Chevrons and Diamonds

Beyond the reaches of the Pacific Northwest, fan interest in the Independence Day All-Star game between the regional Army All-Stars and the Naval Air Station Pasco Flyers, an aggregation of former star ballplayers, carried little weight. However, for baseball fans from Seattle to Spokane, and Bellingham to Portland, the tilt posed considerable intrigue.

The Pasco Flyers picked up in the 1943 season where they left off after capturing the Pacific Northwest Service League crown, having swept the Fort Lewis Warriors in a best-of-three championship series at the season’s conclusion. The 1943 edition of the Flyers was predominated with stars from the Pacific Coast and Western International Leagues including several who would go on to careers in the big leagues. Area Army ball teams were similarly dotted with regional stars and major leaguers including Morrie Arnovich, Jack Knott, Aldon Wilkie, and Earl Torgeson.

Player	Position	Former
Dan “Danny” Amaral	OF	Portland (PCL)
Steve Ananicz	C	Sherbrooke (QUPL)
Harold V. “Hunk” Anderson	P	Spokane (WIL)
Edson “Ed” Bahr	P	Augusta (SALL)
Baker	RF
Johnny Bittner	P	Hollywood (PCL)
Lindsay Brown	SS	Portland (PCL)
Mike Budnick	P	Seattle (PCL)
Mel Cole	2B, C	Tacoma (WIL)
Danny Escobar	OF	Portland (PCL)
Fred Gay	P	Hollywood (PCL)
Marv Harshman	1B	Pacific Lutheran University
Bobby “Bob” Hornig	CF	Spokane (WIL)
Bob Kahle	IF	Hollywood (PCL)
Henry “Marty” Martinez	2B	Portland (PCL)
Levi McCormack	OF	Spokane (WIL)
Vince Pesky	P	Amateur
Ken Peters	2B/OIC
Bill “Scoppy” Scoppatone	RF	Winston-Salem (PIED)
Harvey Storey	SS	Tulsa (TL)
Edo Vanni	OF/MGR	Seattle (PCL)
Don White	OF/3B	San Francisco (PCL)

Seeking to bolster the recreation funds for area Army and Navy installations and to put on a great baseball show for area fans, game organizers laid plans to assemble the best Army players to take on the Pasco Flyers juggernaut for a spectacular July 4^th baseball game hosted at the Seattle Rainiers baseball park, Sicks Stadium, in support of the Seattle War Athletic Commission.

Team	Player	Position	Former
Ack Acks	Frank Nagy	C	Michigan League
Camp Adair	Jack Knott	P/Mgr	Athletics
Fort Lawton	Andy Anderson	IF	Springfield (IIIL)
Fort Lawton	Gordon Cockroft	P	Spokane (WIL)
Fort Lawton	George “Jiggs” Dahlberg	Mgr.	University of Montana
Fort Lawton	Robert Henriksen	P	Vancouver (WIL)
Fort Lawton	Clarence Maddern	OF	Vancouver (WIL)
Fort Lawton	Roy Paton	IF	Vancouver (WIL)
Fort Lawton	Harold Robinson	P	Dothan (GAFL)
Fort Lawton	James “Buddy” Robinson	IF	Gloversville-Johnstown (CAML)
Fort Lawton	Earl Torgeson	IF	Seattle (PCL)
Fort Lawton	Dick Warfield	OF	Vancouver (WIL)
Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion	Roy Fowler	OF	Columbus (SALL)
Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion	Bill Kufta	P	Mount Airy (BIST)
Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion	Hooper Triplett	OF	Rochester (IL)
Fort Lewis	Morrie Arnovich	MGR/OF	Giants
Fort Lewis	Bill Beard	C	Seattle (PCL)
Fort Lewis	Bill “Bev” Brown	P
Fort Lewis	Jonas Gaines	P	Elite Giants (NNL)
Fort Lewis	George Handy	3B	NY Blank Yankees/Harlem Giants
Fort Lewis	Bob Kubicek	C	Cincinnati Org.
Fort Lewis	John Mauer	SS	Montgomery (SEAL)
Fort Lewis	Johnny Novak	2B	Semi-pro
Fort Lewis	Herm Reich	1B	Portland (PCL)
Fort Lewis	Steve Sakas	P	Waterloo (IIIL)
McChord Field	Bernard Blasco	IF
Paine Field	Emil Wohlcke	P	Pioneer League
Quartermaster Corps	Frank Johnson	C

Edo Vanni hit a nubber that stalled a few feet in front of the plate. As he sprinted to first, his base running forced Army catcher Bob Kubicek to throw wide of first. With Vanni on by way of an error, Danny Escobar pushed Vanni into scoring position and Don White stroked a single to plate the run. Despite Army batters managing hits in the first two innings, Johnny Bittner battened down the hatches and held the Army hitless for the next four innings. Former Browns hurler Jack Knott kept the Army in the game and did not allow another run to score despite giving up safeties in the second, third and fifth innings.

Pasco got to Knott in the bottom of the seventh to extend the lead, 2-0. In the top of the eighth, Army finally broke through with a run to narrow the Navy’s 2-1 lead. Bob Henriksen pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing a run on two hits, prompting Arnovich to make a switch with just one out. Steve Sakas got the next two Navy batters out to end the inning, but the damage was done. Leading 3-1, Bittner went back out in the top of the ninth, shutting down the Army after surrendering a single.

More than 15,000 spectators attended the Independence Day game. One fan spent time collecting autographs from the players, making an effort time to create a four-page scrapbook to document the event. Complete with newspaper clippings and sections of the game scorecard, this piece is not only a special tribute to the game, but it also holds historical significance for Pacific Northwest baseball. Adhered to the pages are 16 autographs from 15 of the game’s players (Navy pitcher Mike Budnick’s signature appears twice).

Morrie Arnovich – Managed the Fort Lewis Warriors from 1942 through the 1943 seasons. Private First Class Arnovich was given the reins to the club and leeway by the base commander to assemble a winning team from the available personnel across the post. Building upon the work of Herm Reich, former Portland Beavers first baseman, Arnovich assembled a club that included former Kansas City Monarchs tall right-handed rookie, Ford Smith. In 1943, Arnovich once again fielded an integrated team adding to the roster, third baseman George “Pee Wee” Handy, formerly of the New York Black Yankees and Harlem Giants.

Kentucky senator A. B. “Happy” Chandler, during his winter 1942 tour of military bases, met with Arnovich following a baseball season that drew national attention. Chandler became the second commissioner of baseball in 1944, following Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ passing and presided over the integration of the minor leagues in 1946 and major leagues the following year with the arrival of Jackie Robinson.

Arnovich spent six seasons in the National League with Philadelphia (1936-1940), Cincinnati (1940) and New York (1941). A native of Superior, Wisconsin, he enlisted in the Army on March 5, 1942. Following his tenure at Fort Lewis, Arnovich was transferred to Company “C,” 2^nd Replacement Battalion, Camp Beale near Sacramento, California, where he was briefly given the helm of the post’s baseball team. After a brief stay at Beale, Arnovich was transferred to New Guinea in the South Pacific, serving alongside his former Phillies teammate, pitcher Hugh Mulcahy.

With the retaking of the Philippine islands and the pushing of enemy forces out of Manila, Arnovich was present for the return of baseball at Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in April, 1945. Technician Fifth Grade (T/5) Arnovich was discharged on December 26, 1945, upon his return to the United States from his last duty station, Headquarters Company, 5^th Replacement Depot in Manila.

Following spring training, Morrie Arnovich went north with the Giants, playing in the fourth game of the 1946 season against Brooklyn at Ebbets Field. Thirteen miles away across the Hudson River in New Jersey’s Roosevelt Stadium, Jackie Robinson had just concluded the opening series with Montreal, having faced Jersey City in the third and final game. No doubt the former Fort Lewis manager took note of the history being made and the role he played in having integrated the game four years earlier. President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, officially desegregating the armed forces.

Mike Budnick, Pasco Flyers, appeared in 28 games for the 1942 Seattle Rainiers, posting a 7-6 record with a 2.78 ERA. He started 14 games and pitched 123 innings. Budnick spent three years and 20 days in the Navy including playing in the 1944 Servicemen’s World Series in Hawaii before joining the Navy’s 1945 Pacific Tour. While on the tour, Budnick played on the “3^rd Fleet” team along with Pee Wee Reese, Joe Grace, Barney McCosky, Elbie Fletcher, and Johnny Rigney as they entertained troops throughout the Pacific Theater.

After his discharge from the Navy, Budnick was drafted by the New York Giants in November, 1945. The Navy veteran earned a spot on the roster out of spring training and made his major league debut on April 18, 1946, at Ebbets Field against the Dodgers in relief of starter Harry Feldman in the third inning. Budnick spent 1946 and 1947 with New York. He was back in the Coast League with San Diego in 1948. He made three more minor league appearances in May, 1949 with Yakima in the Western International League but never pitched professionally again.

Paul Dugan, Fort Lewis Warriors, was a member of the 1935 Butler Indians (Class “D” Pennsylvania State Association), though no records reflect any game experience. Dugan played on the Fort Lewis Warriors basketball team under coach Morrie Arnovich beginning in January, 1943 and pitched for the Warriors baseball team that same year.

Danny Escobar, Pasco Flyers, began his professional career in 1935 as an 18-year-old with Lake Charles of the Evangeline League. The outfielder and first baseman progressed through the lower minor leagues before splitting the 1940 season between the Wenatchee Chiefs and the Oakland Oaks. In 1941, Escobar landed with the Portland Beavers, where he hit .282 for the Pacific Coast League’s last place team. Escobar was drafted into the Navy on March 30, 1942, and he was assigned to Naval Air Station Seattle, where he was added to the Flyers ball club. Mid-way through the season, the team was shifted to the brand new Naval Air Training Base at Pasco, Washington.

Escobar played for the Flyers through the 1943 season and was discharged from the Navy on September 6, 1945, in time to return to the Beavers to finish out the season, appearing in six games. Escobar played for Portland through the 1946 season when the 30-year-old’s playing career ended.

Harold “Hunk” Anderson, Pasco Flyers, earned his nickname due to his 6-2, 200-lb stature. The Seattle native signed his professional baseball contract with the hometown Rainiers in 1939 and was subsequently optioned to Twin Falls of the class “C” Pioneer League, where he was limited to just 10 games for the club. Anderson resigned with Seattle in February, 1940 and was optioned to Twin Falls in June but was released the following month without any appearances with the club. Anderson’s breakthrough came in 1941, when he spent the first part of the year pitching for Spokane, appearing in eight games for a record of 4-2 and a 2.08 ERA. He was optioned to Twin Falls for the remainder of the season, where he hurled 155 innings in 25 games, earning an 8-12 record with an ERA of 3.89.

Instead of spending spring training with the Rainiers, Anderson was inducted into the Navy on March 9, 1942, and assigned to Naval Air Station Seattle. Former Rainiers teammate and now “Flyers” manager Edo Vanni pulled Anderson onto the base’s ball team for the 1942 season. “Hunk” pitched for the Flyers through the 1943 season and was transferred to Bainbridge Naval Training Center to attend the Tunney Athletic Specialist school. After graduating, Chief Athletic Specialist Anderson served in the Pacific Theater until discharged at the war’s end. He resumed his baseball career with the Rainiers and was assigned to Vancouver. After a late-season call-up, he finally appeared in seven games for his hometown club, pitching 13 innings in seven games. He pitched for the remainder of his career in the Western International League from 1947 through 1950 for Salem, Vancouver, and Tacoma.

Bill Kufta of Hartford, Connecticut, Fort Lewis Balloon Battalion Gas Baggers: pitched professionally in 1940-41 in the Bi-State League for the Mayodon (North Carolina) Millers and the Mount Airy (NC) Graniteers. He served in the Army from October 10, 1941, to January 14, 1946. He passed away on January 19, 1983.

Herm Reich, Fort Lewis Warriors, was one of the first former professional ballplayers to arrive at Fort Lewis in early 1942, managing and playing for the post’s basketball team. By early spring, he was playing in pickup baseball games while assembling a squad of former players as they arrived to serve at Fort Lewis. Reich was one of the club’s stars and a local area fan-favorite throughout his tenure with the team through the 1943 season. Reich spent 50 months in the Army serving with the Artillery, Infantry, and the Army Air Forces. In 1945, he was part of contingent of Army National Leaguers island-hopping, in a B-29 bomber, and playing ball for troops serving in the Western Pacific.

After the war, Reich resumed his professional career with Portland from 1946-48 before making his big-league debut with the Washington Senators on May 3, 1949. His tenure with the Senators was brief. He was then returned to the Cleveland Indians, who had picked him up in the 1948 Rule V Draft. He appeared in one game for the Tribe before being waived by the club and subsequently claimed by the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old rookie played 108 games as the everyday first baseman for the remainder of the season. Reich played another eight seasons in the Pacific Coast and Northwest Leagues, finishing his career with the Class “B” Eugene Emeralds.

Bob Hornig, Pasco Flyers, was inducted into the Navy on April 18, 1942, and stationed at Naval Air Station Seattle. Born in Tacoma, Hornig’s entire professional career was spent in the Western International League from 1937 to 1941 with Spokane, Tacoma and Salem. The NAS Seattle Flyers manager, Edo Vanni, added Hornig to the roster as the club’s centerfielder for the 1942 and 1943 seasons. After his tenure with the Flyers, Hornig was sent to the South Pacific for the balance of the war, serving aboard a picket boat.

Harold “Buddy” Robinson, Fort Lawton, was signed to a professional contract with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League in April,1942, as an 18-year-old but was assigned to the Cordele (Georgia) Reds of the Class “D” Georgia-Florida League. Before making any appearances with the Reds, Robinson was optioned to the Dothan Browns in the same league. Robinson made five appearances for the Browns, pitching 28 innings for a won-loss record of 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Robinson was inducted into the Army on March 3, 1943, and was subsequently assigned to Fort Lawton in Seattle. Robinson pitched for Lt. “Jiggs” Dahlberg’s Fort Lawton ballclub, helping the team to a 26-5 record by mid-season. Robinson’s performance earned him a spot on the Army roster to face the Navy in the Pacific Northwest All-Star game on July 4, 1943.

Robinson was discharged from the Army on December 21, 1945. With his professional baseball career behind him, “Buddy” began a 25-year career in law enforcement with the Augusta, Georgia Police Department.

John Stepich, Fort Lewis Warriors, never played in organized baseball but had a connection to manager Morrie Arnovich. As a youth, the Virginia, Minnesota native often played against Arnovich, who hailed from Superior, Wisconsin, some 60 miles away. Stepich was inducted into the Army on March 12, 1941, and was stationed at Fort Lewis. Arnovich brought his Midwest connection to the Warriors early in the 1942 season to serve as an assistant coach, statistician and promoter. After Arnovich was transferred to the South Pacific in 1944, Stepich took the reins of the Warriors and managed the club through the end of the war. With a roster packed with major league talent including Tommy Heath, Bill Fleming, Hank Camelli, Ray Mueller, Red Embree, Ron Northey, and Tony York, Stepich piloted Fort Lewis to a perfect 45-0 record in 1945.

Stepich was discharged December 1, 1945, and remained in the area. He worked as a real estate agent and served in the American Legion, championing veterans’ issues at both the state and federal levels.

Steve Sakas, Fort Lewis Warriors, pitched for Waterloo of the Three-I League before entering the Army Air Forces. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in 1943, pitching for the Morrie Arnovich-led Warriors that season. With Paine Field in 1944, he served as the player-manager of the Flyers, tangling with and often coming up on the losing end against the Navy’s powerhouse Whidbey Island club. During Paine Field’s basketball season, Sakas was abruptly transferred to a reclassification center at Camp Howze, Texas and shortly after, he found himself reassigned to the infantry. “We had a warrant officer who tried out for the baseball team,” says Sakas. “He didn’t make the grade and I cut him from the team, but he really got me back when he sent me to the Army. That was the dumbest cut I ever made!”

 Sakas was briefly attached to a replacement depot in England before being assigned to the 119th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division. Not only did Sakas find himself in the thick of the Battle of Bulge but he also found out that he was the new bazooka gunner, even though he’d never fired a bazooka in his life! “Do you know what beat the Germans?” Sakas asked. “The thought of this crazy Greek coming at ‘em with a bazooka!”

Sakas served in the 30th Division and was with them as they crossed the Rhine River, then the Ruhr, and captured Magdeburg on the Elbe River on April17, 1945. There, the division was held back in order to allow the Russians to be the first into Berlin. Sakas earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and received the Bronze Star Medal.

After VE-Day, Sakas organized a 30^th Division baseball team before transferring home. He resumed his professional career, playing for five minor league clubs from 1946 to 1948. Sakas passed away in 2012.

Henry “Marty” Martinez, Pasco Flyers, was inducted into the Navy on August 4 amid his 1942 Portland Beavers campaign. After signing with the Oakland Oaks in 1937, the infielder was optioned to Des Moines of the class “A” Western League. He began his 1938 season with Spokane and was called up to Oakland in September. In 1939, “Marty” split the season between Spokane and the Seattle Rainiers. The 1940 and 1941 seasons were spent entirely in Spokane.

After induction, Herny was assigned to Naval Air Training Station Pasco and was promptly added to the Flyers’ roster. In an August 18 game at Sicks Stadium against the Rainiers, Martinez went three-for six and scored a run in a 4-3 win over Seattle. In the Pacific Northwest Service League championship, Marty scored a run after being walked by Fort Lewis Warriors’ pitcher Cy Greenlaw as Johnny Bittner pitched an 8-0 shutout to clinch the crown.

The 1943 season was a repeat performance for the Flyers as they dominated service league play along with Fort Lewis. Fort Lewis defeated Pasco for the state service league crown.

Now rated an aviation machinist’s mate, Henry Martinez reported aboard the newly commissioned escort carrier USS Ommoney Bay (CVE-79) with his composite aviation squadron, VC-75, on June 6, 1944. The Ommoney Bay participated in combat operations in the waters surrounding the Philippines in late 1944. On January 4, a Japanese twin-engine bomber sliced across the carrier’s island superstructure and crashed onto the flight deck. One of the aircraft’s bombs penetrated the topside and detonated below decks. The ship was quickly engulfed in flames and besieged with explosions as her own aircraft and ordnance began exploding. With fires raging out of control, the wounded were evacuated to other vessels. One of those men was AMM2c Henry Martinez. Gravely wounded, Marty’s right arm was severed by flying fragments from one of the kamikaze’s exploding bombs. Martinez’ wounds proved fatal as he perished soon after arriving aboard the USS Manila Bay (CVE-61). Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class Henry Martinez was buried at sea on January 5, 1945, and is memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery.

Mel Cole, Pasco Flyers, split his 1941 season between the Class “C” Pioneer League Idaho Falls Russets and the Class “B” Tacoma Tigers before entering the U.S. Navy on May 8, 1942, in Seattle, Washington as a seaman first class. After the 1943 season with Naval Air Station Pasco, Aviation Machinist’s Mate Third Class Cole was sent to the Pacific, sailing aboard the USS Hammondsport (AKV-2), where he spent the remainder of the war. Mel Cole resumed his professional career in 1946 with Spokane, appearing in 16 games for the Indians and batting .289 before tragedy befell the team on June 24. The team bus crashed hundreds of feet down a canyon in Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State, killing six members of the team at the scene with three more perishing over the following two days. Cole was one of the six who died at the site of the crash after suffering 3^rd-degree burns and dislocated elbows (see Note below).

Levi McCormack, Pasco Flyers, was born and raised in Lapwai, Idaho, the son of a Nez Perce chief and a direct descendant of Chief Joseph. He described himself as “¾ – degree American Indian” and “¼ Irish,” and he was a 100-percent pure athlete. He was a three-sport letterman at Washington State College, playing football, basketball and baseball for legendary Cougars baseball coach, Buck Bailey. In 1936, McCormack began his professional baseball career, signing with the then Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League in June, midway through the season. The 23-year-old rookie outfielder appeared in 18 games, batting .345 for the third-place Indians. McCormack played in 93 games for Seattle, hitting .288 as the club finished 1937 in sixth place. With new ownership and a new team identity, the Seattle Rainiers’ fortunes changed. They finished 1938 in second place with a 100-75 record, 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Angels. McCormack’s season was not as favorable, repeating his .288 average in just 67 games.

McCormack was optioned to the Spokane Indians in February, 1939, playing three seasons with the club, where he found a home as an everyday player. With the Indians, he averaged 139 games per season with a .320 batting average and a .549 slugging percentage. On February 24, 1942, McCormack was inducted into the Navy and assigned to Naval Air Station Seattle, joining Spokane teammates “Hunk” Anderson, Mike Budnick, and Henry Martinez on the Air Station Flyers roster.

McCormack spent both the 1942 and 1943 seasons with the Flyers before transferring to Whidbey Island Naval Auxiliary Air Station, reuniting with his college coach, Lieutenant Buck Bailey, who managed the basketball and baseball teams. McCormack’s stay at Whidbey ended in mid-June when he was transferred to the Pacific Theater. He spent the last nine months of his naval service in the Marianas on Guam and Saipan, returning to Spokane on December 19, 1945, four days after his discharge.

McCormack returned to the Spokane Indians for 1946, reuniting with his 1943 Pasco Flyers teammate, Mel Cole. McCormack was batting .316 through 58 games of the season which ended abruptly on June 24 when he was severely injured in the crash that claimed the lives of nine Spokane Indians (see Note below). He returned to action in 1947 with Spokane, hitting just .276. He was given his unconditional release at the end of the season. Talks with the club’s new owners fell through ahead of the 1948 season, ending Levi’s professional career. McCormack’s post- baseball career was with the U.S. Postal Service, and he campaigned unsuccessfully for Spokane County Auditor in 1950.

Scrapbooks garner nominal interest from collectors due to their folk-art nature and degraded condition. However, there are some scrapbook artifacts that are so unique, containing historic treasures, that so few people pay attention to. When this piece became available, we immediately realized its importance and were unhesitant in acquiring it for the collection.

*Note: Read more about Levi McCormick and Mel Cole along with the rest of the 1946 Spokane Indians and the tragic bus crash in author Eric Vickrey’s new book, Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (April 16, 2024)