SOME SPORTS NOTES FROM THE 1940S AND 50S

Girls basketball, 1948-49; boys basketball; cork ball and Silver Skates

E-mail exchanges from the Dogtown list.

THE TOPICS PRESENTED ARE:

• Girls Basketball
• Amvets Boys Basketball
• Corkball
• The Silver Skates

ST. JAMES GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM 1948-49

Fri, 1 Dec 2000

I would like to say a word about the "Would have been City Champion" St. James Girls Basketball Team, of 1948/49.

The team consisted of seventh and eight grade girls for St. James. How I became their basketball coach is a quite fuzzy, lost in the mist of time. This Dogtown site brings glimpses of those days long passed though. I believe Father Jeremiah Jakle had something to do with it, though I'm not sure of that.

That being the prolog this is my story. Any of you Girls from the team that have computers should add what you know. After all your a year or two younger than I am.

For starters Father P. J. O'Connor was not one for spending money on sporting equipment. As I recall we were lucky to have a soccer ball to practice with. We often used a basketball for both sports.

In the school yard there was a basketball hoop which was on a pole. I'll try to describe it. It was a welded to the top of a steel or iron poll. A hoop with three straps of heavy iron supporting it from the pole. No backboard so you could shoot the ball in the basket from all (360 degrees) directions. When the ball went in the hoop it was able to fall out between the three straps of steel supporting the hoop.

I mention that because it gives you an idea of the difficulty hardships that the St. James basketball teams had to overcome. Now I know a lot of you'll remember the basketball court in the Old Church. You will also know that the Old Church court was not readily accessible to us. We were locked out 90% the time.

In the beginning the girls practiced on the girls side of the school basement dribbling the ball between chairs and imitated shooting their shots, at the girl's/lady's restroom wall.

The steel basketball hoop was located outside on the boys side of the playground in the vicinity of the handball court behind the Old Church. But as you well know: basketball season is played in the winter months. December through February as I recall. P. J.'s rule, regarding the use of the Old Church basketball court was, as I recall, an adult had to be present and he would give the key to that adult and no one else. And if he wasn't available his housekeeper would follow his instructions not to allow the key to be given to anyone but an adult.

So the St. James Girls team was restricted to practicing inside the school in the girls basement designated play room. On occasions, weather permitting, we got to go outside and use the basketball hoop. This is when the boys weren't dominating it.

Consider now those fortunate students from Epiphany Parish with the gym including a bowling alley, and St. Mary Magdalene's gym and their bowling alley, St. Luke's, Little Flower, etc. They all had excellent places to practice and their parish supported their teams unlike St. James. Oh to be sure St. James supported them with cheers and applause but not with money. . . not in the 1940s. No Sir!!! That gym they have now came much later.

The team consisted of about a dozen girls from the seventh and eight grade. I regret I can only remember some of the names and I apologize for not remembering them all. And I ask any team member to be sure and add the names I've missed. Because they truly deserve to be mentioned.

Those names I can remember are:

Janet McNicholas, Patricia (Pat) and Jane Haley, Theresa Placke, Nina Kassing, Mary Ann O'Brien, Lucile Mueller, Joann O'Connell and Maureen Brady, Carol Booth, Jane Doherty, Rosemary Pilla's younger sister I can't remember her first name.

God you would have been proud of them. Handicapped with the lack of facilities their dedication hard work under the most distressing conditions was unbelievable. I was a freshman attending CBC at the time, and had played basketball for St. James boys' team.

I remember a confrontation I had with Father O'Connor regarding using the basketball, which by the way was kept in the rectory, and being allowed to practice in the Old Church. Asking for the ball was one thing, asking to be allowed to practice in the Old Church quite another.

He began to lecture me about my age and I didn't qualify as old enough to be considered a responsible adult. He had a rule he scolded me. And before I knew it, in my usual way, raised my voice, I guess you could say I sassed back replying, YES AND IT'S A DUMB RULE.

We had what you would say a "heart to heart talk" at length I might add. He lectured me on my manners and I lectured him on the unreasonableness of his rule, though I understood why he felt obliged to some extent require and adult to oversee our activity while in the Old Church.

He agreed we could we could use the Old Church basketball court to practice basketball and not play hoc-soc (indoor soccer played using the walls as part of the field). I, on behalf of the girls' basketball team assured him we would follow those rules and that the boys had to share their time with the girls team for practice time.

Little did I realize I had promised too much. Getting the boys, who practiced first, to stop and turn the ball over to the girls was no easy task as I'm sure they will attest to.

I recall one day when the boys didn't want to give up the basketball court or ball when it was the girls' turn. The boys, in a playful mode, began to play keep away with the basketball. All went well until Nina Kassing apparently fed up slapped Gene Cosma in the face and a fight started between her and Gene. Well, that stopped everything. The boys broke up the fight and handed over the ball. I reminded them of the promises I made on their behalf to gain access to the court and we never had any problems after that over practice times.

Now because the girls team didn't have a basket to shoot at they had become very proficient in dribbling the ball, passing the ball and they ran up and down the floor between chairs passing and dribbling the ball till they were sick to death of it. But let me assure you they were good. "City Champions" to be sure.

In the playoff's for the girls basketball championship in the parochial school league St. James ended up playing Mary Magdalene for the championship. The game was played at their gym on South Kingshighway. The score board showed St. James ahead by five points, with about two minutes left on the clock before the game ended and they would be city champions.

We called a time out and I instructed the girls to "freeze the ball" for the remainder of the game. They were the best ball handlers equal to any boys team in their age group. The performed exceptionally well and kept the ball away for the other team for the entire two minutes. The rules at that time were that only the team with the ball could call a timeout. The buzzer went off and we won. At least that is what the score board reflected.

But there was a catch. The inexperienced score keeper switched the scores on the score board from home team to visitors at half time because he thought that's what you did when the teams changed sides on the court, in the second half of the game. So the score actually reflected Magdalene five points ahead unbeknown to us.

I wanted to protest the game but there was a twenty-five dollar fee involved, and P. J. wouldn't come up with the fee and we lost.

However the moral victory goes to the St. James the Greater basketball team of 1948/49. They were the true winners: make no mistake about that. My hat is off to them now as it was then. I take all the blame as coach I should have noticed the change on the scoreboard at half time. I didn't and it cost the girls a well deserved victory and Championship.

I'm truly sorry girls.
Bill Vorbeck Class of '47

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Fri, 1 Dec 2000

My sister seems to think that I can add something to her basketball stories, but she forgets that I was only 5 when she was in the eighth grade. I do remember going with her to the basketball court in the old rectory...a very scary place for one so young. And I do know that she played great basketball at St. Mark's in high school.

About the new school. By the time I was ready to play basketball in 7th and 8th grade, the first part of the new school had been completed and as Bill said, since basketball is a winter sport, we moved into the "auditorium" of the new building for our practices. The problem was there was still no hoop, so our coach, Roy Johnson, put a mark on the wall where the basket would/should have been. We shot and shot and shot, confident that every similar attempt later on (in a real game with a real hoop) would translate into "swish."

Having little of the raw skill that the class of 48-49 had, we found out that all the practice in the world did little to make us look good when we really played. I remember one very sad showing we made in which the final score was 60 to 2, and we only got the 2 because of foul shots. So by the time I graduated in '57, there still wasn't a good facility for practicing basketball.

Sharon Kassing

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Sun, 3 Dec 2000

This one brought back lots of memories. I played basketball at St. James, although not as early as 48/49. Bill Vorbeck must have coached for a few years because I remember his being the coach when I first started playing. One incident I remember about Fr. O'Connor and basketball is Jane Haley, my sister Teresa, and me sneaked into the old church which was used as a gym one Saturday afternoon to shoot baskets. Father caught us and took the 3 of us to the rectory where we spent the rest of the afternoon stapling the "Let's Go" bulletins -

Kay Placke Richard

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Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 23:28:00 -0600 (CST)

An excellent story of the girls' basketball team and a good example of how difficult it was to deal with Father O'Connor. He was a stubborn Irishman. It was his way or no way.

BOYS BASKETBALL 1947

2/16/01

From Bill Vorbeck

I remember being a member of the Amvets basketball team (made up of mostly St. James basketball players) who went to Washington, DC to participate in a basketball tournament.

The following is a news clipping from one of the local newspapers.

FETES CAGE PLAYERS

Washington, April 2 (AP)-

Members of the Missouri Championship Amvets basketball team had lunch in the speakers' dining room yesterday, then saw the nations Capitol. Representative Karst (Dem.) Missouri, was host at the luncheon for the youths from St. Louis County. Then he personally took the team on a tour of the Capitol.

The team came here to play in the national teen-age Amvets Basketball tournament.

The group included Forrest Messel: Coach; Jerry McVey, Jerry Hoffman, George Shaffrey, Bill Vorbeck, Joseph Boman, Joseph Haragan, Gene Cosma, Ted Mueller, Jerry Fleming, Dick Hirsch, Less Hohl Jr., Jack Riordon, Tim Fleming and Leo Fleming.

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My note - Dick Hirsch and Less Hohl Jr. were not part of the St. James Team. But this was an Amvets team put together by some local Amvets. Mr. Leo Fleming was a chaperone who traveled with us.

Bill Vorbeck comments about a basketball story from the late 1940s in the old church on Tamm. The "new school" now stands on this spot.

This story is about Jerry Hoffman. We were playing basketball in the old church and the net on the basked on the East side of the court began to fall off. We got a ladder from Sam the school custodian (janitor we called them at that time) and Jerry climbed up the ladder to tie the net up. The ladder was at an extreme angle and when Jerry reached the top he had his and under the ladder between the rungs.

The ladder fell and Jerry broke his arm in two places (were the rungs of the ladder were) and we had to get him to Deaconess Hospital. We walked all the way. I don't know how Jerry made it without passing out.

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CORKBALL

More from Bill Vorbeck:

Special Events remembered - Playing Cork Ball in the School yard.

The older boys were playing and while I can't recall who was pitching or batting I do recall Bob (Dockey) Rooney was the catcher. He was catching without a mask and he was hit in the eye by a foul-tipped ball. The cork ball stuck in his eye socket and he was knocked out. I remember the panic at the time and no one knew who to do to get the ball dislodged from his eye. Everyone was too scared to touch it.

As Dockey came to his black and blue eye began to swell and the ball popped out of his eye. As I recall he didn't even go to the hospital to have it examined. He just rested on the wall and another player began to catch. What a scare.

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Tue, 26 Dec 2000

I've written about the game of cork ball that we played in the school yard just north of the handball court. But I failed to note that cork ball was unique to St. Louis. I don't believe it had been played in any other city or state.

It's important to note that cork ball is not stick ball, as played up east and on the streets of many cities through out the country. In the game of stick ball you ran bases and it was similar to baseball with the exception it was played in and on the streets between curbs and sidewalks.

Cork ball had all together different rules. Any one who played the game in the 40s and 50s are aware of the rules and I won't go into them because I'm sure I'll make a mess of that. However, It wasn't until I went into the service that I learned that from my headquarters company at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland which numbered four hundred plus men, from all over the US, no one knew or even heard of the game.

You will not find cork ball in the dictionary, or encyclopedia, you won't find it under types of balls either. It was a St. Louis creation and how it was established here and nowhere else is a puzzle to me. But it was a favorite among ball players in Dogtown. And I would like to add so was "bottle caps." A game played using the rules of cork ball but using bottle caps from soda and beer instead of a cork ball.

I'm fairly confident of this information because as a police officer I was aquatinted with Captain Plitner, of the St. Louis Police Department who had a personal contract with the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company to had sew the seams on cork-balls. He produced hundreds of them and on occasions had boxes of them in his car taking the finished products to the local distributor here in St. Louis. Because supplies were limited and bats were expensive we substituted tennis ball, and broomsticks.

They not only produced cork balls but cork ball bats as well. Many taverns had cork ball cages along side or behind their taverns, and held leagues in the 50s and 60s. Few of those courts are standing today.

Bill Vorbeck Class of 47'

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Now I realize where my Dad learned to play corkball and bottle caps. St. James School. He was in the class of 1921, and Joe Ryan was his name.

I remember back when I was a little girl, that he would 'relax' on Saturdays at a favorite tavern in the Richmond Heights area (where I grew up - Little Flower Parish) and more often than not there was a cork ball or bottle caps game being played there. Sometimes he would even take my sister and I along.

I remember too that bottle caps were plentiful in those days. They would only need to empty out the metal holder that the bottle caps would fall into as the bottles were pressed against the opener by the bartender or whoever. But the cork ball, as I remember it, was a much smaller ball than a baseball or even tennis ball, but I don't remember what it was made of. It always looked like a smaller version of a baseball to me.

Sally Ryan Sharamitaro

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Sun, 24 Dec 2000

While reading Bill's recollection of corkball, I was amazed when he talked of Captain Bill Plitner. He was my great uncle by marriage to my Aunt Esther. When I was a young girl, I would go to their home in North St. Louis. Uncle Bill was a stern, all business sort of guy, but I remember how we would go to the basement and watch as they stuffed, wrapped and sewed the baseballs and corkballs. I can remember the machine that would wrap the string around a small wooden ball, the cut outs of the leather being stretched over the appropriate sized mass of strings, and the red stitching that finished the job. It always amazed me just how they could do that. I would then help wrap and place them in a box. I have limited memories of my Uncle Bill and Aunt Esther, but that one is as clear as if it were yesterday.

My father, Louis Bohnenkamp, was originally from North St. Louis in the Walnut Park area. He would recount many memories of the days he and his friends would play in the field behind his house. He would always call them his, "Corkball Buddies". After we moved to Wade Avenue in 1954, I remember my dad having friends over to play horse shoes in our back yard, and sometimes they would head off to Forest Park to play a little corkball. He recently gave my 18 year old son a corkball as a keepsake. I am sure he has had it from long ago, a time in his memories that was ever so sweet.

Well, thanks for taking me on a trip down memory lane. We had just talked about Uncle Bill and Aunt Esther when my dad gave the corkball to my son. Isn't it funny how so many peoples lives intertwine without any knowledge of the other. I will be visiting St. Louis soon, probably driving through the old neighborhood with a renewed excitement and recollections from the people I have read on this website. Thank you for these new insights. Happy Holidays!

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THE SILVER SKATES

Thu, 30 Nov 2000

Just a sidebar. The Silver Skates were also held at the Arena, but I am not sure what years. I participated in 1950 in the Junior Girls division.

Nina Kassing Bryans, Class of 49

Bob Corbett interjects: In what Bill Vorbeck often refers to as a "senior moment," the above post from Nina brought a claim from Bill suggesting Nina was Olympics materia. In a humble note she sets the record straight.

Although I'd love to think of myself as Olympic material, I had too many other things going in my life at that time to take skating seriously as they do today. Bill confused me with my mother, Nina LaRue Kassing, who was a well-known, accomplished speed skater throughout the Mid-West. Probably, if I hadn't come along nine months after she married my dad, Milt, she would have been an Olympic hopeful. She met my dad at the Winter Garden.

Ice skating was a great past time for my family. My parents started me at the Winter Garden at two years old. They put double runners on me, but I had a hard time. So, they took them off and put regular skates on me, and I skated off right from the very start.

Mom and Dad used to take us to Forest Park Boat House Lake when the lakes froze over. All through grade school whenever the lakes froze over we were there. Also, when we got into 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, "the gang" would go after school to skate. My claim to fame was that I played hockey with the guys. The park department would build bonfires to keep us warm. One year Maureen Dwyer fell in the lake and had to be fished out and warmed up. I can't remember whether she was skating or sleigh riding.

Bob Corbett injects again. Dogtown did boast one quite great skated in Bob Morielli's brother. I do hope to get that full story from Bob one of these days with some newspaper stories and even photos.