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02/04/2003 Archived Entry: "Cooperstown Confidential; by Bruce Markusen"
Hot Stove League Edition #7
Awards That Mean Something
Other than Ted Williams, is there a former major leaguer who has had more national awards named after him than the great Roberto Clemente? Given Clemente’s significance as both a player and humanitarian, that should really come as no surprise. There’s Major League Baseball’s official Clemente Man of the Year Award, which honors the player who best exemplifies Clemente’s qualities, particularly off the field. There’s the Pittsburgh Pirates’ version of the award, given to the Pirate player who best displays the standard of excellence set forth by the late right fielder. And then there was the national award given out by Clemente’s friend, baseball broadcaster and Latin American liaison Luis Mayoral, who presented the honor to a standout Latino player for 25 years before concluding the award in 1997.
In additional to the national Clemente honors, numerous Clemente awards are given out at the local level, a testament to the impact that the native Puerto Rican has had in so many American and Latin American communities. One such award has become an annual event at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx. Each year, the Jesuit school selects one of its own student-athletes as the recipient of the award. On Saturday, February 1, Fordham Prep made an official presentation of the honor at its annual Fiesta Hispana—a terrific celebration of Latino culture sponsored by the school’s Spanish Club—an event to which I was invited and asked to deliver a keynote address. That invitation allowed me the opportunity to witness a special moment for one of the Prep’s students, a junior from the Bronx. A young man named Jeremy Jordan—the starting catcher on the Fordham baseball team—accepted his Clemente award in front of a crowd of over 200 students, alumni, and friends at the Prep. Even though Jordan is too young to have ever seen Clemente play—except for a few video highlights—the sincere joy that he showed in both receiving and examining his commemorative plaque showed that he knew full well about Clemente. Unlike other young athletes who show little interest into delving into the history of their sport, Jordan realized the significance of the Clemente name. It meant something to him—and that could only happen to someone who had taken the time to learn about a true baseball hero while trying to appreciate his legacy. As impressive as anything that Jordan might have done on the field, the pride that he exuded in accepting the award made just as stirring an impression on someone like me, who was meeting Jordan for the first time. Congratulations, Jeremy. You should be proud…
By the way, Fordham Prep has produced several notable baseball figures, including former major leaguer outfielder Larry “Irish” Miggins (a graduate of the Class of ’43 who is still living), pitcher and general manager Johnny Murphy (Class of ’25), second baseman George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss (Class of ’36), and Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully (Class of ’44). Speaking of Scully, he will be entering his 54th season as the voice of the Dodgers this spring.
Beckert Bouncing Back
While Cubs fans (and the entire baseball world for that matter) sadly follow the tragic fortunes of Hall of Fame candidate Ron Santo, who has now lost both of his legs to amputation as the result of diabetes, they can take some solace in the return to health of former Cubs mainstay Glenn Beckert. Now 63 years of age, the Cubs’ longtime second baseman (1965 to ’73) has made a remarkable comeback from a fall that nearly took his life. In September of 2001, Beckert tumbled down a flight of 15 concrete stairs during a visit to his aunt’s home. The fall left Beckert with two skull fractures and two blood clots, necessitating emergency surgery and a long rehabilitation process. Eventually gaining his release from the hospital in 2002, Beckert has made so much progress that he recently delivered a keynote address at an old-timers banquet in Indiana, his home state… During his playing days, which ended in 1975 with the Padres, Beckert played so aggressively in the field that he earned one of the game’s most creative nicknames. On pop flies that traveled anywhere near his position at second base, Beckert liked to make the catch whenever possible, so much so that he sometimes knocked down other infielders who were also pursuing the ball. Cubs teammate Paul Popovich, also an infielder, started calling Beckert by the name of “Bruno,” in reference to pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino, who was also known for his “takedowns.” Watch out, Don Kessinger and Ernie Banks; Beckert is back.
And The Casey Goes To...
It hasn’t received much attention, but a note of congratulations should be sent to Howard Bryant, winner of this year’s prestigious Casey Award, as given to the author of the best baseball book of the year by the editors of Spitball Magazine. Bryant’s first book, titled Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, was a near unanimous winner in voting by the three-member judging panel, picking up two first-place ballots and a second-place vote… A provocative and well-researched page-turner, Bryant’s book offers an in-depth study of historical racial bias and prejudice in both the city of Boston and the Red Sox’ organization, reasons behind the origins and maintenance of such racism, and recent efforts by the Red Sox to overcome the team’s legacy of racial intolerance. As an added bonus, there are also terrific insights into a variety of Boston baseball figures, from owner Tom Yawkey and general manager Dick O’Connell to sportswriters like Peter Gammons and the late Will McDonough. Shut Out is an important, groundbreaking book, one that deserves a place in the library of any serious baseball fan who is dedicated to learning more about the history of the game.
Feedback On Ferrell
Several weeks back, I wrote about Hall of Fame candidate Wes Ferrell, who is one of 26 former players being considered by the Veterans Committee, with an official election announcement scheduled for February 26. I mentioned that Ferrell was once involved in an incident in which he struck an umpire while serving as a minor league manager. That incident, however, has come under question, as pointed out by noted baseball writer and researcher Dick Thompson. “I have never found any references during my research of Wes actually throwing a punch at anyone. Temper, yes; throwing punches, no,” says Thompson, who is currently working on a book about the Ferrell family. “According to two Ferrell nephews who played pro ball in the 1950s, Wes strongly advocated not losing one's temper to the point of hitting anyone,” Thompson says. “They both doubt the incident ever happened, although I am keeping an open mind on it. Wes’ nephew, J.R. ‘Little Rick’ Ferrell, recalled an incident in 1942 where Wes pulled his entire team off the field over what he considered a bad call. There were some issues with Wes smashing a couple of bats but J.R. Ferrell, then 15 years old, who had driven to and from the game with his uncle, doesn't recall any punches thrown…” Thompson, by the way, earned a McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award in 2002 for an in-depth article he wrote about baseball hero Joe Pinder.
Voting For The Valentines
Finally, courtesy of the hardworking staffers at the Hall of Fame, here is the 2003 All-Valentine’s Day team:
Catchers: Paul Casanova and Rick Sweet
First Base: Pete Rose (where have we heard this name before?)
Second Base: Cupid Childs
Shortstop: Jake Flowers
Third Base: Jim Ray Hart
Left Field: Babe Ruth (yes, he did play left field from time to time during his career)
Center Field: Bobby Valentine
Right Field: Ellis Valentine (the owner of perhaps the second-best outfield arm in history after Clemente)
Pitchers: Ron Darling, Slim Love, and Cuddles Marshall (sounds like a 1950s musical trio)
Manager: Miller “Hug” Huggins
Bruce Markusen is the author of A Baseball Dynasty: Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s (ISBN number 1-878282-23-9), which is now available at www.amazon.com and at many major bookstores, including Borders Books.
Replies: 1 Comment
Speaking of Clemente, it has been great watching the Caribbean Series on television this week held in Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Posted by Robert Kiyoshi Shalow @ 02/05/2003 03:01 AM EST
