Dodgers Blue Heaven: An eBay Find of a Vintage Statue Associated with a Dodgers Farm Team

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

An eBay Find of a Vintage Statue Associated with a Dodgers Farm Team - the Clinton Owls

I find this 9.5 inch chalkware statue fascinating. As you can see below, it is of a owl sitting on top of a Baseball. Engraved is "The Owls", and the town of Clinton, IA.

But, what does this have to do with the Dodgers?

For those who do not know, Clinton, Iowa was the former home of a minor league club associated with both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. From 1937 to 1938, the Clinton Owls was a Class B farm team for Brooklyn, and from 1977 to 1979 the Clinton Dodgers was a Class A team for Los Angeles. You can check out the history of minor league clubs in Clinton, IA at this link at Baseball-Reference. I had also previously shared a 1978 Clinton Dodgers minor league set that you can check out here.

This particular memorabilia item likely dates from either 1937 to 1938. The Clinton farm team was only called "The Owls" while the Dodgers were associated with them in the late '30's. So, this statue is old, and likely scarce. Also, this is the first time I've seen this statue.

Unfortunately, the seller on eBay had a huge opening bid price, so I wouldn't be taking it home. Still, I thought it was worthy of pointing out on this blog.

Notable Dodgers who were a member of the Clinton Owls include their player-manager Clyde Sukeforth (1937), George Cisar (who played for Brooklyn in 1937), John Gaddy (Brooklyn in 1938), Bert Haas (who had a 9-year Major League career) and Sam Nahem (4-year Major League career).

Over the years, the Clinton, IA has hosted numerous MLB teams; including the Giants, Cubs, Pirates, White Sox, Rangers and Tigers. Since 2009, they have been affiliated with the Seattle Mariners.