League: Chippewa River Baseball League

Primary League

Rick Rubenzer

Class of 2011

Utility

Jim Falls Sturgeons 1977-83, 85-98

Manager

Jim Falls Sturgeons 1985-98

A sure-handed fielder with a smooth and easy left-handed swing, Rick Rubenzer’s playing and managerial career left an indelible mark on the CRBL during his 21 seasons with the Sturgeons of Jim Falls.

The breadth and quality of Rubenzer’s time in the CRBL is illustrated in his stature as the only person in league history to gather 100 managerial wins, 300 hits, and 300 innings pitched.

As field general for the Prehistoric Fish from 1985 to 1998, Rick’s managerial methods resulted in six WBA appearances (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992), one North division title (1989), one Final 8 showing (1991), and seven winning seasons (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1995)  — an unmatched run of success for one of the CRBL’s oldest franchises.

Manager Rubenzer was also one tough out.  Upon induction, he can be found in the Top 20 all-time for nine offensive categories.  Rick’s highest perch is in walks, where he is ranked 4th.  His other Top 20 ranks include being 6th in games played, 8th in at-bats, 9th in hits and singles, and 10th in RBI’s, runs scored, doubles, and total bases.

The impressive summation of these totals featured a .460 (23 for 50) batting title in 1981.  The 23 hits that season tied for the league high.  Rubenzer’s other league leading effort occurred in 1988 when his pile of 28 RBI’s coincided with the Sturgeons stellar 14 and 2 regular season record.

Including the .460 batting crown in 1981, Rick topped .400 in a total of four campaigns, doing it in 1981 (.460), 1987 (.404), 1988 (.435), and 1992 (.408).  In seven other seasons (1980, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999, and 2000) he was on the north side of a .300 batting average.  His 270 career walks were built on 15 seasons in which his keen batting eye garnered 10 or more base on balls.

The consummate utility man, Rick accumulated 368 innings off the mound.  His career high of 55.2 innings also came with a personal best 6 wins in 1983 for 12 and 6 Jim Falls, the Sturgeons’ first winning record since 1975.

Rick was selected All-CRBL in 1988 as a shortstop for his outstanding 28 RBI, .435 AVG., 2 HR, 18 BB season.  His 14 All-Star game appearances (1980, 1981, 1983, 1985-1989, 1991-1995, 1999) are currently the 6th most in league history.

Rick is the second member of his family to be immortalized as a CRBL Hall of Famer, joining younger brother Randy who was in the Inaugural Class of 2009.

Ben Pitsch

Class of 2011

Utility

Jim Falls Fallsmen 1927,30; Eagleton Eagletons 1928-29; Jim Falls Cardinals 1931; Anson Ansonites 1932; Jim Falls Old Abes 1937-38; Jim Falls 1939-41; Jim Falls Legion 1947-50; Holcombe Old Abes 1951-52; Jim Falls Dairymen 1953

Manager

Jim Falls Fallsmen 1930; Jim Falls Old Abes 1937-38; Jim Falls 1939-41; Jim Falls Legion 1948-50

Nearly 60 years after his last game, Ben Pitsch is remembered as a patriarch of one of the most recognizable family names in CRBL history.  On the playing the field, he carved out an admirable and devoted playing career over 18 seasons of league competition.

Playing the bulk of his career in what should be viewed as the “dead ball” era of the CRBL, Benny was a consistent and reliable performer from both the batter’s box and the mound.

Averaging over 1 hit a contest during his 234 game career, Pitsch hung up his spikes as the league’s all-time leader in games played, at-bats, hits, singles, doubles, RBI’s, runs scored, walks, and total bases.  In 17 of his 18 league seasons, Ben collected 10 or more hits, with his career peak of 18 knocks coming in 1951.  Batted over .300 twice, doing so in 1938 at .340 (17 for 50) and 1947 at .304 (17 for 57).  Consistently used as a pitcher during the 1930’s, Pitsch tied for the Chippewa Valley League lead with 1 save in 1936.

During his nine seasons as a player/manager for four different Jim Falls teams, Mr. Pitsch led his squads to three winning records and two .500 finishes.

Playing in a time period when amateur leagues and teams were much more commonplace in the Chippewa Valley, Ben was also a standout for Jim Falls teams in the Cloverbelt, Yellow River, and Eastern County leagues during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Even with this cross-section of amateur baseball experiences, Pitsch’s name can still be found on the CRBL’s all-time lists.  Upon induction, Pitsch is 21st all-time in at-bats and singles, tied for 29th in walks, tied for 30th in games played, and tied for 34th in hits.

Participated in the 1953 All-Star game, one of only four seasons in which the league exhibition was held during Pitsch’s career.

Russ Nelson

Class of 2011

Pitcher, Utility

Jim Falls Mobile 1969-70; Jim Falls Saints 1971-87; Jim Falls Sturgeons 1988-91, 2002-03; Bloomer Merchants 1992;

Bloomer Fightin’ Woodticks 1993-2001

In a league career that spanned a remarkable 35 seasons, Russ Nelson rubber-armed his way to the likely insurmountable totals of 1,770.1 innings pitched and 1,163 strikeouts.  A durable and inventive pitcher, Nelson is remembered as much for his longevity as he is the fiery competiveness that permitted him to cross five decades of play in the CRBL.

Naturally, Russ was a pace-setter in innings pitched during multiple years, doing so in 1985 with 96 innings, 79 innings in 1988, and 71 innings in 1992.  Nelson’s personal best, workhorse mark of 104.1 innings pitched came in 1979, the only year in the Jim Falls Saints’ 17 season existence in which they qualified for the WBA tournament.

Nelson surpassed the 50 inning mark a league record 23 seasons, doing it for the first time with 52.1 innings in 1971 for the Saints at the age of 19.  25 years later, he notched his last such effort with 62 innings pitched in 1996 for the ‘Ticks when he checked in at 44 years young.

Russ’ one season as the top winner in league play came in 1988, when in his first year as a Sturgeon and 20th year in the CRBL, he set a career high with 9 wins to embroider his league best 79 innings hurled for the 14 and 2 Fish of Jim Falls.  His stalwart performance and winning contributions earned him a well-deserved All-CRBL nod at pitcher.

Nelson also led the league in saves with 2 in 1984 and tied for the lead in shutouts with 1 in 1982, 1989, and 1991.

1989 found the righty chewing up 62.1 innings while going 5 and 2 in helping the North champ Sturgeons win their first division title since 1973 with a team won/loss record of 12 and 4.  Fittingly, Russ hurled his last 4.2 innings for the 2003 Sturgeons in a part-time role.

From the batter’s box, Nelson hit over .300 in 5 of his 23 seasons as a regular in the line-up as he steadily built some healthy offensive totals.  His season best average of .357 (15 for 42) came in 1982.  His lone offensive leading total came in 1975 when he rapped 5 doubles.

Participated in seven All-Star games (1971, 1981, 1983-1986, 1988).  In addition to his All-CRBL award in 1988, Russ was recognized with Honorable Mention All-CRBL in 2002.

Upon induction, Nelson is the all-time leader in innings pitched and strikeouts, ranks 3rd in wins and is tied for 15th in shutouts.  Offensively, Russ is 5th all-time in games played, 7th in at-bats, and 10th in walks.

Paul McIlquham

Class of 2011

Catcher, Outfielder, 2nd Baseman

Jim Falls Sturgeons 1981-96

A versatile run-producing utility man, Paul McIlquham used a strong right-handed stroke to pound his way through 16 productive seasons of competition in the Chippewa River Baseball League.

In molding a balanced offensive and defensive career, McIlquham was named ALL-CRBL twice at 2nd base (1985, 1992) and three times as a catcher (1987, 1988, 1989).  In 1990, he was recognized as a catcher again, this time as an honorable mention pick.  In all-star game play, he appeared in eight contests through three different positions – 2nd base, catcher, and outfield.

In 12 of McIlquham’s 16 seasons he hit over .300 with his career high coming in 1988 when he stung the ball to the tune of .533 (24 for 45).  His 24 hits that year matched a career high, while his 6 doubles, 26 RBI’s, and 19 walks were also career peaks while batting for the high scoring, 14 and 2 Sturgeons.

The diversity of Paul’s offensive skills is evident in both his career and yearly outputs.  In five seasons, he notched 20 or more hits.  He drove in 20 or more runs in four seasons, doing so consecutively from 1988 to 1991.  Five seasons saw him hit 4 or more home runs, with his 1987 total of 7 dingers being a personal best.  His league leading 13 stolen bases in 1983 was the best of nine years in which he swiped 5 or more bags.  Showing a discerning eye at the plate, McIlquham gathered 10 or more walks in a season 13 times, doing so nine seasons in a row (1988 to 1996) after pacing the league with 15 free passes in 1985.  Paul also led the “River League” in runs scored in 1985 with 24. His other league leading mark came in 1983 when he tied for the CRBL lead in at-bats with 72.

McIlquham’s potent contributions were a major factor in Jim Falls’ emergence as an offensively explosive and tough league foe during the 1980’s and early 1990’s.  This was evident in the Big Fish claiming a North Division crown in 1989, qualifying for the WBA eight times (1983, 1986-1992), and surviving to a Final 8 in 1991.

Upon becoming a CRBL Hall of Famer, Paul is tied for 7th all-time in stolen bases, 8th in homeruns, 9th in RBI’s, 15th in runs scored, and 10th in slugging percentage.

Williams Manke

Class of 2011

Pitcher

Cadott Club 1908-09

The CRBL’s embryonic beginnings found nine teams and roughly 200 players marking the rudimentary existence of the “Chippewa Valley League” in 1908 and 1909.  From this era, right-hander Williams Manke of the Cadott Club will be remembered as the lone Hall of Famer.

Manke’s induction is due largely to his trailblazing pitching feats, but also in part to his conspicuous existence in league play.  On July 9th of 1908, the Eau Claire Leader reported that Manske had been “signed” by the Cadott Club from the Eau Claire Tigers of the amateur Western Wisconsin League.  In his first recorded start for Cadott, Williams lost a tough 1-0 contest to the league rival Eau Claire Badgers in which he allowed just 2 hits.  One week later, he shutout the same Badgers 2-0 on a 6-hitter.  The righty finished the 1908 CVL season with a 4 and 3 record in 61 innings with a 2.07 ERA, 1 shutout, and 46 strikeouts.

In what would turn out to be the CRBL/CVL’s last go around until 1927, Manke shined in the controversial season of 1909.  A reported spitball artist, Williams used his specialty to garner the league’s first pitching triple crown, leading the young circuit with marks of 10 wins, 117 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.56.  His totals of 123 innings, a .714 winning percentage, and 2 shutouts were also CVL leading totals.

On July 18th of 1909, Manke spun the first no-hitter in CRBL history, doing it against the Colfax Skidoos in Cadott.  Described as the “best twirler in the league” (Eau Claire Leader, Aug. 29, 1909) this gem highlighted the spitballer’s dominant year in which he accounted for every one of his team’s 10 wins and 4 losses.  The strength of Manke’s effort propelled the Cadott Club to a disputed Chippewa Valley League championship.  Managed by Doc Cunnigham, a well known baseball promoter of that day, Manke and his teammates were accused of being on a payroll as well as counting a Manke pitched 3-1 loss to the Eau Claire Giants simply as an exhibition, thus allowing them to capture the flag by a half game over the 10 and 5 Menomonie Blue Caps.  Over 100 years later, the “famous Cadott team” (Eau Claire Leader, Aug. 4, 1909) is still viewed as the 1909 Chippewa Valley League champ.

Any chance Manke had of making a deeper mark on the league record book was eliminated with the inexplicable disappearance of the CVL from 1910 to 1926.  Nonetheless, the spitballing righty did enough to be remembered as the biggest star of 1908 and 1909, as well as one of the greats in CRBL history.

Jim Stuckert

Class of 2010

Catcher

Bloomer Pines 1959-64; Bloomer Blackhawks 1975-78

Manager

Bloomer Merchants 1979-89

A strong-armed catcher, consistent hitter, and long-time manager, Jim Stuckert’s contributions to the CRBL and to Bloomer baseball might be better measured by the fondness and the esteem in which he is remembered rather than the numbers he amassed on the baseball diamond.

The first stage of Jim’s career was spent with the Bloomer Pines, where he participated in four straight All-Star games (1961-64).  His rise to league standout coincided with the Pines capturing division crowns and qualifying for the WBA in both 1961 and 1963.

After a departure from league competition for 11 seasons, Stuck and his stick returned in 1975, hitting .372 (16 for 43) for the Bloomer Blackhawks.  His encore average of .326 (15 for 46) in 1976 was the fourth of six seasons in which he would hit .300+ as a regular.  His career high notably came as a player/manager for the Bloomer Merchants in 1980, when at the age of 39, Jim hit .500 (16 for 32) with 2 round trippers and 10 RBI’s.

During his 11 season tour as skipper of the Merchants, Stuck led the Bloomer bunch to five WBA tournaments (1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987) and the franchises’ lone Final 8 birth in 1987.

Off the field, Jim was one of the driving forces behind the construction of Bloomer’s community baseball field, which opened to the Merchants sweeping the Cadott Red Sox in a doubleheader on Sunday, June 17th, 1984.

Just over fifteen years later — on July 3rd, 1999 — Jim’s legacy and many contributions were rightfully recognized by the city of Bloomer.  Prior to that day’s CRBL All-Star game, the field that now acts as home to the Bloomer Fightin’ Woodticks, Bloomer high school, and several area youth baseball organizations fittingly was renamed “Stuckert Memorial Park”.

Mike Meindel

Class of 2010

Pitcher, Outfielder

Bloomer Blackhawks 1968-78; Bloomer Merchants 1980

The path of Mike Meindel’s 12 seasons in league play saw him roar on to the amateur baseball landscape as an iron-armed strikeout machine before developing into an efficient part-time starter.  At the plate, he remained an extra base threat and run producer throughout his career.

In his rookie summer of 1968, Meindel went 3 and 4 while striking out 54 batters in 57 innings to go along with a 3.00 ERA.  These solid but uneventful numbers gave little indication of what was soon to follow.  In 1969, the right-handed Meindel would log a league high 145 innings with a 9 and 6 record, a 3.10 ERA, and the mammoth, still unbroken season record of 180 strikeouts.  In accumulating this staggering total,  Meindel pitched in 18 of the Bloomer Blackhawks’ 19 games that season, notching 9 games of double digit strikeouts with a game high of 19 punch-outs verse the Wheaton Warhawks in an 11-inning, 4-3 Bloomer win.

This began a prodigious four year period in which Mike would lead the league in innings pitched (145 IP in 1969, 87 IP in 1970, 125.1 IP in 1971, and 130 IP in 1972) and strikeouts (180 K’s in 1969, 99 K’s in 1970, 141 K’s in 1971, and 137 K’s in 1972).  During this time frame, Mike would also lead the league in wins with 9 in 1970, winning percentage at .900 in 1972, shutouts with 2 in 1971, and tie for the league lead in wins with 10 in 1971.  A summative look at 1969 to 1972 shows Meindel averaging 121.2 innings pitched, 9 wins, and 139 strikeouts with an accumulative ERA of 3.12.  The righty would then win 10 games in 1972, coinciding with his first sub-3.00 ERA mark of a 2.77.

For the remainder of Meindel’s career, his workload would be diminished but not his effectiveness.  A 4 and 2 mark in 1973 came with a career low 2.28 ERA during 47.1 innings pitched with 68 strikeouts and 2 saves.  In weaving a streak of five consecutive seasons with a sub 3.00 ERA, Meindel capped it off with a 2.91 ERA in 21.1 IP in 1974, a 2.83 ERA during 28.2 innings in 1975, and a 2.79 ERA in 42 innings worked in 1976.

Meindel’s dominance during those years coincided with the Blackhawks lone WBA appearance, as Bloomer made the tourney in 1970.  In 1971, Meindel’s 10 and 4 season and 141 whiffs launched the Bloomer Blackhawks to their lone championship game bout, where they lost a tough 2-0 decision to Tilden despite Mike’s complete game effort in which he allowed 5 hits and K’d 5 Tigers.

As a regular in the Bloomer line-up, Meindel was a consistent threat to reach a gap or hit a long ball, as shown by his career total of 10 triples which is currently tied for 4th all-time.  Offensively, his best year came in 1971 when he hit on career highs of 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 13 RBI’s.

An All-Star game participant in 1970, 1971, and 1972, Meindel was named All-CRBL as a pitcher in 1972, one of just two years the league gave such an honor before it became a yearly tradition in 1978.

Upon induction, Mike ranks 7th in ERA, 8th in strikeouts, 9th in innings pitched, 13th in K’s per 9 innings pitched, and tied for 11th in wins.

Jeff Lawler

Class of 2010

Outfielder, Pitcher

Lafayette Indians 1975-88; Bloomer Merchants 1989-91

            An extremely potent hitter, solid fielder, and serviceable pitcher, Jeff Lawler was a dedicated and respected ballplayer whose family name was synonymous with league events and winning baseball throughout the righty’s 17-season CRBL career.

A participant in eight All-Star games (1981, 1983-87, 1989, 1990) he was also a member of five All-CRBL teams (1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984).  The lanky, right-handed swinging Lawler hit over .300 in 12 seasons, with a career high of .455 (30 of 66) in 1984.  In total, Lawler registered five .400 campaigns, as he also hit .449 in 1978 (31 for 69), .415 in 1979 (27 for 65), .437 in 1983 (31 for 71), and .411 in 1987 (23 for 56).

With this productivity came several league-leading marks, the first of which came in 1978 when Jeff’s 31 hits tied for the league high while leading hitters outright with 8 doubles.  In 1979, he trumped the CRBL in two-baggers again, this time with 7.  Fast forward to 1983, his effort of .437 yielded league leading totals of 31 hits, 8 homeruns, and 20 runs scored while driving in a career high 22 runs.  For a follow up in 1984, Lawler’s totals of 30 hits and 66 at-bats set the pace for CRBL hitters.

Of course, Lawler’s accomplishments at the dish became one of the main ingredients in the Indians’ recipe for winning play.  Playing primarily out of family run Lawler’s Field, the Tribe from Lafayette won a league championship in 1976, four Southern titles (1976, 1978, 1985, 1988), qualified for 10 WBA tournaments (1976-78, 1980-83, 1985, 1987-88), and battled to two Final 8’s (1977 and 1978).

Once the Indians departed from league play after 1988, Jeff concluded his career with the  Bloomer Merchants.  In Bloomer, Lawler capped off a run of 10 straight .300+ seasons by hitting .333 in 1989 (14 for 42) and .358 in 1990 (19 for 53).

Throughout his time in the CRBL, Lawler doubled as a spot pitcher who exceeded 30 innings in a season 7 times and 40 innings twice, with a high of 49 in 1986.  In the 1984 season that saw him hit a career high .455, he also went a personal best 4 and 2 from the mound in 39 innings pitched.

Upon induction, his all-time rankings include being tied for 12th in doubles, tied for 16th in RBI’s, alone at 14th in batting average, 15th for hits, total bases at 17th, and slugging percentage at 14th. (Biographical information amended, 2018)

Jim Landry

Class of 2010

Pitcher, 3rd Baseman

Cadott Lions 1953-56; Cadott Red Sox 1957-59, 61-62

          The consensus among those who saw Jim Landry play is basic but telling — the Cadott native was one of the best hitting and pitching talents to ever partake in league competition.

Landry broke into the league as a 16 year-old, hitting .320 (16 for 50) for the Cadott Lions.  This was the first of five seasons in which he would bat over .300 as a regular, with his career best coming in 1962 when he stroked a .379 average (22 for 58) during his last go around in league play.

The supernova of Landry’s talents took place in 1957.  For the fledgling Cadott Red Sox, the right-hander flourished in the extended, once a week schedule format.  In piling up 146.1 innings pitched, Landry whiffed 173 batters in going 14 and 3 with a 3.26 ERA.  His K total led the league outright, while his 14 wins set him as a co-leader with Cornell’s Marty Webster.  Moreover, the 14 win total by Landry and Webster is still standing as a single season league record.

From the batter’s box in 1957, Landry hit .333 (27 for 81) while hammering out 7 home runs, 27 RBI’s, and scoring 24 runs.  Of course, Jim’s standout season coincided with the Red Sox winning an outright title with a 15 and 3 league mark.

None of his offensive totals from 1957 were league highs, although Landry did turn that trick with 14 base on balls in 1958 and 1962, as well as 17 runs scored in his fine 1962 campaign, in which he hit the aforementioned .379.

The righty’s dominance from the mound continued in 1958.  For the 10 and 0, South Division champion Red Sox, Landry sat down 99 batters in 72 innings while leading the then Chippewa Valley League with an 8 and 0 record, 1.63 ERA, and co-leading total of 2 shutouts.  On May 18th of that spring, Jim threw his first of two no-hitters, a 10-0, 9-inning victory over Seymour.

In 1959, Landry’s 5 and 1 record, 53 innings pitched, 85 K’s, and a 1.87 ERA were highlighted by his second, 9-inning no-hitter.  This one came against Boyd on June 7th in another 10-0 Red Sox win.  In the long and winding history of the CRBL, Landry still stands as the only pitcher to throw two 9-inning no-hitters in league competition.

Missing all of 1960 due to military service, Jim returned midway through 1961 to go 1 and 0 in 15 innings with a 0.60 ERA and tie for the league lead in saves with 1.

In Landry’s last season of league play in 1962, his memorable offensive season was augmented by a pitching mark of 4 and 2 with 64 K’s and a 3.65 ERA in 49.1 innings, helping to push Cadott to a second division title and its first birth in the WBA’s Final 8.

A strong validation of Landry’s talents came in early August of 1958, when the Chicago White Sox offered him a contract to pitch at their single-A affiliate in Toronto.  After strong consideration, Jim declined the offer.

Participated in five All-Star games (1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962).  During his six seasons, Landry played on one league champ, two division winners, three WBA qualifiers, and one Final 8 squad.

Upon induction, Jim’s highest all-time ranking can be found in ERA where he is 4th.  He is also holding steady at 5th for strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and 7th for winning percentage.