Carter County Greats Part III

Editor's note: Following is the third in a multi-part series about the top ten greatest Carter County athletes of all time, as voted on by our readers.

1) Robert "Bob" Lasater

2) B.J. Padden

3) Ivan Teigen

4) Karen (Markuson) Kreitel

5) TIE - John Ward

5) TIE - Pat Hansen

7) Jesse Barnes: If living in Ekalaka for four years is enough to make one count as a Carter County Great, than it's almost impossible to keep Barnes off this list. Enough of our readers agreed with the above statement to land Barnes at seventh.

Jesse Lawrence Barnes was a major league pitcher from 1915 to 1927. When he was at the top of his game, the right-handed pitcher originally from Circleville, Kansas held his own with the elite of his day. Named to Baseball Magazine's All-American team following the 1919 season, Barnes shared the honor with other prominent players such as Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, George Sisler and Joe Jackson. During his twelve years in the major leagues, Barnes stocked his résumé with an impressive array of highlights and dramatic moments.

In 1917 Barnes led the National League with 21 losses. On October 2, 1917, he became the only NL pitcher to walk two times in one inning. In 1919 he led the National League in wins with 25 and was the winning pitcher in the fastest nine-inning game ever played in the major leagues. The game lasted a mere 51 minutes.

In 1920 Barnes had 20 wins. In 1921 he won 15 games during the season and was regarded as a World Series hero, winning twice in the series against the New York Yankees.

In 1922 he pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies, Cy Williams was the only baserunner who walked and was erased on a double play.

In 1924, he logged 267 2/3 innings without throwing a wild pitch or hitting a batter, still a National League record. Along the way, he played checkers with Mathewson, struck out Ruth and dueled with Alexander.

His younger brother, Virgil, also pitched in the majors, and both were teammates with the Giants from 1919 to 1923. On June 26, 1924, Jesse opposed Virgil in the first pitching matchup of brothers in major league history. Jesse lost the matchup.

Barnes plied his trade on behalf of the Boston Braves (twice), New York Giants, and Brooklyn Robins, and compiled a major league record of 152-150 with an ERA of 3.22. Although he pitched fewer than half of his games for the Giants, most of the sweet spots in Barnes' career happened in New York. His record with the Giants was 82-43, which at .656 still ranks fourth in winning percentage among all Giants franchise pitchers with 100 or more decisions.

At 6'0" and 170 pounds, Barnes was lean, lanky and fit. He threw a fastball, curveball and changeup, but his fastball was noted as his specialty. During his prime, control was a Barnes hallmark.

In late 1934, Barnes moved his family from Kansas to Ekalaka and ran the Buckhorn Bar. In 1938 he moved from Ekalaka to Idaho to manage an independent baseball club. Later he managed a semipro team in El Dorado, Kansas before deciding to change career paths and becoming a police officer there. He retired in 1955 after 13 years with the department due to suffering a heart attack.

Slowed in his later years by heart disease, Barnes died from a massive heart attack in 1961 at Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

8) Christian "Chris" Bentz: Similar to Barnes, Bentz wasn't raised in Carter County. However, the Walter Camp All-Service team awardee did spend around half of his life in Ekalaka, where he owned and operated Inland Equipment Company. The International Harvester dealership open in Ekalaka from 1958 to 1969 was one of four IH dealerships operated locally between 1945 and 1980.

Bentz was born in 1891 in Artas, South Dakota. He attended school in Aberdeen, graduating in 1914.

After graduating, Bentz attended the University of Montana. He was captain of the 1917 team and was Montana's first All-American. Bentz lettered at tackle from 1914 to 1917.

In 1917 when the Montana State Bobcats looked like winners and the Grizzlies didn't seem to have a chance, Bentz scored the winning touchdown with four minutes to go by racing 15 yards for a touchdown on a fumble recovery "with four Bobcats hanging on to him for dear life," according to one newspaper account. The Grizzlies won that game, 9-7.

Though records show varying weights during his collegiate career (anywhere from 215 to 245 pounds), 6'4" tall Bentz was indeed a mountain of a man at the time. For the Grizzlies, he kicked, anchored both the offensive and defensive line, and carried the ball on goal line situations. He also spent several weeks coaching in 1917 when Montana's head coach was sick and is listed on the Grizzly All-Century team. He is viewed as one of the heroes from the Grizzly team that played the number one team in the nation, Syracuse University, to a 0-0 tie.

Bentz also spent time in the military and played football for the Chicago Naval Reserve School in 1918. That season, his team boasted a perfect 8-0 record and surrendered only 13 points. Bentz scored three touchdowns (two on trick plays on offense, and one on a blocked punt) in addition to his outstanding blocking and tackling. Many regarded him as the best lineman in the country that year and he was named to the 1918 Walter Camp All-Service team as a tackle. Contemporary George Halas, Illinois, was a second-teamer.

Bentz later became the first Grizzly and person connected to the state of Montana, either by birth or college, to play in the NFL. He played in one game for the Detriot Heralds in 1920 and was on the active roster for two.

Bentz died in Spokane Washington on January 10, 1981 at the age of 89. He is buried at Beaver Lodge Cemetery.