Random Gems: Buy Ticket, Win Car

Click image for larger version

You just can't buy $1 raffle tickets and win a car anymore. Those were the good old days, I guess.

I Love the 80s

Click image for larger version

Well, with posters like this, who wouldn't?

I highly recommend clicking on this brilliant image and enjoying it in full, large format. Make sure to take note of every little detail* (including the late-80s "Flying Acorn" logo, which is one of my favorite Visalia logos of all time).

Then, read how the two pitchers in this classic shot fared after the jump.

Programs from the Past: 1951

Click Image for Larger Version

This was the cover of the Visalia Cubs' 1951 official program. It's interesting to contemplate the fact that baseball was already celebrating 75th anniversaries in the early 1950s. While it may be initially unclear why they chose 1876 as the beginning of baseball (the sport had been evolving since a few decades prior), it's likely that they were referencing the formation of the National League, which was indeed founded in 1876 after the old National Association had folded. Major League Baseball still considers 1876 to be its founding year (even though the American League wouldn't join forces to create the familiar two-league system until 1901).

Full contents of the '51 program are viewable after the jump.

Vada Pinson and the Big Redleg Machine

Click image for larger version

The 1957 Visalia Redlegs were, by most objective measures, one of the best teams ever to grace Recreation Park. They featured two future Major Leaguers, one big league vet on his way down, and, arguably, the 2nd-greatest player to ever wear a Visalia uniform.

Poppa's Got An Old-School Drag

Click image for larger version

We don't exactly know the date of this picture. This much is clear: It's definitely Rec Park (see the distinctive light tower in the background?) and it's definitely sometime after the early 60s (see the chain-link fencing around the perimeter? No more sign-boards.) We'd guess it's from the late 60s or early 70s, but if there are any tractor connoisseurs in our audience who can pinpoint the year of this fine model, please speak up.

The bottom line is, in a land before convenient Gators and ATVs, you had to use any vehicle that was handy to help drag the infield.

Update: reader Kacey tells us that she showed the picture to a "tractor buff" friend, and he said the following: "I think it's a 'Farmall Cub' which was manufactured by International Harvester. My grandad's neighbor used to have one. Not sure about the year though, it's pretty hard to pinpoint the exact years of tractor just by looking at 'em, cause they rarely make big changes to the designs. If I had to guess though, I'd say the tractor was from the 50s or 60s."

Also, Tom points out that the picture makes it appear that the ENTIRE infield was dirt at this time. It's very hard to tell for sure; the difference between grass and dirt in a black-and-white photo, especially in the background, is difficult to distinguish. But if that's true, it could place the picture in the mid-60s, when Visalia didn't have a team for several years (1964-67) and the park doesn't appear to have been particularly well-maintained. The tractor may have been dragging the field for a high school game.

Random Gems: Baseball Camp at Rec Park, 1950

Click image for larger version

This terrific shot was taken during the Summer of '50, and features a small flotilla of Visalia kids being instructed on the finer points of pitching by Dom Conteras, who pitched two seasons for the Visalia Cubs. The young southpaw on the far left is Art Browning, who has remained a lifelong fan of Visalia baseball and still lives in the area.

You get a good view of Rec Park's old wooden grandstands in the background, along with another group of kids taking infield instruction on the dirt.

Everything about this picture (Conteras' baggy pants, the kids' rolled-up jeans and Converses, the floppy pancake-mitt gloves) is just gold.

We're Famous! Sort Of. Oh, and Happy Holidays.

Click image for larger version

Before we sign off for 2009, a couple of blogs have linked to us over the last couple days. The boys at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness gave us a shout-out at the bottom of their latest post, as did the L.A. Times' Jon Weisman on his Dodger Thoughts blog. A big thanks to both of them, and be sure to check out their excellent stuff (even if you're not a Dodger fan). And if you're wondering about the "Tragic Illness" tag...you're obviously not a Simpsons nerd.

And with that, it's time to do as the Visalia Cubs did for their season ticket holders in 1950, and wish all of you a tremendous holiday season and new year. We'll talk to you in 2010...which, if you hadn't noticed, is not far off at all.