This is a photograph of the 1955 McAlester (Oklahoma) Rockets, a minor league baseball team in the Class D Sooner State League. An affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Rockets finished the season with a 65-75 record, placing seventh in the eight-team league. Among those pictured (seated in the front, on the right) is Kansan Ted Worthington, then of rural Lecompton and later of Tecumseh. During his two seasons as a left-handed pitcher for the Rockets, he compiled a 5-10 record, with an ERA of 4.92. Standing in the top row of the photo are (l to r): Dick Lindsay, Ken Travis, Bob Bleyenberg, John Davolio, Bob Coscia, Bob McLish, and Marv Crater. In the middle row are (l to r): Vic Caradona, Hugh Craig, Ray Farmer, Jim McKinney, Larry Weller, Paul Hinch, and Dave Kostenuk. In the front are (l to r): Tony Asaro, Morris "Blackie" Millet, John Polli (bat boy), Les Miller, and Ted Worthington. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
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