The McCook Braves were a minor league baseball team based in

McCook, Nebraska McCook is a city in and the county seat of Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,446 at the 2020 census. History McCook was platted in 1882 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. I ...

. From 1956 to 1959, the McCook Braves played as members of the short-season Class D level

Nebraska State League The Nebraska State League (NSL) was an American professional minor league baseball league with five incarnations between 1892 and 1959. The Nebraska State League formed five times: in 1892, from 1910 to 1915, from 1922 to 1923, from 1928 to 1938 a ...

as an affiliate of the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

for their duration. The Braves won the 1959 league championship and were preceded in McCook by the McCook Generals of the Nebraska State League from 1928 to 1932.

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 Niekro Philip Henry Niekro ( ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. Niekro's 31 ...

pitched for the 1959 McCook Braves. The 1959 McCook Braves are featured in the book ''A False Spring'', written by McCook Braves player

Pat Jordan Pat Jordan (17 July 1928 – 1 September 2001) was a British Trotskyist who was central to founding the International Marxist Group. Jordan was born in Chelsea, London,Cohen, S. 'Pat Jordan (1928-2001) in ''Revolutionary History'' Vol.8 No.3 pg.2 ...

History

McCook first fielded a minor league team in the 1903. The McCook team was a member of the 1903

Central Nebraska League The Central Nebraska League was an Independent level minor league baseball league that played in the 1903 season. The five–team Central Nebraska League consisted of franchises based exclusively in Nebraska. The Central Nebraska League played j ...

, an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

level five–team league that folded after one season. The last known standings were published on July 24, 1903, shortly before the Minden and Giltner teams disbanded. The Red Cloud Indians and McCook would disband shortly thereafter. The last known standings had the Holdrege Silver Aces in 1st place with a 19–7 record, tied with McCook, who had an identical record. Based in

, the McCook Braves were members of the

from 1956 to 1959, having been preceded in an earlier Nebraska State League by the McCook Generals, who played from 1928 to 1932, winning Nebraska State League Championships in 1928, 1929 and 1930. The eight–team Nebraska State League reformed as a Class D level league in 1956 after a 15 season hiatus. In 1956, it was announced that

major league baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

had plans to sponsor a new Class D League in Nebraska with affiliate teams. After the announcement, local McCook Baseball Boosters met with the major league owners. Requirements for a franchise in the Nebraska State League included: cities having a lighted ball park; selling $5,000 in season tickets and providing another $2,500 for incidental expenses, and the ability to provide transportation to away games. Eleven Nebraska cities agreed to these provisions. The eleven names were put into a hat to draw for one of eight franchises. McCook was one of the cities selected for the new league, along with Superior, Grand Island, Hastings, Lexington, Holdrege, North Platte and Kearney. For the required $5,000 in season tickets, McCook wished to sell 500 at $10 each, McCook instead sold 700. The 1956 McCook Braves began play in the Nebraska State League as an affiliate of the

. McCook finished 1956 season with a record of 35–28, placing 4th in the Nebraska State League, 6.0 games behind the 1st place

Lexington Red Sox The Lexington Red Sox were a minor league baseball team, based in Lexington, Nebraska. From 1956 to 1958, the Red Sox played exclusively as members of the short–season Class D (baseball), Class D level Nebraska State League, winning the 1956 leag ...

. The team scored 454 runs, while allowing 427 runs.

Bill Steinecke William Robert Steinecke (February 7, 1907 – July 20, 1986) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. A native of Cincinnati who attended DePaul University, Steinecke spent almost 40 years in uniform, but only four games in Major ...

served as manager and would manage the team for all four seasons. Playing at Dibola Field, McCook had home attendance of 32,224, an average of 1,023 per game. The McCook Braves finished 6th in the 1957 Nebraska State League. McCook ended the regular season with a record of 27–29, playing the season under returning manager Bill Steinecke and finishing 6.5 games behind the champion

Grand Island Athletics Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

. Home attendance at Dibola Field was 25,844 an average of 923. In their third season, the 1958 McCook Braves finished 2nd in the Nebraska State League standings. McCook was 1.0 games behind the champion

North Platte Indians The North Platte Indians were a minor league baseball team based in North Platte, Nebraska. Preceded by the North Platte Buffalos, the North Platte teams played as members of the Class D level Nebraska State League from 1928 to 1932 as the Buffa ...

in the final standings with a record of 40–23, as Bill Steinecke continued as manager. In their final season, The McCook Braves won the 1959 Nebraska State League Championship. The Braves ended the 1959 season with a record of 43–19 losses, placing 1st in the Nebraska State League, finishing 4.0 games ahead of the 2nd place

Holdrege White Sox The Holdrege White Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Holdrege, Nebraska. The White Sox played as members of the short–season Class D level Nebraska State League from 1956 to 1959 as an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Holdrege ...

in the six–team league. Bill Steinecke was manager for the fourth consecutive season.

member

pitched for the 1959 McCook Braves, finishing with a 7–1 record and a 3.12 ERA in 23 games. McCook led the league in home attendance with 19,788. The Nebraska State League folded after the 1959 season. McCook and the other 1959 league franchises, the

Hastings Giants The Hastings Giants was the final nickname of the minor league baseball teams, based in Hastings, Nebraska between 1887 and 1959. The Hastings Giants played in the short-season Class D level Nebraska State League from 1956 to 1959. Earlier Hasti ...

Kearney Yankees The Kearney Yankees were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class D level Nebraska State League from 1956 to 1959. Hosting home games at Kearney Memorial Field, Kearney was a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. History Ba ...

and

, all permanently folded as well. For the duration of the league, McCook was second only to Grand Island in attendance. McCook, Nebraska has not hosted another minor league franchise.

The ballpark

The McCook Generals were noted to have played at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. After their demise, the semi-pro McCook Cats of the early 1950s had played in Eastside Park (called Felling Field today). When the McCook Braves franchise was established, a new field was immediately constructed at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds with help from local clubs and organizations. The field was dubbed Dibola Field after the

seven cities of Cibola The myth of the Seven Cities of Gold, also known as the Seven Cities of Cibola (), was popular in the 16th century and later featured in several works of popular culture. According to legend, the seven cities of gold referred to Aztec mythology r ...

. The ballpark has a capacity of 2,500 (1956) and 1,000 (1959). Still in use today as host to the Red Willow County fair, the Willow County Fairgrounds are located on West 5th Street, McCook, Nebraska. McCook, Nebraska Norris from A 2

Media

The 1959 McCook Braves season is chronicled in the book ''A False Spring'', written by McCook player

. Jordan eventually retired from baseball to become a writer and an author.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

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

(1959) Inducted 1997

Notable alumni

Luis Alcaraz Ángel Luis Alcaraz Acosta (born June 20, 1941 in Humacao, Puerto Rico) is a former professional second baseman. Alcaraz was signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB) on January 1, 1959 and then traded to th ...

(1959) *

Les Barnhart Leslie Earl Barnhart (February 23, 1905 – October 7, 1971) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1928 and 1930. In three appearances which included two starts, Barnhart ...

(1928) *

Andy Bednar Andrew Jackson Bednar was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930 and 1931 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

(1929) *

Doc Bennett Elmer S. "Doc" Bennett (February 1, 1891 in Ruyle, Illinois, United States – March 31, 1974 in Hollywood, California, USA) was a minor league baseball pitcher and player, who later became a very successful minor league manager, leading five te ...

(1929–1931, MGR) *

Bruce Brubaker Bruce Brubaker is a musician, artist, concert pianist, and writer from the United States. Concepts Brubaker's work uses and combines Western classical music with postmodern artistic, literary, theatrical, and philosophical ideas. He is associat ...

(1959) *

Elrod Hendricks Elrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks (December 22, 1940 – December 21, 2005) was a U.S. Virgin Islander professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore ...

(1959)

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Ron Hunt Ronald Kenneth Hunt (born February 23, 1941) is a former professional baseball second baseman. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos and ...

(1959) 2x MLB All-Star *

(1959) Author, ''A False Spring''. *

Mike Kreevich Michael Andreas Kreevich (June 10, 1908 – April 25, 1994) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball from to . He batted and threw right-handed. Early life Kreevich was born in Mount O ...

(1930) * Hector Martinez (1957) *

Harry Matuzak Harry George Matuzak (January 27, 1910 – November 16, 1978) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of two seasons (1934, 1936) with the Philadelphia Athletics. For his career, he compiled an 0–4 record ...

(1931) * Hugh Mendez (1959) * Spud Owen (1930) * Harlan Pyle (1928) *

Merritt Ranew Merritt Thomas Ranew (May 10, 1938 – October 18, 2011) was an American professional baseball catcher who appeared in 269 games over all or parts of five Major League Baseball seasons (1962–65; 1969) for five different teams. He batted left ...

(1957) *

(1956–1959, MGR) * John Stoneham (1928) *

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

(1931)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Baseball Reference
Red Willow County, Nebraska Baseball teams established in 1956 Defunct minor league baseball teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1959 1956 establishments in Nebraska 1959 disestablishments in Nebraska Defunct baseball teams in Nebraska Professional baseball teams in Nebraska Milwaukee Braves minor league affiliates Nebraska State League teams

History

The ballpark

Media

Timeline

Year–by–year records

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

See also

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