Polish Falcons Post 123 Baseball Champs

Polish Falcons Nest 123 team photo courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

Old Time Erie needs the help of the Teeming Masses to identify the Team Members in this photograph. We don't have much to go on, but someone out there surely knows the facts. 

The baseball team pictured here is the Polish Falcons Nest 123. The club is located at 602 East 19th Street in Erie, PA. 

Some possible clues:
The Polish Falcons won the 1938 Glenwood League title. Members of that team included: Bully Zawadski, Joe Yurkey, Butch Gajewski, Stan Koniecko (or Konieczko), Slomski (center field), Matlock (catcher), Grabowski (3rd bass), Perzynski (right field), Price (pitcher). Who knows, the photo might be from 1945 or 1946.

I will update this post as the ball players are identified, so get crackin'. 

Batboy: Frank Czulewicz
Front row (left to right):
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Back row (left to right);
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Stephen Czulewicz.

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Where Was Sam Jethroe Born?

1951 Bowman card.

The baseball career of Sam 'The Jet' Jethroe has been well documented. He signed with the Cleveland Buckeyes in the Negro American League in 1942, for the Montreal Royals in the International League in 1948, and was signed by the Boston Braves in 1950, where he was named 'Rookie of the Year.'

I was curious about Sam's early life, having wrongly assumed that he was from Erie, PA. The connection with Erie was through Ernest Wright. Wright owned the Cleveland Buckeyes baseball team and the Pope Hotel in Erie. Sam lived in Erie during the off season with his brother, Jessie Jethroe.

Throughout his baseball career, Sam reported his birthdate as January 20, 1922 in East St. Louis, Illinois. When he died on June 18, 2001, the New York Times reported that he was 83 years old, making his year of birth 1918. Which one was correct?

An article in the newspaper Afro-American, published March 24, 1951, stated that Sam's father Albert owned a farm on the outskirts of East St. Louis. This piece of information helped me find the family in East St. Louis, IL in the 1930 federal census. Albert and Janie Jethroe were listed with their children, Rachel, Samuel and Jessie. 

The 1920 federal census proved to be a bit of a challenge. I finally found them by doing a search for a girl named Rachel (no last name) who was born in Mississippi and lived in IL. Here is what I found:

The Jethroe family was mistakenly listed with the surname 'Jeffro,' with a three year-old son named Samuel. Curiously, Sam's birthplace was listed as Mississippi in both the 1920 and the 1930 census. Which leads to another mystery for another day. Was he born in Illinois or Mississippi? 

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Erie Sailors 1946 Champion Baseball Team

1946 Erie Sailors, Middle Atlantic League Champions. Photo courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

The Erie Sailors were at the top of their game in 1946, the champions of the Middle Atlantic League. The Sailors played Class C ball at Ainsworth Field in Erie, Pennsylvania. Three Sailors shown in this photo went on the play in the big league. George Bamberger pitched for the New York Giants (1951-52), the Baltimore Orioles (1959) and then managed the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets. Centerfielder Jerry Scala  played for the Chicago White Sox (1948-49). Pitcher Red Webb played for the New York Giants (1848-49).

In addition to Bamberger, Scala and Webb, the Erie Sailors also included Leo Feldmier, Sam Bartolomei, Sam Marsacano, Charles Muse, Bill Lance, George Sabini, Don Brennan, Fred Voigt, Steve Rushnock and Cal Ehehalt. Also Mike Colombo, Bill Pavlick, Gene Natale, manager Steve Mizerak (not the world champion pool player), Jack Uber, Bill Nichols and Phil Alotta.

Here is a 1948 Erie Sailors Roster

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

Erie Sailors 1948 Roster Ainsworth Field in Erie, PA

Erie Sailors 1948 Roster Ainsworth Field

Erie Sailors' Roster from a game at Ainsworth Field in Erie, PA.

The Erie Sailors played Class C ball in the Middle Atlantic League in 1948, when they were a minor league farm team for the New York Giants. The team included pitchers Walter Cox, Bill Peters, Joe Bastan, Charley Pipher, Joe LaCroix, Joe Galioto and Walter Nebor. Ziggy Jasinski played for the team during the 1947 and 1948 seasons. The Sailors made their home in Erie, Pennsylvania. The players hailed from New York, Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis, Holyoke, Atlantic City and St. Paul, Minnesota. 

To learn more about the Erie Sailors, be sure to check this Baseball Reference Site.

The booklet for this game was about the size of a comic book. I had a color cover and contained a scorecard in the middle. Palace Hardware, Gorenflo and Johnson Lumber were long-time Erie businesses that advertised with the Sailors.

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie