Saginaw Baseball: Bears/Jack Rabbits (Central League, 1948-51)

Here's a scorecard from the long-lost Central League: the 1950 Saginaw Bears. Found this one on eBay a year or so ago, didn't cost too much either.

1950 Regular Season--Bears vs. Muskegon Reds

     The Saginaw Bears were Saginaw's sixteenth and (as of now) final minor-pro baseball franchise. They were part of the Class A Central League, which was revived for the seventh time in 1948. The Bears were owned by James "Ike" Bearinger, the same man who owned the Saginaw Athletics/White Sox franchise. The team played it's home games in Saginaw Stadium (later called Veterans Memorial Stadium), which was just off of M46.

     Unlike the majority of teams in the Central League, the Bears operated without a major league affiliate during their four-year existence. Without a parent club sending down talent, the Bears struggled to compete and were mostly a bottom-feeder in the CL.

     In their inaugural season, the Bears just barely stayed out of the league cellar, going a dismal 55-85. Manager Bob Finley's crew did have some talent. Saginaw native Bob Buhl debuted with the '48 Bears, winning 11 games just out of high school. He would later carve out a solid 15-year career in the majors with the Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.

Page 3, featuring lineup for Muskegon Reds

     Finley was back for another season as Bears manager, but the team continued it's losing ways, finishing in last place in the league. Ron Bowen led the team in batting (.292) and Oscar Khederian was tops in home runs (12), but only one pitcher had a winning record (Duane Gotschall, 7-6).

Page 4, featuring lineup for Saginaw Bears

     In 1950, Finley was replaced by former White Sox manager Hank Camelli, but the losing continued. The independent Bears would bring up the rear in the Central League, going a pathetic 56-81. James Wallace had an excellent season on the mound, going 11-4, but the rest of the pitching staff struggled, with ERAs over 4.00. Joe Massaro led the team in batting with a .298 average, and as a group, the Bears hit .250.

     A losing team year after year and poor weather caused a severe drop in attendance, forcing Bearinger to sell the franchise. In June, Bearinger sold controlling interest in the Bears franchise to a group of local businessmen led by R. Lee Gilbert. In the offseason, the new owners would rename the franchise "Saginaw Jack Rabbits". Camelli was replaced by Bert Niehoff as manager for the upcoming season.

      

Page 2, featuring Front Office Listing

The 1951 Jack Rabbits finally emerged from the Central League basement, going an excellent 79-58, just 8 games behind league-leading Dayton. As a group, the Rabbits batted .276, with Ed Bachmann leading the way at .317. Teammate Ettore Giammarco blasted 21 homers to pace the Rabbits attack. The pitching staff was led by Ed Albosta, who won 19 games. Two others won over ten games (Walter Wenciewicz and Warren Martin).

Aftermath: By the early 1950s, the increasing popularity of televised baseball was wreaking havoc on the minor leagues. Fans, preferring to stay home and watch the "Game of the Week" on TV, stayed away in droves, forcing many leagues the fold. The Central League collapsed in 1951, cancelling the playoffs and declaring bankruptcy. Professional baseball would not return to the Tri-Cities until 2007, when the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League arrived.

Sources:

Okkonen, Marc. Minor League Baseball Towns of Michigan: Adrian to Ypsilanti. pgs. 164-65. Thunder Bay Press, 1997.

Saginaw Group Buys Up Bears. Ludington Daily News, June 22, 1950. (From Google News Archive)

Saginaw Bears Statistics: 1949, 1950

Saginaw Jack Rabbits Statistics: 1951