Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2010

Pitcher Claude Osteen Shares Lessons of Dodger Teammates Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale

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(Courtesy Mark Langill, Team Historian, Los Angeles Dodgers)

 Pitcher Claude Osteen overwhelmed me with his reply. His was a letter filled with the insights of a winner.

 I related to him the amazing conversation I overheard before a 1980s AAA game in Tacoma. Coach Osteen chatted with young pitchers in the bullpen, telling how getting your elbow “scooped” (bone chips removed) was great. I realized his passion for pitching. He was a devoted member of the Dodgers family, focused on the organization’s future.

Where did that passion and devotion come from? Did he find role models in Los Angeles? Osteen wrote:

“I learned from Koufax and Drysdale what it meant to be a Dodger and how the name was synonymous with pitching. I was embarrassed not to pitch well.”

Tomorrow: what roles did Gil Hodges and Willie Stargell play in one of Osteen’s biggest thrills?

Pitcher Gary Kroll ‘Balks’ At Ump Jocko Conlan

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Don’t believe everything you read.

Oops! I mean, don’t believe what you read ELSEWHERE.

In the book The Ballplayers, pitcher Gary Kroll suffers from a biased bio note:

“As a nervous ML rookie, however, he committed a league-leading four balks in just 24 innings.”

Hmmm…I wrote to Kroll, wanting his side of the story. He replied with some juicy insights, including:

“I was trying to use a move that Art Mahaffey used with great success, but it didn’t work too good for me. Jocko Conlan was one of the umps that called a balk on me.

I said, ‘Jocko, Drysdale (Don) uses the same move and you don’t call a balk on him.’

He said, ‘Yeah, but he does it faster.’

What!!! I think his name being Drysdale had something to do with him getting away with it.”

I noted Kroll beat future Hall of Famer on April 18, 1965. Before a home Shea Stadium crowd, Kroll yielded just four hits while getting two of his own. His memories?

“It was raining and I was better than Gaylord that day, even though he had Mays and McCovey on his team. he tried to bust a couple of fastballs by me and I turned them around.”

Kroll topped 300 strikeouts in one minor league season. He recalls his first K in the majors with an ironic footnote:

“Gordon Richardson with the Cardinals. The same Gordon Richardson that teamed up with me to no-hit the Pirates in the spring of ’65. Go to www.metsnohitters.com website.”

I closed my letter, stating:

“My ‘career’ ended in Little League. However, I can close my eyes and I’m back on the field again — like it was yesterday.”

Kroll wrote…

“I know what you mean. So do I!”

Thanks to www.retrosheet.org for the game account!

Why Did Senators Catcher Steve Korcheck Choose Baseball Over San Francisco 49ers?

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Same Artful Autograph!

College football star Steve “Hoss” Korcheck turned down the San Francisco 49ers for baseball. He wound up as a backup catcher for the 1950s Washington Senators. How did he choose his career? This mountain of a man offered a kind, thoughtful reply to my letter:

“I thought that I would have a longer career in baseball. Also looked at the long-term health of each sport, injury-wise and long-term effects.”

Remarkably, he remembers his days in baseball in relatively-painless terms, writing:

“Two collisions that stand out — one with Jackie Brandt of the Baltimore Orioles and one with Hank Bauer of the New York Yankees. Pretty much injury free — a few broken fingers.”

Korcheck, who praised the artistry of batterymates Jim Kaat, Pedro Ramos and Camilio Pascual during his tenure in D.C., reflected on his playing days and unique ties to this year’s post-season rosters.

“Enjoyed my time in baseball. Enjoyed the atmosphere and the many friends that I made. Roomed with Ed Yost, whom I am in contact. My best friend became Jim Lemon, who passed away a few years ago.


After baseball, went back to school and obtained my doctorate degree in education. Taught and coach baseball for many years. Coached Ron Washington, manager of Texas Rangers and Sam Perlozzo, 3rd base coach of the Phillies.


Finished my educational career serving as president of Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida) for 17 years (1980-97).


Good luck and God bless,


Steve Korcheck”

JUST “a few broken fingers?” That’s one huge optimist!

1956 Orioles Landed Minnesota All-Stater (And Some Kid Named Brooks Robinson?)

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Here’s a treasure from my archives, circa 2000. At the time, I began looking hard at all the Minnesota natives who had made the majors. Among that list was Gordie Sundin, a teen who savored the smallest cup of coffee with the 1956 Orioles. He wrote:

“Hi, Tom —

Thanks for your inquiry and interest. It’s hard to believe you found me.

I did grow up in Mpls. I was ALL STATE in football, basketball and baseball at Washburn HS. I signed with the Orioles right out of HS and was on the active roster when I was 17 yrs old (in 1955, I was born 10/10/37).

Brooks Robinson and I signed together and remain good friends.

My elbow went bad (nerve damage) my first season and I was operated on in Baltimore in 3/56. Again, my elbow went bad and I was cut on in 1959.

I had some great experiences and for awhile I threw well out in the coast league for Vancouver 1957-59. I was on the Orioles Active roster  in ’55 and all of ’56.

I married my H.S. sweetheart, the former Mary Ann Dorsey — who was on the ’56 Olympic and world figure skating teams. We were also married in ’56. Big Year.

God bless. Thanks for the inquiry.
Gordie”

Famous Jackie Robinson Collection Proves Baseball Letters Equal Baseball History

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Are you making baseball history?

Before you run to your autograph collection to judge the quality of signatures, consider what you’ve been writing to those signers. I believe YOUR letters are historic, too.

On an Internet search, I stumbled across a record of the Jackie Robinson papers archived at the Library of Congress. Robinson’s letters to, and from, baseball notables, are part of his lifetime collection of papers. However, one sentence jumped out from the LOC website:

“Fan mail from home and abroad offered Robinson support and encouragement in his efforts both on and off the field, while often providing a glimpse into the writer’s own struggle with racial intolerance.”

You might be collecting autographs. The baseball legend might be collecting YOUR letter. Years from now, historians might look at what you wrote to a famous baseball name, hoping to get idea of that star’s popularity and impact on society.

Think twice about what you say. Your letter may have a longer life than you do!