“And Finally – It Was Amateur Hour For The Cubs”
Wolf Point Little League – July 1961
Time has left a wreckage of our memories. So, in good faith, we are trying to archive some of our recollections before they are gone.
In the summer of 1961, Jerome Loendorf coached the Jaycee-sponsored Wolf Point Little League. The boys remember Loendorf as a punctual, patient mentor who would work with them individually after practice. Below are various results of one week in July of 1961 and some of the eventual athletic careers of a few of the young Wolves:
• The little leaguers played their games in a place some called, “The Stockyards” or “The Old Roundhouse.” The field was located east of the current Homestead Inn and south of U.S. 2 — between the highway and the railroad tracks.
• The field was “all cinders,” the boys remembered. “We didn’t do a lot of sliding,” said Boone Whitmer. “It was terrible. We were running on ashes from the steam engines. [To build the field] they just leveled it out. Jerome just nailed down the bases. When we went to Glendive for Babe Ruth competition — they had a grass infield.” Indeed, the lush grass in Glendive was a pleasant surprise for the Wolf Point players.
• There were no uniforms in 1961, and the boys drank water from a lone spigot a few hundred feet from the field. They remember that the water had that former “Wolf Point high iron taste.” It wasn’t the best, but “it was cold.”
• In mid-July action, Ross Sansaver, Dennis Jensen and Loren Buettner pitched the Twins to a 1610 victory over the Pirates. Tracey Moe and Jim Brant were the top hitters for the Pirates.
• Bob Olsen and Steve Rothe threw the Cubs to a 4-2 dramatic win over the Indians. Ben Hartz launched a home run for the Cubs.
• Ken Hoversland and Nestor Newman pitched the Tigers over the Braves, 9-7. Jerry Chamberlain unleashed a triple and a single in leading the Tigers. The Braves’ Craig Hveem kept the outcome suspenseful with his consistent hitting.
• Bob Olsen threw the Cubs to a 12-5 blowout over the Dodgers. Steve Rothe notched two hits for the Cubs. For the Dodgers, George “Fishy” Redstone hit a two-run homer, and his teammate, Steve Shumway, notched three hits in the losing cause.
• The Tigers won another game, 14-6 defeating the Indians. Tom Udland’s pitching and Allen Buettner’s hitting sparked the winners. The Indians were led by future Big 32 MVP Steve Dethman with two hits.
• The Tigers kept their streak alive by smashing the Angels 21-8. Larry Middagh and Jerry Chamberlain slugged homers for the Tigers. John Solberg and Boone Whitmer smacked round trippers for the Angels.
• Dwayne Jensen and David Hustad hit homers for the Twins, as they stunned the Yankees 17-9. Richard Berube thumped two home runs for the losers.
• The Tigers redressed an earlier loss to the Cubs — a club with a threegame winning streak — 190. Larry Middagh smashed two over the fence and Big John Weeks and Frank Samuelson joined the slugfest with one round tripper each. Weeks and Samuelson — along with the Indians’ Steve Dethman — were future members of the Big 32 class A Wolves basketball teams. Nester Newman pitched the shutout win for the hot Tigers.
• The Yanks, led by Mike Bryan and Duane Morey, edged the Pirates 11-9.
• Danny Bridges pitched the Angels to their first win of the season, 10-6 over the Indians. Boone Whitmer walloped a home run for the winners, while Dale Neumiller hit a four-bagger for the Indians.
• Aces Allen Buettner and Tom Udland pitched the Braves over the Dodgers, 15-6. Dodger Craig Hveem terrorized the Braves from the plate. Charley Jensen homered for the winners.
• The Twins showed little mercy for the Athletics, as Ross Sansaver, Dennis Jensen, and Loren Buettner pitched and hit their team to a 24-2 victory.
• And finally, it was amateur hour for the Cubs, as they “threw the ball all over the park,” when Boone Whitmer attempted to steal second. Amidst the frustration and laughter, Whitmer raced home and secured a 10-9 win for the Angels.
• Ross Sansaver and Mike Bryan would go on to be part of a Wolf Point football team that stunned Glendive 26-25, for their last game of the 1968 season. Sansaver and Bryan were mentioned as key defenders against Glendive.
• Dennis Jensen was a member of three WPHS varsity basketball teams (1969-1971). Jensen was a starter when the Wolves defeated Great Falls High and CMR on consecutive nights in December 1970. The Wolves hosted both games. Wolf Point was part of the Little 16 (Class A) at this time. Other key contributors for the Wolves on that weekend were Darrell Zimmerman, RJ Doornek, Mickey Sievers and Terry Johnston.
• Boone Whitmer would go on to play Babe Ruth and earn Hi-Line All Star status for all three years. Due to family work commitments, Whitmer could not play Legion baseball.
• Whitmer did play basketball, however, and was a two-year starter for the Big 32 Wolves that left their opponents in ruins. He was a key contributor in wins over Billings Senior and Great Falls High, including scoring 25 points on all-state Bison Ray Howard. He averaged 17.9 points per game in 1966-67 when he was the lone senior on the team. The next year, 1968, the Wolves were Big 32 state champs. The 1968 Wolves were a potpourri of horrors for their enemies. They were deep with talent, and for many, baseball was their first organized sport. Team members for 1968 were Bruce Erickson, Steve Dethman, Greg Redekopp, Willie Weeks, John Weeks, Harvey Langager, Jim Rodenberg, Lynn Ahrens, Larry Smith and Dennis Dillon. Willie Weeks was a high school All-American and the only unanimous selection on the All-Big 32 team of 1969. Seven of the 10 played sports in college. Dennis Dillon ended up state AAU boxing champion.
• Additionally, Craig Hveem was a four-sport athlete during this time in WPHS history. He achieved in football, baseball, track and field, and basketball. Some Wolves consider him one of the best all-around athletes during this phase of the Wolves’ saga.
