Letter to the Editor: Doc Ota taught baseball to local children

Dear Editor,

Your July 31 editorial (on American Legion Baseball) brought back memories of baseball in Lovell when Dr. Minol Ota taught several of the youth of Lovell the game of baseball.

We played on the then vacant lot east of the National Guard armory. (I believe there is a trailer park in that area now.) The field was an open stretch of rough alkali, weeds and sagebrush, but “Doc” Ota was enthusiastic and patient with the conditions and us.

My glove was a pathetic relic of some other era; however, I did get a short stint at playing second base. I extracted the following information from the Heart Mountain WWII American Confinement Site:

“Shortly after his marriage, Ota determined to set up a practice of his own in the nearby town of Lovell. The predominantly Mormon community was more friendly to Japanese Americans than some other local towns. There was still some unease about the new vet, but it quickly dissipated as Ota charmed the locals with his impressive knowledge and familiar Western manners.” — by Dakota Russell.

Thanks for the memory, and best wishes to all.

Phil Wasden