GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — These days, a few dozen baseball players with Major League dreams suit up for the West Michigan Whitecaps each year. But long before LMCU Ballpark was ever built, the road to the Majors ran through Valley Field on the west side of Grand Rapids.
Now known as Sullivan Field, Valley Field was once home to a team called the Grand Rapids Sullivans. Local business owner and former Tigers scout Bob Sullivan led the team from the 1950s to the 1980s. During that time, the Sullivans won four national championships playing in the National Baseball Congress tournament.
Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the most recent national championship, and Sullivan Field will be raising a banner at 2 p.m. to honor the Grand Rapids Sullivans.
"NBC back in those days was the best tournament in the country - all the young college kids from Fairbanks, Anchorage, Liberal, Kansas and so on. It was a great tradition. Satchel Paige, of course, pitched there back in 1935 and was most valuable pitcher and player, I believe. I don't know how many hundreds of Major League players played there at one time or another before they were assigned to pro contracts," said Jesse Young who played on the 1983 and 1984 championship teams.
"We were lucky enough in both years to face future major league players and the old, the old veterans beat the young guys two years in a row."
Gary Reid was a member of the 1960 national championship team. After he graduated high school in 1959, Sullivan offered Reid a job if he'd agree to play baseball for him. Reid played infield for Sullivan for about five years and has been working with him for 65 years.
As Reid looked at the grandstands currently being reconstructed, he told us he's excited to see the old ballpark being returned to its former glory.
"It's fun to come back over here and watch all the games. I'm looking forward to it. I hope I'm alive long enough to see it finished," he said.
"Paul [Soltysiak] and Andy [DeVries] took the bull by the horns and got it going. And all the volunteers they have now, it's a great thing."
Also happening Saturday, West Catholic High School will host a charity baseball game between the Grand Rapids Fire Department and the Grand Rapids Police Department. That starts at 11 a.m. before festivities move to Sullivan Field.