Header - Baseball by the Letters

Thanking Ron Santo…And Dick Allen?

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The famed SI poster that
graced my closet door!

Ron Santo will always be my hero.

Thanks to regional TV broadcasts in Central Iowa, the first game I ever watched was a Cubs game. Jack Brickhouse adored Ronnie. How could anyone feel differently?

The closet on my bedroom wall was adorned with Santo’s Sports Illustrated poster, circa 1968-69. Imagine my heartbreak upon our move, when I realized that my parents had Elmer’s Glued Ron to the door.

The shock of the Santo trade to the White Sox prior to the 1974 season brought a surprising response from my Dad.

“If he’s in the American League now, I won’t mind the drive to Minnesota.”

For years, my folks grimaced over my yearly requests for a vacation to Chicago. Downtown Chicago? City driving?

The Twins, however, seemed like an off-ramp team. Metropolitan Stadium was as easy to reach as any roadside diner.

I’ll never forget hanging over the rail at the “Met.” No other fan was seeking pre-game autographs from the visitors. This geeky junior high schooler knew he may never get another chance to thank his hero.

Instead, all I saw was Dick Allen, pacing the dugout.

“Mister Allen,” I pleaded. “Would you ask Mister Santo to come out, please?  I came from Iowa. I’m a big fan!”

I thought the slugger might slug me. I heard a loud snort and groan. Or a growl? He spun and disappeared.

Seconds later, I saw Santo peer around the corner. Only his head emerged, in puppet-show fashion.

“Please, may I have your autograph?” I gushed. “Thank you for being my favorite player all these years. I’m from Iowa. My folks never wanted to drive all the way to Wrigley Field to see you play. This is closer!”

Yes, I said it all. Ron Santo borrowed my pencil and signed the cover of my Twins program. He restrained his grin, only nodding when I thanked him. He retreated to the shadows. I floated back to my seat.

Only this week did I realize that I got an assist in being face-to-face with my hero. From this day forward, I’ll always believe that mysterious, misunderstood Dick Allen made my case to his new teammate, asking him to take pity on an awestruck Iowan.

In the 1980s, I had a five-minute chat with Santo at a sports collectors show in Tacoma, Washington. He loved the story of the Minnesota autograph, without commenting on any role Allen may have played in that day. I thanked him for sharing his diabetes story with the baseball world. He seemed embarrassed at such praise. Why did he reveal his diabetes when he did?

“I never intended to keep it a secret,” he said to me. “I just didn’t want it to sound like an excuse.”

 Ron vetoed a trade to California in the winter of 1973. This time, I’m sure he’ll be a starting Angel.

Holiday ‘Forever’ Stamps Might Help

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It’s the time of giving. Why won’t the postal carriers give us more autographs?

This is the “Tastes Great! Less Filling!” type debate of the hobby. Some collectors swear they find more players signing during the holiday season. Others swear the whole work takes a vacation until Jan. 2. No autographs, no matter what.

Don’t give up hope. Consider the holiday evergreen stamps. They have the “FOREVER” designation, in case of a postal increase. Plus, they might guilt out a signer who finds your envelope with “holiday” stamps got ignored until January.

The other longshot? Sending a Christmas card to soften up a signer. I wouldn’t do it. Even retired players know when there’s strings attached. If you want to send Christmas cards, send them as thank-you notes to guys who’ve signed for you in 2010.

Readers: do you get fewer or more returns before Christmas?

Johnny Goryl Salutes Billy Martin

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Want proof that Johnny Goryl was a team player? Ask him about hitting four homers in one week (July, 1963), commemorated by http://www.retrosheet.org/. Many players can recite their career stats by heart, including individual highlights.

Goryl, meanwhile, replies…

“I never knew I did that. I know that my best season in the M.L. was with the Twins.”

Speaking of the Twins, Goryl served on the coaching staff of new manager Billy Martin. How was the fiery skipper as a boss?

“Billy M. was great to work for. He did a terrific job that season, taking us to the A.L. Division Playoffs, only to be swept by Baltimore. We lost the first two games by 1 run and then got beat badly in the 3rd game in the best of 5 series.”

Goryl’s closing paragraph impressed me most:

“I am going to enter my 60th year in professional baseball next season, an accomplishment I am very proud of. I have numerous wonderful memories over the years and have seen a lot of great players in that time. I feel privileged to have been able to be a small part of the game and to be on the field with so many great players.


Thanks for remembering me, Tom,


Johnny Goryl”

See Goryl discuss his career and the future Cleveland Indians in a 2009 video

 

Cub Johnny Goryl Nicknamed Himself!

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Identical Autograph,
50 Years Later!

“I know you are, but what am I?”

— Pee-wee Herman

The wise Mr. Herman was too late to warn utilityman-turned-manager Johnny Goryl. Goryl’s blanket ribbing of others boomeranged into his own nickname.

“My nickname ‘Mullion’ came about because I used it so often to call my teammates and friends that it stuck to me as a nickname.

I like the nickname, although the intent of the word is to not flatter you as a person. Its meaning, I am told, is ‘not very handsome.'”

Hearing from Johnny Goryl was a delight. One collector received a RTS for Goryl mistakenly marked DECEASED. An August 3 blog post detailed the finding. Actually, a same-named person who died may have been the cause of the confusion. Thankfully, the response from Goryl (who moved this year) proved that he wasn’t playing possum to avoid autograph collectors.

Tomorrow: More from Johnny G, including his memories of Billy Martin.

Tito Francona Pardons HOFer Jim Bunning

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Tito Francona is kind and/or shrewd.

There should be an asterisk on Jim Bunning’s Hall of Fame plaque. Francona treated Bunning like a batting practice hurler, collecting 32 hits (including five home runs) against him. Some retirees would enjoy gloating about their mastery of a Cooperstown inductee. Perhaps, Francona was protecting trade secrets?

In a short, sweet reply, Francona chose diplomacy. All he revealed about Bunning was:

“I saw the ball better.”

Francona discovered power hitting in 1959. His career-best 20 homers matched his long-ball output of the past three seasons combined. Francona’s four-word explanation was…

“practice and more practice.”

I guess I threw Francona a curve, asking about his son — Boston skipper Terry Francona. I was sure that Dad saw Terry’s athletic talent at an early age. However, when did he suspect his offspring could someday be a World Series-winning manager?

“I don’t know.”

One thing Francona was sure of?

“I enjoyed every minute.”