OT: Wichita Baseball Chat for Clint

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Clint, I just heard that Wichita is losing their AA team the Wranglers, and that there is the possibility of an independent league team coming in there. What's the latest you hear on that? It would be cool if an American Association team comes in there.

Keeping it somewhat on the topic of collecting do you collect the Wrangler stuff or do you just keep it vintage?

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Posted By: Clint

Dan, they haven't decided on who's coming yet. They've got several teams wanting to play here though. I believe an independent team and an AA team are in the mix.

I don't pursue baseball much after the 1950's. I do go after the game jerseys though. I pretty much collect those up to the Alomar brothers era. Here's a couple that I don't have in storage. The blue one is from the early 80's I believe. I'm still trying to find a date on it. The other is from a turn back the clock game replicating the 1957 jerseys. I think it's from the 1997 season. Since it looked vintage I bought it.

Alex Gordon had an awesome year in Wichita last year and I almost bought an NBC jersey of his from Beatrice. Hopefully he'll come around at the major league level.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Alex used to live in my neighborhood. He's moved up in the last couple of years. The high school he played at is only a few blocks from my home. He was highly touted even back then. He's starting to come around now, if he hadn't had that awful April/May then he would be doing great. I believe he's well over .300 for June/July and he just had a huge series against the Yanks.

I'm hoping Wichita gets an American Aassociation team that will put Lincoln and Wichita in the same league for the first time in a very long time.

Nice jersey's btw...I wish I could find a Lincoln jersey. The Saltdogs will have a jersey auction coming up in a few weeks, but sometimes people get a little crazy...last year a Kevin Sullivan jersey sold for over $3,000. I wouldn't mind getting a Pichi Balet, but he's a fan favorite and it'll likely go for more than I would ever spend. I thought about going after that 1969 Omaha Royals uniform in the last Mastro auction..it went cheap ($300 or around there), but I'm not sure I want to go after Omaha stuff just yet.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Thanks Dan. What I'd really like to find is a 1987 Wichita Pilots Texas League Championship ring. I've seen one that was given to the bus driver of the team so I know they exist.

I'm surprised you haven't made the jump into Omaha baseball already. I know the Nebraska Indians's have been keeping you busy lately, but that pace will be hard to maintain. I know of one awesome Omaha cabinet that has Jake Beckley in it. It shows up every now and then. I'm also surprised that a ticket from the NI's hasn't showed up. They played a bunch of games, there should be some out there.

Here's another jersey from late 70's to early 80's. I guess you can tell I haven't really pinpointed the dates on my jerseys yet.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Has Wichita ever been without a professional team?

As far as Omaha goes I've thought about it, but I really hate that city and I'm not sure my heart would be in it. It stems from the rivalry between Creighton and NU...the Creighton fans are cretins. It's hard to imagine that these same people could be Husker football fans. Aside from sports rivalries there has always been kind of a rivalry between Lincoln and Omaha in other areas as well. I should probably get over that, but it pops up every year when NU plays CU in basketball and baseball and just reinforces my dislike for all things Omaha.

edited to add: I have never seen a Nebraska Indians ticket stub before, but probably the most unique item I have seen from them would be a 1908 Envelope and letterhead discussing an all Japanese team that Guy Green was trying to get together. The envelope and letterhead and a really neat design on them...the letter was basically a press release to an Alton, Illinois newspaper announcing their upcoming game with the locals. I put in a ridiculous snipe - or so I thought ($800) and I was outsniped. I still can't believe that happened...I have also never seen the other bidder ever bid on another NI item before or since. I would love to see that thing hit ebay again some day.

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Posted By: Clint

Wichita has sporadically been without teams here and there. In 1985-1986 was the most recent. The Braves left town after the 58 season and baseball didn't return until 1970. Wichita is a very fickle town and doesn't always support their teams. We almost lost the NBC tournament because of the Wranglers move to Arkansas. This tournament was conceived and played in Wichita since 1935. For some unknown reason the powers that be sold the tournament to the group that owned the Wranglers. Luckily they were able to convince them to keep it here. The new team will be in charge of running it.
That's like the College World Series being moved out of Omaha.

Here's something that was won in Omaha. I graduated from Wichita State University and bought myself a "class ring". It's a 1989 College World Series Ring when WSU won it all. This came from a well known supporter of the team.

I've set some snipes really high as well and just shook my head when I didn't win. Like you, it's usually someone who doesn't even bid on sports items.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

There is talk of Omaha losing the college world series if they don't build a new stadium. That would be a shame. Nobody wants to lose it, but there is some mixed feelings on a new stadium. Not sure if you've been to the CWS, but it's a nightmare to get in and out of there for a game and they share a parking lot with the zoo.

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Posted By: Clint

I'd really hate the midwest to lose any high profile event like that. I've never been to the CWS but really like the college atmosphere. I went to the regional this year in Wichita and there were over 8,000 people at the game. The college team has always outdrawn the minors. Actually our college stadium is way nicer than Lawrence Dumont.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Well the Saltdogs season is officially over tonight having been swept by the St Paul Saints.

Looks like Wichita got their American Association team and it's rumored that Lincoln will open the season down in Wichita. Could be a nice little road trip.

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Posted By: Clint

Come on down Dan and we'll get together, watch some baseball and talk memorabilia.

Clint

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Sounds good. The American Association usually releases the new schedule pretty early.

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

For what it's worth, in my six years of playing professional baseball, I enjoyed my time in Wichita (1989 season) the most. The people there were absolutely great, and that season was the first year that Robert Rich owned the team, so the front office consisted of a lot of new people who did a fantastic job reviving interested in the team.

I lived in a studio apartment that was within walking distance of both Dumont Stadium and the downtown area. I became friends with one of the guys who worked in the front office, and his family became like a second one to me during that summer. Even though they loaned me an old pick-up truck to use when the team was at home, I often walked to the ballpark. That just seemed so cool.

Although Dumont Stadium certainly couldn't be called modern, I always thought it had great charm (especially the short right-field fence). The clubhouses, although not attached to the dugout (you had to walk across the field and past the outfield fence to get to them -- another thing I thought was cool) were huge, something that's a rarity in the minor leagues.

My only regret -- and it's a big one -- was that we were up three games to one against Arkansas in the Texas League Championship Series and ended up losing the series. It would have been great to give all of those people who supported the team that year a title. Losing that series remains a very bitter pill 18 years later.

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Posted By: Clint

Rob, you surely made a trip to Rock's Dugout. He put out a set of cards every year back then, did you get a card made? If you want any of the programs or cards from when you played here I can surely find some.

Clint

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Clint,

Rock and I ended up becoming good friends (I fondly remember going out to eat with him and his father a few times at his favorite Italian resaurant). I actually had played for El Paso the two previous seasons before getting traded to the Padres, so I was familiar with his shop (LOVED the fact it was located below a bowling alley) when I was traded to the Padres and arrived in Wichita for the summer.

We had a standing arrangement in which he would give me $25 in trade for every autographed team ball from the Texas League that I'd bring in. The actual baseballs didn't cost me anything, and I'd have the batboys go to the opposing locker room and get a half-dozen or signed for each team on every homestand. Sweet deal! One of the coolest things I remember getting from him was an unopened Sports Kings pack. I think it took 12 autographed balls!

He was a good guy, and I spent lots of hours just hanging out in his store before games. The year I was there, Andy Benes was on the team after having just been drafted. Rock, seeing opportunity when it presented itself, issued about four different sets of the team that year. What a guy!

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Posted By: Clint

Rob, that's pretty cool. Joe and I are good friends. His shop has since relocated but it's still in a bowling alley. We bowl together on Wednesday nights. He still gets some pretty good material in every so often. Do you still have that pack and did you open it?

Benes was a pretty darn good pitcher for us and his brother played against our college team and was pretty fair as well. I believe Andy helped us win a Texas League Championship.

Clint

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Clint,

If you would tell Joe I said hello, I'd appreciate it very much. (Now watch, he's going to say, "Rob who?")

Regarding Andy Benes: He had a four- or five-game stretch that season during which he was the most dominating pitcher I've ever played behind at any level. He must have struck out 50 during that stretch. From center field, it looked like he was just toying with hitters.

And I'm glad that your memory of that season is that we won the Texas League title. That's the series I referenced before in which we were up 3-1 but lost to the Arkansas Travelers.

Rob

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Clint,

Forgot to answer your question about the Sports Kings pack. I didn't open it. I kept if for a few years, and when I decided to focus just on Cleveland Indians memorabilia, I sold it at the yearly show in Strongsville, Ohio.

Rob

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Posted By: Clint

Rob, I'll tell him Wednesday.

Clint

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Posted By: Clint

Rob,

Just got back from bowling with Ruocco. I asked him about you and he got this big smile on his face. He remebered you and asked if you still had that catchers mask. He also told me about the homerun you hit to put the Wranglers in the, I believe, championship round? He had the bat you used but donated it to the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame. He also gave me a set of 1989 Wranglers cards. There was alot of talent on that team with Benes, Harris, Bones, Brocail, Newson, Hollins and Olivares.

Clint

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Clint,

Thanks for passing my "hello" on to Rock.

Yes, there was some talent on that club. Off the top of my head and w/o looking up the roster, I think 8-9 guys went on to play in the majors.

In the Texas League Championshio Series that year, I hit a grand slam in one of the games at Wichita and gave Rock the bat. Glad to know it still exists somewhere.

As for the catcher's mask ... I'm stumped on that one.