Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: July 2011

Boston Red Sox Pitcher Bob Heffner Shut Out 1964 Yankees For Baby Daughter!

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Face of a Yankee tamer!

Pitcher Bob Heffner found two reasons to celebrate on Aug. 21, 1964.

Before a grateful Fenway Park Crowd of 28,830, Heffner tamed the rival New York Yankees. It wasn’t an ordinary win, nor was it an average day. As Heffner wrote…

“My 6-hit shutout over the Yankees in 1964 was on my baby daughter’s first birthday. The rivalry between the new York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in 1964 was just as intense as it is today.”

(Thanks for the details, http://www.retrosheet.org/!)

Heffner’s first celebration as a Red Sox came in 1963. He remembered:

“I learned I got my first start in the major leagues when I arrived in Boston from the AAA Seattle Rainiers club. My father flew in from Allentown and we celebrated after the win with a cold beer.”

That same year, Heffner became only the second major league pitcher ever to record three putouts in an inning. What does Heffner recall of that history from June 28, 1963?

“Regarding my record three putouts in one inning in 1963, all the balls were hit toward the first baseman. In spring training, we were always told to cover first base.”

Baseball fundamentals make history? Stranger things have happened.

Coming Monday: a moment with Yankee pitcher Johnny Kucks.

Clues to Help Find Former Major Leaguers

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Once, this and the City Directory
where the only info sources
out there. Anyone ever try
asking a reference librarian
for their favorite tools?

Where’d they go?

Many sources state that 20 percent of Americans move yearly. Sometimes, a former player may disappear without trying to.

While Harvey Meiselman tracks down baseball names in record time, it’s possible average collectors can solve mysteries, too. Here are some clues:

Retrace their glory. After checking their hometown place of birth, try looking in towns where they went to college or played in the minors. Others will settle in a suburb of their last MLB town of employment.

I loved the former Topps cards that had “born” and “resides” listings. An old media guide can provide the same hints. The “Etc” or “Personal” notes in guides for each bio can list such tidbits.

Even finding who a player married might help. Back in the 1980s, working on an assignment for USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY, I puzzled over why I couldn’t reach a major leaguer by phone. Two sources confirmed the hotel the team stayed at. Well, it seems that this known player checked in using the maiden name of his wife. You’ll find cases of retired players working for family businesses of in-laws, too.
There are too many search engine sites to mention that help track down addresses. Knowing what state to look in is a great beginning. Think like an old ballplayer, and you’ll have greater chances of finding the guy.

Coming Friday: When Red Sox pitcher Bob Heffner celebrated twice against the Yankees.

St. Louis Native Bud Byerly Grew Up To Live, Pitch ‘Dizzy’ Cardinals Dream

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Kudos to the site
http://www.krispaulw.com/ for sharing
this great 1983 TCMA  card. I remember
retirees in the 1980s loving
to sign such obscure images.

Numbers tell only part of the story. Stats are limited.

Eldred “Bud” Byerly was born Oct. 26, 1920 in Webster Groves, Missouri. What do you ask a 90-year-old former pitcher? I wanted to know how it felt to debut for the nearby Cardinals in 1943, then participate in a World Series championship a year later.

Byerly responded:

“The Cardinals were my favorite team and Dizzy Dean was my idol.

So living in in St. Louis was great.

A couple dozen friends and family attended the games.”

Coming Thursday: Thoughts on finding baseball addresses on your own.

Tiger Russ Sullivan Retires From Autographs

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Courtesy of http://www.tradingcarddb.com/.
This is one awesome site for
vintage card images from
rare sets.

Collectors have one less Detroit Tiger autograph to pursue.

Russ Sullivan, a reserve outfielder from 1951-53, is no longer able to sign. Sullivan’s wife contacted Harvey Meiselman, author of the 2011 Baseball Address List, to confirm that her husband’s severe memory loss prevents him from responding to fan mail.

Kudos to Harvey for doing more than saving collectors stamps. He’s allowing Mrs. Sullivan more time to spend with her ailing 88-year-old spouse.

I’m guessing that Russ Sullivan’s wife has been helping her husband correspond with collectors for years. That’s why I mailed this note:

Dear Mrs. Sullivan:

Collector friends have received word that your husband is unable to sign autographs any longer. Members in the hobby are grateful to Mr. Sullivan and YOU for your years of generosity. We know that wives and family members who help keep mail sorted and answered make our collections special.

Fans will remember Russ Sullivan for his years with Detroit, and for his kindness to fans. Likewise, we’re thankful that he’s had someone to help him honor the collectors, those people determined to preserve his legacy in Tigers history.

Sincerely,
Tom Owens

Coming Wednesday: Pitcher Bud Byerly treasures his Cardinals memories.

Did Cardinal Mike Ramsey Know The Secret Of Don Sutton’s Mound Magic? One HR Says Yes

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“SS-2B”? The card should
have read: Comfortable
at everything but
P and C

I loved the look of Mike Ramsey. Like a super-hero, he’d appear anywhere he was needed. In the midst of that super-subbing, he had a few moments in the spotlight.

Take June 3, 1980 versus the Mets — three singles and a double, with three runs scored. He recalled:

“The best part of the 4-hit night was that it helped a Cardinal victory. It also solidified my spot on the team and was part of a modest hit streak I was on.”

Ramsey humbled a future Hall of Famer July 25, 1982. In front of a home crowd, Ramsey’s three-run homer made the difference in a 4-3 win against Don Sutton. (Thanks for the flashback, http://www.retrosheet.org/!) I asked for HR details, and insight into whether Sutton threw illegal pitches. Years earlier, Lew Burdette told me that just the thought of being a spitballer was enough to conquer some hitters. Ramsey added:

“The pitch: a 3-1 fastball inside. We knew he did something to baseballs, but it wasn’t saliva, but rather he scuffed them with something. Still, he was a great pitcher without the extra help.”

I asked this super-sub and ultimate team player if he ever faced the prospect of pitching or catching in a pinch.

“Only 7 positions would I have been comfortable playing. I was never asked to catch and that would have been most difficult for me.”

I don’t believe it. Clark Kent, not Superman, answered that question. I think that if Whitey Herzog called today, you’d see the wild-haired utilityman behind the plate or on the mound.