New Ulm Sports Central - Preserving and Sharing New Ulm Area Sports History

Charlie (Bo) Paradowski was still a teen-ager when he rode the train from Texas to Chicago and then the Chicago and Northwestern "400" to New Ulm for the baseball season in 1955. He was a young pitcher at Texas A&M where new Brewer manager Hogo Pearson was the coach. Pearson was the catcher and took over the manager after 28 gameswhen Bob Johnson stepped aside. Pearson managed all of 1956 but Johnson came back in 1957.

Ironically the New Ulm board tried to tell Paradowski to forget about its hiring offer, but he had already left for New Ulm.

Pearson figured Bo could win a few games and arranged him to join the New Ulm Brewers in the Western Minnesota League. On the way out of Chicago there was a train wreck of some sort that delayed his arrival in New Ulm and created a contract dispute over missing the signing deadline by hours. It was normal for the "400" to sound it's whistle so they could be heard at the ballpark. Often it had ball players aboard who were destined for New Ulm, Sleepy Eye or Springfield. The whistle always raised the question among fans over what ball player would get up from the depot in time to pitch a game that night.

He's coming back to New Ulm Tuesday, Aug. 24 for a visit and among other things, to peek back into Johnson Park where he did manage to play a few games after that train incident which caused him to be declared an ineligible player by the Western Minnesota League for 1955.

He is visting the Chris and Mary Loetscher's of 415 N German St., on his way through this area. Mary made the arrangements to get back into the ball park after she made some connections by finding information in the history section of New Ulm Sports Central simply by typing in "Charlie Paradowski New Ulm Baseball" and viiola!, up came the information of the team and players. That object cataloged was a 1956 baseball souvenir scorecard which had Paradowski's picture That item was donated to NUSC by the Jerry Herzog's family after his death last year.

The return to New Ulm came about because a brother to Mary (Bill Marrin) is a neighbor to Paradowski in Dallas. The Paradowskis joined the Marrins at a summer vacation home at Pequot Lakes this year where they decided to make a visit to New Ulm on their return to Texas.

Most players who were on the team in those days are deceased or in ill health. Wayne Newton was the board president at the time. Another board member then was Cal Backer. The team also included Bob Mueller, Bob Schultz, Bob Knight and Earle (Tiger) Willis in 1956. Ader Wieland played on the 1955 team and actually pitched more innings than Paradoski. The Sports Editor then was NUSC's Herb Schaper who wrote a column on the "unfairness" of the Paradowski ruling by the league.

Seems someone from Springfield was also aboard the 400 and informed the Springfield baseball board that Paradowski could not have complied with a contract matter. After a protest, the league ruled him ineligible and required a replay of a loss. The replay of the game was probably in the league's "recognition" that the train derailment wasn't Paradowski's fault that he didn't make it to New Ulm in time. The appropriate details will be added from prints of the microfilm located at New Ulm Library.

He did get in three games and returned in 1956 when he got in a summer of baseball as the once high-grade Western Minny was starting to deteriorate.

In 1955, Paradoiski was 1-0 with 13 innings in which he struck out 17 and walked nine. His ERA was 1.38. Agame with Fairfax was replayed after he was declared ineligible. It was the same year Litchfield folded and New Ulm got two wins by forfeit. The replay of the Fairfax game resulted from a 13-2 win over Fairfax Aug. 10.

In 1956, he was on a pitching staff which included Jim Pruett and Buddy Wittichen from Mississippi. He played in 17 games, split eight decisions and struck out 105 batters in 89 innings, walked 66 and had a 4.67 earned run average. Pruett came back to New Ulm for the 1989 50th anniversary celebration of Johnson Park. The Brewers finished 16-13 in the WM, then lost to Marshall in the playoffs in five games, the last going 11 innings after the Brewers knotted the series after losing the first two games.