Burns brothers some of Fayette’s finest baseball players
This is the first in a series of articles on the Burns boys, starting with John.
The Burns brothers from New Salem cut a wide swath through Fayette County baseball lore. The three brothers 鈥� John, Glenn and Regis 鈥� all played minor league baseball.
鈥淚 started playing at a young age,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淲e had a big family living in a patch. My dad, he was a baseball player too, and he and my uncle had tryouts with the St. Louis Browns. We used to go over by a garage and we didn鈥檛 have bats, we had broom sticks and we used tennis balls.
鈥淲e played all day and then we go up to a ball diamond that was near by and we played up there. We had a big family and we didn鈥檛 have much to eat. We鈥檇 eat coffee soup, that鈥檚 bread and coffee and sugar.
鈥淭here was no Little League, we played each town or patch. We鈥檇 walk to Filbert or maybe Searights or Footedale. We鈥檇 walk and then play. We had a guy that used to drag the diamond for us with a truck and sometimes he would take us to the games.
鈥淭here was no high school baseball and I only went to two-years of high school. I picked up and learned the game playing sandlot baseball.鈥�
In 1948, Burns was playing with a patch team called Krets Grill from Buffington.
鈥淚 started minor league baseball in 1948,鈥� Burns recalled. 鈥淚 had a tryout at Bailey Park in Uniontown. I went in and they signed me to a contract. Uniontown was playing Niagara Falls at Uniontown, and they called us in and wanted to see what we could do. They wanted to sign me and my brother, Glenn. I had already signed with Pittsburgh and Glenn did sign with Niagara Falls. I was sent to spring training down at Bartow, Florida. They had a lot of guys and they were cutting them left and right and I was assigned to Greenville, Alabama in the Alabama State League.
鈥淚f it was a small town, it was a Class D league, and if it was bigger it was a higher classification. The Uniontown Coal Barons were in a Class C league.鈥�
In 1948 at Greenville in 123 games, Burns batted .304 with two home runs.
鈥淎t that time I had signed for $150 a month,鈥� Burns stated. 鈥淎 lot of times my parents would send me money. My dad liked baseball. 鈥�
In 1949 Burns started the season at Greenville.
鈥淚 was back down there and I played there until about June,鈥� Burns remembered. 鈥淚 was batting .368, so the Uniontown Coal Barons wanted a player and they sent me up to Uniontown.鈥�
Burns played in 51 games for the Coal Barons and batted .367. He wound up the 1949 season playing in 12 games at Class B York, Pennsylvania. He hit .154 for the White Roses.
鈥淚 was sent to York along with John Overland, but we got up there and they didn鈥檛 make out good and they lost out in the playoffs.
In 1950, Burns played at York and hit .271 in 122 games.
鈥淚 was getting $225 a month with York,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I met Jack McKeon, who had a longtime career as a manager and front office guy in major league baseball, he was a catcher. Jack Sanford, who used to pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies, a sidearm pitcher, hit me and broke a finger and I had trouble holding a bat.鈥�
After three seasons in the minors, Burns decided to quit minor league baseball.
鈥� I came home and there were some guys from the Robena mine and they were hiring ballplayers,鈥� Burns recalled. 鈥淭hey said they could get me a job at Robena and you could make that much money in a week. Two days later they called me in and I started working and playing for Robena.鈥�
In three minor league seasons, Burns batted .305 with six home runs 62 doubles and 23 triples.
Looking back, Burns crossed paths with some great players.
鈥淚 played against Willie Mays,鈥� Burns offered. 鈥淗e was with Trenton when I was a York. I also met Babe Ruth down at Lakeland, Florida. Babe could hardly speak and the following September he died. I also got to play with pitchers Bob Purkey and Nellie King.鈥�
Burns spent the next 35 years working in the coal mines and continued to play baseball.
鈥淭he Big Ten League was a good league,鈥� Burns opined. 鈥淭here were some great ballplayers in that league. We played Pals Club when I was with Robena and we played in the playoffs, and I know there were 2,000 people at that game. Baseball isn鈥檛 like it used to be. We had some great baseball in Fayette County.
鈥淚t was fun getting to play with my three brothers, that was something.鈥�
Burns worked at Robena for 35 years and the Maple Creek mine for two years.
鈥淚 was covered up in a mine accident,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淭here was a fall at Maple Creek and the foreman was killed and my legs were covered up and two of my buddies pulled me out.
鈥淚 played for Robena, Buffington, Continental and Keister,鈥� Burns stated. 鈥淚 was 51-years-old when I stopped playing baseball.鈥�
Burns was elected to the Big Ten-Fayette County Hall of Fame in November 1975.
Now 89, Burns resides in Buffington with his wife of 63 years, Rose. They have five children, two were adopted.
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.