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CARS LINE THE SIDES of the Clay St. diamond to watch the Del-phos nine play during the Twenties. Guy Tilton is pitching.By NANCY TIMMINS (This is the second in a series of articles running each Saturday in The Herald on what baseball was like in the early part of the century).Cars were parked all around the Clay St. diamond, two-deep The owners were sitting on the roof or hood, or hanging out 'he windows, watching the Del phos City Team play ball during the 1920's and 20's If a ball was hit hard enough to reach the rows of ears and roll under one, it was automatically a two-bagger Home runs could be made by hitting the ball into Kaverman's Orchard, where it would be hidden in the leaves Admission to the park was 25 cents or 40 cents for the grandstand. Lee Grady player .md manager of the Del phos team, was responsible for hav ing that grandstand built, remembers Guy Tilton, Del phos resident later manager of the City Team.It was built from the scaffolding used when the upper walls and ceiling of St John’s Church were painted, Mr Tilton re members.During World War 1 there was no organized baseball in Del phos. and the owners planted a corn field in the baseball diamondAftei the war, Guy Tilton and the late A1 Wilhelm decided to change the area back into a ball park'ihey went to the high school to i k if the tudlt; nt ouldhelp them pick up the corn stubbles in the field. They promised the boys could use the field whenever the city team was not playing or practicing, since there was no place tor high school students to play.Tilton and Wilhelm then sold over $700 worth of season tick ets at $10 eachGuy Tilton remembers it cost $127 to put the team on the field that year Local merchants do nated money to help buy the uniforms and equipment.Karlier when the team was frying to get a park on Cleveland St they rented a plot from Maine Kemper They walked out to Bill Baxter’s farm off Route 30, and explained their plight.Bill who was working in the field, unhitched his team and drove the team and plow into town, and plowed up the empty field on Cleveland St.The baseball players went to Franklin School to get help. The kids came, with shovels, rakes and hoes, and made a ball park Mr Baxter went over the field once more and then drove his ♦earn back to his farm and Delphos had a new ball park.The team still had to raise money for uniforms. Players’ mothers got together and held a bake sale Gu\ Tilton remembers cleaning chickens for the sale with soap and brushes at Ike MaUison’s house. The sale held at Jettinghoff and Beck mann's Furniture store put the team on the field that year.Mil ndant lt;at tht une - 'ti'he Twenties was as high as 3,000. One of the most popular attractions at the park was the refreshment stand Prohibition officers could not find tfu source of the liquor which man} fans seemed to be enjoying The man who ran the refresh ment stand was putting shots of moonshine in his bottles of cream soda, Mr Tilton recalled Big league players could get as much as $40 plus expense' per game during the prosperou-twenties. Experienced local pitchers could make $25 in at afternoon Guy Tilton, pitcher, was mak ing more playing baseball on tfu weekends than he was at his job in the Post Office The kids also profited They could earn a nickel per ball plus bonuses of chewing tobacc* and cigarettes, for finding hall' knocked out of the field during practice on Tuesdays and Fridays We never lost a ball, re members Mr. Tilton Those kids were so loyal that if an outsider tried to steal a hall the} would mob him But baseball suffered along with everything else during the depression The men on the city team then played because they liked to. If there was an\ rnone left at the end of the season, the} split it,Ray Diito, who played on tin ( it} Team and later in the Blue Ridge and Western Leagues recalls playing one season foi Delphos and 'earning a grand total of $2.20.”Box office receipts were di vided between the two learn but the problem was, so few people could find a quartet ti spend on a game.After the depression base ball made a try at a comeba* k in this area, but late in the 30A softball became the rage “It was softball that killed baseball,’ said the old plav,ir sadly.(Next Saturday read about ♦ he Little World Series played between Delphos, “The Can.il Town, and Lima, “The BeanTown).
Newspaper Details
Delphos Herald
Delphos, Ohio, US
Sat, Dec 04, 1965
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Bob E.
NA, NA 25 Oct 2023
Other Publications Near Delphos, Ohio
The Delphos Tri-Weekly Courant
The Delphos Daily Independent
Delphos Keeblatt
Delphos Weekly Herald
Delphos Courant
