Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Cub Billy Williams, Hall of Fame Nicknamer? Just Ask Pitcher Chuck ‘Twiggy’ Hartenstein!

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Supermodel?

 Pitcher Chuck Hartenstein seems like an inspiration to all those “before” guys like me, the guys in the Charles Atlas comic book advertisements who got sand kicked on them. However, Hartenstein got two kinds of “sand” kicked on him in his pursuit to be a major leaguer.

First, he shared his christening as a Cub:

“Billy Williams with Cubs gave me the nickname ‘Twiggy’ in 1967. I weighed 145 to 150 lbs. I loved it. Everyone referred to me as ‘Twiggy.'”

Come to think of it, he does look a bit like a smiling thumb on his 1968 Topps card! I’ve seen a couple of press “head and shoulders” shots of Hartenstein. It looks as if his tiny self was pasted atop a larger uniform. “Twiggy” never towered over opposing hitters. Instead, emotional muscle kept this pitcher pitching.

The other “sand” Hartenstein faced came after his 1970 struggles with Pittsburgh. He explained…

“I had a bad career in 1970. I was banished to AAA for those years! Two with Tucson (Chicago White Sox), two with Phoenix (Giants) and two with Hawaii and Roy Hartsfield. We won two PCL championships at Hawaii in 1975 and ’76. He took me with him to Toronto!

It was quite a thrill to get back. After my playing days, he wanted me to be their minor league pitching coordinator! I did that at the end of the season in 1977 and emerged as a Major League pitching coach with Cleveland in 1979.”

Tomorrow: Hartenstein rates his successes as a pitching coach.

My Hobby Motto: What Would Ted Williams Do?

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As I revised my “autograph collecting” goals one year ago, I thought about The Williams Shift.

Starting with the Cleveland Indians and player-manager Lou Boudreau, fielders bunched to the right side of the diamond for the king of pull hitters. Foes offered Ted Williams a tempting consolation prize. Plunk a single down the third base line. Lay down a bunt. Give up your power and get a base.

I don’t have a 100 percent success rate asking questions by mail. I guess that in the past year I’ve struck a nerve with a few retirees. I’ve asked a few hard questions about their frustrations, even their failures. Sometimes, I think ex-players choose the recycling bin instead of reliving what might not be a rosy memory. Possibly, they aren’t willing to relive any of their career, beyond looking at cards of their younger selves.

When I read about successes posted on http://www.sportscollectors.net/, I’ve been taken down a notch to see that some retirees who’ve sidestepped answering my questions are returning autographed cards elsewhere in two weeks or less. That could be me, too. If I’d change my game plan.

But “The Splendid Splinter” wasn’t always that. He struck out 709 times. Likewise, I’ll keep swinging for the fences. Every letter mailed may not produce baseball gold. That’s okay. I’m ready for more one or two-page replies. I’m finding baseball storytellers who’ll turn back time for me. They do more than answer trivia questions. They describe what it felt like to be a major leaguer, painting pictures with words.

If you see me wearing one of those rubber bracelets, my abbreviation would read: WWTWD.

Is Baseball Spring Training Like TV’s SURVIVOR?

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New CBS Series:
Survivor: Baseball?

 What does it feel like to be a part of spring training?

On one hand, it’s a vacation. Florida. Arizona. A paid trip.

Yet, it’s no summer camp. Other players want your bunk space. Or, your prize money. Or, your job. Some athletes might like to vote other players off the island.

Here’s another puzzler for me.

I think the movie Bull Durham isn’t as fictional as many movies. How many minor leaguers are happy when SOMEONE ELSE gets the call-up, the promotion?

Those are two questions I’ll be including in my spring mailings to former players.

Readers: what questions should we be asking former players?

Tomorrow: How Ted Williams influenced my autograph collecting.

Brave Jack Dittmer Recalls ‘Humble’ Hank Aaron

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Dittmer’s Pen Still Flashes
That Dazzling “D” Today!

Fellow Iowan Jack Dittmer sent me a fascinating reply to my letter.

Dittmer is an Iowa sports legend, earning nine letters in three sports at the University of Iowa. Did he ever imagine himself as a Green Bay Packer, not a Milwaukee Brave? He confessed:

“Football has always been my favorite sport but I only weighed about 160 lbs in college – not big enough.”

Dittmer’s rookie season came as a BOSTON Brave. He debuted with a franchise in flux. Worse still, all the
fellow Iowans, all the U of I rooters, faced a cross-county trip to see their Hawkeye. I was sure that the move to Milwaukee offered fringe benefits. He added:

“The last year for the Boston Braves team was not a good one. I was called up in June and did not do very well.

The first year in Milwaukee was great! In August of 1953, the Iowa fans planned a big “Jack Dittmer Day” in Milwaukee and hundreds came to the game and honored me and my wife with their presence and gifts.”

A year later, Dittmer witnessed the arrival of a future home run king. He remembered:

“Rookie Hank Aaron did not come to Milwaukee until my second year (1954) and was sensational. He and his wife were great people, very humble, but did not socialize with many because, as I recall, she did not stay all summer in Milwaukee.

I have signed autographs with hank (after baseball) and participated in Hank Aaron fundraising golf tournaments in Milwaukee. He is a great guy.”

So are you, Jack Dittmer!

See the state-wide salute Dittmer received in 2005 upon entering the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.

Additionally, I was stunned by the collection of Dittmer-related artifacts at this aptly-named website.

Tomorrow: Two important questions I’ll be asking former players I write to this season.

White Sox Icon “Jungle Jim” Rivera Credits Fans

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Obviously, this signature is
from a contract. Imagine
finding a “Manuel Rivera”
autograph today!

Imagine…”Jungle Pete” Rose?

After all, he used head-first slides.

However, Jim Rivera did it years before. The Tarzan-like abandon he ran the bases with, combined by his daring acrobatic catches, earned him the nickname from Chicago sportswriters.

But a label isn’t a nickname if no one repeats it. Rivera recalled:

“The nickname ‘Jungle Jim’ stuck on the next day when the fans from Chicago heard it.”

Throughout the 1950s, Rivera remained an American League daredevil, leading the league in triples (1953) and streaking around the basepaths.

The speed and daring made him a defensive darling in Chicago. Although the team fell to the Dodgers in a hard-fought 1959 World Series, Rivera saved Game 5 with an unimaginable catch after entering mid-inniing as a defensive replacement.

Here’s how losing Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax remembered Rivera:

I asked Rivera: “Your best catch ever?” He answered…

“Yes, the catch I made in the World Series was my best and we won the game, 1-0.”

As if I had any doubt, he concluded:

“Had a great 10 years in the Big Leagues.”