Header - Baseball by the Letters

Pitcher Paul Foytack Lives on in Movies

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It’s nice to be remembered. Imagine a fictional character including you in his plot!

I just rewatched Peggy Sue Got Married on DVD last week.

Still fun! Do you recall the party scene in which the guys are discussing the 1960 baseball season? I remember the Nicholas Cage character decreed that the Detroit Tigers had four likely 20-game winners, Jim Bunning, Don Mossi, Frank Lary and Paul Foytack.

I asked this and two other questions for Foytack:

“I saw the movie and was very surprised to hear our names mentioned.”


During Foytack’s stint in California, he became a horse racing fan. Speaking of movies, he became acquainted with a fellow follower of the horses — one Fred Astaire.

“The only place that I ever saw Fred Astaire was  at the races. We never talked about baseball. He never came to a game.”


Too bad. I imagined Mister Astaire’s rhythm making him a natural shortstop.

Lastly, I had to praise Foytack on his 82 career hits. (Take that, DH rule!) One of those hits was a home run, socked off Don Larsen in front of hometown Detroit fans. Thanks to http://www.retrosheet.org/, we can relive Foytack’s moment of long-ball glory.

“I remember hitting the home run and one or two innings later, Minnie Minoso hit one off of me to win the game for Chicago. My teammates gave me the silent treatment after I hit my homer.

I always dreamed of being a major league pitcher and got my wish. I met a lot of great people and played against some great players. I knew when  it was time for me to quit and go on with my life.”

Foytack hasn’t been forgotten. The New York Times profiled him  in 2007 for his thoughts on current baseball doings.

An Open Letter to HOFer Fergie Jenkins

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Dear Fergie Jenkins:

I forgave you twice. In 1972, I sent you a Topps card and a SASE c/o the Cubs. No go. When P. K. Wrigley banished you to Texas, I sent a letter of support, along with one more card and a SASE. I wound up with a postcard of you as a Ranger, complete with a preprint facsimile signature.

I know you’ve had an autograph pricelist for more than a decade. Sorry, but $25 is a bit much for me these days.

Please, don’t disappoint me a third time. I cheered when I read news of your possible pitch for justice from author Doug Gladstone. Gladstone is the author of the courageous A Bitter Cup of Coffee, the book that tells how MLB and the Players Association froze 874 former players out of pension eligibility.

You top my list of heroic Hall of Famers. Your dedication to charity has been inspiring. The first African-Canadian member of the Hall, you are an eternal league leader. Your voice can turn heads and open hearts. Better than that “when E.F. Hutton talks, everybody listens” commercial. You are not a mop-up reliever. You are a STARTER. Start a new chapter in baseball history.

I’ve been writing a letter a day for seven months. I’m collecting stories from baseball retirees. Those responses have taught me that men who were benched, overlooked and mistreated still love this game. Good letters make a difference. I feel like I’m saving endangered stories from baseball’s past. Your letter will matter to the 874 who would feel a pension acknowledges their existence.

Make you a deal. I’ve read your fine biography. I believed every page. I’m telling everyone to buy Fergie: My Life from the Cubs to Cooperstown.

 More royalties for you. But that means more fans are buying your reputation for fearlessness.

Please, don’t back down now. Reverse one of baseball’s saddest hours of the last 30 years. All it takes is one letter. One more autograph. No one will take away your Cooperstown enshrinement. In fact, I think the 874 might go in on a second plaque for you.

Still your fan,
Tom Owens

Catching Seven Catchers From My Childhood

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On August 8, I reviewed three of the best baseball books I’ve ever read, the Seth Swirsky trilogy.

Seth pioneered the art of baseball correspondence. One of his classic titles is Every Pitcher Tells A Story.

In that book, Seth gleans some juicy tidbits from catchers. Amazingly, I counted just six letters from receivers in this 220-page jewel.

That’s why I selected seven catchers to contact in my latest crop of baseball letters. They include:

Dick Billings
Tom Egan
Jack Hiatt
J.C. Martin
George Mitterwald
Ken Rudolph
Ken Suarez

While I’ve been trying to turn back the clock, contacting the fast-fading names from the 1950s, these are players I can envision instantly (although I saw them only on TV). Seven squatting gladiators.

I wanted to do more than ask about pitchers they handled. Who were batters they heckled, umpires they gabbed with or baserunners they felt?

Stay tuned. Meanwhile, as my (and your) baseball letter replies flood mailboxes, don’t forget to collect all the Seth Swirsky volumes while you can! Nothing beats an autographed copy.

 Besides, I’m sure Seth would agree: every catcher can tell a story, too.

Submarining with Pitcher Dick Hyde

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Where have all the submariners gone? Those awesome pitchers from down under?

Nope, not a ’60s folk song. Just me. I couldn’t help but get sentimental looking at an action photo of reliever Dick Hyde. Looking sneaky-smart in those ever-present glasses, Hyde’s motion was almost accidental, an adaptation to injury!
He wrote:

“It came naturally after I hurt my arm pitching in the Army.”

Hyde’s career year came in 1958. He posted 18 saves, a 1.75 ERA and a 10-3 record. How?

“My pitching coach, ‘Boom Boom’ Beck, did a lot of teaching about my mechanics. I also added a change-up with better control overall.”

I teased Hyde, noting that he retired with a perfect record: as a BASE-STEALER. Sheer perfection in his only career attempt. He confessed, explaining:

“I got a hit off of Billy Monbouquette. Then he must have forgotten me on first base and wound up, so I took off and there was no throw. The rule has changed now so that wouldn’t be a stolen base nowdays.”

Both 1958 and 1960 Topps cards show Hyde more sidearming. I’ve seen him look more like a bowler, his knuckles near scraping the mound. How low can you go?

Phillie Gene Corbett Savored St. Paul

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Courtesy http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

The leaves are falling. Temps are dropping. Every year I ask myself, “How do Midwestern kids play baseball?”

Milder climates and year-round leagues give the edge to southern players. That’s why I’ve always had a special admiration for players who bloomed in northern states.

I wrote to the late Gene Corbett back in 2000. At that time, I found only 140 Minnesotans who had played major league ball. What were his memories?

“I was originally signed by the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. that was in 1932, just out of Central H.S. in St. Paul. However, the Depression caused them to send me to Winnipeg, of the Northern league, where I played for 3 years and was sold to the Phillies.

“I was well treated by the St. Paul press which noted some of the good days and years I had. My parents would drive to Eau Clair, Wis. to see me play, a 2 hour ride.

I played on the St. Paul sandlots which also produced Dave Winfield and Dick Seibert.”