Over the past four years, many generous contributors have donated a large number of Oriole photographs and newspaper articles. These pictures are going to help us tremendously in our effort to tell the story of Charm City’s long since forgotten Minor League baseball franchise.

The International League Baltimore Orioles operated independently of the Major Leagues at various times and at other junctures were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and Saint Louis Browns. Some of the outstanding players that played in Baltimore during this era were on their way up to the majors. Others came to the Birds in the twilight of their careers. For the most part, these Baltimore ball clubs were made up of seasoned veterans and promising rookies. Back in their day, these Orioles were idolized by every baseball fan in Baltimore. Now, they are just names of old time ball players that do not mean much to the modern baseball enthusiast. One of the goals of this documentary is to bring attention to as many of these outstanding players as time will allow during the course of the film. The documentary will be featuring interviews of former Oriole players and local fans. Director Paul Sekulich is currently conducting these interviews. These filmed conversations will provide a unique insight into this era of Baltimore Baseball. The first three sections of the Forgotten Birds documentary have been completed. The Documentary Staff still has a few more interviews to tape and then we will put the final sections together.

My first Keenan’s Korner article ended with the death of Jack Dunn in 1928. The Baltimore Oriole teams that followed after Dunn’s passing were competitive but the ball club did not win their next International League pennant until 1944. During this time, there were some exceptional ballplayers that passed through Baltimore. One of these Forgotten Birds was first baseman Joe Hauser. “Unser Joe” as he was known, belted a league leading 63 home runs and drove in 175 RBI’s for the Orioles in 1930. The left-handed swinging power hitter hit for a .313 batting average that year. In 1932, Baltimore outfielder Buzz Arlett batted .339 while clubbing out 54 homeruns and driving in 144 RBI’s. In 1984, the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) voted Arlett the greatest Minor League player of all time. Another talented Baltimore player during this time was outfielder George Puccinelli. “Pooch” hit 54 home runs and knocked in 172 RBI’s in addition to compiling a lofty .359 batting average for the Birds in 1936.

There were other talented players who wore the Oriole uniform during these years like Johnny Neun, Don Heffner, Woody Abernathy, Julius Solters, John Gill, Ab Wright, Frank McGowan, Bill Sweeney, Gene Corbett, George Staller, Bill Nagel, Clyde “Bucky” Crouse and Eddie Robinson just to name a few.

The Birds had some excellent pitchers plying their trade in Baltimore at this time, as well. Stuart Bolen was a 20 game winner for the Flock in 1929. The talented left-hander followed that up by winning 19 games for Baltimore in 1930 and 1931. Oriole moundsmen Harry Smythe reached the 21 win plateau for the Birds in 1933.

Pitcher Cliff Melton had a record of 20 wins and 14 losses with a 3.39 earned run average for Baltimore in 1936. The following season the tall southpaw went 20 and 9 for the National League champion New York Giants. He also pitched in three World Series games that year. Melton continued on to a very successful career in the majors. In 1937, Oriole pitcher Bill Lohrman had a record of 20 wins and 11 losses with a 3.39 earned run average. In the years that followed, talented pitchers like Harry Matusak, Tom Hughes, Italo Chelini, Ken Trinkle, Ray Flannigan, Johnny Wittig, Dick Walt, Hy Vandenberg , Pete Sivess and Ed Kleiman took the mound for the Birds. 

As previously mentioned, the Orioles did not regain their championship form until the 1944 season. That year, the O’s had to persevere through some serious adversity in order to win the pennant. The Birds lost their home field in the early morning hours of July 4, 1944, when Old Oriole Park burned to the ground. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but sadly, all of the ballclub’s equipment was destroyed in the fire. In addition, the team’s financial and statistical records along with trophies plus other Baltimore baseball artifacts were all lost in the conflagration. The Oriole’s road uniforms were spared because they were at the laundry being cleaned at the time of the fire. Stepping up to the plate, Mayor Theodore McKeldin of Baltimore arranged for the Orioles to rent the spacious Municipal Stadium located out on 33^rd street. This coliseum like structure had been built back in 1922. The cavernous enclosure was constructed at that time to accommodate the large crowds that were coming out for the football games between the Marines and other branches of the military. A few days after the fire, the city of Baltimore worked out a deal with the Orioles to rent the stadium for 31 days at a cost of $53,000 dollars. In order to play ball, the O’s were required to buy second hand baseball equipment and in some instances had to borrow bats and gloves from the opposing teams. Wartime hardships had caused a scarcity of these non-essential items. Through all of this turmoil, the Bird’s started to play winning baseball. The Baltimore fans began to rally around the local nine during these hard times, turning out in droves to root for their home team. Generous Baltimoreans presented “War Bonds” to players when they performed well on the field. Late in the season, the team had a Bill Dyer night at the ballpark. The Bird’s eloquent speaking radio announcer received $2300 dollars from a collection taken up by the crowd that evening. The Orioles had not drawn more then 13,000 fans to a game prior to the fire but from July on, the team’s average attendance was over 20,000. The Orioles clinched the International League pennant on the last day of the season by mere percentage points. Baltimore had a final record of 84 wins and 68 losses and the second place Newark team finished the year with a record of 85 wins and 69 losses. At one point during the 1944 campaign, the unflappable Birds were able to sweep four consecutive doubleheaders from the Montreal Royals.

The 1944 champion Orioles had Bob Latshaw at first base. The smooth swinging lefty hit for a solid .270 batting average and drove in 69 runs. The Oriole’s had steady fielding Blas Monaco stationed at the keystone sack. The switch-hitting second baseman led the International League with 135 runs scored and 167 walks that season. Ab Teidemann, Fred Pfeifer and Kenny Braun played shortstop for the Birds. Tiedemann hit for a .288 batting average and Pfeifer along with Braun contributed solid defensive play. Right-handed hitting Oriole backstop Sherm Lollar hit .250. and belted out 15 home runs along with knocking in 72 RBI’s. Lou Kahn and Jim Devlin also saw duty behind the plate for the champs. Third baseman Frank Skaff had a .268 batting average and connected for 17 round trippers. Oriole right-fielder Howie Moss led the International League in 1944 with 27 homeruns and 141 RBI’s. Howie “The Howitzer” also topped the circuit with 178 hits and 44 doubles that season. The Sporting News magazine acknowledged Moss’s great season by naming him the league’s Most Valuable Player. Leftfielder and team leader Stan Benjamin hit for a steady .301 average and stole 20 bases. Felix Mackiewicz played the outfield and first base for the Birds. “Mack” had a .295 batting average to go along with 12 homeruns and 86 RBI’s. The fiery competitor also led the team with 10 triples. Pat Riley played 82 games in the outfield for the Flock in 1944 and batted .250 with 12 stolen bases.   

In regard to the Oriole pitching staff in 1944, Charles “Red” Embree, Stan West, Ambrose Palica, Sam Lowry, Roland Van Slate, Harold Kleine, John Podgajny, George Hooks, Elmer Burkhart and Frank Rochevot played key roles in the team’s success. Former pitching great and Baltimore native Tommy Thomas was the ball club’s manager.       

Even with all of the hardships and adverse conditions that the Birds endured during the 1944 season, they were still able to win the International League Title, Governors Cup playoffs and the Junior World Series.

The Orioles defeated the American Association champion Louisville Colonels four games to two in the Series. Each player on the victorious Baltimore team received a winning share of $2500. Humbly, Oriole manager Thomas refused to accept his share. Thomas reportedly said at the time that he did not deserve the money because the players were responsible for the winning the games, not the manager. Tommy Thomas was truly a man of principle and it is no wonder why he was so popular with the fans and his players. The Junior World Series played at Municipal Stadium in Baltimore was very well attended. One of the contests actually outdrew one of the Fall Classic games between the Saint Louis Browns and the Saint Louis Cardinals that year. The attendance for the first Series game in Baltimore was 52,833. The previous Sunday’s World Series game in Saint Louis drew just over 36,000 fans. The overwhelming turnout for the games in Baltimore played a big part in the Major League baseball’s eventual return to the city in 1954. 

In closing, the staff of the Forgotten Birds documentary would like to thank all of the contributors to this project. We want everyone to know that we are working very hard to complete this historic endeavor. The documentary staff wants to present the information about these talented players and great teams accurately and concisely. We are making this film so baseball fans of all ages can learn more about the history of our great national pastime. The story of the Forgotten Birds has been neglected for far too long. It is now time to give these players their proper recognition.                    

Sadly, former International League Oriole Gordon Mueller passed away at the age of 83 in September of 2006. We had just recently interviewed him for the Forgotten Birds documentary. Mr. Mueller was a pitcher for Baltimore during the1940’s and early 1950’s. He also pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 1950. Mr. Mueller was a kind, soft-spoken man and the documentary staff was truly saddened by his passing. May he rest in peace.