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The Reed Brothers Company
From the 1920s through the 1950s, Reed Brothers Dodge sponsored their own company softball team that played on the fields at the Rockville Fairgrounds.
These games were apparently less intense than the ones played by the younger boys with minor or major leagues in their sights-- a comment on the game play appeared in the Sentinel in 1938:
"The softball games are played primarily to give the older gentry a change to get some real exercise and to furnish fun and excitement for those of us about to round the forties. The order of the day is 'no arguing with the umpires and as little running as possible, unless it is certain it will be a close play.'" ~May 12, 1938
Reed Brothers Dodge Softball team playing on a field set up inside the Rockville Fair racetrack oval in the early 1920s.
Welsh Field
In 1939, the Rockville Fire Department and Reed Brothers Dodge, two top-ranking teams, inaugurated the Montgomery Softball Association (MSA) championship series at the newly renovated Welsh Field in Rockville. Mayor D.M. Blandford officially launched the season by throwing out the first ball.
Teams participating in the MSA at the time included Pepco, Takoma Phil-Gas Company, Marine Barracks, Rockmont Motor Company, St Mary’s Boys’ Club, Lawyers, and Businessmen, among others (see article from the Sentinel at left).
Welsh Field, situated in the heart of Rockville's business district (now the site of the County Executive Office Building), had been newly renovated in 1939, including the installation of lighting for night games. Funds for lighting equipment were donated by townspeople during a drive spearheaded by local hardware store owner Paul Wire. Barnard Welsh, A.E. Partin, Reed Brothers, the Town Council and other civic-minded citizens, organizations, and athletic associations all made contributions and pledges towards the project.
All labor for the erection of poles, lights, etc., was done gratis by league members and persons interested in Rockville's expanding sports program.
Leo (Pat) Murray, Reed Brothers' first Parts Department Manager, keeping score on the sidelines.
Note the player with the five-finger glove in the photo above. The use of gloves wasn’t original to the first years of the game; early players thought only "wimps" needed a padded glove! According to an article in the Smithsonian Magazine, one of the first players to wear a glove tried – and failed – to find one that would be invisible to fans. Gloves were later considered necessary protective equipment and were manufactured with more padding and deeper webbing.
In this article from the Montgomery County Sentinel, September 18, 1941, a gold trophy is awarded by John Haley to Reed Brothers Dodge, the 1941 champion softball team of the Rockville league. The trophy, 18 inches tall, is a bowl mounted on a pedestal surmounted by a softball player in batting position. The presentation was an annual affair and only one trophy was awarded each year.
For over 30 years, Reed Brothers Dodge sponsored softball and bowling teams, providing equipment and moral support for the employees who volunteered to play in their time off. Employers liked the arrangement because it provided the company with good advertising, a civic presence, and healthier employees. Employees liked it because it was fun.
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