Video: Our Boys in the 1917 World Series

This film gives us a look at Game One of the 1917 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants.



It is a rare opportunity to see some early-20th century Brews in action, as the Cream City club had contributed three starting position players to that 1917 White Sox squad:

• Oscar "Happy" Felsch was Chicago's starting center fielder. A local Milwaukee boy, Felsch was a member of the 1913 and 1914 pennant-winning Brewer squads, going to the Sox in 1915. By 1917 he was a true star. He was later banned from baseball for his part in throwing the 1919 World Series, the only one of the infamous "Eight Men Out" who ever wore a Brewer uniform. Felsch came home to live the rest of his life in Milwaukee, where he owned a grocery store and a tavern.
  
  
  
• Catcher Ray Schalk, widely considered the best catcher in the majors, had played for the Brews in 1911 and the first half of 1912 before being sold to the White Sox in late July for $10,000. He played nineteen years in the majors, all but the last with the Sox. Schalk moved into managing and was the skipper of the Buffalo Bisons in 1936, when the Brewers beat them to win the Junior World Series. He would return to Milwaukee for a brief managerial stint with the Brews in 1940, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
  
  
  
• Outfielder Nemo Leibold had a more circuitous route from Milwaukee to Chicago than either of his two teammates. He was a Brewer in 1911 and 1912 before moving to the Cleveland Indians, who traded him to the Sox during the 1915 season. After his playing days were over, he had two managerial stints in the American Association; first with the Columbus Red Birds (1928-32) and the second with the Louisville Colonels (1944-48).

That 1917 roster also included two men who would later play in Milwaukee:

• Backup first baseman Ted Jourdan was a frequent visitor to Athletic Park; he had a solid five-year career with the Minneapolis Millers (1919, 1922-24) after leaving Chicago. In the middle of the 1924 season, he got to see the home dugout when the Millers loaned him to the Brewers for 14 games.
  
  
  
• Lefty Dave Danforth pitched for the Brewers in 1926. He won seventeen games that season, including two during the club's 21-game winning streak. He struggled at the beginning of 1927, and just weeks into the season (and following the sudden death of team owner Otto Borchert) he was shipped off to New Orleans of the Southern Association.

Now that you've met the Brewers' contribution to the 1917 White Sox, see if you can spot any of these men in the footage!

Were These Intended to Replace Our Beer Barrel Man?

Paul Lukas's blog Uni Watch had a great little nugget today:

Matthew Prigge was at an antique sale and found someone’s renderings for new Brewers logos. "Perhaps these were intended for the 1977 logo design contest that resulted in the glove/ball 'mb' logo," he says.

I think Matthew might be correct. They certainly have that 70's vibe to them, don't they?

The contest he refers to was the Brewers' process for replacing the Beer Barrel Man, the descendent of our very own Owgust. After nearly a decade of using an updated version of the American Association club's mascot, they were looking for a modern logo. Their fan-submission contest finally yielded the now-famous "ball in glove" logo.

These newly-uncovered sketches don't represent the clean break we got in 1977; they're more of an evolutionary step. Let's take a look at each of them.

The first one anticipates the large bushy mustache of Bernie Brewer.

I love the Tyrolean hat, playing on the city's German heritage.

He owes a bit to the original version of Bernie Brewer (right), which was briefly used by the club in 1970. I can easily see this logo translated into a full-body version complete with lederhosen.

The anonymous designer has also included a potential wordmark - "brewers" in curved, even, lower-case letters. Again, very groovy '70s.

The second version has clear Beer Barrel Man ancestry.

Overall, this one is a combination of Owgust's tap nose with the round baseball noggin of Messrs. Red or Met. Bonus points for the old 19th Century pillbox cap. I could definitely picture him hanging out with these guys:

He's even facing the right direction.

If Matthew is true, and these were contest entries or steps along the way to contest entries, it's a shame they were never developed. Mascot logos are the best, and not just because they lend themselves to grown-ups dressed in gloriously ridiculous foam suits. The applications are limitless, from special logos to seasonal applications to the unhappy Mr. Met Rain Check on this 1972 ticket stub.

I guess I can't really complain; after a long time in the wilderness the Beer Barrel Man is back in force. And featured as a costumed character in Miller Park, a delightful development. But it's possible that he might not have had to go away at all in late 1977, only adapt into a slightly new form.

"The Street Car Takes You to the Ball Park Entrance", 1936

I recently had the privilege of speaking with WTMJ Radio's Doug Russell about Borchert Field and the neighborhood around it; one of the things we talked about was how fans got to the ballpark.

Many fans took the streetcar, as seen in this Milwaukee Journal ad from May, 1936:

Amazing. The contemporary trend towards downtown stadiums often includes public transport, trying to recapture days gone by.

What it must have been like to jump aboard the No. 20 Eighth Street car to take in a game. Perhaps with the planned Milwaukee Streetcar, we might be able to re-create this on our way to Miller Park.

Spring, 1944: Julio Acosta Tosses One In

This gorgeous 8x10 photo features Julio Acosta, the Brewers' Cuban pitcher, showing off a little follow-through.

Acosta was central to one of president Bill Veeck's best gags; in late August 1943 Veeck secretly bought the left-handed hurler's contract and had Acosta jump out of a cake during an on-field birthday party for manager Charlie Grimm.

So can we date this photograph? In addition to stamps indicating "Milwaukee Journal Library", there is a stamp on the reverse indicates that the picture was filed on Monday, June 12, 1944. At that point, Acosta had been on the team less than a year, so the window is fairly narrow as these things go.

This uniform design predates the Veeck administration; a solid uniform with thick, dark royal blue piping and a red block "M" on the chest. Sport Shirt Bill introduced his own design starting with the 1942 season, his first full season in charge.

The patch on his left sleeve is even more telling; it was introduced to commemorate the "100th birthday of baseball", and was worn by all professional clubs during the 1939 season. The Brewers were no exception; here we can see it on the gray flannel road jersey of then-player/manager Minor "Mickey" Heath:

Look at how long Heath's sleeves are in that picture! In the early 1940s, baseball fashion was changing. Sleeves were shorter, and this jersey had its sleeves crudely chopped off above the blue piping to make them fit the period's preferred style.

So Acosta is wearing a jersey that is at least four years old. It's therefore most likely that the photo was taken at Spring Training in 1944. Even today it's still common for clubs to re-use old uniforms in spring and exhibition games. If that's the case, the location is Waukesha in the outer Milwaukee suburbs. Wartime travel restrictions caused the Brewers to move their Spring Training camp to a closer location.

There's another tantalizing detail, although a bit out-of-focus. There's an unidentified right-handed player wearing a team jacket.

Although it's not clear in this photo, that jacket features a patch of team mascot Owgust, and it is one of my personal Grails. I don't know if any still exist, but we can certainly hope.

In 1943, or at least the nine appearances he made in a Milwaukee uniform, Acosta went 3-1 with an ERA of 3.89. He finished 1944 with the exact same ERA, this time with a 13-10 record from 36 appearances. He bettered all those numbers in 1945, a 15-10 record and 3.44 ERA. Those good times were not to last; in 1946 Acosta struggled in Spring Training and was provisionally sold to the Little Rock Travelers. His struggles continued in Arkansas, and they returned him to Milwaukee in June. Unable to get him back to his old form, the Brewers released him outright that month.

1948 Capital Airlines Pocket Schedule

This 1948 Milwaukee Brewers pocket schedule was printed up by Capital Airlines to promote their service in and out of Milwaukee.

On the front, a generic if stylish view of a gentleman picking up his tickets from the counter. Remember when air travel was glamorous and adventuresome? Me neither.

"Serving Air-Minded America for Over 20 Years" refers to Capital's founding in Pittsburgh in 1936 as Pennsylvania Central Airlines. They re-branded to Capital the year this schedule had printed.

The reverse lists all the Brewers contests at Borchert Field.

It might have been fun for an airline to produce a schedule of road games, which fans might fly to see. But a list of home games is probably more practical for fans in Milwaukee.

Compare it with this 1948 schedule, printed by the Brewers themselves.

These schedules were printed up for many of the pro teams in cities served by Capital, such as the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference.

At the time, Capital was an eastern-based airline as seen in this 1952 route map:

Not many American Association cities on there, although the Brewers could fly Capital for their road trips to Minneapolis, St. Paul or Toledo.

Capital Airlines merged into United Airlines in 1961.

1943 American Association Championship Ring

Championship rings are the ultimate prize in sports. An athlete's career is often judged by how many he won. This was no less true in the 20th Century than today, and no less true in the minor leagues.

This 1943 American Association championship ring recently came up for auction:

1943 Milwaukee Brewers American Association Championship Ring

Founded in 1902, the American Association was one of the oldest and highest levels of professional baseball’s minor leagues until its merger with the International league in 1997. The original Milwaukee Brewers were a charter member of the American Association and remained in the league until the city was granted a Major League franchise in 1952.

This 10K, size 9, 13.8-gram American Association Championship ring was presented to Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Bill Norman, a member of two consecutive championship teams from 1943-1944. Norman hit .275 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI in 132 games for the Brewers in 1943. This aged but well preserved ring contains an approximately ½ carat diamond in the center of a sliver outlined infield diamond encircled by “American Association Champions” in raised but slightly fading lettering with the league’s American Eagle logo and “1943 Milwaukee AA” on both shanks; Comes with handwritten LOA from Stephen Koschal of Boynton Beach, FLA, dated 5/2/95 verifying purchase of the ring from Norman’s daughter.

This is the second 1943 ring I've seen. The first was owned by skipper Charlie Grimm, but he had the diamond crown replaced with his monogram. This one gives us a good look at the original design.

Gorgeous. I love the eagle/shield design on each shank.

Outfielder Bill Norman was a favorite among Milwaukee's baseball fans, and he loved playing in the city. Although this is one of two rings he won during his time in Milwaukee, he may have been awarded another: the Brewers won their third American Association pennants in a row in 1945, after he left the club in July. In any case, this ring is well-worn and was presumably much-loved.

Glenn Elliott in the Corner

This photo of Brewer pitcher "Silent Glenn" Elliott, standing in front of the Borchert Field left field corner, was taken sometime around 1948.

"Silent Glenn", also known as "Lefty", was (naturally enough) a left-handed hurler. His quiet nature, coupled with the spectacles he wore, led sportswriters to describe him as "contemplative" and "scholarly", and the Oregon State graduate was in fact a schoolteacher during the offseason.

He came to the Braves organization from the Pacific Coast League's Seattle Rainiers after the end of the 1946 season. The 27-year old made his big league debut in relief during the second game of 1947, and promptly entered the history books; coming in to the game in the fifth, he gave up Jackie Robinson's first hit in the major leagues, a bunt single. After the game, Elliott received some scorn from those opposed to the integration of baseball, but Robinson's continued performance caused those voices to fade and now Elliot's role is reduced to a footnote.

Elliott struggled with the big club, and in May he was sent to Milwaukee for seasoning. Brewer manager Nick Cullop recognized the young man's potential to help the Brews. Cullop added a curveball to Elliott's repertoire, and Elliott ended the season 14-5. The Brewers could do no better than third place in the pennant race, but they did secure a playoff berth. Elliott would be an important part of that playoff run.

The Brewers' bookish lefty won a game in each of the Brewers' two series, first against the Kansas City Blues and then the Louisville Colonels, to take the Brewers to the 1947 Little World Series. And when they came to the deciding seventh game, Cullop put Elliott on the mound. Silent Glenn rewarded his skipper's confidence by pitching a complete game as the Brewers demolished the Syracuse Chiefs 9-1 to take their fourth Series.

Back in Milwaukee to start the 1948 season, Elliott found himself on both ends of a 12-game losing streak. He was on the mound on July 24, when the St. Paul Saints beat the Brewers, 3-2, in 17 innings. The Brewers then lost the following dozen games before Elliott dominated the Colonels on his way to an 8-3 victory on August 3rd. He was retrieved by the Braves on September 1st having accumulated a 14-7 record and 3.76 ERA, the best in the American Association. The call-up bothered fans in Milwaukee; the loss of their ace certainly contributed to a second-place Association finish and first-round playoff departure. To make matters worse, Elliott made only one appearance for the Braves—on September 1st, his first day there, no less—and watched from the bench as Boston lost the World Series to Cleveland.

He saw a little more big-league action in 1949, making 22 appearances including 6 starts, four of them complete games. That, coupled with a record of 3-4 and 3.95 ERA, was good enough to earn an invitation to the Braves' Spring Training camp in 1950, but he failed to make a mark before the end of April they had sold him outright to the Brewers. Elliott hit all the right notes speaking with the Milwaukee Journal; writer Lloyd Larson quoted Silent Glenn as saying:

"I'm sure glad to get back. Milwaukee is a fine city. The fans here were always kind to me. And I know I can pitch regularly here. That's what I want to do—pitch. I didn't have too much opportunity to do that with the big club, you know."

He did indeed get to pitch at Borchert Field, but he wasn't the ace Brewers fans had seen just a couple years earlier. Elliott was carrying an 11-12 mark and 4.50 ERA by August, when the Braves sold him to the PCL's Sacramento Solons. He bounced between the Salons and Portland Beavers through the end of the 1956 season before becoming the Philadelphia Athletics' Pacific Northwest scout. He died of cancer in 1969, at the very young age of 49.

This photo was most likely taken during Silent Glenn's first stint with the team; this uniform style was worn from 1946-1949. Starting in 1950 the Brewers wore a clone of the Braves' script across their chests. The white cap logo would place this in 1948; the 1947 club wore red "M"s on their caps.

As for the background of the picture, this is the best look at the left field corner I've ever seen. And "corner" is the only word for it; the left field wall ran parallel with 8th Street and the centerfield fence with Burleigh, resulting in a sharp 90° angle where they came together. Much has been said about what the Orchard's configuration did for hitters, with the short porches and incredibly deep centerfield, but it must have been equally challenging for fielders. I'd hate to have to play a ball off that corner.

Some great local ads color those walls.

Clark's Super Gas was a Milwaukee-based oil and gasoline company which had been a Brewer sponsor at least as far back as 1942.

We've seen ads for Snirkles caramel bars, the local treat created by Howard B. Stark Co. Confectioners, in the 1944 score card. Johnnie Walkers is a new one to me; they were a mens' clothing shop founded in 1937. They had their heydey in the 1960s with five locations, and survived until the last store closed in 2010.

One photograph can tell so many stories. Even an impromptu snap such as this.

A Trio of Old-Timers

Old-Timer's Day is a long tradition in baseball, going back to "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" on July 4, 1939, when the 1927 Yankees were reunited to watch Lou Gehrig be honored.

The pinstripers made it an annual event in 1947, and has been a part of baseball's culture ever since.

So what do you do if your major league team isn't old enough to have Old Timers? You reach back in the city's baseball history. And that's exactly what happened in Milwaukee in 1960 when the Braves held their first Old-Timers game at County Stadium. Many former Brewers were brought back to greet the crowd, and three of them were photographed at a dinner in their honor the night before.

MILWAUKEE, WIS., JULY 9 -- OLD TIMERS SWAP YARNS -- Baseball greats of by-gone days got together last night when they were honored at a dinner at the Miller Brewing Co. Recalling some of their diamond deeds of yesteryear are: left to right, Geo. McBride, Bill "Jap" Barbeau and Davy Jones. McBride and Jones played on the Milwaukee American League team in 1901 and Barbeau played on the Brewers of 1915 and 16.

The Miller Inn is well-known to anyone who has taken the Miller Brewery tour; it's the last stop, where you can sample some of the wares you saw being made. It still has the distinctive diagonal wood paneling.

1915/16 M101-4 Sporting News card

George McBride was a former shortstop who only had a brief tenure with the Brews. Born in the Cream City in 1880, he made his debut in September of 1901 with the American League Brewers, collecting three appearances. The team moved to St. Louis after the season ended, but McBride he turned down the opportunity to stay with them, choosing instead to sign with the new American Association club.

McBride went back to the majors in 1905. After short stints with the Pirates and Cardinals, he finally found a home with the Washington Senators in 1908 and from that point on he would be found at Griffith Stadium. As his career wound down, he began to transition into coaching under the watchful eye of Clark Griffith himself. From 1917 through 1920 made only a handful of appearances, served mostly as an instructor, base coach and fill-in manager when Griffith was traveling on scouting missions. In 1921 Griffith appointed McBride Washington's manager, but his tenure was short-lived. On July 27, just over halfway through the season, he was struck in the head by a thrown ball, suffering a concussion and spending the following week confined to bed. McBride returned to the dugout on August 4, but continued to be afflicted with dizziness and fainting spells. He resigned his position the following December and, turning down Griffith's offer of a scouting job, returned to his hometown as a "man of leisure".

McBride became active in the Milwaukee Elks club after moving back to Milwaukee. In 1935, he was selected to chair the Elks' annual pre-season dinner honoring the Brewers, a post he held well into the Milwaukee Braves era. He passed away in 1973. At least into the 1990s, the Elks presented an athletic scholarship known as the "George McBride Award" to a Milwaukee-area high school athlete.

	Barbeau as a Brewer in 1915

Third baseman Bill "Jap" Barbeau played for the Brewers from 1914 and 1915 and then again in 1917 and 1918. Although the majority of his fourteen-year career was spent in the minors, he did make it to the Show for short stints in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The New York City native took to Milwaukee; he led the Brewers' off-season barnstorming team for years.

I don't know where his colorful nickname came from, although I fear it may have been a reference to his stature; he was famously the shortest Brewer on the pennant-winning 1914 club.

After leaving the Brewers, Barbeau finished his career with short stints in St Paul and Omaha, and then retired to Milwaukee. He was active as a manager, coach and occasional player in the local semi-pro baseball scene for twenty years, which brought him to Borchert Field with some regularity. He died in 1969.

1909-11 T206 card

The final member of our trio, Davy Jones, was an outfielder known for his speed, both in the field and on the basepaths. Born David Jefferson, he played baseball at Dixon College in northern Illinois, where he studied law. The Dixon team traveled to Rockford to play a series of exhibition games with the local Three-I League club. Jones was instrumental in the college team's victories, and he was persuaded to sign with the professional club after the end of the college season. He appeared in 77 games for the Rockford Red Sox, winning the league batting title with a .384 average. That was enough to attract the notice of the majors, and the Chicago Orphans (soon to be renamed the Cubs) bought his contract. Jones decided to sign instead with the new American League Brewers, joining them for the last month of the 1901 season. When the Brewers left town after the end of the season he went to St. Louis with them, but wouldn't stay long. Mike Grahek profiled Jones for the Society of American Baseball Research's Baseball Biography Project, and described the outfielder's next moves:

When the Brewers moved to St. Louis after the 1901 season, Jones took advantage of a clause in his AL contract which prevented transferring a player to a new city without his consent. The young lawyer signed with Chicago, which still owned his rights within organized baseball. Later that winter he jumped back to St. Louis, but played in only 15 games in 1902 before jumping back to Chicago after Orphans owner James Hart offered Davy a fifty percent raise and $500 signing bonus. All told, Jones had jumped four different contracts in a nine-month span. Jones left his Browns teammates without a word on the morning of May 14 and was patrolling centerfield for the Cubs that afternoon. Though a major leaguer for barely a month all told, Davy was quickly gaining a reputation for jumping contracts whenever a better offer came along. The Chicago Tribune referred to him as a "rubber-leg," and Chicago fans even quit teasing fellow outfielder Jimmy Slagle, another noted jumper, out of deference to Jones. As Jones himself said later, "a contract didn't mean anything in those days."

Jones broke his leg in a home-plate collision on July 4, 1904, and when he struggled upon returning to the lineup in mid-August the Cubs sold him to the Minneapolis Millers. He blossomed in Minneapolis, catching the eye of scouts for the Detroit Tigers.

1907 AL Champion Detroit Tigers
(Jones is second row, far left)

Jones started in left field for Detroit, opposite Ty Cobb who was then playing in right. Jones became the Georgia Peach's best friend on the Tigers, often having to relay signals on the field from teammates with whom Cobb was not on speaking terms. He also claimed to have encouraged Cobb to invest in the stock market; Cobb put his money in a local business—Coca-Cola—and made millions.

He also supported Cobb in one of the man's darkest hours. On May 15, 1912, the Tigers were playing the Highlanders at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. Cobb was heckled mercilessly by a New York fan, and when the taunts turned racist, Cobb hurled himself into the stands and fought with the man. Jones was one of a few Tigers to follow Cobb into the seats, but was far more helpful in the aftermath than he was in the melee. American League president Ban Johnson suspended Cobb immediately and fined him $500. In response, the Tigers went on strike and refused to play their next game; Cobb might not have been personally popular, but he was their star player. Drawing on his legal training, Jones represented the players at a meeting with Johnson and the other league owners. He successfully argued that the suspension was unfair and that the players deserved protection while on the field. The fine and suspension were lifted, the Tigers were back in uniform, and Jones would later describe this as a formative event in the long struggle to unionize the sport.

While still an active player, Jones bought a drugstore in Detroit, and worked it in the offseason. He retired from playing in 1913 and went to work full-time as a druggist. When it came time to retire from business as well, he and his wife moved back to the Milwaukee area. He died in 1972. A memorial to Jones was erected in 2006 on the grounds of the Cambria-Friesland Historical Society in his native Cambria, Wisconsin.

Three very interesting men, with long careers in their chosen sport. I would love to know what they talked about on that evening of July 9, 1960. Good for the Braves, to recognize and embrace the long history of baseball in Milwaukee.

1952 Press Pass

This press pass, issued to longtime Brewers employee Bill Topitzes, dates from the Brewers' final season at Borchert Field, which later turned out to be the club's last year of existence.

The simple white card is worn and battered around the edges; presumably carried around in his wallet. It is signed in blue pen by general manager Red Smith.

The back was originally blank, but somebody—Topitzes?—has written an address in red pen, that of a PFC Tom Schwalbach stationed at Camp Carson in Colorado.

Topitzes fell in love with baseball, and the Brewers, when his uncles took him to a game when he was nine. The next year, he started working for the club as part of a group of boys chasing down the foul balls that flew over the left field fence onto 8th Street. He was quickly noticed by team president Bill Veeck, and soon Topitzes had worked his way up first to bat boy, then visiting club house attendant, and scoreboard operator. By 1952, he was in charge of both clubhouses.

MEARS

Topitzes in uniform at Borchert Field

When the Braves came to town, he took over the visitors' clubhouse at Milwaukee County Stadium.

Ballplayers from all clubs took a shine to the young man, who was known for his cheerful disposition and encyclopedic baseball knowledge. Many of the players he met at County Stadium and Borchert Field corresponded with him in the off-season. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal, Topitzes recalled an interaction with New York Giants manager Leo Durocher on his club's last visit to Milwaukee in 1953. Before the game, Durocher saw Topitzes shagging balls in the outfield and he gave the youngster a brand-new glove. "Hey kid," he said with a smile, "break this in for me, will you? If I ever need it, I'll ask you for it."

That openness carried him throughout his life, and when Bill Topitzes passed away in 2013, he left behind a legion of friends and admirers.

I'm not entirely sure why the clubhouse manager would need a press pass, though. He was a notable baseball memorabilia collector, even as a kid; perhaps Red gave it to him as a souvenir?

1943 Pocket Schedule

In 1943, the Milwaukee Brewers were searching for their first American Association pennant since 1936. America was at war, and FDR was in the White House. Bread cost nine cents a loaf, three pennies bought you a first-class stamp, and the average American annual salary was $2,500. A Brewer fan could look at this pocket schedule to decide which games he or she would be spending part of that salary on.

This is a little larger than most pocket schedules; about 3¼ by 5 inches folded. On the cover, manager Charlie Grimm and mascot Owgust rally the fans.

1943 was a great year to "come out to Borchert Field and watch the Brewers play ball!". Owner/president Bill Veeck was starting his second year at the helm.

The Brewers must have loved that photo of Jolly Cholly - they used it again on the pocket schedule the next year.

On the inside, the list of games.

Look at all those night games in red! The Brewers didn't play their first night game until June 6, 1935, and now eight years later the Brews were playing most of their games under the floodlights.

Apparently when this schedule went to prees Veeck hadn't yet thought of holding 10 am morning games for war production swing-shift workersl the first morning game was held on June 5, which is marked here in blue as just another day game. I wonder when the idea first came to Sport Shirt Bill?

The Brews also had three exhibition games during the regular season; the Brewers would welcome the Yankees and Cardinals to Borchert Field, and would hop just across the border to play the draftees at the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago.

And in case you were wondering, the average price of a gallon of gas that year (presumably even MobilGas) was 15¢.

Even sixty years ago, teams were looking for ways to make ticket-buying as easy as possible for their fans. Buy them by mail, head on down to Borchert Field, call the ticket office at COncord 3180, or stop in to Gimbel's downtown to pick them up.

And look at all those options. Box seats a buck-and-a-quarter, but kids could get 'em for sixty-five cents. Grandstands for 85¢ and the bleachers were forty-five cents for adults and twenty-five for children. When was the last time kids got a reduced rate at the ballpark?

Wadham's Oil Company had been sponsoring the "Sport Flash", with "up to the minute sport news" since at least 1933. Even if you couldn't make it to the ballpark any of those nights, you could still get updates on the radio.

For those fans who did get to Borchert Field, they saw some pretty good games. The Brewers finished 1943 with a 90-61 record, taking home the club's fourth pennant.