CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWO: THE ADMIRAL COOKS AND BASEBALL RULES

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWO: THE ADMIRAL COOKS AND BASEBALL RULES

We’re waiting out another cold front and thunderstorm later this week at Rondout Yacht Basin. This place is packed on the weekends with city folk coming to visit their 25 to 30 foot boats. Some take them out on the “crick” and even to the Hudson River. But most seem to enjoy “sterngating” and using the grills on land. Come Sunday around 5 p.m. the parking lot of 50 to 60 cars is almost cleared out. And when I went to take a shower this morning, it was empty. The weeks here are idyllic. There are still a few diehard mosquitos hanging around the sundeck and one nasty no-see-um hovering in the salon, but the bugs are ending their short life cycles, and most of my welts from a week ago are history. Two days ago the Admiral exercised his cooking muscles. We had a fresh yellow squash from the garden of Lyn and Michael Berkley. The Admiral bought a sweet onion, and voila! Ratatouille. Naturally there were some embellishments – like green pepper, which really added to the flavor. And seeing the opportunity to do something really special, the next day the Admiral added Snow’s clams and Del Monte diced potatoes for an incredibly tasty clam chowder ratatouille. It’s a treat to watch the Admiral’s eyes roll toward the back of his head, as he achieves gustatory ecstasy with each spoonful of his original dish.

The Erie locks were clearly the highlight of this cruising season so far. But even before we entered Lock E-2, I had realized one of my dreams. I drove from Waterford to Cooperstown, New York to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is wonderful. I joined the BHOF and now I get my HOF weekly newsletter and will forever be linked to my baseball heroes through this membership. For me the visit to the BHOF was a return to my childhood, but also a chance to bask in the recent glory of the San Francisco Giants, two time World Champions in the last three years. Don’t ask about this year’s record, please. The bronze plaques of the players inducted into the Hall are chock full of the exploits that earned the player Hall of Fame status. Check out Lawrence Peter Berra’s plaque: “Yogi” New York, A.L. 1946-1965; New York, N.L., 1965; Played on more pennant-winners (14) than any player in history. Had 358 home runs and lifetime .285 batting average. Set many records for catchers, including 148 consecutive games without an error. Voted A.L. most valuable player 1951-54-55. Managed Yankees to pennant in 1964.” It doesn’t even have room to say that he was an all-star 18 times and won 13 World Series. Nor does it say that he is one of only 4 players to be named MVP in the AL three times and that he is one of only 7 managers to lead both American League and National League teams to the World Series. One of his best quotes: “I really didn’t say everything I said.” But he did everything he did.

Bear with me as I share some plaques of other Hall of Famers dear to my heart. For example, "Leroy Robert Paige: “Satchel”. Negro Leagues 1926-1947; Cleveland A. L. 1948-49; St. Louis A.L. 1951-1953; Kansas City A.L. 1965. Paige was one of the greatest stars to play in the Negro Baseball Leagues. He thrilled millions of people and won hundreds of games, struck out 21 major leaguers in an exhibition game. He led the Cleveland Indians to the 1948 AL pennant in his first Big League year. At the age of 42, his pitching was a legend among major league hitters.” He played pro ball at the highest level available to him for forty years (1926-1965). He was forty two when he joined the Indians July 9, 1948 and helped them win the World Series. In 21 games he played in that year, his record was 6 wins, one loss, with an ERA of 2.48 over 72 innings. Twice in was an All Star for the AL (1952, 1953), and before that, he was a Negro Leagues All Star five times. He had a little bit of flair; when he toured the towns where the Negro League teams were allowed to play, he invited his infielders to sit down, then he proceeded to strike out the side. He started out throwing fastballs and a few curveballs, then added the changeup to his repertoire. He invented the “hesitation pitch” in 1947 and by the 1950’s he had added the screwball, the knuckleball and the eephus pitch to his armory. I knew you were going to ask, so I looked it up. The Eephus pitch was a very slow “junk” pitch with a very high trajectory. The origin of the word “Eephus” is up for debate, but one source says it may come from the Hebrew “efes”, which means nothing. You could look it up.

The plaques I copied are heavy on the SF Giants, but so are the plaques in the Hall of Fame. Check out Monford (Monte) Irvin (another Negro Leagues standout who became a Giant in 1949): He won the 1946 Negro League batting title. Then in 1951 he led the National League in RBIs and sparked the “Miracle” Giants with his hitting to win the pennant. That wasn’t enough. He batted .458 and stole home in the 1951 World Series. The Yankees won that World Series in 6 games. Both the Giants and the Yankees featured some pretty good rookies in Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in the Series. Willie Mays – the best play in baseball. Any questions? I thought not. His plaque reads: “The Say Hey Kid”. New York N.L., San Francisco N.L., New York N.L., 1951 – 1973. One of baseball’s most colorful and exciting stars. Excelled in all phases of the game. Third in homers (660), runs (2,062) and total bases (6,066); seventh in hits (3,283) and RBIs (1,903); first in putouts by outfielder (7,095); first to top both 300 homers and 300 steals; led league in batting once, slugging five times, home runs and steals four seasons. Voted N.L. MVP in 1954 and 1965. Played in 24 All-Star games – a record.” I rest my case. You can’t argue it was Babe Ruth, because he never played against the likes of Satchel Paige in his prime, or all the other great Negro Leagues pitchers. The Mick was great, but didn’t have the longevity of the Say Hey Kid. Here’s Mickey’s plaque: “New York A.L.: 1951-1968; Hit 536 home runs. Won League homer title and slugging crown four times. Made 2415 hits. Batted .300 or over in each of ten years with top of .365 in 1957. Topped A.L. in walks five years and in runs scored six seasons. Voted most valuable player 1956-56-62. Named on 20 A.L. All-Star teams. Set World Series records for homers, 18; runs, 42; runs batted in, 40; total bases, 123; and bases on balls, 43.” So he was a hitting and scoring machine on the team with the biggest payroll and best players. But did he ever make a basket catch?

And before I get back to my Giants, here’s a plaque for one of my childhood heroes, Don Richard Ashburn (Richie): “Philadelphia. N.L. 1948-1959; Chicago, N.L. 1960-1961; New York, N.L. 1962. Durable, hustling lead-off hitter and clutch performer with superb knowledge of strike zone. Batted .308 lifetime with nine .300 seasons and 2574 hits in 2189 games, winning batting championships in 1955 and 1958. As a center fielder, established Major League records for most years leading League in chances (9), most years 500 or more putouts (4) and most seasons 400 or more putouts (9).” Now there’s a guy with great offensive AND defensive stats. Plus, who else in the Hall is credited with “superb knowledge of the strike zone”?

Here they are – two more HOF Giants: Willie Lee McCovey (“Stretch”) and Melvin T. (Mel) Ott, two players from completely different generations. I saw Willie Mac play at Candlestick, and I had the pleasure of having him start me off on my Run to Home Plate, a 5 k race that the Giants put on every year, where you actually finished by crossing home plate inside the ball park. Of course, before you entered Candlestick, you had to run through poverty-stricken Hunter’s Point, as the residents looked at you like you were nuts. But Willie shot the starting pistol, and we were off! I’m sure Willie Mac has done more important things since his retirement, but it was a thrill for me. He earned his place in the BHOF because he became the top left-handed home run hitter in the National League (521), and he was second only to Lou Gehrig with 18 career grand slam home runs. He was a Giant from 1959 to 1973 and 1977 to 1980. He wore other uniforms from 1974 to 1976. He led the National League three times in homers and two times in RBIs. He was Rookie of the Year in 1959, MVP in 1969, and Comeback Player in 1977. That’s when I saw him. If you never saw him stretch out at first base to catch a throw from third, you missed some poetry in motion. Mel Ott was before my time, but he was with the New York Giants from 1926 to 1948. He went straight from high school to the Bigs. He played both the outfield and third base, and he managed the Giants from 1941 to 1948. He hit 511 home runs, a National League record when he retired. He also led the National League in most runs scored, most runs batted in, total bases, bases on balls and extra base hits. He had a .304 lifetime batting average, played in 11 All-Star games and in 3 World Series. Go Giants!

Before I sound totally provincial, here’s a nod to Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Cal Ripken, three of the greatest players in the history of baseball. Jackie’s plaque starts out with this praise: “A player of extraordinary ability renowned for his electrifying style of play.” Then the numbers show that he was indeed extraordinary: .311 batting average over 10 seasons; scored more than 100 runs six times; named to 6 All-Star teams; led Brooklyn to 6 pennants and its only World Series title, in 1955. He was the N.L. MVP in 1949 with a batting average of .342 and 37 steals. On the field he was no slouch, as he led second basemen in double plays 4 times. By the way, he stole home 19 times. This is the ending on his plaque: “Displayed tremendous courage and poise in 1947 when he integrated the modern Major Leagues in the face if intense adversity.” Amen. Go see the film “42”, if you haven’t already.

Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs in his 23 year career, most of which was with the Braves (Milwaukee, then Atlanta). That meant he hit 20 or more home runs for 20 consecutive years, at least 30 in 15 seasons and 40 or better in 8 seasons. This guy had longevity, as shown by these records: games played (3298); at-bats (12,364); long hits (1,477); total bases (6856); and runs batted in (2297). Along the way he became MVP in 1957 for the N.L., and he led the League in slugging percentage, RBI’s and homers 4 times.

Some folks said Cal Ripken (1981-2001) didn’t have the offensive stats to enter the BHOF. Well, golly, he played shortstop, and as we all know, the “Iron Man”, played and played and played -- 2,632 consecutive games from May 30, 1982 through September 19, 1998, all for the Baltimore Orioles. There’s a good intro on his plaque: “Arrived at the ballpark every day with a burning desire to perform at his highest level.” About those offensive stats, try this on for size: 3,184 hits and 431 home runs – a shortstop! He was named to 19 consecutive All-Star teams. He was Rookie of the Year and won the MVP title for two years. He was a pretty good defensive player, having won 2 Gold Gloves for his position. He hit well where it counted, with a lifetime average of .336 in 28 postseason games.

It’s not all about the statistics at the BHOF. Well, yes it is. That’s why such human failings as Ty Cobb were inducted. Here are some excerpts from a Web encyclopedia entry on Mr. Cobb: “Cobb's racism attracted regular, if unwanted, public attention. He instigated nasty fights with blacks. In 1907, for example, he started a slapping match with a black groundskeeper, and then choked the man's wife when she shouted at Cobb to stop. Not long after the Philadelphia incidents, Cobb got into a fight with a black night watchman at a hotel in Cleveland, trying to stab the man with his knife. A warrant was sworn out for Cobb's arrest in Cleveland, and the rest of the season, Cobb had to travel apart from the rest of the Tigers whenever they passed through the city.

Cobb's most infamous instance of ruffianism, one also tinged by his racist prejudice, occurred on May 15, 1912 in New York. Claude Lucker, a spectator behind the Tiger bench, targeted a stream of abuse at Cobb that lasted most of the game. Cobb requested that the man be removed from the park, in vain. When Lucker directed at Cobb a racial epithet normally reserved for blacks, Cobb lost control, charged up into the stands, and commenced to kicking and stomping Lucker, who was little able to defend himself, having lost a hand and three fingers in an industrial accident. The resulting publicity was highly critical of Cobb and the American League suspended him for ten games. Surprisingly, the Tiger players forgot their past animosities with Cobb and supported him, staging a strike that forced the Tiger management to field a team of semi-pros for one game.”

These paragraphs do not include that fact that he always carried a loaded pistol with him, that he drank excessively and that he abused his wives. Three ex-ball players and one HOF rep were present at his funeral.

Does alcohol enhance a ball player’s performance? One would think not. But Johnny Damon said that all the Red Sox players drank whiskey before taking the field and winning their first World Series in decades. He said it “calmed” them. So does that mean it enhanced their performances? How about all the players in the HOF who used uppers, downers, pep pills, cocaine, whatever they felt would give them the competitive edge? Oh, Cobb was accused in 1926 of game-fixing and betting on baseball games. But he was the first person inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Go figure. Some current baseball writers need to review the histories of the men elected to the Hall of Fame before they cast their holier-than-thou votes against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. The best players want to be recognized as the best, and they have always done whatever they needed to do to excel. So when B grade players like Sosa and McGuire tried to enhance their limited skills with PEDs that were not banned by baseball, it was far too much to ask Bonds and Clemens to watch these guys break records and set records, when they knew they could attain even more with PEDs. And the fans loved this Era of the Long Ball and the Very Fast Ball. Bud Selig and all the owners and managers reveled in it. The writers had a heyday. Shame on you, now, for ignoring the history of baseball and acting like non-banned substances have had no place before in the Majors. Sure, Babe Ruth was a lush. Whitey Ford and The Mick too. But the writers just say: “Ha-ha. Boys will be boys.” They don’t factor in that alcohol fueled these players and enhanced their play. Yes, I’m comparing alcohol to PEDs, although alcohol was in fact banned during some of the playing years of the Greats. Right now hypocrisy rules the Hall of Fame vote. Some day I will happily return to Cooperstown when my Barry has been inducted. For now, it was great to see his name atop the list of “500 or more home runs” with his 762, right above Hammerin’ Hank, with his 755. It was also gratifying to see his photo with a display that recognized him for “Most Home Runs in a Season: 73.” That’s a good start. Now put all of his stats together in a plaque – his steals, his Gold Gloves, his MVPs, -- he deserves it.

Oh my, another rant. Sorry to those of you who are totally bored with the slow pace of a baseball game and could care less about the Boys of Summer. I would like it to be the Boys and Girls of Summer. But that will take more than the next decade to be realized. However, I still remember fondly that my sister, Sue, was playing hardball in a girls’ league in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when she was 13 or 14 years old, at the same time my brother was playing in Little League a few blocks away. His field was immaculate. My father mowed it regularly. Hers had no grass to speak of and had huge gouges in the dirt in the infield, so that every infield grounder was an adventure. No, the playing conditions were no equal. But at least Sue and a lot of other young girls in Bethlehem in the 1950’s got to play hardball. It was very cool to go to her games. She was so athletic and so determined to play well for her team. I was, and still am, very proud of my big sister for being a baseball pioneer.