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

Like skyrockets streaking and exploding across the sky at a July 4th spectacular, baseball history exploded for the viewers at the Johnson Park 75th anniversary observance June 21, 2014.

Multiple projectors and screens projected multiple media presentations to honor Johnson Park, observe baseball history and recollect the 15 state championships which New Ulm has captured since 1934 when the New Ulm American Legion took the state by storm.

Twenty-five short PowerPoint type videos were produced by the planning committee's graphics committee and viewed by 300 persons at the banquet. The fast-paced full night's program was emceed by KNUJ's Jim Bartels and concluded with three milestone events.

Those recognized Doug Palmer for his still-leading all-time highest batting average for a Legion player in region and World Series play, New Ulm's winning-est coaches and a finale produced by Flying Buttress Media which exemplified the pride players have in Johnson Park.

The coaches on hand were Jim Senske of NUHS who just this week saw his record 700 plus wins passed for the first time; Dave Kunz with most wins as a Legion team mentor; Ken Brueske who holds the reocrd for amateur baseball managers; and Bob Weier, who has move into Minnesota's top 10 winners with a record total at New Ulm Cathedral.

Material was primarily gathered from the collections of Red Wyczawski, Elroy Ubl and Herb Schaper and organized by New Ulm Sports Central as a symbol of how technology can bring history alive while preserving and sharing the events which are recorded.

The night also included the induction of four more persons to the New Ulm amateur baseball Hall of Fame. They included the late Frank Stuckey as a contributor and worker to New Ulm baseball and players Brady Ranweiler, Brad Weber and Corey Schaefer.

Jim Aujfderheide, Wyczawski, Rpn Reinhart, Elroy Ubl and Debbie Steinbach assisted in the presentation developments. Steinbach's Memory Lane enterprise produced the final music-tracked videos from the PowerPoint development.