Tom Derry of Detroit returns to Sleepy Eye Ballpark for the anniversary of Bab Ruth's visit in Oct. 16, 1922.

SLEEPY EYE — Tom Derry of Detroit was pleased as punch to drive to Sleepy Eye Ballpark this week for the 102nd anniversary of Babe Ruth’s Oct. 16, 1922 barnstorming appearance.

On top of that, Derry was among friends he’s made due to his passion for baseball history. Hot dogs with sauerkraut were sizzling on a ballpark grill Wednesday. The afternoon temperature was in the 60s with a fair amount of wind.

In February several years ago, a Sleepy Eye group of baseball history lovers went to Nemo’s in Detroit, one of the most popular, historic sports bars in Detroit and known for celebrating Ruth’s birthday. Sports Illustrated named the third best sports bar in the country a few years ago.

That’s where the Sleepy Eye group met Derry, who was instrumental in creating the Ruth birthday party.

The rest is history. He comes to Sleepy Eye for the annual Babe Ruth barnstorming appearance. The Sleepy Eye group visits Detroit regularly. This July, the group including Randy Krzmarzick, Scott Surprenant, Myron Seidl and Keith Olson attended a Detroit Tigers game together.

A retired mailman, Derry and his friends created the nonprofit Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, a Negro league ballpark in the 1930s they began restoring in 2020.

“Seventeen Hall of Fame ballplayers played on that field including Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Norman “Turkey” Stearnes and “Cool Papa” Bell to name a few. There’s a lot of history at that field, just like there is a lot of history at this field (Sleepy Eye Ballpark),” said Derry.

“One of the things I love about Minnesota is the history of townball and how all these little towns take care of their fields. It’s not something you see around the country. It says something about Sleepy Eye and the surrounding communities and how they care about baseball,” he said.

The 100th anniversary of Ruth’s barnstorming game in Sleepy Eye included more than two hours of batting practice pitched by Dana Kiecker, a 1979 Fairfax High School graduate who pitched into the sixth inning in 19 of 25 starts with the Boston Red Sox in 1990.

Kiecker was a close, personal friend of the late Dr. Dean Brinkman. They both pitched at St. Cloud State University. Brinkman had a lot to do with the 100th anniversary of Ruth’s barnstorming game and helped propel the 1995 Sleepy Eye Indians amateur team to the Minnesota Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament.

“It feels pretty good out here, surrounded by people who love baseball and history. It was colder here last October. It was actually very cold the day Babe Ruth played here in 1922,” said Derry.

“I remember meeting them at Nemo’s a few years ago. I thought, if they can come from Sleepy Eye to Detroit, I can drive to Sleepy Eye for Ruth’s barnstorming anniversary and help them celebrate it. I’d have to say, Sleepy Eye is my favorite small town in America. It feels good to be back here. I really love this town and its people. They went to great lengths for the 100th anniversary event. They’re so nice. The way I see it, the road to Sleepy Eye is never long,” he said.