Tealtown History

Organized baseball activities here at Mt. Carmel are as old as
Knothole baseball in the Greater Cincinnati area itself. In 1933 the
year Knothole was organized in Cincinnati, Mt. Carmel formed the
first Knothole baseball team in Clermont County. This was a Class
A team and only 10 boys could be found in the area of the proper
age group, with the desire to play, and the willingness to endure
the problems of playing in this newly created organization called
knothole.

Members of this first team were Bob Parsons, Lester Jones, Jack
Andres, Len Jones, Justin Townsley, Howard Roby, Bob Walters,
Earl Parsons, Harry Didday, and Mel Hoderlien. The team was
managed by Jed Didday. Jack Andres, Harry Didday and Len
Jones later played semi-pro ball and Mel Hoderlien, upon
graduation from High School played pro ball with Boston,
Washington, Chicago and Detroit. Most of these men have been
active as adults in the present organization.

The problems of the early years were many. All games were
played in Cincinnati and this necessitated difficult travel
arrangements. The boys had to purchase all of their own
equipment, and were regarded by their city cousins as country
bumkins. In spite of all this, they were able to place in the
Cincinnati Semi Final Playoffs.

Henry Andres helped to keep the organization alive and active with
the help of the other men and new players until World War II when
the program was dropped during the war years.

In 1946 Richard Cahail organized the next Knothole team in Mt.
Carmel. He, Stanley Anstaett and others formed the Clermont

County Knothole Organization that year. There were 14 teams in
the county. This was an important year for Mt. Carmel because it
finally had a permanent field in which to play. It was built by the Mt.
Carmel Social Club and is still in use today.

During the next 10 years Mt. Carmel enjoyed the success in the
county and national tournaments as the many championship
trophies will indicate. The population began to grow and so did the
need for more teams. During these 10 years Classes B and C
were added to the program and with the added teams came added
expenses. With the help of local businessmen and others, funds
were made available and baseball grew.

In the mid 50's until the present time the well known population
explosion came and it was no longer a case of having enough
boys to play baseball, but did we have enough baseball for the
boys.

In 1956 the Mt. Carmel Glen Este Boosters Club was formed.
There were seven men present at the first meeting: Lenord Jones,
elected President; Bob Ellison, elected V. President; Mel Strobel,
elected Secretary Treasurer; Ervin Ackman, Gene Heming, Hortis
Smith, and Fred Ruhue. A membership drive was made and just
about every parent who had a boy signed up. With all of these
young fellows it was decided to institute a community system of
organized and controlled baseball, for all the boys with a desire to
participate in the sport. Under this program the teams would not
travel but play other teams of their same age group within the
community. Mel HoderLien and Dave Hardy supervised the
program and it worked out exactly as planned. Every boy who
wanted to play ball played, and by this time two more fields were
built. The community leagues at this time were classes D and C.
In 1957 Class D Knothole was organized and this rounded out the
full compliment of Knothole Teams. This program has existed in
this form through 1961.

In 1962 Class B Community League was added, two girls softball
teams and three more ball fields. There were about 360 boys and
girls active this year.

1962 was a good year for the boys and girls. The boys won three
county championships, two of these teams went to the National
Knothole Semi-finals and one played in the National Championship
game.

The community of Mt. Carmel - Glen Este is proud to have had so
many, many champs since 1946. It is proud of the progress that
has been made during the last 30 years. Only 10 boys played ball
in 1933 and in 1963 we anticipate 450 boys and girls active in
baseball and softball.

A thank you is extended to Harry A. Didday, Jack Andres,
Richard Cahall ans Leonard Jones without whose help this
history could not have been written.
 

RECENT HISTORY
1993 Old Mt. Carmel Fields on Aicholtz road succumbed to
modern progress. All twenty acres were sold and replaced with a
strip mall.

The Board of Directors of the Mt. Carmel - Glen Este Boosters
purchase a 48 acre tract of land on Tealtown Road approximately
3 miles from the old Mt. Carmel Fields. The money from the sale of
the old ball fields was used to build 18 ball diamonds of varying
sizes; paved parking for 500 cars; two concession stands; meeting
hall to seat 250; four fields with lights; a training room; and 8 indoor
heated batting cages for both baseball and softball.

1996 - Tealtown Ballpark ( formerly "Aicholtz Fields) hosts the N.S.
A. Ohio State Slow Pitch Softball Tournament. Several C.A.B.A.
Baseball State Tournaments and The Dizzy Dean World Series
Qualifier.

2001 -Bob Couch is named the C.A.B.A. 13-U Quality Age
Division National Director. Tealtown Ballpark Hosts the 1st C.A.B.
A. 13U Quality World Series. Forty-four teams from across the
United States and Canada converged on Tealtown making the
tournament the largest of ALL 21 C.A.B.A. World Series held in
2001. Tealtown is awarded the Tournament of Excellence from C.
A.B.A. Tealtown also hosted the 1st Cincinnati Knothole Division
One Championships.

2003 Continental Amateur Baseball Association awards Tealtown Ballpark

World Series of the Year .  For the third year in a row, Tealtown Ballpark hosts

the largest C.A.B.A. World Series with 42 teams from across the country.