From the shores of Howard Lake we bring you baseball, Orphans baseball. Town Team baseball has a history in Howard Lake which is more than a century old. Amateur players began competing in Howard Lake as early as 1905. In the early days, the team was known as the Blue Sox. The first ball field in Howard Lake was located just South East of the current Howard Lake Middle School. In the early 1920's the town ball field moved to the Wright County Fairgrounds.
It was in the late 1920's when the Orphans current field, Memorial Park, was purchased by the City of Howard Lake from Gawn Workman for the price of $300. Even though today we see Memorial Park as a great location for a ball field, it was somewhat of an unpopular purchase at the time. This negative opinions were based on the susceptibility to flooding and wet playing conditions. Nonetheless it was the new home of town team baseball in Howard Lake.
In the 1930s the park was given improvements for a better playing field. The improvements included: dugouts, terraced seats, trees, and additional fill over the entire field to raise the elevation. These improvements were a result of the Public Works Administration, (part of President Roosevelt's New Deal). The Public Works Administration (PWA) was a
New Deal agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Herold Ickes It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression
. It
concentrated on the construction of large-scale public works such as dams and bridges, with the
goal of providing employment, stabilize purchasing power, and contribute to a revival
of American industry. Most of the spending came in two waves in 1933-35, and
again in 1938. The PWA was closed down in 1939. (Reference: Wikipedia.com)
When the United States entered WWII, amateur baseball ceased during the years of 1942-1946, as many of the players turned in their baseball uniforms and served in our military overseas.
The war was over and people were ready for a return to normalcy. It was time to start amateur baseball again in 1947. Howard Lake decided to do more park renovations during the summer of 1947, such as adding more soil to the park, installing a new grass infield, and putting up light towers for night games. These are the same towers that stand at the park today, with the exception of two. Two of the towers were replaced because one of them was struck by a vehicle and the other was weakened by wind. It was during this renovation time when the town team had to play the remainder of its season at Cokato's ballpark. Someone unknown began calling Howard Lake's team the "Orphans" due to having no home field to play on. What do you know...the name stuck, and for over 50 years Howard Lake's team has been known as the Orphans.
The late forties and fifties were golden years for the Orphans. Baseball in the 1950s was very popular across the country and it was no different in Howard Lake. Home games would draw as many as 500 to 1,000 fans. The Orphans proved to be an elite team during the time, making it to their first state tournament in 1951. It was during this era that legend Orphan, Clinton (Timber) Dahlberg, played. The nickname, Timber, came from his hitting ability with a wooden bat and was one of the most feared hitters to face. Timber played professional baseball prior to playing with the Orphans, playing as high as triple-A. Timber, a left-handed hitter, was so powerful he would regularly hit homeruns into Howard Lake.
Two decades of competitive baseball came to a close in 1967 when the Orphans folded. The 1970s and '80s were a dark period for town team baseball in Howard Lake. Many talented local players traveled and played for other area town teams.
In 1991 and 1992 the Orphans had a short two year stint in the Crow River League before folding once again. In 1995 the Orphans were revived by two player-managers, Mike Gagnon and Kevin Gruenhagen. The Orphans shocked the league as an instant success with a state tournament berth with a roster of mostly young players out of high school and a small group of talented veterans. The excitement of the players and fans was prevalent throughout the season, and the Orphans brought a large crowd to Perham, MN to see if the Orphans could extend this magical season. The first state tournament in 44 years ended abruptly with a loss in the first round of the state tournament to Gaylord.
The success of the Orphans teams in the current era have been unparalleled by Orphans teams of the past. Since the 1995 state tournament appearance, the Orphans made it again in 1998, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008 and most recently 2009. Out of the past 15 seasons, 14 have been winning seasons and since 1995 have compiled a record of 317-189, a 63 percent winning percentage.
Howard Lake's reputation for its strong pitching and fundamental baseball have given Orphans teams their competitive edge over other town teams. The Orphans pitching staff has lead the league numerous times in ERA and strikeouts. Since the switch from metal to wood bats, the Orphans have progressively become a strong hitting team as well.