Letter: Memories of Harmon Field baseball
Here is an addition to old friend and classmate Bill Herr's article on longest home runs at Harmon Field diamond. I witnessed two legitimate homers, including the Brad Komminsk blast over trees, Riley Creek and onto the Triplett parking lot.
Spike Berry and I played several years of Bluffton High School and American Legion summer baseball together, he as pitcher/second baseman and I was the first baseman. We witnessed a similar homer to the Triplett lot hit by Cleo Vaughn. Vaughn was an all-state athlete from Lima Central High School who later became the first African-American basketball player at Ohio State. He
lettered one year at OSU before transferring to Alabama A&M.
I saw the Komminsk homer because son Jon made his first start at first base for BHS that day, along with other freshmen. Shawnee's veteran team beat the Pirates 32-4 or something like that.
Berry also recalled Marlow Wehrly from Pandora, who played with our legion team one summer, hitting a batting practice homer that ended at the football stadium. His personal bat was so big that we called it a wagon tongue. Later Berry and I played summer ball against Bill Guice, a former Chicago Cubs player, who hit some long homers in Lima. It made us nervous at second and first base since he was a left handed pull hitter who hit scorching line drives. We're still alive so I don't recall any hit at us.
Ron Geiser
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers