Here is a selection of excerpts from the Weekly Valley Herald chronicling the 1947 Chaska Cubs’ state Class A amateur baseball championship. Bat man: Hauser Lano, who lives in Eden Prairie, was the first baseman for the Chaska Cubs in 1947. This bat rests on the Cubs' bat display rack at Athletic Park.

The Cubs will host a reunion of the 1947 and 1987 state-championship teams on Sunday, July 15 as the Cubs take on Jordan at 6 p.m. at Athletic Park.

Run out and get a copy of the July 12, 2007 edition of the Chaska Herald or Chanhassen Villager to read a recount of the title-winning summer by former Cub first baseman Hauser Lano.

- By Tim McGovern, Sports Editor

 Chaska Cubs - 1947 state champions: Chaska defeated Rochester 10-6 to win the Cubs’ second-ever state championship in 1947. Team members included, front row from left: Ray Tschimperle, Jerry Lubansky, Vic Schlefsky and Tom Lubansky. Second row: Don Anderson, Bill Wettergren, “Sparrow” Dressen, Matt Riesgraf, Hauser Lano, Gene Cooney and Vern Bruhn. Back row: Manager Oscar “Candy” Gnan, Wally Lahl, Bill Schalow, Roy Eder, Clarence Soley, Earl “Scrub” Engelhardt, Rog Riesgraf and Eddie Poppitz. 

June 24, 1947

CHASKA CUBS WILL PLAY AT COLOGNE TONIGHT

Anxious to have the slugging Chaska Cubs appear at Cologne, a game between Cologne and the Cubs was arranged and will be played at the diamond in Cologne on Wednesday evening of this week, July 23rd, scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. The proceeds will be split on an even basis. Without doubt a large following of local fans will accompany the Cubs.

Aug. 7, 1947

PLAY HERE SUNDAY

Chaska Athletic Park should be taxed to capacity on this coming Sunday afternoon when St. Peter faces Chaska in the second and what can be the deciding game of the series, providing the Cubs win. The fact that their clean-cut win over St. Peter should end under protest, spells a bad afternoon for Lefty Johnson, Wettergren and the rest of the St. Peter squad, as the heavy hitting home team will be out to end the squawking once and for all. It will be a real ball game and a Chaska win means a berth in the finals against either Shakopee or Bloomington, depending on the outcome of that series.

Aug. 28, 1947

Cubs Win Berth In Regional Playoff 

The Chaska Cubs will enter the regional play-off at Shakopee next week. That was definitely decided in Sunday’s championship game with Bloomington in which the Cubs were victorious 8 to 3, and having won two in a row, the Cubs are now the 1947 Minnesota Valley League champs. Honors in the championship baseball bracket have come to Chaska numerous times in the past, but this is the first time since shortly before the late war, and recognized as one of the strongest teams in the state, the Cubs are favored to go into the state tournament.

With the heat spell broken by early morning rains, Sunday afternoon proved ideal for a baseball game, although it was feared by mid-morning that the game might have to be cancelled because of the soaking rain. However, by noon, the rain clouds moved away and the horizon was clear, and by the aid of gasoline which was set afire, the base route was quickly dried, and the game was called into play at the scheduled hour of 2:30, with Jansen and Leach, of the Northwest Umpires’ Association, officiating.

The largest crowd in many years, including baseball fans of every section of the surrounding area was in attendance, and they came early, so early in fact that by 1:30 the grandstand and bleacher seats were already crowded to capacity. Later they assembled along the first base line clear to the board fence, and still later along the third base line. Mainly local fans have ventured an estimate as to the size of the crowd. For their information we give the exact figure of tickets sold, which numbered 1,476. A check shows that this was the largest crowd that gathered at a baseball game here in Chaska since the fall of 1937, when a double header was played between St. Bonifacius and Mayer, and Chaska and Delano, then of the Crow River League. 

At the present time the current topic of conversation centers on Region 11 play-off at Shakopee … Chaska then will virtually be deserted due to the large following of fans that will accompany the team to occupy the cheering section.

Aug. 7, 1947

Cubs To Play Second League Play-off Game Here Sunday Afternoon

WIN FROM ST. PETER IN FIRST OF SEMI FINALS

That “Old Sunday Custom” of bringing home the bacon in the late innings of the game, proved too much for “Protest” Wettergren and his St. Peter club, as the Cubs staged a three-run rally in the first of the ninth to salt away their first play-off victory by the score of 7 to 5, in a game that saw the last of the ninth played under protest by the St. Peter team.

Nursing a sore thumb and head, the former from an injury in a previous game, and the latter coming when Chaska jumped into a two run lead, the St. Peter manager and catcher put on a very poor exhibition of sportsmanship before the fans gathered at Nicollet Fairgrounds when he played the last of the ninth under protest.

The protest, centering around the eligibility of Anderson, youthful hurler for the Cubs, has caused considerable comment around the MVL circuit from the teams involved in the play-offs.

The Cubs fielding a hometown non-salaried team for most of the season, secured the services of Anderson from Steve Eddy’s Excelsior squad during the middle of July to help strengthen their pitching staff. The newly acquired pitcher, in accordance with league rules requiring a player to participate in three games with a club to be eligible for the play-offs, set down St. Louis Park and Jordan on two successive Sundays, July 20th and 27th, and appeared in the role of pinch hitter on last Thursday evening at Jordan, in a makeup game required to complete the league schedule for a contest that was called off due to wet grounds at Fairgrounds Park earlier in the season.

With three appearances under his belt in a Chaska uniform there shouldn’t be any question whatsoever as to the eligibility of Anderson. However, certain first division managers in the MVL, who are not happy with the thought that they will have to face the heavy hitting Cubs’ squad, are protesting the 6 to 4 victory of the Cubs at Jordan on last Thursday evening on the grounds that this game doesn’t count as it had no bearing of the four teams in the playoffs.

They hope to make this protest stick and deprive the Chaska entry in the championship of the service of Anderson who would be declared ineligible if his appearance at Jordan doesn’t count. In our estimation the league cry-babies don’t have a leg to stand on, and the making up of a cancelled game rests squarely on the shoulders of the managers of the teams involved, as long as the contest is played before the playoffs start. Therefore, the Cubs-Jordan clash on last Thursday stands in the records as well as any game played this year.

Furthermore, if Mr. W. Wettergren wants to enter a protest, why not make it as soon as the player involved enters the game, not when his team loses the lead in the last inning. If this had been the case, the entire game would have been played under protest as Anderson toed the rubber for the full nine frames.

Sept. 25, 1947

MORE HONORS FOR STATE CHAMPS

Since Sunday night, following the championship victory at Mankato, it has been one continuous round of congratulations for Manager Oscar Gnan and members of the Chaska Cubs Class A State Champs. Following the victory, Chaska’s Ex-Servicemen’s Drum and Bugle Corps paraded the streets of Chaska Sunday evening to herald the victory amid the rejoicing of fans. Later that evening the Drum Corps paraded to the Valley Ballroom where the baseball champs, their wives and sweethearts had gone for relaxation following a period of tenseness created during the four games played at the tournament site.

On Wednesday evening of this week the team and officials will be honored at a testimonial banquet, under auspices of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization of the Guardian Angels dining halls. The menu will consist of turkey and all the trimmings. Twin Cities sportswriters will speak, and there will be various numbers of entertainment, including feats of magic by Magician Harry Jordan, of the Minneapolis Fire Department.

Further honor will come to the state champs on Sunday evening, September 28th, at the Valley Ballroom courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Lubansky, owners and operators of the beautiful dance auditorium. All members of the Chaska Cubs, including also the players wives or sweethearts and the team officials and their wives will be honored guests.

A grand march scheduled between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m., will be one of the highlights. Rex Pine’s orchestra will play the grand march and evening dance music. Jim Faber will act as master of ceremonies. Wives and sweethearts of the players and officials will be presented with corsages, while the state championship baseball personnel and team officials will wear boutonnieres as gifts of the Lubanskys.

The championship glory has returned to Chaska. For the first time since 1932, when the first state title was annexed, rejoicing, celebrating and championship baseball chatter again vibrates through the air. The Cubs have reached the pinnacle in Class A participation, have climbed to the top rung of the ladder, and together with their manager are worthy of the honors bestowed upon them.