Published: July 16, 2008 12:58 pm         

Public forum

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Thanks for staging anniversary event

I’m happy to see that you are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the best little league field in Indiana. I still remember the day when the town had the opening of Crain Field in which all teams and players rode on floats through downtown Logansport. Talk about big times! When we got to the field and saw the size of it compared to Tower Park, where we started as 9 year olds, you could imagine how excited we were and felt no one would ever be able to hit a home run there. The first player to hit a home run was a player named Mike Nichols.

I have resided in Titusville, Fla., since leaving Logansport in August 2003. I played for the mighty UCT Yanks in 1958 and was pitcher for the American League All Stars that year. Yep, we beat the National Team for bragging rights. From there I played and pitched in Babe Ruth, American Legion and, of course, for the Berries in 1961, 1962 and my senior year in 1963.

It all started as a Little League player who’ll never forget his first coaches, who were Sam Tocco and Gene Campbell. For the past five years when I’ve come home each summer to watch my grandkids, Blake Conrad and Jacob Conrad, play, the memories of the good old days come back to 1958. Blake is now in Babe Ruth, and Jacob is in Little League; both are good players and wouldn’t you know it, they are both pitchers as well as playing other positions for their teams. The city has really kept up the field as well as the other little league field now used for the 9- and 10-year-olds. Glad to see baseball is alive and well as always in Logan.

I know July 5 brought back memories to a lot of old timers and especially those of us who were the first to enjoy Crain Field in 1958. Thanks for putting such a program together as you know from playing yourselves home is home and you never forget team members from the past and what you all shared together. I still have newspaper clippings from back then that my mom saved. The only trophy I’ve kept is the first one I received as the Yanks MVP in 1958.

I hope you make available on the Web site all the pictures taken for this event along with the players who participate. Be sure and tell them I said hello, and also my good friend from the age of 5 until today, Bill Madonna. He also played as a 12-year-old in 1958. Bill and his wife, Bonnie, reside at Champions Gate in Florida, where Bill is one of the 100 top teachers in golf, and you probably have seen him on the Golf Channel if you watch it. Another close friend and also a former little leaguer and star athlete from Logansport who resides near us is Ed Maple and his wife, Karen. We all get together several times a month and guess what is discussed even 50 years later? Sports we played together from little league through high school. We have all been married to our high school sweethearts for 40 years plus, and they know our stories and fibs as well as we do.

Again, thanks for putting this event together, and we all wish we could have been there to see former teammates and friends as well as some of our coaches who we enjoyed playing for.



John Conrad

Titusville, Fla.