By Nick Gerhardt
nickgerhardt@mnbaseball.org
At the end of the day, amateur baseball in Minnesota is about community, that’s why it’s called town ball.
You’d find no better example of that this season than with the Watertown Red Devils, who have rallied around the family of Jeremy Quaas, their superfan, who died Wednesday, Aug. 12 at the age of 35.
There are fans and then there was Quaas, who came to games adorned in a giant chain necklace with the Watertown “W” in the middle and a WWE championship belt with the same logo or the flag, which bears a striking resemblance to the Washington Nationals “W.”
The Red Devils fanbase has become synonymous with tailgating prior to games and Quaas played a central role in those festivities. He helped make Watertown have one of the strongest groups of fans in the state.
“Jeremy was the life of the party when it came to tailgating,” said Brad Johnson, the team’s business manager and secretary of the Crow River Valley League – North Division. “Jeremy brought the crowd and the atmosphere.”
The Red Devils have honored Quaas since his death by placing his jersey in the dugout and continued to honor him with the tailgating pre-game they’ve become known for during their state tournament run to the Class B championship, which ended Monday in a 13-1 loss to league rival Plato at Joe Schelper Stadium in Shakopee.
The fans and team have felt his presence throughout the playoffs. Watertown rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the eighth inning to beat St. Boni 6-5 to qualify for state for the first time since it reached the semifinals in 2022. Then against Jordan in the semifinals this year, Jeremy’s mother, Mandy, and others noticed a butterfly fluttering about as the Red Devils escaped with a 3-2 win to reach the title game.
“When they were just getting ready to start, there was a monarch butterfly that was flying around the catcher and the batter and we’re all looking and we’re like, ‘Jeremy’s here, Jeremy’s here,’” Mandy said. “And it just kept flitting around. Around a couple of seconds later another one joined, who that was? If he’s got a girlfriend up there, I don’t know. That’s what they say about a monarch butterfly, that your deceased are coming to visit you.”
There’s little doubt that his presence wasn’t felt as Watertown made a run to the title game as the No. 3 seed out of District 7 to face the No. 4 seed Plato.
The tailgating experience sprouted after a dedicated group of Watertown people who attend Gophers football games decided to keep it going for town ball. It’s resulted in one of the most unique and ingenious ideas to come to amateur baseball in recent memory.
It came about after the COVID year of 2020 and Watertown made the state tournament for the first time in 12 years. The Gophers football tailgating group decided it’d be cool to tailgate before a Red Devils game in the state tournament in 2021 in Waconia. Fans enjoyed it so much that now it’s a staple.
“Everybody is so separated all the time, especially after the virus hit,” said Ken Johnson, Brad’s uncle. “Now, baseball just brought it all back. Look at the kids playing here. Getting out and doing stuff, that’s something in life.”
At a Watertown tailgating session, like the one ahead of the Class B championship tilt Monday, kids played whiffle ball, others played bags and still others ate walking tacos concocted by Brad Johnson the night before while others imbibed on cocktails. The Red Devils understand what they bring when they tailgate and call ahead to make preparations with host sites.
The Watertown group has tailgated Gophers football games since 1998 and a group bought the trailer they now haul around to tailgating sessions. It’s grown to as many as 70 people for Gophers football games against Iowa while Red Devils games draw a fair amount, too. On Monday, they set up around 9:40 a.m. ahead of the 1 p.m. first pitch. The jovial environment has helped the group heal following Quaas’ death.
“It’s just great to see everyone show out, especially for him, honoring him,” said Joshua Quaas, Jeremy’s nephew. “It means so much to me personally because we had that three-year drought in ‘23, ‘24 and ‘25. We were so close. To finally get it this year, coming back and beating St. Boni, that was so emotional. I teared up so much because I knew that was the first game I went to after he passed away. We all just cried and did root beer barrels in honor of him. Just to have the run we’ve had, it’s so heartwarming for everyone.”
Known for his root beer barrels, Quaas put a unique twist on them, as he was wont to do. He’d place the root beer barrel part in one half of an ash tray and the beer part in the other half.
“That’s what makes it even more unique,” Joshua said. “That’s what made him so unique and popular. He was so extraverted. That’s what made him so special and meaningful to our fanbase and our family. He always wanted to be out there supporting his guys. Everyone loved him.”
The support across the town ball community came pouring out following Jeremy’s death. The Talking Townball Podcast dedicated a heartfelt segment to him from Delano’s Ryan Hayes. Elsewhere, the Young America Cardinals reached out immediately and state tournament host site Shakopee reached out through Bill Schleper to have Joshua throw out a ceremonial first pitch ahead of Watertown’s game against Maple Lake.
“We’ve built so many relationships throughout this entire state,” Brad Johnson said.
In addition to his adoration of town ball, Quaas had a passion for bowling. He had a Pro Bowlers Association card and carried a 220 average. He bowled two 300 games in his life and grew to love the game after spending countless hours at the Hollywood Sports Complex in Watertown.
“I always wanted him to shoot one [300 game] in front of me because he bowled in a league in the cities, too,” Mandy said. “I wanted him to shoot one for me so I could see it. He got close with a 297.”
Quaas’ mother and father used to work at the Hollywood Ranch House in New Germany, a place Brad’s family owned and the families became close friends. The ties remain tight, much like the rest of the Red Devils community. Quaas’ grandfather played with Watertown.
As much as the Red Devils wanted to fly the “W” on Labor Day, they couldn’t after a loss to CRVL rival Plato. However, Watertown will fly the “W” on Sept. 20 during a celebration of life for Quaas at the Hollywood Sports Complex.
