A trio of young ladies appear to be crooning into the microphone at the Seattle banquet honoring the Washington Cheney Studs baseball team. The October 30, 1955, gathering was to acknowledge the feats of the young amateur players, and award them with trophies and new jackets. A portrait of sponsor Ben Cheney graces the occasion. Sepia photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber Co.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Banquets; Awards;

Group portrait-- Washington Cheney Studs. Members of the Cheney Studs baseball team and their coaches gather in front of a portrait of benefactor Ben Cheney and the massive trophies awarded them at the September American Baseball Congress tournament. The players were being honored at a banquet held in Seattle on October 30, 1955. Trophies and new jackets with the Cheney Studs logo were given to the team at that time. Sepia photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber Co.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Banquets; Awards; Group portraits;

Pictured on September 6,1955, is a member of the Cheney Studs, a baseball farm team. The young player appears to be looking intently off in the distance as he leans on a wooden bat. Until his death in 1971, Ben Cheney sponsored thousands participating in the sports of baseball, football, basketball and bowling in the Pacific Northwest. Cheney was instrumental in obtaining the Pacific Coast League franchise for Tacoma in 1960; the team would be called the Tacoma Giants with the San Francisco Giants as their parent club.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Baseball--Tacoma--1950-1960; Uniforms; Sporting goods;

Making a road trip easier and more comfortable, the Cheney Studs baseball team traveled by private railroad car in early September, 1955. The team was sponsored by Ben Cheney, owner of Cheney Lumber. Three young players are shown here enjoying the passing scenery. The team may have been on their way to Watertown, S.D., to compete in the initial rounds of the American Baseball Congress national tournament. They would be successful and eventually play in the championship match against defending champs Houston in Battle Ground, Michigan, where the Studs wound up in second place.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad passenger cars--Tacoma;

Group picture of Pederson Fryer Farms' baseball team. Sixteen players and their manager posed for this May 14, 1960, photograph at Heidelberg Field. They represented Pederson Fryer Farms in the 1960 AAU City League. They would join Cammarano Bottlers, Criswells, Puget Sound Renders, 4th Division Trains of Fort Lewis and defending champion Woodworth Contractors in the 6-team league. Al Faulkner, formerly of the Valley League, was the new manager of Pederson's. His team consisted, among others, of ex-PLC stars Ron Coltom, Jerry Curtis, Chuck Hobbs, and city-loop veterans Don Martelli and Ray Wing, outfielders, along with Gary Moore, Chuck Robbins and new acquisition, right hand pitcher Al MaCoy. Pederson's and Cammarano Bottlers, the previous year's runner-up, were scheduled to open the City League season in the first half of a double bill on May 30, 1960. That game was apparently cancelled due to rain and Pederson's would open their season with a 3-2 victory over the 4th Division Trains on June 3rd with southpaw Ron Coltom credited for the win. (TNT 5-8-60, B-15, 5-15-60, B-10, 6-4-60, p. 9)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Pederson Fryer Farms (Tacoma); Uniforms;

The Tacoma Giants played a double-header against the Portland Beavers on April 16, 1960 for opening day in Tacoma's new Cheney Stadium. In this photo from the first game of the day a ballplayer believed to be left fielder Dusty Rhodes makes contact with the ball to the delight of the large hometown crowd in the stands. The Portland squad won the first game 7 - 2 but fell to the home team in the nightcap, losing 11 - 0 due to the 8-hit shutout by future Hall-of-Famer Juan Marichal. Opening day had to be postponed until Saturday, April 16th, due to a 59 mph spring storm, massive rains, and low temperatures. Rhodes had a successful debut with the Tacoma Giants, going 2 - 4 in both games. He had played a major role in the New York Giants World Series victory in 1954 and played for seven years in the major leagues. TPL-9762

Baseball--Tacoma--1960-1970; Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Rhodes, Dusty; Cheney Stadium (Tacoma);

Opening day ceremonies at Cheney Stadium preceding Pacific Coast League matchup between the Tacoma Giants and Portland Beavers on April 16, 1960. Tacoma Mayor Ben Hanson at the microphone. Ben Cheney, Giants Board of Directors, second from right; next to him is W.D. "Rosy" Ryan, Giants vice president/general manager. "Rosy" Ryan had pitched in three World Series with the old N.Y. Giants. He saw service with Brooklyn, Boston and the Yankees, where he was a roommate of Babe Ruth. He played under skippers Miller Huggins, John McGraw and Casey Stengel. (TNT 4-12-60, D-2)

Baseball--Tacoma--1960-1970; Cheney Stadium (Tacoma); Public speaking--Tacoma; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971; Ryan, W.D.; Hanson, Ben;

The six giant light towers at the new Cheney Stadium provided excellent lighting for watching Tacoma Giants night baseball games. Spectators could see the action on the field without eye strain on this clear June 9, 1960, evening. The Giants would bounce back from losing a doubleheader the day before and defeat the Vancouver Mounties 6-0 behind the strong pitching of Eddie Fisher. With the victory, Tacoma would tie the Seattle Rainiers for third place, trailing the Sacramento Solons and Spokane Indians. The 5.012 paying customers in attendance would not only enjoy the victory, but pre-game dedication ceremonies and contests as well, and go home with a free souvenir program featuring color photographs of the team and the stadium. Photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber. (TNT 6-5-60, B-11. 6-10-60, A-1, p. 24) TPL-9682

Cheney Stadium (Tacoma); Baseball--Tacoma--1960-1970; Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Light fixtures;

ca. 1960. Customer's print. Ben Cheney, standing far left, proudly poses with his Cheney Studs, World's Amateur Champions for 1960. The baseball team was awarded the Quaker Oats trophy for a 50-game winning season. Each member, including the batboy, holds a miniature version of the trophy. The Studs, Seattle division, defeated Detroit 3-1 in Battle Creek, Michigan, on Tacoman Earl Hyder's home run , to capture the national American Amateur Baseball Congress title on September 21, 1960. (TNT 9-22-60, D-6)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Awards; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971;

Publicity for Renton 7-Up Ball Club. Close-up portrait of unidentified baseball player taken outdoors on July 23, 1942.

Baseball players--Renton; Uniforms;

In August of 1942, the "Tillicum Chiefs" of Western State Hospital, who played in the Twilight League, had won 23 games and were in the playoffs for the circuit title. Much of the credit went to their pitcher Dick Smith who returned to Santa Clara University before the final playoff games. Pictured in the back row, left to right, Clink Jacobs (mgr.), Dick Smith, Fred Hebert, unidentified patient who served as mascot, Howard Johnson, Phil Jacobs and Garry Robinson (business mgr.) Front row, left to right, Bus Mitchell, Lorny Merkle, Johnny Ward, Dewey West and Bob Huegel. Chuck Rasmussen, Bud Clausen and Red Little were absent. (T. Times 9/4/1942, pg. 12)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western State Hospital (Lakewood)--baseball players;

Unidentified player with the Western State Hospital "Tillicum Chiefs."

Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western State Hospital (Lakewood)--baseball players;

Last day of school photographs; photo ordered by the Tacoma News Tribune. View of four unidentified boys with their baseball equipment; they are likely getting ready to start playing in a summer baseball league, possibly at the Tacoma Boys' Club.

Baseball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children playing baseball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sporting goods; Children--Social life--1940-1950; Recreation--Tacoma; Boys--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A large crowd of baseball fans gathered outside the Tribune Publishing Company building to watch the box score of the World Series game between the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals on October 5, 1930. The News Tribune had a large scoreboard mounted on the front of their building which allowed fans to follow the game play-by-play. Although Cardinals pitcher Jesse Haines outdueled Lefty Grove 3-1 to tie the Series up at 2 wins apiece, the Athletics would ultimately prevail, winning the World Series 4 games to 2. BU-12852, TPL-2115

Baseball outing on the grounds of the Western State Hospital.

On July 6, 1914, the South Tacoma Tigers amateur baseball team members were photographed at an unidentified outdoor location. Back row, left to right were: Ole Rynning, Orville Eley, Oscar "Ocky" Jensen, Harry Vawter, Bert Schumacker (sp), and Ed Woods. Front row, left to right: Earnest Christian, Jack Farrell, manager Walter Holmberg (in suit), Leo Christian and Eddie McTighe. The South Tacoma Tigers represented the West Coast in the Amateur Baseball Championship of the world in 1915, the year after this photograph was taken. (Gallacci, Blau: Playground to the Pros, p. 78-79)

Baseball--Tacoma--1910-1920; Baseball players--Tacoma--1910-1920; Holmberg, Walter; Rynning, Ole; Eley, Orville; Jensen, Oscar; Vawter, Harry; Woods, Ed; Christian, Earnest; Farrell, Jack; Christian, Leo; McTighe, Eddie;

Tacoma's first known night baseball games were played in the Stadium Bowl on April 25, 1930. The Tacoma Teamsters Local # 313 team, pictured above with coaches and ball boy, shut out the City Lumber team 6-0 in the second half of a doubleheader. In the first game of the evening, the Firemen defeated Northern Pacific 5-1. These games opened the 1930 Industrial Baseball League season. With 18 teams in the circuit, there were undoubtedly other games played under the gigantic floodlights at the Stadium Bowl later in the season. (TDL 4-25-30, p. 10, 4-26-30, p. 8) TPL-875; G53.1-003

Firsts--Tacoma; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Uniforms; Stadium Bowl (Tacoma);

Group photograph of the Kay Street baseball team taken on May 1, 1930. Presumably sponsored by the busy Kay Street business district, the Kay Streeters look alert as do the numerous small fry in the background. Managed by catcher Sammy Cappa, the Kay Streeters defeated the Cammarano Bros. team 4-0 before 500 fans in opening league play for both teams. Harold Johnson, Sr., has been identified as the player second from left in the bottom row. Sammy Cappa is sitting in the second row from bottom at the far right. (TDL 5-2-30, p. 8) G53.1-015; TPL-446. (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Lincoln Bowl (Tacoma); Johnson, Harold; Cappa, Sammy;

Members of the 1931 Northern Pacific Railway Co.'s baseball team are in uniform on May 10, 1931. The team, composed of N.P. workers, was part of the Industrial League. Northern Pacific sponsored two teams for the 1931 season in Division A and Division B. G53.1-017

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Uniforms;

Tacoma Giants owner Ben Cheney has his picture taken with future Hall of Famer Willie Mays during a spring training visit to the Tacoma team's parent club, the San Francisco Giants. Ben Cheney, who was president of the Cheney Lumber Company, sponsored baseball, basketball and bowling teams in Tacoma for over 20 years. He was instrumental in landing the Pacific Coast League franchise for Tacoma in 1960. Cheney Stadium is named for him.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Mays, Willie, 1931-; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971;

ca. 1935. Superior Dairy's baseball team, City League Champions 1935. The team posed with their bat boy. Their uniforms had the emblem of a milk bottle filled with the initials S.D. (WSHS)

Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Superior Dairy (Tacoma);

The May 5, 1938 hometown debut of the Tacoma Tigers at the Tacoma Athletic Park. A record capacity crowd of 6,000 fans crams into the bleachers, spilling out onto the infield. Despite all of the enthusiasm, the Tigers, defending champions, lost to Yakima 8 to 7.

Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Tigers (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Tacoma Athletic Park (Tacoma);

City League baseball, circa June of 1937. Man sitting at desk in fenced booth, per Richards Studio notes "Mr. Goldwater behind wire." (filed with Argentum)

Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Sales Grange Baseball Team of Parkland, circa 1937. The team was sponsored in the City League by Saxton Lumber Co. (filed with Argentum)

Baseball players--Parkland--1930-1940; Saxton Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

These five bowlers were the Tacoma Tigers baseball club's entry in the Northwestern International Bowling Congress. Wearing these Tiger uniforms, they would be knocking down pins on April 30, 1940. From left to right are: Dick McNerthney, Doc Mazen, Bus Anderson, Dr. R. Pennington and Mike Berry. Team average was a not-too-shabby 957. (T.Times 4-29-1940, p. 11- alt. photograph)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Tigers (Tacoma); Bowling; McNerthney, Dick; Pennington, R.; Berry, Mike;

The crowd of spectators in the stands at the Tacoma Tigers baseball game appear to be watching a fly ball. It is the season opener of 1937 and the Tigers are playing the Vancouver Maple Leaf. Manager Eddie Taylor leads his team to a 3-1 win in the first game, only to come back and lose the second game 10-5. (T. Times 5/3/1937, pg. 11)

Sports spectators--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Tigers (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Tacoma Athletic Park (Tacoma);

On August 12, 1935, members of the Will Hardware and Chicken Coop All Star teams, from the Bremerton Junior Baseball Club, met at Washington Field to settle the 6-6 tied game from the week before. The two teams and their coaches posed amiably for this shot in front of the covered bleachers before facing off in their grudge match. Left to right, top row, are Strong, P. Mahan, B. Mahan, Demant, Quay, La Londe, Larson, Hess, Stoltz and Dowell. Center row- Moon, Mulvany, Blakey, Bruce, Thein, Sauvain and Bunker. Bottom row- McIntyre, Carpenter, Bandey, McCarty, Grams, Kelly, Wilbur and B. Dowell. The Coopsters won the second game 6-1. (Bremerton Sun 8/12/1935, pg. 3)

Baseball--Bremerton--1930-1940; Baseball players--Bremerton--1930-1940; Bremerton Junior Baseball Club (Bremerton);

Young Bobby Levin made it to the front page of the Bremerton Sun on April 24, 1937 as the city prepared for the opening day of baseball season at their new park. Young master Levin, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy J. Levin, was all set for the season opener with his full sized bat and oversized glove. The city would be inaugurating their new $45,000 athletic park at the foot of Warren Ave. on the 25th with a game between the Bremerton Cruisers and the Bellingham Boosters. (Bremerton Sun 04-24-1937, pg. 1).

Baseball--Bremerton--1930-1940; Levin, Bob;

Tacoma Public Works Commissioner Abner Bergersen presents a watch to a Tacoma Tigers baseball player and manager Eddie Taylor. Other Tigers and members of the opposing team, the Vancouver Maple Leaf, are lined-up behind them. Wooden baseball grandstand in the background. Taylor is being awarded the watch for hitting the first homer of the season, in the opening game with the Vancouver Maple Leafs. (T. Times 5/3/1937, pg. 11)

Bergersen, Abner R.; Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Tigers (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Tacoma Athletic Park (Tacoma); Taylor, Eddie;

Publicity for Renton 7-Up Ball Club. Informal outdoor portrait of unidentified baseball player taken in July of 1942. For another view of the same player, see D13162, image 2.

Baseball players--Renton; Uniforms;