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Boston Red Sox

Which ‘Joe Morgan’ Autograph Is Yours?

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Courtesy of http://www.baseball-almanac.com/.
This is a GREAT resource to
see AUTHENTIC autographs!

Joseph Michael Morgan

Joe Leonard Morgan

The first one was the manager. The second became a Hall of Famer in 1990. Different skin colors, too.

Just seeing the name “Joe Morgan” isn’t enough.

Boston’s former pilot has been branded “The Other” Joe Morgan by some collectors. Some beginners haven’t been as lucky in knowing the difference, it seems.

Ready for a shock? From the former Red Sox skipper —

“I get a ton of his cards to sign. He told me to sign them, but I never signed any after he made the Hall of Fame.

We’ve been mixed up many times — mail, hotel rooms, etc.

Joe Morgan,
Boston Red Sox Mgr. 1988-91″

The HOFer has a thinner. taller “J,” then leaves off the “an” on occasion. However, Walpole Joe’s letter begs the question:

How many cards of “Little Joe,” obtained before 1990, were signed by the wrong man?

Tomorrow: More thoughts on handwritten versus typed letters.

Boston Pitcher Dick Brodowski, One ‘Lucky’ Teen

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Dick’s sig is the same.
I bet the smile is, too!

What did you do at age 19?

A recent reply from pitcher Dick Brodowski stunned me. Aren’t all Major Leaguers older than us? Could a kid pitch against the New York Yankees…and win?

Dick took me back to June, 30, 1952 (Thanks to the aid of www.retrosheet.org.) —

“High points of that victory turned out to be Billy Goodman colliding with Sam White and Goodman being replaced by Dick Gernert. Gernert and Vern Stephens were the four-run offense that was needed to win.

My key moment was a bases-loaded situation in the seventh inning — one out — Bob Kuzava hitting and 3-1 on Bob. I felt I had to get lucky and throw two fastballs for strikes and struck him out.

Irv Noren then hit a soft fly to center and got out of that jam.

I was 19 at the time and very lucky.”

Brodowski had his moments at bat, too. He homered off Ted Gray (1952) and Don Larsen (1955).

Somehow, his teammates never razzed the pitcher over either surprise blast.

“Not much of a reaction to either HR — I was thrilled — hitting two over the left field wall. Larsen had just hit one off of me!”

Another team, the U.S. Army, chose Brodowski. The career interruption derailed the pitcher’s promising 1952 debut. He recalled:

“I didn’t pitch much in the Army. I was a good hitter in the service and played second base. I loved it. Never realized it would take me two years to get some decent stuff back!

Brodowski closed his letter with some Major League gratitude:

“I was a decent AAA player with some spirts of getting some big leaguers out.

I loved the opportunity and did the best I could!”

Tomorrow: My apology to pitcher John D’Acquisto.

Boston Red Sox Pitcher Ted Bowsfield Toppled Rival Yankees Three Times In 1958

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Same sweeping sig
five decades later!

Yankee haters should send Ted Bowsfield valentines each year.

The Boston-New York rivalry existed in 1958. Red Sox pitcher Bowsfield bested the Bronx Bombers not once, not twice, but three times. Yankee manager Casey Stengel called the pitcher “the feller that throws them ground balls.”

In an exciting letter, Bowsfield explained:

“The Yankee wins in 1958 were very special and a lot of fun. The two wins in Yankee Stadium were a little easier, just because of the sizes of the ballparks. Boston was tougher and maybe a little more rewarding. The N.Y. fans and Boston fans were great, but they always are when you win!!


The press was very good to me that year, but they changed when I struggled the next year. Winning makes for easy print, also.”

Bowsfield reached double-digit win totals with the 1961 Angels.
Of course, historians feel it’s required by law to say EXPANSION Angels! I asked if being with a just-formed team seemed tougher than with an established franchise like Boston.

“My two years with the expansion Angels were two of my best and fun years in the majors. Greater owner (Gene Autry) wonderful organization. Manager Bill Rigney and staff were superb, but all that pales to the group of guys I played with. They were all wonderful and buddies forever. The chemistry on that 61-62 team was the best I ever saw and probably a big reason we did so well. Can’t say enough about those two years. My whole time in the bigs was a dream come true and those two years are etched in the old memory bank forever!!”

Bowsfield wasn’t shy about using “fun” to describe his baseball experiences. His love of the American pastime is remarkable, considering that he grew up in Canada. Not hockey? Did he feel one sport got more respect?

“I did play a little hockey as a kid. Not very good. Couldn’t skate well enough, but a lot of hockey players played baseball also, and I played semi-pro with some of them and they were good players. So hockey and baseball went well together!! They were viewed equally. Just more hockey players than baseball players.”

The humble hero left out one important detail about his country of origin. Bowsfield was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.

From 2006, here’s a fine retrospective about Bowsfield’s beginnings by Canadian baseball historian Kevin Glew.

Tomorrow: pitcher Doug Rau recounts the role he played when Rick Monday saved the American flag April 25, 1976.

Boston Cy Young Winner Jim Lonborg Credits Pitching Coach Sal “The Barber” Maglie

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Handwriting matches!

Pitcher Jim Lonborg’s work ethic impresses me. I wrote to him to praise his 90 complete games. I asked him what role Boston pitching coach Sal “The Barber” Maglie played in his early success and 1967 Cy Young award. Lonborg replied:

“Loved Sal Maglie. Taught me how to pitch inside and when it made you more effective. We could do it more often in those days. He also taught me a cross-seam fastball that would not move as much.”

Unlike Maglie, Lonborg sported more than one nickname. Titles included:

1. Gentleman Jim
2. Lonnie
3. Doc (from his pre-med college days)

“Teammates usually called me Lonnie. The ‘Gentleman Jim’ came from media as I always answered their questions. I preferred ‘Lonnie.'”

After retirement, Lonborg became a dentist. People Magazine wrote about his transformation in 1984. Warning: beware of the magazine’s baseball (attempt at) humor.

Tomorrow: Lonborg recalls one of his best days as a HITTER, while weighing in on the DH rule.

Boston Cy Young Winner Jim Lonborg Credits Pitching Coach Sal "The Barber" Maglie

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Handwriting matches!

Pitcher Jim Lonborg’s work ethic impresses me. I wrote to him to praise his 90 complete games. I asked him what role Boston pitching coach Sal “The Barber” Maglie played in his early success and 1967 Cy Young award. Lonborg replied:

“Loved Sal Maglie. Taught me how to pitch inside and when it made you more effective. We could do it more often in those days. He also taught me a cross-seam fastball that would not move as much.”

Unlike Maglie, Lonborg sported more than one nickname. Titles included:

1. Gentleman Jim
2. Lonnie
3. Doc (from his pre-med college days)

“Teammates usually called me Lonnie. The ‘Gentleman Jim’ came from media as I always answered their questions. I preferred ‘Lonnie.'”

After retirement, Lonborg became a dentist. People Magazine wrote about his transformation in 1984. Warning: beware of the magazine’s baseball (attempt at) humor.

Tomorrow: Lonborg recalls one of his best days as a HITTER, while weighing in on the DH rule.