100th Anniversary Souvenir Edition - 29 June 2021 - Spartanburg American Legion Post 28
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100th Anniversary Souvenir Edition
29 June 2021
American Legion Post 28
Commander
Carroll H. Owings
“For God and Country”
Welcome to Duncan Park Stadium and the American Legion baseball series for 2021!
Our setting in historical Duncan Park, completed in 1926, is one of the oldest wooden
grandstand stadiums in America. For over 94 years, competitive teams have made use of this
facility. We are very proud to be a vital part of baseball history.
Our American Legion Baseball program has been active for 88 years, and one of the
most successful. We have hosted the state tournament more than 16 times, and our teams have
won 9 state championships, two Regional and one National Championship. Last year our
Juniors and Seniors played in the 2020 Dixie Youth Baseball League Program and had a super
year both winning their league and The Seniors were runner up to N. Charleston for state
Championship. As our 2021 competitive season begins, we know that our prestigious history
of success will continue. Remember that our success is not only measured by our wins, but in
how the game is played. American Legion Post 28 will always promote good sportsmanship,
and expect our players, coaches, and fans to display the pride and dignity that is so needed in
all aspects of our society today.
Many thanks to the sponsors and the many individuals who donated their time and
talent to participate in the program, making these games possible. Remember, all proceeds
from this season goes to paying for these young men to play baseball.
29 June 2021, is Post 28’s 100th Year Anniversary.
Enjoy your time with us at Duncan Park!
Spartanburg American Legion Post 28
Commander Carroll H. Owings
1st Vice Commander John J. Barron
2nd Vice Commander Robert Greene
Chaplain Ben Lineberry
Adjutant David Ford
Sergeant-At-Arms Robert Greene
Service Officer Charles Landen
Athletic Director John J. Barron
Historian/Museum Curator Ed Y. Hall
Judge Advocate Dwight Patterson
Honor Guard Commander Jim Harbison
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 28
President Barbara Wright
Vice President Joanne Greene
Secretary Martha Badger
Historian Lesa LePage
Chaplain Elizabeth Pearson
Parliamentarian Frieda Davison
Treasurer Carolyn Harbison
Girls State Chair Geneva Padgett
Veterans’ Affairs Chair Geneva Padgett
1st Sergeant-At-Arms Maxine Sprouse
SPARTANBURG AMERICAN LEGION POST 28
94 WEST PARK DRIVE, DUNCAN PARK, SPARTANBURG, SC 29306
864-253-0376
www.al28sc.org
100th Anniversary Ceremony
Duncan Park Stadium
29 June 2021
6:45 pm Coaches and Umpires meet at Home Plate.
Teams lineup for tonight’s game.
“Code of Sportsmanship”
Spartanburg Coach Presentation to Inman Coach
7:00 pm Start 100th Anniversary Ceremony
Prayer: Chaplain Ben Lineberry
Welcome: CDR Carroll Owings
Empty Chair Ceremony: First Vice John J Barron
Read Proclamation
“National Anthem”
First Pitch: Jesse Campbell
Uniform: Legionnaires: Red, White or Blue Golf Shirt. Honor Guard:
Legion Full Dress. Empty Chair Ceremony: Summer Dress.
Spartanburg
American Legion Post 28
2021 Program
Since 1933
“For God and Country”
American Legion Post 28
First Vice Commander
Athletic Director
John J. Barron
“For God and Country”
American Legion Baseball has a long and proud history since 1925. Each year, about
3,500 legion baseball teams are formed in rival townships for the summer throughout America.
The best baseball players from middle and high schools and some return from college to join
Legion teams for an experience of a lifetime. It is not professional baseball, but it is the finest
well organized community based program around. Legion baseball grew in South Carolina
when the Textile Leagues were king and Spartanburg’s Duncan Park Stadium was home to
minor league teams – the Peaches and Phillies. Spartanburg Post 28’s team formed in 1933 is
the longest playing team in Duncan Park Stadium, and still calls the stadium home. Fans in
Spartanburg and surrounding towns: Buffalo, Inman, Greer, and Gaffney show hometown
pride in their Legion teams and support them all the way.
Townsfolk longing for a nearby professional team to support and pull for should take
notice of South Carolina American Legion League V. Upstate American Legion Posts field
Senior (18 & 19) and Junior (13–17) teams scheduled to play seven inning games during the
summer starting in June and ending with the final World Series game played in Keeter
Stadium, Shelby, NC in August. This is a lot of baseball in just a short time and only
committed teams pulling in the same direction will be successful.
American Legion baseball is a team concept program, an opportunity for players to play
at the next level, improve their game and become responsible community leaders.
Spartanburg Post 28 covers the cost for players willing to commit 100% to playing baseball
and wanting to become part of something larger than themselves.
The “National Anthem” is played and “Code of Sportsmanship” repeated by competing
teams before each game without exception. Please make plans to come out and support your
hometown legion team.
I will see you at the ballpark.
2021 Spartanburg Post 28 Baseball Team Schedule
Senior Team 9/7
Jun 9 1 Spartanburg @ Greer 12 Jun 22 14 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 6
Jun 10 4 Spartanburg @ Inman 5 Jun 23 1 Buffalo @ Spartanburg 2
Jun 15 7 Inman @ Spartanburg 3 Jun 28 10 Spartanburg @ Buffalo 0
Jun 16 2 Buffalo @ Spartanburg 12 Jun 29 0 Inman @ Spartanburg 8
Jun 18 14 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 1 Jun 30 0 Spartanburg @ Greer 10
Jun 21 8 Greer @ Spartanburg 7 Jul 6 2 Gaffney @ Spartanburg 12
First Round Playoffs: Spartanburg Post 28 vs. Chester Post 27
July 12-Spartanburg won 6-2, July 13-Spartanburg won 16-6
Second Round Playoffs: Inman Post 45 vs. Spartanburg Post 28
July 20-Inman won 3-2, July 21-Inman won 8-1
2021 Senior South Carolina Tournaments
July 30- August 1, State: Segra Park, Columbia, SC
August 3-8 Southeast Region Tournament: Montgomery, AL
August 12-17 American Legion World Series: Keeter Stadium, Shelby, NC
Junior Team 6/6
Jun 8 4 Gaffney @ Spartanburg 6 Jun 24 6 Spartanburg @ Inman 8
Jun 9 3 Inman @ Spartanburg 4 Jun 25 5 Spartanburg @ Greer 15
Jun 14 11 Inman @ Spartanburg 12 Jun 28 11 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 6
Jun 15 6 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 3 Jun 30 0 Greer @ Spartanburg 15
Jun 22 12 Greer @ Spartanburg 1 unplayed Spartanburg @ Greer _ S 6/11/21
Jun 23 1 Spartanburg @ Gaffney 11 unplayed Spartanburg @ Inman _ RO 6/7/21
First Round Playoffs: Spartanburg Post 28 vs. Lexington Post 7 Gray
July 12-Lexington won 11-1, July 13-Lexington won 21-9
2021 Junior South Carolina State Tournament
July 23-28 Riley Park, Sumter, South Carolina
Games start 7 pm unless noted otherwise.
Playoffs for both Senior and Junior Teams begin July 12th
Schedule Updates: http://www.legion.org/baseball/schedule?state=sc
http://www.al28sc.org/baseball
Home Team Fields
Spartanburg-Duncan Park Stadium Greer-Stevens Field Buffalo-Timken Sports Complex
Inman-Jim Everhart Field Gaffney-Jerry ‘Jug’ Wallace Field
Schedule updated: August 8, 2021
John J. Barron, Post 28 Athletic Director
American Legion Baseball
Purpose and Scope
To inculcate in youth a better understanding of the American way of
life and to promote the principles of 100 percent Americanism.
To instill in the nation’s youth a sincere desire to develop within
themselves a feeling of citizenship, sportsmanship, loyalty and team
spirit.
To aid in the improvement and development of the physical fitness of
our country’s youth.
To build for the nation’s future through our youth.
Code of Sportsmanship
I will:
Keep the rules
Keep faith with my teammates
Keep my temper
Keep myself fit
Keep a stout heart in defeat
Keep my pride under in victory
Keep a sound soul, a clean mind, and a healthy body
"I can remember a sports writer asking me for a quote and I didn't know
what a quote was. I thought it was some kind of soft drink."
- Joe DiMaggio
Who Were the Other Teams That Called Duncan Park Home?
by Ed Epps
Duncan Park Stadium, designed by local architect Frank Collins and built
in 1926, is a classic wooden grandstand American ballpark. One of the
oldest ballparks in the country, the Duncan Park field has been recognized
on the National Register of Historic Places, and the City of Spartanburg
recently applied for an Historical Marker from the South Carolina
Department of Archives and History for its status as home stadium of The
Spartanburg Sluggers, a Black semi-pro and barnstorming team that played
for some thirty years and hosted noted Negro Leagues teams like The
Homestead Grays, The Indianapolis Clowns, and the New York Black
Yankees. Scores of future Major League Baseball players ran the bases at
Duncan Park, and vintage wooden seats from Shibe Park in Philadelphia are
installed in the grandstand to this day. Most citizens of Spartanburg know
about The Spartanburg Phillies and The Peaches, and if you are reading this
program, you are certainly a fan of American Legion Post 28. There were
other teams who played here too, though, and their tenure is also notable.
The Spartanburg Spartans existed before Duncan Park Stadium was built, and they played in the
historic structure from 1926 until 1940 except for some years when the hard times of the Great Depression
brought an end to many sporting events and shuttered many league offices. During most of the years of their
existence the Spartans were an Independent semi-pro team, playing as members of the old Sally
league; during their final two years in Spartanburg they became a Class B affiliate of the Cleveland
Indians. Few of the Spartans are remembered today, but three who are
worth mentioning were Debs Garms, Hal Wagner, and Mike Kelley.
Garms, who played for the Spartans in part of the 1929 season, had a
twelve-year career in the Major Leagues and in 1940 led the Majors—
including American League champ Joe DiMaggio—with a .355 batting
Mike Kelly, Spartanburg Spartans
player-manager
average. Hal Wagner, who also played for a dozen years in the Majors,
was twice an all-Star catcher, and was a leading defensive player. Mike Kelly, who
managed the Spartans for seven years both before and after the construction of Duncan Park, was also a pretty
good first baseman and was so popular that the local newspaper said he could have won any elective office he
decided to run for.
During the Spartans’ tenure in Duncan Park, another team also played there: The Spartanburg
Sluggers, a semi-pro Black team owned by local businessman Newton Whitmire and later his son, Newton Jr.,
the pair sometimes called “Big Newt” and “Little Newt.” Since the Sluggers played during the Jim Crow era,
their history is documented more dimly than that of the Spartans or other teams who played at Duncan Park
Stadium. Nevertheless their presence in the stadium was significant. For one thing, they regularly played other
regional Black teams like the Asheville Blues and Black Tourists, the
Greenville Black Spinners, the Columbia Red Caps, the Orangeburg
Tigers, and even the Atlanta Black Crackers. Sluggers players, too,
were often stars in their own right; left-handed pitcher Bob Branson
was widely regarded one of the best hurlers of his era, and other
players like Al Cunningham and James Dunn played on regional and
national All-Star teams. The Sluggers also brought to Spartanburg
Negro Leagues teams with national reputations and their local fans,
and in 1951 the Sluggers played a game at Duncan Park against Jackie
Robinson’s All-Stars, a barnstorming exhibition team that included
some of the best African American players anywhere. The Whitmires who owned the Sluggers were prominent
members of the Black business community in Spartanburg, operating a hotel and restaurant and promoting local
shows by important performers on the Black “chitlin’ circuit” like Duke
Ellington, Moms Mabley, and Cab Calloway.
The Spartanburg Peaches played at Duncan Park from 1946 through
1955 as a member of the Class A Tri-State League and an affiliate of the St.
Louis Browns (1946) and the Cleveland Indians (1947-1955). By far the best
known Peaches player was Rocky Colavito, a star and fan favorite for the
MLB Indians, whose tenure in Spartanburg has been popularized by Reverend
Kirk Neely in a series of widely read articles and interviews. Colavito lodged
in a room in the home of Reverend Neely’s grandmother on Union Street at
the entrance to Duncan Park, and the Reverend tells the story of how,
according to the ballplayer, the “rocky road” ice-cream that Neely loved as a
youth was named after the young Peaches player! Current residents of Spartanburg who watched Colavito play
still remember the strength of his arm and the towering home runs that he slammed over the old outfield fence.Other Peaches players also had success as professional players. These included Major
Kerby Farrell, who played first base and pitched in Minor League Baseball for almost
twenty years; Al “Lefty Aber, who pitched in the Majors for six seasons; James Henry
“Jimmy” Bloodworth, who played eleven years in the Minors and the same number of
years in the Majors; William Nelson “Billy” Moran, who twice beat out Bobby
Richardson as the starter at second base in All-Star games; Spurgeon Chandler “Spud”
Chandler, who played ten years for the Yankees and once hit a home run against
Satchel Paige; and others.
The Spartanburg Phillies is the team best remembered by current citizens of the
Hub City. Not only were the Phillies the resident home
team for thirty-one years from 1963 until 1994, but they also produced a large
number of Major Leaguers, including Larry Bowa, Willie Hernandez, Lonnie
Smith, Marty Bystrom, Greg Walker, Andy Ashby, Mike Lieberthal, MLB Hall of
Famer Ryne Sandberg, and likely future Hall of Famer Scott Rolen. Phillies
opponents also proved legendary. After Larry Bowa struck out four times during his
first game as a Phillie, Manager Bob Wellman told him that the pitcher he faced was
“gonna be something special”—it was Nolan Ryan. Among other Phillies opponents
here were current Braves Manager Brian Snitker and many other Braves standouts,
including Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones, and Tom Glavine.
Local fans have many fond memories of the Spartanburg Phillies. Among
these is the team of 1966, which MLB named as number 78 on its list of the Top
100 Minor League Teams of All Time. The 1966 Phillies also set a Class A attendance record, and in 1967
Manager Pat Williams was named Minor League Executive of the Year. Williams was also a master promoter,
hugely popular for contests and stunts during games. Another popular Phillies General Manager was Rosie
Putnam, a Montana native and wife of the Spartanburg postmaster, who was initially hired as a clerical assistant
in the office but worked hard and was everybody’s friend; she also “hired” a canine
mascot who doubled as stadium security at night. Another Phillies fan favorite was Mel
Roberts, a lifelong baseball man who played and coached in the Minors for years before
being elevated to the Majors.
All good things come to an end, though, and the Phillies departed after the 1994
season, victims of declining attendance; the unwillingness of the City of Spartanburg to
commit enough money to a losing enterprise; the proximity of newer stadiums in
Greenville, Charlotte, and elsewhere; and the construction of a newer stadium and a
better offer from Kannapolis, North Carolina. Baseball didn’t entirely disappear from
Duncan Park Stadium, but it almost did. A half dozen other teams of various levels of
expertise and professionalism rotated through the turnstiles for a while. They were the following:
1991-1993
AND
1995-2003 University of South Carolina at Spartanburg Rifles
1995 Spartanburg Alley Cats (Atlantic Coast League)
1996-2003 Wofford Terriers (Southern Conference)
2001-2005 Spartanburg Crickets (Southern Collegiate Baseball League)2003-2006 Spartanburg Stingers (Coastal Plain League)
Spartanburg District Seven’s
Myles Wilson inspects the
work on the renovated and
expanded dugouts and
clubhouses under the stands.
Spartanburg High School Vikings
2008-current
In 2008 the City of Spartanburg entered into a
long term agreement with Spartanburg County
School District Seven, under the terms of which
the City and the District jointly maintain the field
and ballpark, and the Vikings play all their home
games at Duncan Park Stadium.
2021-current Spartanburgers (Coastal Plain League)
The new kids on the Duncan Park block!
Inaugural Season Summer 2021
https://thespartanburgers.com"They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And
they tell you to hit it square."
- Willie StargellAmerican Legion Post 28
Brian Peahuff Scholarship
1993 Demetrius Turner USC
1994 Thomas Martin Citadel
1995 David Pless Gardner Web University
1996 Jason Queen USCS
1997 Gary Lee Lander
1998 Tack Hill SMC
1999 Brian Casey Wofford
2000 Kevin White Presbyterian
2001 Ryan Parry Brigham Young
2002 Jordy Snyder Coastal Carolina
2003 Jordy Snyder SMC
2004 Will Dozier USC Upstate
2005 Ryan Wilkins SMC
2006 Ryan Wilkins SMC
2007 Kyle Worthy Clemson
2008 Andrew Patterson USC
2009 Brian Poteat Citadel
2010 Dominick Aiken USC Salkenhatchi
2011 Dillon Bonner SCC
2012 William Edward Schuler II USC Sumter
2013 Ian Riley Metts USC Sumter
2014 Luke Chandler Graves Presbyterian College
2015 Chase Brown Harper USC
2016 Davis William Keller Wofford
2017 Zachary Harold Lea USC Upstate
2018 Lee Jordan Cavendish Clemson
2019 Robert Eli Ewing Wofford
2020 Carter Ryan Peeler Lander University
“I'm glad I don't play anymore. I could never learn all of those
handshakes." Phil Rizzuto"I was in Little League. I was on first base-I stole third base. I ran straight across the diamond. Earlier in the week, I learned the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I argue with the umpire that second base was out of my way." Steve Wright
"They should move back first base a step to eliminate all those close
plays."
- John Lowenstein
"He slides into second with a stand-up double."
- Jerry Coleman2020-21 Baseball Season Donations
from
Commander Carroll H. Owings *
Schanzlin Family
Joanne & Robert Greene
Frieda Davison
Jesse and Jennie Campbell
Earl M. Steadman
Bob Justice
Ed & Cathy Hall * Jon Sagester
Tony & Kathy Messel * Paul Manly
Paul P. Barron Carolyn Harbison
Geneva Padgett Ben Dawsey
John J. Barron Nancy & Brian Walsh
Sven Alexander Persson Ben Lineberry
Elise Sophia Persson Bob and Denise Redman
Joann Barron Doug and Brenda Kuykendall
Joel & Maryann Morrow Joe and Kim White
Jim Harbison Chad Caldwell *
Leonard & Geraldine Zawacki Calvin Bridges
Curtis & Maxine Sprouse Doug & Ann Gill
Tollie Ross Mike Green
Billy & Lib Spencer Claude Schmid
Mike and Brenda Owensby Ray and Mary Parker
Tom and Helen Lawson Scott Edwards
Charles and Annette Landen Charles Wright
Danny Smith El Ron Smelgrove
David Ford
*Past American Legion Baseball Player
"I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give
it up. I'm only six feet tall, so I couldn't play basketball. I'm only 190
pounds so I couldn't play football and I have 20-20 vision so I couldn't
be a referee."
-Jay LenoAmerican Legion Alumni in Baseball Hall of Frame
Jim Rice, Anderson, South Carolina
Major League Player for Boston Red Sox
WAR AB H HR BA R RBI SB OBP OPS OPS+
47.7 8,225 2,452 382 298 1,249 1,451 58 .352 .854 128
A native of Anderson, S.C., who led his American Legion Baseball team to the 1969 state finals.
Jim Rice had a 16-year career with the Boston Red Sox. The eight-time All-Star and 1978 AL MVP
got into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 15th and final ballot, in 2009.You can also read
