Minor League Schedule Poster ID

[cincicards]

I just picked up these two what I believe to be minor league schedules, they each measure 14"x24" on thick cardboard. The posters show schedules for the Blue Ridge League for the years 1960 and 1964. However, I can't find any info for a Blue Ridge League for those years. The closest match I could find was the following, "Blue Ridge League operated between 1946 and 1950. It was located in North Carolina and Virginia and was rated as a D-level league." Any info concerning these two posters would be greatly appreciated.

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[Rob D.]

Because it looks like games didn't start until mid-May, and they ended in mid-August, coupled with the fact the names of those teams sound like very small towns (I'm not basing this anything other than my first impression), I wonder if this Blue Ridge League was of the semi-pro variety. Plus, it looks like a limited schedule, i.e. games weren't played every day of the week. That doesn't lend itself to being a professional minor league.

Growing up in the mid-1970s, we lived in a fairly big city that had a very competitive semi-pro baseball league. I remember seeing cardboard schedules like this in local businesses. So it's easy to see how 15 years earlier, when semi-pro ball was even more popular and important to communities, schedules like this would have been produced.

[pariah1107]

In 1948 the North Wilkesboro Flashers played ball.... :D
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=efbf184b

As you already know... All of these towns are in northwestern North Carolina, and south-central Virginia. Probably a semi-pro league. As a NASCAR fan it would be very interesting to know if the Flashers played home games at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

I believe Fireball Roberts was still pitching in the bush leagues for the Zellwood Mudhens (Florida) in mid/late 50's. I could imagine a scenario where he picked up the leather for the Flashers before/after a NASCAR event at the speedway....

Great posters..... I'll search more.

[pariah1107]

Found this article on-line about a Ralph Kiner baseball bat by "Rutherford & Hodges Bat Co., North Wilkesboro, NC". Strange article, but it does mention the Flashers used to play at Memorial Park, not NW Speedway. Oh well....

http://www.therecordofwilkes.com/newsa.asp?edition_number=489&pg=L

My suggestion is to concentrate on the North Wilkesboro team since the sports sections from that town would probably be more thorough (due to NASCAR coverage) than the smaller town teams of Saltville, Sparta, or Lenoir.

[pariah1107]

Randall, The league that included the North Wilkesboro Flashers, Galax Leaves, Lenoir Oilers, Elkin Blanketeers, and the Saltville Alkalies in the 1950's-1960's was known as the "Burley Belt League". Many former members of the Tar Heel League & Blue Ridge League.

The Alkalies, folded in 1967. Surprisingly, quite a lot of info on the web about this semi-pro league.... here's one....

http://www.rlrouse.com/saltville-alkalies.html

Here's an article of a recent Galax Leaves reunion/oldtimers game.... looks like they may have been around in the 70's....

http://www.galaxscrapbook.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=481:galax-oldtimers-reunite&catid=55:sports&Itemid=53

Here's an obit that gives a pretty good summary of the Lenoir Oilers & pitcher Jay Knight's past; including name changes by the team and in the league in your time frame, etc.

http://www.greer-mcelveenfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=312386

I'm done. Fun project.....