Lee Lowenfish

I've never been a master of the sound bite. I did come up with "It's a big book about a big man" to describe my 600-page Branch Rickey biography. 

 

i surprised myself at the beginning of June when, as the trailer for the 1951 comedy-fantasy "Angels in the Outfield" was being loaded into a DVD player for my talk about that movie at the annual Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, I blurted the above advice to those drunk on analytics, Sober Up! 

 

I went on to mention that when Branch Rickey was once asked how much of baseball he really knew, he replied, "No more than 55%." Yet baseball now is overwhelmed with Ivy League and elite business school grads who think their new-fangled statistics will provide answers for baseball's eternal imponderables. 

 

Too often these young guns dismiss the opinions of eyes and ears scouts with a lot more experience. 

I've often wondered how Branch Rickey - who died almost poetically in December 1965 not long after giving a speech on "Courage--Physical and Spiritual" - would have responded to the wave of high-powered technicians who have taken over virtually every franchise. 

 

He would have loved new information I am sure of that, but he also would have warned about relying too much on data and forgetting that the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life.

 

One of the things I learned in researching "Angels in the Outfield" was Rickey's role during his first year as Pirates president and general manager in bringing some of the filming to Forbes Field early in the 1951

season.  It was the honeymoon period for Rickey in Pittsburgh after losing the power struggle to Walter

O'Malley for control of the Brooklyn Dodgers after the 1950 season. 

 

With the encouragement of Rickey and talented producer-director Clarence Brown, Pittsburgh minority owner Bing Crosby was one of four people who made cameo appearances in "Angels," speculating on if angels could possibly help a team.  The other three were Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, and songwriter Harry Ruby.

 

With partner Bert Kalmar, Ruby wrote such immortal tunes as "Who's Sorry Now?", "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," and "Three Little Words," which was the title of the 1950 bio-pic starring Red Skelton as Ruby and Fred Astaire as Kalmar.  Ruby also wrote "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" for his good friend Groucho Marx, a song that appeared in the movie "Animal Crackers" and later was a theme song on Groucho's quiz show "You Bet Your Life".  

 

Yet Harry Ruby loved baseball more than anything on earth. Ruby was a so-so infielder who once actually gave up a movie gig to play in an exhibition game for the Washington Senators.  Albert von Tilzer, composer of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," was not a baseball fan and he signed his copy of the song "to Harry Ruby who should have written this song."

 

An autodidact who never finished high school in NYC, Ruby became an avid collector of original classic editions. it was said that his favorite evening would be spent reading the works of Thomas Aquinas and the latest edition of the Sporting News.   

 

**Among the highlights of the Cooperstown Symposium was a sweet tone-setting keynote speech by Tyler Kepner, New York Times national baseball writer. Like most of us, he fell in love early with the glass-enclosed bulletin board next to the Hall of Fame that always lists the results of the prior day's games. He added that the difficulties of reaching centrally isolated Cooperstown - 70 miles west of Albany - matches the difficulties of the game of baseball itself. 

 

**Lipscomb University profs from Nashville, Tenn. Willie Steele and Mark McGee, presented fascinating papers on the genuine baseball love of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe and country singer Conway Twitty, respectively.  Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, Twitty was a star HS baseball player in Helena, Arkansas and had he not been drafted for the Korean War, he might have signed with the Phillies. 

 

**Judith Hiltner, co-author with Jim Walker of the outstanding Red Barber biography, gave an informative talk on the writings of the memorable broadcaster after he left the radio booth.  As early as 1969 he was calling for baseball to broaden its interest among women and the younger generation. 

 

**Chris Bell, English professor at U. of N. Georgia, explained how he used the terse and crisp text on the back of baseball cards as a tool for getting students to appreciate clear writing.  In an effort to demystify hallowed texts, he said that he also suggested edits to the awkward language of the Second Amendment!

 

Next year's Symposium will be held from May 29-31 at the Hall of Fame. For more info, contact either Cassidy Lent at clent@baseballhall.org or Professor Bill Simons at william.simons@oneonta.edu 

 

And now for news about the high school and college baseball playoffs. Congrats to the PSAL baeeball champions, Hunter winners over Metropolitan, 2-1 in the AA final, and Tottenville conquerors of Luperon, 7-4 in the AAA final. 

 

Both games were played on M June 12 at Yankee Stadium earlier than schedules because of threatening weather. 

 

The Final Eight is set for the College World Series starting in Omaha on F June 16. The winners of each

double-elimination bracket will square off in a best-of-three series June 24-26. 

 

For the first time in recent memory, there are two heavy favorites, #1 seed Wake Forest, seeking to match their only title of 1955, and perennial contender #2 Florida. But the Joaquin Andujar Rule applies to college baseball as well as pro baseball, Youneverknow!   All games to be televised on ESPN/ESPN+ with times listed as EDT.

Fri at 2p Oral Roberts vs. TCU followed at 7p Virginia vs. Florida

Sat at 2p Stanford vs. Wake Forest followed at 7p by Tennessee vs. LSU 

 

Before I close, here is a tip on an excellent play closing Su June 18 at the Manhattan Theater Club's home in the historic City Center on 55th St between 6-7 Aves in Manhattan.

Rajiv Joseph's absorbing and humorous two-character play "King James" set in Cleveland from 2008 through 2016 during the years of Lebron James' arrival/departure/return. 

 

Without ovedramatizing the black-white differences in the characters, playwright Joseph and director Kenny Leon drive home salient points but the love of basketball exudes throughout. Excellent performances by Chris Perfetti and Glenn Davis, the latter artistic director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater where the play originated. 

 

Su Jun 18 Father's Day PBS Channel 13 and other areas of the country will get to see Ted Green's documentary, "The Best We've Got: The Carl Erskine Story".  Narrated by Charley Steiner, Long Island native and former Yankee/now Dodger broadcaster, this is must-see fare.

 

The first half is devoted to Carl's emergence as a Brooklyn Dodger pitcher and proud teammate of Jackie Robinson.  The second half is the story of Carl and Betty Erskine's devotion to their son Jimmy who was born with cognitive challenges.

 

Thanks to the efforts of the Erskines, both of whom are still with us, Jimmy and others have led full lives, competing in Special Olympics and holding down jobs. Indiana, once a state that lagged miserably in the area of support for the challenged, is now a national leader. 

 

That's all for now.  Always remember: Take it easy but take it,  and stay positive and test negative. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

    

The World Series was still undecided when I last posted.  Looking back on an interesting Fall Classic, there were too many strikeouts and not enough action-filled games to make it a real classic.

 

It remains very annoying that starting pitchers are not encouraged to go deep into games. Every game now seems to be determined by which bullpen arm screws up.  

 

The Houston-Philadelphia Series certainly had great moments, especially in the crucial Game 5 with the

Series even at 2 games apiece.   As the bottom of the 8th began with the Astros holding onto to a precarious 3-1 lead, I said to myself, "This is a very good game but it needs some great defense to make it truly great."

 

Voila! With the lead cut to 3-2, former Oriole Trey Mancini, an emergency replacement for injured first baseman Yuli Gurriel (whose aging knee gave out in a rundown between third and home), flashed a quick glove over the baseline and came up with Kyle Schwarber's hard grounder to squash a rally and kept Houston in the lead. 

 

Then in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out and Houston leading by only 1 run, Phillies impressive catcher JT Realmuto hit a long drive into the right center field alley that looked like a home run or at least extra bases.  

 

Out of the night came center fielder Chas McCormick sprinting 90 feet to leap at the wall to snare the ball. He landed spread-eagled on his back with the ball in his glove. 

 

Total silence enveloped the once-frenzied ballpark.  Only McCormick knew he made the out.  It was an

unforgettable moment for the unheralded center fielder, a 21st round draft pick who grew up a Phillies fan and attended the 2008 World Series that Philadelphia won over the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

I've said many times that you don't win pennants and World Series without grinders like McCormick.  Earlier in Game 5, Chas hesitated on a fly ball to right center that right fielder Kyle Tucker caught at the

last moment.  

 

After the game McCormick said that he vowed to be aggressive from then on and it sure paid dividends for the Astros.

 

After giving up a record-tying 5 home runs to the Phillies in Game 3 that gave the Phils their 2nd

1-run victory, the exceptional Astros pitchers shut them out. Led by Cristian Javier's six innings, Houston no-hit the Phillies in Game 4 and held them to 3 runs total in the last 3 games.

 

Rookie Jeremy Pena, son of former Cardinals infilelder Geromino Pena, was the MVP of the World Series

and won the same prize during Houston's 4-game sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS.  What a testimony to the scouting and player development departments of the Astros! 

 

They judged correctly that Chas McCormick provided more overalll ability than the traded Miles Straw,

an outstanding defender for Cleveland, and Jose Siri, who has since played for Seattle and Tampa Bay showing flashes of brilliance but not consistency.  

 

And three cheers for manager Dusty Baker who has cemented his place as a future Baseball Hall of Famer.  For some reason, the Hall of Fame refuses to allow player stats to count in a manager's resume.

Dusty amassed nearly 2000 hits in his 19-year MLB career in which he never was on the disabled list and won a World Series with the 1981 Dodgers. Just as important, he remains a vital and positive force in the baseball and larger world.

 

As for the upcoming season, one of my favorite lines about baseball (that probably applies to most sports) is "Every season is different."  As an Oriole fan, I was pleasantly surprised that we rose from the lower depths of the tough AL East to finish four games over .500 at 83-79.

 

However, obvious holes remain in the lineup offensively and the starting rotation has many spots to fill.  The farm system is improved but I hope that the front office doesn't forget - I repeat myself on purpose - that no team truly contends without veteran grinders who come to play hard every day.  

 

To me, that means Jorge Mateo at shortstop should be in the picture with the hope that his streaky

offense becomes less streaky. Maybe Ramon Urias finds a home as a utilty player - ironically he was named Gold Glove third baseman in 2022 but played less than 100 games there. The early analysis  suggests that the position is promising Gunnar Henderson's to lose.  

 

I wouldn't be opposed to a return of Roughned Odor who brought pizzazz to the team but I doubt he'd accept an utility role even smaller than Urias whose brother Luis incidentally plays mainly 3rd base for the Brewers. Spring training starting early February should certainly provide many clues.

 

I don't bet, but I would be very surprised if Aaron Judge did not return to the Yankees.  His eventual signing might be drawn out because he is a member of the Players Association executive board though

as of early 2022, one of only three members of the board not a client of Scott Boras.  

 

So maybe Judge won't ask for every dollar or every additional year.  As for the other free agent drama in

NYC pro baseball, I don't think Jacob DeGrom returns to the Mets.  He has been injured so much

in recent years that I think his long-term health raises serious questions.

 

Whatever happens in all these free agent signings, always remember another wise old adage:
LET THE BUYER BEWARE.

 

As for my teams playing winter sports, Wisconsin football limped to a 6-6 record, firing its coach Paul Chryst after a 2-3 start punctuated by a rout at home against Illinois coached by former coach Brett Bielema.  

 

Jim Leonhard, the home-grown defensive coordinator and former NFL standout, finished the year 4-3, but in a Sunday afternoon Nov 27 shocker, Luke Fickell, former Ohio State and current University of Cincinnati coach, was named the full-time head coach.  

 

Badger basketball took a big hit when breakout guard Johnny Davis turned pro after last year's

emergence.  I said at the time that he wasn't ready for the pros, and the Washington Wizards'  10th

overall draft pick has not started his pro career very well.  

 

He even was briefly sent down to the developmental league. But I guess the money these days is too good for athletes to turn down.  Even if they could use more seasoning at the collegiate level.  

 

Greg Gard's Badger cagers have started 2022-2023 with some gritty play in pre-league contests. They

took defending national champion Kansas to overtime before falling when they couldn't corral a vital

defensive rebound in the final second.

 

The lack of scoring and grit in the frontcourt remains an issue except for senior Tyler Wahl who it has been a pleasure to see emerge as an all-around player, an especially adept passer and driver to the hoop.  

 

First-year guard Connor Essegian from Fort Wayne, indiana looks like a comer. His lineage stands out: grandson of Chuck Essegian, former LA Dodger 1959 world champion and 1952 Stanford Rose Bowl player. And on his mother's side, Connor is related to Hall of Famer Robin Yount. Most importantly, he

exudes a scrappy confidence indicating a desire to make his own name. 

 

As for the Columbia Lions, the football team finished a respectable 6-4, winning its last three games after being routed earlier by Penn and eventual co-league champions Princeton and Yale.

 

Unfortunately men's basketball has now picked up the unfortunate mantle of chronic loser.  Happily, the Columbia women's team is becoming a regular contender.  They are playing a tough pre-league schedule

and then hope to slay the formidable Princeton dragon in league competition.  

 

And now before I sign off, here are some TCM tips for the coming weeks:

Tu Nov 29 8p EDT - Charlie Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) - his last American film before the

  Cold War Red scare precipitated his return to England. Have only seen it once and want to see

  again how Martha Raye hilariously avoids his murderous advances. 

 

Thursdays in December except for Dec 22 Ava Gardner is Star of Night, starting usually at 8p EDT

Highlights include Th Dec 1 "The Killers" an early noir with Burt Lancaster based on Hemingway story

Th Dec 8 "Barefoot Contessa" with Bogart

F Dec 9 at 6:15A - "Showboat" (1951) with Ava as "mulatto" Julie and Joe E. Brown as Capn Andy

 

Th Dec 15 "Angel Wore Red" followed by Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana"

 

Th Dec 29 Gregory Peck with Ava including "The Great Sinner" (1949), 

"On The Beach" (1959) Nevil Shute's dystopia after nuclear war

"Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1952) based on another Hemingway story

 

Sa Dec 10 primetime salute to Ray Liotta with two TCM debuts from the 1980s

   "Dominic and Eugene" and "Something Wild"

 

Tu Dec 13 features five classic noirs in primetime starting with: 

"Murder, My Sweet" (1944) - Dick Powell definitively leaves his bobby-soxer past in the dust

"The Big Sleep" (1946) and "Lady in the Lake" (1947) followed by two later films:

 "Farewell My Lovely" (1975) and "Marlowe" (1969)

 

 That's all for now.  Stay positive, test negative and take it easy but take it!

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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