Header - Baseball by the Letters

Seattle Mariners

Seeking Seattle Mariners, 1988-93

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I got Hanson once IP
during my Northwest stay.
Proud of his penmanship,
he checked every card
for gloss before trying
to sign!

I lived near Tacoma Washington for almost six years. During that time, I tried to be a Mariners fan.

They needed me. Games inside the Kingdome reminded me of childhood Nerf baseball showdowns in my family’s basement. (Except snacks were cheaper at home, and the basement was slightly less crowded!)

I whipped out some old scorecards and found names of M’s I witnessed on the carpet. I feel that grass is needed to say “field.”

Here’s the 10 Mariners I’ve sent letters to:

Rich Amaral
Shawn Barton
Mark Grant
Erik Hanson
Brian Holman
Dave Schmidt
Bill Swift
Matt Young
Clint Zavaras…

and announcer Rick Rizzs

Wish me luck!

Coming Wednesday: One of 2011’s oldest minor leaguers responds.

Former Seattle Mariners Pitcher Dave Fleming Teaches Baseball By The Numbers

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Clouds? This wasn’t
taken in the Kingdome!

 Pitcher Dave Fleming has been mastering a new pitch for the last nine years.

If being a former major leaguer isn’t enough to be granted rock-star status in the classroom, Fleming combines a ballpark field trip with math lessons. Imagine. Bring your glove and your calculator!

Fleming wrote:

“I have been a teacher for nine years. I am unaware of other ballplayers in the same profession.

My students take a field trip to a New Britain Rock Cat Game (double A – Twins) and they learn to compute batting ave., won-loss percentage for teams, and some learn ERAs.”

Sounding like a thoughtful educator, Fleming chose to differ from my assessment of Seattle’s Kingdome. I remembered seeing him pitch there. I told him it looked, and sounded, like kids more cool and talented than myself playing Nerf baseball in my family room basement. Without grading my Kingdome mini-essay, he said:

“I liked that the Kingdome was always the same temperature and you knew you were playing every day. (Except for the roof collapse.)

I was not crazy about the turf.”

For five years, Fleming had the best seat in the house to marvel at superstar teammate Ken Griffey, Jr. Did he have a favorite “Kid” memory?

“My favorite Griffey memory was just having the opportunity to watch him play every day. Sweet swing and a graceful outfielder.”

In teacherly fashion, he closed his letter with:

“Hope this answers your questions!

Dave Fleming”

I found a fun newspaper article from 2008 that touched on Fleming’s second career. Check out the classroom photo, too. I thought this was a student, not a teacher!

Saluting Seattle’s "Grand Salami" Man

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Check it out at http://www.baseballvoices.com/

Seattle Mariners pioneering broadcaster Dave Niehaus died Nov. 10.

The M’s loved the guy. For years, the PR office would send you cards of players and THE VOICE.

From 1988-93, I lived near Seattle. I chatted with autograph hounds outside the Kingdome after a Friday night game. Still-grinning Niehaus (you could hear that same smile on the air!) headed toward the player parking lot.

While some players, in football-like fashion, put their heads down and charged, Niehaus strolled. He looked left and right. I never saw anyone ask for an autograph. He had signed for everyone earlier in the season, or in years past. He nodded and waved each time a fan bellowed his name.

Some of the collectors guessed they’d have forever to get a signature.

The TTM crowd may have felt the same. On the always-enlightening http://www.sportscollectors.net/, I checked to see how many collectors wrote for a signature and logged in their effort. Hundreds?

Just 43. He signed for 41.

As Dave himself said so often: My oh my!

Larry Stone, the gifted Seattle Times baseball writer, traveled with Niehaus when he accepted his 2008 Hall of Fame Frick broadcasting award. Stone captured the pride and passion Niehaus shared on the air, even coaxing a comment about autographs in this unforgettable feature.

Another worthwhile tribute came from a brief broadcasting partner, Ken Levine.

As someone who sat through more than one so-so M’s game, I agree with Levine’s assessment. The game you heard from Niehaus wasn’t always the one you saw. His was always better.

Saluting Seattle’s “Grand Salami” Man

by
Check it out at http://www.baseballvoices.com/

Seattle Mariners pioneering broadcaster Dave Niehaus died Nov. 10.

The M’s loved the guy. For years, the PR office would send you cards of players and THE VOICE.

From 1988-93, I lived near Seattle. I chatted with autograph hounds outside the Kingdome after a Friday night game. Still-grinning Niehaus (you could hear that same smile on the air!) headed toward the player parking lot.

While some players, in football-like fashion, put their heads down and charged, Niehaus strolled. He looked left and right. I never saw anyone ask for an autograph. He had signed for everyone earlier in the season, or in years past. He nodded and waved each time a fan bellowed his name.

Some of the collectors guessed they’d have forever to get a signature.

The TTM crowd may have felt the same. On the always-enlightening http://www.sportscollectors.net/, I checked to see how many collectors wrote for a signature and logged in their effort. Hundreds?

Just 43. He signed for 41.

As Dave himself said so often: My oh my!

Larry Stone, the gifted Seattle Times baseball writer, traveled with Niehaus when he accepted his 2008 Hall of Fame Frick broadcasting award. Stone captured the pride and passion Niehaus shared on the air, even coaxing a comment about autographs in this unforgettable feature.

Another worthwhile tribute came from a brief broadcasting partner, Ken Levine.

As someone who sat through more than one so-so M’s game, I agree with Levine’s assessment. The game you heard from Niehaus wasn’t always the one you saw. His was always better.

John or Johnny Moses?

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To get a memory, you need to give a memory.

In 2002, I sent a recollection to outfielder John Moses. Not an autograph request. Just a letter of thanks.

He rewarded me with an autographed card — and much more.

I attended several games in Seattle’s Kingdome in 1992. The former Twin had joined the Mariners. Or had he?

The first time I read his name on the scoreboard, I paused. JOHNNY Moses?

Was this his idea? Did the M’s think a new start needed a new name? I suspected that someone might have thought a younger first name might add some speed or vigor to a veteran’s comeback.

I didn’t want to accuse Moses or the team of some sneaky plot. After all, I noted that my Aunt Bernice refused to call me “Tom.” Although I endured being called “Tommy,” I still felt like a Tommy at age 41.

Moses wrote back!

“Tom —

Don’t worry. My Mom called me ‘Johnny’ for 47 years now. And it has never bothered me. I was always known as ‘Johnny Mo’ around the baseball field.

Remember the great names:

Johnny Bench
Tommy Davis
Johnny Pesky
Tommy Helms

also

JOHNNY Moses

Take care.

Sincerely,
Johnny Moses”

As proof of his dual identity, he signed his 1991 Score “John” card “Johnny Moses.”