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Baseball gave 'Soo Line' his name

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
"Soo Line" Polebitski, who died Monday, Dec. 17, was one of Portage County's outstanding athletes, particularly on a baseball diamond.

Born in 1917, he grew up in an era when baseball was king, THE sport across America. It was the time of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and many others who found their way into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, communities throughout the county had their own baseball teams. There were teams in DuBay, Lanark, Bancroft, Almond, Rosholt and other places, in addition to Stevens Point.
Polebitski played on some of those teams, although his participation was cut short by World War II.

The baseball diamond was also the place where Polebitski earned his nickname, although he never worked for the Soo Line Railroad, which had one of its hubs in Stevens Point. And most people knew Polebitski as "Soo Line," not by his real first name, Stanley.

So how did Polebitski get his nickname? That's a question "Soo Line" himself was unable to answer, said his son, Mark, who now lives in Waupaca.

In his book "Hometown on the River," Roy Menzel, a contemporary of "Soo Line" wrote the nickname came from "Soo Line's" "roundhouse" curve, which circled up to batters. Just as a railroad roundhouse turns trains around, and his curves used to twist batters around.

When the book was published in 1989, Mark said he asked his father about the story of the nickname and his father told him he wasn't really sure about the origin. "Soo Line" said he believed he got the name because he wasn't fast afoot. "Soo Line" told Mark he was the slowest guy on the team and when he ran it was like a Soo Line train chugging along.

Mark said another contemporary of his father's, whose name he didn't recall, had told him earlier that the nickname came from "Soo Line's" fastball that was as fast as a Soo Line train.

The origin of the nickname isn't important, but Mark said his father still possessed athletic skills when Mark was a teen. Mark was born when his father was 40, but his father played catch with him.

"He tried to make me a pitcher, but I had no control," Mark said. "My dad could place his pitches." "Soo Line's" control was reportedly excellent, and Mark said he's heard stories about how his father could throw a baseball to a location.

Mark played with a championship baseball team at Pacelli High School, so he was no slouch with a glove, but he said he had difficulty catching "Soo Line's" knuckle-drop, which is probably comparable to a split-finger fastball today.

"I couldn't catch them, I couldn't follow them," he said of the pitches, adding that he got bruises on his wrists at his failed attempts to catch the balls. He also saw his dad throw his "roundhouse" curves. "They were real floaters," Mark said.

At "Soo Line's" funeral on Wednesday, Mark said he heard more stories about his father on the ball diamond.

Most of Soo Line's contemporaries on the baseball diamond are gone now, but some who played with him and against him on the softball field are still around.

In those days, softball wasn't the slow-pitch variety so prevalent today. That was a time, after World War II, when fast-pitch softball was popular, when pitchers unleashed a softball from a pitching rubber with a windmill windup.

Mark said his father could throw his "knuckle drop" from underneath, and the softball caught more wind because it was bigger and would move more than a baseball.

Jerry Meshak of Stevens Point played softball with "Soo Line" on the Knights of Columbus team. "He was just a tremendous athlete," Meshak said. "His number 1 sport was baseball, and he was probably one of the most natural athletes in Portage County."

Don Miskowski of Stevens Point said he drove with "Soo Line" for a couple of years when they were truck drivers at Joerns Brothers Furniture and he only knew him as "Soo Line," not Stanley.

On the ball diamond, Miskowski was usually on the opposing team but he knew "Soo Line." "He was one of the best (players) around," Miskowski said. "He was a good player."

Ed Kardach of Stevens Point, who signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1942 after he graduated from P.J. Jacobs High School, coached a semi-pro Stevens Point team and added "Soo Line" to the roster when the team advanced to the state tournament in Milwaukee in he 1950s, first at Borchardt Field and then Milwaukee County Stadium.

"Soo Line" played mostly in the county league, Kardach said, but he was well known for how well he played the game.

Later, "Soo Line" became one of his coaches when Kardach managed the Stevens Point American Legion baseball team.



	Baseball gave 'Soo Line' his name By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette "Soo Line" Polebitski, who died Monday, Dec. 17, was one of Portage County's outstanding athletes, particularly on a baseball diamond. Born in 1917, he grew up in an era when baseball was king, THE sport across America. It was the time of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and many others who found their way into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, communities throughout the county had their own baseball teams. There were teams in DuBay, Lanark, Bancroft, Almond, Rosholt and other places, in addition to Stevens Point. Polebitski played on some of those teams, although his participation was cut short by World War II. The baseball diamond was also the place where Polebitski earned his nickname, although he never worked for the Soo Line Railroad, which had one of its hubs in Stevens Point. And most people knew Polebitski as "Soo Line," not by his real first name, Stanley. So how did Polebitski get his nickname? That's a question "Soo Line" himself was unable to answer, said his son, Mark, who now lives in Waupaca. In his book "Hometown on the River," Roy Menzel, a contemporary of "Soo Line" wrote the nickname came from "Soo Line's" "roundhouse" curve, which circled up to batters. Just as a railroad roundhouse turns trains around, and his curves used to twist batters around. When the book was published in 1989, Mark said he asked his father about the story of the nickname and his father told him he wasn't really sure about the origin. "Soo Line" said he believed he got the name because he wasn't fast afoot. "Soo Line" told Mark he was the slowest guy on the team and when he ran it was like a Soo Line train chugging along. Mark said another contemporary of his father's, whose name he didn't recall, had told him earlier that the nickname came from "Soo Line's" fastball that was as fast as a Soo Line train. The origin of the nickname isn't important, but Mark said his father still possessed athletic skills when Mark was a teen. Mark was born when his father was 40, but his father played catch with him. "He tried to make me a pitcher, but I had no control," Mark said. "My dad could place his pitches." "Soo Line's" control was reportedly excellent, and Mark said he's heard stories about how his father could throw a baseball to a location. Mark played with a championship baseball team at Pacelli High School, so he was no slouch with a glove, but he said he had difficulty catching "Soo Line's" knuckle-drop, which is probably comparable to a split-finger fastball today. "I couldn't catch them, I couldn't follow them," he said of the pitches, adding that he got bruises on his wrists at his failed attempts to catch the balls. He also saw his dad throw his "roundhouse" curves. "They were real floaters," Mark said. At "Soo Line's" funeral on Wednesday, Mark said he heard more stories about his father on the ball diamond. Most of Soo Line's contemporaries on the baseball diamond are gone now, but some who played with him and against him on the softball field are still around. In those days, softball wasn't the slow-pitch variety so prevalent today. That was a time, after World War II, when fast-pitch softball was popular, when pitchers unleashed a softball from a pitching rubber with a windmill windup. Mark said his father could throw his "knuckle drop" from underneath, and the softball caught more wind because it was bigger and would move more than a baseball. Jerry Meshak of Stevens Point played softball with "Soo Line" on the Knights of Columbus team. "He was just a tremendous athlete," Meshak said. "His number 1 sport was baseball, and he was probably one of the most natural athletes in Portage County." Don Miskowski of Stevens Point said he drove with "Soo Line" for a couple of years when they were truck drivers at Joerns Brothers Furniture and he only knew him as "Soo Line," not Stanley. On the ball diamond, Miskowski was usually on the opposing team but he knew "Soo Line." "He was one of the best (players) around," Miskowski said. "He was a good player." Ed Kardach of Stevens Point, who signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1942 after he graduated from P.J. Jacobs High School, coached a semi-pro Stevens Point team and added "Soo Line" to the roster when the team advanced to the state tournament in Milwaukee in he 1950s, first at Borchardt Field and then Milwaukee County Stadium. "Soo Line" played mostly in the county league, Kardach said, but he was well known for how well he played the game. Later, "Soo Line" became one of his coaches when Kardach managed the Stevens Point American Legion baseball team.