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Historic Game Program Discovery: July 7, 1942 Service All-Stars
By the summer of 1942, the transformation of professional baseball was well underway. Starting with a trickle of personnel hanging up their flannels and spikes to volunteer for wartime service in the armed forces in December, 1941, the exodus of players from major and minor league baseball picked up a head of steam through the Selective Service draft and volunteer enlistments.
“Immediately after Pearl Harbor, baseball executives began devising scenarios in which the professional game could contribute to the war, even as some were questioning the need for the game’s very existence,” author Steven R. Bullock wrote in his 2004 book, Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II.
Thirty-nine days after the December 7, 1941 Japanese sneak attack at Pearl Harbor, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis was prompted to dispatch a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the 1942 season:
January 14 1942
Dear Mr. President:The time is approaching when, in ordinary conditions, our teams would be heading for spring training camps. However, inasmuch as these are not ordinary times, I venture to ask what you have in mind as to whether professional baseball should continue to operate. Of course my inquiry does not relate at all to individual members of this organization whose status in this emergency is fixed by law operating upon all citizens.
Health and strength to you – and whatever else it takes to do this job.
With great respect,
Very truly yoursKenesaw M. Landis
January 14, 1942 Letter from Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Landis to FDR
Those interested in baseball history know very well President Roosevelt’s famous “green light letter” response. The President detailed the importance of the game – 300 teams employing 5-6,000 players being a recreational outlet to 20,000,000 of their fellow citizens during the tough times the nation was facing. Despite his call for the continuance of the game for the sake of the citizens, the President did not levy any measure of exclusion of players from wartime service, “As to the players themselves, I know you agree with me that individual players who are of active military or naval age should go, without question, into the services. Even if the actual quality of the teams is lowered by the greater use of older players, this will not dampen the popularity of the sport. Of course, if any individual has some particular aptitude in a trade or profession, he ought to serve the Government. That, however, is a matter which I know you can handle with complete justice.”
By the spring of 1942, with players such as Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller, Sam Chapman, Hugh Mulcahy, Fred Hutchinson, Morrie Arnovich, Cecil Travis and Mickey Harris already serving in the armed forces, baseball owners sought out means to support the war effort by elevating the national morale. St. Louis Cardinals executive Branch Rickey, according to Steven R. Bullock, “expressed the opinion that baseball had an obligation to do everything within its power to bolster the Allied cause, even operating at a break-even level if necessary.” As baseball was deeply ingrained into the fabric of American life, it was more than just a sport or a pastime to the people, players and owners. Bullock continued, “For Rickey, professional baseball’s fate paralleled the fate of the nation as a whole, and thus the national pastime should not hesitate to drain its resources to support the war effort.”
Major League Baseball as a whole did operate at a loss during the war. Not only did clubs fail to cover costs due to reduced ticket sales, but each club donated money, equipment and other resources. With baseball’s players now serving, the issues and concerns of the troops were brought to the forefront. The Pearl Harbor attack and subsequent losses suffered by the armed forces early in the war illuminated the need to provide financial support to the surviving spouses of troops who lost their lives in service. Beginning with the May 8, 1942 Giants versus Dodgers game at Ebbets Field, Major League Baseball began a wartime campaign to raise funds to address the needs of troops and their families, with monies collected directly supporting Army and Navy Relief organizations, recreational equipment for troops and War Bond drives. Not only did baseball play regular season games to raise funds but professional teams played countless exhibitions against service teams throughout the war in support of troops and their families.
Perhaps the most notable fund-raising exhibition game was the one that was played early in the war at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, home of the American League’s Indians franchise. The game was slated to feature the winner of the Major League All-Star game playing host to an assemblage of players serving in the armed forces on the last of the three-day All-Star break, July 7, 1942. The Brooklyn Dodgers were originally slated to host the July 6 mid-summer classic at 35,000-seat Ebbets Field. With more than 50,000 seats available at the neighboring New York Giants’ ballpark, the Polo Grounds, Dodgers president Larry McPhail shifted the game. Inclement weather negated the move as thousands of fans did not attend the game. The National League All-Stars, headlined by Arky Vaughn, Johnny Mize, Mel Ott and Johnny Vander Meer, were favored over the American League led by Lou Boudreau, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon and Spud Chandler.
| National League | Pos | Batting Order | American League | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Brown | 2B | 1 | Lou Boudreau | SS |
| Arky Vaughan | 3B | 2 | Tommy Henrich | RF |
| Pete Reiser | CF | 3 | Ted Williams | LF |
| Johnny Mize | 1B | 4 | Joe DiMaggio | CF |
| Mel Ott | RF | 5 | Rudy York | 1B |
| Joe Medwick | LF | 6 | Joe Gordon | 2B |
| Walker Cooper | C | 7 | Ken Keltner | 3B |
| Eddie Miller | SS | 8 | Birdie Tebbetts | C |
| Mort Cooper | P | 9 | Spud Chandler | P |
| Leo Durocher | Mgr | Joe McCarthy | Mgr | |
| Frank McCormick | Rsrv | George McQuinn | Rsrv | |
| Billy Herman | Rsrv | Bobby Doerr | Rsrv | |
| Bob Elliott | Rsrv | Bill Dickey | Rsrv | |
| Ernie Lombardi | Rsrv | Buddy Rosar | Rsrv | |
| Mickey Owen | Rsrv | Hal Wagner | Rsrv | |
| Danny Litwhiler | Rsrv | Stan Spence | Rsrv | |
| Willard Marshall | Rsrv | Dom DiMaggio | Rsrv | |
| Terry Moore | Rsrv | Bob Johnson | Rsrv | |
| Enos Slaughter | Rsrv | Phil Rizzuto | Rsrv | |
| Pee Wee Reese | Rsrv | Jim Bagby | Rsrv | |
| Paul Derringer | Rsrv | Al Benton | Rsrv | |
| Carl Hubbell | Rsrv | Tiny Bonham | Rsrv | |
| Cliff Melton | Rsrv | Sid Hudson | Rsrv | |
| Claude Passeau | Rsrv | Tex Hughson | Rsrv | |
| Ray Starr | Rsrv | Hal Newhouser | Rsrv | |
| Johnny Vander Meer | Rsrv | Red Ruffing | Rsrv | |
| Bucky Walters | Rsrv | Eddie Smith | Rsrv | |
| Whit Wyatt | Rsrv |
Despite the heavy lumber on both rosters, the game was a pitching duel with the American League hurlers Chandler and Al Benton holding the Nationals to six hits and a run, a leadoff home run by catcher Mickey Owen in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the infield playing at normal depth, Owen had tried to catch the defense flat-footed with a bunt attempt that rolled foul. With a planned citywide blackout fast approaching, fans shouted at the Dodgers catcher to hurry back to the plate, to which he responded by trotting back to the dish from first base.
All the American League’s tallies came in the top of the first at the expense of starting pitcher Mort Cooper. Lou Boudreau led off the game with a home run. Tommy Henrich followed with a double to right field. Ted Williams hit a fly ball to Joe Medwick in left field and Joe DiMaggio grounded out to Arky Vaughn at third. With Henrich sitting at third base, Rudy York drove a ball over the right field wall for the second and third runs in the 3-1 victory. The game ended at 9:28 p.m. and the victorious American League squad was whisked away to board a train for Cleveland.
| Player | Pos | Order | Branch | Duty Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Mullin | CF | 1 | Army | New Cumberland Army Reception Center |
| Benny McCoy | 2B | 2 | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Don Padgett | LF | 3 | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Cecil Travis | SS | 4 | Army | Camp Wheeler |
| Joe Grace | RF | 5 | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Johnny Sturm | 1B | 6 | Army | Jefferson Barracks |
| Ernie Andres | 3B | 7 | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Vinnie Smith | C | 8 | Navy | Norfolk Naval Training Station |
| Bob Feller | P | 9 | Navy | Norfolk Naval Training Station |
| Morrie Arnovich | LF | Rsrv | Army | Fort Lewis |
| Frank Baumholtz | OF | Rsrv | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Sam Chapman | RF | Rsrv | Navy | Norfolk Naval Training Station |
| Johnny Grodzicki | P | Rsrv | Army | Fort Knox |
| Chet Hajduk | 2B | Rsrv | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Mickey Harris | P | Rsrv | Army | 83rd Coast Artillery/Fort Kobbe |
| Fred Hutchinson | P | Rsrv | Navy | Norfolk Naval Training Station |
| Johnny Lucadello | SS | Rsrv | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Emmett “Heinie” Mueller | 2B | Rsrv | Army | Jefferson Barracks |
| Frankie Pytlak | C | Rsrv | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Johnny Rigney | P | Rsrv | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station |
| Ken Silvestri | C | Rsrv | Army | Fort Custer |
| Mickey Cochrane | Mgr | Navy | Great Lakes Naval Training Station | |
| George Earnshaw | Coach | Navy | Jacksonville Naval Air Station | |
| Hank Gowdy | Coach | Army | Fort Benning |
As the Major League All-Star festivities were taking place in New York, Navy Lieutenant Gordon “Mickey” Cochrane was leading practices for his new assemblage of Army and Navy ballplayers. By Saturday, July 4, Cochrane had assembled a squad of 16 players that included 14 with previous major league experience. “I won’t be able to pick any sort of starting lineup for the Cleveland game until we know whom we are playing,” the current Great Lakes Naval Training Station (GLNTS) Bluejackets manager told the Associated Press. “The major leaguers may beat us Tuesday night, but we’ll put up a helluva argument over the outcome,” LT Cochrane stated, following a Great Lakes 5-0 victory over the Fort Custer Reception Center (Battle Creek, Michigan) team at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Both service teams used players that would be among the Service All-Stars for the July 7 game. The Great Lakes squad saw Norfolk Naval Training Station’s (NTS) Fred Hutchinson start the game, with George Earnshaw completing the shutout. Mickey Harris, who had arrived fresh from the Panama Canal Zone, started on the mound for Fort Custer, with Ken Silvestri serving as his battery mate. With nearly 7,000 paid attendees, $10,000 was raised in support of service athletic funds.
The following day, the enhanced Great Lakes squad defeated an All-Star squad from the Flint, Michigan Amateur Baseball Federation in Flint. The Bluejackets featured Norfolk NTS outfielder Sam Chapman, the New Cumberland Army Reception Center’s Pat Mullin and Camp Wheeler’s Cecil Travis, who accounted for most the GLNTS firepower in the 8-2 victory.
After traveling from Detroit to Cleveland, the Service All-Stars held a workout at Municipal Stadium on July 6 as the American and National League squads squared off in New York. Newspapers were predicting as many as 75,000 spectators for the highly anticipated 9:00 p.m. game. Speaking to reporters a few days before his probable start against the eventual winner of the Major League All-Star game, Bob Feller was candid with his self-assessment. After spending the entire spring pitching for the Norfolk Naval Training Station club, Feller speculated that consistently facing inferior batters led to a dulling of his skills. “You throw to a lot of ham-and-eggers in some of these exhibition games,” he told Blosser. “You can’t keep an edge that way.” Cleveland Fans Cheer Bullet Bob Feller Even in Defeat; Fireballer Wasn’t Sharp for Battle – July 8, 1942
The Chevrons and Diamonds collection holds numerous scorecards and programs from service and fund-raising exhibition games from 1942 into 1946. With so many artifacts continuing to surface, we have been able to assemble a broad range that encompasses significant games in all war theaters as well as domestic games. One piece that was on our wish list was the program from the July 7, 1942 Service All-Star game in Cleveland. Over the holiday season, we were able to source and acquire a beautiful example in near-mint condition.
Sixteen pages cover-to-cover and printed on cardstock, the entire program (view a full PDF version), save for the scorecard inserted at the center, is the same as was used by the Cleveland Indians for their 1942 season home games. The internal pages are printed in blue monochrome with the covers being both blue and red, two-color printing. In addition to the scorecard with printed lineups and rosters, the program also includes two pages that spotlight the Service All-Stars.
Pre-game festivities included service marching bands and parading ranks of Army and Navy uniformed personnel. The “Clown Prince of Baseball,” Al Schacht, entertained fans while the Service All-Star starting pitcher, Chief Athletic Specialist Bob Feller, warmed up. Soon, Schacht began humorously mimicking Feller and the two began playing off each other for the crowd’s amusement. When the game finally got underway, the home team, the American League All-Stars, took the field with Jim Bagby, Jr. on the mound.
Bagby’s first pitch resulted in an easy infield ground ball from the leadoff hitter, Detroit Tigers outfielder Pat Mullin, for the first out of the inning. Second baseman and former Tiger and Athletic Benny McCoy watched four Bagby pitches pass by to earn a free pass. Left fielder Don Padgett strode to the plate and drove one of Bagby’s offerings to deep right center, splitting Tommy Henrich and Joe DiMaggio and dropping for a single. McCoy, with a slight lead off first, waited to see the ball drop before tagging and sprinting to second base. With two runners on base and just one out, former Senator star Cecil Travis worked another four-pitch walk from Bagby.
With the bases loaded, former St. Louis Browns outfielder Joe Grace stood on the right side of the plate. Having hit .309 with St. Louis in 426 plate appearances in 1941, Grace was a rising star in the American League before entering the Navy. Grace walked nearly twice as much as he struck out, showing that he was decidedly a threat at the plate. Bagby’s first two pitches were off the plate, placing the count decidedly in Grace’s favor and prompting the AL manager, Joe McCarthy, to get Red Ruffing up and warming in the bullpen. Bagby seemed to rebound against the Navy hitter as he pitched the count full before Grace watched strike three land in AL All-Star catcher Buddy Rosar’s mitt. American League umpire Ernie Stewart made the call.
Now with two outs and the bases still jammed, Johnny Sturm represented the Service All-Stars’ last hope to score. After fouling off the first pitch, the former Yankee grounded to Ken Keltner at third. Keltner easily tagged the bag to retire the side.
In the bottom of the inning the hometown crowd cheered the match-up of Indians teammates Lou Boudreau and Bob Feller. “Rapid Robert” coaxed the Cleveland shortstop to hit a routine fly ball to Mullin in shallow center field. As easy as the first out came to Feller, the rest of the inning didn’t go his way. Tommy Henrich drove a 1-2 count pitch back to the box, deflecting off Feller’s foot and allowing the Yankees right fielder to safely reach first. With one on and one out, Ted Williams came to the plate to face Feller. Williams worked Feller to a full count before coaxing a walk.
Centerfielder Joe DiMaggio faced Feller with a runner in scoring position and drove a pitch up the middle into center field, allowing Henrich to score and Williams to reach third. Rudy York stood at the plate with runners at the corners and one out and drove a ball to Joe Grace in right center. Williams tagged and crossed the plate to tally the American League’s second run. Feller coaxed Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr to foul out to third base and at least temporarily stop the scoring.
In the bottom of the second, Cleveland’s Ken Keltner legged out a triple to lead off the inning. Catcher Buddy Rosar followed Keltner with a single just out of reach of third baseman Ernie Andres, scoring Keltner. This led manager Mickey Cochrane to walk to the mound to hook his starting pitcher in favor of Johnny Rigney, a former Chicago White Sox hurler, who proceeded to shut down the American League stars. Rigney kept the AL score at three until he was spelled by Mickey Harris in the bottom of the seventh. Harris was dogged by a leadoff double by Phil Rizzuto, who then swiped third base. Williams, a recipient of three free passes in earlier innings, pounded a triple, scoring Rizzuto from third. Harris got DiMaggio to pop out to Travis at third base before George McQuinn tripled, driving in the fifth and final tally for the Americans as Williams crossed the plate. American League pitching held the servicemen to six hits in the 5-0 shutout.
The Service All-Stars had a total of six safeties, with singles by Padgett, Travis, and Sturm and two by Ernie Andres. Cecil Travis had the only extra-base hit, a double.
“We lost in the first inning,” Mickey Cochrane told Associated Press reporter Charles Dunkley after the game. “We had the bases loaded and a single would have changed the whole story. We just muffed a big opportunity. That’s all. You don’t get a chance to beat a team like those American Leaguers every day in the week. Poor Feller didn’t have a thing. I’ve never seen him get belted like that. It proves that he wasn’t there – his duties in the navy robbed him of his timing, his control,” Cochrane concluded. – The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune (Muscatine, Iowa), July 8, 1942.
“I just couldn’t seem to get loosened up,” Feller told Ray Blosser of the Associated Press after the game.
When the game’s program-scorecard became available and we were able to secure a deal, it was a boon for our collection, which also includes photographs related to the game. The piece was a target of our search for more than a decade and the only drawback is that our example is unscored.
See Related Chevrons and Diamonds stories:
- Morrie Arnovich – Breaking Ground for Branch Rickey’s Bold Move
- Sam Chapman – A Lifetime Collection of Images: Star Baseball Player, Sam Chapman, the Tiburon Terror and Wartime Naval Aviator Part 1 | Part 2
- Mickey Harris – Visual Traces of a Wartime Service Career
- Hugh Mulcahy – Visual Traces of a Wartime Service Career
- Mickey Owen – Vintage Leather: Catching a Rawlings Mickey Owen Signature Mitt
A Passion for the Troops: Joe E. Brown’s All Pacific Recreation Fund
It is rather odd and perhaps, a little bit disjointed to author a piece that is technically a precursor or an actual “part I” of a two-part story after researching, writing and publishing the succeeding or part II. few weeks ago, we delved into one of the rarer wartime service-team baseball game programs that one can collect: a substantial scorebook from the 1944 All Recreation Fund game that pitted the Service All-Stars versus both the Pacific Coast League’s (PCL) Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars (see: Service All-Stars Raising Funds on the Diamond for their Comrades in the Trenches).
“Hopefully, we can source the 1943 All Pacific Recreation Fund program to round out the collection and to properly document the games and the participants.”
Just days following our article regarding the 1944 program published, the 1943 program and scorebook arrived to our door sending this author over the top with elation. Now, two of our most sought-after programs from domestic service team baseball programs moved off of our want list.
The fine print on the cover differentiates this book from the 1944 program.
While the roster for the 1944 Service All Stars feature featured some well-known names from the professional ranks, garnering modest attention from the press, the caliber of talent that took the field in the inaugural charity baseball game in 1943 was quite exceptional. Featuring three future Cooperstown enshrinees, the Service All Stars posed a considerable challenge for the PCL hosts, at least on paper.
1943 All Pacific Recreation Fund Game – Service All-Stars:
| Name | Pos | Command Location | Club Affiliation |
| Rinaldo Ardizoia | P | Army Air Forces, McClellan Field, Sacramento, California | New York Yankees |
| Harry Danning | C | 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach, California | New York Giants |
| Joseph DiMaggio | OF | Army Air Forces, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, California | New York Yankees |
| Bud Doleshall | P | U.S. Army, Ft. MacArthur, San Pedro, California | Sacramento Senators |
| A. R. Edwards | C | Army Ordnance, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, California | St. Louis Browns |
| Aubrey Epps | C | U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton, Camp Pendleton, California | Knoxville Smokies |
| Froilan “Nanny” Fernandez | IF | 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach, California | Boston Braves |
| Stanley Goletz | P | Army Air Force, Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona | Chicago White Sox |
| Hal Hirshon | OF | U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton, Camp Pendleton, California | Detroit Tigers |
| Myril Hoag | OF | Army Air Forces, Mather Field, Sacramento, California | Chicago White Sox |
| Walter Judnich | OF | Army Air Forces, McClellan Field, Sacramento, California | St. Louis Browns |
| Hubert Kittle | P | 6th Ferrying Group, Sacramento, California | Oakland Oaks |
| Art Lilly | IF | 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach, California | Hollywood Stars |
| Dario Lodigiani | IF | Army Air Forces, McClellan Field, Sacramento, California | Chicago White Sox |
| Theo “Ted” Lyons | P | U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton, camp Pendleton, California | Chicago White Sox |
| Joseph Marty | OF | Army Air Force, Hamilton Field, Novato, Novato, California | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Myron McCormick | OF | Army Air Forces, McClellan Field, Sacramento, California | Cincinnati Reds |
| John Pesky | IF | U.S. Navy, Atlanta Naval Air Station, Atlanta, Georgia | Boston Red Sox |
| Jack Price | IF | Army Ordnance, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, California | Nashville Vols |
| Charles “Red” Ruffing | P | 6th Ferrying Group, Sacramento, California | New York Yankees |
| Charles “Chuck” Stevens | IF | 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach, California | St. Louis Browns |
| Louis Stringer | IF | Army Air Force, Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona | Chicago Cubs |
| Max West | OF | 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach, California | Boston Braves |
As was seen in the following year’s game, the 1943 event drew a capacity crowd to witness the type of charity game that had become somewhat of a commonplace occurrence around the country with games staged between professional and military teams. This particular event was directly responsible for purchasing more than $25,000 in sporting equipment that was shipped throughout the Pacific combat theater to Army and Navy personnel. Inspired by his early USO-like tours to both entertain and encourage the troops during his early-WWII travels to the South Pacific, comedian Joe E. Brown was following through on his promise to the men he visited. The All Pacific Recreation fund was established and the Service All-Stars game versus the Los Angeles Angels and Hollywood Stars was his flagship event.
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- An all-star team of professionals who happen to be serving in the armed forces during World War II.
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- Ted Lyons, Red Ruffing and Harry Danning headline page two of the Service All-Stars photos.
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- Service all-stars including Joe Marty and Joe DiMaggio.
With a capacity of less than 13,000 fans, Gilmore Field’s turnstiles clicked a total of 21,742 times for the 1943 game with not a single pass being given (not even to the press). Leading off on defense for the top-half of the first inning, the Los Angeles Angels took the field as the 6th Ferrying Group’s first baseman, Chuck Stevens (who went two-for-three) leading off with a triple. Stevens, a local native (from Long Beach) who had previously played in the St. Louis Brown’s organization. In the previous year, Stevens played for the Toledo Mud Hens who took down Mickey Cochrane’s Great Lakes Bluejackets, a veritable team of professional all-stars serving in the U.S. Navy. Nanny Fernandez (0-for 3) followed Stevens in the order with Wally Judnich (Stevens’ 1941 Browns teammate) batting third (also hitless in the game). Batting cleanup was former Pacific Coast Leaguer (and New York Yankee), Joe DiMaggio who accounted for much of the Service All-Star’s offensive power (4-for-4 with two home runs).
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- Braven Dyer discusses the need to support the troops.
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- A narrative of Joe DiMaggio by John B. Old.
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- Though it is hard to tell Al Wolf from Braven Byer apart, Wolf shines a light on Red Ruffing.
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- Edward W. Cochrane touched upon General Douglas MacArthur.
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- Page two of the MacArthur piece by Edward W. Cochrane.
The Service All-Stars collected a total of 13 hits and racked up eight runs while only allowing the Angles and Hollywood to manage six hits (including the two solo home runs by Hollywood’s Babe Herman and Los Angeles’ Rip Russell) to the Coast League team’s two runs.
Similar to the 1944 game program, the 1943 issue is more book-like than what was common during the 1940s. The half-magazine sized booklet is constructed of a high-quality, heavy paper stock with a semi-gloss finish. The cover art (used for both the ’43 and ’44 games) is two-color-printed (red and blue) with the interior pages all monochromatic blue.
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- Hollywood Stars and Los Angeles Angels 1943 rosters as of August 21, 1943.
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- The 1943 Los Angeles Angels.
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- The 1943 Hollywood Stars team photo.
Aside from the plethora of sponsors pages and advertisements, the content throughout the book is superior to that of any other program (that we have seen) from service team baseball during World War II. The rosters and team photos are clear and the players depicted are easily discernible (including with the Los Angeles and Hollywood team photos). The team rosters are very complete (despite some obvious errors – Navy Ensign Johnny Pesky is listed as serving in the U.S. Army) offering great details about the service players’ 1943 duty stations.
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- One of two illustrations by Walt Disney depicts a forlorn soldier holding a makeshift bat.
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- Walt Disney provided a second drawing that depicts the Angles and Stars teaming against the Service All Stars.
In addition to completing the All Pacific Recreation Fund game program collection, what makes the 1943 program even more special is that this copy came from the estate of one of the players who factored considerably in the game. Though it isn’t the first piece to arrive into the Chevrons and Diamonds collection from the life-long baseball man, Chuck Stevens, it is certainly one of the most cherished pieces (there will be upcoming articles regarding the Chuck Stevens pieces of which we are honored to now be caretakers of).
Our time has been considerably consumed by several activities (in addition to family and work priorities) and there are several future articles forthcoming surrounding additional service team scorecards as well as a considerable effort to update the Library of Military Baseball Scorecards, Score-books and Game Programs with these two All Pacific Recreation All Stars game programs along with an incredible array of Great Lakes items (stay tuned!).
Billy Seal, Jr.: From the Diamonds of the South to the Battlefields of Germany
One of the Chevrons and Diamonds projects that is presently underway centers on researching and documenting the history of one of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) World Series championship contending teams; the Blue and Grays of the 29th Infantry Division (ID). Fueled by the acquisition of an artifacts grouping from a veteran of the 29th ID’s baseball team (see: European Theater Baseball (the 29th Infantry Division Blue and Grays at Nurnberg)), the primary goal of this (multi-part) project will be to discover and present the personalities that comprised the team that found itself just two series wins away from facing the Overseas Invasion Service Expedition (OISE) All-Stars in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) World Series in the fall of 1945.
The ultimate objective of this effort is to fully identify the players on the roster of the Blue and Greys of the 29th to properly illuminate both the wartime service and baseball-playing contributions of the men faced the 71st Red Circlers in the 1945 U.S. Army Ground Forces Championship Series that was played at Nuremberg Stadium. As was the situation with many other teams in the semi-final rounds of the post-season competition, the 29th was a conglomeration of players from opposition 29th Infantry Divisions teams that were homogenized as they were defeated by the Blue and Greys.
Though the Blue and Gray roster was populated with many average Joe ball players, several of the team’s positions were filled by former professional ball players. One of those former pro players was Billy Seal. William Allen Seal, Jr. was born in Danita, Oklahoma and played his way into a solid third baseman prospect and found himself in the Dodgers farm system by 1938. Though he would never ascend above the AA level, Billy Seal, Jr. was solid hitter early in his career and would sustain a .314 average in his twelve minor league seasons. In his first professional season, Seal bounced between the Fayetteville Angels (of the class-D Arkansas-Missouri League) and the Greenville Buckshots (class-C Cotton States League) maintaining consistency at the plate. The following season Billy Seal split time between Greenville and the Bowling Green Barons (class-D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League), nearly repeating his 1938 offensive output which the Dodgers didn’t recognize as notable enough to promote him. Midway through the ‘39 season, the Brooklyn was handed a gift from the Red Sox system as they acquired a Louisville Colonels infielder named Harold G. “Pee Wee” Reese.
For the 1940 season, Pee Wee Reese was promoted to the big-league club and Seal would with Greenville for the duration, hitting .323 for the year while legging-out 41 doubles and five triples and pushing his slugging percentage to .451 (in later years, one of Seal’s regimental comrades, George Phillips, recalled, “Billy Seal was a great soldier and served his country with honor. Bill was a professional baseball player who made it all the way to the old Brooklyn Dodgers as a shortstop. Having been in the National Guard he got called up for service and a fellow by the name of Pee Wee Reese took his place,” though some of his details were a bit inaccurate).
At the season’s end, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (on September 16). One month later, on October 16, 1940, William Allen Seal registered for the draft and continued with his normal off-season work as he awaited spring training. Seal began the year with the Vicksburg Hill Billies (Cotton States League) and was having a career year through the first three months of the season (batting .365 with a .536 slugging percentage in just 67 games) but took his leave from the club to enlist. On July 7, 1941, baseball player Seal began his transformation to become Private William Seal as he enlisted to serve in the U.S. Army, ending his chances at being promoted to the upper levels.
Following his completion of basic training, Private Seal was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas (home of the 2nd Cavalry Division) where he was tapped to play baseball with one of the base teams. Service in the peacetime armed forces for a baseball player could be easy and it was for Seal until everything changed on December 7,1941.
In mid-May, 1943, the 271st Infantry Regiment was constituted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi as part of the 69th Infantry Division. After extensive training and preparation, the division departed Mississippi by rail on Halloween bound for Camp Kilmer in New Brunswick, New Jersey. On November 14, 1944, the 69th ID departed New York Harbor by ship en route for Southampton on a 10-day Atlantic crossing. After a few months and a channel crossing, the 271st Infantry Regiment began their combat tour in Western Europe having landed at LeHavre following an uneventful Channel crossing. After twenty days of travel in vehicles and on foot, Company “G,” along with the entire 271st crossed into Germany and were met with fierce enemy resistance near the town of Hollerath (which lies on the Siegfried Line and is 100 kilometers northeast of Bastogne and where the anti-tank barrier known as “dragon’s teeth” is still very much intact) after just a few days in the “Fatherland.” Baseball was, perhaps the furthest from the minds of the men engaged in their first fight of the war.
As the Germans continued their retreat, Seal’s regiment crossed the Rhine River on March 28, 1945. The month of April found the 271st engaged in fierce fighting with enemy forces in the Battle of Weissenfels on the 12th And the Battle for Leipzig commencing on the 18th. When the combat came to an end by the end of the month, the “Fighting 69th” had been engaged with the enemy nearly continuously since crossing into Germany in late February.
The end of hostilities and combat operations in Europe with the surrender of the Third Reich in May 7, 1945 transformed the massive Allied fighting force to an occupation military that would be left searching for activities and functions for the troops to participate in. Aside from facilitating the deactivation of a defeated military coupled with investigations and the search for war criminals, occupying the occupation force with such matters left a large percentage of soldiers with very little to do save for basic military drill and instruction. One activity that Military leadership in the ETO decided upon was in the realm of competitive sports of which, the national pastime was the premier game.
Troops were dispersed throughout the European Theater in accordance with the needs of the occupation functions. Teams were formed within the various commands and leagues were formed. Regional play commenced in the early part of the summer of 1945.
Following the German surrender, he played for the 69th’s team in the ETO baseball league as they worked their way into the Seventh Army Championship Series, facing the Blue and Grays of the 29th ID, the eventual Seventh Army Champions who would lose in the 1945 ETO World Series in the Fall of 1945.
Billy Seal, Don Kolloway and Earl Ghelf would all depart the Fighting 69th to fill roster spots on the Blue and Grays as they faced the Red Circlers of the 71st ID in the US Army Ground Forces Championship Series. The 71st would defeat Seal and the 29th ID team heading to and winning the Third Army Championship as they ultimately faced and were defeated by the Sam Nahem, Leon Day and the OISE All Stars in the ETO World Series.
Billy Seal returned to the pro game in 1946 with the Chicks and bounced throughout various teams in the South until retiring following the 1953 season. In 12 pro seasons, Seal played 1550 games, 5,810 ABs for 10 different teams and managed a .310 average with a .492 SLG and 165 HRs.
| Year | Age | Team | League | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BA | SLG | TB |
| 1938 | 20 | Fayetteville | ARMO | D | 107 | 431 | 158 | 28 | 10 | 13 | .367 | .568 | 245 | ||
| 1939 | 21 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | D-C | BRO | 140 | 602 | 602 | 193 | 35 | 17 | 9 | .321 | .48 | 289 |
| 1939 | 21 | Greenville | CSTL | C | BRO | 55 | 237 | 72 | 9 | 5 | 5 | .304 | .447 | 106 | |
| 1939 | 21 | Bowling Green | KITL | D | 85 | 365 | 121 | 26 | 12 | 4 | .332 | .501 | 183 | ||
| 1940 | 22 | Greenville | CSTL | C | 138 | 561 | 181 | 41 | 5 | 7 | .323 | .451 | 253 | ||
| 1941 | 23 | Vicksburg | CSTL | C | 67 | 274 | 100 | 17 | 6 | 6 | .365 | .536 | 147 | ||
| 1942 | 24 | Fort Riley | US Army | Army Service – Service Team Baseball | |||||||||||
| 1943 | 25 | Camp Shelby | US Army | Army Service – Service Team Baseball | |||||||||||
| 1944 | 26 | Camp Shelby | US Army | Army Service – Training | |||||||||||
| 1945 | 27 | ETO | US Army | Army Service – Combat Operations (through May 6) | |||||||||||
| 1945 | 27 | 69th/29th ID | US Army | Army Service -Occupation/Service Team Baseball | |||||||||||
| 1946 | 28 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | B-AA | 141 | 534 | 534 | 156 | 24 | 9 | 10 | .292 | .427 | 228 | |
| 1946 | 28 | Memphis | SOUA | AA | 43 | 153 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .275 | .307 | 47 | ||
| 1946 | 28 | Anniston | SEAL | B | PIT | 98 | 381 | 114 | 19 | 9 | 10 | .299 | .475 | 181 | |
| 1947 | 29 | Vicksburg | SEAL | B | 143 | 533 | 185 | 48 | 6 | 21 | .347 | .578 | 308 | ||
| 1948 | 30 | Vicksburg | SEAL | B | 136 | 519 | 144 | 38 | 5 | 19 | .277 | .480 | 249 | ||
| 1949 | 31 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | D-B | 115 | 391 | 391 | 132 | 24 | 2 | 27 | .338 | .616 | 241 | |
| 1949 | 31 | Anniston | SEAL | B | 30 | 98 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .327 | .469 | 46 | ||
| 1949 | 31 | Carrollton | GAAL | D | 85 | 293 | 100 | 22 | 2 | 23 | .341 | .666 | 195 | ||
| 1950 | 32 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | B-D | 137 | 464 | 464 | 165 | 41 | 7 | 13 | .356 | .558 | 259 | |
| 1950 | 32 | Gadsden | SEAL | B | 99 | 333 | 118 | 31 | 4 | 9 | .354 | .553 | 184 | ||
| 1950 | 32 | Dublin | GASL | D | 38 | 131 | 47 | 10 | 3 | 4 | .359 | .573 | 75 | ||
| 1951 | 33 | St. Petersburg | FLIN | B | 138 | 485 | 150 | 34 | 4 | 11 | .309 | .464 | 225 | ||
| 1952 | 34 | St. Petersburg | FLIN | B | 153 | 554 | 141 | 33 | 4 | 9 | .255 | 0.377 | 209 | ||
| 1953 | 35 | St. Petersburg | FLIN | B | 135 | 462 | 121 | 17 | 4 | 20 | .262 | .446 | 206 |
Two of the three photos in this article were part of a grouping that originated from minor leaguer and veteran pitcher of the 69th/29th Infantry division baseball teams, Earl Ghelf. The Ghelf collection was covered in A Growing Backlog of Baseball History to Share and European Theater Baseball (the 29th Infantry Division Blue and Grays at Nurnberg) in 2018.
Resources:
- History of The 271st Infantry Regiment
- The Fighting 69th Infantry Division
- Baseball in Wartime – Service Games in Europe
- Newsletter – Fighting 69th Infantry Division Association, Inc. Volume 37, No. 1
- Baseball Reference – Bill Seal
- Pictorial history of the 69th Infantry Division, 15 May 1943 to 15 May 1945 – U.S. Army, 1945
Chevrons and Diamonds 