On August 8, I reviewed three of the best baseball books I’ve ever read, the Seth Swirsky trilogy.
Seth pioneered the art of baseball correspondence. One of his classic titles is Every Pitcher Tells A Story.
In that book, Seth gleans some juicy tidbits from catchers. Amazingly, I counted just six letters from receivers in this 220-page jewel.
That’s why I selected seven catchers to contact in my latest crop of baseball letters. They include:
Dick Billings
Tom Egan
Jack Hiatt
J.C. Martin
George Mitterwald
Ken Rudolph
Ken Suarez
While I’ve been trying to turn back the clock, contacting the fast-fading names from the 1950s, these are players I can envision instantly (although I saw them only on TV). Seven squatting gladiators.
I wanted to do more than ask about pitchers they handled. Who were batters they heckled, umpires they gabbed with or baserunners they felt?
Stay tuned. Meanwhile, as my (and your) baseball letter replies flood mailboxes, don’t forget to collect all the Seth Swirsky volumes while you can! Nothing beats an autographed copy.
Besides, I’m sure Seth would agree: every catcher can tell a story, too.