The State’s Gilt To Baseball
If it wore* not for tlio native-born Tar Heels
anil others who started their haseliall ca¬
reer in North Carolina, the l>i£
would be in rather bad shape.
North Carolina through¬
out the years has laid claim
to many titles in the sports
world because of its many stellar
players in all phases of every
known athletic event. For many
years North Carolina, Texas, and
California have set the pace in fur¬
nishing baseball players to the ma¬
jor leagues — National and Ameri¬
can. Boasting more than a half¬
hundred players in the majors at
the start of the season, the Old
North State last year staked a claim
to the number one spot in the
horsehide world.
California and Texas lead North
Carolina this year in the numbers
of particular men to be found on
the various nines in the majors,
but the famous Tar Heels still
lead when it comes to "headline
makers" such as Enos Slaughter,
Dick Culler, etc.
Lanier's Record
Outside of the major leagues.
Denton’s famous southpaw none
other than Lefty Max Lanier has
created many a sensation in the
past year by his none-too-clever
tactics with the Pasquel brothers
in the “down-below-thc-border"
Mexican League. Recently the pa¬
pers cry out with a report from
Florida that Lanier has had enough
of the Pasquels and now seeks to
use his great left arm for any good
semi-pro team in the country who
has enough money to pay Lanier
for his time and efforts. Such
money would run into five figures
and more. It is doubtful that many
semi-pro teams anywhere can pay
this kind of a price, so Max may
have to rest on his laurels. Lanier's
record as a member of the St. Ix>uis
Cardinals stands for itself as one
of the greatest in major league his¬
tory. When with the Cards he was
not only the talk of the National
League but he was more or less
Mr. Baseball, a position now held
securely by Tom Yawkey’s Ted
Williams. Lanier, in his hey-dey
in the big time, was North Caro¬
lina’s star of stars.
Enos Slaughter, another big name
in baseball, is a North Carolinian
who last year spurned tradition to
THE STATE, JULY 5. 1947
By STl RGIS MAY
race from first base to home plate
on a team-mate’s single to score
what proved to be the winning run
over Joe Cronin’s Boston Red Sox
in the deciding game of the '46
World Series. Slaughter, a native of
Roxboro, has been "hot as a pistol"
for the Cards for a number of years,
but after last year he has been
tagged a real star and draws down
enough cash from the Red Birds
to prove it. He is North Carolina’s
top man in the big show this sea¬
son.
Other North Carolinians who
spark the rosters of our sixteen ma¬
jor league clubs include: Dick Cul¬
ler (Boston Braves) of High Point;
A1 Evans (Washington Senators)
of Kenly; Buddy Lewis (Senators)
of Gastonia; Itae Scarborough ( Sen¬
ators) of Mt. Gilead; Stanley
Spence ( Senators) , of Kinston, and
Dewey Williams (Chicago Cubs)
of Durham.
These are only the stars, more
than 40 other Carolinians arc in¬
cluded on major league rosters
and will be heard from in a big
way during the 1947 baseball sea¬
son.
More Teams Than Other States
North Carolina, always a base¬
ball playing state, not only pro¬
duces a lot of home-state talent but
with more than 34 Tar Heels towns
represented in six organized
leagues this year — the state has
set some kind of a record. Many
students of the game of baseball
declare that North Carolina has
more towns and more leagues in
baseball this season than any other
state in the union.
Certainly this is true if nopulace
figures arc to be used in the argu¬
ment. With less than four million
people making their home be¬
tween Mantco and Murphy, you
can find six active leagues — one
a class B. another a class C. and
four leagues belonging to D cir¬
cuits. This, in itself, is quite a rec¬
ord and speaks exceptionally well
leagues
for the baseball playing state of
North Carolina.
The Tri-State League, only class
В
organization functioning in this
state this season, boasts such teams
as Charlotte, Rcldsville, Asheville,
and Fayetteville. In the Class C
Carolina League are Greensboro.
Raleigh, Winston-Salem. Durham.
Burlington, and Lcaksville.
In the four Class D loops in
North Carolina you find "old
timers" in this trio of leagues:
Coastal Plain, Tobacco State and
North State. The recent addition to
Class D baseball in North Carolina
is the Blue Ridge League with Le¬
noir and Mt. Airy furnishing com¬
petition against two Virginia cities,
namely Radford and Galax. Lenoir,
a farm of the Boston Red Sox.
copped the pennant in the initial
year of Blue Ridge League play.
In the Coastal Plain league open¬
ing day schedules found Green¬
ville, Tarboro, Rocky Mount, Roan¬
oke Rapids, New Bern. Goldsboro,
and Kinston ready to go in another
hectic season.
The North State, one of the more
solid Class D leagues, has teams
located at Hickory. Concord,
Landis, Lexington, High Point-
Thomasville, Mooresville, States¬
ville, and Salisbury.
Yes, North Carolina is a baseball
playing heaven and the springing
board for the major leagues. About
half of the major league stars to¬
day either hail from Tar Heelia
or he got his start playing in one
of North Carolina’s many leagues.
Besides all of these teams,
leagues, professional stars, etc., the
semi-pro teams still do a big busi¬
ness at the box office with more
than twenty such leagues operat¬
ing in Tar Heelia this summer.
And with all this, soft ball, a popu¬
lar sport of recent years, will find
a score of such leagues operating
successfully this season. Where, oh
where, can you find as many ball
clubs and as many potential and
star baseball players as in North
Carolina?
Cornelius Harnett has been
called the Samuel Adams of North
Carolina.
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