Archive for the ‘Pensacola Baseball’ Category
Random Images ….
Here are several images that I might or might not have posted before. The first one of the ribbon cutting at the Bay Bridge entrance is new, I believe. The rest I might have posted along time ago, but I had just run across them again and thought that I might post them again. Here we go …
The top photo of the ribbon cutting is new and if anyone recognizes any of the people, please comment. I have no clue who any of the people are, as usual, but I am interested in knowing who they are. The aerial photo was taken before the Municipal Auditorium was constructed, so that must have been around 1954 or so. I think that the auditorium was completed in 1955, but that is just a guess for me. This Dons group was 1959 I believe…how about that Hopkins Boarding Sign on the the back fence wall? If anyone knows anything about any of these photos, please comment. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Steve Dalkowski …
The player on the far right is Steve Dalkowski and this photo was taken by my father back in 1959. He is featured in a new movie called FASTBALL . The movie is narrated by Kevin Costner and is worth seeing, whether or not you are a baseball fan. It is an extremely entertaining movie and it covers a wide span in the history of baseball. Here is an article written by Joe Posnanski about Dalkowski that really an interesting story and one of the best on him that I have read recently. Mr Posnanski is one of the writers interviewed in the movie and is a sports writer when he is not doing movie interviews / work. Dalkowski’s story is not a Cinderella one, but it is real and interesting. There are other stories out there on Dalkowski and if you just Google his name you will find a half a dozen good articles. It just goes to show you that for every Dimaggio, there are thousand of Dalkowskis out there, but then again – that’s life. I do not have any stories to offer about Dalkowski when he played for the Dons. I wish that I has something to share with you here and I hope that anyone that reads this and has something to share will. In fact, I have only talked to a handful of people that have actually been to a Dons game. The girl whose father owned the Dons, I believe his last name was Davis, contacted me once and I wish that I had some way to get back in touch with her, because I have some questions to ask her about the Dons. That is it for now … go watch FASTBALL and let me know what you think. Thanks for looking and please let me hear your comments or your questions … Frank
Several More Pitchers For The Dons …
As usual, I do not have a name for this player, but I am just impressed with the intensity that this pitcher is throwing with for a photographer to take a picture. Also, notice how sharp the fence in the backfield is the photograph. You can read all of the business names very easily … Hill-Kelly Dodge, National Laundry, Fisher-Brown Insurance, W.B. Wood Appliances, etc. I have one other pitcher that I have cleaned-up a little to post …
This guy is throwing with some power, also. I hope that they looked this intense in a real game as they did when my father was taking their photographs. I mentioned in an earlier post that I am interested in seeing if anyone out there might a color photo of the team showing their uniforms and if anyone happened to have shot some footage with a movie camera at any of their games. If anyone ever runs across any of the two, please contact me through this blog. Thanks for looking and if anyone out there recognizes either of these two players, please let me know and if you have any comments let mu hear them … Frank
A Few More From The Dons File …
These two images are ones that I found in my files from the Dons, but neither one have anything to do with the baseball team. The photo above is the secretary / office manager / business manager … I guess she was the one that kept the wheels on the truck for the Dons. Notice the bare concrete block walls in the office. I do not believe that sheet rock was used in the construction industry until the late 1960’s or even the 1970’s. I know that most houses built in the late 1950’s used a type of plaster over plywood on room walls. If anyone is familiar with the construction industry in the 1950’s and 1960’s could tell us about the plaster walls and tell us when sheet rock started being used. The photo envelopes in the right hand corner was the type of photo mailers used back in the 50’s. I have one or two of these laying around, but I know I have not seen one used in thirty five years or so. The photo below is one that was from the body building contest photos that I forgot to include. I do not know who these guys are, but they look vaguely familiar … I am sure some one out there will recognize one of these guys.
One more thing, if anyone out there has a color photograph showing a player or the team, I would be interested in seeing the photo. All of the photos that I have of the team are all black and whites. I am interested in seeing what color the Dons team logo is on the player’s uniforms. Also, if anyone ever runs across a home movie made at one the Dons games, please let me hear from you. It is funny that there can not be any film shot during a Dons game that is lying around in someone’s file cabinet On the other hand, I do not think that the home movie business started until the 60’s. You had color transparency film back in the 1950’s and a little in the 1940’s, however it was used mostly by the military and the magazine photographers. Color film for the general consumer was not available until the 1960’s and I wanted to say mid-1960’s before it became common place.
Well, that is all I have for this post. Let me hear from hear if you come across any color movie film or color photographs on the Dons. I hope everyone has a safe Fourth of July. It is hard to believe that 2014 is half over and that Christmas is just around the corner. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
The Pensacola Dons And Another Promotion …
A good while ago, I posted a photo of a Dons player awarding a pretty girl in a bathing suit some flowers for winning a beauty contest. No one recognized the player or the girl, but the someone did identify the master of ceremonies for the event as a local radio personalty. In the background were the rest of the beauty contestants. Here is that photo again …
Note the suitcase that reads ” Philco ” that I guess contains the equipment to broadcast the event on local radio. I cannot identify what radio station, but I would imagine that it was either WCOA, WBSR or some other local station. So, since the Dons management had this event for all of the guys out in the audience, they needed to do some for all of the ladies sitting in the bleachers down at the Admiral Mason Park … a body builders contest. I do not know if this event was held on the same night or if it done on another night and as usual, I have no idea who any of the body builders are or who the young lady is awarding the winners. I cannot tell if she is this girl above or not, but she very well could be. So here goes … I am just going to post all of the photos and save my comment to the end …
After looking at these photos, I am going to say that the girl in the top photograph is the girl in these presenting the trophies to the body builders. As usual, I do not have a clue who any of these people are. I have been surprised that I have not received that many comments from people who attended the Dons games from back in the late 1950’s. I also am interested if anyone recorded any film from any of the games or of just random footage shot at the Admiral Mason Park during this era of the Dons. I realize that this will be a long shot, but I am interested in seeing if anyone shot anything. When I was looking through my scans of the Dons recently, I discovered that I have around 100 to 120 scans from the Dons years of 1957, 58 and 59, so I will try to throw up a few more in the next few weeks. Please check back and let me hear from you … Frank
Pensacola Dons with Bo Belinsky …
This is a group photo of the pitching staff of the Pensacola Dons from 1959. I am not 100% on the year, but I am pretty sure that was the year. Belinsky in the the back row on the far right side. I do not have a clue who any of the other pitchers are at this point … I will have to do some checking and see if I can find some names. I ran across a folder that I have scanned, but I have not cleaned any of the photos up and gotten ready to post. There might be 40 or so negatives that I have scanned in this folder. Some negatives are of a group of male body builders in their bathing suites and some girls giving them their awards. I have posted a photo of a beauty queen receiving a trophy from a ball player, but I have not done anything with the guys. I guess management figured if they did something for the men in the stands that they had better do something for the women so that they would not have a riot on their hands. I will work them up in the next few weeks and post them. Maybe the Blue Wahoos could learn a thing or two from the Dons, however the way that they pack that new stadium every game, they are certainly doing something right because it sure ain’t the way that they are playing!! Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
One more thing, here is a link to Bo Belinsky’s Wikipedia page. He was really an interesting guy, so just google him and read about him ….
Mrs. Babe Ruth in Pensacola …
Back in the late 1950’s, a Babe Ruth baseball team from Pensacola won the national Babe Ruth Baseball Championship. It was a real honor for a small town baseball team to beat out all of the other teams from all of the fifty states. Mrs. Babe Ruth came to Pensacola to present the winning team a trophy and while she was here, she took in a Dons’ baseball game. My father made a photo of her with the team. I also recently ran across a news clipping in the local paper about her coming to Pensacola and I also found a nice looking drawing of the “Babe” that I am including.
If any one was in attendance at any of the festivities, please let us hear from you. The drawing of Babe Ruth and the news clipping are courtesy of my good friend, Rusty Bizzell. His uncle , who is in the newspaper clipping, was the coach of the Babe Ruth team that won. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Pensacola Dons Player ” Youngdahl ” …
This Dons player’s name was ” Youngdahl “. I do not know anything about what what position he played or any of his stats. The thing that is funny to me is the guy way in the back behind the fence … I do not know what he is doing or if he even knew that he was in the photograph, but I guess people have always been people in the background trying to make fools of themselves. Here is the same photo below that was worked on with the Lucis Art Filter …
The filter really accentuates the details in a b&w photo … the guy in the background and the ads on the back wall, along with the dirt in the outfield, all have a distinct and different look from just a straight b&w scan / print. Thanks for looking and commenting … I have been busy with other things and have not spent much time on this blog lately. I have found a stack of negatives that I found years ago, but put somewhere so that I would not lose them and ended up miss-placing them until a week ago. I have not scanned any of the negative s and I plan to do so in the next few weeks, please check back. Thanks again for looking … Frank
Pensacola Dons Players …
I have a few of the Don’s here that I have worked up … this player was named Robbins and that is all I know. I think that it is good action photo and I enjoy looking at all of the business’ signs on the back fence.
This player’s name is Moore … they sure did not spare the resin on the bag. I cannot remember ever seeing this much resin on a bag. Maybe they just over did it for the photo, but this is a nice photo of the guy stretching out waiting for a ground ball.
This player’s name was Whitehead and they did not spare the resin on this bag, either. That is all of Don’s that I have worked up. I hope this brings back some fond memories and just think, spring training is just around the corner … sort of. Thanks for looking and let me know if you recognize or remember any of these players … Frank
A Few More From Bo Belinsky …
Here is an obituary that my father had cut out of some paper when he died back on November 23, 2001. He never put up Hall of Fame statistics ( 28-51 win / loss record ) , but he was often quoted as saying that he got more mileage out of those 28 wins as pitchers who one 200 games. It was a no hitter he pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in May of 1962 that he was most famous for. Below is a photo that I just ran across recently that my father had made of him pitching when he played for the Pensacola Dons … I have never posted this one before, since I just found it a month or so back. It is not in very good shape and is very badly over-exposed, but you can tell that it is left-handed Bo.
He sure looks young here! This is around 1958, I would guess. I have another story some where that my dad clipped out of a paper on Bo that I will find and post later. If anyone out there has any Bo Bolinsky stories … either when he pitched here in Pensacola or when he was called up to the big leagues, please feel free to share them with us and try to keep them fairly clean ( just joking ) . Thanks again for looking. I have quite a few images worked up that I plan to post in the near future … Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
You must be logged in to post a comment.