Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: July 2010

Enjoying Brooklyn Dodger Joe Landrum’s Humor

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Pitcher Joe Landrum had a lot of laughs in his brief baseball career. With gratitude and grins, he answered questions by mail recently.

“Tom!

You had to come to the park EARLY if you wanted to see me pitch!

[Fellow southerner] Red Barber made it a point to come talk to me and his advice was ‘Don’t let those yankees [not the team] bother you. They love the ‘southern drawl.’

Somebody asked Roy Campanella the same question [what’s it like having him for a batterymate]. His answer was that, so far, I had thrown nothing that had gotten past the plate.

Bill [Joe’s son] was a big improvement over the ‘old model.’ He loved relief pitching and I hated it. Just never did enjoy the game from that standpoint. wish I could have a little more time to get used to the ‘bigs.’

In retrospect, I have come to the conclusion that it was just a big thrill to have played the sport in sandlots, American Legion, college at Clemson [where he earned All-American honors!], GOOD minor league records at all levels, and at least a shot with the Dodgers.

Good health to you,
Joe”

Phillies Coach Billy DeMars Makes Hall of Fame Case For Fellow Shortstop Larry Bowa

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Billy DeMars was a marvel. A talented batting coach long before the advent of videotape and other technological boosts, DeMars had a fan in Pete Rose. They worked together in Philadelphia, Montreal and Cincinnati. DeMars wrote:

“Pete would have been a very good manager. All he needed was more experience.”


DeMars began his 13-year association with the Phillies at the 1968 World Series. He recalled:

“I was at the World Series in Detroit in 1968 and ran into Paul Owens and John Quinn from the Phillies. As I was leaving, I told Paul Owens who I knew that if they ever needed a good person to let me know. A month later, they called and offered me a coaching job. I spent 13 yrs with the Phillies, 3 with Montreal Expos and 3 with Cin Reds.”


During his service with the Phillies, DeMars remembers one crowning glory named Larry Bowa:

“I was very pleased at what I did for Larry Bowa. He only hit one year left-handed in the minors before coming up to the Phillies. He was a very poor hitter and not much power. But we worked hard almost 365 days a year and it turned out he hit about .265 lifetime. Had 2,191 hits, 25 less than Joe DiMaggio. that’s more hits than 6 shortstops in the Hall of Fame, and he had one of the highest fielding averages lifetime of any shortstop that played the game.”

How does DeMars sum up his half century-plus in baseball?

“Baseball was my lifetime, 58 years. Every job has its ups and downs, but I still can’t see me doing anything else. It was a great ride.”

Reds Manager Dave Bristol Recalls Pete Rose, Crosley Field and Nasty Umpires

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Manager Dave Bristol wants to set the record straight.

I quoted Baseball Reference’s bio to him:

He saw the writing on the wall as a player before the 1962 season with the Macon Peaches, when a young hotshot named Pete Rose beat him for the second baseman’s job.

Bristol’s reply?

“I was the manager in Macon. I didn’t compete with Rose. He needed to play and he surely did.

We had so many good players in Cincy in the 1960s. His move to the outfield fit into the scheme of things, much as it did when Sparky moved him to third base.”


Bristol’s first job in Cincinnati cemented his love for the local ballpark:

“I had seen Crosley Field in 1951 when I was there to work out prior to signing with Reds. In 1966, we were rained out opening day, so my first big league coaching third base took place in Philly when we opened the season there. Crosley was my all-time favorite park. Loved it. No park like it today — bank in outfield, 387 in center with high wall.”

Lastly, I gave Bristol the chance to confess his sins. The stunning http://www.retrosheet.org/ documented 23 ejections (four as coach, 19 as manager). Were they mostly balls-and-strikes disputes? Was there one time he could laugh about today? His defiant answer surprised me!

“I should have done more, but it doesn’t help your team when the manager is in the clubhouse.”

Watch out, retired umpires. Bristol hasn’t skippered a team since 1980. However, I’m betting he’s kept a list of the men in blue who wronged his clubs.

I enjoyed writing to Dave Bristol. Sparky Anderson may have operated the Big Red Machine, but I let Bristol know he should be credited for assembling some of the lineup gears that powered the team.

Is Former Manager Frank Lucchesi One Of the Bizarro Supermen?

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Frank Lucchesi answered my letter. Sort of?

Imagine giving a press conference. Questions? The trick is, no answers will match anything asked.
I read my share of DC Comics. This is straight Bizarro Superman stuff.
Lucchesi used the special piece of paper I enclosed for his reply.

Here is what I asked:

1. You started as a playing manager in 1951. Under what conditions might a player-manager get a chance in the majors today?


2. In your years in the Phillies farm system, who are some of your prize pupils, and how did you help them on the field?


3. From the 1970 Phillies helm to leadership of the 1987 Cubs: how did the pressures or demands of big league managing change in those years?

 
His answers?

1. My best hitter was Rich Allen.
2. My best two pitchers, Fergie Jenkins and Steve Carlton
3. Best city I like was Philadelphia.
4. My best infielder was Larry Bowa.


Those were nice. Totally baffling, but nice. If you write to Lucchesi, expect an answer. What kind of an answer? That’s the question!

Seeking More Good Joes (As in Garagiola)

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I’ll never forget my first conversation with Joe Garagiola.

As co-editor of Sports Collectors Digest, I ran a letter to the editor. A 1940s Phillie was suffering from Alzheimer’s. His daughter wrote to say that her dad loved greeting cards, carrying them in his pocket until they disintegrated. Even though her father couldn’t sign autographs, she hoped readers would write to him.

Joe subscribed! He vowed to get the Baseball Assistance Team to help. When Joe started requesting donations to BAT for autographs, his move made sense. I believed he was sincere. He had told me many instances of how BAT served former players in need. His current donation policy for autographs, along with a new cause, is detailed here on this helpful website outlining signatures for charity.

In coming installments, I hope to get more feedback from current and former players who support charity through autographing. Questions I’ll be asking:

1. What is the charity?
2. Why do they support this cause?
3. How much have they raised through autograph signing?

I don’t want to be a cynical grump, but I have harbored small doubts about the vague “I give it to charity” comments. WHAT charity? While I feel good about helping a good cause, I don’t like feeling that the signer will never see my letter. Instances in which retirees send thank-you notes for donations show me these men are active supporters of the charities, giving me an extra insight into their personality.

Readers: what questions do you have about the charities that autograph signers support with your donations?