Remember When: August 27, 2008

EARLY CUBS:
One of Anderson High School’s earliest baseball team photos includes, from left, Al Green, Harold Treat, Chester Myer, Paul Dwinell, Donald Story, Marion Flowers, Dan Girdner, Arthur Selland, Donald Landon, Francis Landon, Valentine Myers, Eugene Dais and coach Jackson Price.

Recently, I was asked to try to find out when the first baseball teams were formed for Anderson Union High School.

Trying to find pictures or information on teams prior to 1920 was very difficult. The museum has pictures of the town teams in the early years as baseball was the big time sport of our local men and they were very successful in their endeavors as I have written before.

Prior to the establishment of the high school, very few of the local men went on to high school. Some who did not have to work to support their families did go to high school in Redding prior to 1910. I found one reference to the high school team playing the local grammar school in 1913 and losing to them 14-11.

The only field they had to practice on was quite rocky and they had so few boys attending school. Then World War I came along and took the few young men who were there. In 1919, the school once again tried to establish a team, but the Spanish Flu epidemic was so severe they had to cancel all sports that year.

Finally, by 1920, they were able to field a team as they did have l8 boys enrolled in the high school, including some who agreed to play baseball. The team played Red Bluff, Corning and Redding, losing all their games.

Arguably the single greatest athletic achievement in the 99-year history of the school was when Anderson High won the baseball championship of the Northern California High School Athletic League in 1926. This victory entitled the school to retain possession of the championship cup for one year. The following season started with such enthusiasm that more than 30 young men turned out for the team, including seven veterans of the prior year.

Scores were: Anderson 18 vs Shasta 11; Anderson 19 vs Red Bluff 3;

Anderson 11 vs Corning 3, which were all practice games.

March 26th was the beginning of league games. Anderson 18 vs Los Molinos 4; because of outstanding hitting. Anderson 16 vs Weaverville 9, many errors were made by both teams but Anderson out hit Weaverville. Anderson 9 vs Red Bluff l, Arthur Selland pitched a no-hit game. Anderson 11 vs Shasta 10, a very hotly-contested game. Ira Shadwell, who played on the Redding team “stated to me years ago the reason Redding lost, the team members were to busy watching Mazie Phelps Sanders’ legs. She was the yell leader for Anderson. This last game gave A.U.H.S. the Championship of Sub-League No.4 and Bedford’s Store presented them with a permanent cup. This was the first prize that the Anderson Union High School athletic teams had ever won.

Willows, the champions of Sub-League No.3, traveled to Anderson and were defeated 7 to 4. Arthur Selland struck out eighteen men and his teammates collected numerous hits. Now, Anderson was champion of sub-leagues 3 and 4. Thus winning the N.C.H.S.A.L.

Anderson then played Chico, the champion of Sub-Leagues 1 and 2. Chico was going to “cop” the N.C.H.S.A.L. championship, but proved to be a very disillusioned team as the Anderson fellows showed them no mercy, winning by a score of 9-2. Big features of the game included the clean hits by Valentine Meyer over first base and third base, two fast double plays on second, and the nice pitching on the part of Selland, thus earning Anderson the N.C.H.S.A.L. championship cup. The picture featured with this story shows the championship team of 1926. The student body dedicated the 1926 yearbook to this team.

In later years Elbert “Bib” Bibbens said times were real tough during the Depression years. The school could not afford new balls for the team and they had to wrap the old balls in black tape to hold them together.

The museum would appreciate copies of any pictures anyone might have of these early teams as we are working with Anderson Union High School as they plan for their 100-year celebration in 2009.