North Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Joe Branzell
All-Star Game
The first annual Joe Branzell All-Star Game was played at Shirley Povich Field on June 30, 1999. The Clark Griffith League All-Stars defeated the Eddie Brooks League All-Stars 2-1. The Joe Branzell All-Star Game honors the memory of a man who dedicated his life to baseball and to the youth of the Washington, D.C. area.
Joe Branzell was born in Washington, D.C. on December 6, 1918. After a tour in the Navy, he joined the staff of the Jelleff branch of the Washington Boys Club in Georgetown in 1939 and was named its director in 1953.
Branzell coached the Washington Boys Club teams in the Clark Griffith League from 1949 to 1962. The Boys Club/Federal Storage teams won twelve consecutive CGL championships from 1951-1962 and three national championships of the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA).
Branzell left the Boys Club in 1962 to begin a 35-year career as a major league scout, first with the Washington Senators and later with the Texas Rangers. AFter his death in 1997, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York acquired his radar gun (one of the first in the country) and his scouting reports on such major leaguers as Nolan Ryan ("He won't go past AA.") and Cal Ripken Jr. ("He'll make it to the major leagues, but not as a pitcher.")
Topics. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 39° 1.854′ N, 77° 8.995′ W. Marker is in North Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Westlake Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10600 Westlake Dr, Bethesda MD 20817, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. George Solomon (here, next to this marker); John Ourisman (here, next to this marker); Walter Johnson (here, next to this marker); Original Povich Field Seat Plaques From 1999 (here, next to this marker); Miller & Long Grandstand (a few steps from this marker); Bethesda's Big Train (a few steps from this marker); Hopkins & Porter Scoreboard (a few steps from this marker); Leibo's Place (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Bethesda.
Additional commentary.
1. Joe Branzell
Joe coached me at Jelleff Branch Boys Club in football (1963 Champions) and later had one of his great Federal Storage baseball players he also coached work with me on how to play third base. Joe contributed so much of his time and, along with Frank Cady (one
His radar gun (he was a baseball scout) was the first radar gun to go to Cooperstown and put in the Hall of Fame.
— Submitted December 4, 2022, by Valentino Falcone of Orlando, Florida.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 519 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
