2022 West Carver Guidebook | Page 41

Mayer blazers

Mayer Blazers rely on tradition over the years
By Kip Kovar Sports Editor Ball playing in Mayer has a history that goes back nearly 100 years , and has always been strongly supported by the community .
On April 10 , 1906 , the village council passed a motion to rent four lots owned by the village , called Thomas Slough , to be used for ball purposes .
Council support of the game continued in 1914 , when it furnished the ball players with a canvas . At this time , the village received 10 percent of the gate receipts .
The Mayer Baseball Club was organized in the Depression years of the early 1930s .
There had been talk of having baseball in Mayer for years before . There were problems to overcome , however , such as there was no park to play on , and only three players from the Mayer area , who played with the Young America team . Those players were Raymond and John Bleedorn , and Omar Hill .
In 1934 , the city council , with the encouragement of the community , purchased three-plus acres of land from the Haueters . This land was located between Zion Lutheran School , and the Mayer Public School buildings .
Much work had to be done to make this area playable . The land needed a lot of fill , and much leveling .
All of this material and leveling was done by volunteers . Businessmen and farmers all pitched in to do their share .
Late in the fall of 1934 , the field had been leveled and grass seeded . That fall the first baseball game was played .
A team of all-stars from neighboring towns banded together and challenged the Minneapolis Millers Barn Storming team of the American Association .
Some members of the area all-stars were : Harry Zellmann , Lenny Brawnworth , Ray Bleedorn , John Bleedorn , Walter Wagner , and Barny Wagner , just to name a few .
The Mayer baseball team started league play in 1935 . The competition was tough , and the talent was somewhat lacking , as some of the players had never played a game of baseball ; and yes , some had never owned a baseball glove or baseball shoes .
By the late 1930s , the team got to be very competitive . Pitchers like Fifty Dela Hunt , Charlie Johnson , Einar Erickson , and Jessie Schwartz were some of the hired players , who were paid about $ 25 per game .
In 1939 , the team quit hiring pitchers , and Omar Hill was the regular from then through the early 1940s .
A strong tradition
The Mayer Blazers has already established itself with a long and storied tradition of strong baseball in the Crow River Valley League .
Going back to 1943 , the Mayer Blazers have made seven state tournament appearances .
Their strongest state tournament showing came in 1973 , when they finished third .
Members of the 1973 state tournament Mayer team were : John Hoese and Randy Hoese , bat boys ; Martin Rolf , Brad Wroge , Jim Henning , Harlan Baumann , Kevin Florek , Dale Hoeft , Bob Vinkemeier , Bill Stein , Ron Lehrke , Dave Lenz , Lowell Heldt , Dave Hoese , Darryl Gieselmann , Mark Meschke , Courtney Meyer , Mark Wabbe ; Bob Schafer , statistician ; and Ed
Aaron Brush and the Mayer Blazers are quickly becoming one of the top teams in the CRVL with their young talent .
Photo by Kip Kovar
Hoese , manager . In 1945 , Mayer took home second place honors in the Class A state tournament .
The members of that Mayer Blazers team were : Douglas Lenz , bat boy ; Dave Gongoll , Harold Boehner , Ed Hoese , Charles Sell , Virgil Belter , Orville Koehler , Earl Gongoll , Martin Hoeft , Stanford Lenz , Harold Kuntz , Martin Rolf , Oscar Rolf , Ray Bleedorn , Gordon Hoese , Wilford Hasse , Douglas Dibb , Bob Karels , Raymond Kuntz , and Harold Kusske , manager .
The Blazers had a little bit of a drought throughout the 1980s , but were back and stronger than ever in the early 1990s , making three state tournament appearances – 1991 , 1992 , and 1995 .
Hall of Famers
In 1976 , Clarence Guetzkow was elected to the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his tireless allegiance to Mayer baseball , the Crow River Valley League , and Minnesota Amateur Baseball as a whole .
Guetzkow is the lone member of the Hall of Fame from Mayer .
Odds and ends
• In 1974 , Mayer , who in the off-season donned the nickname Blazers , earned their second trip to the state classic in as many years , but they bowed out in the opening round to the Winona Merchants 5-2 in St . Cloud .
• On Sept . 13 , 1950 , Mayer draftee Ed Hoese pitched Lester Prairie to a 5-0 win over Bloomington in the second round of the state tourney , in which they won the Class B title .
• In 1967 , Bill Stein pitched the only no-hitter in Mayer history . It was a seven-inning gem in the first game of a twin bill against Norwood .
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