The Squibber

ISSUE # x THE DAVIDS CHAPTER E-NEWSLETTER

Winter 2006

This newsletter is produced by the Bob Davids Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), which serves SABR members in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Visit the chapter’s official website at www.sabrdc.org. For a current description of the chapter’s program of activities and volunteer needs, go to http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mccrayl/Projects.htm

This quarterly newsletter is distributed electronically to members. It is posted, along with a wide range of cumulative material on baseball and baseball research in our geographical area, on The Squibber’s website at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mccrayl/NewNL.htm The deadline for material for the next newsletter is April 1. Submissions can be sent to Squibber editor Walt Cherniak at wcherniakjr@aol.com. Keep sending us those squibs, and those ideas for squibs!

CONTENTS – Winter 2006

1. Brooks Honored (Some Day): No Team in York, but Robinson Plaza Planned, by Barry Sparks

1. “B” as in “Baseball”: Those Alliterative Astros, by Walt Cherniak

1. Report from Bethesda: A Successful Debut Season for the Ripken League, by Bill Hickman

1. BioProject: Bob Davids Members Have Played a Huge Role, by Jan Finkel

1. Baker Book Nominated: Sparks a Finalist for Ritter Prize

1. BROOKS HONORED (SOME DAY): No Team in York, but Robinson Plaza Planned, by Barry Sparks

York, Pa., doesn’t have a minor league baseball stadium, but if it ever secures a team, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson will be honored with a plaza outside the stadium.

Keystone State Professional Baseball LLC Chairman Peter Kirk recently unveiled the preliminary plans for a “Brooks Robinson Plaza” at York’s proposed stadium site.

The plaza will be at the stadium’s home-plate entrance. It will connect the stadium to the Arch Street neighborhood and a statue of Robinson will be the centerpiece.

Robinson made his professional baseball debut for the York White Roses in 1955. “I really have an affection for York,” Robinson said. “It was the first place where my father came to see me play pro ball.”

Robinson has worked for Keystone Baseball for more than two years as a special assistant to the president.

York has spent the past eight years debating where and how to build a downtown stadium. The latest proposal calls for a $28 million stadium project. York Mayor John Brenner said earlier this year that York would have a minor league team by 2007. Kirk, however, has not committed to a specific date.

2. “B” AS IN “BASEBALL”: Those Alliterative Astros, by Walt Cherniak

Judging by the get-ups in the Minute Maid Park stands, the “Killer Bees” nickname has really caught on with fans of the Houston Astros, who won their first National League pennant this past season.

The original Killer Bees, of course, were characters in the early years of Saturday Night Live, featured in skits that introduced the world to the comic talents of John Belushi (“Your pollen or your life, Senor!”).

Those TV characters were a spoof of breathless 1970s media reports about the real killer bees. They were created accidentally in 1957, when researchers mistakenly released a swarm of African honey bees into the Brazilian jungle. There, they cross-bred with European honey bees to create offspring that were extremely aggressive and much more dangerous (although not poisonous) than more common bees.

The killer bees were said to be migrating toward the U.S. at a rate of 200 miles per year, and were projected to reach this country by the early 1990s. And, arrive they did. The bees have been identified in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. There really ARE killer bees in Houston.

But in Houston, the nickname has always been about alliteration. In 1997, the top three hitters in the Astros lineup – Craig Biggio, Derek Bell and Jeff Bagwell – all had surnames beginning with the letter “B.” They also were the best players on the team. The Killer Bees were born.

Bagwell and Biggio have long been the public faces of the Houston franchise, playing together with the Astros since 1991. Along the way, the team has employed several other notable players whose names begin with “B,” including Lance Berkman, Brandon Backe and Chris Burke from this year’s club.

With apologies to master list-maker Bruce Brown (hey, BOTH of his names start with “B”!), here is the all-Killer-Bees Astros lineup:

Catcher: John Bateman; First Base: Jeff Bagwell; Second Base: Craig Biggio; Shortstop: Tim Bogar; Third Base: Sean Berry; Left Field: Lance Berkman; Center Field: Kevin Bass/Carlos Beltran; Right Field: Derek Bell.

Starting Pitchers: Bob Bruce, Wade Blasingame, Floyd Bannister, Brandon Backe; Jack Billingham, Sean Bergman; Relievers: Joe Boever, Doug Brocail, Danny Boone, Kent Bottenfield, Pedro Borbon, Kirk Bullinger. Comic Relievers: Bo Belinsky, Jim Bouton.

Of course, this isn’t the first time a team has been identified by the initials of their star players. Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were famously known as the “M & M Boys” when they were bashing homers for the Yankees in the early 1960s.

But even those great sluggers weren’t worthy of that name.

It’s hard to imagine any team beating the New York/San Francisco Giants when it comes to having a lot of great players whose surnames began with the same initial.

The Giants have employed nine Hall of Fame players whose names began with “M”: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Joe Morgan, Johnny Mize, Joe Medwick, Christy Mathewson, Rube Marquard and Joe McGinnity.

The Giants’ “M Team” also features an N.L. MVP (Kevin Mitchell), Cy Young Award winner (Mike McCormick); Fireman of the Year (Stu Miller) and three Rookies of the Year (McCovey, Gary Matthews and John Montefusco).

Bill Madlock and Willie McGee won six N.L. batting titles with other clubs. Greg Minton had 125 saves and Randy Moffitt 83 for the Giants. Garry Maddox began his string of eight consecutive Gold Glove seasons while playing for San Francisco. They’ve had Butch Metzger and Roger Metzger.

The list goes on. Hitters like Dan McGann , Don Mueller, Red Murray, Fred Merkle, Sam Mertes, Irish Meusel, Jo-Jo Moore, Willard Marshall, Bobby Murcer, Manny Mota, Willie Montanez, Bill Mueller and Candy Maldonado.

Pitchers like Jouett Meekin, Sal Maglie, Cliff Melton, Hugh McQuillan, Lynn McGlothen, Terry Mulholland and Don McMahon. Catchers like Chief Meyers, Gus Mancuso, Kirt Manwaring, , Milt May, Mike Matheny.

And, of course, there’s John McGraw, perhaps the greatest manager in baseball history.

That’s a mighty impressive menagerie.

3. REPORT FROM BETHESDA: A Successful Debut Season for the Ripken League, by Bill Hickman

The first season of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League went successfully, and we're looking forward to another season in June and July of 2006.  Please check the Big Train website for the season schedule of games at Shirley Povich Field.  The website address is at http://www.bigtrain.org

Three former Big Train players have made big league appearances, and a fourth is on a major league roster going into spring training.

John Maine made pitching appearances for the Baltimore Orioles for the second straight year. 

Steve Schmoll began the 2005 season with the L.A. Dodgers, was demoted to Las Vegas, and returned to the Dodger bullpen later in the year. All told, he appeared in 48 games for the Dodger Blue.  He recently was traded to the New York Mets.

Charlton Jimerson was a September call-up for the Houston Astros.  He appeared in one game as a defensive replacement in center field, but did not get a chance to bat.

Bobby Livingston was promoted to the Seattle Mariners' 40-man roster in November, 2005.

About a third of the Big Train players who have been gone from the team for at least two years have seen action in professional baseball.  At the end of the 2005 season, there were 26 former Big Train players in pro ball.  Beyond those already mentioned, some leading minor league prospects are Mike Costanzo, third baseman in the Phillies organization; Jim Burt Jr., first baseman (Mets); Rusty Brown, third baseman (Royals); Dirk Hayhurst, pitcher (Padres); P.J. Hiser, outfielder (Indians); Jeff Little, pitcher (White Sox); Danny Matienzo, first baseman (Twins); Chris Mobley, relief pitcher (Marlins); and Jake Wald, shortstop (Giants).

The 2005 Big Train Base Ball and Auction took in $60,000, which was the largest amount of fund-raising in the Big Train's seven-year existence.  The money is used to improve youth ballfields in Montgomery County and the District of Columbia.

4. BIOPROJECT: Bob Davids Members Have Played a Huge Role, by Jan Finkel

Imagine yourself flipping through Total Baseball when your eyes fall upon a pitcher with 168-163 record, a winning percentage of .508. He had some good years and a couple of wretched ones, but mostly break-even seasons.

Hardly earth-shaking, is it? There's never been a pitcher with that won-lost record, but the winning percentage matches Gary Bell (121-117), Ray Sadecki (135-131), and Lefty Stewart (101-98). Going up or down a point, you find Dave Goltz (113-109), Rick Wise (188-181), Don Robinson (109-106), and Ed Willett (102-99).

You'd have to be related to someone here or owe him money to suggest that he's a Hall of Famer. Lefty Stewart's no Lefty Grove.

Let's put 168-163 in another context. This time we come up with something amazing.

Added together, 168-163 equals 331, the number of completed biographies (as of December 15) at the BioProject. Of that number, members of the Bob Davids Chapter have written or edited 168 — hence the figure .508.

It's even more impressive when you consider that the Bob Davids Chapter has about 750 members, roughly 11% of SABR's total membership. Without William Akin, Warren Corbett, Josh Davlin, Campbell Gibson, Bill Hickman, Chuck Hilty, Don Jensen, James Keenan, Norman Macht, Marty Payne, Mark Pattison, Lyle Spatz, David Vincent, and Cort Vitty the BioProject wouldn't be where it is today.

The BioProject owes the Bob Davids Chapter more than it can ever repay.

5. BAKER BOOK NOMINATED: Sparks a Finalist for Ritter Prize

Barry Sparks’ book, Frank “Home Run” Baker: Hall of Famer and World Series Hero,” which was published in November by McFarland, has been named a finalist for the 2005 Larry Ritter Award.

Ritter wrote the baseball classic, The Glory of Their Times,” an oral history of 22 players who played in the early years of the 20^th century.

The Larry Ritter Award is presented by the Deadball Era Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to the best baseball book written about the Deadball Era.

Sparks, a long-time freelance writer and public relations practitioner, lives in York, Pa.