Tomlinson played with Indians organization in 1950

Doug Tomlinson didn’t see any of the Cleveland Indians games in San Diego June 7-9, which were the first-ever regular-season Indians games in San Diego. But had military service and a preference for football not interfered, Tomlinson might have spent time with the Indians.

Tomlinson played with one of the Indians’ minor league affiliates in 1950. The 1949 Fallbrook High School graduate was also on a town team before participating in a 1950 tryout with the Indians organization.

Several Fallbrook players were part of that tryout. “I just went because a lot of the other guys wanted to go,” he said.

“A group of guys wanted to go up and try out up in Ventura,” Tomlinson recalled. “I was one of them and went up there, and they wanted to sign me and a couple of other guys.”

Some of the initiators of that tryout trip weren’t signed, but the Indians signed three of the Fallbrook aspirants: Al Aguilara, Carl Siva and Tomlinson.

“I had nothing to tie me down, so I was ready to go,” Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson, who was a right-handed pitcher, was more talented than his interest indicated. The Indians had 15 farm clubs in 1950. Five of those were in Class D, but Tomlinson bypassed those and was assigned to the Tucson Cowboys of the Class C Arizona-Texas League.

Spring training for the Indians’ Tucson, Bakersfield, and Tacoma teams was in Bakersfield that year. Aguilara was also assigned to Tucson while Siva remained in Bakersfield after being assigned to that team.

In 1950 the Arizona-Texas League consisted of Tucson, Bisbee-Douglas, El Paso, Globe-Miami, Juarez and Phoenix. The Tucson Cowboys played their home games in the same park in which the major league Indians held their spring training, and the names of the Indians players were on the lockers.

The manager of the Cowboys was Hank Leiber, who spent ten years in the major leagues with the Giants and Cubs. Leiber would occasionally participate in batting practice against Tucson pitchers.

“The very first pitch I hit him in the ribs, and he really hollered at me,” Tomlinson remarked.

In actuality Tomlinson, who was a starting pitcher with Tucson, hit very few batters. “I pride myself on not hitting people. I had really good control,” he said.

Tomlinson took a competitive attitude on the diamond, but he was less serious about baseball when he wasn’t at the stadium. “To me it was just like party time,” he remarked. “Always had the easy come, easy go attitude.”

The off-field activities gave him a positive impression of that year. “Had a great time,” he said.

“It was a big party. I really wasn’t interested in playing,” he noted. “I wanted to play football.”

Tucson finished with a 64-86 record, placing them fifth in the six-team league and 30 games behind first-place Juarez.

That might not have been the fault of Tomlinson or any other players with relaxed attitudes. Tomlinson remembers the organization favoring a player who had signed for a large bonus over a better player. “Just the different guys we met and the way they ran the organization was really interesting back then,” he said.

He remembers one fellow pitcher on his team from Mexico who didn’t speak English. The team bus was stopped by the US Border Patrol from time to time, and Tomlinson also remembers that the first baseman made a wisecrack to a border patrol officer, who in turn made a humorous response which provided the first baseman with some subsequent chiding from his teammates.

The travel occurred prior to the Interstate highway system. “There was nothing. Just back roads then,” Tomlinson recalled. “When we went places, we went on an old bus.”

Tomlinson was invited to try out for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League in 1950, but the US Army was also interested in him and Tomlinson spent the next two years playing service ball.

After basic training at Fort Ord and a stint at Fort Bliss, TX, Tomlinson was stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. In addition to pitching for the Fort Lewis baseball team, the 6’2” Tomlinson was also on the base football and basketball squads.

“We had real good teams in the military,” Tomlinson noted.

Tomlinson never served in Korea; he spent the rest of his military duty at Fort Lewis. “We did well and made the colonel look good,” he remarked.

Tomlinson was a forward on the basketball team and played halfback, offensive end, defensive end and linebacker on the military football team. “You get better duty if you play,” he noted. “There was more incentive if you play.”

After his discharge, Tomlinson had no desire to play minor league baseball. “I probably could have went further,” he said. “I liked the game, but my heart wasn’t in it.”

He was still interested in professional football, but he was married by then. “I couldn’t afford to do it,” he noted of a potential football career. “I always wonder if I could have made it or not.”

Tomlinson’s father had purchased Story’s Dairy when the family moved to Fallbrook, and after his discharge Tomlinson returned to his hometown to work for his father at the dairy. Tomlinson later worked for Wiley Brothers Transit Mix in Fallbrook.

After he entered the military, Tomlinson lost touch with all of his former Tucson teammates. His baseball and football careers ended with his military play, but he now competes in throwing events at senior track and field meets. “I love to compete. Always have liked to compete,” he said.