I had the pleasure of talking with Lou Payton (SLHS '46) recently as part of my research into local baseball history. I'll have much more to post about him and local baseball, but I thought I'd post this introductory newspaper article about the Fort Bend Jaybird baseball team, for which he played in the early 1950s. The article comes from Lou's scrapbook -- many thanks for letting me scan it.
I remember Mr. Roy Pickard as part-owner of the Rosenberg's Pickard & Huggins Drug Store. I never knew he was a big baseball man. Apparently, he played for the Bay City Rice Eaters back when they existed.
You'll notice the team was filled with college boys who played for the Jaybirds during the summer. I asked Lou whether they were paid. He said they were. Ostensibly, they were employed by local establishments and weren't paid to play baseball, but the jobs weren't all that onerous.
This next article (from the summer of 1950) covers the Jaybirds' entry into The Houston Post's annual baseball tournament for semi-pro teams. Games were played at Buff Stadium. (Bruce Layer was a well-known sports reporter & broadcaster in 1950. It looks like Lou saved his press pass.)
You'll notice the team was filled with college boys who played for the Jaybirds during the summer. I asked Lou whether they were paid. He said they were. Ostensibly, they were employed by local establishments and weren't paid to play baseball, but the jobs weren't all that onerous.
This next article (from the summer of 1950) covers the Jaybirds' entry into The Houston Post's annual baseball tournament for semi-pro teams. Games were played at Buff Stadium. (Bruce Layer was a well-known sports reporter & broadcaster in 1950. It looks like Lou saved his press pass.)
