MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – Back in 1856, a New York newspaper described the growing sport of baseball as the country’s “national pastime,” and while the town of Maxwell didn’t exist until some 20 years later, baseball has always played an important role there throughout its history.
In its early days, baseball’s popularity on a nationwide scale derived not from the fact that it was easy, given that successfully getting a hit 30 percent of the time is considered exceptional, but rather because it required very little equipment and could be played on almost any open field.
It was the perfect sport for kids growing up in rural areas like Maxwell as the town’s resident sports historian and nonagenarian Bill Barrett, Sr. explained, “There were no other distractions. No cell phones, no television, no swimming pools although sometimes we did swim in the ditch. We played catch after school and tried to round up enough guys to play a game. It was a great era and baseball was king.”
Semi-pro baseball was a lifeblood in the Sacramento Valley during its heyday encompassing the 1930s, late 1940s and early 1950s, when it provided not just entertainment, but also strengthened the bonds of community by creating a source of pride.
According to Barrett, one of the greatest of Maxwell’s teams was the 1934-35 Red and White Grocery squad, which over the two- season span accrued an overall record of 31-2 while going undefeated in league play.
Sponsored and managed by Barrett’s father L.L. Barrett, who was also the director of the Colusa Pruners, the Red and White squad competed in various leagues throughout the North Valley playing teams from Arbuckle, Artois, Chico, Colusa, Esparto, Guinda, Madison, Princeton, Stirling City, Williams, Willows and Willow Oak.
Newspaper articles from the time reported that crowds in upwards of 500 turned out for the games which were always played on Sundays.
Maxwell’s home field was located on what was known at the time as Tomcat Flat, a location on the south end of what today is Pacific Street.
A much-needed distraction from the hardships of the Depression, Barrett also shared that side-betting set up in local bars increased the interest and contributed to the intensity of the game.
To cover some of the expenses, dances were held with as it was reported, “an orchestra furnishing the music,” but for the most part players went unpaid or split the gate receipts, even though Barrett said that some of the best players, particularly pitchers, might receive additional cash or maybe a case of beer for their efforts.
Boasting a roster of some of the area’s top players, the Red and White team included at various times Andy Detlefsen, Jim Dunlap, Finas Cooper, John L. Azevedo, Joe LaGrande, Melvin Pence, Alva Lane, Marvin Pence, Marion Cunningham, Bud Boyes, Earl Sites, Ralph Reckers, Chick Locey, Wilbur Bruggerman, Bob Carpenter, John Coleman, Ernie Smith and Henry Reading.
However, as with all good things the team’s run came to an end when it folded in 1937, although many of the players moved on to other local teams.
In later years Maxwell’s team became known as the “the Town Team” and sometimes as the “Merchants” due to the sponsorship by various local businesses.
Yet, with the onset of World War II baseball took a back seat, fading out as the community embarked on what Barrett described as a “total war effort.”
In the aftermath of the war, the Merchants competed in the Westside League, earning back-to-back league pennants in 1949 and 1950. But as rural semi-pro baseball gave way to both fast and slow pitch softball, the Merchants remained a regional powerhouse.
In light of such history, it is no wonder that to this day Maxwell remains a baseball town, one that can trace its roots in the sport and its quest for success back to the Red and White Grocery team.
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Caption(s):
PR_SUB-Baseball-01- The 1934-35 Red and White Grocery baseball team was one of the most successful teams to represent the town of Maxwell. Photo courtesy of Bill Barrett.
PR_SUB-Baseball-02 – John L. “Johnny” Azevedo played centerfield for the Red & White baseball team. Photo courtesy of Bill Barrett.