WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 15, 2019 27
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
and Mel Ott led the way in hitting, as
he batted .389 with two home runs
during the World Series.
On Oct. 15, 1933, Hubbell was
joined by two teammates and World
Series stars, pitcher Hal Schumacher
and shortstop Blondy Ryan, at
Dexter Park, barnstorming in a
doubleheader with the Bay Parkways
against the Bushwicks.
The three Giants had varying
degrees of success during the
twin bill in Woodhaven. Hubbell
pitched and won the first game, 6-3,
at Dexter Park. Afterwards, “King
Carl” sat patiently in the grandstand
during the second game and signed
hundreds of autographs.
Hal Schumacher, who had
triumphed over the Senators in
the second game of the World
Series, pitched and lost the second
barnstorming game, 3-1, as Overton
Tremper got three hits off him.
Blondy Ryan also had a tough day
at Dexter Park, making two errors in
the field. He struck out four times in
the first game and finally got a hit in
the second game.
The pay’s the thing
The Bushwicks had the reputation
of being the best payer. When
they reached an agreement with a
player, they paid this amount for a
single night game or for a Sunday
doubleheader.
In 1936, a young college pitcher,
after his college eligibility had been
used up, pitched for the Bushwicks
at an agreed price of $15 if he sat
and $25 if he pitched. He pitched
some fine games for the Bushwicks,
including a shutout of the Pittsburgh
Crawfords.
During World War II, Gene
Hermanski, the Brooklyn Dodger
outfielder, enlisted in the U.S.
Coast Guard and was stationed in
Brooklyn. When he could get a pass,
he played for the Bushwicks under
the name “George Walsh.” Gene was
making $77 per month in the Coast
Guard. Rosner paid him $50 for a
Sunday doubleheader or a single
night game.
After World War II, the Bushwicks
were paying anywhere from $25 to
$50 per Sunday doubleheader or
single night game, with pitchers
getting slightly more.
The last years of Dexter Park
With the military draft, it was
difficult to get players during World
War II, and with gasoline rationing,
travelling teams disbanded.
To boost revenues at Dexter Park, a
midget auto racing track was installed
after the baseball season ended in
1950, and the track was operational
by April 1951. To accommodate the
installation, the infield had to be
moved northeastward so that the
track could circle the infield but
in foul territory. It also required a
leveling of a massive amount of the
center-field hill. In addition, the
fruit trees and vegetables that the
groundskeepers had so carefully
planted in deep center field were
removed to make way for service
pits for the autos.
The midget auto racing track
ruined the baseball field. But
with the Bushwicks baseball team
operating at a loss in 1951, the
team was disbanded at the end of
the season. Auto racing continued
through 1955, when the field was
sold. The stands were torn down,
and one- and two-family houses
were erected on the site.
Reprinted from the Dec. 9, 2004
Ridgewood Times.
* * *
If you have any remembrances or old
photographs of “Our Neighborhood:
The Way It Was” that you would like to
share with our readers, please write to
the Old Timer, c/o Ridgewood Times, 38-
15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361, or send
an email to editorial@ridgewoodtimes.
com. Any print photographs mailed
to us will be carefully returned to you
upon request.
The Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society erected this marker at the
former site of Dexter Park, noting its link to baseball history.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Overton Tremper in 1934, when he was playing for the Bushwicks at
Woodhaven’s Dexter Park.
Ridgewood Times archives via Brooklyn Public Library-Brooklyn Collection
The 1912 Harlem Giants, a black baseball team, were among the many semipro
baseball teams that played in the New York City area during the days
when Dexter Park operated.
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