This is part 2. You can read part 1 here: https://wp.me/p4LBtj-ke

May 7, 1934

Sunday afternoon Ruth and Aimee and I went to the first baseball game of the season. The Canaries played Colman and beat them 8 to 2. At the end of the 4th inning, Stucker put in a whole new team from his recruits, and we had the opportunity to see the Canary pitchers work out: Anderson; a left hander; a newcomer from Marcus, Iowa; and Harnisko. Horio showed promise, getting 2 for 3 and fielding OK, at center. We also liked the first baseman from the Sioux City Stockyards and a fellow whose last year’s suit declared that he was from Omaha.

Sunday night we skated at Wall Lake, since Neptune’s skates have been sold down the river.

May 14, 1934

Sunday morning we drove down to Dell Rapids for some more tennis. In the afternoon, saw the Canaries get beat by the Vermillion Red Sox. Skated at Wall Lake. Ray Gehler was there, looking very spiffy.

May 21, 1934

Sunday night I had just got to Elsie’s, preparatory to skating at Wall Lake, when a severe dust storm sprang up. So we stayed there. Today, Monday, we had a couple of showers, the first rain this year.

May 25, 1934

Last night, Thursday, we saw the first league baseball game of the season. The Municipal Band played and Mayor Graff pitched the first ball. After the players were introduced to the fans the game started, and for a while, it looked like the first inning would last all night. Wilson, Harnisko, and Pierson managed to get three outs between them, after 12 runs had been scored.

In the second inning, Floyd Anderson took the mound and finished the game very creditably. The final score was 16 to 3. I had locked the keys in the car, and we got a man from West Sioux to chauffeur us home for the other keys, then back to the ball park.

Friday night we saw a much more satisfactory game in which the Canaries shellacked Norfolk, 12 to 1. Tarantola pitched, and led the batting as well.

At Saturday afternoon’s game, ladies were admitted free, so of course we went, and saw Govenont again limit the opposition to one run while we accumulated several.

Elsie and I had taken Saturday morning off and played three hard sets of tennis. At night, skating. Ward roused himself from the mood he was in to buy us all pop. Ray Gehler says we should be going together instead of toting other people around.

Monday night was Ladies Free again and the Canaries lost to Lincoln, 2 to 4. Shannon pitched OK but had rather poor support. In the last inning, Von Honecker started by singling and the pitcher batted in two runs.

May 31, 1934

Memorial morning we played tennis, Elsie and I breakfasted afterward at Sherman Park. It was a scorching day. We saw Bing Crosby in “We’re Not Dressing” at 6:00, and went to the Beatrice–Canaries ball game at 8:30. It was fun to see the Canaries pound out a few base hits for a change, and win the game, 8 to 4. Pierson used his gloomy ball and fanned 9 men.

Thursday, June 1, 1934

Another dust storm.

Friday, farewell dinner at the Tip Top for Cleone, who’s getting married soon.

Monday, June 4, 1934

We had a rainy day for the first time in 1934. It came down hard for a while, then a soft rain fell.

June 8, 1934

Two more days of rain, and the Canaries, on the road, continue their losing streak.

June 11, 1934

There’s a lot of baseball talk in the office today after last night’s game with the Nebraska All Stars, which we won, 12 to 7. Larry Wheelridge says we’re going to get Rhode of Norfolk and Conaway. We traded Pierson for Rhode, as Norfolk is short of pitchers, and the league that Conaway is in is busting up. Everybody longs for Bosse back again.

June 12, 1934

Ladies Night was a ball game that would have been well worth the 35¢. Horio drove in 7 runs with a triple and a homer inside the park. Woody Hanson, the new right  fielder, played brilliantly in the field and hit a triple, scoring Horio before him. There were errors, but it was exciting all the way through—a lot of base stealing. Tucker was like to kill the umpire when Norfolk’s pitcher committed a balk to catch our man stealing second and the umpire called him out. Govenont yelled himself hoarse after that episode. Tarantula did all right on the mound and the final score was 13 to 6.

June 13, 1934

Last night “Doc” Liepelt worked hard for 8 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs while we made 5. When he hit a triple somebody in the stands yelled “Is there another doctor in the crowd?” When we walked a man with only one out in the 9th, Stucker called “Hey, Duda” and Casey came in and retired the side.

This morning, Hoppie and Bill Wittrock started for their Black Hills vacation, hitchhiking. I took them 10 miles out of town and left them adjusting their knapsacks.

June 14, 1934

The game went for 7 innings and part of the 8th last night with lots of lightning and thunder and occasional sprinkles. The score wavered first in Norfolk’s favor and then in ours, back and forth. Duda relieved Govenont on the mound when the fielders began to drop the balls and fail to make the putouts. the score was tied by a run in the first half of the 8th when the downpour became so heavy that the players took to shelter. It sure came down, and we waited until finally, after the 20 minutes required by rule, somebody announced that the game was called on account of rain. So the score went back to the last full inning and we won, 8 to 7. After we started to go, Tarantola asked Ruth if they could ride home with us, so we took Les Wilson and Norman Tarantola to town. We sat and waited for it to quit raining and talked for about 1 1/2 hours. Couldn’t get the car in up the driveway when we got home, it was so muddy. (Tarantola had had his car at the ball park, but Govenont drove it back for him.)

June 15, 1934

Good doubles tennis at McKennan Park last night with Richard Stevens and his pal, Ed McAllister. He seemed intrigued. Elsie said it was probably the shorts.

Listened to the Baer–Carnera fight last night. It was grand.

The Canaries went 14 innings to win against Lincoln, 3 to 2, with Perry pitching.

June 16, 1934

We played doubles with Richard and Ed again. I went to the ball game at night and saw Tarantola pitch a 6 to 2 victory over Lincoln. It was a well-played game. Today we are all set for a weekend at Okoboji.

June 19, 1934

The Canaries sure need a new first baseman. If we had Bosse we could have won the game last night. Canaries lost to Beatrice 5 to 9. Two or three times we had the bases loaded or at least two on and couldn’t produce a hit. Ruth and Tarantola kept each other entertained.

June 20, 1934

Hop got home from the Hills today. They got rides all around with tourists and saw most everything. On their way home, they were on a pop truck and got stalled in the middle of a storm. So they spent the night in the jail at Salem (not by force!), being treated most hospitably.

June 22, 1934

Last night Ruth and I were both stepping out. She went to a diamond ball game with Fred Pratt and later to the carnival. Richard Stevens took me to see “Moulin Rouge” at the State in his folks’ new Pontiac.

June 30, 1934

Thursday night we had a wiener roast at Cactus Hills with the Pratt and Holt boys. The food was good, and so was the scenery. I do enjoy being outdoors at night by a wood fire.

Friday the team was back in town and we saw them win their first home game, 12 to 0, a shutout for Govenont. The game was marked by four hits by Brandon and a freak double play when the runners thought the ball had been caught, and it wasn’t, but they were both put out before they woke up.

Next installment to come: July, 1934