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Town Team Baseball is a variety of
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
or
Semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André 3000 (credited as And ...
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
played in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In Town Team baseball, sometimes also called townball, the
team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...
s represent either a given
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
or
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
, or a commercial enterprise which
sponsors Sponsor or sponsorship may refer to a person or organization with some role (especially one of responsibility) regarding another person or organisation: *Sponsor (commercial), supporter of an event, activity, or person *Sponsor (legislative), a per ...
the team. Usually a statewide governing body sets uniform rules for two or more classes, including proximity (how close the player must live to the town for which he plays) and other eligibility rules, pay or stipends for players and coaches, boundaries, and rules to prevent players from switching teams without reason. Such governing bodies may also coordinate annual statewide
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, facilitate communication between teams and leagues, and help to arrange for training and placement of
umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...
.


History

The history of Town Team Baseball varies from state to state. In addition to the states included below, Townball is played in Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.


Minnesota

Townball has been played in
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
since the 1920s. Townball enjoyed its peak of popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, with as many as 799 teams participating in the 1950 season.Town Ball, the Glory Days of Minnesota Amateur Baseball, Armand Peterson and Tom Tomashek, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis and London, page x (introduction), The first town baseball team in Minnesota is believed to have been Nininger's, in 1857. Although many towns in Minnesota have fielded baseball teams continuously since the 1880s, townball as we know it really came into existence in 1924 with the organization of the State Tournament, masterminded by the ''
Saint Paul Pioneer Press The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington countie ...
'' and ''
Saint Paul Dispatch The ''Saint Paul Dispatch'' was a daily newspaper in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1868 until 1985. Hall and Castle years When Harlan Hall founded the ''Dispatch'' in 1868, he made no secret of his political affiliations.Weber, "The Story of the S ...
'' writers Roy Dunlap and Lou McKenna. One year later, the AM-ABL was formed as a governing body for Townball in Minnesota. This organization still exists as the Minnesota Baseball Association. Numbers of teams and leagues operating in Minnesota peaked between the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(1945) and the arrival of Minnesota's new Major League Baseball team, the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
, in 1961. Since the minimum number of players required to field a team for a single game with no substitutions is nine, then at least 7191 (and in actuality a much larger number) individuals participated in Minnesota townball in the peak year, 1950.


Historic divisions

Historically, Townball teams in Minnesota were divided into three classes: AA, A, and B. In Class AA leagues, teams were permitted three players from outside the local area, and salaries were unlimited; essentially, whatever the team's owners or shareholders could afford, they could pay. Because the unrestrained competition and unlimited budgets bankrupted many teams and forced others to move to a lower class, this form of Townball disappeared in Minnesota by 1960, its leagues all victims of their own excesses. Legendary football coach
Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (May 20, 1927 – March 11, 2023) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Viki ...
played Class AA townball in Minnesota and Wisconsin and remarked, "I made more money playing own teambaseball than I did playing for the
Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, having played and won championships in both the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to ...
...And we won an
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
title while I was playing for them." Another perspective came from a former official from Bird Island, Fabian Sheehan: "We priced ourselves out of the business, but we sure had a good time doing it." Nonetheless, some teams were able to turn a profit at this level. Former Fergus Falls pitcher Harley Oyloe said, "As far as Fergus Falls, anyone who was around back then remembers those days and talks about them still. You tell the young kids that we used to have two or three thousand fans for a game and they think you're nuts." At the Class A level, teams were permitted two players from outside the local area, and salaries were still unlimited. Class B teams were required to draw all their players from a 15-mile radius from city limits, and no salaries were permitted, although many players were enticed to relocate to towns with B-level teams by offers of employment in local schools or establishments. Because this was the most economical level of Townball, it was also the most prevalent. However, it was always the least prestigious level of amateur baseball in Minnesota. It was not unheard-of for a town to field a B-class team in addition to an A or AA level team. Some towns even fielded three teams, with lower-level teams developing talent and feeding it to higher-level teams.


Today

In some states, townball is all but extinct in its traditional form. In others, particularly in Minnesota and Wisconsin, it remains vibrant and popular.


Minnesota

Today there are more than 300 active Townball teams in Minnesota, playing in over 30 leagues throughout Minnesota, with major concentrations in the southern and central areas of the state.


Modern divisions

The classification system was revamped in 1986 to restore Minnesota amateur baseball to a 3-tiered format. Today the three classes are A, B, and C. Class A is reserved for teams from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area and Class B teams are typically composed of larger outstate towns and teams that have won the Class C Championship. As of 2000, there were 48 teams in this class. All remaining teams are in Class C. There are 230 teams in this class as of 2012. This division is equivalent to class B under the old classification system. The 2019 champions in Minnesota were: * St Louis Park in Class A *
Chanhassen Chanhassen ( ) is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Minneapolis. The population was 25,947 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate of 26,469. A small portion of the city extends into Hen ...
in Class B * Sobieski in Class C The Class B / Class C state tournament is awarded to different towns throughout the state each season. Typically, 2 towns in close proximity host the tournament. The tournaments for both classes are held in conjunction with each other at the same venues. * The 2007 State Tournament was held in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and Norwood Young America * The 2008 State Tournament was held in Chaska and
Shakopee Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneap ...
* The 2009 State Tournament was held in
Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...
and Gaylord * The 2010 State Tournament was held in Willmar and Bird Island * The 2011 State Tournament was held in Glencoe and Brownton * The 2012 State Tournament was held in St. Cloud (Putz & Faber Field) * The 2013 State Tournament was held in Delano and Maple Lake * The 2014 State Tournament was held in
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
and Belle Plaine * The 2015 State Tournament was held in Cold Spring and Watkins * The 2016 State Tournament was held in Hutchinson,
Dassel Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains. Geography The city covers an area of . Buildings and streets make up about 10% of this area while 26% ...
, and Litchfield * The 2017 State Tournament was held in Green Isle, Norwood, and
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
* The 2018 State Tournament was held in
Shakopee Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneap ...
, New Prague, and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
* The 2019 State Tournament was held in Maple Lake, Delano, and
Dassel Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains. Geography The city covers an area of . Buildings and streets make up about 10% of this area while 26% ...


Notable players

Notable players from Minnesota Town Team Baseball include
Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach (ice hockey), coach. His most notable achievement came in Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics, 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning Un ...
, Carmen Cozza, Bobby Dill,
Paul Giel Paul Robert Giel (February 29, 1932 – May 22, 2002) was an American college football and professional baseball player from Winona, Minnesota. He was an All-American in both sports at the University of Minnesota. Collegiate career Giel atten ...
,
Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (May 20, 1927 – March 11, 2023) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Viki ...
, Sam "Toothpick" Jones, Dana Kiecker,
Jerry Kindall Gerald Donald Kindall (May 27, 1935 – December 24, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball player and coach. He was primarily a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who appeared in 742 games played over ...
, Corey Koskie, Dick Lanahan, Tom Mee,
Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...
, Gread McKinnis, Les Munns, Frank O'Rourke (the sports and western author, not the Major League infielder),
Jim Pollard James Clifford Pollard (July 9, 1922 – January 22, 1993) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1950s and was k ...
, Jim Rantz, Frank "Pep" Saul, Howie Schultz,
Herb Score Herbert Jude Score (June 7, 1933 – November 11, 2008) was an American professional baseball pitcher and announcer in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1955 through 1959 and the Chicago White Sox from 196 ...
,
Dick Siebert Richard Walther Siebert (February 19, 1912 – December 9, 1978) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from 1932, 1936–1945. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, both of the ...
,
Whitey Skoog Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota. A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 1 ...
, Moose Skowron,
Hilton Smith Hilton Lee Smith (February 27, 1907 – November 18, 1983) was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. He pitched alongside Satchel Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs and Bismarck Churchills between 1932 and 1948. He was induc ...
,
Terry Steinbach Terry Lee Steinbach (born March 2, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1986 to 1999, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that won three ...
, Dick Stigman, Hy Vandenberg,
Rudy York Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of t ...
, and
Bert Blyleven Rik Aalbert Blyleven (born Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator. He played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins, and f ...
(for one game in the 2007 season),
Jim Eisenreich James Michael Eisenreich ( ; born April 18, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball player with a 15-year career from 1982 to 1984 and 1987 to 1998. He played for the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals of the American League, and th ...
,
Eric Decker Eric Thomas Decker (born March 15, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and college baseball for the Minnesota Gold ...
, Roy Larson


Nebraska

In 2007 in
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, under the auspices of the Nebraska Baseball Association, there were nine leagues fielding over 50 teams. By 2009, the organization has grown to 75 teams and reaches beyond the borders of Nebraska to accommodate out of state teams that have no other league in which to belong. Just three years old, the Nebraska Baseball Association has begun to pick up momentum and increased exposure. More towns are now assembling teams.
The Nebraska Baseball Association structure was made possible with the research and assistance from the North Dakota Baseball Association, South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association, and the Minnesota Baseball Association. Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota are the only states in the country that have amateur state baseball organizations featuring legitimate qualifying district and state tournaments. Wyoming is seeking assistance from these states to establish another state baseball organization. 2007 Class A
State Champions: Lincoln Lawlor Polecats
State Runner Up: Lincoln Reds
State tournament site: Dunlap Field, Cairo, Ne.
District tournament sites: Hastings, Ne.; Crete, Ne. 2007 Class B
State Champions: Ogallala Moose Lodge #1624
State Runner Up: Hartington Bankers
State tournament site: Dunlap Field, Cairo, Ne.
District tournament sites: Schuyler, Ne.; Hartington, Ne. 2008 Class A
State Champions: Lincoln Dirtbags
State Runner Up: Kearney Kernels
Tournament MVP: Jeremy Fries, Lincoln Dirtbags State tournament site: Kearney, Ne. 2008 Class B
State Champions: Wakefield Capitals
State Runner Up: Yutan Pilots
Tournament MVP: Max Greve, Wakefield State tournament site: Wakefield, Ne. Eaton Field
District tournament sites: Sidney, Ne.; Tekamah, Ne.; Chadron, Ne.; O'Neill, Ne.; Wakefield, Ne. 2009 Class A
State Champions: Lincoln Diablos
State Runner Up: Kearney Kernels
Tournament MVP: Kevin Hanley, Lincoln Diablos
Class A state tournament site: Kearney, Ne.
District tournament sites: Omaha, Ne., Lincoln, Ne., Gibbon, Ne., Alliance, Ne.; Scottsbluff, Ne. 2009 Class B
State Champions: Hartington Bankers
State Runner Up: Haxtun, Colorado Bombers
Tournament MVP: Brett Bosn, Hartington Bankers
Class B state tournament site: Wakefield, Ne.
District tournament sites: Ashland, Ne.; Wakefield, Ne.; Cairo, Ne.; Imperial, Ne., Chadron, Ne. 2009 Roy & Ross Speece Umpire of the Year: Tim Higgins, Grand Island, Ne. 2010 Class A
State Champions: Kearney Kernels
State Runner Up: Lincoln Reds
Tournament MVP: Kyle Kraska, Kearney Kernels
Class A state tournament site: Kearney, Ne.
District tournament sites: Omaha, Ne., Lincoln, Ne., McCool Junction, Ne., Scottsbluff, Ne. 2010 Class B
State Champions: Haxtun, Colorado Bombers
State Runner Up: Chadron Titans
Tournament MVP: Jake McClain, Chadron Titans
State tournament site: Sidney, Ne.
District tournament sites: Pierce, Ne.; Yutan, Ne.; Scotia, Ne.; Haxtun, Co.; Chadron, Ne. 2010 Roy & Ross Speece Umpire of the Year: Mike Davis, Yutan, Ne. 2010 Max Greve Player of the Year: Travis Boyll-Kearney Kernels 2011 Class A
State Champions: Omaha Tigers
State Runner Up: Lincoln Reds
Tournament MVP: Caleb Zimmer, Omaha Tigers, Omaha Central
State Tournament sites:
Brown Park Brown Park is located at 5708 South 15th Street in the Brown Park neighborhood of South Omaha, South Omaha, Nebraska. The baseball field at the park is more than 100 years old, and hosted games played by Ty Cobb and others. History Brown Park i ...
at John Stella Field, Omaha Central at Boyd Park
Class A Max Greve Player of the Year: Kevin Hanley, Lincoln Diablos
Roy & Ross Speece Umpire of the Year: Ray Manske 2011 Class B
State Champions: Valley Roughriders
State Runner Up: Mead Steam Engines
Tournament MVP: Chris Riley, Valley Roughriders
State Tournament sites: Dunlap Field-Cairo, Grover Cleveland Alexander field-St. Paul
Class B Max Greve Player of the Year: Jake Stutzman, Cairo Camels


North Dakota

The North Dakota Amateur Baseball state tournament is played every year at Jack Brown Stadium in Jamestown with four different divisions: Masters, A, AA, and AAA. The Masters division is reserved for players 35 and older and was established in 2018. The tournament is usually held on the last weekend in July. Teams competing in this division can have up to two players under 35 but neither of those players can pitch. Usually these under 35 players are catchers or middle infielders. Class A is reserved for development teams or teams that are new to amateur baseball. Many teams that field Class A are usually younger teams whom their main team usually play in the AA or AAA tournaments. Because of this, any player who plays in the A tournament that year cannot play in the AA or AAA tournaments as well. Also the winner of the Class A tournament automatically gets moved up to AA the next season. Class AA is the next highest up and is usually reserved for more established teams or teams that have players who have had college baseball experience. Class AA was added in 1965 and these teams are usually found in smaller towns or the talent level is not enough to play in AAA. Class AAA is the highest division of amateur baseball in North Dakota. Teams in this division are usually in bigger cities or college towns and have many of their players currently playing college baseball. The AAA division has been dominated by the Jamestown Elks and Jamestown Merchants since being added in 1991 as all but four times (1995, 2000, 2021 and 2022) that one of these two teams has won the AAA championship. For 2024, the dates and number of teams for each tournament. In all tournaments except Masters, the winner of each pool played in the Championship Game


State Champions


South Dakota

Great Town Team Baseball teams and players from South Dakota are honored by the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in Lake Norden. The 2010 champions for
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
were: * The Brandon Valley Merchants in Class A ~ Nick Bruning State MVP ~ Nick Bruning, Bryce Ahrendt, Nate Alfson, & Tyler Pierson members of the BV Merchants who made ALL-STATE Team * The Dimock-Emery Raptors in Class B


Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Baseball Association (WBA) is Wisconsin's largest amateur baseball association, composed of six separate leagues. The WBA has 56 teams located throughout Central, Northern and Western Wisconsin along the St. Croix and Mississippi River valleys from Superior to La Crosse, and Hudson to Wausau. The Wisconsin Baseball Association Playoffs are held over two weekends in the middle of August at various sites that rotate annually. A two division format was re-introduced in 2024. PAST WISCONSIN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION STATE CHAMPIONS: 2024- A-RIVER FALLS FIGHTING FISH --(Runner-up: Tilden Tigers; Semifinalists: Spooner Cardinals, Wisconsin Rapids Redhawks) B-OSCEOLA BRAVES --(Runner-up: Elmwood Expos; Semifinalists: Interwald Woodticks, Rib Lake Osprey) 2023- TILDEN TIGERS --(Runner-up: Everest Merchants; Semifinalists: Osseo Merchants, Wisconsin Rapids Redhawks) 2022- RIVER FALLS FIGHTING FISH --(Runner-up: Tilden Tigers; Semifinalists: Prescott Pirates, Spooner Cardinals) 2021- HAUGEN KNIGHTS --(Runner-up: Spooner Cardinals; Semifinalists: Holmen Features, Tilden Tigers) 2020- RIVER FALLS FIGHTING FISH --(Runner-up: Brill Millers; Semifinalists: Hayward Hawks, Viroqua Sox) 2019- EAU CLAIRE CAVALIERS --(Runner-up: Tilden Tigers; Semifinalists: Eau Claire Bears, Hayward Hawks) 2018- OSSEO MERCHANTS --(Runner-up: Sparta Miller; Semifinalists: Everest Merchants, Tilden Tigers) 2017- SPARTA MILLER --(Runner-Up: Osseo Merchants; Semifinalists: Brill Millers, Spooner Cardinals) 2016- SPARTA MILLER --(Runner-Up: Osseo Merchants; Semifinalists: Elmwood Expos, Whitehall Wolves) 2015- CHASEBURG-COON VALLEY BLUES --(Runner-Up: Sparta Miller; Semifinalists: La Crescent Cardinals, Prescott Pirates) 2014- PRESCOTT PIRATES --(Runner-Up: La Crescent Cardinals; Semifinalists: Brill Millers, Chaseburg-Coon Valley Blues) 2013- BRILL MILLERS --(Runner-Up: Sparta Miller; Semifinalists: Menomonie Eagles, Prescott Pirates) 2012- MENOMONIE EAGLES --(Runner-Up: Prescott Pirates; Semifinalists: Ellsworth Hubbers, Haugen Knights) 2011- RIVER FALLS FIGHTING FISH --(Runner-Up: Beef River Bullfrogs; Semifinalists: Onalaska Athletics, Rib Lake Lakers) 2010- HAUGEN KNIGHTS --(Runner-Up: Onalaska Athletics; Semifinalists: River Falls Fighting Fish, Sparta Miller) 2009- EAU CLAIRE BEARS --(Runner-up: Haugen Knights; Semifinalists: La Crescent Cardinals, Prescott Pirates) 2008- EAU CLAIRE BEARS --(Runner-up: La Crosse Athletics; Semifinalists: Brill Millers, Haugen Knights) 2007- CHASEBURG-COON VALLEY BLUES --(Runner-up: Prescott Pirates; Semifinalists: Brill Millers, Eau Claire Bears) 2006- LA CRESCENT CARDINALS --(Runner-up: Grantsburg Honkers; Semifinalists: Eau Claire Bears, Sparta Miller) 2005- EAU CLAIRE BEARS --(Runner-up: Everest Merchants; Semifinalists: Bangor Red Birds, Plum City Blues) 2004- TILDEN TIGERS --(Runner-up: Sparta Miller; Semifinalists: Bangor Red Birds, Eau Claire Bears) 2003- OSCEOLA BRAVES --(Runner-up: Bangor Red Birds; Semifinalists: Oulu Blue Jays, Tilden Tigers) * 2002- HUDSON RIVER RATS --(Runner-up: Augusta Athletics; Semifinalists: Oulu Blue Jays, Spring Valley Hawks)


New York and Pennsylvania

In
Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...
, Town Team Baseball was revived in 2013 after a long hiatus, under the auspices of the Alle–Catt Baseball league. In 2014,
Mike "Smitty" Smith Michael Leroy "Smitty" Smith (March 27, 1942 – March 6, 2001) was an American drummer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his work as a drummer with Paul Revere & the Raiders. Early life Mike Smith was born in Portland, O ...
(then the manager of one of the teams) called for a split in that league and organized that league's New York teams into the Southwestern New York Men's Baseball League. The league's first title was decided in August 2014, when the Fillmore Town Team defeated the Little Valley Thunder. The league returned for its second season in 2015, expanding into Pennsylvania; that year, the team from
Bradford, Pennsylvania Bradford is a city in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located close to the border with New York state and approximately south of Buffalo, New York. Home to an oil refinery, Zippo headquarters and a University of Pittsburgh b ...
defeated Fillmore for the championship. Bradford again defeated Fillmore for the 2016 title. The league was abandoned after the 2016 season after Smith opted to pursue a political campaign. The five remaining Pennsylvania teams in Alle–Catt continue to play as their own league.


In popular culture

*The fictional
Lake Wobegon Lake Wobegon is a fictional town created by Garrison Keillor as the setting of the recurring segment "News from Lake Wobegon" for the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' broadcast from Saint Paul, Minnesota. The fictional town serves as th ...
Whippets town team was a repeatedly-mentioned topic of
Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...
's monologue on the show ''
A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...
''


See also

* Riverview League * South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame *
Sunday league football Sunday league football is a term used in Britain, Ireland and Australia to describe the amateur association football competitions which take place on Sunday rather than the more usual Saturday. The term ''pub league'' may also be used, owing to ...
(United Kingdom)


References

{{Reflist


External links


Minnesota Baseball Association
official website.
South Central League - South Dakota
The official website of the South Central League (SD)


Bibliography

* Caple, J

ESPN. * Caple, J

ESPN. * Max, M

WCCO. Amateur baseball in the United States Baseball in Minnesota Baseball in Nebraska Semi-professional baseball