Baseball goes way back in Tinley Park

• Reprints

The 1949 Sportsman’s Club team with coach Fred Zimmerman standing in the back row on the far left. Back row fourth from the left is Eric “Moose” Nasebandt. In front of the coach is Jerry Jacobs. | Supplied Photo

Updated: November 17, 2011 8:42AM

Let me start by saying that the topic of baseball is a little out of my league (pun intended), but I do know that “America’s favorite pastime” has also been Tinley Park’s for a very long time. Although I haven’t been following the current playoffs, I am intrigued by the passion of the fans. The love of baseball seems to start in childhood. Organizations like our own Tinley Park Bobcats and Bulldogs provide children as young as 5 with the opportunity to play baseball. In fact, our Bulldogs are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. They have truly been a staple of Tinley Park sports.

On a recent trip back in time at the Historical Society, I learned about the long history of baseball and other sports in Tinley Park.

Let’s jump back to Sept. 8, 1948, when the Sportsman’s Club of Tinley Park was incorporated. The mission of the club was to promote year-round activity in sports. To that end, they organized baseball and basketball teams. There is very little documentation on the basketball teams, but baseball is another story.

The Sportsman’s Club was open to anyone of high school age or older with the annual dues being only $3. The home field for the baseball team was Memorial Park, 6600 W. 171st St. By the early 1950s, the club fielded both A and B teams that competed with like teams from nearby communities. By 1952, a “Small Fry” team was organized for younger players. The Small Fry team would evolve during the later ’50s into a Little League team and by 1961, the newly formed Bulldogs seemed to be the main organization for youth baseball.

A man named Fredrick Ray Zimmerman was arguably the driving force behind the Sportsman’s Club. He served as the manager and coach of both the A and B teams, which every year ended in the first division. When Fred passed away at age 50 in 1954, a special ceremony was held in his honor. Our then-village president Frank Jeffords hosted a moving tribute to him at Memorial Park, at which baseball diamond 1 was named ‘the Fredrick Ray Zimmerman diamond” in his honor.

Mayor Jeffords said, “I pray that from this day forward the players of baseball on this diamond shall always bear in mind the teachings of our departed comrade and teacher of fair play at all costs, win, lose or draw!” Can you imagine how many kids have run those bases since 1954?

After Fred’s passing, one of his best players, Eric “Moose” Nasebandt, took over as coach. Eric was also a driving force in the club and played on the first Sportsman’s team. You may be familiar with “Moose “ Nasebandt Park at 174th Street and Odell Avenue that was named in his honor.

Another notable player from the original 1949 team was Gerald “Jerry” Jacobs. He went on to play for the Hagerstown Braves, a part of the Baltimore Orioles organization. In 1954, Jerry had the distinct honor of having his name inscribed on a “Louisville Slugger” baseball bat. Ordinarily, only major league players are awarded this honor.

These are just a few of the many athletes, men and women, who have been a part of the sports culture here in Tinley Park. I have no doubt that there will be many generations of athletes to come, who will play for the sheer love of sports, with big dreams and even bigger passions, on fields with a history they may never know.

The seasons and the names may change, but the passion never goes away.

You can find out more about the history of Tinley Park sports at the Tinley Park Historical Society. Special thanks to Ron Otto for sharing his research on Tinley Park baseball with me.