Curtis Land - I have enjoyed your site very much! Great information and pictures. I was a part of the Baltimore farm organization in 1955, and I pitched for Charlie Grant's Donalsonville Indians. What a hitter's league it was back then! I remember one game I gave up 10 runs, but still won 12-10. There were probably 30 or more total hits that game. My teammate, Howie Shulman, and I called each other " Stumps" due to our large lower legs showing through outer socks. I lived at the Osceola Hotel in Donaldsonville which cost me $1.00 / day! My stay in the AFL was fairly short - I had been optioned to Donalsonville from Cordele (Georgia-Florida League) earlier that year, and I ended the season with Hannibal of the MOV League. I have great memories of playing in the AFL. Donalsonville's stadium, Gibson Park, was not a great field to play on. It had a very rough outfield. Playing in Ft. Walton and Panama City could bes interesting too, because the fields were very sandy.

Thomas Hale - I grew up in Chipley, Fl in the 1950's. Chipley is 12 miles south of Graceville. I was 8 years old in 1957 when I first became a baseball fan. I do not remember how often we went to Oilers games but we went a lot. I would always run the bases after the games. Also after the games we would go to Circle Grill to eat. My first baseball experience was with the Oilers.Because of that I have become a lifelong baseball fan. I remember Sportsman's Park so well. In the outfield the light poles were in play. The Oilers were a Cincinnati farm team and the park was some what like Crosley Field. The home dugout, 3rd base was built like a chicken coop. The 1st base dugout was always full of water so the visiting teams often sat of the roof. The park was also the home to the Graceville High School football team.

Craig Lammers - (Ohio State League Web Site): Thought visitors to your site might enjoy a little background information on the AFL's all star first baseman for 1937, Charlie Cupp. A Bellevue, Ohio native, Cupp starred at the University of Toledo. Baseball was his main emphasis, but he also played some basketball in college. As his final college season was beginning, the Toledo Mud Hens (A Detroit farm team) were negotiating for his services with the idea of sending him to Tiffin of the Ohio State League. Since he was a local player, the OSL's Fostoria Red Birds and their parent St. Louis Cardinals also wanted to sign him. The Cardinals finally did sign Cupp, but since their local Fostoria farm was struggling through a horrible season, it was thought best to send Cupp to the Union Springs club of the Alabama Florida League. Cupp finally played in the Ohio State League, but it was in 1942, when the league was a semipro operation due to the war. That season, Cupp played with the Fremont Green Sox. I also ran across some information about AFL manager Harold "Hap" Bohl. This item appeared in the Findlay (Ohio) Republican Courier in late March or early April of 1937. "The new manager of the Fremont Reds was described in 1934 as the best third baseman ever seen in the Western Association. He is Hap Bohl and goes to Fremont with five years experience. In 1936 he managed Union Springs of the Alabama-Florida loop , played third base and batted .376. In 1935 he managed Martinsville of the Bi-State League, a Cardinal farm, hitting .294 and fielding .949. The 28 year old alumnus of the University of Cincinnati has been playing since 1930. He was a member of the All Star team in the Western League with Denver in 1932 as a utility player."

Ed Mussler: I came across your page during an Internet search I was doing on Robert "Byrd" Whigham. Byrd played for the Graceville Oilers in 1956 and I believe in 1957. I am writing a book on the the 1966 Melbourne (FL) High School championship football team, and Byrd was Melbourne High's head coach. Melbourne High had mediocre teams before Byrd arrived in Melbourne in 1965. He led Melbourne High to the championship game in 1965, but his club was beat by a much larger Miami High School squad (in the Orange Bowl). The next year, Byrd's Melbourne High team rolled to the title game and easily defeated Fort Lauderdale. Byrd left Melbourne High for Auburn to take a position as the Tigers' recruiting coordinator. Byrd came to Melbourne High via Wildwood (FL) High School where he led the small North Central Florida team to a state football title in 1964. He was Florida's High School Coach of the Year in 1964 and 1966. Byrd is retired and lives in his hometown of Louisville, AL. I am in touch with him quite often and he has on several occasions mentioned his time with the Graceville Oilers. I was a newspaper writer for the Dothan Eagle during the early to mid 1990s. My editorial editor (Doug Bradford) covered the Dothan AFL team when he was the sports editor for the Eagle. According to Mr. Bradford, the location where the Dothan team played still stands. In fact (if Mr. Bradford is correct) I used to play baseball and softball at the stadium where the old Dothan AFL called home. I also graduated from Troy State University and I covered Troy State's baseball team for the university's newspaper. I remember doing countless interviews with Chase Riddle. I remember he was a very knowledgeable baseball man, who always had time to give me a good interview.

David Chafin - Love your Ala-Fla site. On April 15, 1956, I umpired my first pro game in Donalsville at the age of 18. Neb Wilson hit a walk off home run to win the game for the home team. My wife and I made a visit to Dothan and Graceville recently and it brought back good times. I am retired from the Lexington Ky. Police dept. You may pass on my address to any who would like to drop me a line. Thanks.

Joe Moran - I stumbled onto your AFL site today. As a child, I lived in Pensacola, and my first exposure to baseball was watching the Pensacola Senators (and later, Angels) at Admiral Mason Park. I was only 8 when the league folded in 1962, but I still had many opportunities to see games. Just some random memories: One night, Fred Waters, pitching for Pensacola, struck out the side on nine straight fastballs. As a promotion once, the Pensacola team allowed a marathon runner to circle the warning track throughout the game. The manager of the Selma Cloverleafs once had such a violent argument with an umpire that the Pensacola Police Department was called to take him away. I clearly remember the segregated entrances, drinking fountains, and bleachers. Black fans had to sit in a small section down the third base line. A few of the scorecards sold at the stadium were stamped with blue stars on the advertisements. If your card had a star, you won a prize from that advertiser. I once won a free shrimp dinner at the Old Firehouse Restaurant. Lou Abrahams was the Senators best hitter. My Dad called him "tippy toes" because of the way he circled the bases after hitting a homer. John Kennedy and Ed Brinkman both played in Pensacola during the final years. Both went on to careers in the majors. Wayne Terwilliger gave me a baseball one night after a game. I had his major leage card (the same one shown on your cards page) which I asked him to autograph.

Nancy Tartaro - I'm traveling this Friday to meet with some of the employees at the Arizona Chemical plant in Pensacola. I recalled that my Dad (Bert Hefferman) played minor league ball in Pensacola. I talked with him on the phone to hear the old stories. Dad was the pitcher who pitched the perfect game in July of 1949 for the Class B Pensacola Fliers against Montgomery that is mentioned in the article on Pensacola baseball posted on the website. I thought you'd like to hear some more about him: Dad was 19 when he pitched that perfect game. The team went on to win the pennant that year (1949). He recaledl that the manager was Bill Herring, and the 3rd baseman was Eddie Matthews. He remembered the sports writer for the Pensacola newspaper at the time was who wrote a column called "Chalk Lines". In the article on the perfect game, the paper identified Dad's pitching gem as the 6th perfect game ever pitched in minor league baseball history. Dad also recalled having the honor that summer of pinning a corsage on beauty contest winner Betty Sue Burns, who came up to the pitching mound in a beautiful gown only to have Dad's very nervous fingers prick her with the pin and the crowd roar, "Good going Heff!" In 1950, Dad was called up to Spring training with the Atlanta Crackers and then his contract was picked up by the Boston Braves. He was on his way up to play with Boston when he had a bad car accident and tore his rotator cuff. He was sent back to the minors for rehab with the New Orleans Pelicans, went 6-0, but then reinjured his arm during a chilly, rainy game. In 1951 he was back at Spring training, but he was drafted to the Army and served the country in the Korean War. In 1956, he married Mom and together they raised our family -- three daughters and one son. My brother, Bert Heffernan Jr., took the baseball reigns on from Dad. Brother Bert is a hall-of-fame catcher for Clemson University, was a 9th round draft pick for the Milwaukee Brewers, and played minor league ball for the Brewers, Dodgers, Mariners and Expos. He made his major league debut as a Mariner in May of 1992 at Yankee Stadium where all of our family and friends gathered to watch him hit a double at his first major league at-bat! Dad couldn't have been more proud.

John Johnson (son of Ottis Johnson) - My name is Johnny Johnson (John Ottis Johnson Jr.) and I am sending this E-mail to help clear up some inaccuracies: At the time of my fathers untimely death, I was a week shy of my first birthday . My mother (Louise Johnson) was 6 months pregnant with my younger sister Joann in June of 1951. I was in Evergreen at the "Ottis Johnson" dedication ceremony that was put on by my Uncle Edsel, and it was a great day. I met a lot of people from my father's past that day. I did get a chance to meet Jack Clifton and I can only say the he is great, classy, gentleman. I would love to be able to sit and once again listen to all those stories that I heard that day in Evergreen.

George Hodges - Several years ago I saw a movie about the Alabama Flordia League. The only teams mentioned in the movie were Dothan and Panama City. Do you know the name of this movie? (The movie was "Long Gone" - sp). I found it interesting because I grew up in Plant City about a half mile from Jennings Field. I attended many of the games because in about 1951 I went to the opening game with a couple of friends; Milford Crawley and Donald Poe. There was a drawing for a season pass and Donald had the winning ticket but was too bashful to take it out to the pitchers mound. I took it out to thr mound and got to pitch the first ball. My pitch was terrible. After the pitch I was taken to the office and given a season pass. I insisted that it was not my ticket that won but the man put my name on the season pass anyway. I think I attended enough baseball games that year to last a lifetime. One of the players on the Valley Rebels team was Coach Lewis who was a high school teacher and Football Coach at West Point, Georgia High School. Later, Coach Lewis taught me algebra when I attend the 9th grade at West Point High. Thanks for building the Web Site.

Tom Davis - I am a native of Langdale, Ala. in the upper Chattahoochee Valley, so I remember my parents talking about attending Valley Rebels games in the old Georgia-Alabama League. I have spent the last 10 years in Eufaula, where I have had the opportunity to talk to a few former Millers, including the late Blackie Connell. Also, as a graduate of Troy State University, I have watched the career of Coach Chase Riddle with interest. In fact, my years on campus (79-81) were his first as TSU coach. Since moving to Eufaula I have met a gentleman named Jimmy Sparks, who went 11-16 one season for the old Rome Red Sox in the Georgia-Alabama League. He is a good friend of mine and still an active athlete, as he is an avid golfer and senior softball player. He still travels the country playing in an over-70 tournament team that competes on a national level.

Paul Lanning - I can't tell you how excited I was to find a grainy old black & white photo of Tom Lanning hidden away on your site. I have looked for years for any image of him and here it is! I am building out my genealogy and would love to have that photo included. On a related note, do you know if Johnny Lanning (Tom's brother) ever pitched in the AFL? I'm a distant cousin of both and a lifelong baseball junkie, so this is an exciting find for me. I started my career working in minor league ball for NAPBL commissioner's office and then the Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League, and I served as the team's historian during my four years there (pre-Web days, unfortunately), so I truly admire the work you are doing!

Tommy Rodgers - I was in Birmingham, I think it was 1953 or 54, in the bleacher stands down the left field line of Rickwood Field, just above the box seats which, as I recall, went almost to the wall in left. At any rate, I was near the visitor bullpen and a man was holding a small child in his arms at the end of the box seats. The child was saying, "bawplayah, bawlplayah, give me a ball!" A pitcher warming for New Orleans motioned for the child to come forward and he took him in arms and carried him into the dugout. One of the other players said, "What'cha got there Lee?" Later the child scrambled back with a ball. I made a point of looking up the player's name. It was Lee Anthony. I have never forgotten that memory, one of several I have of Rickwood Field. I had never heard of Lee Anthony since until reading about the Troy Trojans on your 1938 season page. At any rate, I thought it was an elegant action by the New Orleans Pelican pitcher. I also read on your page how there was an effort was made to form a minor league in North Alabama in 1948. I didn't know that, but I do remember that about 1950 (in the fifth grade) I wrote to SPORT magazine and suggested that there should be a professional league in North Alabama, east Mississippi, and southern Tennessee which I suggested should be called "The Farming League". I suggested that there be teams in towns like Decatur, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Pontoc, Tupelo, Pulaski, and Columbia, Tennessee.

Jim Brantley: I live in Fort Myers Florida and am a huge baseball fan. It turns out that my barber played in the minor league leagues as a pitcher in the 1950's. He is a great guy to spend a little time with during baseball season as he has taught me much about the game and is a wealth of stories. His name is Ken Fentem and I found a picure of him on your web site with a group of other players from the 1957 Panama City team.

Adam Ronscavage - My name is Adam Ronscavage, the son of John Ronscavage, pictured in your 1948 Andalusia Arrows. It is also the picture that is contained on the mouse pad that is for sale. I found the page by typing in my last name on a Google search. Well, I had no idea that this picture was out there. Of course, I was instantly excited. I immediately called my dad and had him bring up the site. He remembered everyone and had some great stories to tell.

Art Malone - I have a good friend who played for the Graceville Oilers I believe in 1956, the summer after his freshman year at University of Alabama. He is Robert E. Moorer from Selma. I believe he is a relative of Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bob is a practicing attorney in Birmingham. I grew up with the Dothan Browns under Whitey Ries. My first cousin was nicknamed Whitey because he was such a fan. His younger brother was a part-time color announcer

Tom Dooling: It was great making contact, I did not realize that those stats would be still be available over 40 years ago. I still have a pretty good memory since I could still recall all of those guys that I played with. The 1959 season was a memorable year in the Alabama-Florida league since so many of the players that was on our team went to the big leagues - (ie) Max Alvis, Larry Brown, Gerald Fosnow, Doc Edwards & Manager John Lipon. There were many other players in this league that went to the big leagues. This particular league in the year 1959 was said to have been the strongest "D" league in baseball that year. I have many wonderful memories in the 4 years that I played professional baseball.

Earl Johnson, Mayor of Andalusia - (addressing the 2000 reunion): I grew up here (in Andalusia) as a young boy hearing tales of you guys, many of you were my heroes growing up. Many of you were baseball coaches, guys like Chick Earle and Marvin Walker, and you were wonderful inspirations to us here in Andalusia, as the rest of you were in your home towns. I was too young growing up to go to some of the games here but I heard stories about the games, particularly about Belair Crudup and Robert O'Neill. One of them would get on the first base side of the dugout and the other on the third base side and they both had very loud voices. They learned to whisper in a saw mill! Well, they would comment on every pitch from the opposing side and every call from the umpire. That was great entertainment, I understand. You players have left a great tradition here in Andalusia and it's wonderful to have you back with us. We still remember you guys and we still talk about you. We sit around the coffee table or the domino table and talk about the baseball team and some of the good times that people remember here.

Gary Hong - Several years ago I did some research on the 1961-62 Pensacola team, as I collect Washington Senators memorabilia. I located the team's owner (I believe it was Joe Pannicione) and was able to obtain a '61 team photo, which you can include in your archives. The only players I've been able to contact (from the 62 team) were Lew Abrahams (who also lives in Silver Spring and still has his Pensacola cap), and Don Loun and Ed Brinkman who were in Washington last year for a "Senators Reunion." Loun lives in northern Virginia. I know that Fred Waters has passed away. I am also looking for non-players who were associated with the team. As you know the 1961-62 Pensacola team was an affiliate of the expansion Senators, but wore uniforms left behind by the original Nats when they moved to Minneapolis. I was able to obtain two of the jerseys from the owner, who for some reason had saved a home pinstripe and road gray shirt. Both were great additions to my Senators collection and were in wonderful shape. The home shirt was worn by Camilo Pascual in 1960 and the road jersey was worn by Earl Battey during the same season. Consequently, I am still trying to locate any one associated with the Pensacola team who might have save one of the jerseys, as that team was the last stop for those uniforms. I have heard that the bulk of them were donated to a semi-pro team, the Pensacola Pelicans, and that "Senators" and the "Mr. Senator" patch were torn off and "Pelicans" was silk-screened across the front. Such a waste! My hope is that there are still some of those shirts STILL around in that Florida city, perhaps in some old truck that has long been forgotten in someone's basement

John Donner - My Grandfather, Bernie Donner, played on the 1947 All-Star team. He played in Andalusia. He has an interesting story about a player named Manny Russo. Russo played with half of a left hand. He got it chopped off in World War II by a Japanese man with a machete. Russo claims to have killed the man with is bare hands. Because of Russo's injury, he had occasional trouble with losing his bat on the backswing. This lead to an altercation during one game, when Russo took a full swing, losing grip of the bat which came around and hit the opposing catcher in the back of his neck below the helmet, knocking him out.

Hank Utley - Scott, just found your web site - it is very good and I am sure it will get even better- I am writing about Virgil Trucks who jumped his contract at Andalusia in 1938 and had a brief cup of coffee here in Concord, N. C. in the independent Carolina League that lasted only 3 years. He played under the name of Aitkins and Akers. I picked up the story in the book about the Alabama-Florida League - The Last Rebel Yell and also the local papers. My book- "The Independent Caroilna League, 1936-1938, Baseball Outlaws was published in 1998 and won awards and national recognition from the N. C. Society of Historians, SABR, Elysian Fields, and also from " NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Social Policy Perspective" out of Canada. It was written as a social and cultural history of the piedmont N. C. textile towns and it also has league statistics in the notes. Also, I spoke at the annual "Symposium on Baseball History and American Culture at Cooperstown in 1998.

Windley Tatom: On the 4th of July, 1939, at the age of 2 years and 5 months, I was taken through the old wooden turnstyleand into the grandstand at the old Fairgrounds Field in Troy, Alabama. As I watched from my Uncle John's arms, I saw third baseman Bruce "Suzie-Q" Middlebrooks take a hard one-hop ground ball spin, completely around 360 degrees, do a little dance, like he was running in place, and throw the runner out at first. From that moment on, I was a life-long baseball fan. As a pre-teen in the late 40's, the baseball field of the Class-D Troy team was where I could be found day or night in the summer months. I can close my eyes and still see Bob Benish doing his famous split-stetch to field a throw at first base, or Norman DeWeese hitting two home runs in the same inning in the 1946 All-Star game. It seems like only yesterday when things like the ballpark smells of popcorn, parched peanuts, the wooden grandstands, the dugouts, and the clubhouse full of dirty uniforms waiting to be cleaned were a constant part of my adolescent life. These memories will go with me to my grave. I am sure that the players that played in the Class-D Alabama State League never realized the lasting effect they had on our lives.

Jack Connell - W. H. "Dutch" Konneman, who managed at Andalusia (1936) and Eufaula (1952 & 1953) was my wife's grandfather. Dutch was a friend of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and was an honorary pallbearer at Jackson's funeral. Joe Jackson was godfather to my wife's older sister. Dutch was also an outstanding pitcher in his younger days and may have spent time with the Atlanta Crackers, although I have not been able to verify that. He later scouted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

J. Phil Harrison: As a childhoold fan of the Georgia-Alabama League, I thank you for putting this site together. Among the Georgia-Alabama League ballparks you depict is Jennings Field, home of the Valley Rebels, located in Lanett, Ala. I grew up in that textile town and in addition to being a devoted fan of the Rebels and the league, my brother and I were also Lanett distributors of a little weekly league newspaper called "The Georgia-Alabama Sportsman", published in Newnan, Georgia. We sold these tabloid-size papers for 10 cents each to fans as they entered the gate of Jenning Field. The newspaper was only four pages each issue and advertisements filled the inside pages, except for the "League Player of the Week" on the left page surrounding by block ads and "Newnan Player of the Week" on the right side surrounded by ads. As you might guess, most ads were bought by Newnan merchants.

I have lived in Atlanta since the 1960's, but still periodically visit the Valley. As a point of explanation, for more than a hundred years, six textile towns made up the cluster called "The Valley," West Point on the Georgia side and Lanett, Shawmut, Langdale, Fairfax and Riverview on the Alabama side. A decade or so back, four of these towns -- all but Lanett and West Point, which were already chartered as cities. They officially joined together as the city now called Valley, Alabama. The textile firm behind these six towns was originally named West Point Manufacturing Co. They later became WestPoint Pepperell, then WestPoint Stevens and now, unfortunately, the business is in dire straits as are most other American textile companies taken down by foreign textile imports. Among the copies of the Sportsman that we kept, was a front-page article telling about Mal Morgan hitting two homeruns in a game between the Valley Rebels and Newnan. You show Coach Morgan among the player pictures, which I was delighted to see. Many refered to him as "Coach," because he indeed was an outstanding high school football and basketball coach in his hometown of Lanett. I was fortunate enough to play football for him from 1948-50. Morgan was inducted into Alabama's Sports Hall of Fame several years ago. About three years ago, I visited with Coach Morgan at his then-home in Lanett and brought him the stack of league newspapers. Unfortunately, these days he and his wife are in poor health and have since moved to Columbus, Ga. to live with their daughter.

John Heck: I found your AFL site while surfing around. I played for Ozark/Andalusia is 1962 and have many fond memories of my introductory year to professional baseball. Our manager in 1962 was George Scherger. Sparky Anderson brought George on board as a coach of the Reds when he was named manager. I understand the Scherger managed Anderson at some point and thought enough of him to name him a coach. Scherger also stayed on when Pete Rose was player/manager and it's my opinion that he did most of the string pulling at the time. Thanks for the memories.

Ric Harbin - Ewing Harbin (1936 Andalusia, 1937 Evergreen) was my uncle. I was thrilled to find his photo on your site. My home burned down in 1993 and I lost many records of my family. Uncle Ewing didn't have any kids, so I felt a responsibility to gather as much information about him as possible. My dad told me him went to Florida for a major league tryout, I believe as a pitcher. He blew his arm out and never made it to the majors. If you have any additional information on Suddreth Ewing Harbin I would greatly appreciate it.

Chuck Stroup - Thank you for such a wonderful and informative site! My father worked for Arthur D. Walden of the Headland Dixie Runners, and announced for them. He also appeared in the Sporting News. I stumbled across the Death of Ottis Johnson story quite by accident and enjoyed reading the newspaper accounts. My Dad always told the story on the front porch on a hot night, and spoke of the continuing tension that resulted from keeping Jack Clifton pitching. I was in Headland recently and went by the Methodist cemetery, and saw the grave of G.D. (Dink) Halstead, who was the president of the league for a short while. A bit of trivia, if you don't know already, Headland was listed in Ripley's Believe It or Not for being the smallest town with a professional baseball team.

Bill Williamson - Through John Skilton's pages I came across your Alabama-Florida League site - what a great one it is too!! I'm looking forward to the updates as they come in. I've been a SABR member for about 15 years and try to get to the local chapter meetings when I can and have attended 3 national conventions. I always gravitate to the minor league forums and discussions and have done some research on the Central California of 1910 and 1911 and on the Winter Leagues here in Los Angeles in the 1920s and 30s.Finding your site has been of great interest because as a kid I always checked out the low minor league stats in the Baseball Guide first - the A-F L among them. A player who seemed to do well every year no matter where he played was Nesbit Wilson. Don't know much about him personally, but his record is impressive. The late Jack Graham and Jose Perez told me a few years ago that they remember playing winter ball against him in Mexico and he was quite a hitter down there too. Can any of your readers confirm if Wilson is still alive?

(He is not. - SP.)

David Wall - The Enterprise Boll Weevels relocated to Graceville in 1952, according to your reports. Before the start of the 1953 season there was a contest to name the Graceville team. My brother, Danny Wall, submitted the name, Oilers. He won a season pass for this winning entry. I was a 11 years old going on 12....and my friends and I sat in the trees in centerfield in a tree house some older boys had built. It was a grand view from there. If we wanted to get in games we chased fowl balls....turn them in and get in the game. I subsequently became the visiting team bat boy for a time. I remember big John Streza. You had to be careful around him....he was gruff and always had a big chew of tobacco going. I was afraid that one big spit in my direction and my mother would forbid me to return to that most enjoyable job. Big John always gave me a used ball after the game and any broken bats. For a time, I had a wide collection of Louisville Sluggers at my house...Mickey Mantle's, Yogi Berra's, Eddie Matthews', Ralph Kiner's, and others. I would tack and tape them. On some, I would saw off the barrel so that I could get around on them. After you fixed them up they were as good as new for a young boy. I remember some were very heavy with thick handles....others had very skinny handles. I would work on my hitting from my daddy's pasture over to Mixon Cooper's pasture. Mixon Cooper was one of the founders and the principle backer of the Graceville team. What a great time to be a boy....the 50's. There were so many Graceville Oilers that were our heroes. I have forgotten most of their names. They boarded with local folks and how we envied those neighbors. They were just as important to us a Willie Mays was to the Giants. What a great hitter was Chuck Quimby. I also have a Holt Milner souvenir bat to this day. Al Rivenback was one of my all time favorites, with a swing reminiscent of Stan the Man....and I remember Marcus Davis coming to Graceville, sorta like John Wayne coming to town. As I recall, Marcus was a sheriff or something similar up in Alabama. He managed and pitched for the Oilers and was one of my favorites. I was also very fond of Byrd Whigham. He was very athletic and impressive. I recall he was from Louisville, Al. Graceville had two local boys that played for the Oilers. Charlie Grant, per your records played for Donaldsonville and then Graceville. Wilbur "Smiley" Fowler also played for Graceville. Both of the Graceville home boys made it to AAA ball per my recollection before coming back down the line. Smiley Fowler was also the head football coach at Graceville in the 50's and was very competitive and successful. Of all the big hitters in the AFL, John Streza, Chuck Quimby, Charlie Grant, Neal Cobb and on, I recall Jim Bello as being the man! He could hit 'em over the tall pine trees on the other side of the left field fence. There were also two boys in my 1959 graduation class that hit prodigious home runs in Oiler Park. They both were invited to try out for the Graceville team. Kenneth Davis played around with the Oilers for a time....the other boy, Sonny Balcomb was a one eyed fellow....and a man among boys. He could throw a ball out of Oiler park down the right field line from home plate. He declined to go further in sports due to his concern over his vision.

Brian Love: From 1983-1986, I was a sports writer in Dothan. During that time, I heard many interesting stories of the Alabama-Florida League. I met several people who had played for various teams. I knew several people that remembered not only the Dothan team, but also Headland and some of he other teams. I wrote a story about the only player to die in the league's history (Ottis Johnson). Everyone I talked with said that he froze on a brush-back pitch. No one was upset about it. My favorite story came from Chase Riddle who was the head coach for Troy State at the time. He was a player-manager during his years in the league . Someone wrote a book on the league (The Last Rebel Yell) in the mid-1980s, and it had a story about him. The story in the book did not make sense, so I asked him about it. There was a player who would look back at the catcher to try to steal the signs. One time when Riddle was catching, the sign-stealer looked back and Chase was giving him the finger. Riddle said to him, "Do you know what this one means?"

Dan Taylor - It seems hard to believe that Harry Clifton didn't play somewhere in '52. Anyone that could hit that well and pitch decently should have at least made the Piedmont League, maybe the Fla-International league or some other Class B team. After all, this fella might have made the majors had not World War II intervened. Equally as puzzling as the beaning is why a guy of this talent was allowed to seep thru the cracks of organized baseball. Like Bill Herring, he could have had a fair amount of talent with not much ambition(the big fish in the little pond). His playing record seems to bear that out.You would think any hitter that hit .370 even in a Class D league would merit a look see from say, a Southern League team or any of the independents in the PCL. Clifton's record however, is solid Class D all the way. A friend of mine who played in the Carolina League in 51 told me it wasn't as easy to move up as it is now. He told me there were lots of guys with outstanding records allowed to languish year after year. An ex high school coaching friend who was in the Dodger chain in the late 40's told me he had to hit .315, then .330 in Class D to get the right to move to Greenville in class B. One other thing you might find interesting: In the National Agreement, there was provision for class E minor league baseball, yet only one league ever went class E. So far, have not been about to find what was so heinous about E ball that made all the leagues start at D or better. In theory, they probably figured no decent player would play under a salary limit that low I guess. One last story that you can appreciate. Seems that when tiny Snow Hill( they made Headland look like a metropolis) was in the Coastal Plain League before World War II, one year they had for a manager, one "Mule" Shirley, who played 1st with Senators in early '20's. Mule liked booze a LOT. Anyway, one nite (in '37 I think) those pink elephants and purple bats chased him down the main street of Snow Hill NAKED! My public speaking professor, who wrote for many years for the Kinston Free Press, told me that one. Later, Peahead Walker managed there too.

John Oppert: Scott, recently found your website after being told about it by a man from Headland, Alabama. I grew up in Dothan and went to games often as a young boy and then signed with the Dodgers in 1959 and played with the Panama City Fliers in 1959 and 1961. It was very interesting to see our team picture on the web page. I roomed with Bobby Cox and he and I are side by side on the front row. I also played on the Ozark-Andalusia team in 1962 which of course was the final year.

John Beasley : Thanks for the web pages on the old ALA-FLA league. It was the year 1951 (I graduated from high school) in Columbia, AL (16 miles from Headland, AL) I went to many of the Dixie Runner games, mainly to see my good friend Al Rivenbark play. Jack Clifton was their ace pitcher. I was there the night that Ottis Johnson was beaned. Jack lives in Blakely, GA , where he resided for the last 52 years. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He came to Blakely to play baseball in the Flint River League (not classified but I would say it was close to Class B). Jack had a brother who pitched (all we knew was Bo Clifton). Some of the players in the FRL were the Lary brothers (Cuthbert), Billy Currie (who later pitched for the Atlanta Crackers), Joe Ed Kirkland (who also pitched for the Crackers). Donalsonville had Pop Larsen, who had played in the Majors. Bainbridge, Georgia had a team and the little town of Leary, Georgia also fielded a team. This league was in operation from 1946 to 1950 (don't hold me to those specific dates). My brother-in-law, Sam Peler Williams played for Ozark and Dothan in 1951-1952. His groomsmen when he married my sister were players off those clubs in the AFL, Chase Riddle, Spencer (Onion) Davis, and Bill Farrar. P.S. The picture of Jack Clifton (in the "Who Was Jack CLifton? article) is definitely Jack. As stated earlier, Jack Clifton is still living, Al Rivenbark is not. David Rivenbark, Al's brother, and I are leaving for Kissimmee to catch Spring Training. Ottis Johnson's newphew also is a friend of mine. He and I swap bird dog stories when we meet.

Edwina (Collins) Glover - My brother, Walter Collins, played with the Dothan team and my sister Kay married Bobby Berry, who played for the Graceville Oilers. They are still married and live in Dallas, Texas.

Jean Carllton: I enjoyed the article you wrote about the old Alabama Florida Baseball League. I spent a lot of time watching the Graceville Oilers play. My Uncle, Bill Moore, was president of the league at that time and my father would drive Uncle Bill to his meeting. I have several signed baseballs that I acquired during that time also. Your article brought back a lot of fond memories. As a young man Daddy had written the Chipley sports news for the Pensacola paper. It was his dream to be a sports writer, but he grew up during the depression and had to go to work early to help the family. He never lost his love of sports however. As I read your news it brings back wonderful memories of times spent with my dad. Thanks.

Wayne Stutts - I stumbled across this website and was trully amazed. I umpired in the Alabama-Florida League for the 1960 season. My partner was Don Denkinger who of course went on to umpire in the American League for many years. I have many fond memories of my time in the league. We were in Montgomery when Martin Luther King was being tried for intergrating the buses, and the Alabama govenor's race was in full swing. J.C. Dunn was managing Panama City that year.

John Mytrysak: I enjoy reading about the AFL league. I pitched for Brewton and Panama City during the years of 1949-1951. I think that I had 6 shutouts during one season, and pitched a 2-hitter against Ozark. I also pitched in the (1951) All-star game, which we won 2-0. One player I remember is Emory Lindsey. If you tried to intentionally walk him, he would still take two swings. I'm 74 years old now, but I remember most of the player I played with.

Gordy Scott: My name is Gordy Scott and I came across the web site by accident while I was looking for a chemical company in Alabama on the internet. I was very impressed and excited when I found the web site and spent about a half day going through all that wonderfull information. Sure did bring back a lot of great memories. I played for two years in the Alabama-Florida League. The first year was 1961 at Panama City and also in 1962 at Ozark/Andalusia, both years I played for George Scherger, who was our manager. Bobby Cox , current manager for the Atlanta Braves was a member of our team. Another member of that team was Lance Nichols who at the present time is a scout for the Rockies and we have keep in contact with each other for all these years. I enjoyed the section where former players sent in e-mails , in particular the one from John Heck, John was a team mate at Ozark/Andalusia in 1962. Thanks for making my day and bringing back a lot of great memories.

Brandon Shaw: I saw your web site and was very impressed. I am trying to find anything on my father Marvin Shaw, Pitcher. In 1954 while trying out for the Panama City Fliers, he played and pitched in some of the spring training baseball games. He only played in spring training, and after it was over, my father went on to do better things. The Panama City Herald Newspaper, dated March 26 1954, had a picture of my Dad and brief description which read: WAR VETERAN - Marvin Shaw, 22 -year old Panama City Filer righthander from Philadelphia, is a veteran of the Korean War. He saw plenty of action with his tank corps (Staff photo by Frank Pericola ). I'm trying to find out anything relating to my Dad: Spring Training box scores, contracts , photos , information cards, media guide, Spring Training roster showing my dad uniform number, the transaction when they released him, etc . This is like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

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