SHARING THE PAST
Boerne’s Little League team recently captured our hearts with an exceptional run in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Little league World Series, providing a compelling reminder of baseball’s mystical appeal.
The crack of a bat electrifies the crowd. Turning a sweet double play is poetry in motion. Games can be decided by a split second, with a runner beating a throw to the bag. Or a tired pitcher digging deep into the well to find one more fastball.
A love affair with baseball in Kendall County began more than 100 years ago, before radio and television. Local ballparks throughout America were the primary sources of entertainment at that time. People enthusiastically packed the wooden bleachers rooting for the local team in a social forum “touching base” with neighbors.
Newspapers printed box scores of the major league games, allowing fans to follow the legends of the day. Reporters followed the local games, keeping readers appraised of game results. Back then, football was principally an Ivy League sport and basketball was a second thought, only capturing a small niche of interest.
Small towns and villages across America fielded baseball teams, and Kendall County was no exception. A well-grazed cow pasture, a stout hickory bat and a tightly sewn leather ball were all it took to start the spread of baseball.
The Boerne White Sox, the Comfort Broncos and the Sisterdale Juniors were symbols of the community, instilling a sense of pride and healthy competition, i.e., White Sox victories were Boerne victories.
Eventually, leagues were formed and our towns were proudly at the forefront. Boerne and Comfort teams were both founding members of the Hill Country (1930) and Mountain (1933) leagues, while Sisterdale played in the Farmers Boys League (1934).
For decades, talented ball players with German and American surnames graced the hard-pan ball fields around Kendall County. These shop clerks and country boys were exceptional athletes, fleet of foot and strong, who took the game seriously.
Lifelong friendships were forged, transcending beyond foul lines into business, commerce and civic service, born out of respect for each other.
Burdened by the Jim Crow yoke, African Americans quietly excelled at baseball. They played where they could, sometimes used the same fields on Sunday afternoon for a second game against another team of color, forging similar bonds.
Ball players hustled out of the church with the congregation’s silent blessing, taking little time to share a moment with the preacher or to visit with neighbors they typically saw only on Sundays.
Those same people, including the preacher, would arrive at the ballpark before the first pitch, where the entire town cheered on their local heroes.
It was a way of life that gave people renewed hope that there was still good in society’s fabric.
The Boerne White Sox team of 1912 laid a cultural foundation that remains solid today. I tip my cap to Henry Fabra, Louis Guthrie, Ross Nowlin, Harry McFarland, Louis Geldner, Edgar Offer, Hilmer Fabra, Fred Loe, Pat Ebensberger, and Willie Janensch.
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