GAME WON– How the Greatest Home Run Ever Hit Sparked the 1988 Dodgers to Game One Victory and an Improbable World Series Title

By Steven K. Wagner

Sunbury Press, Inc., 2021

$16.95

Available through Amazon.com and Sunbury Press

“I was sitting (in the Dodger bullpen) next to Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco, and when (Gibson) came out of the dugout, our reaction was, ‘What in the world is Tommy (Lasorda) doing? This doesn’t make any sense, because he can’t even stand up.’ As teammates, we did not think it was physically possible for him to take an at-bat.

“When we could tell that (Gibson had) hit a home run, Jesse lifted me high in the air, kind of bear-hugging me around my knees or thighs. He lifted me way above him and started running around the bullpen with me in his arms. I don’t know why he did that – I’d only known him for a month for goodness’ sake. I remember him carrying me around the bullpen and thinking we’re both going to fall on the ground and get hurt.  It was such a moment of elation, and he did the first thing that came to his mind: He picked me up  and carried me around”

                                                                                   Dodger Reliever Ricky Horton

This above quote from Dodger reliever Ricky Horton is from Steven K. Wagner’s latest baseball book – GAME WON – How the Greatest Home Run Ever Hit Sparked the 1988 Dodgers to Game One Victory and an Improbable World Series Title.   

In the book, Wagner puts the reader on the scene – and behind the scenes – for Kirk Gibson’s dramatic walk-off, two-run home run that gave the underdog Dodgers a 5-4 victory in Game One of the 1988 World Series (and set the tone for the Dodgers’ ultimate five-game Series win. Wagner makes a good case for Gibson’s long ball being one of the (if not the) most exciting in baseball history, right up there with Giant Bobby Thomson’s 1951 pennant-winning blast off Ralph Branca, Pirate Bill Mazeroski’s World Series-winning home run in 1960 and the 1975 World Series Game Six extra-inning home run that Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox “willed, waved and danced” fair.

If you’re a baseball fan, you remember the iconic six-minutes of baseball history fashioned by Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley and Dodgers’ hobbled pinch hitter Kirk Gibson.   Eckersley, a future Hall of Famer, came to the mound as 1988’s major-league saves leader and one of the game’s toughest relievers.  Gibson, the Dodgers’ 1988 offensive stalwart, came to the plate  not just off the bench, but off the trainer’s table, where  he had been nursing  (and icing down) a swollen right knee and a painful left hamstring.  Gibson made his way gingerly to the batter’s box, fought off visible pain in a grueling eight-pitch at-bat and finally took Eckersley deep (on a 3-2 count with two outs) for a game-winning, two-run homer – and then limped around the bases (in what would be his only at bat in the Series.)

In Game Won, Wagner deftly delivers all we’ve come to expect in a baseball book.  He takes us through the game inning-by- inning, even pitch-by-pitch – building to the big moment with prose that brings the reader into the ballpark.  For example, in setting the stage for a  Terry Steinbach at-bat against Dodger reliever Tim Leary, Wagner writes “As the Goodyear blimp floated listlessly overhead, Leary slowly made his way to the pitching mound. By then the sky was ink black, the tricky afternoon shadows that so often baffled hitters were gone, and the bright bank of stadium lights was fully operational as Steinbach stepped in to face the opposing pitcher.” Throughout  the book, Wagner displays his talent not only for setting the stage, but for bringing the stage to life.

In Game Won, Steven Wagner displays his ability to not just set the stage,

but bring the stage to life. 

Wagner also provides a look at the players involved. He delivers the baseball book staple – the stories and statistics that define how they got to this moment in their careers (and even a look at where the national pastime took them in the years after this moment).

But  Wagner takes his efforts a step further – giving us a look at some of the people behind the scenes who had an impact on Gibson’s on-field moment.  For example,  we get a look at the contributions of 24-year-old Dodger “batboy” and former college pitcher Mitch Poole (assigned primarily to the club house and trainers’ room that day) in helping Gibson get ready for his at-bat and making sure Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda knew Gibson was determined to make the painful trip to the plate. How important was Poole’s role? Wagner’s book includes a chapter entitled “The Batboy.”

Wagner also gives us a look at how announcer Vin Scully’s eighth-inning on-air announcement that Kirk Gibson “will not see any action tonight, for sure” provided even more impetus for Gibson to get himself off the trainer’s table and up to the plate; as well as how advice from Dodger scout Mel Didier helped Gibson prepare for Eckersley’s final 3-2 offering.

Then there is, what for this reviewer is the crowning touch. Each chapter begins with observations pulled from interviews with fans who were in the stands for the game – just another way Wagner brings the game and its impact to life.

“When he came into the on-deck circle, people started standing up and cheering. When he hit the home run, everyone went nuts.

“The second he hit it, I knew it was out because the whole  stadium erupted. Popcorn was flying. Food boxes were flying. Everything was flying around. I don’t think I was even looking at the field because everyone was jumping up and down and hugging. It was awesome being there.

“Afterward, we sat around for maybe a half hour and waited for people to leave.  When we got to the parking lot, people were screaming and going crazy – it wouldn’t end. “

                                                                                             Dodger Fan Brad Kuehfuss

As you can probably tell, I liked this book. It truly brings Gibson’s iconic home run – in fact, the whole game – to life. The detail provided shows the depth of Wagner’s research, as  do the acknowledgements to the literally dozens of players, coaches, managers, team executives and employees, and fans. This is a book that takes the reader beyond the statistics and deep into the story (and feel) of the game – and the emotions of all those who were on the field, in stands and behind the scenes.  I’d recommend it to fans, not just of the Dodgers, but of the national pastime itself. Well done, Mr. Wagner.

Steven K. Wagner has worked as a freelance journalist since 1989. He began his career with the Monmouth Sun-Enterprise in Oregon and worked for the Oregon City Enterprise-Courier and  Portland Daily Journal of Commerce before joining United Press International. He has also worked for the Portland Oregonian and has freelanced extensively for the Los Angeles Times, Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Seattle Times, Baseball America and numerous additional newspapers and magazines. Other books by Wagner include:

“Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball Greatest One-Game Wonder” (Breakaway Books)

“Seinsoth: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Dodger” (Sunbury Press)

“The Four Home Runs Club: Sluggers Who Achieved Baseball’s Rarest Feat” (Rowman & Littlefield)

___________________________________________________________

To scroll through additional Baseball Roundtable book review, click on “Reviews” at the top of the page. 

 

——An Interview with Steven K. Wagner, author of Game Won.——

What made you decide to include fan comments, and how did you find the fans? Is there any one thought/emotion they all seemed to share?

I wanted a unique lead-in to each chapter, and adding recollections from those who were at the game seemed like a fun and interesting way to do it. I found the fans through friends of mine and Facebook. And, of course, my brother and his son were at the game. A common thread winding through each series of quotes was how thunderous the cheering was perceived after Gibson’s home run, almost shaking Dodger Stadium to its foundation. And, of course, nearly everyone remained inside the stadium for as long as they needed to.

What made this game special for you (special enough to tackle a book on it)?

The game was special because, in my mind, Gibson’s home run was bigger than Bobby Thomson’s. I argue in the book that given the significance of Gibson’s injuries and the fact that he was batting against a nearly unhittable pitcher and a future Hall of Famer made it the greatest home run in baseball history. Bigger than Thomson’s, which didn’t occur in a World Series game.

What spurred your interest in/love of the national pastime? How long have you been a fan?

I’ve been a baseball fan, specifically a Dodger fan, since the 1950s, when my dad took my brother and me to watch them play at the old Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. More than 60 years, I suppose. I recall carving a square out of a book, placing my transistor radio inside the hole, taking the book to school and listening to the 1963 World Series with my head on the cover. My grades probably suffered, but the risk was worth it.

Do you recall your first baseball game you attended (as a fan)?

My first game was at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Milwaukee Braves vs. the Dodgers, probably 1959. I remember that Hank Aaron broke a bat and my brother and I walked down to the Braves’ dugout and begged the batboy for the bat. He refused and we left disappointed. I don’t think I’ve cheered for the Braves since.

Do you have a favorite player? Favorite baseball moment?

I always liked Don Drysdale for his intensity. He threw hard, and if he wanted to intimate a batter,  he flattened him. That usually made his point. Drysdale’s and later on Orel Hershiser’s consecutive scoreless innings streaks have to be favorite baseball moments of mine, if you can call them moments, because those feats are so difficult.

The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

By Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala

Peter E. Randall Publisher (2016)

$30.00

Whatever your connection to the National Pastime – autograph collector, statistics addict, historian, trivia buff , casual fan or fanatic – “The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs” should capture a spot on your book shelf (or coffee table).

                                                       Baseball Roundtable

While the central focus of The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs is identifying the most desirable and sought after baseball autographs of all time, this is not a book solely for autograph collectors. It is really a book for baseball fans – offering not just an evaluation of each autograph by PSA/DNA experts, but also telling the story of each featured player through statistics, trivia, comments from contemporaries and entertaining on-field and off-field stories.   As with previous baseball books from the Zappalas (The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories and The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players), The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs also is well laid out, with plenty of solid graphics and photographs.  Note:  For a review of The Cracker Jack Collection, click here.

Furrther, you don’t have to be a nostalgia buff or student of baseball history to relate to the players whose signatures are featured in this volume. The one hundred players on this list range from pioneers like Hall of Famer Albert Spalding (who played his last MLB game in 1877) to contemporary stars like Albert Pujols (1B/DH for the 2016 Angels). Along the way, the book takes a look at players (and their signatures) like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro Suzuki – and more. Authors Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala also did not limit the book’s scope to the U.S. major leagues.  You’ll also find Negro League stars like Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston; Cuban great Martin Dihigo; and Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh.  (Is that something for every fan picture starting to emerge?)

As you can tell, I liked the book – and, if you are reading this blog post, I’m pretty sure you’ll like it too.  But, to whet your appetite, let’s take a closer look at just a few examples what you can expect to find on the 200+ pages of The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs.

The Obligatory List

If you going to promise to identify the 100 greatest of anything, you better provide some kind of list.  Well, it’s right up front. In Chapter One, the authors identify the top twenty most desirable baseball autographs.  I don’t want to “give away the whole story,” so here are the top five:

The Top Five Most Desirable Baseball Autographs

                                 #1 Babe Ruth

                                  #2 Christy Mathewson

                                   #3 Josh Gibson

                                  #4 Shoeless Joe Jackson

                                  #5 Lou Gehrig

Evaluation from PSA/DNA Certification Experts

The book provides collectors an evaluation of each autograph by PSA/DNA experts, covering such areas as specific characteristics of each signature, changes over time, rarity and tips on determining authenticity.

Here are just a few tidbits from the evaluations:

• “Out of respect for Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig very rarely signed his autograph on the sweet spot of a baseball. Gehrig felt that it was Ruth’s place to be on the sweet spot … It was not until Ruth retired as a player that Gehrig’s signature began to appear more frequently on the sweet spot.”
• Christy Mathewson’s autograph is notable because of its “scarcity, beautiful appearance, and his legendary status.” (Mostly found on documents such as checks and contracts, Mathewson’s signature on a baseball has been known to command more than $100,000.)
• Jimmie Foxx changed his autograph over time, even altering the spelling of his first name (Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie).
• Ted Williams’ signature is one of the most forged in baseball – and a large volume of counterfeit Williams items were seized in a late-1990s FBI sting.,

Hall of Famer Pitcher John Clarkson – As Rare As It Gets

“Not only did he play in an era when autograph signing wasn’t commonplace, Clarkson spent the last several years of his life in various sanitariums and psychiatric hospitals, making his autograph almost impossible to obtain in that tragic time … As of this writing, PSA has not certified a Clarkson autograph.”

                                          The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

The Stories a Player’s Signature Can Tell

 You will also find comments on how a player’s performance and popularity can affect their signature – adding to or subtracting from its legibility or prompting the use of ghost signers (relatives, club employees, etc.)

Mickey Mantle – Growing Into Greatness

“If you were to compare a rookie autograph of Mickey Mantle to one penned later in his career and life, you can see the evolution not only of his signature style, but also of his personality. What was once a very simplistic signature early in his career developed into one of the most recognizable and stylish autographs in the entire hobby.  Mantle went from being a small-town phenomenon to the starting center fielder of the most popular team on the planet – the New York Yankees

“If you follow changes in his autograph, you can see Mantle’s rise to stardom. As he blossomed into a superstar on the field, more people asked for his autograph. As more people requested his autograph, Mantle had time to perfect it and his confidence grew as an athlete. You can sense that the confidence in his seasoned signature. It is bold and definitive like those of fellow baseball legends like Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth.”

                                The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

Ted Williams came in as the 20th most desirable autograph.

Statistics – Statistics – Statistics

We count everything in baseball, and The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs honors that tradition. Each player’s on-field performance is well documented – from Walter Johnson’s 12 strikeout titles, 417 wins and 2.17 career ERA to Albert Pujols’ 2001 rookie-season stat line of .329-37-130.  The authors give solid statistical evidence –  career accomplishments and best seasons – for why each of these player’s signatures are among the 100 greatest autographs in the game.

For the Trivia Buff

The Zappala’s also provide a look at some of the unique stats and occurrences that translate into grist for baseball trivia buffs. Here is just a sampling:

• Stan Musial collected 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road.
• When the Dodgers met the Twins in the 1965 World Series, the only Dodger boasting a .300 or better batting average was pitcher Don Drysdale. (That season, Drysdale hit .300 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 130 at bats and was occasionally used as a pinch hitter).
• Rickey Henderson stole 30 or more bases seven times – after age 35.
• Cy Young is credited with introducing the changeup to baseball

Chuck Klein – A Home Run Title that was a Walk in the Park

“In 1929, his first full season in the majors, the 24-year-old (Chuck) Klein batted .346 and smacked an amazing 43 homers to win the National League home run crown. Interestingly, Klein’s teammates helped guarantee that home run title. On the last day of the 1929 season, the Phillies played the New York Giants in a doubleheader.  Klein and Giants superstar Mel Ott were tied for the home run lead.  In the first game, Klein homered, which put him one ahead of Ott. In the second game, Ott was walked FIVE times by Phillies pitchers, and one of those walks came with the bases loaded.

                              The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

Note: Most of the time Klein, who went on to win the HR crown in three of the next four seasons (including the Triple Crown in 1933), signed “Chuck” Klein (with quotes around his first name).

A Look into the Lives of Featured Players

The Zappalas also give readers a look into the lives of the featured players with background as diverse as:

• How Babe Ruth “dominated the Big Apple’s Roaring Twenties social scene as much as he did opposing pitchers.”
• The impact on Ty Cobb of his mother’s fatal shooting of his father.
• Rube Waddell’s zany antics, including wrestling alligators.
• Journeyman catcher Moe Berg’s ties to the OSS and CIA.

What Peers Had to Say

The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs is also sprinkled with quotes from peers about the players whose signatures are so popular. Just a few examples:

I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron.  They were tremendous players, but they were no josh Gibson.

Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer

————————

His fastball looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed.

Ty Cobb on Walter Johnson

————————

Does Pete Rose hustle? Before the All Star game, he came into the clubhouse and took off his shoes and they ran another mile without him.

Hank Aaron

————————————

(Harmon) Killebrew can knock the ball out any park including Yellowstone.

Paul Richards, Orioles Manager

————————————

When ol’ Diz was out there pitching it was more than just another ballgame. It was a regular three-ring circus and everybody was wide awake and enjoying being alive.

Pepper Martin, Dizzy Dean teammate

————————————–

So there you have it, a taste of what you can expect from The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs – again, a book that offers something for baseball autograph collectors, statistics addicts, historians, trivia buffs, casual fans and true fanatics. It’s entertaining, informative (and well-researched), easy-to-read, and beautifully laid out and illustrated. Baseball Roundtable recommends it as a worthy addition to any baseball library.

The authors:

Tom Zappala: A Boston area businessman and talk show host who is passionate about our national pastime and collects vintage baseball memorabilia.

Ellen Zappala: President of ATS Communications (a marketing and consulting company) and a former newspaper publisher, who enjoys bringing the stories of Deadball Era and Golden Age players to life.

Also contributing:

• Joe Orlando: President of Professional Sports Authenticators and PSA/DNA Authentication Services; Editor of Sports Market Report.
• John Molori: Columnist for Boston Baseball Magazine.
• Steve Grad: principal authenticator for PSA/DNA Authentication Services
• Arthur K. Miller: award-winning portrait artist specializing in historic sports figures and pop culture icons.
• Tony Dube: President of White Point Imaging.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One Game Wonder

by Steven K. Wagner

Breakaway Books, 2015

$12.95

Can you imagine a baseball book that examines an entire big league career – pitch by pitch?  Well, you don’t have to.  Steven K. Wagner has done just that in his book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder.

 Wagner’s book focuses on the one-game MLB career of John Paciorek (September 29, 1963 – the last day of the 1963 season).  In that contest, the 18-year-old Houston Colt .45’s outfielder was truly perfect: five trips to the plate – five times on base (three hits and two walks); four runs scored, three runs driven in; four errorless plays in the outfield.

A perfect start to what Paciorek – and many others – expected to be a long and successful major league career. Yet, as Wagner tells it, after his fifth trip to the plate in that day’s 13-4 Houston win over the Mets:  “Paciorek knew he would not bat again that day, or that season. He had no way of knowing, however, that he would never again swing at a major league pitch. He would never catch another ball, or have the opportunity to prevent a runner from scoring with a dazzling throw. Other than a few practice tosses he would receive from center fielder (Ivan) Murrell as the players warmed up for the last half inning of play, he would not touch a baseball again in the major leagues.”

 He had so much talent. It’s hard to believe he didn’t succeed in baseball. No one was a better athlete than he was.  He showed power … he was certainly a star in the making.

                                               Rusty Staub teammate of John Paciorek,

                                                22-year MLB career, six-time All Star

Paciorek also had no way of knowing that, more than 50 years later, he would still be recognized as having the greatest one-game career in MLB history (the only player with more than one MLB at bat and a 1.000 batting average).

John Paciorek’s is the finest example of a perfect one-game career, neatly packaged, the quotient of his own perfect afternoon of hitting,  fielding and base running that baseball has ever seen. Indeed, John’s perfect day is one for the ages … and a baseball story worth telling.

                           Albie Pearson, Major League outfielder (1958-66);                                            1958 AL Rookie of the Year

John Paciorek’s story is, indeed, a baseball tale worth telling and, in this case, the fact that it is being told by a true baseball fan also makes it one worth reading.

BBRT asked author Steven K. Wagner what motivated him to take on the project.

In the early 1980s, I picked up a copy of the Baseball Encyclopedia, which listed the stats for everyone who ever played major league baseball. I leafed through all 1,200 pages and quickly noticed there were many players who participated in only one game. Most went 0 for 1 or pitched an inning. Paciorek’s numbers were the best of anyone. I was intrigued and a decade later wrote a feature on him for the Los Angeles Times. I remained intrigued. Twenty years later I decided to write the book, however that was easier said than done. I wondered, how do you write a book about one game? I did some research and managed to track down the play-by-play of the game in the Library of Congress. Once I figured out how to couch the game around the play-by-play I got the project to work.

 In Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder, Wagner not only gives readers a look at how Paciorek made his way to the big league stage, but also why he was unable to stay there and where life took him after that one big game.   And, Wagner goes even further, putting it all in context with a look at other players who enjoyed one-game MLB careers; players who also played their final  big league games on September 29th 1963; and teammates, coaches, fans, relatives and even umpires who passed through or had an impact on Paciorek’s life and career.  The cast of characters includes (but, as they say, is not limited to) personalities ranging from Hall of Fame player and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Kiner … to Little League legend Pinky Deras … … to Rusty Staub and Joe Morgan (who took the field with Paciorek in that September 29 contest) … to Aubrey “Yo Yo” Epps (considered to have the greatest one-game MLB career until Paciorek came along).

It is those stories, woven around a detailed account of Paciorek’s big game, that make this book a deserving tribute to Paciorek and his love of the game, as well as a treat for baseball fans.

For example, Wagner gives the readers a look at the final game, careers and lives of a handful of players who also made their last MLB appearances on September 29 1963.

• Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who retired that day, after 22 years in the major leagues – with a .331 lifetime average and a mere 3,015 more games and 3,627 more hits than Paciorek.
• Cubs’ second baseman Ken Hubbs, 1962 NL Rookie of the Year – the first rookie to win a Gold Glove. Like Paciorek and Musial, Hubbs played his final game on September 29, 1963 – dying in a plane crash on February 15, 1964, at age 22.
• Jim Umbricht, one of the Houston Colt .45’s top relief pitchers in 1963. Umbricht, who got the victory in Paciorek’s one MLB game, succumbed to cancer (metastic melanoma) on April 8, 1964 (at age 33) and was the first Houston player to have their number retired.

Wagner’s well-researched book provides insight into Paciorek’s life before and after the big game.

• His natural talent (in high school he was all-state in football, basketball and baseball);
• His family heritage (Paciorek’s brothers Tom and Jim also played in the major leagues);
• His absolute dedication to excelling at his chosen sport, and how it may have contributed to the brevity of his career;
• The unique circumstances – surprising even to Paciorek himself – that pushed him onto the major league stage at age 18;
• The back injury that cut short his baseball career; and
• The satisfaction he found as a teacher and author after leaving professional baseball.

Books by John Paciorek

Plato and Socrates – Baseball’s Wisest Fans

The Principles of  Baseball And All There Is To Know About Hitting.

BBRT asked author Steven Wagner what most surprised or impressed him about about John Paciorek.

I was most surprised by John’s own lack of awe about his sterling performance. At least early on, he genuinely didn’t see what all the fuss has been about. After the book was published, I think he changed his tune a little. He now seems to regard it as a fairly significant accomplishment. I consider it a record that will never be broken. Nowadays, teams never call a player up for the final game of a season.  They usually promote them for September and give them as many at bats as they can. Someone would have to go 4 for 4 in his only big-league game, and that will simply never happen.

BBRT recommends Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Fame Wonder.  It’s more than the story of one-game – albeit an historic one. It’s the story of one man’s life and passion for the national pastime, with a host of relevant “side trips” that make the journey all the more enjoyable for the baseball fan.

Steven K. Wagner

Steven K. Wagner has worked as a freelance journalist since 1989. He began his career with the Monmouth Sun-Enterprise in Oregon and worked for the Oregon City Enterprise-Courier and Portland Daily Journal of Commerce before joining United Press International. He has also worked for the Portland Oregonian and has freelanced extensively for the Los Angeles Times, Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Seattle Times, Baseball America and numerous other newspaper and magazines. He is also a baseball fan.

“I have always loved baseball … In fact, my next book, due out this summer, is about a player from the 1960s Dodgers’ organization. It is titled: “Seinsoth: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Dodger.” Baseball was less of a business then, and I loved the fact that the players got their uniforms dirty, played with injuries and even had to take jobs in the off season in order to make ends meet. Their lives were very much like the lives of ordinary citizens, except for the high-profile nature of what they did.”

Note:  BBRT shares Wagner’s fascination with players who enjoyed short – but, in some way, significant – major league careers. In fact, three years ago BBRT launched an annual award recognizing such players  – appropriately titled “The John Paciorek Award.”  For a look at that recognition, click here.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member:  Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

Town Ball Parks of Minnesota

by Todd Mueller

BluStone Group  (2016)

$32.95

Town Ball Parks of Minnesota, on the surface, is a book about Minnesota’s most unique, historic and revered amateur ball parks – 27 of them to be exact. It is, however, much more than that. It is a book about spirit – the spirit of our national pastime; the spirit of those who pick up the ball, bat and glove for the pure joy of the game; and the spirit of the Minnesota communities that support those players.  It’s also, on another level, a book about author Todd Mueller’s love of the game – an affection that jumps out from the book’s lively prose and more than five hundred photographs.  From Baseball Roundtable’s perspective, if you have a passion for the national pastime, this book should be on your coffee table (the book shelf is too far away).

“I love the feeling at a town ball game.  It’s a bit of Americana that is slipping away. As I came to appreciate the care given to these ball parks, my goal became to reveal these venues for the true state treasures they are – and have been for generations.”

                                      Todd Mueller, author of Town Ball Parks of Minnesota

                                        From an interview with BBRT

If you want to write about amateur baseball, Minnesota is a good place to start.  As Mueller notes in his book, Minnesota Baseball Association (MBA) officials assert that the state has more amateur (town ball) baseball teams than any other state in the country (296). That gave Mueller a large field of ball parks to work with.  He narrowed that field by contacting more than 50 MBA coaches and asking each of them to rate their top five unique town ball ballparks.  Then Mueller traveled – not just to the leading vote getters – but to every ball park that was mentioned even once. Two-thousand-four-hundred miles, 125-plus ballparks and more than 20,000 photographs later, Mueller had the material for the book.

Richter Field, Granite Falls – from Twon Ball Parks of Minnesota.

Given all that “prep work,” it’s no surprise Town Ball Parks of Minnesota – like a good center fielder – covers a lot of ground.  In this review, I’ll share just a few examples of what you can expect as you make your way across that ground.

Mueller gives readers a look at ballparks ranging in seating capacity from 50 to 3,000 and in design from Minnesota’s first amateur park with artificial turf (Veterans Field, Minnetonka) to a ball park that has no fence line, but rather uses a pair of intersecting County Roads to mark its outfield boundaries (Martin Schmidt Memorial Park, Pearl Lake). Note: In Pearl Lake, if the ball hits the asphalt surface of the road in the air, it’s a home run. If it hits the gravel shoulder and bounces onto or over the asphalt, it’s a ground rule double. Outfielders have to have both feet off the asphalt when making a catch and, if the fielder’s momentum after the catch carries him onto the asphalt, the ball is live.

Mueller provides a schematic of each park (dimensions included), a history of the park, the team, the community’s involvement in town ball, and photos – lots of glorious photos – of the ball fields, play action, concession stands, uniform jerseys, players and fans.  He even rates the restroom facilities at each park (symbolized by one-to-four plungers – although one park rates only ½ plunger) and the concessions (symbolized by one-to-four hot dogs). Only two parks rated “double fours:” Minnetonka’s Veterans Field and Jordan’s Mini Met.

Mueller takes his look at the Minnesota town ball experience one step further, exploring the communities that support these teams – sights to see, places to eat (or drink) and historic events . You can read about places like the Cannon River Winery (Cannon Falls), the Leavenworth Baseball Museum (near New Ulm), King’s Bar and Grill (Miesville), Fagen Fighters World War II Museum (Granite Falls); and much, much more.  Again, with entertaining prose and plenty of photos.

There are also stories (and, of course, more photos) of some of Minnesota town ball’s most revered players and fans.  There is, for example, a section on Dana Kiecker, who pitched for the town ball Fairfax Cardinals in his teen years, made it all the way to the mound for the Boston Red Sox in the 1990 American League Championship Series, and was back in town ball with the Dundas Dukes in his thirties.  And, there’s the tale of Joe Driscoll, who started his town ball playing career in the late 1960’s (at the age of 16, for the Le Sueur Braves) and didn’t hang up his cleats until 45 years, a handful of teams, six state championships (he was the winning pitcher in four championship games), and more than 1,200 town ball games later.  And, I hate to be repetitive, much, much more.

“In New Ulm, there’s a cliché that you’re born with a pair of spikes on your feet.  When I was playing, there was an attitude in our community; we go out, we play baseball, we compete and we win. This is what we do.”

              Terry Steinbach – From Town Ball Parks of Minnesota

Steinbach was  a 14-season major leaguer, three-time AL All Star, 1989 World Series Champion – and former member of the New Ulm Kaiserhoff town ball team and MVP of the 1980 Class B MBA (town ball) Championship tournament.

Finally, like any good baseball book, Town Ball Parks of Minnesota includes some noteworthy trivia – like the story of perhaps the only baseball game delayed due to a fish on the field, a list of Mueller’s 15 favorite Minnesota town ball names (spoiler alert – Midway Snurdbirds is number one), and the fact baseball has been played in Delano for 119 consecutive years on the community’s Central Park site (now home to the Delano A’s).

John Burch Park, Cannon Falls – From Town Ball Parks of Minnesota.

The 235-page book ends with a special touch of nostalgia. Its final chapter provides readers a look Tink Larson Field in Waseca – where the 77-year-old grandstand was destroyed (arson) this April.  Mueller decided to keep the ballpark – which he terms “truly one of the gems of Minnesota baseball” – in the book in honor of its significant place in Minnesota’s baseball heritage.

Ultimately, Town Ball Parks of Minnesota is a fitting tribute to our national pastime and “the love of the game” – no matter where you are from (but especially if you’re a Minnesotan).  Baseball Roundtable recommends you add it to your baseball book collection.  I am confident it will provide you, as it has me, with many hours of enjoyment. In fact, I think I may take another look at the chapter on the strangely laid out Don Giesen Field (home of the Union Hill Bull Dogs). BBRT note: Mueller reports Union Hill’s population at 66 and that its largest, and only, employer is the Union Hill Bar.

Todd Mueller

Todd Mueller, a life-long baseball fan, was a marketing and communications executive at a top twenty Minnesota corporation for more than 23 years. This is his first book. Asked about his greatest baseball memories, he replied:

My greatest memories were the entire 1987 Twins season and watching Jack Morris refuse to come out of Game 7 in ’91. I’d like to see a fraction of that tenaciousness today. On a nonprofessional note, watching my son Andrew catch for four years at Totino-Grace high school was a great joy.

Town Ball Parks of Minnesota is available online at TownBallParksofMN.com

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member: Society for American Baseball Reseach; The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance. 

Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur

By Jon Kerr

Calumet Editions, 2016

$16.99

“He was very tight with a buck, but he was honest with his heart.”

Dave Boswell (Minnesota Twins pitcher, 1964-70)

Describing Twins’ owner Calvin Griffith

Calvin – Baseball’s Last Dinosaur is ostensibly about Calvin Griffith and his 30-year tenure at the helm of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins. But it really is about much more. It is about the Griffith family’s passion for the national pastime; it is about family loyalties and family turmoil; it’s a true rags-to-riches story; and it is a tale about the changes wrought by the ending of the reserve clause, free agency, expansion and arbitration.

Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur was originally published in 1990.  This second, revised edition was released April 10, 2016 – reflecting its “legacy” value; particularly as it relates to the history of (and major changes in) the national pastime.

JUNE 20TH – A “CALVIN EVENT” AT SUBTEXT BOOKS

                           (DOWNTOWN SAINT PAUL)

On Monday, June 20, 2016 (7:00 p.m.-8:00 P.M.), author Jon Kerr will discuss Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur at Subtext Books, 6 West Fifth Street, downtown Saint Paul. There will be readings, Q&A, lots of great baseball talk and, of course, a book signing. If you are a fan of baseball, the Minnesota Twins, Calvin Griffith or just a history buff, this promises to be an enjoyable evening.

The book presents the life of Calvin Griffith – with all its virtues and flaws – in the context of the history of the national pastime. That context is appropriate since the history of the Griffith family was deeply influenced, in fact shaped, by baseball – and, conversely, the Griffith family had a significant influence on the history of the game. With that in mind, this is a book that has a lot to offer, not just for Minnesota Twins fans, or past Washington Senators fans, or Calvin Griffith fans (or detractors) – but for all fans of our national pastime. And, the story is made better in the telling by a combination of author Jon Kerr’s meticulous research, Calvin Griffith’s long (well-documented) record of  honestly speaking his mind;  and Griffith’s position at the center of such issues as the integration of the game, expansion, stadium financing, free agency and arbitration.

HONEST TO A FAULT

When preparing this post, I asked author John Kerr what he found most surprising about Calvin and the Griffith family. Kerr’s answer:

“Their down-to-earth honesty. They were elite in the sense of their long role in the baseball fraternity. Yet, they never forgot their humble roots. On a personal level, they were also not the cheapskates as commonly portrayed. This is true even though Calvin was clearly very aware of his family’s financial limitations in baseball’s new world of free agency and arbitration.”

The Griffith saga really begins with Baseball Hall of Famer Clark Griffith. Known as the Old Fox, Clark Griffith built a life around baseball as a player, manager and owner. As a right-handed hurler, Griffith went 237-146 in his MLB career (winning twenty or more games seven times); as a manager, he went 1,491-1367 and led the Chicago White Stockings to the first AL pennant; and as an owner, he brought the World Series to Washington D.C. in 1925-1925 and 1933.

Of essential importance to Kerr’s biography of Calvin Griffith is the fact that Clark Griffith – whose life was so deeply dedicated to baseball – was the single most  significant influence on Calvin Griffith (both inside and outside of baseball).

Clark Griffith’s story was one of hard work and unstoppable determination. He went from a poverty-defined, hardscrabble upbringing in Missouri to a Hall of Fame baseball career to team ownership. And, the odds were seldom in his favor. Despite his 5’6”, 156-pound stature, he fashioned a Hall of Fame career as a major league pitcher – and later risked his baseball earnings (and a Montana ranch) to join the ranks of baseball owners. Along the way, he learned the ins-and-outs of baseball – from the field to the front office.  He also, as Kerr explains, developed a passion for the game, a deep work ethic, a sense of frugality and an aversion to debt.

Through it all, Clark Griffith maintained a strong commitment to family – and it is that commitment that brought Calvin into the game. I don’t want to give away too much of Kerr’s book, but Calvin Griffith was born Calvin Robertson, and Clark Griffith was his uncle. Like his uncle Clark, Calvin grew up in poverty (in a family of nine). In 1922, Clark Griffith’s sense of family led him and his wife Addie to take two of the Robertson’s children into their home (and lives) – 11-year-old Calvin and his nine-year-old sister Thelma. While never adopting the pair (Calvin and Thelma later changed their names legally to Griffith), Clark and his wife Addie raised them as their own – and Calvin and Thelma inherited the Washington Senators when Clark Griffith passed away in 1955.

How much of an influence was this hardworking, baseball-focused, frugal, family man and father figure on Calvin? Kerr quotes Calvin in his book, “He (Clark Griffith) was only 5-foot-six or five-foot-seven, but he had the – what’s the word? – statue of a giant. He was an individual who was impossible to copy. He was a saint. Next to God, Clark Griffith was it.”

It was the move to Clark Griffith’s home in Washington D.C. that brought Calvin to the baseball life detailed in Kerr’s book. Starting his first summer as a “Griffith,”  young Calvin found himself as bat boy for Clark Griffith’s Washington Senators – mingling with the likes of Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb. His future was sealed.

CALVIN GRIFFITH – SUPERIOR ATHLETE

Calvin Griffith, often pictured in later life as significantly out of shape, was quite an athlete in his younger days: captain of the Staunton Military Academy (high school) Virginia State Champion baseball AND basketball teams; and later catcher and star pitcher for George Washington University. It was, in fact, only his Uncle Clark’s insistence that the real future in baseball was in the front office that led Calvin to walk away from a contract offer from the Chicago Cubs.

True to his commitment to work ethic and family, once Calvin left George Washington University and joined the Senators’ organization, Clark Griffith demanded his anticipated heir learn the ropes – from the bottom up – in baseball; starting in the front office of the Senators’ Chattanooga Lookouts farm team and moving on to the Charlotte Hornets.

CALVIN GRIFFITH – LEARNING THE ROPES

Excerpt from Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur

But it was hardly of bed of roses for Calvin either, who operated most of four years at Charlotte as a combination of front office executive, manager, coach, batting practice pitcher, and in other assorted roles. Included was his return to active player, as catcher for a hard-throwing pitcher named Ruben Ortiz.

“We had two catchers, both of them got their hands broken up,” remembers Calvin of the unusual circumstances. ”I went to General Crowder, manager of the Winston-Salem club, and I said, ‘How ‘bout me catchin’ it, or we’re gonna have to forfeit and you’re gonna have to give the money back to the fans.’”

With Crowder’s agreement, Griffith took his place at catcher for the fast-balling Cuban. “I went out there and I said, ‘Give me a chance to see the damn ball. We’re gonna start with some curves or something, so I can see the spin on the ball.’”

“First goddam pitch is a fastball over my head,” recalls Calvin. “It went over my head and hit the screen. I said ‘Uh, this ain’t gonna be good.’ It was a goddam doubleheader. The next day I was so stiff, all I could do was lay in Epsom salts for a couple of hours.”

It wasn’t long (1942) before Calvin joined Uncle Clark with the Senators, initially as head of concessions – working his way up the organization until he and his sister Thelma inherited team ownership in 1955. It was then that Calvin began the saga of baseball ownership that ended with his 1984 sale of the team – and took him through the struggles of team movement, expansion, race relations, stadium financing, free agency and arbitration.  As Kerr details, Calvin worked hard to keep baseball a family operation, but he knew the writing was on the wall.

From now on, baseball owners are going to have to be associated with other businesses, so they won’t have to depend on sports to feed their kids. Or they are going to have to be men who were born wealthy, who have zillions of dollars and are looking for a team to buy so they can have something to do with their time and money.

Calvin Griffith, 1975

From Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur

Kerr’s book take readers through Calvin’s tenure as an owner, detailing the negotiations surrounding the move from Washington D.C. to Minnesota (and previous attempts to move the franchise); the early, glory years of the Twins – the 1965 AL Pennant and 1969-70 Division Championships; right up to the 1984 sale of the club to the Pohlad family (and Griffith’s later misgivings about the transaction).

There also are insights into the players (and Calvin’s relationships with them). Fans know the names: Killebrew, Carew, Allison, Versalles, Grant, Oliva, Hrbek, Blyleven, Puckett, Gaetti and more.

And, there is the joy of Calvin’s many malapropisms. (On the warm reception he received as he was selling the team: “The fans were really great.  I’ve been hung in apathy before, so I didn’t know what to expect.”) BBRT note: There is a book dedicated to Calvin’s thought process and unique use of the English language … Quotations from Chairman Calvin by David Anderson.

Kerr also give readers a look at the what was going on behind the scenes all that time: family squabbles, particularly with his son Clark; the logic behind key trades; salary, free-agent and arbitration battles; “Billybrawl;” the departure of fan favorites like Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew; players strikes; opportunities to move the team; the move to the Metrodome; Calvin’s second-thoughts about the sale of the team; and even the ill-considered and politically incorrect presentation by Calvin at the Waseca Lions Club.  It’s all there – and all worth reading.

Notably as Kerr points out, Griffith fought long and hard to keep baseball in the family, surviving longer them most (perhaps even Calvin) expected.  Here’s a final quote from Jon Kerr that I think sums up why Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur makes a great summer read:

“Calvin was also a distinctly different animal than any other modern baseball owner. His battle with change in the game was based as much on history and moral beliefs as financial analyses. Whether based on stubbornness or principle, he was the last holdout in an era of baseball that will never return.”

Jon Kerr

Jon Kerr is a former sportswriter for United Press International (who covered the Twins) and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.  His freelance writing has appeared in a wide range of publications. He currently is the director of a non-profit doing work in Nicaragua (Interfaith Services to Latin America), where he also gets to see plenty of baseball. He also continues his work as a freelance journalist (along with other writing projects).

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I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.