The Commies once ruled the sports scene in Decatur.

“Commies” was a shortened version of Commodores, a minor league baseball team that existed in various stretches from 1901 until its departure in 1974.

The Commodores called Fans Field home. The stadium was built in 1927. In attendance at the dedication were baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis and Cubs president Bill Veeck Sr.

Unlike today's minor-major league baseball affiliations, the Commies were sometimes independent, and were affiliates of a half-dozen different major league teams (including the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals) during their run. They were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants when they moved from Decatur to Wausau, Wis.

Commonly known as “the Commies,” the team even had that name in script across the chest. The nickname was abandoned, or at least used less frequently, after the Cold War began. As “Commies” fell out of favor, “Commdores” or even “Giants” were used as nicknames. In the 1960s until their departure, the team used hand-me-down uniforms from their parent club in San Francisco.

The team has been called a “perennial underdog,” capturing four championships throughout their history, including three in a six-year stretch in the 1960s.

One player called the Commies his team on the way to a Hall of Fame career: pitcher Carl Hubbell in 1927. A total of 135 players who appeared in at least one game for Decatur also made it to the major leagues.

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