Cooperstown Confidential--August 6, 2005 (Part 1)

[Bruce Markusen]

Putting A Wrap on Hall of Fame Weekend
This year’s induction festivities in Cooperstown, NY, delivered a much-needed boost to the local economy, as large groups of Cubs and Red Sox fans spent gobs of money along the village’s Main Street. According to most estimates, about 25,000 to 28,000 fans visited Cooperstown on induction weekend—the highest figure in the last five years. In recent years, more modest crowds have generally ranged from 15,000 to 20,000 fans…

During the 2000s, Hall of Fame weekends have been marked by lackluster crowds, in part because of a sagging northeastern economy and in part because the inductees have lacked name recognition in larger cities in the East and Midwest. This year’s new class of Hall of Famers brought sizeable contingents from both Boston, where Wade Boggs played a large portion of his major league career, and Chicago, where Ryne Sandberg played almost exclusively as a major leaguer. Surprisingly, the number of Chicago fans heavily outweighed the fans from Red Sox Nation, even though Boston is only four hours from Cooperstown. Based on an informal scan of T-shirt s and colors, Cubs fans seemed to outnumber Red Sox fans by a ratio of 5-to-1. And that’s a conservative estimate…

Prior to the big weekend, the Hall of Fame pretty much guaranteed that there would be an induction in 2006 by announcing that a special election of Negro Leagues greats would take place over the winter. Knowing full well that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will post a goose egg in January (Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, and Jim Rice will all fall short of the 75 per cent needed for election), and with no Veterans Committee vote scheduled until 2007, Hall of Fame officials decided to stage the special election in February of ‘06. Several Negro Leaguers are considered strong candidates for Hall of Fame enshrinement, with catching great Biz Mackey considered the most likely to win election. With the exceptions of Buck O’Neil and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, most of the eligible Negro Leagues greats are deceased, increasing the likelihood that there will not be a living inductee in 2006… The Hall of Fame did excellent work in putting together a committee of qualified historians for the Negro Leagues election. The committee features most of the leading experts on black baseball, including SABR members Dick Clark and Larry Lester, and author Robert Peterson, who penned the hallmark book, Only The Ball Was White…

Amazingly, none of Wade Boggs’ former teammates in Boston, New York, or Tampa Bay bothered to attend the weekend festivities in Cooperstown this year. Although Boggs was never known for his warmth toward other players or the media, it boggles the mind that all of his retired teammates decided to become no-shows at the induction ceremony. Not surprisingly, Boggs didn’t mention a single teammate by name during his induction speech…

While the Hall of Famers become center stage for Induction Weekend, I enjoy trying to locate non-Hall of Famers who make the midsummer pilgrimage to Cooperstown. A number of former major leaguers participated in appearances and signings along Main Street, including Gold Glove outfielder Paul Blair (the best defensive center fielder I’ve ever seen), Gold Glove third baseman Clete Boyer (who looks much better a year removed from cancer surgery), former Met and Yankee slugger Darryl Strawberry, and former Brooklyn Dodgers Johnny Podres, Ralph Branca, and George “Shotgun” Shuba. Podres and Shuba are two of just a handful of surviving Dodgers from the 1955 World Championship team. The other living ‘55ers including Hall of Famers Duke Snider and Sandy Koufax (both of whom attended Sunday’s ceremony), along with infielder Don Zimmer and pitchers Roger Craig, Carl Erskine, Clem Labine, Don Newcombe, and Ed Roebuck… The Hall of Fame plans to honor the living members of the ’55 Dodgers this fall in Cooperstown…

Other notables who made it to Cooperstown for induction weekend included former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Yankees executive Gene Michael, TV personality Maury Povich (the son of the late sportswriter Shirley Povich), and comedian Bill Murray, a diehard baseball fan and a personal friend of Sandberg…

On Sunday, Spink Award winner Peter Gammons delivered one of the best Hall of Fame speeches in recent memory. In an eloquently written address, Gammons spent little time talking about his own career, instead shifting the focus to praise the good people throughout baseball history, like Jackie Robinson (whom Gammons referred to as one of the ten greatest men of the 20th century) and Dennis Eckersley, whom Gammons called one of the best teammates ever. In referencing Eckersley, Gammons remembered a game that the Red Sox lost during their remarkable collapse of 1978. As writers surrounded backup shortstop Frank Duffy to ask him about a game-deciding error, Eckersley told the writers to take a different angle with their stories. “I think of his start in the 1978 ‘Boston Massacre,’ when it seemed that nearly a hundred writers surrounded Frank Duffy because he made an error,” Gammons said on Sunday. “[Eckersley] started pulling them off and shouted, ‘He didn’t load the bases, he didn’t hang the 0-2 slider. Get over to my locker and talk to the man who has an ‘L’ next to his name.’ Dennis Eckersley defines teammate.” …

In contrast to Gammons, Ford C. Frick Award winner Jerry Coleman offered a speech that lacked both flow and substance. On the eve of the induction ceremony, a reporter had asked Coleman about his preparations for the speech. Coleman remarked that he did not plan to read from a prepared text, but instead would rely on just a few written notes. Based on the disjointed speech he delivered, it seemed like he forgot to bring the notes…

The weekend did not come and go without some controversy. Hall of Fame infielder Rod Carew was supposed to participate in a Monday morning roundtable with the Class of 2005, Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg, but failed to show for the event, which was broadcast by ESPN on a tape-delayed basis. According to a Hall of Fame source, Carew was angered by a video shown during Sunday’s induction ceremony. The video, which was narrated by ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, referred to the newly inducted Boggs as being like “Rod Carew, only better.” Not appreciating the negative comparison, Carew decided to make himself unavailable for the ESPN roundtable with Boggs and Sandberg…

One of the least-publicized events of the weekend turned out to be one of the best. On Monday, the Hall of Fame and the Major League Baseball Alumni Association sponsored a “Skills for Youth” clinic that featured a few Hall of Famers and several retired big leaguers. Although the clinic lacks the drawing power of the Hall of Fame Game (which is now played earlier in the summer), it addresses the criticism that the weekend lacks attractions for younger fans. The clinic, held at historic Doubleday Field and free of charge for kids ages 5 to 12, featured instruction by Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Gaylord Perry, and Brooks Robinson; Negro Leagues legend Buck O’ Neil; and former major leaguers Fred Cambria, Steve Grilli, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and Ross Moschitto (the onetime outfield caddy for Mickey Mantle). O’Neil, who’s now in hid mid-nineties, continues to amaze. Showing more energy than some of the most hyperactive five-year-olds, O’Neil not only offered the youngsters some basic instruction in agility, but also led the kids in song, entertaining dozens of fans who watched from the stands at Doubleday Field.

[Bruce Markusen]

Card Corner
It’s hard to find an Al Oliver baseball card that doesn’t show him holding or swinging a bat. (In fact, Topps didn’t produce an Oliver card that showed him without a bat until its 1978 set.) That’s only appropriate for a man who was known for his potently smooth left-handed swing, and his ability to steer line drives from foul line to foul line.

Early in his career, some scouts considered Oliver the next Pirate superstar, the man who would succeed Roberto Clemente as the club’s best batter. As hitters there wasn’t much different between the older Clemente and the younger Oliver. The comparisons were a bit unfair, however, when it came to other aspects of the game. Oliver never possessed the kind of defensive skills or the baserunning acumen of Clemente. He certainly didn’t have Clemente’s arm; then again, no one did.

There were also concerns about Oliver’s volatile temperament. Earlier in his career, Oliver verbally attacked a writer so badly that Pirate manager Larry Shepard demanded he submit an apology. In a game in 1970, Oliver lined into a game-ending double play, prompting him to hurl his bat in anger. The bat accidentally landed in the photographers’ section beyond the Pirate dugout. Not satisfied with that display of temper, Oliver proceeded to throw his batting helmet up in the air. Although Oliver intended no harm to spectators, the helmet landed in a section of box seats near home plate. The Pirates fretted that such displays of anger would stall his development as a major league hitter.

Oliver had also exhibited a fair dose of brashness and swagger during his young major league career. Some observers even compared Oliver to heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, known for his outwardly boisterous displays of confidence. Oliver says such comparisons were misleading. “I was not that outgoing—vocally—as an Ali,” Oliver says. “I was the type of person that if somewhat asked me, ‘Could you hit?’ then we’ll talk about it. But if no one ever asked me, I would never say a word. That’s the kind of guy that I was. A lot of people thought that I was the Muhammad Ali type, but if I was never asked, I never said a word. I was probably the quietest guy in the clubhouse.”

After serving as a platoon player for the World Champion Pirates in 1971, Oliver became the team’s everyday center fielder in 1972. At times, Oliver filled in at first base for an injured Bob Robertson, but “Scoop” handled the switches back and forth gracefully. As an everyday player, Oliver responded with the first .300 season of his career, and an impressive 89 RBIs. In 1973, after the death of Roberto Clemente, Oliver took on a more significant leadership role with the Pirates. Oliver also inherited Clemente’s No. 3 position in the batting order.

Early in 1974, Danny Murtaugh switched Oliver from center field to first base in an effort to improve the team’s defense. The move did not please Oliver, who criticized the Pirates for not trading for an established first baseman. Later, Oliver softened his angry stance on Murtaugh’s decision, and went on to enjoy one of his most productive years in Pittsburgh. After the 1974 season, Oliver received the “Roberto Clemente Award,” given to the Pirate player who “best exemplifies the standards of excellence” established by the former Pirate great.

Oliver hit .280, .323, and .308 over the next three seasons. Despite another excellent season in 1977, the Pirates decided to use Oliver as the bait to improve their suspect pitching. The Bucs sent Oliver packing as part of a complicated four-team blockbuster involving the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers. Oliver ended up in Texas, while the Pirates received ace right-hander Bert Blyleven from the Rangers and power-hitting first baseman John Milner from the Mets.

Oliver continued to pile up line drives for Texas while playing primarily as an outfielder. In four years with the Rangers, he batted .324, .323, .319, and .309. The Rangers, however, became disenchanted with Oliver’s lack of power. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Oliver hit only four home runs and drove in a mere 55 runs.

In the spring of 1982, Oliver asked Rangers owner Eddie Chiles to either extend or renegotiate his contract. When Chiles refused, Oliver requested the Rangers trade him to another club. On March 31, the Rangers dealt “Scoop” to the Montreal Expos for two right-handed power hitters, veteran Larry Parrish and rookie Dave Hostetler.

The Expos decided to move Oliver back to first base, despite the fact that he had played mostly in the outfield during his four-year term in Texas. Oliver expressed confidence in his re-adjustment to playing first base and responded to the trade by producing his best major league season. Oliver led the National League in batting average, hits, RBIs, and doubles. In the process, Oliver became the first major leaguer to produce 200-hit, 100 RBI seasons in both leagues. In 1983, Oliver once again led the league in doubles, but his production fell badly, from 22 home runs to eight, and from 109 RBIs to 84. After the season, the Expos traded the aging seven-time All-Star to the San Francisco Giants. After a short stint in the Bay Area, the Giants dealt Oliver to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oliver started the 1985 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had acquired him from the Phillies. Oliver would finish the year with the American League’s Eastern Division champions, the Toronto Blue Jays. When he joined Toronto, Oliver noticed some similarities to the 1971 Pirates. “The thing I like is that they have confidence in each other, and they enjoy seeing each other do their thing,” Oliver told the Kansas City Times in 1985. “In 1971 in Pittsburgh, that’s what we had.” In the 1985 Championship Series, Oliver went 3-for-8 and produced two game-winning hits, but the Jays fell just short of making their first World Series. After the playoffs, the Blue Jays decided to sever ties with the aging Oliver. On February 6, 1986, the 39-year-old batsman called it quits, leaving the game as the owner of a lifetime batting average of .303.

Oliver went to work as a board member for an organization in Arlington, Texas, called “Suicide Is Not Painless.” The group provided youngsters with help in attempts to avoid suicide. “Drugs keep getting most of our attention, and I can understand that,” Oliver told The Sporting News in 1986, “but suicide has become a very serious problem in our society. Lately, more and more young people have been taking their own lives.” In 1991, Oliver returned to baseball when he became the first head coach in the history of Shawnee State, located in his hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio. Oliver has remained active as a motivational speaker, often touring the country to address and advise large audiences of young people and students.

Oliver also became a deacon in his post-playing days. In an impressive, emotionally-charged address, he delivered the invocation at the 2001 Hall of Fame induction ceremony—the same event that saw his onetime teammate, Bill Mazeroski, officially enter the Hall of Fame. Oliver would like nothing better than to deliver the invocation at his own induction ceremony, but for now, Maz’ will have to do.

[Bruce Markusen]

The 1975 World Series—30 Years Ago—Preparing For Game Six
Under normal circumstances, teams participating in a World Series enjoy only two days off—one after Game Three and one after Game Five. But the schedule of events for the 1975 World Series turned out to be anything but normal. With both teams ready to play a critical Game Six, the weather would cause several unwanted delays.

After a day off for travel, the World Series was scheduled to continue in Boston on Saturday. Yet, there was one obstacle. Heavy rain, which pounded the greater Boston area for several hours, forced postponement of Game Six. While most of the players stayed away from Fenway Park and attended to person diversions, Fred Lynn and Pete Rose opted to attend an impromptu press conference at the ballpark. For Rose, it was a chance to put his long career—and pursuit of a title—in perspective. “I played 13 years and 2,000 games to be in the situation I’m in now,” said the switch-hitting superstar, “needing one game to be world champs.” Truth be told, Rose had been in a similar situation once before. In 1972, the Reds had forced the Oakland A’s to a decisive seventh game, only to lose by one run. In a particularly cruel twist, Rose had done what no player wants to do—make the final out of the World Series.

The two World Series managers pondered different thoughts than Rose on this overcast, rain-filled day in Boston. Specifically, they had to consider questions about their starting rotation, and how the rainout might affect their choices for Game Six. Both Sparky Anderson and Darrell Johnson decided to hold forth. Anderson would stick with sinkerballing right-hander Jack Billingham, while Johnson would stay put with breaking ball specialist Bill Lee.

At least that was the plan—until the rains continued in Boston on Sunday. While Anderson announced that Billingham would still start Game Six, Johnson decided to make a switch of his starting pitchers. He turned from Lee to staff ace Luis Tiant, who would be making his third start of the Series, which seemed incongruous given his advancing age, a bulging waistline, and occasional twinges of back pain. The move also angered Lee, who fired a not-so-subtle crack in the direction of his manager. According to a story in Sports Illustrated, Lee claimed that Johnson “had been falling out of trees all year and landing on his feet.”

Lee’s comments, while perhaps unfair and certainly disrespectful, reflected both his willingness to speak his mind (often controversially) and a competitive desire to participate in the Red Sox’ World Series march. “Bill Lee had an oblique approach to pitching,” says Carlton Fisk, a teammate of Lee’s from 1971 to 1978, “but when he was on the mound, he was as competitive and had the desire to win the games and get people out as much as anybody.”

As Lee fumed over his missed start, the commissioner’s office considered whether to play Game Six on Monday afternoon or evening. NBC preferred to air the game at night so as to maximize potential ratings. Much of the print media (not to mention the purists) wanted the game to be played in the daytime, thereby making it easier to meet their newspaper deadlines. Both time slots had their drawbacks. An afternoon game would deprive Boston-area nine-to-fivers who had already purchased tickets of the opportunity to watch the game. An evening affair would conflict with ABC-TV’s popular airing of Monday Night Football, thereby damaging television ratings for NBC’s coverage of the World Series. It appeared to be a no-win situation for major league baseball, which was hoping to attract new viewers—and fans—to a game that had suffered a decline in attendance and interest in recent years, with many of those same fans having turned to football as their sport of preference.

Yet, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who ultimately elected to stage the game at night, sounded enthusiastic about baseball’s ability to compete with the Monday night football game between the New York Giants and O.J. Simpson’s Buffalo Bills. When a reporter asked Kuhn if he might actually “relish” a head-to-head matchup between baseball and football, the commissioner backed off only slightly. “Relish is not the correct word,” Kuhn told the New York Daily News, “but I certainly don’t mind it. I would be very surprised if we didn’t do better in the ratings than the football game.”

As it turned out, Boston’s fall weather made baseball’s matchup against the gridiron a moot point. A third consecutive day of rain caused yet another postponement of Game Six. A continuing mist, along with an afternoon inspection of a swampy outfield, convinced the umpires and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn that the game could not be played. Coupled with the scheduled day off between the fifth and sixth games, the incessant rain had prevented the Red Sox and Reds from playing competitively for four straight days. The untimely layoff surpassed even the length of baseball’s traditional three-day All-Star break.

Not wanting his players to accumulate too much rust, Sparky Anderson decided to take his Reds to nearby Tufts University for a second straight day to work out in an indoor batting cage. Darrell Johnson may have wanted to do the same with his Red Sox, but many of his players were battling a team-wide virus that they and team owner Tom Yawkey had apparently contracted in the cold, damp air of Game Two. “I’ve been sick since then,” Dwight Evans told Dave Anderson of The New York Times. “I’ve had a chest cold and a head cold.” As a result, Evans and most of the Red Sox decided to stay away from working out and instead regain their strength for the next game—whenever that would be.

By now, both World Series managers had decided to change their pitching plans for Game Six. Sparky Anderson, who had previously announced his intentions to stay with Jack Billingham through the first two rainouts, declared that Gary Nolan would start the much-anticipated sixth game against Luis Tiant, who was also ridden with a virus. It was somewhat of a curious change-of-pace, given that Nolan had lasted only four innings in Game Three, while Billingham had pitched respectably in a near six-inning stint in Game Two. Furthermore, Anderson could have chosen staff ace Don Gullett, who would have been available to pitch Game Six on his normal four days’ rest.

[Bruce Markusen]

Pastime Passings
Ray Cunningham (Died on July 30 in Pearland, Texas; age 100): At the time of his death, Cunningham was the oldest living major league player, having celebrated his 100th birthday on January 17. After signing with the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, Cunningham appeared in parts of the 1931 and ’32 seasons for the Redbirds. Primarily a third baseman, the onetime roommate of Dizzy Dean and Pepper Martin batted .154 in 14 major league games. His career was short-circuited by injury, the result of a mishap suffered on a batted ball. In 2002, the Houston Astros honored Cunningham by asking him to throw out the first pitch at a game at Minute Maid Park. Cunningham became the oldest living ex-major leaguer in January of 2004, after the passing of Paul Hopkins.

Jim Pearce (Died on July 17, 2005 in Zebulon, North Carolina; age 80): Pearce pitched in parts of five seasons with the Washington Senators and Cincinnati Reds. During a career that started in 1948, the right-hander posted a record of 3-4 with a 5.78 ERA. Pearce also had an extensive minor league and winter ball career that included stints in Canada, Cuba, and Panama.

Bruce Markusen is the author of Tales From The Mets Dugout, currently available from Sports Publishing. He also serves as an advisor and consultant to museums that feature exhibits about baseball and other sports. To contact him about exhibit consultation, send an e-mail to bmark@telenet.net.

[Crash Course]

the card...