WHEELING – The summer of 1949. Harry S. Truman was our nation’s president. Cable television made its debut, and NATO was established.

It was also when a collection of spunky boys from the Wheeling area went on a baseball journey that set the Ohio Valley abuzz while also gaining national attention.

The Wheeling Legion Post 1 baseball team scripted an amazing summer of success. The group of 15 baseballers advanced all the way to the National American Legion Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Post 1 pocketed a remarkable third-place finish. Some 6,000 teams field Legion squads. Wheeling ended with an overall season record of 36-7.

The Wheeling Legion’s diamond achievement of ’49 remains as the only West Virginia team to qualify for the national finals.

One of the mainstays of that team recently died.

Tom Manion was a 16-year-old hurler for Post 1. He also wielded a productive bat.

Manion died Jan. 28. He was 82 and resided in Martins Ferry. He was retired from Maroon Enterprises, a veteran in the U.S. Air Force and a life member of the American Legion Post 1.

Manion, who lived much of his life in Bridgeport, was preceded in death by his wife, Carol (Wallace) Manion, in 2007. He is survived by his children, Tammy Manion, Timothy Manion and Terri Manion, all of Martins Ferry, and Tracy (Gary) Salm of Pleasant Grove.

Manion was one of the key players for Post 1 in its magical season. He was joined on the hill by Carl Norman and Bob Westfall, giving Wheeling a triumvirate of quality pitching.

Eddie Runco was the team’s manager while hard-hitting second baseman Robert Loew was the captain.

Post 1’s trek to Omaha started by winning the Southern Division of Area One, defeating Moundsville. The Wheeling-based crew punched its ticket to the state tournament by eliminating Northern Division champ Weirton.

Clarksburg (21-0) and Whitesville (19-1) were the favorites to capture the state crown.

In game one, Post 1 defeated Piedmont, 7-1. Manion hurled the second-game victory, a 10-3 decision over Morgantown. Wheeling wrapped up the state title via a 10-1 rout of Huntington. Loew was named tourney MVP after batting .643 (9-of-14).

After its success in Charleston, Wheeling was off to the regional tournament. Post 1 ousted a team from Washington, D.C., and another from Baltimore to advance to the Eastern Section Tournament in Trenton, N.J.

In the opener, the Wheeling crew defeated Warren, R.I., by a 10-1 count. Game two didn’t prove as kind. Post 1 fell to Pittsfield, Mass., 13-8.

Consequently, it fell into the losers’ bracket. Undaunted, the Post 1 squad displayed its fortitude, battling through the bracket and defeating Pittsfield twice on the final day to win the Eastern Section, advancing to the national final four in Omaha.

The victors returned to the Friendly City for a brief hiatus. The team boarded a train for the lengthy trip to Nebraska, joining squads from Oakland, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Post 1 dropped its opener to Oakland in front of a crowd surpassing 10,000. The Wheeling crew, however, again displayed its resiliency.

Manion came to the rescue, keeping the local contingent alive by turning in a sharp mound effort in a 7-4 win over Atlanta. As fate would have it, Post 1 fell to Cincinnati in its next start, and subsequently settled for third place nationally.

Upon returning home, Post 1 was greeted by a large crowd, feted at a parade, honored by several organizations and treated to a luncheon.

Manion elevated his game during the team’s 15-4 tournament run. He went unbeaten on the hill, delivered 23 hits while batting a team-best .371.

BUBBA’S BITS

JOSH PERKINS has resigned as head football coach at Caldwell High School. He was the Redskins’ head grid boss for nine years, encompassing two tours of duty. Overall, he compiled a 50-47 mark. The last three seasons have been special ones, as the Redskins rolled to a 30-5 mark. Caldwell made the playoffs each of those seasons, going 11-2 this past fall, losing to Danville, 44-34, in the Region 25 title contest.

AN AGREEMENT has been reached whereby Bellaire High and St. John Central will be sharing the 26th Street baseball field this spring. SJC played last year at Neffs. That field, however, is no longer available due to gas & oil drilling.

CONGRATULATIONS GO out to Wheeling Central hoop standout Lindsey Baker. The Lady Knights’ senior guard became the latest member of the 1,000-point club last week.