Dave Baldwin only looked like a typical baseball player.

In his delightful memoir Snake Jazz, he includes the confessional chapter “Tormenting Ted.” When Ted Williams took over the Senators in 1969, he claimed that his clueless pitchers couldn’t even explain why a curveball curves.

The hurler from the University of Arizona responded with a short speech on the science behind an off-speed pitch. Upon realizing that this wasn’t a classroom discussion but a rhetorical challenge, Baldwin braced himself for Williams to come unglued. Instead, he won the skipper’s grudging admiration.

Knowing this, I asked Baldwin how he felt about the diverse education of his teammates.Baldwin’s first full year in Washington was highlighted by 58 appearances. He geared up  for a 162-game schedule, however.

“Regarding teammates with an academic background, I found other college-educated players on all of the teams I played on. Relating to teammates, educated or not was never a problem for me — we all had one interest in common — baseball — and that was enough.”

Dave Baldwin proves that there’s life beyond baseball. Since retiring as a pitcher, he’s become a poet, academic (Dr. Baldwin holds a Ph.D in genetics), artist and author.

His memoir Snake Jazz (baseball lingo for a certain pitch) is something all fans should savor. How does it FEEL to be a major leaguer? Baldwin paints a complete picture. Every baseball bookshelf deserves Snake Jazz.

Speaking of painting, you can see his art on his website, too. You can order autographed copies of the book directly from Baldwin.

I asked Baldwin about his first victory in the bigs, a 20-inning affair in Minnesota that took just under six hours. It was a win, not a save. The save applied, as in “save face.” Baldwin shared:

Tomorrow: Baldwin shares more memories of the 1967 Washington Senators.