GoGoSkitz, Mgm hosts Phils-Sens, Rebels play Reds, NSL Forms

Bear has bat, no camera

Your Biscuits are on the road to Mobile - how come the Hank doesn't have cameras for MiLBtv?
If I were a BayBears fan I would be worried, the only other team in the league that doesn't have cameras for online broadcast is Huntsville!

MOBILE SERIES
The B-Skitz lost game one, getting shut out by the BayBears. Mobile starter Chase Anderson struck out six in a quality start and Biscuit hitters managed to strand six runners in scoring position on the night.

For the GoGoSkitz, Argo, Rickert and Brett stole bases. Brady Williams promised aggressiveness on the basepaths and so far has been true to that, giving the green light early and often and to any runner.

Game two was a different story, Montgomery scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to down Mobile. Argo had a stolen base and Segovia two RBI. Starter Floro had been hammered for nine hits and gave up four runs, but Jake Thompson was the recipient of the timely hitting and earned the victory. Closer Garrido picked up his third save of the young season.

Cameron Seitzer

Game Three on Friday was another Skitz victory. Cameron Seitzer blasting his first homer and the GoGoSkitz on the run with two steals of second base for Argo and a steal of third for Motter.

SP Clayton Mortensen got the win, his first.
 From the bullpen, RP Braulio Lara pitched and gave up a run. Again. His season ERA now 10.80.
RP Matt "Lawless"
Lollis pitched a clean ninth, though it wasn't a save situation. 

The Biscuits have two games left in Mobile and need just one victory to claim a series win before moving on to Pensacola.

April 11th 1948


Montgomery plays host to the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies in a spring contest. The mound matchup of Dutch Leonard vs Early Wynn is the expected pitchers duel early, with the Phils breaking out in the late innings to down the Sens.

LEONARD

Dutch pitched well into his 40s

A five time AllStar, Leonard is a knuckleball pitcher with a long twenty year career for Brooklyn, Washington, Philadelphia and the Cubs. In an odd stat for a knuckleballer, Dutch is stingy with the walks, twelve times in his career he was in the top five in fewest walks per nine innings. And he knew about nine innings, credited with 192 complete games!

Early Wynn

WYNN
For the other side, Early Wynn is the local boy. From Hartford Alabama, Early left high school at the age of 17 to sign with the Senators. Although at this point in his young career Wynn is a hard throwing hurler, he would later add the knuckleball to his pitch repertoire and extend his career and notch exactly three hundred wins. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

April 11 1949

One year later Montgomery is facing off against the Cincinnati Reds in an exhibition game at Cramton Bowl.

Bud Lively, also known as Red, is a Birmingham native in the Big Leagues. He gets the nod to start for Cincinnatti in this exhibition.

LIVELY

Bud "Red" Lively

Lively pitched for Montgomery in 1942, winning one game and losing one game. His father Jack Lively was also a pitcher for Montgomery way back in 1908-14.

Bud Lively was one of the former Montgomery Rebels honored by the City of Montgomery and the Biscuits in 2012. Bud is also listed among the oldest living Major Leaguers, and I believe him to be the oldest living Montgomery Rebel, though he actually played more games against us than for us! He's a fun guy to talk to and carries himself like a veteran pitcher even as an octogenarian.

CATCHING DIXIE HOWELL
Homer Howell, listed as the catcher, is Dixie Howell who later won a world series with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. One of many players named Howell who earned the nickname "Dixie", Homer is the only catcher among them!

Catcher Homer Howell with Reds pitcher Millard Howell in 1949

 NEGRO LEAGUE FORMED
Also this weekend I have the following note on Montgomery's entry into the Negro Southern League dated April 12 1920.

"Southern League Formed - Montgomery, Alabama, April 12. - Final plans for the completion of the proposed Negro Southern Baseball League resulted in the formation of an eight club circuit, with a bright prospect of 10 cities composing the final arrangement of the organization. 

A bird's eye view of the league reveals excellent grounds for the success of the venture; the cities selected appeal to be about evenly balanced in population, have good transportation facilities and are not too long a distance removed from each other for a heavy mileage to cut serious inroads and thus weigh heavily against the proper financial progress of the promoters. 
 
C.I. Taylor who was cited for Conspicuous service through putting into being a like organization in the northwest, was a deeply interested participant in the final arrangements, and his words of wisdom went a long ways towards encouraging options on franchises. 

The following cities qualified for franchises in the new league: Birmingham, Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Pensacola, Montgomery, New Orleans, Jacksonville. A committee on the arrangement of a schedule hopes by the end of the week to have their dates alloted, as the opening day is set for April 29."