PHOTO COURTESY OF CLETE RADABAUGH
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME … Seemingly one source of pride for the Village of Blakeslee over the years has been its baseball teams. Noted in the 1948 Who’s Who in Northwest Ohio’s Baseball, “This year, Blakeslee’s entry in the Tri-County League will be celebrating either the 62nd or 63rd Anniversary of the first team in town. Since that memorable day on July 4th when the Blakeslee nine collected the winner-take-all stake of $25 from Montpelier, teams representing the town have made a proud record winning well more than half their games and becoming one of the standout teams in the Annual Williams County Fair Tournament.” Representing Blakeslee during the 1940 and 1941 seasons were team members from left, front row: Simon (Pete) Hug, Steve Hurd, Ted Smith, Herman Kurtz, Oswald Hauser, John Hurd, Cleo Hug, Tom Hauser and back row: Manager Paul Muehlfeld (elected to the position both seasons), Frank Wortkoetter, Harold Kurtz, W.A. (Bill) Hug, Don Fry, Louis Thiel, Frank Muehlfeld and Grover Rusk. Although the team failed to get into the 1940 Williams County Fair Tournament (an apparent rarity over the years!), Blakeslee did make it in l941. The first game resulted in victory but West Unity put the team out of the tournament.