Fan Memories
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Do you remember Leo Lassen, Jo Jo White, Edo Vanni? Did you watch games in the great outdoors at Sick's Stadium? Help me preserve the memories of the Seattle Rainiers
You can send them to:.
seattlemariner@oocities.com
As a pre-teen I watched many a rainier games. One night we were behind by about eight runs and the next batter singled to JoJo White. Frustrated, Jo Jo turned and threw the ball into the bleachers instead of keeping it in play. Now days that would bring a hefty fine. The good old days. Another time there was going to be a pre-game foot race between Rainier Bill Ramsay and Minnie Minosa of one of the California teams. Well a rookie ( Rainiers of course ) by the name of Kay Chorlton entered the race also and won by about a mile. Minnie went on to a big league career, but what became of Ramsay or
Chorlton ?
Lower Holly Park kid.
Remarks: Kay Chorlton never reached the majors. Bill Ramsey played in 78 games in 1945 with the Boston Braves, and batted.292.
Three expressions I remember of listening to Leo Lassen - lived in Everett and saw very few games but listened to many - are indelible in my memory:
"there goes Becker into 2nd - he's no gazelle"
"there goes Becker, piano and all, into 2nd with a standup double"
one of my favorites" the play at first was "closer than the wallpaper on the wall."
Thanks for the site and the memories!
Don S.
Some of the most vivid and happy memories of my childhood were the months spent in Seattle during the PCL baseball seasons. My father, Tony York, was a Rainier infielder from 1946 through 1950. In fact, he's featured in the 1947 program displayed on your web site. Dad was active in baseball for over 20 years, but the 5 years in Seattle were definitely the highlight of our family's baseball experience. Although I was pretty young, I can still remember the excitement of going to Sick's Seattle Stadium, or listening to Leo Lassen's play-by-play on the radio. Even fonder memories are of the wonderful Rainier players of that era -- Hillis Layne, Guy Fletcher, Jo Jo White, Bill Schuster (the Rooster), Kewpie Dick Barrett, Lou Novikoff (The Mad Russian), Bill Ramsey, Johnny O'Neil, Paul Richards, etc. -- and their wonderful families.
It brought a tug to the heartstrings to see mention of Dad and some of the others in the memories left by Mr.
Walt Kaplan. They were all a special breed. Tony York may not have been the biggest, the strongest, or the
most talented guy on the team, but nobody could out-hustle him! I'd be willing to bet the fans that knew him
would agree. He and so many of his team mates played 110 percent every time they took the field because
they loved the game. You just don't see that kind of dedication in this age of high salaries and prima donnas.
Oh, how I miss the good ole' days!
I am sad to report that Tony passed away in 1970 at the young age of 57. He is buried in Hubbard, Texas, in
Fairview Cemetary (also the resting place of baseball immortal Tris Speaker, a Hubbard native). My mother,
Mariana York, continues to live in Hubbard. She still loves the game of baseball and is a Texas Ranger fan
these days. We would love to hear from other Rainier players, families, and fans who read this. You can
reach us at the email address below.
Thank you for keeping the Rainier memories alive.
Sincerely,
Nancy York Ryan
bknyryan@aol.com
While I'm too young to have actually watched the Rainiers in their glory days, I lucked out by having a grandfather who was the head groundskeeper at Sicks' Stadium from 1938 through the 1959 season (the year I was born, coincidentally).
I literally sat at Grandpa Joe's knee when I was a kid listening to his stories about the team and its players: Fred Hutchinson, Bill Lawrence, Kewpie Dick Barrett, Hal Turpin, Byron Speece, JoJo White, etc. I could go on.
One story that has always stuck in my mind was about Bill Lawrence. He played center field for the Rainiers in the late '30's and 40's, and was probably the best defensive outfielder ever to play in Seattle prior to the Griffey era. His nickname was "Highpockets" because he was 6'4" and mostly legs. Shortly after Sicks' Stadium opened in 1938, the Rainiers were playing Portland. One of the Beavers (Marvin Gudat, I think) hit a long fly ball to center in the top of the ninth. Highpockets was playing close because Gudat was not a power hitter. Lawrence took off at te crack of the bat, ran back to the center field fence, and caught Gudat's ball going away to end the game. After the game, Grandpa went out to center field to measure Lawrence's stride as he went after Gudat's hit...TEN FOOT STRIDES! That's coveing ground in any man's league.
Fred Hutchinson was a particular family favorite. He attended school with my Aunt Florence, who claims Hutch was her first boyfriend back in John Muir Elementary or Franklin High. Hutch was as gentle and kind a person off the field as he was intense and competetive on it, and his loss to cancer is still felt with sadness by my family members who knew him. It's a great injustice that the new ballpark in Seattle is named after an insurance company instead of this guy, but it was hard not to get tears when Hutch's grandson Joey ran the bases before the first game at Safeco Field.
-Bruce Baskin
Good afternoon. I greatly appreciate the excellent information which you have provided on your site. My father, Mr. Gary B. Waddingham, wrote an outstanding book called The Seattle Rainiers: The Glory Years 1938-1942. It is a treasure for the Seattle Rainiers baseball
fan. The book describes the passion by father had, and still has, for this golden age of baseball in the Northwest. My family and I are privileged to have several copies of this book in our possesion and we consider it an honor to have them on our shelves. My dad spent many hours in meticulous research to present an accurate representation of Seattle Rainiers baseball. I know he was able to interview at least one former player in person, Mr. Dick Gyselman, while preparing the book. The last chapter is a wonderful description of my dad's ecperience of attending a ball game at Sick's Stadium. It was a difficult day for my dad when the stadium was torn down. I think a part of him died with the tearing down of the old ball park. Some of his happiest days were spend with the Seattle Rainiers, watching his heroes play the greatest game the world will ever know. His book is now out of print, which I regret. The original manuscript is also unavailable. I wish more baseball fans of this golden age could have relived these esciting seasons with the Seattle Rainiers. I'm sure my dad would love to hear from other great Rainiers baseball fans! Please e-mail drwljw@radix.net with questions or comments. Thank you very much.
Very respectfully,
Daniel R. Waddingham
drwljw@radix.net
I clearly remember attending many, many games in the left field bleachers, praying for a foul ball to come my way. This was in the early fifties when we kids were known as Jojo White's knot hole gang. My cousins and I knew that the gate guards left their post about the seventh inning so we would leave the bleachers and walk around to the box seats. There was a microphone near the screen behind home plate where the coaches could let Leo Lassen know of any line-up changes. We would try to get close to it and call up to Leo such things as "Vernon Kinsfather in for Walter Judnick" Someone in the press booth would lean out an yell at us, "you kids get away from there" Wonderful memories of baseball before it became a mega-dollar enterprise.
My name is Alan Strange Jr. My dad played on, coached and managed the Rainiers. I probably watched more Rainier games from the third base dugout in Sick's Stadium than most people did from the stands. Edo gave the tribute to my dad at his funeral in 1994. I have dad's pennant ring and several autographed bats of his. I have a world of memories about the old Rainiers. A little irony, dad coached and managed when Vada Pinson played, I coached Babe Ruth league with Vada's Nephew (grand) a few years ago. - Alan
I don't have any memories of the Rainers except those told to me by my grandfather, Tom Nokes, he even showed me a newspaper clipping or two that he still has of 6 of my relatives listed as players. It's good to see someone not letting the memory of "The Rainers" die off. Thank You. - Robert (Bud) Nokes