Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2010

Mike Sadek’s Co-Stars: Why I Write This Blog

by



Same Sig, Same SF Pride!
Better than any Halloween candy I received was this sweet treat: a blog comment from P. Goldman regarding the Sept. 20 Mike Sadek post. I wanted to share it here, too, with my gratitude:

Mike and I grew up in Park Forest, Illinois. Of course we played baseball all day, at least till the snow came. We probably had the best Pony league team of all time. Mike of course the catcher, his Dad the coach…boy did he know baseball. As an added plus Mike’s brother Bob, a great athlete, also coached the team.

We were surrounded by great players but none with skills that made Mike a major leaguer!!!

Too bad that the next year Mike’s Dad was transferred back to Minneapolis and we lost our #1 catcher. The only good thing that resulted…I became the #1 catcher!!! Mike and I reconnected in 1977 at Wrigley Field, what a treat after 10 yrs. no Internet then we got caught up. So glad for him that the Giants won the World Series…to everyone who has ever played the game…its the best…our pastime or whatever you want to call it…we love it!!!

Thanks to everyone who shares my vision, for baseball and this blog. I don’t believe baseball is just a game by the numbers. It’s a game by the letters. By the stories. By the people. For all the Mike Sadeks, for all the fans and friends, this is Hot Stove League season. I’m seeking your stories. Stay tuned!

A Grateful Goodbye To Sparky Anderson

by
How many pre-Sparky autographs
did he sign?

The autograph collecting hobby has lost a superstar.

The late “Sparky” Anderson was more than a Hall of Famer. Until this summer of faltering health, he remained among the most patient of signers. Even then, his photocopied note of apology still contained a real “Sparky” signature.

The ever-amazing website http://www.sportscollectors.net/ noted a 96 percent success rate among TTM collectors. More than 2,000 successes were logged. Special requested inscriptions? No problem. It was obvious Sparky read and appreciated what fans wrote.

We don’t have forever to reach our baseball heroes. Appreciate them while you can. All it takes is one letter.

Who Invented “Handsome Ransom” Jackson?

by
Same Sig, Almost 60 Years Later!

Ransom Jackson never found the culprit. But he has his hunch.

Although Topps preferred to dub the infielder “Randy,” historians know him as “Handsome Ransom.”

I asked Jackson if such an epic title was used on the bench, or even the dinner table. Wouldn’t an opposing team delighted in taunting such a finely-named foe? Jackson replied:

“Sportswriters are always looking for nicknames. So, somewhere along the line, someone hung that on me. Have no idea who did it. But it’s kinda fun. Nobody has even teased me about it.”

I asked what the biggest difference was in transforming from a Brooklyn Dodger to a Los Angeles Dodger. He wrote:

“Biggest change, going to L.A., was playing in a fastball stadium. Very weird.”

Lastly, I wondered what being an All-Star meant in the 1950s. As a two-time honoree, did he receive any kind of plaque, trophy or ring? Jackson recalled:

Maybe, the Chicago media invented Jackson’s Hollywood image. I’ve found more than one source indicating that Cub teammates thought he looked like Gregory Peck!

“One year for the All-Stars, I got a watch. The other year was a sterling silver coffee set with tray.”

Who Invented "Handsome Ransom" Jackson?

by
Same Sig, Almost 60 Years Later!

Ransom Jackson never found the culprit. But he has his hunch.

Although Topps preferred to dub the infielder “Randy,” historians know him as “Handsome Ransom.”

I asked Jackson if such an epic title was used on the bench, or even the dinner table. Wouldn’t an opposing team delighted in taunting such a finely-named foe? Jackson replied:

“Sportswriters are always looking for nicknames. So, somewhere along the line, someone hung that on me. Have no idea who did it. But it’s kinda fun. Nobody has even teased me about it.”

I asked what the biggest difference was in transforming from a Brooklyn Dodger to a Los Angeles Dodger. He wrote:

“Biggest change, going to L.A., was playing in a fastball stadium. Very weird.”

Lastly, I wondered what being an All-Star meant in the 1950s. As a two-time honoree, did he receive any kind of plaque, trophy or ring? Jackson recalled:

Maybe, the Chicago media invented Jackson’s Hollywood image. I’ve found more than one source indicating that Cub teammates thought he looked like Gregory Peck!

“One year for the All-Stars, I got a watch. The other year was a sterling silver coffee set with tray.”

Red Sox Pitcher “Boo” Ferriss Says Thanks

by
BOO KNOWS BOOKS!

As he approaches his 90th birthday, legendary Boston Red Sox hurler Dave “Boo” Ferriss honored me with a page of insights.

I asked about two subjects beyond the stellar stats of the pride of Mississippi. In the days before shoulder surgery, a 1947 torn labrum grounded Ferriss’s skyrocketing career. Fresh off a 25-win season that sent the BoSox to the World Series, Ferriss looked destined for greatness.

He began with a yellow Post-It note attached to my original letter.

“Tom —
Thank you for your nice letter. Glad to answer your questions. Keep enjoying our great game.
Best regards,
Boo Ferriss”

He found it waiting at Delta State University, serving as the school’s baseball coach. When the college creates a museum in your honor, you’ve had a good career!

Before his shoulder injury, Ferriss battled asthma. He wrote:

“It was difficult at times, more so in the late summers. The Red Sox saw that I got all the medical help I needed.”

Ferriss debuted in 1945, fresh from World War II service. Did he have time to think about baseball?

“Practiced on off-duty hours. In no way baseball interfered with our duties.”

More remarkable than two 20-win seasons in Boston is the upbeat way Ferriss remembers his brief time as a major leaguer.

“I’m very grateful for my years as a player and coach on the professional level and the colleged level. I don’t think I can repay baseball for all that it has given me. the endured friendships and associations are priceless.”

So are you, “Boo” Ferriss!

A great taste of Ferriss’s storytelling skills can be found in the fine SABR biography crafted by leading Red Sox researcher Bill Nowlin.

Ferriss shared a review of his biography, Boo: A Life in Baseball, Well-Lived. Does he like the book? Ferriss penned beside the name of Rick Cleveland, (the book’s author) — “Rick Cleveland, top sports columnist in Mississippi.” Find out more at http://www.booferrissbook.com/. What special connection does the coach share with famed novelist John Grisham? It’s all in Grisham’s foreward!