Team History
Blaze Baseball Burns Again
Lorrigan, Lindner help reignite club
By Paul Keup
Herald Times Reporter
BRANCH - It only takes a spark to start a fire - and a baseball team.
The Branch Blaze amateur baseball team is once again burning because of many people, but the impetus for the second edition was when Rita Lorrigan made a happen-stance discovery last summer and pitched an idea to her son, A.J.
The hard work and generosity of many will be on display for the final time this season today, when the Blaze visit the Two Rivers Polar Bears in a Shoreland League game at 7:30 p.m. at Walsh Field.
"For college guys it's a chance to work on things during the summer," said A.J. Lorrigan, who is helped by fellow player/assistant coach Ryan Lindner while Lorrigan's uncle, Russ Schmidt, is the manager, "For the others, it's just for guys who love to play baseball."
But it almost never happened.
A.J. Lorrigan, 19, played baseball at Manitowoc Lutheran High School before his 2005 graduation, but he knew he soon would be too old to play in the 18 and under Colts League in the Manitowoc County Youth Baseball Association.
Even though he was on the Lakeland College roster as a freshmen, he didn't think he would play much on the American Legion team in Manitowoc and he was cut by the Polar Bears in 2005.
The passionate player was running out of options to play summer baseball.
Rita Lorrigan, though, happened to come across some articles about the Blaze in the clubhouse at Branch Baseball Park in 2005.
"I know what a baseball fanatic he is," she said after learning the an amateur team played in Branch - and got its nickname because it was sponsored by the local fire department - before folding in the mid-1990s.
"He was looking for a chance to play... I filled him in on it, and he got going."
Just like that, the Blaze was rekindled, although it took a while to fire it up.
After his mom had the idea in July of 2005, Lorrigan sent out letters to 15 players in August to gauge their interest in restarting a team. He heard back from six or seven players, but he eventually was able to recruit 15 to join the original roster.
Lorrigan contacted Shoreland League president Lee Nebel and attended a league meeting in September 2005 to ask to be voted into the league.
It wasn't an easy sell at first, but in the end Polar Bear's general manager Graig Stone made a motion to allow Branch into the league and it was seconded by another team.
Still, the Blaze wasn't aflame quite yet.
In mid-January of this year, the players met with Branch Area Recreational Association baseball committee president Dense Mecha, who wanted to make sure the team was committed to the season before agreeing to allow them to play in Branch.
Lorrigan and Lindner, 19, met with Mecha and Ray Berres later that month, and at a BARA committee meeting in February it was decided to let the team use the Branch name and field. BARA also donated $500 to the team.
Then the race was on to raise the estimated $2,500 the club would need for umpires, uniforms, equipment, etc., and Rita Lorrigan was the driving force behind getting sponsorships and organizing a candy bar fund-raiser.
In April, the team put up sound equipment at the park and painted the distance markers on the outfield fence.
So the Blaze finally were able to hit the field for practice in early May.
"What was special was the first practice," said Lorrigan, whose team received two dozen game balls from the Manitowoc Bandits - a $120 value - in show of good-will. "It was great having that first practice after all of that work and preparation."
The first game wasn't as enjoyable, though, as Branch lost, 18-0, to Kewaunee at home on May 20.
The Blaze (4-12) has improved steadily, however. Branch led Kewaunee - yes, the same team that beat it 18-0 - by a score of 8-2 on July 22 before rain ended the game in the top of the fourth inning, one frame shy of an official game.
Other highlights included a 4-3 win over Two Rivers on July 1 and leading Manitowoc before eventually falling 4-1 on July 21.
Barry Nelson was the team's first manager, but he had to step down due to time constraints. Schmidt, who was Nelson's assistant, assumed the manager's job while getting input from Lorrigan and Lindner.
Lorrigan plays outfield while pitching occasionally, and Lindner plays second base.
The roster has changed since opening day, and there are currently seven college players on the Blaze.
"The season was a big success," said Schmidt, who is the brother of Rita Lorrigan. "I'm sorry it's over but man, I'm excited for next year. I can't wait to start preparing for next season."
The team is already getting ready to renew and add sponsorships, upgrade the infield, add bullpens, and increase the roster from 15 to about 18.
Lorrigan and Lindner are confident they can fill an 18-player roster next year, and they believe that is a sign the Blaze will be around for a long time.
"It's just to have fun," said Lindner who attends UW-Parkside and is the junior varsity assistant coach at Shoreland Lutheran. "Some people want to win every game, but the main thing is to have fun. We have (seven☆) college players, but everyone else last played in high school.
"For me, I just want to play while I still can."
That passion also fueled Lorrigan to reignite the Blaze.
"(The best part was) just getting to play," said Lorrigan, who also credited Ray Madson for his groundskeeping at the park. "...I didn't want to sit (this) summer."
And because of Lorrigan and Co., several other players didn't have to sit either.
"I couldn't be more proud of A.J.," Schmidt said. "He did such a professional job. Wow - to be just out of high school and start a semipro/amateur team. That's a lot to bite off, but he did an excellent job."
Story originally ran in the August 2, 2006 edition of the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.
Lorrigan, Lindner help reignite club
By Paul Keup
Herald Times Reporter
BRANCH - It only takes a spark to start a fire - and a baseball team.
The Branch Blaze amateur baseball team is once again burning because of many people, but the impetus for the second edition was when Rita Lorrigan made a happen-stance discovery last summer and pitched an idea to her son, A.J.
The hard work and generosity of many will be on display for the final time this season today, when the Blaze visit the Two Rivers Polar Bears in a Shoreland League game at 7:30 p.m. at Walsh Field.
"For college guys it's a chance to work on things during the summer," said A.J. Lorrigan, who is helped by fellow player/assistant coach Ryan Lindner while Lorrigan's uncle, Russ Schmidt, is the manager, "For the others, it's just for guys who love to play baseball."
But it almost never happened.
A.J. Lorrigan, 19, played baseball at Manitowoc Lutheran High School before his 2005 graduation, but he knew he soon would be too old to play in the 18 and under Colts League in the Manitowoc County Youth Baseball Association.
Even though he was on the Lakeland College roster as a freshmen, he didn't think he would play much on the American Legion team in Manitowoc and he was cut by the Polar Bears in 2005.
The passionate player was running out of options to play summer baseball.
Rita Lorrigan, though, happened to come across some articles about the Blaze in the clubhouse at Branch Baseball Park in 2005.
"I know what a baseball fanatic he is," she said after learning the an amateur team played in Branch - and got its nickname because it was sponsored by the local fire department - before folding in the mid-1990s.
"He was looking for a chance to play... I filled him in on it, and he got going."
Just like that, the Blaze was rekindled, although it took a while to fire it up.
After his mom had the idea in July of 2005, Lorrigan sent out letters to 15 players in August to gauge their interest in restarting a team. He heard back from six or seven players, but he eventually was able to recruit 15 to join the original roster.
Lorrigan contacted Shoreland League president Lee Nebel and attended a league meeting in September 2005 to ask to be voted into the league.
It wasn't an easy sell at first, but in the end Polar Bear's general manager Graig Stone made a motion to allow Branch into the league and it was seconded by another team.
Still, the Blaze wasn't aflame quite yet.
In mid-January of this year, the players met with Branch Area Recreational Association baseball committee president Dense Mecha, who wanted to make sure the team was committed to the season before agreeing to allow them to play in Branch.
Lorrigan and Lindner, 19, met with Mecha and Ray Berres later that month, and at a BARA committee meeting in February it was decided to let the team use the Branch name and field. BARA also donated $500 to the team.
Then the race was on to raise the estimated $2,500 the club would need for umpires, uniforms, equipment, etc., and Rita Lorrigan was the driving force behind getting sponsorships and organizing a candy bar fund-raiser.
In April, the team put up sound equipment at the park and painted the distance markers on the outfield fence.
So the Blaze finally were able to hit the field for practice in early May.
"What was special was the first practice," said Lorrigan, whose team received two dozen game balls from the Manitowoc Bandits - a $120 value - in show of good-will. "It was great having that first practice after all of that work and preparation."
The first game wasn't as enjoyable, though, as Branch lost, 18-0, to Kewaunee at home on May 20.
The Blaze (4-12) has improved steadily, however. Branch led Kewaunee - yes, the same team that beat it 18-0 - by a score of 8-2 on July 22 before rain ended the game in the top of the fourth inning, one frame shy of an official game.
Other highlights included a 4-3 win over Two Rivers on July 1 and leading Manitowoc before eventually falling 4-1 on July 21.
Barry Nelson was the team's first manager, but he had to step down due to time constraints. Schmidt, who was Nelson's assistant, assumed the manager's job while getting input from Lorrigan and Lindner.
Lorrigan plays outfield while pitching occasionally, and Lindner plays second base.
The roster has changed since opening day, and there are currently seven college players on the Blaze.
"The season was a big success," said Schmidt, who is the brother of Rita Lorrigan. "I'm sorry it's over but man, I'm excited for next year. I can't wait to start preparing for next season."
The team is already getting ready to renew and add sponsorships, upgrade the infield, add bullpens, and increase the roster from 15 to about 18.
Lorrigan and Lindner are confident they can fill an 18-player roster next year, and they believe that is a sign the Blaze will be around for a long time.
"It's just to have fun," said Lindner who attends UW-Parkside and is the junior varsity assistant coach at Shoreland Lutheran. "Some people want to win every game, but the main thing is to have fun. We have (seven☆) college players, but everyone else last played in high school.
"For me, I just want to play while I still can."
That passion also fueled Lorrigan to reignite the Blaze.
"(The best part was) just getting to play," said Lorrigan, who also credited Ray Madson for his groundskeeping at the park. "...I didn't want to sit (this) summer."
And because of Lorrigan and Co., several other players didn't have to sit either.
"I couldn't be more proud of A.J.," Schmidt said. "He did such a professional job. Wow - to be just out of high school and start a semipro/amateur team. That's a lot to bite off, but he did an excellent job."
Story originally ran in the August 2, 2006 edition of the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.