DAYTON DAILY NEWS                   Copyright (c) 1992, Dayton Newspapers Inc.DATE: Friday, July 3, 1992                   TAG: 9207030237EDITION: CITY           SECTION: SPORTS      PAGE: 1D COLUMN: RITTER COLLETT COLUMN SOURCE: By RITTER COLLETT SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS                  DAYTON'S RICH BASEBALL HERITAGE REMEMBERED                             NORTH SIDE WONDERS   Hundreds of drivers whizzing along the Stanley Avenue connector through thetraffic light at Troy Street every day are unaware of the ghostly stadium thatRoland L. Larke clearly visualizes when he drives through the intersection.   That would be North Side Field, off to the southeast, which in its 12-year existence was clearly the site of the Golden Era in Dayton baseball.   The North Dayton Merchants Association, representing the then-sizeable ethnic Hungarian, German, Lithuanian and Polish enclaves in North Dayton, put up the money in 1922 to build the original wooden grandstand, which accommodated 1,500 spectators. By 1928, it had been expanded to seat 4,000.   Stanley Avenue wasn't even on the drawing board in the city engineering department the October afternoon in 1928 when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig made their only playing appearance in Dayton - an event the 82-year-old Larke, a retired arts teacher, remembers as if it were yesterday.   "Lou hit four balls, three over the short right-field fence but one of themto dead center, a real blast," recalled Larke, who researched the exhibition game between the Larrupin' Lous and the Bustin' Babes as part of his 14-month,labor-of-love research project. That effort turned into the Baseball Days exhibit on display through July 30 in the auditorium of the main branch of theDayton and Montgomery County Public Library. There is no charge to visit it.   The statistic that catches your attention in a hurry is that 31 members of the national Hall of Fame at Cooperstown played at North Side.   The list includes the major league headliners who appeared in exhibition games against local teams, plus stars of the Negro league such as Josh Gibson,Satchell Paige and Cool Papa Bell. There is also Billy Herman, who was a member of the Dayton Aviators in 1928 on his way up to the Chicago Cubs and Cooperstown. In 1933, future Cincinnati Reds standout Johnny VanderMeer was one of six members of the Dayton Ducks who made it to the majors.   The exhibit is 19 framed and illustrated art and text panels that Lindy McDonough, the arts coordinator of the library, has put together from Larke's material.   The collaboration between McDonough and Larke is a renewal of the time she spent as one of his high school students in Cincinnati.   "We are just finishing our last panel dealing with boxing and football, theother sports played at North Side," McDonough said.   After the downtown exhibit ends, the panels will be stored and available tobe loaned to responsible groups interested in showing them.   Larke's fond memories of North Side aren't merely those of a spectator. Hisolder brother Carl, who died two years ago, was the caretaker and ran the place. "I was his helper, and my duties included just about anything you can think of.   "My first pay in 1925 was a dollar every two weeks," he said, laughing. "I was 15, big enough to mow the outfield grass and rake the infield."   In addition to featuring the minor league teams including those of the colorful Ducky Holmes, the exhibit serves up a Who's Who in Dayton sandlot baseball, which in the era the park existed (1922-34) included both amateur and semipro.   The lineup of the Dayton Shroyers in 1930-31-32 included Biff Wysong, SteveBuchanan, Dutch Ussat, Roy Pfahler, Ollie Klee, Bill Jones, Oris Hockett, Julie Tangeman, Bob Colburn Sr., Jack Davy, Bud Frank, Bun Hungling, Fred Newberry, Sam Herman and Charley Maxton. And perhaps a few others.   In another panel, there is a picture of Ussat, who made it up for a brief stay with the Cleveland Indians, in a basketball uniform of Delco Products.   Shroyers was sponsored by the family-operated sporting goods store of that name, once a downtown landmark on Fourth Street near Jefferson.   Baseball and just about everything else in pre-World War II Dayton was segregated, and West Dayton had its own standout semipro team, the Dayton Marcos, sponsored by businessman John Mathews.   The Marcos had a lively rivalry with Shroyers among others, but mostly had to play black teams from neighboring cities. Their big rivalry was with the Cincinnati Tigers, who had a star player named Harry "Wu Fang" Ward.   There is also a picture of an obviously uncomfortable 1920s motor bus the Marcos had to use in traveling to other cities.   For trivia - who can recall the Old Chebuipon amateur league?   Sponsored by General Motors plants here, the contraction stands for Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac.   Other prominent Dayton athletes pictured include Russ Wolfe, Ty Frigeau, Harvey Reese, George Harr, Kick Ramby and two Roosevelt High School athletes who made the big leagues - Alvin (Jake) Powell and Oris Hockett.   Marty Armbrister, a high school and UD standout and later a longtime high school coach, grew up a couple of blocks from the park.   "There were enough things that happened there to fill a book," the retired Armbrister said. "Including the time a pitcher walked a batter who wasn't evenin the batter's box."   The batter had disputed a call by the umpire and walked away from the plate. The umpire signaled the pitcher to go ahead and deliver the ball. The frustrated umpire eventually had to call ball four and the batter emerged fromthe dugout with a smirk on his face and headed to first base.   The appearance of Ruth and Gehrig was probably the most headlined game in the history of the park. The lineup on each side was filled out with local players.   Major league teams that stopped for exhibitions here included John McGraw'sNew York Giants, who thumped the Shroyers, 17-2, in 1931. Earlier that same season, the Shroyer semipros had beaten the Phillies, 6-4, with Newberry pitching all the way.   The last addition to the park was completed for the return of pro ball to the community in 1928 after an 11-year absence. The Dayton Aviators made theirdebut that year with future big leaguers Herman, Mike Ryba, Marv Gudat and Ab Wright in the lineup. The St. Louis Cardinals stopped off en route east (on the Pennsylvania Railroad) and handed the Aviators a 6-1 setback.   Attorney Fred Howell (for whom the DABC's Howell Field is named) was president of the Aviators, the franchise lasting three seasons, folding under the economic pressure of the Great Depression.   There was no professional ball in 1931, but in '32 the Dayton Ducks under Holmes came on and played three seasons before shifting to the park on West Third that became known as Hudson Field. Holmes operated minor league baseballthere until 1942, when World War II terminated it.   The merchants were no longer involved with financial support at North Side after 1930 and the grandstand burned down in a fire during the winter of 1934-35.   It was never rebuilt, although Kiser High School used it as a playing fieldfor baseball into the 1950s.   "The playing area is still a vacant lot," Larke says of his personal Field of Dreams.   He is the only one who could have rescued it and made it a part of community history.HOW TO GO   Baseball Days, a 20-panel pictorial and text exhibit covering the 12 years (1922-34) North Side Field was the site of the "golden era" of baseball in Dayton.   Where: Auditorium at the Main Branch, Dayton-Montgomery County Public Library, Third and St. Clair streets.   Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sundays. The exhibit runs through July 30.LENGTH: Long  :  136 linesILLUSTRATION: PHOTOS: (3):          (#1) Roland Larke and these displays recall the days of yesteryear           in Dayton baseball (COLOR)          CREDIT: MICHAEL HEINZ/DAYTON DAILY NEWS          (#2) At left, exhibit captures Ruth, Gehrig visit in 1928 (B&W)          CREDIT: MICHAEL HEINZ/DAYTON DAILY NEWS          (#3) Exhibit shows healthy list of big-time visits to Dayton (B&W)          CREDIT: MICHAEL HEINZ/DAYTON DAILY NEWSENHANCER: REF1