin Illinois League. That began a great period in baseball history with Hogriever returning to Appleton as a player and manager with "Dutch" Brautigan and the late Harry Sylvester as outstanding players and major league prospects. In 1914 Brautigan was manager and Hogriever had retired, Harry Sylvester was playing in faster ball, and Jos. Koffend, Jr. was league president.

Most of the teams lost money every year and in 1915 Appleton had had enough and the league disbanded but it had produced a great crop of men, who later were identified with the majors.

Thereafter, baseball was played only on weekends and holidays. Dave Smith, Papermakers director, managed and promoted teams in the 1920's. In the mid-thirties once again the idea of organized baseball began to grow. Many meetings were held but the jump seemed too big until the winter of 1939-1940. Six cities, Appleton, La Crosse, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Rapids, Green Bay, and Sheboygan decided to make a try. Most of the teams started on less than a shoe string and with parks that were anything but adequate.

Players were picked up anywhere and most of the clubs operated as independents, depending on connections of managers to bring talent. La Crosse won the pennant under Ed Konetchy, an old major leaguer, and Appleton finished on the bottom.

In 1941, Appleton had made connections with the Cleveland Indians and received a considerable amount of talent with the result that it finished third, in a season that produced Pat Seerey and Joe Tipton, now on the Cleveland club and several others who have done very well.

In 1942, with the war taking many players, Appleton finished in fourth place and the league disbanded until 1946, when the team slipped to fifth with the talent coming and going and showing little possibility.

Last year, Appleton was a Philadelphia Phillies farm club and while the team finished in fifth place, it was an aggressive, hustling team which won a great following.