In 1948,

We roamed all day without a care,

And never thought of fate.

When we the boys of summer played,

So many years ago,

The sun burned down on sandlot fields,

The pace of time was slow.

 

We played where grass would never grow,

Sometimes on city streets.

We had no cell phones way back then,

But we knew when to meet.

 

Our caps were flat with bills that crowned

With logos of favorite teams.

They played on diamonds far away

Where we just played in dreams.

 

We lugged no big equipment bags

To carry all our stuff.

Just a bat and a trusty glove,

We thought it was enough.

 

We never wore those shoes with spikes.

Our pants were Levi jeans.

We rode our bikes to pick-up games.

We were a motely team

 

When we the boys of summer played,

The basepaths were not lined.

We had no way to buy the lime.

No batters’ box you’d find.

When we the boys of summer played,

There was fire in our eyes

Lightning shot from finger tips,

And home plate was the prize.

 

No umpire ever called a pitch.

Arbitration was our game.

We could argue with the best

My gosh, how we complained!

 

No parents ever bothered us

Or organized our play.

We were the ones who ruled the game

And frolicked time away.

 

When we the boys of summer played,

We hit line drives with glee.

We scooped up every hot ground ball

With spirits wild and free.

 

We dug right in for every pitch

And waved our trusty bats.

The pitchers seldom threw a strike

And whizzed some past our hats.

 

One day we rode to Arlington

To play a Series game.

Balloon tires crunched the gravel road,

Singing out our fame.

 

We taped the bats to handle bars.

Our gloves all hung there, too.

We played four innings; then we fought.

 ’tis the best that we could do.

 

When we the boys of summer played,

Our heroes were Ted and Joe.

They hit homeruns we read about.

And put on quite a show.

 

Our favorite bat was Louisville

Slugger was its name.

Robinson swung a hefty log.

Duke Snider gave it fame.

 

We had no TV games to watch.

We turned the Plilco dial.

Play-by-play from distant parks

Made summer nights worthwhile.

 

Where have my boys of summer gone,

Who once stood strong and tall?

In old age now I often think

Were they ever here at all?

 

Those years slipped by, so now I dream

Of games I played with friends.

Some now play among the clouds.

Where games will never end.

 

Tom Melchior was born in Belle Plaine, Minnesota in 1936. His family moved to Gaylord, and then to Garden City where Tom played youth baseball and his first two years of high school ball.  In 1952, the family returned to Belle Plaine for Tom’s junior and senior years. During the summer of his junior year, Tom began his amateur career as a shortstop for the Carver Black Sox.  

After graduating, he joined the Belle Plaine Tigers for three seasons. In 1954, Tom enrolled at St. John’s University, where he was a four-year starter as an outfielder, and co-captain as a senior. After his junior year in 1957, he was hired as the Benson Braves player-manager for one season.

After graduating college in 1958, Tom played one year for the Le Sueur Giants. He then taught in New Prague in 1959 and played for the New Prague Robins. He spent 1960 in Puerto Rico, teaching and coaching at Colegio San Antonio Abad before returning in 1961 to teach in Montgomery. He played for and managed the Montgomery Redbirds for two seasons. In 1962, Tom began a 31-year teaching career at Burnsville High School, including a decade as the baseball coach. He was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 1971 and retired in 1993.  Shortly thereafter, he became one of the first inductees into the Burnsville High School Hall of Fame.

After accepting the post in Burnsville, Tom and his wife, Sue, settled in rural Shakopee, where they raised their three children, Paul, Marty and Meg. Tom finished his playing career with the Shakopee Indians in 1967, and by the mid-1970s, he retired from high school coaching. Tom then coached a Shakopee Babe Ruth team from 1976-1981.

When Tom retired from teaching, he began a second career as an author and regional historian.  In 1997, he published “They Called Me Teacher,” which recounts the history and stories of Minnesota’s one-room schoolhouse teachers. The book won the 1997-98 Merit Award from the Minnesota Independent Publishers Association. This was followed by a memoir, “From Both Sides of the Desk” and “Never Forgotten,” which chronicles stories of World War II veterans.

By the late 1990s, Tom’s focus was back to his first love, baseball. Over the next decade, Tom researched and interviewed dozens of former amateur baseball players from the region. The result was “Belle Plaine Baseball: 1884 – 1960,” and later, “Scott County Baseball.” These books detail the rich history of townball in Scott County. Both titles sold out their first printing and have been widely used by other researchers, writers, and fans of Minnesota’s amateur game. Tom’s endeavors, on and off the field, have positively influenced the lives of thousands of Minnesotans including his family and friends, his students, and generations of baseball players, coaches and fans.

Melchior family tree runs through Minneapolis MudCats

 

The Town Tigers’ season ended this weekend at the Region 6C Tournament in Belle Plaine. On Tuesday the Tigers were blanked 6-0 by the Jordan Brewers – the No. 1 seed from the River Valley League – before falling 5-4 on Saturday to the Waterville Indians – the No. 1 seed from the 13-60 League.

The Tigertown Express ends the season with a 17-14 (8-6 RVL) record, a sharp turnaround from their 7-18 (1-7) record a season ago.

Thanks to the players, umpires, fans, media, and volunteers for coming out this season and making it go. Keep in touch during the offseason at bptigertown.com and enjoy the upcoming state tournament over the next three weekends at Faribault, Dundas, and Miesville. The best place to get updates is at mnbaseball.org. See you next season at the ballpark!

Jordan 6 @ BP 0 (Tuesday, August 9 – Region 6C Playoffs)

Rainouts the previous weekend pushed this state-clinching contest to Tuesday at Tiger Park. Our lads took the field against the No.-1 seeded Brewers and before the biggest crowd of the season, likely unaware that Jordan entered with 23 consecutive wins in the series – including 31 of the last 32.

Jack Kruger, a June graduate from the halls of Belle Plaine High School and one of the finest arms the varsity program has ever produced, took the ball against one of the league’s best pitchers, Nate Beckman.

Beckman showed dominant form early on, memorably striking out three straight Tigers in the second inning after Jake Mercado tripled. Meanwhile, Kruger had to fend off baserunners throughout the early innings but trailed just 1-0 after 4 1/2 frames (Jordan was the home team due to its higher seeding).

The Brewers finally broke through in the fifth, with the key blow a bases-loaded double by Jonathan Draheim to score a pair of runs. Jordan tallied four runs total in what was Kruger’s final inning of work.

Beckman kept the pedal down, going the distance on a three-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and nary a walk. Besides Mercado’s triple, the other Tigers with hits – both singles – were Jared Miller and Brody Curtiss.

Waterville 5 @ BP 4 (Saturday, August 13 – Region 6C Playoffs)

St. Peter, the No. 4 seed from the RVL, upset No. 1 seed Waterville in the opening round, sending the Indians to the loser’s bracket. That’s where the Tigers met them, with the loser calling it a season and the winner advancing to play later in the day for the region’s final state tournament berth.

Brody Curtiss got the ball from Tiger manager Jason Ladd in this do-or-die contest, opposed by Waterville’s Dalton Grose. The Tiger Train was once again visitors on the scoreboard at their home park, and cobbled together a first-inning run. Waterville responded with runs in the second and fourth innings, grabbing a 2-1 lead, and they added an insurance run in the seventh.

Things got real in the eighth, as Brody Curtiss drilled a two-run bomb to tie the score at 3. After Derek Hoffman singled and was bunted to second base, Jake Brandenburg dunked a base hit into right field to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

Curtiss needed six outs to clinch the comeback victory, but with two outs in the eighth Ben Boran belted a double to tie the score. Shortly thereafter, Shane Sellner drove in Boran with a double of his own for a 5-4 advantage, drilling a hole in the hearts of Tiger fans.

Luke Sellner came on to close it out, but two walks and an error loaded the bases for Belle Plaine. A second rally was not to be, as a groundout ended the game and the season.

 

 

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