St. Anthony Codgers show that baseball is more than just a game, Baseball over 50

On June 1, a few people got together in Fridley. 

They have day jobs such as legal editor, professor and even a former mayor. They weren’t getting together to talk about their job descriptions or anything like that. They were playing baseball for a team known as the Codgers.

The St. Anthony Codgers are a baseball team playing in the Minnesota 50+ Baseball League, a league designed for people aged 50 and older. For the most part, they play traditional baseball, give or take a few exceptions. 

“We’ve got some rules in this league designed for 50+ people,” Manager Phil Schenkenberg said. “As long as he hits the ball to the outfield, he can’t be thrown out at first.” 

The story of the Codgers starts in 2006. That’s when Paul Melchior and Schenkenberg, along with a few other people, created the St. Anthony Norsemen. 

“We’re the Norsemen because I’m a professor at North Hennepin Community College and they had all these jerseys they were going to throw away,” Melchior said. The Norsemen are still around as a 35+ team in the Federal League. Several of the players on the Codgers still play for the Norsemen.

Cut to 13 years later in 2019: Melchior and Schenkenberg realized there was a need to get into a team that aged with them. Thus the 50+ team of the St. Anthony Codgers was born. They’ve had a large number of players from the community on their team. 

“It’s important to have these be St. Anthony programs,” Schenkenberg said. “St. Anthony is such a great small baseball town, such a great history.”

On this day, the Codgers were set to have two 6-inning games, a doubleheader, against the Apple Valley Cardinals. They had a smattering of fans at the field in Fridley, mostly family members of the players. Judy O’Neill kept score in the stands. 

“My son is the pitcher,” O’Neill said. “We’ve been going to his games since he was 5 years old.” 

With their fresh blue jerseys, mimicking a team that moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn back in 1958, one couldn’t help but notice the number 11 on the side of each hat.

“Tom was number 11 for the Norsemen and Codgers,” Schenkenberg said.

Tom Flock-Johnson was an analytical chemist at H.B. Fuller. He was a founding member of both the Codgers and the Norsemen. He played his last games with the Codgers back in 2021, after being diagnosed with Stage 3 glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor. 

“He had surgery and played a couple games after surgery, including breaking up a no-hitter in a playoff game,” Schenkenberg said. “He was a beloved teammate and friend.”

On the St. Anthony Baseball Association website, they have a note he wrote to the team after those post-surgery games. 

“It was just what the doctor ordered for me — to do something ‘normal’ and fun. It was great playing again and seeing my fellow baseball men … It means the world to me and my family during these trying times.” 

Tom died on August 1, 2023. As a remembrance of him, the St. Anthony Baseball Association started a memorial scholarship in his name. They give $1,000 to a graduating senior from St. Anthony High School who participated in the baseball program, and they give a strong preference to a student who intends to study science at a post-secondary school. 2024 was the first year the scholarship was awarded; it was given to Jack Maher, who will be attending Marquette University.

The Codgers lost the first game of the doubleheader on that lovely day in June, but that didn’t seem to matter. These players were there to further their community and strengthen their friendships, while possibly getting a run or two, all while showing you can still play the children’s game after 50.