Blogger Rex here. I survived cinco de mayo.. Wandered into Old Chicago and had a burger and a couple of beers from 'old mehico'..Hope I don't get swine flu! Michele also enjoyed a beer or two. We had worked up a thirst after watching IOWA beat U-W Milwaukee in baseball. Man, IOWA is not very good.. Neither is UWM, but IOWA is a Big 10 team. (no it isn't) My heart is there, my enthusisam is there, but the team is not there. Injurys yes, but I am not sure the talent is there. Why our old Coralville Little League had some good talent.. Best player EVER EVER EVER to come out of Coralville Little League AND Babe Ruth was,...,,,,,(no contest)....Davd 'Speedy' Forbes. Speedy lived at 601 10th avenue. What a nice guy. Great pitcher, great speed, ( duh, his name is Speedy) HUGE bat. Stud. He now lives in the Cedar Rapids area and owns a huge company named Hunter Specialties. They make camo stuff for hunters, and the U.S. Government, including lots of stuff for soldiers etc. Speedy was the best, but how about John 'Peachy' Cochran??!! He and Speedy were buddies, and never on the same team, as they would have waxed everybody off the map. Peachy live in the 700 block of 6th ave, about 612 6th or so. Nice house. I sold it once.. I also sold Speedy's house once. ....Pitcher with the fastest fast ball? Easy,, Craig Wheeler. Craig could 'bring it'.. Man, little kids used to HATE to bat against him. He also could launch a wild one or two and hit a few kids. Lots of kids went home crying BEFORE they even got hit!! Not me. I stood in there and tried! Never got hit but I was always ready to bail!! Little League is an important rung in the ladder of life in my opinion. It is organized, teams practice, teams have competition for positions, teams compete to win. We had some great times back in the 50s and 60s in Coralville. Did you know that our BEST diamond was located in the backyard of the 'old school'/ Johnson County Historical Old School on 5th street1!?? Yep, it was a great location. BIG shade trees, bleachers, etc. We played lots of games there. We also had a Coralville "Town Team'. We played Lone Tree, Solon, West Branch, Williamsburg, North Liberty, Maquoketa!!!, Riverside etc. Funny, as my Dad, 'Brandy' Brandstatter, played for the Coralville Kittens in the 20s and 30s, and they played on this site. Their diamond was on the westside of the school, and ours was on the southside. Interesting history there. Our other diamonds were in the back yard of Central School. 2 games a nite, twice a week for years. Later Little League moved to S.T. Morrison Park when it was purchased in 1970 or so. Coralville was growing and growing to the west, so diamonds were moved...Coralville "Central' was just Coralville School.. LOTS of Coralville kids ( including me) attended that school K-9. YES, K-9. 10 years at one school. BUT we loved every minute. We were the Coralville Cougars, just like the are today. IT was THEE central meeting place for the WHOLE TOWN of Coralville. Boy Scout Blue and Gold banquets, Girl Scout events, Jr. High band concerts, PTA meetings, annual student carnivals, Halloween parties, and lots more. ALL the kids and parents in town loved our school. I have visited Coralville "Central' many times. NICE school, NICE teachers, NICE place to be a student. It may be older, but there are NEW additions! Speaking of new additions.., Gary Anderson and I STILL chuckle about the 'new addition' to the school.. Next time you are going into the 'Office' at Coralville Central, look at the cornerstone next to the door.. It says./ '1959' on it. It was called and known as the "new addition' back then. STILL the new addition according to Gary and I !!!!..Same kids in the classes every year unless someone moved in or out of town. Great place!!
Remember some of the rules: 1. NO street shoes in the gym. .. BUT WHY?? The floor was floor tile? Dumb rule back then! 2. NO throwing of snowballs TO or FROM school on your way home....HUH? Can't throw a snowball 4 blocks from school??? THAT was the rule... Of course we tested and re-tested this rule a LOT. We paid the price too. We once (about 5 or 6 of us) threw a huge barrage at an old yellow pickup truck on our way TO school one NOON hour....Seems the old truck turned around and the PrinciPAL, Mr. Peters was driving!! "Get in". We did.. 2 hours of detention.. Cleaned erasers, swept floors, help Matt Matthews and Al Gerdes, the janitors. It was fun actually! MORE LATER!!