The June 25 dedication of T-Ball Park at 510 S. Superior St. in honor of the late Coach Jerry Sacharski (1916-2009) and Pee Wee Baseball (which nationally became known as T-Ball) is a fitting memorial to this sport and its originator.
The June 25 dedication of T-Ball Park at 510 S. Superior St. in honor of the late Coach Jerry Sacharski (1916-2009) and Pee Wee Baseball (which nationally became known as T-Ball) is a fitting memorial to this sport and its originator. It was in the summer of 1956 that Sacharski, a local school teacher who was part of the Albion Recreation Department, developed a unique baseball game specially designed for youngsters ages 5 to 8. The game was locally called Pee Wee Baseball. Over a 15-year period, about half of the boys ages 5-8 in Albion participated in the program at one time or another, including yours truly.
The game introduced boys to the sport of baseball and to safely teach them the basics of throwing, catching, swinging a bat, and running the bases. The game had its own special set of rules, equipment, and layout, designed for safety and player development. There was a bullpen, two backstops, two full circles, two half circles, a circular foul line 45 feet from home plate, nine “X” marks where players had to stand, and a home run line. Bases were only 60 feet (instead of 90) apart. The fielders only had to step within the circles drawn around the bases for the runner to be “out,” instead of having injurious collisions on the base itself. There was no pitcher, or catcher. Instead, an adjustable batting tee allowed the boys to concentrate on proper swinging methods at their height level. A Pee Wee diamond was constructed in Victory Park at “the Forks” where games were played.
The program grew astronomically in its early years. It began with 60 boys in 1956; 185 in 1958; and 228 in 1960. The novelty of the game caught on, and in 1960, Albion boys played an exhibition game at Michigan State University which was filmed and aired on educational television station WMSB Channel 10.
Local Pee Wee teams were named after television or cartoon characters, such as the: Bugs Bunnies, Donald Ducks, Little Lulus, Mouseketeers, Popeyes, Porky Pigs, Tweety Birds, Yogi Bears, Johnny Ringos (the team yours truly was on), Lone Rangers, Matt Dillons, Mavericks, Palladins, Wyatt Earps, and Zorros.
From our Historical Notebook this week we present the classic 1958 photo of Coach Sacharski instructing 5-year-old Craig LeClair how to hit the ball on the tee. Craig’s father Lowell was principal at Austin Elementary School at the time. The base of the tee reads “Pee Wee Tee” The small statue in our new park recreates this scene of the player. I encourage our readers to stop by and see this new park, which contains a plaque giving the story of Pee Wee Baseball in Albion. It includes a photo of the boys lined up in their uniforms at the 1960 exhibition game at Michigan State University. I encourage everyone to stop by and view this new park. How many of our readers played Pee Wee Baseball growing up in Albion?
