Not surprisingly after 6 games it was tied up 3 games apiece. Finally, Port Arthur
was able to deny Waco their 4th finale in a row winning the last game to go to
the final round against Corpus Christi. The Clippers had a fantastic team and
just like Waco, they were all tied up at 3 games apiece after 6. The difference
here is that the Clippers beat Waco the previous season to take the Championship
and Port Arthur… they had also been here before and lost every time. But… not
this time. Believe it or not, the Chieftans took game 7 and just like that Seahawks
Stadium / Stroud Park had its first ever Championship Trophy. 57,000 fans
came to their home town team win it all in 1956. In fact it was such an exciting
season that for the first time ever… Port Arthur attracted Major League attention.
The Cinncinnati Reds signed Port Arthur to a Player Development Contract
and just like that, this was an affiliated baseball team. What should have been
an incredible season follow up season turned out to be the end for this franchise.
The new Port Arthur Redlegs would find that Televison had become far more
important than baseball to every league in the country. One by one, nearly all
the Minor League systems fell as people no longer went out at night to be entertained.
The big box in the living room allowed them everything they needed.
The Redlegs had drawn just 10,000 by the end of May and they announced the Redlegs
would be moving to Temple's Legion Park in June. It was the end of an era.
The Big State League itself folded at the end of the season and this beautiful
ballpark would be torn down not too long afterwards. |