Real news from the most wonderful week of the year. Volume 2 Issue 1 — Saturday/Sunday, January 25 – 26, 2020 Letter from the Director From The Bench – Roy Berger, know the feeling. If you’re a rookie, you will experience the same. I’m sure of that. Dear Campers: Beat Reporter. This year we celebrate the 60th Welcome to the 2020 Pirates Fantasy anniversary of that magic season. Vernon Camp and we are happy you have joined Law, the 1960 Cy Young Award winner, is us for this very special week. Once with us to celebrate that great team. He again we would like to welcome you is one of the most approachable ex-major with our second edition of The Jolly leaguers you will ever find. Get to the Roger, the official camp newsletter cafeteria for breakfast early and grab a for Pittsburgh Pirates Fantasy Camp. seat as Mr. Law holds court at his table. This newsletter includes everything You won’t be sorry. you would have received in a standard welcome package and more. Enjoy the week. It will be very special. Let’s all agree to be back here in 2030 for The Jolly Roger was introduced at last 1960 was what got me here ten years ago. the 70th celebration of 1960! year’s camp with the planning and execution of Joe B., the outstanding That was in 2010 — the 50th anniversary writing of our Beat Reporter Roy Berger of Bill Mazeroski’s shot heard on transistor and with the help of our Pirates design radios around the world. I snuck my radio team, which will include Joe Klimchak into my shirt pocket in the fourth grade during this week. The newsletter was on October 13, 1960, but got home just created to enhance and share your camp in the nick of time to watch on black and experience and received rave reviews white television as the Yankees Ralph from the 2019 campers. Terry’s second pitch in the bottom of the ninth disappeared over Yogi Berra’s head. The Jolly Roger will be a daily newsletter that will cover all the camp My dad and I were Pirate fans living on Sunday’s Lineup news from the previous day. Copies Long Island. I’m pretty sure we were the will be available in your lockers each 7:15 – 8:00AM Breakfast in only ones. When Dad got home from the cafeteria morning, also in the cafeteria for your work that day I ran and gave him a great morning breakfast reading and we will big hug like the Bucs did to Maz. It’s a 8:05AM Everyone will also email you a copy each day so that moment that will never leave me. enter the Clubhouse you can share it with family and friends. Going to fantasy camp always had great together Thank you for attending and being appeal and the 2010 Pirates camp, a a part of our week of dreams and salute to the 1960 World Champs, was 9:00AM Morning Briefing memories. If you have any questions or enough for my wife to push me over the concerns during the week, please to do fence, much like Maz’s drive. 9:20AM Stretching not hesitate to contact myself or Joe Billetdeaux. I’ll never forget my first night in Bradenton 9:30 – 10:30AM Batting Practice/ a decade ago. I was nervous and very Infield Practice PS – please direct any Jolly Roger unsure that I wanted to be there. I had newsletter ideas, thoughts, concerns, no idea what to expect. In fact I had a 10:45 – 12:15PM Evaluation Games statistical inaccuracies and Real News to Southwest flight home the next day in case our Beat Reporter RB. it didn’t work out. I never used the ticket. 12:15 – 1:15PM Lunch in the cafeteria I got to the cafeteria early for the opening banquet and there they were. First time I Sincerely, had seen any of them without a baseball 12:15 – 1:30PM Pro Staff Lunch & Draft uniform. Guys like Bill Virdon, Vern Law, Bob Friend and of course Maz were easily 1:30 – 2:00PM Announce Roster Assignments recognizable from their old Topps cards. I struggled a little bit with Bob Skinner, Bob Oldis and Joe Gibbon but I asked for 2:00 – 3:00PM Photos help and got it from a camp vet. I was Kent Tekulve in baseball memory heaven. I was too 3:15 – 5:00PM Game One Schedule scared to say hello to any of them and tell Fantasy Camp Director them what they meant to me. I just stood Carey vs. Wagner there with a big smile and couldn’t wait to Cuyler vs. Traynor Vaughan vs. Stargell (TV) call my dad. Clemente vs. Waner That great week kept me coming back. The end of every camp has me impatiently 6:00 – 7:00PM Dinner in the cafeteria waiting for the next one. No doubt you 01 1010 QUESTIONSQUESTIONS WITHWITH VERNONVERNON LAWLAW The only professional baseball organization Vern Law ever played for was the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was signed as an 18-year-old in 1948 and made his major league debut in 1950. He missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve his country during the Korean conflict. Law returned to the Pirates in 1954 and pitched until 1967. He served as Pirates pitching coach in 1968-69. Law’s banner year was 1960 with a 20-9 record, a 3.08 ERA, was named a NL All-Star and chosen as the National League’s Cy Young Award winner at the age of 30. The right-hander also started three games of the 1960 World Series. His career was derailed by injuries following the 1960 season but he rebounded in 1965 with a 17-9 record and was chosen the National League Comeback Player of the Year. He retired in 1967 with a career record of 162-147. A lifelong member of the LDS church, “The Deacon” spoke to the Jolly Roger from his Provo, Utah home. Q- How Is Your Health? Face. Roy came in and gave up a three One of the guys grabbed my right foot run homer to Yogi Berra. I’ve gotten and was trying to pull my shoe off and I I’ll be 90 on March 3 and I feel good. I’ve myself out of trouble before and I was still heard my ankle pop. I was scheduled to been very blessed. I still play golf and do strong at that point. But Danny was the pitch the first game of the World Series quite a bit of walking. I also stay active boss. It turned out pretty good for Maz which was 10 days later so I had time to mowing our lawn, gardening and pulling though, didn’t it? take treatment for the ankle. I pushed off weeds. I don’t do my push-ups and sit-ups the mound hard with my right foot but anymore and I stopped throwing batting Q- How did you injure your ankle in 1960 I couldn’t do that in the Series so I tried practice at BYU and some of the local and what was the impact on your career? to make up for it with enhanced arm and high schools two years ago. As every year wrist movement. I got by the first two I’ve never disclosed how this happened went by home plate seemed to get further games okay but in Game 7 with a strain before but for Pirates fantasy camp, why away from the mound. on my shoulder I re-tore my rotator not? When we clinched the pennant in cuff, an injury I had years before. It was Q- You’ve joked that you are responsible Milwaukee all the guys were celebrating. only a slight tear but maybe that’s what I was probably the first guy out of the for Bill Mazeroski being in the Hall of Murtaugh saw and maybe that’s why he locker room and on to the team bus Fame. Why? took me out. We never discussed it. I because I didn’t want to be around the struggled for the next couple of seasons. I’m convinced if (manager) Danny alcohol or have any thrown on me. I was I took cortison shots and all that stuff Murtaugh would have left me in (1960 dressed in a jacket and tie. The guys but it never felt right. It wasn’t much fun. World Series) Game 7 instead of pulling finally got on the bus and they were Murtaugh advised me to retire but I didn’t me in the sixth inning, Maz would have rowdy. They thought they would have want to. I loved the game and wanted to never had to hit in the bottom of the a little fun with me. (Broadcaster) Bob keep playing. I’m glad I did. I thought 1965 ninth. We led 4-1 in the sixth when Prince came over and cut my tie off. Murtaugh took me out and put in Roy was the best season I ever had. 02 “THESE GUYS AND GALS ARE GREAT TO BE AROUND. THEY ARE EAGER, WANT TO LEARN AND WANT TO HAVE FUN. I ENJOY THIS JUST AS MUCH AS THE CAMPERS DO. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS WE HAD BASEBALL TALENT AS YOUNGSTERS AND MADE THE MOST OF IT.” – VERNON LAW Q- What was your salary in 1960 and ‘61 28 starts. In 1955 you pitched 18 innings I went berserk but I didn’t run out onto and how do you feel about the money the in one game, threw 220 pitches, gave up the field.