8/6/2014:
It wasn’t certain that the Grand Forks Stars baseball team was going to finish the season. The management was having difficulties and the team was struggling. The Stars officially disbanded, but the season was saved when the team was reorganized, as announced in the Grand Forks Herald on this date in 1915. The new team committed to finishing the season and to playing again the following year. A new manager was elected and new players were promised.
The Cando team had also disbanded. Milton Reed, their former manager, arrived in Grand Forks where he agreed to play first base. He was acknowledged as one of the fastest baseball players in the state, a “snappy” fielder and .300 hitter.
The new manager, W.E. Quigley, planned to recruit out-of-town players, and he brought some in from Park River. Tryouts were also scheduled for local men. The emphasis was on speed. Quigley assured the public that only the best players would find a place on the team. He also said he wouldn’t play favorites, promising that the best players would be in the lineup. The players would have to earn their spots, and produce to stay on the team.
The reorganization was not expected to make a difference in the 1915 season. It had come too late for that. The plan was to build the team in the remaining weeks and have a strong nucleus for the 1916 season. The team was determined to stay in Grand Forks and represent the city.
The next game was scheduled against Grafton, and the team hoped for good attendance to encourage the team. Warren and Thief River were also scheduled, and excitement was building for a big game on Labor Day, though that opponent had not yet been announced. And the admission? Just twenty-five cents.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Grand Forks Herald. 6 August, 1915.