Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: September 2010

Bill Virdon Counts His Blessings

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In 1955, one humble ROY

Why did I write to Bill Virdon? I wanted to see if he really won Rookie of the Year in 1955.

Of course, he did. However, he’s always more eager to tell reporters about his pride in
being part of the 1960 World Championship. He wants to talk about his teams. His teammates.

Not himself.

Thankfully, the bespectacled Gold Glover fielded my three questions like an All-Star. His letter includes:

“1955 was a dream come true. The Cardinals gave me a chance and I was fortunate in many ways. I never really thought about it during the year.”


Not surprisingly, Virdon sidestepped my inquiry about the actual award, on-field ceremonies or a reward in the next year’s contract.

Looking closely at his season totals, I learned that Virdon’s last season playing wasn’t 1965. He added:

“In 1968, I was activated from the coaching staff and played in one game. Three at bats. Two strikeouts and a home run in the ninth to tie the score. It was a thrill, but we lost in the tenth.”


Lastly, I’ve always wanted to ask a former manager: WHY? I quoted Bobby Bragan’s assessment of the job, “Hired to be fired.” Virdon responded:

“It was enjoyable if you won. I always thought we had a chance to get to the series.

I still enjoy the game. I was blessed to be able to stay in the game so many years.”

Pitcher Jack Smith’s 1962 Dodger Welcome

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If it’s not exciting enough to make the majors, pitcher Jack Smith found his 1962 Dodgers debut in the midst of baseball history.
Teammate Maury Wills was stealing his way to a one-year record 104 bases. From one of the best seats in the house, Smith saw how Wills victimized rival hurlers, writing:

“Maury Wills was a good base stealer and studied the pitchers and replays.”

Smith had a great assessment of his one save in 1962. Did it compare to the thrill of a complete game?

“All saves are important, even in the old days.”

Smith’s Dodgers tied the Giants with an identical record to end the regular season. For the last time ever, the National League would call for a three-game tie-breaker playoff.

In the second game, Smith watched from the mound as two future Hall of Famers faced off.

He came in to relieve after the Giants scratched out two singles, the second from Willie Mays. Smith surrendered a run-scoring single to pinch-hitter Ed Bailey. When Mays tried to advance to third, umpire Jocko Conlan seemed to switch his call from safe to out. The indecision brought a rhubarb from Mays, third base coach Whitey Lockman and manager Alvin Dark. Did Conlan flip-flop, even getting it wrong?

Smith remains diplomatic about what unfolded:

“Yes, I think it was a fair call.”

Smith got the last word on the Giants, despite their advancement to the ’62 World Series. On June 12, 1964, the transplanted Milwaukee Brave posted three innings of hitless relief in Candlestick Park.

“It was fun to pitch in the Big Leagues. Always a pleasure.”

Between The Lines With Coach Alex Grammas

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I was never a fan of fractions, except for common denominators.

Manager Sparky Anderson’s Hall of Fame formula included common denominator coach Alex Grammas. In Cincinnati and Detroit, Grammas was at Anderson’s side.

I looked beyond Grammas’s coaching, discovering that he had more than a few good days at bat. Here were my three questions:

1. Whether winning the World Series in Cincinnati or Detroit, Sparky Anderson had you on his team. Besides hiring good coaches, what was in his personality and attitude that made him a Hall of Fame manager?

2. You seemed like a bench coach in Cincinnati and Detroit, but never had that title. How do you feel about the position being “official?”

3. Six four-hit games. A four RBI game versus the Cubs. Twelve career home runs. You were more than just a slick fielder. What moment at bat do you enjoy remembering most?

In just under three months, this was his response:
 

“Tom,

I’ve always enjoyed every team I was on. The secret is giving it 100 percent every day.

The best to your and your family.

Alex Grammas”

I like asking questions. I like giving former players a chance to get the last word on their careers, describing their diamond days in any way they choose. Although Grammas seemed lean on details, his grateful perspective on the game is an outlook I can appreciate. I’d like to be able to borrow his words someday to describe my collecting “career.”

Jerry Seinfeld Inspires A Collector

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Jerry Seinfeld knows humor. However, there’s nothing funny about this productivity advice that he used in his career.

Beginning in 2007, the Internet buzzed with reports that Seinfeld gave advice to a budding comedy writer. Do something. Every day, do something. Mark your efforts on a calendar. The successful days link together.

“Don’t break the chain!”

I read on a hobby website this week several collectors writing about getting sick of writing letters. They’d write and send a bazillion autograph requests in one month, then let the hobby slide.

Not me. One a day. One letter a day. Every day.

Sure, I’d like a tsunami of responses in the mailbox. I’m not going to ignore the rest of my life, though, only to combust from hobby burnout. Pacing! Link by link, my hobby chain grows and strengthens.

Thanks, Jerry.

Dodgers President Walter O’Malley, HOF Pen Pal

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Class of 2008
(courtesy, BBHOF)

Walter O’Malley is a mysterious Hall of Famer. Some fans have reviled him for moving the team from Brooklyn. Others assume that he was just a shrewd businessman who stayed in the game for the money.

Take a look at http://www.walteromalley.com/ for another side of the baseball executive.

I found the collection of personal correspondence fascinating. O’Malley seemed giddy that his transplanted team was attracting fans from the world of entertainment. Here is a collection of their letters to the Dodgers owner, along with his replies.

Look close at the 1957 offerings. A boy named Jimmy Hahn sent O’Malley a drawing. The future Hall of Famer took time to thank a fan in writing. He promised the boy one of the first “new” LA caps in his size.

O’Malley died in 1979. There’s a lesson in his correspondence, though. There’s still time to reach the unreachable in baseball. Don’t assume that someone won’t respond, just because they’re running a team. Chances are, they might be as big a fan as you!