Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Roy Campanella, Rolling Stones, Superfans: Dodgers Coach Mark Cresse Remembers

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Los Angeles Dodgers fans marvel at the years served by Bill Russell. Another overlooked team fixture during those many glory years was Mark Cresse.

Cresse served as bullpen coach for 22 seasons. A third-round draftee by the Cardinals in 1971, he went on to found the Mark Cresse School of Baseball.

I wrote to find out his views about Dodger Stadium, bullpen misadventures and his overlooked talent.

What did he remember most about Dodger Stadium? Interestingly, Cresse recalled the people before the sights:

“I enjoyed daily talks with the season ticket holders near me in the bullpen. I was always amazed with the passion they had for the Dodgers!”

What’s the craziest thing Cresse ever witnessed by relievers trying to amuse themselves?

“I promised Jesse Orosco that if we were ever ahead by 15 runs in a game, he could bring his stereo down to the bullpen. Sure enough, it happened and here came his giant stereo playing the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction.”

During his years with the Dodgers, Cresse gained secondary fame as a baseball woodworker. He made lamps out of broken bats. Did any famous names ever collect his work?

“The best bat lamp I ever made was an eight-bat lamp that I made for Roy Campanella. He gave me eight bats from his last team in Brooklyn and I made him a cool table lamp.”

Coming Monday: Givings, and misgivings, by collectors at Christmas.

LOL: Baseball E-Mail Autographs?!?

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Imagine ol’ Case’ saying:
“No autographs. But you
can find me on Facebook!”

Christmas is coming, not Halloween. Therefore, why are reply times for former players getting so scary?

I’m not giving up on old-fashioned U.S. Mail contacts with baseball’s past. I am simply pondering the non-replies and years-long delays from Rip Van Winkle-like retirees. We’re not talking Hall of Famers, but cup-of-coffee guys and those who left the diamond years ago.
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That’s why I’m trying an experiment. E-mail. Websites. Social media. Any way to take the pulse of a former player before sending out my envelope of hope.

I’ve never imagined being a collector who would print out an e-mail to save in a scrapbook. I want a handwritten reply, proof that a person gave special thought to my question.

Then again, are retirees becoming so cynical that they’d delight in the lack of resale value in an e-mail? They could still transmit their memory, cyber-sending their thoughts without the fear of my selling an unsigned printout on eBay?

Additionally, I think the rush of E-immediacy may prompt some non-mail signers to reply. Have you ever been at a shop checkout counter, money in hand, only to be brushed aside by the person supposedly waiting on you? Why? The unknown caller and the ringing telephone seemed more important.

Of course, I’ll share whatever responses I receive, both from tortoises and hares.

Coming Friday: Did Mark Cresse witness the wildest day ever in the L.A. Dodgers bullpen?

Where Are the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers?

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Is the ex-hurler’s sig still
so swell? I hope to find out!

In this installment of “Tom’s 10 Most Wanted,” I thought of those near-miss Milwaukee Brewers of 2011.

Do they answer fan mail? I’m not hopeful…I struck out trying to get their bullpen catcher!

Instead, I decided to revisit the past. I thought of another mystical Milwaukee team: The Blue Crew of ’82.

Here’s the “10 From Then” getting letters from me:

Jerry Augustine
Dwight Bernard
Jamie Easterly
Pete Ladd
Don Money
Rob Picciolo
Chuck Porter
Ed Romero
Harry Warner
Ned Yost

Stay tuned…

Coming Thursday: Seeking other ways to correspond with baseball’s past.

Padres Pitcher Ed Wojna Compares Experiences In Little League, Major League Baseball

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What to ask in letters?
Check cards for clues.
Here’s one I missed —
what’s that fashion
statement at Wojna’s
left sleeve?

Hurlers. Humility. The two don’t always mix.

Not here! Pitcher Ed Wojna bypassed the chance for some chest-thumping when I asked about what seems like the ultimate game of his career.

Thanks to http://www.retrosheet.org/, I found the details for his three-hit gem in front of a sparse San Diego crowd. On Sept. 11, 1986, Wojna (pronounced Wo-hee-na) limited the Braves to three singles. How did he remember his 9-1 complete-game win?

“One of those nights when everything was working.”

I wanted to know the catcher he most liked working with — and why.

“Mark Parent. Pitcher-catcher timing is everything. When you are thinking of a pitch and he calls it with his first sign, that gives you all the more confidence in throwing it.”

Wojna offered one more fascinating reflection:

“Tom,

I can appreciate your interest in baseball. No matter how long your career went, it’s all the same to the individual. I was just as nervous for my first Little League game as the first game in the majors. Nerves are nerves, whether you’re 10 or 24 years old.”

Wojna concluded his letter with thoughts about his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, thanking me for my time.

I thank all the former players, those willing to look back as they look ahead. As Wojna wrote…

“There will always be more to learn. Isn’t that what keeps life exciting?”

Coming Wednesday: Tom’s “10 Most Wanted” — Milwaukee Brewers edition!

Don’t Be An Autograph ‘Grinch’

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Collect carefully
at Christmas!

 Santa Claus may not have time to warn you, so I will.

Sending a Christmas card to a favorite retiree, especially with words of thanks to someone who’s signed an autograph for you is good. Chances are, you may get a card in return.

However, do not go fishing for autographs, using Christmas cards as bait.

I’ve talked with more than one former player about fan mail. They are pleased to mention the majority of kind, polite letters requesting signatures.

However, I’ve heard too many “but there was this one guy who…” beginnings to stories.

I can’t help but think that many non-signers closed the door on autographs with one objectionable request. Don’t be that “one guy.”

Your continued good behavior will preserve the hobby. You’re giving a gift to all of us.

Santa Claus thanks you. I do, too.

Coming Tuesday: Insights from Padres pitcher Ed Wojna.