Header - Baseball by the Letters

Ken McMullen

Pitcher Dave Baldwin’s 20-Inning ‘Save’ in 1967

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From the pitcher’s own website:
“Dave’s now famous
Howdy Doody impression.”

Dave Baldwin proves that there’s life beyond baseball. Since retiring as a pitcher, he’s become a poet, academic (Dr. Baldwin holds a Ph.D in genetics), artist and author.

His memoir Snake Jazz (baseball lingo for a certain pitch) is something all fans should savor. How does it FEEL to be a major leaguer? Baldwin paints a complete picture. Every baseball bookshelf deserves Snake Jazz.

Speaking of painting, you can see his art on his website, too. You can order autographed copies of the book directly from Baldwin.

I asked Baldwin about his first victory in the bigs, a 20-inning affair in Minnesota that took just under six hours. It was a win, not a save. The save applied, as in “save face.” Baldwin shared:

“In that 20-inning game in Minnesota, I was trying to redeem myself after losing the previous game on a very stupid pitch. The longer an extra-inning game lasts, the more determined both teams become to win it.

Ken McMullen hit a home run to win the game, which put us over .500. I don’t remember how many fans were there at the end of the game.”

Tomorrow: Baldwin shares more memories of the 1967 Washington Senators.

Ken McMullen’s Personal Touch

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Poor Ken McMullen.

After replying to an autograph request that included personalizing a card, McMullen suffered the recent wrath of a collector on a hobby website.

The post claimed that McMullen added “To —” only as a defense. He wanted to devalue the autograph on ebay, asserted the collector. The cynical attempt at humor followed, speculating on whether McMullen really thinks his autograph would be that valuable and in demand?

Here’s a wild idea:

The veteran third baseman believed the letter he received. In turn, he truly cared about the “fan” writing. McMullen wanted to prove his gratitude and show that he read the letter by inscribing the card.

Could be!

An autograph is an autograph. Yes, someday at an estate sale, buyers may moan, “All these autographs are TO TOM.” That’s because each signature tells three stories: the player’s, my own and the time we communicated. I’m not collecting future commodities for resale. I’m collecting memories NOW.