YOU DECIDE

     WARNING: The following will become very technical......maybe even nit-pickionish.

     Several editions back, the Kornerman reviewed the Boone baseball situation, in regards to great players through the years.

     Actually, my intent was to highlight just Boone High School in that regard. But then, I expanded a bit with talk about community baseball.

     The original question was, "has Boone ever had a Major League player?"

     I explained in the Korner that day that Boone High School has never boasted such a player. I also implied that, "although that was true, there had been some Boone/Major League connections through the years."

     What has revived my interest in this is a recent email from Lester Ross, BHS-67. Here's what Lester wrote, "Boone's only Major Leaguer, Jimmy Archer, played what position on the field? Visit the Historical Society to see this card and find the answer to the question next week. I no longer do baseball cards, but I could not resist. I bought this one for the Boone Historical Society. RARE HELMAR baseball card: #11 JIMMY ARCHER Chicago Cubs (set break). ONE I FORGOT. Gerald Edward McNertney (born August 7, 1936) was an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in the Major Leagues as a catcher in 1964 and then again, from 1966-73. He was born in Boone Iowa and is a Gilbert High School and Iowa State University grad."

     Here was the Kornerman's reply,"to be COMPLETELY honest, Boone has NEVER had a Major League player. Archer, a catcher, played in the Major Leagues. HOWEVER, he was not a Toreador and not even an Iowa native. He did marry a Boone girl.......that's his only connection here. As you indicated, McNertney was born here in Boone but never spent much time here. He was from the Gilbert area. By birth, maybe you could claim he was a Boone guy who made the big leagues. Then too, Boone did have a team, the Boone Greyhounds, that played in the Iowa State League in 1905 and four members of that Boone team, eventually, made it to the big leagues. But again, saying they were Boone guys may be stretching it a bit. They simply played here for a Boone team during some seasons and may have lived here during those seasons."

     So there you have it........it gets pretty technical, which means you can lean any direction you wish..........or, perhaps, "I don't care."

     When wondering if Boone ever had a Major Leaguer, here are your options.

     1. Jimmy Archer.........he married a Boone girl.

     2. Jerry McNertney........he was born in Boone but, basically, a Gilbert area resident.

     3. Several Boone "imports" played for a Boone team in 1905 and, eventually, did play briefly in the Major Leagues. They may have lived here during the baseball season.

     To add to the fire a little bit here........perhaps, rather than Jimmy Archer Field,.......it should or could have been Jerry McNertney Field which would have, at least, some similar accuracy to the Archer claim.

     P.S. McNertney had a nine-year Major League career, catching for the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Seattle.

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     BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Robert Brown, 84, Boone. BHS-57. Air Force Vet. Married Ione Sturtz in 1978. Worked for Hallet Construction, the railroad and retired in 2012. Survivors include his wife, two sons, including Mike Brown of Boone and a sister, Karen Smith, of Boone..........Virginia "Jinny" Lind Deering, 95, Boone. Married Robert Deering Sr. in 1944. Was married in Illinois and raised their children there. The couple eventually lived in Wisconsin, Venice, FL and moved to the Villages in Florida in 1997. Husband Bob passed in 2010 and Jinny decided to move to Boone in 2014. Survivors include two daughters, including Lynn Newbold of Boone. One son also survives..........David Daniels, 66, Pilot Mound/Ogden. BHS. Was a cook, most recently at Colorado Grill. Survivors include his mother, Etta Mae Daniels, of Pilot Mound, a daughter, two step-sons, including Justin Field of Boone, three brothers, including Larry Daniels of Pilot Mound and John Daniels of Boone and two sisters, including Cindy Cummings of Pilot Mound............Ted Swanson, 95, Boone. Formerly of Ogden. Born in Ogden. Navy vet. Married Betty Brown in 1942. The couple farmed south of Ogden and operated Lion's Den Antique Shop at their farm. Three daughters survive..........Gary Edwards, 74, Madrid.........Ronald (Ronnie) Harris, 65, Boone. BHS-74. Worked in construction and for the railroad before working for the Boone schools as an elementary janitor. Survivors include a sister, Brenda Hoffman, and a sister-in-law, Nora Harris, both of Boone.

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