Great Bend Baseball in the Kansas State and Central Kansas Leagues

The Beginning

In May 1905, J.R. Lindsley proposed organizing a baseball team with the intention of joining a professional league. On June 21, a baseball association was formed and plans were made to join the Kansas State League which had already begun play. The K-State League was a Class D minor league operation. It was composed of Kingman, Hutchinson, Minneapolis, Kansas, and Ellsworth. On July 4, Great Bend and Lincoln were admitted to the league. It was the city’s first venture into Organized Ball. The home games were played at the Fair Grounds on the east side.

1905

Catcher Carl Moore was named manager of the team. In the off-season he was a teacher in the St. John school system.

Great Bend’s first league game was played on July 7 at home against Hutchinson. Great Bend was the winner 10-3. Four to five hundred fans attended.

Lefty Holmes pitched a one-hitter on July 14 against Ellsworth at Ellsworth. He won 2-0. The lone hit came in the 9th inning.

Kingman dropped out of the league on July 24 and Hoisington took its place. At the time, Kingman’s record was 10-21.

On August 2, Lefty Holmes pitched a no-hitter against Hoisington in the first game of a double header at Hoisington. He won 4-0 with Wayne taking the loss.

The last game of the season was played August 9 at Minneapolis. A victory would have clinched first place, percentage-wise, for Great Bend. But that was not to be. An umpire, who had been dismissed for rotten decisions was sent by the league president, who resided in Ellsworth, to umpire the game. It appeared Ellsworth saw this as its only chance to win the pennant. Jimmy Durham, Great Bend’s pitcher, could not get a called strike. Carl Moore hit a fair ball, which the umpire ruled foul, over the fence in the fifth inning. At this point, it was evident that the umpire had been sent to rob Great Bend of the game, so Great Bend refused to continue. The umpire forfeited the game to Minneapolis. On that low note Great Bend ended its season in second place. The final standings for the inaugural season were:

 

1905 Kansas State League
Class D
President George T. Tremble

Team	W	L	W-L%	GB	Manager
Ellsworth	34	15	.694	—
Great Bend Millers	19	9	.679	4 1/2
Minneapolis Minnies	24	22	.522	8 1/2	Roy C. Gafford
Hutchinson Salt Miners	22	24	.478	10 1/2	Cook
Lincoln Center	11	19	.375	13 1/2	Simpson
Kingman/Hoisington	13	34	.276	20

 

Kingman disbanded July 22. Hoisington took Kingman’s place in the league July 24. Lincoln Center and Great Bend joined the league July 6.

A Second Beginning

On December 29, 1908, at a meeting in Hutchinson, Great Bend joined the Kansas State League, which had been organized again as a Class D minor league. After a three-year absence, Organized Ball was back in Great Bend. The eight members of the league were: Strong City-Cottonwood Falls, Great Bend, Lyons, Newton, Hutchinson, McPherson, Wellington, and Arkansas City.

The Great Bend teams was known as the Millers. This nickname was appropriate and offered an advertising boost to the town.

A new ball park was built for the team. It was located about a half block east of Frey Street at its intersection with Lakin. Its seating capacity was 1,200. The park had many names, such as League Park, East Side Park, Athletic Park and Sportsman’s park, at various times throughout its history.

The uniforms for the season were cream, nearly white. On the left breast was a swastika in black with the letters “G B” in opposite corners of the lucky sign. There was a fancy ornamentation on the uniforms. The Newton Journal offered this editorial comment: “Great Bend’s uniforms are to be cream color, the dainty things! The players should now be provided with sachet bags and hemstitched handkerchiefs.”

1909

Rudy Kling, who appeared in four games at shortstop for the 1902 St. Louis Cardinals, was named manager of the Millers. In April, management announced that they did not intend to allow betting on games inside the ball park.

The home opener was May 6 against Lyons. Nearly 1,000 fans attended the game. A parade of cars containing the players of both teams, city dignitaries and other notables, preceded the first pitch. Unfortunately, Great Bend lost 2-1. It’s no wonder Great Bend didn’t win. Mayor Dawson balked on the ceremonial first pitch and club president Charles Brinkman failed as the receiver of the initial loss.

There were notable performances by Miller pitchers. Great Bend lost to Hutchinson, June 21, 1-0 in 13 innings. Green, the pitcher, had two of the three Great Bend hits and allowed only four himself.

On July 5, Bill Salm pitched 24 innings in one day against Strong City-Cottonwood Falls at Great Bend. However, it was not a good day for Big Bill. He lost the first game 1-0 although he had a no-hitter for 8 1/3 innings. He then lost the second game 3-1 in 15 innings. The monumental effort was too much for Salm, he was not the same pitcher after that day.

In July, the twin city franchise of Strong City-Cottonwood Falls was transferred to Larned. Lack of attendance was given as the official reason. Also, in July, Winfield bought a half interest in the Arkansas City franchise. Half of the remaining games were played there.

Attendance was a problem for Great Bend throughout the season. The Fourth of July doubleheader drew less than 500 people. Still, Great Bend’s attendance was the highest in the league.

The final standings for the season were:

 

1909 Kansas State League
Class D
President: P.H. Hostutler

Team	W	L	W-L%	GB	Manager
Lyons Lions	61	37	.622	—	Cecil Bankhead
Hutchinson Salt Packers	60	37	.619	0.5	Bill Zink
McPherson Merry Macks	59	37	.615	1	Depew/Green
Great Bend Millers	49	48	.505	11.5	Kling/Stillings
Wellington Dukes	44	54	.449	17	Mason/Meade
Newton Railroaders	42	54	.438	18	Harlow/Stillwell
Arkansas City-Winfield Twins	41	56	.423	19.5
Strong City-Cottonwood Falls Twins City/Larned Cow	32	65	.330	28.5	Freese/Weaver

 

Strong City – Cottonwood Falls (22-41) moved to Larned July 12. Winfield bought part interest in the Arkansas City franchise July 22.

1910

The teams in the league remained the same as those that finished the 1909 season. Charlie Lyons, a member of Great Bend’s baseball team in 1905, was named the new manager of the Millers.

Great Bend was involved in three no-hitters within three months. On May 20, Great Bend was beaten by Newton, 2-0, at Great Bend, on a perfect game by Chief Williams. Rolla Mapel was the losing pitcher. One month later, on June 20, George Kaiserling pitched a 10-inning, no-hit game against McPherson at Great Bend as the second game of a doubleheader. Great Bend won 1-0, Lagenaur took the loss. Then, on August 19, Larned beat Great Bend at Larned, 2-0, on a no-hitter by H.C. Watson, formerly a Great Bend pitcher. It was the second game of a doubleheader and lasted only seven innings. Billy Kuhagen was the losing pitcher.

During the final game of the season, Pete Falkenberg was given a silver-plated bat for the highest batting average on the team. Rolla Mapel was given a silver-plated ball for having the best pitching record on the team. These awards were provided by W.D. Gould. Rolla Mapel also led the league in strikeouts with 205.

The final standings for 1910 were:

 

1910 Kansas State League
Class D
President: P.H. Hostutler

TEAM	W	L	W-L%	GB
Hutchinson Salt Packers	72	39	.649	—
McPherson Merry Macks	59	52	.532	13
Lyons Lions	58	53	.523	14
Great Bend Millers	55	55	.500	16.5
Newton Railroaders	56	56	.500	16.5
Wellington Dukes	51	59	.464	20.5
Larned Wheat Kings	47	61	.435	23.5
Arkansas City Grays	42	67	.385	29

 

Arkansas City was turned back to the league for its final two games, which were played under Doc Baker as the “Orphans.”

1911

The Millers continued to try new managers, as R. F. “Affy” Wilson was named the third manager in three years. He had been in the Central Kansas League the previous year. El Dorado replaced Arkansas City for the upcoming season.

Great Bend’s new uniforms arrived in April. The suites were real beauties. They were steel gray with navy trimming. The name “Millers” was perpendicularly placed on the shirt fronts. The time-honored swastika was conspicuous by its absence.

Special police were hired to be on the grounds during the games to cut down on rowdyism. The directors of the baseball association said drunks and rowdies would be thrown out of the ball park and given their money back. People found betting would be arrested and prosecuted.

The season opener was May 11 at Wellington. Great Bend won 2-1. Attendance troubles still plagued the league. Wellington transferred to Wichita in mid-June, but didn’t last long as the team went back to Wellington two weeks later.

On July 11, the Kansas State League “blew up.” Wellington and El Dorado had financial difficulties and gave up. When President Stahl of the Kansas State League attempted to make a six-team league by distributing the players among the other teams, Hutchinson and Larned, who also had financial difficulties, insisted the season end at once. Great Bend was declared the pennant winner because they were in first place when the league folded. The final standings were:

 

1911 Kansas State League
Class D
President: P.H. Hostutler / Stahl

team	W	L	W-L%	GB
Great Bend Millers	39	20	.661	—
Newton Railroaders	39	21	.65	0.5
Lyons Lions	37	27	.578	4.5
McPherson Merry Macks	31	28	.525	8
Hutchinson Salt Packers	29	29	.5	9.5
Larned Wheat Kings	23	32	.418	14
El Dorado Crushers	15	33	.313	18.5
Wellington Dukes	15	38	.283	21

 

Wellington played 10 games (2-8) in Wichita June 13-21. The league disbanded July 11 due to crop failures and drought.

1912

This year Great Bend became a member of the Central Kansas League. Lyons and Newton joined Great Bend from the Kansas State League. Manhattan and Junction City remained from the Central Kansas. Salina, a member of the Central Kansas League in 1909 and 1910, rejoined the group. Affy Wilson returned as manager of the local team.

Great Bend opened the season at home, May 9, versus Salina. At this game the 1911 pennant was raised. A 60-foot pole of iron pipe was erected for the pennant. It remained flying all season. The game was called because of rain in the bottom of the fourth inning. On May 10, rain again kept the game from being played. At last, on May 11, Great Bend opened the season with victories in both games of a doubleheader against Salina, 13-4 and 9-4.

In June the Newton franchise was transferred to Minneapolis. Poor attendance was given as the reason.

On August 7 Great Bend beat Lyons while Junction City beat Manhattan. This clinched the pennant for Great Bend. Great Bend had a large lead early in the season, then went into a slump during which they dropped to fourth place before rallying to win by two games over the Little Apple, Manhattan. Great Bend did well to win because Manhattan had a number of players on their roster, who had come from Topeka’s Class A Western League team.

Elmer Brown led the league in wins with 18. At the end of the season, the Gould store gave Al Ward a gold-plated bat for being the best batter. LeRoy Plympton received a gold-plated baseball for being the best pitcher. Johnny Fedor, who scored the most runs on the team, was given a cane made of leather with a steel rod in the center. It was made by Andy Ruble.

In September, Great Bend received the 1912 pennant. It was 20 feet long and nine feet wide. It read “Champions Central Kansas League 1912” with letters a foot high. The Topeka Capital sent a silver loving cup to Great Bend for winning the pennant.

Before the start of the season, it had been hard to raise the $1,500 needed to finance the team for the season. Manhattan, Salina, Great Bend, and Lyons were all living hand-to-mouth during the season. The directors of the baseball association could not decide whether Great Bend would have a team in 1913 or not. The ploy was to coax fan support from the locals. The final standing for 1912 were:

 

1912 Central Kansas League
Class D
President: Roy C. Gafford

team	W	L	W-L%	GB
Great Bend Millers	54	36	.600	—
Manhattan Elks	52	38	.578	2
Newton Railroaders/Minneapolis Minnies	50	40	.555	4
Junction City Soldiers	47	43	.522	7
Lyons Lions	36	54	.400	18
Salina Insurgents	31	59	.344	23

 

Newton (16-11) transferred to Minneapolis July 12.

Once again Great Bend decided to give Organized Ball a try. The city and club directors knew they would have a hard time raising money.

The league was renamed the Kansas State League. The teams were Manhattan, Junction City, Salina, Great Bend, Lyons, and Clay Center which took the place of Minneapolis from the previous year.

Affy Wilson was back for his third season as manager. Great Bend was schedule to open the season at Salina on May 16. However, a number of changes were made to the schedule. One change was that Great Bend would open at home on May 15 with Lyons. Great Bend won the game, 7-4, before a crowd of 800.

On June 1, Great Bend won 2-1 at Lyons. Great Bend pulled a triple play which was probably the first in league history.

On July 3, Lyons beat Great Bend 2-1 in 18 innings, a league record for longevity. Chet Brown left at the end of the ninth inning to catch a train to Grand Island, Nebraska, to whom he had been sold. Stoffer took over and pitched the remainder of the game. LaFlambois went the distance for Lyons and got the win.

On July 6 Cotton Sievers of Great Bend saw his 19-game hitting streak end. The streak established a new league record. The record didn’t last very long as Johnny Morgan, also of Great Bend, hit safely in 20 straight games. His streak ended on July 16.

Manhattan and Junction City “blew up” on July 8. Manhattan had no money and Junction City just blew. Manhattan ended with a 27-24 record while Junction City finished 21-29. The league continued with four teams. A new schedule for the remainder of the season was drawn up. Great Bend clinched its third straight pennant on August 11 by beating Lyons at Lyons.

G.H. Riley led the league with a won-lost percentage of 1.000. His record was 9-0. Despite the fact the baseball association had, again, had a a hard time raising enough money to finance the team for the season, the directors weathered the storm and managed to reduce the debt somewhat. The final standings were:

 

1913 Kansas State League
Class D
President: Roy C. Gafford

team	W	L	W-L%	GB
Great Bend Millers	53	36	.596	—
Clay Center Cubs	51	37	.580	1.5
Lyons Lions	50	39	.562	3
Salina Insurgents	26	63	.292	27
Manhattan Elks	27	24	.529	n/a
Junction City Soldiers	21	29	.420	n/a

 

Junction City disbanded on July 9, causing Manhattan to drop July 9.

1914

Salina, Emporia, Great Bend, and Hutchinson were the teams in the league this year. The Lyons team moved to Hutchinson and Emporia took the place of Clay Center. Affy Wilson came back for his fourth season as manager. Once again it was hard to raise the necessary money to finance the season.

Great Bend opened at Hutchinson on May 8 before 3,000 fans. Hutchinson won the game, 5-0, on a three-hitter by Andy Rush.

Great Bend got off to a terrible start, winning only three of its first 19 games. Injuries played a big part in the slump. Finances for the day-to-day operations of the club dwindled. On June 13, it was reported that there was no money for the next week and a pay period was due.

On June 14, Hooks Beltz no-hit Great Bend at Emporia in the second game of a doubleheader. The score was 3-0. The game was stopped at 5:20 p.m. after 4 1/2 innings by agreement to allow Great Bend to catch the train.

On July 3, Hutchinson beat Great Bend at Hutchinson, 4-3, in 21 innings on a field of mud. Red Morton went the distance for Great Bend.

Leonard O’Byrne beat Hutchinson, his former team, in both games of the Fourth of July doubleheader, 2-1 and 5-3.

President Gafford of the Kansas State League or his representative, was in Great Bend on July 26 and 27 to look into the affairs of the local baseball association. As the season drew to a close, payments were getting into a critical condition. Attendance was very light. For the first time in its history, Great Bend missed a payroll.

On July 31 the team “blew up.” On almost every payday the directors had trouble raising the necessary money. Attendance had been very poor. The early losing streak didn’t help matters any. The team was transferred to Minneapolis, Kansas, for the last three games of the season. Great Bend finished the terrible season in last place.

The standings were:

 

1914 Kansas State League
Class D
President: Roy C. Gafford

team	W	L	W-L%	GB
Emporia Bidwells	54	32	.628	—
Salina Coyotes	47	41	.534	8
Hutchinson Packers	40	49	.449	15.5
Great Bend Millers	35	54	.393	20.5

 

It seemed that Great Bend struggled every year to finance the ball club and to draw fans to its games. Even when the team was winning pennants, financial support was hard to come by. Then, when the team failed to win games early in the 1914 season, the fans stayed away from the ball park. The officers of the baseball association grew tired of the continuous struggle to raise money to support the team.

Despite its problems with attendance and finances, the Great Bend baseball team had a successful history on the field. The won three straight pennants and provided memorable performances. Some members of the Great Bend club made it to the major leagues. The lucky ones included George Kaiserling, Rolla Mapel, Charlie Wheatley, Bill Rumler, Harry Patton, Ovid Nicholson, and Bill Luhrsen. All in all, Great Bend would do it again. Those were heady days in the early part of the century.