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John A. "Chief" BENDER Biography |
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John A. "Chief" BENDER Biography |
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Hail to the Chief!
A Research Paper Chronicaling the life and Baseball Exploits ofJohn Adolph "Chief" Bender
January 18, 1993 |
John Adolph Bender was born in St. Paul on December 22, 1886, and by that time, organized baseball had been played for 41 years and had already evolved into less the fraternal style of play and more the professional and commercial brand of ball that exists today. Bender, who was almost never refered to by his given first name but instead as Adolph, earned the nickname of "Chief" sometime after 1910, due in part by his exploits on the mound, the fact that he stood inches over his teammates, and the most obvious reason, after the big league hurler for the Philadelphia Athletics, "Chief" Bender.4
After moving to North St. Paul with his family, Bender took up baseball as a young school-child, and later at an organized level of play while in high school. It was then that his athletic abilities began to gain the notice of classmates as well as all of North St. Paul. Not only was he adept at baseball, but he was coach and player on the football team and was secretary and treasurer of the school's athletic association. All sports and outdoor activities interested young Bender, but only baseball was his love. Although there are no written records of his athleticism while at school, his name began to appear regularly in the local newspaper, the North St. Paul Sentinel, by the time he was 18 and playing for the North St. Paul team in the St. Paul Amateur Major League:
| Bender settled down after the second inning and pitched a fine game. Considering the fact that he went in without warming up and had not thrown even one inning of a game this season, his performance was certainly phenomenal. Going in on a moments notice he hardly realized what he was "doing" the first inning, but after that he got his stride and began "mowing'em down" with the proficiency of a professional.5 |
The written account of this ball game is noteworthy in that it almost implies that this was Adolph Bender's first attempt at pitching. While that may not be true, there is no evidence at this time to show otherwise. Also noteworthy is the apparent timelessness to the expression "mowing 'em down!"
The North St. Paul team must have been impressed by what they saw that day, for they made him their starting pitcher.6 Less than three years later, in 1907, Bender was gaining state-wide attention for his pitching prowess, as these newspaper excerpts testify: "Bender Pitched Some! Bender pitched a wonderful hitless, runless, walkless game."7 "Bender was hit safely twice and struck out 16 men."8 "Home Team Takes Scalps...Hits--off Bender, 3; Struck out--by Bender, 13".9 The pitching took its toll on his arm, however; for on September 16th of the same year, the Chief put his arm out of joint in the seventh inning of a hotly contested game that his team went on to lose. "They not only lost the game but also one of the best pitchers in the State--Adolph Bender."10 After only three years in the amateurs, he was already revered as one of the best in the state.
Eschewing the overhand style of pitching, Bender had an (at that time) outdated underhand style of delivery which proved to be a constant enigma and thorn in the side of opposing players, much to the delight of baseball purists. Said one sportswriter, "Bender is one of the few pitchers who still use[s] the underhand delivery. A glance at his record will show that the old style of pitching is still effective."11 Sometimes, however, even the best pitching could not procure teams a winning outcome. The condition of the fields in which these amateur and semi-pro teams played were, at best, marginal; at worst, abhorrent. The North St. Paul's field was evidently the exception to the rule for the teams of the area, as much care was taken in the upkeep and maintenance of their field, the Brickyards.12 For an example of one of the sub-standard fields, one need look no further than Osceola, Wisconsin:
| The grounds were partly to blame for the loss of this game. North St. Paul was not used to such obstacles. Home plate was a board nailed to four posts and it rose about three or four inches off the ground. A man could run the bases without stepping off of stones. The fielders were encircled by lumber piles and one played his game alone. He was stationed behind a hill and only knew of the game when the sides changed. When a ball was hit in his direction a man on the top of the hill signaled where the ball would probably land if it did not strike a rock, and also signaled the direction of the return throw....The umpire called the game [after five innings] and ran home and locked himself in a closet for fear of being mobbed."13 |
To be sure, not all fields offered this much in the line of a "home field advantage", but it certainly exemplifies the difference between the big leagues and the sandlots.
The following two years, it is believed that Bender was lured away to play ball for the rival Pioneer Business School nine in St. Paul14 and teams in Wisconsin and South Dakota, much to the lament of North St. Paul residents and fans. One fan even went so far as to memorialize Bender's departure in verse:
This person's poetic prayers were answered the following year in 1910, as the Chief returned to captain the Thoens, a newly organized band of local amateur all-stars sponsored by an area business. After one spectacular Thoens victory in which "Bender Fanned 15 Men", Manager Al Luger proclaimed that "it was owing principally to his energetic work that the Thoens won a glorious victory."16 The Thoens finished the season with twenty wins and only five losses, and went on to capture the Minnesota State baseball championship with Bender leading the way. One of their last games that season was played at Lexington Park against the Colored Gophers, a Negro barnstorming team; the outcome of which remains unknown.
As a result of his exceptional talents, the Chief was offered a contract to play for the Ottumwa, Iowa, club in the Central Association of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Leagues (see Appendix A). The contract offered one hundred dollars per month, plus all traveling expenses, board and lodging paid by the club. To be sure, Bender considered this a very tempting offer, yet chose to remain in North St. Paul, much to the delight of his teammates and rooters. The family ties were too strong; his position at North St. Paul's Wick's Piano Factory was too lucrative to give up to play baseball full-time.
Along with the professional baseball contract, the letters came pouring in from around the five state region, and as far away as Montana, requesting Bender's services. Some of these letters wanted for him only to pitch in one game at his convenience, others for the whole season. From the correspondence that still exists today, it appears that the Chief did accept a few of the short term offers, if the price was right and it did not interfere with his schedule.
The 1911 season brought renewed laurels under a new team name--the Camerons, in the semi-professional ranks. The new season also brought forth a remodeled "enclosed park" named North St. Paul Park.17 With the financial backing of the hotel/restaurant owner Angus Cameron and with Bender as Captain, the team went on to win the city championship three years in a row. During the 1912 season, the Chief played in 18 of the team's 19 games, amassing 124 strike-outs in the twelve games he pitched, ten of which he won, two being 2-hitters.18
While the Chief continued his winning ways on the mound, it should also be noted that his abilities at the plate were equally as meritorious. In one lopsided game in 1913, the Chief led the offense with a triple, double, and four singles in seven at bats.19 In another game, "Chief Bender, reviving an old custom of his, met the ball squarely on the nose and it sailed over the fence in deep center field for a home run."20 Whenever cumulative batting statistics were furnished--which was rare, the Chief's average was consistently above .333.
After three successful seasons with Angus Cameron, the players went independent under the leadership of Al Luger, who had been the team's manager the past four years. It was never discussed as to the reasoning behind why the change in sponsorship came about. Angus Cameron fielded another team of players under the Camerons name, and both teams competed in the same division of the St. Paul League. Al Luger's North St. Paul team, again captained by Bender, took hold of first place and did not look back. In a series played at Lexington Park, North St. Paul won the city title and the right to defend it in the national championship quarterfinals against Omaha, Nebraska.
Traveling to Omaha for the first two games, North St. Paul lost the first game, but rebounded in the second match to force a third game back in Minnesota. The deciding game was to be played at Lexington Park, but the Saints and Millers of the American Association were to play their last game of the season at that same time and could not be persuaded to reschedule or relocate their game. The League considered playing at North St. Paul's home park, but decided against it because of the distance from the Twin Cities. The league instead chose a neutral location in West St. Paul.
A large crowd gathered to witness the exciting game, and were treated to a 16 to 9 North St. Paul loss. Even though Bender proved to be ineffective against the young Omaha team, it was reported that the Chief should be "lionized" for getting the team that far:
| The Chief worked his hardest....[North St. Paul] should honor him now for his work of Sunday. The lion-hearted Teuton in the face of a severe defeat in one of the greatest and most important games of his long and brilliant career showed his lion heart Sunday afternoon."21 |
As far as it can be ascertained, North St. Paul did just that. In January of 1915, the North St. Paul players received silver watch fobs (pocket watch chains) from the league for being the season champions.
During the 1915 season, Bender and his teammates once again found themselves under the direction of Angus Cameron, who at the beginning of the year took over operation of the North St. Paul Hotel Sherman. The new team, named the Hotel Shermans, was once again comprised of many of the same players as the years before; however one notable addition to the roster was a Negro pitcher by the name of Phillips. The Sentinel wrote that he [Phillips] was "anxious to make good in the North St. Paul line-up," yet was released after a poor showing in the team's season opener.22
The Hotel Shermans played in the six team Interstate League with other cities represented being Eau Claire, New Richmond, Menomonie, Red Wing and Hudson. The games were often played out to large crowds, some numbering well over 6,000 fans. The Hotel Shermans finished the season atop the league, with much of the credit going to the Chief. A playoff game with the Flor De Knispels for the Twin City semiprofessional baseball championship was held at Lexington Park, and a pitcher's duel ensued. Bender struck out fifteen opposing batters and allowed no runs and only five hits. The opposing pitcher gave up twice as many hits, but the Shermans could not bring anyone across home plate. Therefore the scoreless tie went into extra innings, with both pitchers continuing to be difficult to hit. The Chief had a chance to win his own game in the fourteenth frame when he rapped out a triple to left field with just one man out. His teammates, however, were unable to bring him home. The game was called after the fourteenth inning due to darkness.23 The rematch the following Sunday was equally as exciting, unfortunately the Shermans, with Bender allowing only five hits, lost the game 2-0.
During the 1915 season, many news articles were printed detailing Bender's illustrious baseball career and achievements, the most noteworthy being his total number of games pitched--275, and total number of games won--"around 200".11 It can also be estimated that Bender accumulated over 2,000 strike-outs, considering the fact that he averaged over ten strike-outs per game for most of his career.
Also during the 1915 season, Chief Bender celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday and the birth of his first child, daughter Geraldine.24 The following two years, Bender continued to play ball, but information regarding where or when has either been lost or is unavailable as of this writing. This is purely speculative, but perhaps the growing conflict which developed into the first world war dampened baseball's appeal and glamour. In 1917, Bender was again made a father with the arrival of George Adolph. The headline and story were as follows:
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John A. Bender, better known as "Chief" Bender, pitcher, North St. Paul and the Northwest, has a successor--or will have in a dozen years....'When the baby reaches his twelfth year, I will get him a uniform and a baseball outfit so he can emulate his daddy,' says the big chief. 'This is my last season playing ball. I am getting rather old, having pitched seventeen years in North St. Paul and throughout the Northwest.'25 |
Bender did, in fact, hang up his spikes at that time, concentrating much of his energy into his accountancy with the P. S. Wick company, a position he had held for many years. During that time, Bender was one of the town's paid firefighters. With much civic pride, he also became very active in public service. In 1920, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the village council and two years later he was chosen to be the town clerk. Then following a three year term as trustee, he was drafted as a candidate for mayor in 1926, and was re-elected in 1927.26
In 1928, while recovering from an uncomplicated gall-bladder operation, the Chief fell victim to pneumonia and died at his home in North St. Paul. Son George was eleven years old at the time of his father's death. Sadly enough, the big Chief did not live to see his son's much anticipated twelfth birthday.
His obituary ran not only in the local paper, but was placed on the front page of the St. Paul Daily News:
| "There is always sorrow and grief when a friend passes over the Great divide, and that grief is intensified when a truly noble, lovable character leaves this earthly life. The Chief was one of the most outstanding baseball characters in this section back between 1910 and 1916. He was a pitcher, and a good one, but aside from his athletic ability, the Chief was one of those characters possessed of an exceptionally calm disposition. He stood out of his character, his well developed sportsmanship. The Chief never complained, he took his defeats, there were not many, with stoic calmness. He did not alibi, he did not blame the umpires, in the tense moments which come in baseball games, when the rooters are prone to see the decision as they wish it, not as the arbiter sees it. In his calm manner the Chief was one of the least agitated, it was he who aided in quelling outbursts. He was an example for young men to follow, he stood for those cardinal principles which make for manliness, create character. Chief Bender's loss is felt not only in North St. Paul, but throughout the state."26 |
My only regret in compiling this history of baseball in North St. Paul featuring John Adolph Bender, is that I never knew him. In fact, little beyond what has been written here is actually known about the man called Chief. The only surviving testaments to the Chief's short, but exceptional life is a shoebox filled with old newspaper clippings of him as a ballplayer. My grandparents, who still live in the house that the Chief built in North St. Paul, keep the family history and Chief Bender alive in our hearts.
NOTES:
¹. Goldstein, Warren. Playing For Keeps: A History of Early Baseball. Ithica: Cornell University. 1989. (Page 12)
² & ³ Monroe, Cecil. The Rise of Baseball in Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society. Vol. 19., 1938. (Page 162 & 170).
4 Charles Albert (Chief) Bender, was born in Brainerd, Minnesota on May 5, 1883. His mother was a Chippewa Indian, his father a German homesteader. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 after many successful years of service with the Philadelphia Athletics as a pitcher. Many news articles concerning John Adolph (Chief) Bender incorrectly connect the two as brothers.
5 Newsclipping from the Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. July 15, 1904.
6 Teams from this era typically did not have more than one quality pitcher, although there would be others who could pitch if the situation arose.
7 The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. July 19, 1907.
8 "Tight Game" The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. Sept. 13, 1907.
9 The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. Aug. 30, 1907.
10 "They Lose Double" The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. Sept. 20, 1907.
11 "Chief Bender Has Been Star Hurler of No. St. Paul for Decade" St. Paul Daily News July 11, 1915.
12 The Brickyard was so named because of its location on the grounds of the North St. Paul Brick Co.
13 "Five Innings" The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. Aug. 9, 1907.
14 Bender played for the Pioneer Business School team perhaps either while attending the school or after he had attended. Although there are no records of when this precisely happened, it is known that it was before he gained employment at the P. S. Wick Co. of North St. Paul as an accountant in 1911.
15"A team to be Proud Of" By M.G.K., Dec. 24, 1909. This poem can be found in its entirety in A Century of Good Living: North St. Paul by Rosemary Palmer, 1987. (Page 74).
16 "Bender Fanned 15 Men" The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. June 3, 1910.
17 A flyer which dates back to 1913 states, "Play Sunday" in "Enclosed Park" at "No. St. Paul" Admission--25 cents.
18 "Chief Bender Has A Good Record As A Pitcher" Newspaper clipping. April 27, 1913.
19 "Home Club Had Batting Clothes on and Piled Up 32 Tallies" Newspaper clipping. June 2, 1913.
20"Camerons Hit Heavy" Newspaper clipping. June 2, 1913.
21"Omaha Defeats N. St. Paul 16 to 9" E. L. Shave. Newspaper clipping. October, 1914.
22The Sentinel North St. Paul, Mn. April 23, 1915.
23"Semi-Pro Clubs in Scoreless Battle" Newspaper clipping. September, 1915.
24John Adolph (Chief) Bender married Cecilia Luger midway through the season on July 14, 1914. Evidently the two had been high school sweethearts, but no mention is made as to why they waited so long to get married (He was 28, she was 27.) Cecilia was the sister of the team manager, Al Luger. A third child was borne to them on July 25, 1921, Donalda Mary.
25 Newspaper clipping. February, 1917.
26 "Ex-Mayor Bender's Funeral one of the Largest in North St. Paul's History." North St. Paul Courier, November 2, 1928; Reprinted from the St. Paul Daily News, November 2, 1928.
Bibliography
Goldstein, Warren. Playing For Keeps; A History of Early Baseball. Ithica: Cornell University. 1989
Monroe, Cecil. The Rise of Baseball in Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society. Vol. 19, 1938.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, NY. Personal Correspondence, (Regarding Charles Albert Bender.) 1983.
St. Paul Daily News. Various dated and undated clippings.
North St. Paul Sentinel. Various dated and undated clippings.
North St. Paul Courier. "Ex-Mayor Bender's Funeral one of the Largest in North St. Paul's History". November 12, 1928. Text reprinted from the St. Paul Daily News, November 12, 1928.
George A. Bender. Personal Interview; January 06, 1993.
Palmer, Rosemary. A Century of Good living: North St. Paul. North St. Paul Centennial Commision. 1978.