Minnesota's Town Ball tradition celebrates 100 years

CATHY WURZER: Say, speaking of sports, across Minnesota, all summer long, hundreds of baseball teams have been taking the field in a century-old tradition. We're talking about town ball, which is celebrating 100 years this year.

Over those years, towns have fielded teams of amateur players that compete for bragging rights in what's a uniquely Minnesota pastime. This weekend is the final weekend of the 100th state town ball tournament. Joining us now is Dennis Brennan, a board member of the Minnesota Baseball Association who has a rich history in town ball. Dennis, welcome.

DENNIS BRENNAN: Well, thank you.

CATHY WURZER: Now, for folks who don't know, town ball is not exactly a neighborhood beer league, you know. Can you explain what town ball is?

DENNIS BRENNAN: Well, it's really probably more popular in the smaller towns around Minnesota. Since its inception, there was a great number of teams that were around the Twin Cities area and stuff. And the expansion outward continued from the early 1920s till today, basically-- so 100 years of growth, which seen-- the biggest growth, I think, in the late '40s and '50s is when there were probably over 700 teams in the state of Minnesota.

And it has diminished to just under 300 to this day. But it's still very popular among, definitely, the small-town entrants that get to the state tournament. They bring good crowds. So it's been very good.

CATHY WURZER: Are the rules of town ball any different from baseball as we know it?

DENNIS BRENNAN: Well, we've been staying with more of the old-fashioned rules, not what the major leagues have done in the more recent years with the pitch clock. Obviously, we can't use the review from the calls the umpires make or the box that they put on TV. We've been staying with the old-fashioned rules where it's still kind of old-fashioned baseball.

CATHY WURZER: Which is kind of nice. 100 years is a long time, as you know, Dennis. And we can thank your family, I understand, for helping create town ball in Minnesota. Talk about your family connection to this.

DENNIS BRENNAN: Well, my grandfather was one of the four initial individuals to start this back in 1924. And he rode the train from Hinckley to St. Paul and met with three individuals that lived in St. Paul.

One was the editor of the St. Paul paper, Roy Dunlap. And then the sports editor was Lou McKenna. And the superintendent of parks and rec in St. Paul was Ernie Johnson. And these four individuals met and came up with pretty much the current format for Minnesota state amateur baseball tournaments. And the first one was held in 1924 at Lexington Park in St. Paul.

So it has continued to get better ever since. And through the years-- my grandfather passed away in 1941. So he served on this board for 17 years.

And to continue that, my father was a regional commissioner in the '40s and early '50s. And he became a state board member in 1955 until he passed in 1985.

And in 1987, the secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota Baseball Association passed away. And having been to a number of state tournaments and interest in our league, and I was a regional commissioner at the time myself, 1987, I was appointed to fill this individual's position. And outside of '95, '96, '97, I've been on the board ever since.

CATHY WURZER: Wow.

DENNIS BRENNAN: So this would be my 34th state tournament on the board, so.

CATHY WURZER: Well, your family obviously is very much ingrained in town ball. And town ball teams, there are generations of family members who have played on teams over the decades. So I wonder, you know, what does it say about this game, the legacy of this game?

DENNIS BRENNAN: You kind of hit it. The family members, about three years ago, as the state board, put in what we call a descendant rule, that if family members live outside of a radius area, which the radius area in Minnesota is 30 miles, and you had family history with a team and live outside of that radius, you can come back and play with that team.

And we, as a board, I think have probably filled that idea at least 12, 15 times in the last three years now. And we fortunately had a chance to do it with our family since my son lives in Byron, Minnesota, and he's grandfathered in because he's never played with another baseball team. So he can come back and play in Hinckley.

But his oldest son has the opportunity now to come back, which he did the last two years, to play with people that not necessarily he grew up with, but his name is pretty familiar with baseball in Hinckley. So he was very, very much excited about coming back to play.

CATHY WURZER: And we should say-- I mentioned in the introduction that these are teams made up of amateurs, but they're really good amateurs. I mean, there are some pretty impressive players that have played town ball.

DENNIS BRENNAN: Yes, there has been. And it seems like more and more every year get better and better. I mean, it's kind of like what the professional baseball players have gotten. They have gotten so much better in the last 20, 30 years. And so has these amateur teams, mainly because there's so many kids now that play college baseball at all levels.

And then they come back and play for their hometowns. And it's truly a better product on the field now. This state tournament so far has been great the first two weekends. There's been some great ballgames. And I really expect this weekend to be really some good baseball out there at Dassel, Delano, and Litchfield.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, how many folks have shown up so far for the tournament?

DENNIS BRENNAN: So far, the first two weekends, we've had 17,700 and some paid through the gates. So it's been so far a real good first two weekends. The weather's been maybe a couple of days really warm. But otherwise, it's been good baseball weather.

CATHY WURZER: Wow. So before you go, you probably can't tip your hand here because of your stature with the town ball commission, you know. But what kind of-- who have you seen that-- what teams have been really impressive to you?

DENNIS BRENNAN: Oh, this year is kind of new to the whole tournament because we combined class A and class B classes from last year to this year. They're all in one class now.

So there's some of these newer teams that have come in from the class A to play class B in the class B tournament. I haven't seen them. And I would say in class A, the Air Freight Unlimited is a good class B team now. And there's a Minnetonka team from that old class A league that is very good.

And going back to the former class B teams, you got Miesville in yet. You got Cold Spring that's a perennial in the class B. Shakopee has been not in our tournament for the last, probably, two or three, maybe four years. But they're made it to the final weekend now. That's class B.

In class C, both of last year's state class C championship game, Buckman and Nisswa, are both still in it. And they could meet very soon this weekend. And then you got Delano that's had a very good record in class C this year. I think they only lost two games. They got to be a favorite.

CATHY WURZER: Wow, there's a lot.

DENNIS BRENNAN: Oh, yeah. I mean, it's so hard to pick one out at this stage because everything's so even now.

CATHY WURZER: That's good. Dennis, I wish I had more time with you. Thank you, and I wish you well for the tournament, this last weekend of the tournament.

DENNIS BRENNAN: Well, it hopes to be a good one. It's great weather coming. So I hope we see a lot of people out there.

CATHY WURZER: I do, too. Thank you so much, Dennis Brennan, board member for the Minnesota Baseball Association. You can catch the top teams for the title tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday. Those games are happening, as Dennis mentioned, in Delano, Dassel, and Litchfield.