1937: A VERY YOUNG HAROLD "BUS" SAIDT

He was a wonderful man, and a very talented sports announcer. I will never forget listening to Bus and his sidekick Bill Hildenbrand as they did the play by play on WBUD (1490 on the dial) in Morrisville. They were sponsored by Stan Coney Rebuilt Engines and I never missed any of those Trenton Giants Interstate League baseball games back in the mid 1940's The Trenton Giants were a farm team of the New York Giants. As we all know a young kid named Willie Mays was a Trenton Giant who went on to become a Hall of Famer.

REMEMBERING THE TRENTON GIANTS

Many baseball-minded visitors to this web site who have silver in their hair will remember the late, great, Trenton Giants Class "B" Interstate League team whose home field was on the Brunswick Circle and known as Dunn Field. The Trenton Giants team was the farm club of the New York Giants who played at New York City's Polo Grounds; another memory for those of us with silver or no hair. How I loved to listen to those games on WBUD, 1490 on the dial with studios on the second floor of the Prior Drug Store on the corner of Bridge Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Bus Saidt and Bill Hildenbrand's broadcasts were as good as any big time radio announcer of the day. (Byrum Saam, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Vince Scully, etc.)

Here's a little quiz for my fellow old timers:
Wilmington, Sunbury, Lancaster, York, Hagerstown, and Harrisburg. Assuming that you understand that Pittsburg is the PIRATES, Cincinnati is the REDS etc., finish the team names in the listing above. Also let me know if I forgot any of those interstate league teams.
No fair using Wikipedia! I took these out of my head and I expect you to do likewise!

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...I COULD RECALL WHEN WILLIE MAYS WAS SCHEDULED TO REPORT TO THE TRENTON GIANTS AND HE DID'NT SHOW UP. WHEN HE FINALLY SHOWED THEY WERE SHOCKED AT HIS ABILITY IN THE OUTFIELD. WILBUR JACKSON WAS THE PLAYER I ADMIRED. BEST REGARDS.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Tom Glover said...

I remember WIllie's time as a Giant. I was a fan of Mo Cunningham and Wilbur Jackson. Remember Pete Pavlik?

Tom Glover

Thursday, March 22, 2012

1951: I STILL MISS THOSE TRENTON GIANTS!

"WBUD, fourteen ninety on your dial, Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Good evening sports fans, this is Bus Saidt with Bill Hildenbrand bringing you tonights game from Dunn field between the Hagerstown Owls and our own Trenton Giants.....brought to you again tonight by Stan Coney Rebuilt Engines, Morrisville. Tonight Don Robertson goes for his 12th wind in this 1951 season of Interstate League Baseball...."

How well I remember those hot summer nights before air conditioning as I listened to my favorite hometown baseball team play their interstate rivals: The Lancaster Red Roses, York White Roses, Sunbury Reds, Allentown Cardinals, Hagerstown Owls, and our arch enemies, the Wilmington Blue Rocks. My heroes were Maurice "Mo" Cunningham and Wilbur Jackson. My favorite pitcher was "bespectacled" Don Robertson. I remember Paul LaPalme, Pete Pavlik, and a very young and talented Willie Mays.....those were the days!

1938: THE TRENTON SENATORS

In only a few weeks, we will hear that annual announcement that all of us baseball lovers long to hear: "Catchers will begin reporting to spring training this week." I can hardly wait. I was not a baseball person back when the Trenton Senators were the local Trenton team. I came on the scene in the 1940's when Bus Saidt and Bill Hildebrand manned the WBUD microphones and did the home and away play by play of the Trenton Giants Insterstate League team. I was an avid fan! I remember the station breaks: "WBUD, 1490 on your dial, Morrisville Pennsylvania. This broadcast is sponsored by Stan Coney Rebuilt Engines, Morrisville Pennsylvania." Let me see....Wilbur Jackson, Maurice "Moe" Cunningham, Don Robertson, Pete Pavlik, Paul LaPalme, Manager Tommy Heath...Wow! Pleasant memories never die!

THIS FROM RALPH LUCARELLA: (Thanks, Ralph.)

Hi Tom: 1938 was about the time I was pretty active in baseball. It was two years after I played with the Schroths and I played in just about every league in the city except the Central Jersey League. That league was semi-pro and drew crowds at Wetzel Field to watch the Trenton Cadets play. Jiggs Corrado and Lusansky played in that league before joining the Senators. Other local players who latter played pro ball were Charlie Budd, Mintsey Mansak, Mike Masterpoli and Sam Masserini and a few others. I got to the point when I was playing most of the week and on weekends. Most of my buddies were out having a ball and I was on the porch waiting to get picked up. Once I found a girlfriend, I eased up playing and went to work at the post office. I ended up playing fast pitch soft ball in the Industrial League. You mentioned Bus Saidt in your statement. I would like to add a worthy tribute to him. He was my teamate on the 1936 Schroths and one of my best friends. He went on to become an outstanding sports announcer and we met when the 1948 Schroths were in the American Legion World Series in Indianapolis. He covered the game back to Trenton and really got excited when my brother Chuck stole home.

Best regards.

1946: WILBUR JACKSON; ONE OF MY HEROES

WILBUR JACKSON AND MAURICE "MO" CUNNINGHAM WERE THE "BABE RUTHS" OF THE INTERSTATE LEAGUE. ANYONE WHO WAS AROUND WHEN THE TRENTON GIANTS WERE PLAYING AT DUNN FIELD OVER ON THE BRUNSWICK CIRCLE WILL ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT INTERSTATE BASEBALL WAS EVERY BIT AS EXCITING AS TODAY'S TRENTON THUNDER BASEBALL.

1954: FLORENCE LOTH'S BROAD STREET PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION

THERE ARE TWO GRAPHICS ON THIS PAGE.
MO CUNNINGHAM, AND FLORENCE LOTH'S MEMBERSHIP CARD.

ONCE AGAIN OUR THANKS TO NANCY LOTH CARLSON FOR SENDING A SCRAP BOOK WITH PRESS RELEASES AND ARTICLES PERTAINING TO THE BROAD STREET PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION OF THE 1950'S AND EARLY 60'S. ISN'T THAT MY TRENTON GIANTS HERO "MO" CUNNINGHAM WHO WITH WILBUR JACKSON WHUPPED THE WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS NEARLY EVERY TIME......WELL MANY TIMES!

Do you Remember the TRENTON GIANTS?

Many old timers remember going to Dunn Field, on the Brunswick Circle to watch the Trenton Giants play their opposing teams in the old Class "B" Interstate League.. Let's see, they played against the Harrisburg Senators, Sunbury Reds, Lancaster Red Roses, York White Roses, and the team's perennial nemisis, the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Who rembembers Maurice "Mo" Cunningham, Pete Pavlik, Don Robertson, Ray Kaat, and "Say hey" Willie Mays.