Chapter Info Newsletter The Squibber: Winter 2003
| The Squibber: Winter 2003 |
| Written by Bob Davids Chapter |
| Wednesday, 01 January 2003 01:00 |
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8) THE CAPITAL AND THE BIGS -- by Phil Wood Looking Ahead -- Major League Baseball continues to blur the issue of a permanent relocation of the Montreal Expos. For 2003, they'll remain in Montreal -- for 60 games. The rest of their home schedule will be played in San Juan, PR, at 20,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The Player's Association signed off on the split schedule for the relatively cheap price of MLB paying for the player's families to accompany them. It's assumed by many inside the game that some other form of compensation is likely involved down the road. The Washington area continues to be the front runner for capturing the club in 2004 and beyond, though MLB executive Bob DuPuy, who stated last summer that a DC-area team was "inevitable," now says he meant to add "within 5 or 10 years." MLB needs a bidding war to develop for the club, in order to satisfy Commissioner Selig's promise to other owners of being able to "double or triple" their $120 million purchase price of the club from Jeffrey Loria. Interestingly, neither the Fred Malek-led DC group or Bill Collins-fronted Virginia group expects to pay nearly that much for the team. Both expect a price in the $150-200 million range - and no other market has had an individual step forward with cash in hand. Rumors persist that Orioles' owner Peter Angelos will sell his team after he receives some kind of financial compensation from MLB for losing part of his TV market. He continues to publicly denounce any attempt to put a club in the DC area, despite the fact that in his own team's territorial claim on file with MLB, the Orioles' territory ends at the Howard County, MD line. Looking Back -- In other news, the Washington Baseball Historical Society will present NatsFest 2003 on March 22 at the Holiday Inn in Bethesda, MD. Among the former Nats in attendance will be Bernie Allen, Joe McClain, Russ Kemmerer and Chuck Hinton. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9) THEME TEAM: -- The All-Time Team of Maryland Natives, by Bruce Brown [Key -- CAPS denote All-Star selections, asterisks denote Hall of Famers] 1B - Bob Unglaub [Baltimore, 1881] 1) Kaline, 2) Baker, 3) Ruth, 4) Foxx, 5) Baines, 6) Keller, 7) Johnson), 8) Ripken, 9) Unglaub. Brian Jordan, Brady Anderson, Damon Buford, Gordy Coleman, Buttercup Dickerson, Dave Foutz. Billy Werber, Buck Herzog, Steve Barber, Moose Haas, Denny Neagle, Eddie Rommel, Tommy Thomas, Bobby Mathews, Jack Fisher, Walt Lerian, Ray Moore, Jeff Nelson, Homer Smoot, Tom Phoebus, Jake Powell, Allan Russell, Bobby Young, Geofff Zahn, Babe Phelps, Steve Farr, Cupid Childs, Chick Fewster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10) BEDSHEET BANNERS [Email to the Editor]-- Managing Delmarva [Note: In the last issue, Bruce Brown offered the All-Time Delmarva Theme Team and nominated Jimmie Foxx as its manager.] Dear Editor: Bruce Brown [Columbia MD] did an excellent job with his All Delmarva team, and we look forward to more of his thematic teams of the region in the future. (Bruce defined his criteria for this team as players from the Delmarva Peninsula who were native to the region below the Chesapeake Canal. This excluded pitchers Vic Willis and Vic Keen from consideration. Willis (a HOF member) was from Elkton, which most from the area consider a part of the Eastern Shore. And although Keen was born in Bethesda, he grew up, played high school ball, and lived his remaining life in Snow Hill. But this would be quibbling about Bruce’s definition of the geographic region and what constitutes a "native." And only Willis’ inclusion would affect his team selection.) The choice of Jimmie Foxx as manager may derive from the Tom Hanks' vivid portrayal of Foxx as a AAGPBL skipper in the movie "A League of Their Own -- but four of the players on Bruce's list did manage in the minor leagues. The four were Homer Smoot, Frank Baker, Dickie Porter, and Jake Flowers. In 1937 Jake Flower’s Salisbury Indians got off to a 22-5 start in the Class D Eastern Shore League. It was then discovered that they had too many players with experience in the upper leagues, so 21 of these victories were forfeited. Despite this devastating setback, Flowers led the Indians to win 48 of their next 58 games and claim the league pennant. Flowers was named The Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year for his efforts. The minor league web site at www.minorleague.com rates the Indians as the 8th out of 100 all time best minor league teams. The site includes is an excellent article on Flowers, the Indians, and the history of the Eastern Shore League that is worth checking out. Jake went on to several years as a highly respected major league coach. Home Run Baker’s managerial experience was not so rewarding. Baker was a demi-god in the eyes of local baseball fans when he took over as player-manager of the Easton Farmers in 1924. He enhanced his stature even more when he signed 16-year-old local phenom, Jimmie Foxx, to play for his team. Baker later sold his star player to the Athletics for $2000. The Farmers got off to a slow start to begin the 1925 season, while many were still expressing their displeasure with the “paltry sum” he had accepted for a talent like Foxx. The “uptown managers” were said to be “grumbling,” when Baker was unceremoniously sacked at mid season. But Bruce may have a point in tapping Foxx to manage. He probably would have been a lot more fun to play for. -- Marty Payne [St. Michaels MD]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11) CASEY AT THE BYTE -- by Jim Casey The continuing hardball diary of Jim Casey [Falls Church] -- one SABR member who keeps on chuckin'. Fall 2002: Well, I close this year with the usual mixed results. My pitching peaked with a complete game 12-1 victory in the 50+ league, in which I carried a shutout into the 9th inning. Things went noticeably and swiftly downhill from there. We failed to win another game the rest of the season. I got the start in our single-elimination post-season playoffs. The leadoff hitter reached on an error, the next two got clean singles, the next reached on an error, and the next two also got hits, and I was out of there without retiring a batter, something that has never happened to me before in my entire mound life. We were behind 10-0 at the end of the first, and 18-0 at the end of the 4th. But these adult amateur league games can get interesting. We started coming back in the 5th, got as close as 3 behind, fell back again, and staged a furious rally in the last inning before finally losing 23-19. Is this baseball? Maybe, maybe not. Soon I'll be in Cooperstown! It is possible to rent Doubleday Field for a game for a reasonable price, and this will be the second year for the "Jim Casey Invitational" up there. I get the field on a Saturday in September for a game, and drag about 20 of my best friends up there for a friendly game. The cost is $40 a player, which covers the field and insurance and umpire fees. If anybody's interested in playing next year, let me know. The participation is fluid. Winter 2002/2003 Next season the DC area Men's Senior Baseball League will have 38+ and 48+ age divisions, with the 48+ being a wood bat league, so it should be much more fun, and much more like real baseball, and fewer games like that 23-19 disaster of ours in August. I recently purchased a couple of wood bats and I can hardly wait to hit, and pitch, in that league next year. If any SABR members are interested in getting out and playing, let me know and I'll put you on the right path. In terms of off-season conditioning, I ride my exercise bike to keep my legs strong, since that's where one's
power as a pitcher really comes from, and I do exercises with small weights (1-2 lbs.) for my elbow and shoulder to keep them strong and flexible. [Note: You can reach Jim Casey at bigtrain45@hotmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12) DICK HELLER ON BASEBALL A. 1971: KEKICH'S PITCH TO HOWARD: ONE FOR THE ROAD, MAYBE [Note: The following Dick Heller [Silver Spring] article is reprinted from the Washington Star of October 1, 1971. Dick is a sports columnist for the Washington Times and a member of our chapter.] The Yankees' clubhouse was deserted except for an attendant when Mike Kekich arrived after being knocked out by the Senators in the sixth inning of last night's ungrand finale at RFK Stadium. Sometimes baseball players display surprising candor under such circumstances, particularly when it's the last game of the season. Normally, the media cannot enter the clubhouse during a game, but this time nobody really cared. So the question to lefthander Kekich was leading: Had he grooved the pitch that Frank Howard hit for his last home run as a Senator? Kekich grinned. "C'mon, man, you aren't really gonna ask me a question like that, are you?" Yes indeed. The grin grew wider. "OK, let's just say I tried to throw him a straight pitch. I felt sorry for the fans." Two hours later, following the Yankees' bizarre 9-0 forfeit victory, Kekich was telling a gang of reporters that no such heinous thought ever entered his mind. At that point [Yankee skipper] Ralph Houk, an old-school manager, was nearby. "Oh, no, no" Houk said with some heat. "Kekich definitely was trying to get Howard out all night. He was pitching to win." Howard had no doubts -- the other way. "Next time up I told [catcher] Thurman Munson to thank Mike for the gift," Hondo said. "All I know is, he gave me a pitch I could hit." Back in the New York clubhouse, the Yankees buzzed about the strange ending when fans overran the field in the top of the ninth inning and caused the first forfeit ever hereabouts. To outfielder Ron Swoboda, a Met for six seasons, the crowd's fanaticism was reminiscent of days and nights at Shea Stadium. "It wasn't exactly the same -- tonight's crowd was more serious," Swoboda said, "but some of the enthusiasm, cheering popups and all, sounded like New York. You could feel something in the air. I don't think the crowd was violent. Angry, yes, certainly." Yankees coach Elston Howard, mentioned as a possible manager of the Senators several years ago, said he hated to see Washington lose baseball. "This has always been a good town, and it has a nice stadium," Howard said. "but first Calving Griffin [sic] wanted to move and now Bob Short. I'm just an old baseball player. I don't understand these owners." Not all the Yankees were as concerned about Washington's loss -- Houk, for one. "How the hell can I say anything about Washington?" he grumbled. "All I care about is getting my bullpen straightened out." For next season, perhaps, since the Yankees ended the season in fourth place with an 82-80 record, 21 games behind the American League East champion Orioles. (The Senators wound up 63-96.) Meanwhile, Bucky Harris, the "Boy Wonder" who in 1924 managed the Senators to their only World Series victory, sipped a glass of bourbon and stared out at the now-darkened field. Harris didn't have much to say except "it's a sad day for baseball in Washington." Nobody argued. ---- B. PETE ROSE DESERVES REINSTATEMENT Back in 1989, I made the suggestion that Organized Baseball -- as it was called in the days when it was at least less disorganized -- should lock out Pete Rose and throw away the key. But as Rose's people and commissioner Bud Selig's people discussed terms of the Hit King's reinstatement before the holidays, it seemed obvious that it was time to go find that key. Most people think Rose did bet on baseball, possibly on games played by his team, the Cincinnati Reds. The point is that, as far as we know, it's all in the past. If Pete had put down even a quarter on a ballgame in the last 13 years, you can bet somebody would have found out. And if we believe in any kind of redemption, we have to believe he has paid for his sins 10 times over.
Sure he was dumb to bet substantial sums on sports events -- so is anybody else who wastes money that way -- but nobody ever accused Pete of being smart about anything except baseball. Consider what his stupidity cost him: 13 years of being separated from and ostracized by the only thing in life he cares about, sure first-round election to the Hall of Fame, and most of all the everlasting respect and admiration of everybody in the game. But it doesn't have to be a permanent sentence. Nobody once personified the best of baseball more than Pete Rose with his nonstop hustle and love of the game. I miss him, and I want to see him throwing out the first pitch next season at Cincinnati's new Great American Ballpark as the crowd roars his name. Sure he made mistakes -- lots of them. But good old Alexander Pope said it just right: To err is human, to forgive divine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bethesda The Georgetown Hoyas kick off their home season at Shirley Povich Field against Lehigh on Saturday February 22 at 1 pm. Big East Conference play commences Saturday March 15 at home with a noon doubleheader against Boston College, and continues through the end of April. Thirteen of Georgetown's 27 home games at Povich Field will be against Big East competition, including Boston College, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and St. John¹s. For more information about Georgetown baseball, go to www.guhoyas.com. [Item supplied by Bruce Adams [Bethesda].] The Bethesda Big Train Base Ball and Auction, held on November 17, raised $55,000 for supporting the improvement of youth baseball fields around the Washington area. Some terrific items of baseball memorabilia were won in auction at bargain prices. The Big Train auction is an annual event, so look for future announcements about the precise date in November 2003, when the next auction will be held. [Submitted by Bill Hickman [Rockville MD].] Frederick -- from John Munns The good news: The Frederick Keys, like all the Orioles farm teams, finished with high attendance. The Keys finished 45th out of 176 minor league teams, and placed second in the Carolina League in attendance, drawing 305,950 fans. The bad news: The Keys -- like the Orioles' farm teams in Rochester, Bowie, and Aberdeen - had a dismal on-the-field record. The Keys improved in the second half with a 29-41 record, but still ranked dead last among the 176 minor league teams in winning percentage. The team’s ERA at 4.76 was the worst in the Carolina League, and the Keys had the lowest home run totals in the Carolina League with 53. Frederick City’s Mayor, Jennifer Dougherty, is committed to renovating Harry Grove Stadium and using it for other events besides baseball. The Mayor visited the Cal Ripken Stadium for ideas. Comcast will contribute $3 M, the State $3 M, and the City $1.5 M. Frederick County’s share would be $1.5 M. The City or County has not authorized funding at this point. Comcast stated that it would not move the franchise if the renovation does not happen. Hagerstown -- thanks to Bob Savitt In December Hagerstown Suns owner Andrew Rayburn announced an agreement to sell the club to a California sports entertainment venture chaired by a movie mogul. He had bought the team in 2001. Rayburn reported that the offer came unexpectedly. But it's also likely true that he was disappointed with the November election of new County Commissioners who are prepared to ignore his threat to move the team if public funds weren't forthcoming to help build a new stadium. The team's ballpark lease runs out next winter. Washington County's new officeholders seem unimpressed with Hagerstown's long history of support for baseball. "It's dead. There's no way of reviving it," said one outgoing commissioner of any hope for public financial help. And incoming electee John Munson freely admits that his mind is made up. "I don't think [baseball] helps our economic development," he said in November. "I've never been to a ball game in my life," Munson explained. "I only go to NASCAR races." Richmond -- thanks to Walter Kephart Walter continues to keep an eye on the prospect of major renovations at The Diamond, home of the Richmond Braves. But officials are circumspect, and news is scarce. He believes that the feasibility study was completed and the city is in the process now of negotiating with the Braves, hoping to have things completed by February before other baseball activities began. York -- from Barry Sparks York recently received $12 million from the state of Pennsylvania toward its proposed minor league stadium. There's nothing definite yet. No site has been selected and no franchise has been secured. If York gets a team it most likely will be a member of the independent league. Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed has strongly opposed York's efforts to land a minor league team. The Harrisburg Senators, a Montreal Expos Class AA affiliate, is only 25 miles north of York. Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts will appear at York Sports Night on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Central York High School. An autograph session begins at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 7 p.m. Autographs are free with the price of admission. Tickets are $10 for those ages 19-59; $7.50 for those over 60 and children 11-18; kids under 10 are free. Tickets are available at www.shipleyenergy.com. York County native Butch Wynegar has been named hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Wynegar played for the Twins, Yankees and Angels during his 13-year career, 1976-1988. Greg Gross, also a native of York County, served as the hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies this past year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 14) DAVE'S STUMPERS -- AND LESSER ODDMENTS Dave Raglin [McLean VA] sends along three more trivia stumpers. Answers appear in Section 15, below. 1) Since the Senators left in 1971, what professional baseball team has played closest to Washington, DC? 2) What first-ballot Hall of Famer played his first game in Organized Ball in Hagerstown? 3) Which 2001 All-Star played for the University of Maryland? ------ Ah, Those Players from the Past. Ah, That Writing from the Past --from Marty Payne “(The ball) received such a slap from Morelock’s ash as to rise gracefully toward the cerulean and finally alight in a cornfield some distance beyond and without the high board enclosure.” (Salisbury Advertiser, August 17, 1895) This reference is to the slugging third base man Harry Morelock, who played for the Salisbury club in 1895. He appeared briefly for the Philadelphia Nationals in 1891 and 1892. Little is known of Morelock except that he was born in Philadelphia and was a stalwart of the Wilmington/Philadelphia semi pro circuits. -- Marty Payne [St Michaels MD]. ------ Bird Hoppings Here's how Chris Kahrl [Bethesda] sees some of the O's recent player transactions [Reproduced, with permission, from Chris' regular column at http://www.baseballprospectus.com/.] You can sort of understand why the Orioles picked up Catcher Raul Casanova [who was signed in September], even if he's a 30-year-old with career rates of .233/.301/.370. Geronimo Gil is already 27, so he's as good as he's going to get. Gil's .244/.280/.377 season smacks of Jeff Tackett more than it conjures up visions of a new Rick Dempsey. Brook Fordyce's contract is unfortunately locked in through 2003. So unless the Orioles eat the money (a totally defensible option, given that Fordyce is 32 and looks done), they've got the same problem they had when they were fooling themselves into carrying Fernando Lunar on the 40-man roster for far too long. There's still no catching in the system, so what you see is what you get for a couple of years, unless they get uncharacteristically bold. The Orioles are hoping that they'll get something out of RHP Pat Hentgen [signed for one year in October], and the odds are decent that he might be useful by the second half, given that he's only a year and a half removed from Tommy John surgery. He'll be in the running for the fourth or fifth slot in the rotation, but he'll also be competing with Jason Johnson, John Stephens, Sean Douglass, and others ------ Didja Know -- that, according to some work done by SABR member Ken Matinale, it is arguable that the third best home run hitter ever . . . was our own Harmon Killebrew? Yep, Killebrew ranks 3rd in career ratio of homers to at bats, and in fact ranked 2nd in that unfamiliar stat until Mark McGwire put on that amazing surge of his. Didja Care? Didja Know -- that when young Babe Ruth earned his first baseball income, he went and spent it on something he said he'd "prayed for through most of my young life" . . . a bicycle? [Nowadays, when modern Baltimore prodigy Mark Teixeira pockets $4.5M for his first baseball income, he can afford about 1000 of those funky new Segways . . . if he even wants 1000 of those funky new Segways.] Didja Care? Didja Know -- that if baseball had somehow caught the Babe's eye, he might have spent his life as a Baltimore shirtmaker? That's what St. Mary's Industrial School was trying to teach him just before he became a lefty catcher at the school. And thus, perhaps, the world was deprived of a potential Sultan of Shirts. Didja Care? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We welcome your ideas for future squibs and features. And we accept your complaints. Larry McCray, editor, Arlington VA -- mccrayL@bellatlantic.net Marty Payne, St. Michaels MD -- martyp@toad.net The Squibber's web site is at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mccrayl/Base.htm
Correspondents Baltimore -- Richard Ottone || Frederick -- John Munns || Greater Aberdeen -- Hank Riefle || Hagerstown Suns -- Bob Savitt|| Harrisburg -- Ted Knorr || Richmond -- Walter Kephart|| SABR-L -- Mike Shapiro || York -- Barry Sparks Note: a hard copy of this newsletter can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, 65-cent-stamped envelope to Larry McCray, 6424 N. 26th Street, Arlington VA 22207. If you meet a Chapter member who isn't on the net, tell her/him that we exist.
------------ The Bob Davids Chapter of SABR President: Bob Savitt [Potomac MD], bobsavitt@aol.com. Vice President: Dave Raglin [McLean, VA], darags@erols.com. Secretary: John Munns [Frederick MD], jmunns@netstorm.net Treasurer: Dave Paulson [Columbia MD], d2244@gtcinternet.com. Webmaster: Don Pollins [Takoma Park MD], donpollins@excite.com; the Chapter website is at http://www.sabrdc.org/ ------ Answer 1 -- The Alexandria Dukes played closest to DC. The Dukes were a Carolina League club from 1978 to 1983. They played at Four Mile Run Park in northeast Alexandria, a few yards from Potomac waters. Their affiliations: 1978 and 1980, independent; 1979 Seattle (they were the Alexandria Mariners that year); and 1980-83, Pittsburgh. They moved in 1984 to Prince William County to become the Potomac Cannons. Answer 2 -- The megastar with the Hagerstown debut is Willie Mays, who started OB a visiting player for the 1950 Trenton Giants of the Interstate League. He faced the Hagerstown Braves that day. There appears to be little substance to any rumor that the youngster offered, as onfield chatter, the taunt "Say, Hagerstown" -- and later settled on the shorter cry "Say Hey." Answer 3--The 2001 AL All-Star who twirled for the Terps was Eric Milton of the Minnesota Twins. He was a first round pick of the Yankees in 1996 and was traded to the Twins in the Chuck Knoblauch deal. ------ And Finally --. "Imagine if they'd had the designated hitter in [Babe Ruth's] day. Every fourth day he'd pitch, and the other three he'd be the designated hitter. He'd wind up with 400 victories and 800 home runs, wouldn't he? And that would make him a double Hall of Famer." Leonard Koppett, as quoted in Ernestine Miller's [Washington and New York] The Babe Book (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2000), p.25 "The Backstop's Here?" President Harry S Truman kept a famous sign on his Oval Office desk. It succinctly reflected the unique responsibilities of a President: -- other federal officials might be able to pass the buck, but, the Truman sign said, "The Buck Stops Here." Knowing that George W. Bush was a catcher in his Little League days, we wonder if a sign proclaiming "The Backstop's Here" wouldn't fit handsomely on his desk.
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Winter 2002/2003 Addendum
The Chapter's Program -- Volunteers Welcome!
A. Current Activities At present, the Bob Davids chapter is actively involved in a variety of interesting activities and projects: If you'd like to get involved, contact the listed coordinators!
B. Possible New Initiatives
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Upcoming Events
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04/10/2010
"Six Decades of Baseball: A Personal Narrative" -
05/08/2010
Mark Hyman "Until it Hurts" -
06/12/2010
Charlie Brotman (details to come) -
07/10/2010
A History of Baseball and Ballpark Construction in Wash. DC