Sleepy Eye historical baseball enthusiast Scott Surprenant grills hotdogs at Sleepy Eye Baseball Park Monday at a gathering on the 101st anniversary of Babe Ruth’s barnstorming tour stop at the ballpark. Pictured from left are Carter Brinkman of Sleepy Eye and Myron Seidl of rural Hanska.

NEW ULM — Hot dogs sizzled on a grill as the sun shined on the Sleepy Eye Ballpark field late Monday afternoon.

Baseball history enthusiasts were there to remember Babe Ruth’s historic stop in Sleepy Eye and to share their favorite baseball memories on a warm October afternoon.

Weather conditions were much different than they were 101 years earlier to the day when Babe Ruth and a New York Yankee teammate rode a train to Sleepy Eye to play baseball with area stars. It snowed the morning of that game.

Why did Ruth come to Sleepy Eye?

Farming was tough through the 1920s. Farm commodity and land prices fell throughout the decade. Farmers that expanded and bought equipment had a hard time paying debts. Minnesota farmers’ gross cash income was cut half from 1918 to 1922.

After a major league baseball anti-barnstorming rule was overturned in August 1922, several Sleepy Eye businessmen contacted Babe Ruth’s agent. An agreement was made.

Ruth played in Minneapolis the day before Sleepy Eye and in Sioux Falls, S.D. the day after the Sleepy Eye game.

Temporary bleachers were added to the Sleepy Eye field to accommodate the crowd.

Four New Ulm players, catcher William Born, pitchers Elmer Hamann and Roy Borchert and center fielder Joe Guenther played in the game.

Sleepy Eye players included “Sox” Schueller, who struck out Ruth. Others were named Hoffman and Murphy. Many of the players were semi professional.

Ruth hit two homers in the game. One ball wasn’t ever found, according to local legend.

Detroit native Tom Derry, who attended the 100th anniversary of Ruth’s Sleepy Eye appearance last year, came again.

“It’s about history and the people here. My Sleepy Eye friends came to Detroit for Babe Ruth’s birthday party, so I’m coming here,” said Derry.

A group of Sleepy Eye men took Derry to area baseball parks and dined at Carl’s Corner in Essig earlier before coming to the ballpark for hot dogs and a beer for supper and to talk about baseball history.

Perhaps the most interesting event at Ruth’s Sleepy Eye stop was Leonard Youngman chasing down a homer Ruth hit.

Youngman kept the baseball most of his life, before giving it to his descendants.

Youngman died at 107 in Virginia, Mn on the 96th anniversary of Ruth’s Sleepy Eye visit.

Serving as a eucharistic minister and reading at a nursing home at 105 besides volunteering at a local hospital for 25 years, Youngman said he thought volunteering was better than sitting home alone. He wanted to serve God, live a clean life and said he enjoyed life.

Youngman said his mother told him in order to have friends, he had to be one.

Several years ago, Sleepy Eye baseball enthusiasts Randy Krzmarzick, the late Dean Brinkman and Scott Surprenant were featured with the Youngmans in Virginia on KARE 11’s “Land of 10,000 Stores” with Boyd Huppert. The report won a regional Emmy award in 2016.

Brinkman, perhaps Sleepy Eye’s greatest baseball player ever, helped Sleepy Eye Indians amateur team reach the final weekend of the 1995 Minnesota Class C Tournament with his pitching and hitting. Brinkman was just as well known locally for his passion for baseball itself.

He described visiting Youngman on the Minnesota Iron Range.

“From the minute we met him, it became an instant friendship,” Brinkman said. “I know he enjoyed reliving his Sleepy Eye days with us. We sure enjoyed reliving them with him! His photographic memory and attention to detail was is impeccable.

“His wonderful sense of humor, kindness and caring for others was truly remarkable. The three trips in three years there were not enough, but for that, we are grateful.”