2005

A Monthly Conversation Among Fans ISSUE # 130 New Orleans, Louisiana March, 2005 A New Era for Zephyrs Baseball

By Bill Catalanello If you’re a fan of baseball in the New Orleans area, this is an exciting time. LSU and Tulane, two of the great collegiate baseball programs New Orleans Zephyrs 2005 in the nation, were ranked 1-2 in Early Season Home Schedule ’s preseason poll. Date Opponent Both started the season sharply, and April 15 Nashville April 16 Nashville as March began it looked as though April 17 Nashville either (or both) could go to the April 18 Nashville April 19 Memphis College World Series this summer. April 20 Memphis April 21 Memphis On the professional level, the New When the regular season begins next April 22 Memphis Orleans Zephyrs will begin a new month, the Zephyrs will compete in April 28 Albuquerque affiliation with the Washington the realigned Pacific Coast League April 29 Albuquerque Nationals, the newly transplanted April 30 Albuquerque in the same division as Houston’s franchise that competed for 36 May 1 Albuquerque new Triple-A affiliate, the Round May 2 Round Rock years in the National League as the May 3 Round Rock Rock Express. New Orleans’ other . Waning interest May 4 Round Rock division rivals will be the Oklahoma May 5 Round Rock in baseball in Montreal along with Red Hawks (Rangers) and the See You at the Ballpark! economic woes caused the baseball (Marlins). owners to buy the Expos franchise with the intent to move the club. THIS MONTH As for the , After an agonizing period of being until their new stadium is completed a lame duck franchise in Montreal, in three years, they will play in RFK Zephyrs/Nationals, pgs. 1, 2, 4 playing “home” games in Puerto Stadium, which is being hastily Rico, and the uncertainty of what renovated. The multi-purpose would happen next, the move was Arthur Schott, pg. 3 stadium was home to the Senators finally made this winter. from 1961 until their move to Lee Collin, pg. 5 The Zephyrs will have a completely Texas after the 1971 season. There new look for 2005. After eight has been no Jay Gauthreaux, pg. 6 seasons as an affiliate of the Houston in Washington since. The Nationals Astros, the Zs are in spring training will have to share their stadium with this March with the Nationals at the district’s professional soccer Pasadena Rose, pg. 7 Space Coast Stadium in Viera, team, D.C. United. Florida. continued on page 2 Zephyrs 2005 Zephyrs...cont’d. from page 1 Slugger Hiatt Likely Back with Zephyrs Spring Training Schedule Th e Expos/Nationals’ minor league Phil Hiatt, who 30 home runs as Friday, March 18 vs. Richmond system was, according to Baseball a Zephyr last season, has a good @ Melbourne chance of being in New Orleans Saturday, March 19 vs. Round Rock America, “one of the worst in the @ Kissimmee game,” posting a combined record of again in 2005. Hiatt is the Monday, March 21 vs. Round Rock 288-392, .424 for the 2004 season. career home @Melbourne Th eir Triple-A affi liate last year, king among Tuesday, March 22 vs. Las Vegas the Trappers, fi nished active minor @ Vero Beach league players. with a record of 69–74. Th ere are Wednesday, March 23 vs. Las Vegas encouraging signs for Zephyrs fans, Hiatt was invited @Melbourne to spring training however. Friday, March 25* vs. Norfolk with the Washington Nationals. @Melbourne He has major league experience, Th e MLB owners, who are also Saturday, March 26 vs. Round Rock having appeared briefly with Kansas @Kissimmee the Nationals’ owners, having City, Detroit and Los Angeles. now relocated the franchise to Sunday, March 27 vs. Las Vegas @Vero Beach Washington, will soon be looking Hiatt has taken over as The to sell the franchise. One of the Times-Picayune’s spring training Monday, March 28 vs. Richmond @Melbourne ways they can add value to the club correspondent, a job done last spring by reliever Kirk Bullinger, Wednesday, March 30* vs. Round Rock is by building up its developmental who has moved on to the Pittsburgh @Melbourne apparatus, the minor league system. Pirates organization. Thursday, March 31 vs. Las Vegas An organization that can develop its @Vero Beach own talent at the minor league level will try to assemble a young, Friday, April 1* vs. Las Vegas @Melbourne has to spend less on free agents, and competitive club between now and Sunday, April 3 Intrasquad @Melbourne thus has money to keep its most their next move, which will be into * 10:00 AM CT start talented players once they become a sparkling new ballpark, a couple proven major leaguers. Th e Expos of seasons hence. In the meantime, in recent years brought plenty of here at the Triple-A level we’ll see talented players up through their some of the organization’s best system only to see them move on to talent. 900 Monticello Avenue teams with larger payrolls, once they Baseball America’s listing of the most New Orleans, Louisiana 70121 E-mail: [email protected] became eligible for free agency. talented players in the Washington organization is on page 4. Th e Nationals, from all indications, Bill Catalanello...... Editor & Publisher CONTRIBUTORS Arthur Schott David Diket Jay Gauthreaux Jack Hebert Terry Cullen Gene Witek Speedy Printing S. Derby Gisclair Lee Collin Pasadena Rose Bill Gilbert 4432 Wabash Street in Metairie Bleacher Creature is a conversation among baseball fans. It has been • Full Color Printing • Forms & Stationery published monthly eleven times a year, • Dependable Service • Business Cards since 1993. It is independent of the • Pick-up & Delivery • Graphic Design New Orleans Zephyrs ballclub and is made possible by our wonderfully loyal Phone 885-3382 • Fax 885-3383 subscribers, supporters, contributors www.speedy-printing.com and friends. 2 A Schott From the Bleachers ARTHUR O. SCHOTT 1915–’s First Major League Homer Was Against the Yankees

On Thursday May 6, 1915, rookie lefty Babe Ruth hit the first of his 714 major league Babe Ruth, the Red Sox home runs. He hit it in the Polo Grounds in New York rookie lefthander, hit his first off a Yankees righthander named Jack Warhop. In the years before Yankee Stadium was built the Yankees big league homer in the city rented the stadium from the Giants for their home games. Here’s the way The New York Times described in which he would later Ruth’s first homer: earn fame and fortune. For Boston, the big left handed pitcher, Babe Ruth, was He hit it in the Polo all that a pitcher is supposed to be and some more. He put his team into the running in the third inning by Grounds against the New smashing a mighty rap into the upper tier of the right field grand stand. York Yankees on Ruth was the first batsman to face Warhop in the third May 6, 1915. inning, and with no apparent effort he slammed a into the grand stand. Boxscore–May 6, 1915 BABE RUTH HOME RUN FACTS Polo Grounds– New York, NY REGULAR SEASON GAMES Babe Ruth’s First ML Home Run

Career (1915-1935) 714 Ballparks 12 HR in Home Games 347 HR in Road Games 367 HR with Bases Empty 348 HR with One on Base 252 HR with Two on Base 98 HR with Bases Loaded 16 Two-Home Run Games 70

Three-Home Run Games 2 Boxscore by Arthur Schott HR in Extra-Inning Games 16 Ruth’s Career as a Pitcher at a Glance Inside the Park HR 10 Yr. Club IP W L Pct. ERA HR as a Pinch Hitter 1 1914 Bos. 23.0 2 1 .667 3.91 HR Off Righthanded 495 1915 Bos. 217.2 18 8 .692 2.44 1916 Bos. 323.2 23 12 .657 1.75 HR Off Lefthanded Pitchers 219 1917 Bos. 326.1 24 13 .649 2.01 1918 Bos. 166.1 13 7 .650 2.22 Thanks to my SABR colleagues,Bob McConnell and David 1919 Bos. 133.1 9 5 .643 2.97 1920 NY 4.0 1 0 1.000 4.50 Vincent, who edited The Home Run Encyclopedia. 1921 NY 9.0 2 0 1.000 9.00 From this source I completed my notes on Ruth for this 1930 NY 9.0 1 0 1.000 3.00 article. –A.O.S. 1933 NY 9.0 1 0 1.000 5.00 Total 1221.1 94 46 .671 2.28 3 Source: Total Baseball How Baseball America Ranks the Washington Nationals’ Prospects Baseball America annually rates the prospects in the organization of each major league club, as well as a list of the scouts’ consensus on players with the best tools in each system. Those lists for the New Orleans Brendon Harris Zephyrs’ new major league affiliate, the Washington Nationals, is shown BEST TOOLS Tim Foli 1983 with the Angels below. Best Hitter for Average Zs’ New Manager Had BASEBALL AMERICA’S Solid Big League Career Best Power Hitter TOP TEN PROSPECTS Larry Broadway Seasons ...... 16 1. Mike Hinckley, lhp Games ...... 1696 Best Strike-Zone Discipline At-Bats ...... 6047 2. Larry Broadway, 1b Ryan Church 3. Ryan Church, of Runs ...... 576 Fastest Baserunner Hits ...... 1515 4. Clint Everts, rhp Jerry Owens 2B ...... 241 5. Brendan Harris, inf Best Athlete 3B ...... 20 6. , lhp HR ...... 25 Jerry Owens 7. , rhp RBI ...... 501 Best Avg...... 251 8. Darrell Rasner, rhp Collin Balester OBP ...... 286 9. Kory Casto, 3b SLG ...... 309 10. Collin Balester, rhp Best Curveball Fielding Avg...... 973 Danny Rueckel Source: Total Baseball Interestingly, only four of the top Best Slider ten prospects in the Nationals Bill Bray system named by Baseball America Best Changeup College Baseball are position players. Washington Clint Everts General Manager Best Control at Zephyr Field acknowledged in a recent interview March 12th Mike Hinckley with Nationals.com that. “There are Tulane vs. Cal State Fullerton not a lot of bats in the big-league Best Defensive March 23rd level and there’s not a lot of bats Erick San Pedro Southeastern vs. LSU in the minor league level. That’s Best Defensive Infielder something we have to work on and Shawn Norris April 6th–Wally Pontiff, Jr. Classic it has to be corrected.” LSU vs. Rice Best Infield Arm Church hit .343 with 17 homers and Josh Labandeira April 19th 78 RBIs last season, and was named Best Defensive Outfielder LSU vs. Tulane the Expos’ Minor League Player of Ryan Church the Year. May 3rd Best Outfield Arm Tulane vs. UNO Edgardo Baez 4 –courtesy Baseball America History LEE COLLIN

Baseball’s 100,000th Game–Sept. 6, 1963 Washington’s District of Columbia Stadium (later named RFK Stadium) was the site of a milestone game in major league history. The contest between the visiting and the host Washington Senators was major league baseball’s 100,000th game. Opposing pitchers in the historic game were Dick Donovan for Cleveland and Bennie Daniels for Washington.

The Senators put a run on the board in the bottom of the 3rd inning on an RBI single by Minnie Minoso. The Tribe came back with single tallies in the 4th and 5th to take a 2–1 lead. The Senators rallied to take the lead with four runs in the 6th inning on an , a 2- run single by catcher Ken Retzer, and an RBI by Daniels, who went on to pitch a victory for Washington, 7–2.

Baseball’s 100,000th Game Sept. 6, 1963 R H E Cleveland 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0––2 5 2 Washington 0 0 1 0 0 4 2 0 x––7 12 3

WP–Daniels (5–9) LP–Donovan (11–12) T–2:25 Att: 12,054

How This Game Was Selected

A Hall of Fame committee, after researching the issue, determined that the 100,000th game would be played on September 6, 1963 at either New York, Philadelphia or Washington. As it turned out, the Senators had a pre-game attraction scheduled for that date, a two-inning contest for charity between a team of Hollywood stars led by Jerry Lewis and a team of local press and TV personalities. The pre-game fun delayed the start of the game which caused the game between the Senators and Indians to be baseball’s 100,000th. * * * Baseball’s first major league game (in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players) was played on May 4, 1871. Homestanding Fort Wayne defeated Cleveland, 2-0 before a gathering of 200. 5 1906–Wacky Rube Waddell Acted Up in Memphis By Jay Gauthreaux Rube Wadellʼs eorge Edward “Rube” Waddell was known for keeping things interesting during his 13-year Hall Hall of Fame Career Gof Fame major league career as a lefthanded pitcher. He Credentials Included drove his managers crazy. Leading the Fans attending the exhibition game between the in Memphis Egyptians and Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Six Years Athletics on Saturday March 25, 1906 at Red Elm Park in Memphis were treated to one of Rube’s most talked in a Row Photo courtesy National Baseball Hall of Fame about performances. season with a record of 27–10, with a league-leading 287 In the 9th inning and Philadelphia ahead, 5–0, Waddell strikeouts., but was missed the 1905 World Series against sent all three outfielders and both middle infielders off the New York Giants with a reportedly non-baseball injury. the field and got the last two outs with only the catcher, He won 196 major league games in his 13-year career. first baseman and on the field. Memphis In spite of his accomplishments on the mound, Waddell’s had runners on second and third and a run in. This is what performance in the Memphis exhibition helped solidify his the Memphis Commercial Appeal for Sunday, March 26, reputation as an eccentric, a clown, even a bit of a tragic 1906 had to say: character. He died at the age of 37 on, believe it or not, April 1, 1914–April Fool’s Day. He (Waddell) showed the ball to Mr. Owen, the promising mitt and mask man of the Memphi, and asked him if he Rube Wadell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946. would like to connect with it, and rudely struck him out. Wadell batted righthanded, but threw lefty. Memphis manager Charlie Babb sent Alexander (first name unknown) to pinch hit. Again from the Commercial Appeal: Boxscore–Exhibition Game March 24, 1906 Red Elm Park–Memphis, Tennessee This act on Babb’s part caused Waddell to tickle himself in the Philadelphia (A.L.) vs. Memphis (S.A.) rib region, wave all his helpers (fielders) to the bench, with the exception of his battery pal (catcher), third baseman and first baseman. He then proceeded with three assistants, the outfield being a deserted wilderness. Rube declared himself possessed of the ability to strike out the next two men to retire the Memphi. He accomplished his task with Alexander, but catcher Powell found Rube’s too swift, and the ball swept by when Alexander swiped the third time. Alec trotted to first, Cooley came home and Nicholls took third. Thief was next, and his grounder to Brouthers carried the third baseman so far to the left that Thief outsprinted the throw to first. Nicholls tallied home with the third run.

Frank Manush, brother of Hall of Famer Heinie Manush, ended the game when he whiffed on three straight strikes.

As the 1906 season began, Waddell was at the top of

his game. He was the dominant pitcher in Boxscore by Jay Gauthreaux the American League of his day. He finished the 1905 6 The Amen Corner PASADENA ROSE

Pasadena, Texas drinks, vendors, sound and lights– March 6, 2005 anything but what we’re watching. She’s really been quite well-behaved at Dear Bleacher Creature, the games we’ve taken her to, but the games themselves are totally abstract As you know, this is my favorite time to her. I personally feel that it may be of year. My seeds are planted, robins another couple of seasons before she are on the lawn, the mornings are gets curious about the game. perfect for walking, and, in Arizona I understand some games have and Florida, spring training is already been televised from Florida, underway. but I haven’t been able to watch any. Baseball is the only game that allows Betsy is now far too big now to Spring games have a totally different you to have a good visit with a friend ride in any type of cart with me in atmosphere than the ones played in the during the game. The pace of the the park. In order to take my walks regular season. The relaxed coolness game allows for conversation, and not nowadays, I need my husband Louis of spring training gives way in April just on the superficial level. A person to occupy Betsy. I walk alone in the to a more hard-nosed determination can tell you a lot from the chair next early mornings about four days a to win. Competitiveness heats to yours during the course of one week before Louis leaves for work. up with the weather. When the baseball game. Another plus is I’m playing softball scorching months of July and August are upon us, it seems that’s when the again. I found a league that has a It’s also the only game at which competitive fires burn hottest. shorter season than the one I played fans keep score for themselves. in two years ago. This season is four Baseball gives us plenty that no other Keeping score opens up new levels weeks long, with two games a week. sport or game does. The every-day of enjoyment of the game. Before If we win our division, we play for nature of the game puts it in a class Betsy was born, I scored nearly every the championship. Short and sweet. by itself. As Louis tells it, baseball is game I watched in the ballpark. My I’m playing second base again. We’ve not event-driven. It’s a way of life. As dad taught me his way of keeping a had two practices, and I’m loving it. the great manager Earl Weaver told it, scorecard, and I’ve done it the same I don’t want to brag, but I’m seven “This ain’t a football game. We do this way since I was a young girl. Even pounds lighter than I was before I every day.” Because of this, a player Louis has been unable to change my got pregnant. I have to give Louis has to forget what happened today, scorekeeping style. credit for providing me the time to whether good or bad, and focus on participate in the physical activities. I March is the time of renewal, the the next game, because it comes the love that man. season of hope. In the spring, every very next day. team is 0–0, and everyone has a I’ve told friends that we want another The game has more of a sense of chance for greatness. In baseball you child before Betsy (and I) get much itself, a sense of its own history, than don’t need to be super-talented to older. I’m thirty-something, but I feel any other game. You frequently hear accomplish something that will etch no pressure. If God sends us another baseball players talk of respect for the your name into immortality. You just baby, I’ll be thrilled. If not, I’ll focus game and its other players. You don’t need an opportunity and then to have my love on Betsy and be very happy. hear much of that kind of talk about what it takes to take advantage. That’s Louis wonders if this might be the the other major sports. In baseball it’s baseball. year that she begins to notice what never cool to show up an opponent or is happening on the field and why an umpire. The in-your-face attitiude More later, all us people gather at the ballpark. doesn’t work in baseball. Up until now she’s been absorbed Rose with other kids in the stands, snacks, 7 900 Monticello Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70121

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