The Bassett Furnituremakers were a minor league baseball team based in

Bassett, Virginia Bassett is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,100 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town was founded along a rail line by the sam ...

, USA that played from 1935 to 1940. Bassett was a member of the

Bi-State League The Bi-State League was an American baseball minor league formed in 1934 with teams in Virginia and North Carolina. The league held together for nine seasons, being represented by ten cities from North Carolina and eight from Virginia. Only the ...

(1935–1940) and the

Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. History The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 throu ...

(1950). Bassett was an affiliate of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

(1940),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1939) and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1936–1937).

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Phil Rizzuto Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career with the New York Yankees (1941–1956), and was elected to th ...

played for Bassett in 1937, his first professional season.

History

The Bassett Furnituremakers made the league playoffs in each year of their existence. Bassett won three consecutive league championship from 1936 to 1938. They won the championships under a different manager – the 1936 Bi-State League Championship under Ernie Jenkins, the 1937 championship under

Ray White Ray White (full name Ray Shirley White Sr) is an American soul vocalist and rock and blues guitarist, best known as a member of Frank Zappa's touring ensembles. He was drafted into Zappa's band in late 1976, being featured on rhythm guit ...

and the third, in 1938, under Walter Novak. From 1936 to 1937, the Bassett Furnituremakers were an affiliate of the

. In 1938 Bassett was an affiliate of the

, and in 1939, the

. They were one of only two baseball teams to ever play professionally in Bassett. They were followed in 1950 by the Bassett Statesman, who played a partial 1950 season in the Class D

. The Wytheville Statesman moved to Bassett on July 27, 1950 due to the polio epidemic. Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop

played for the 1937 Bassett Furnituremakers. In his first professional season, Rizzuto helped Bassett to the league championship, hitting .310 with 5 home runs in 64 games at age 19. Of his season in Bassett, Rizzuto remarked, "The people were so nice, but they couldn’t understand me with my Brooklyn accent, and I couldn’t understand them with their Southern accent."

The ballpark

Bassett teams played at Riverside Park. Riverside Park had a capacity of 1,800 (1939). The field dimensions were (Left, Center, Right) 325-387-325 (1939). The ballpark was located on Riverside Drive.

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni

(1937) Inducted, 1994

Notable alumni

Al Gettel Allen Jones Gettel (September 17, 1917 – April 8, 2005), nicknamed "Two Gun", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, New York Giants, and S ...

(1937) * Clyde Vollmer (1939-1940) *

Mickey Witek Nicholas Joseph "Mickey" Witek (December 19, 1915 – August 24, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball during the 1940s for the New York Giants and New York Yankees, p ...

(1935)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Bassett - Baseball Reference
Baseball teams established in 1935 Defunct minor league baseball teams Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Virginia Bi-State League teams Blue Ridge League teams Henry County, Virginia Baseball teams disestablished in 1940

History

The ballpark

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ... alumni

Notable alumni

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni