From the Bullpen
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From the Bullpen Official Publication of the Hot Stove League Eastern Nebraska Division 2002 Season Edition No. 31 December 3, 2002 Brethren: B.T., as the purveyor of the Skipjacks’ championship wearing apparel, will be in Here’s your reminder that this coming attendance, as will Screech, barring any Saturday, December 7, 2002, we will emergency root canals. U-Bob has feigned gather to pay honor and tribute to our interest personally and on behalf of the current and four-time HSL champion, Brother puppet Pirates regime, but we’ll believe they John “Itchie” Thielen. The celebration will are coming when we see them walk through begin at the Ernst house at 7:00 p.m., the door, and not before. Tirebiter has a where cold beverages and tasty hors kitchen pass and a brand new pair of drinkin’ d’oeuvres will be served, and those who boots. Big Guy, our league memory bank, have any passing interest in same may view will be there with bells on and topper stories the Big 12 championship game on our 13- to tell. Shamu*, with a promise of free food, inch LDTV (low-definition television) screen. free booze, and free wearing apparel, even if From then and there, we will go wherever not mesh, will most assuredly make the trip. the winds blow. So there you go. See you on Saturday In terms of an anticipated roll call, I am night. informed that Brother Stretch will not be able to make the trek from Kansas City, and that HALL OF FAME VOTE Magpie is doubtful because of prior, subsequent or contemporary commitments. I just saw in the Kansas City paper this Possum has issued his usual noncommittal weekend that the new ballots are out for the response, once again assuring me/us that he Hall of Fame’s Class of 2003. Appearing on desires greatly to be here (yada, yada, yada) the list for the first time will be Eddie Murray, and will do his level best to attend (yak, yak, Lee Smith, Ryne Sandberg, Fernando yak). But of course, Possum cannot Valenzuela, Tony Pena, Brett Butler, and absolutely guarantee (ho-hum) that the Darryl Kile. Gary “Kid” Carter is the top Bridges’ social calendar will enable his carryover from last year’s class, in which attendance (whatever). Mouse has been only Ozzie Smith was voted into the Hall. annoyingly silent on the whole issue. As a warm-up to Saturday night’s get- In any case, a couple of the more together, to prepare for this topic of debate, interesting tidbits of information from this let’s see everybody go to our website and book are as follows: post a message as to which of these eight individuals you would vote for if you were on Gibson’s father died when he was a the selection committee. Although usually very tender age, and he was more or less there are only one or two, and rarely three, raised by his older brother, Josh, who was new members picked by the selection a Creighton University graduate and a committee, you are at liberty to vote for leading coach and father figure to many any, all, or none of these individuals. young black athletes in North Omaha. However, please be prepared to defend your selections and/or omissions. And no In addition to Gibson, Gale Sayers, rubbernecking, Shamu*. We want to know Roger Sayers, Bob Boozer, Ron Boone, what you think, not your neighbor. Marlin Briscoe, and Johnnycakes Rogers are all alumni of Josh Gibson’s North STILL ANGRY Omaha sports programs. AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Gibson lived many years in the Logan Fontenelle housing project in North After sitting motionless on my bookshelf Omaha, back when it was almost new and for quite some period of time, I finally picked a pretty nice place to live. The projects at up and started reading Bob Gibson’s 1994 that time were integrated, and he played “autobiography” titled Stranger to the youth sports with white boys, Indians and Game. So far, I am about half-way through other children of his own race. it, and it is a very interesting read, in large part because of Gibson’s recounting of his Gibson played on a touring black childhood in Omaha. However, while some baseball team known as the Omaha of his invective in telling his life’s tale might Monarchs in his youth, which traveled all have been designed to sensationalize around Nebraska and Iowa playing local, matters to sell copy, the clear undercurrent small-town teams. of the book is that Gibson felt and still feels that he has been continually wronged Gibson was known more for his because he is black, and an outspoken black basketball playing in high school and man at that. If you read the book, which I college, as he started for Omaha Technical commend to you, you will have to make High for three years on the basketball your own judgment on this, but from the team but was not allowed to play baseball, outside looking in, it is hard to see how the according to him, because it was reserved progression of his major league baseball for the white boys. When he was a senior career was really hampered because of his in high school, his Omaha Tech team got color. Certainly he was subjected to things beat by Fremont 40-39 in the semifinal in the Jim Crow south in the ’50s and early game of the state high school playoffs in ’60s which should never be tolerated in a Lincoln, a loss which he blamed on biased civilized society, but it seems as if he was officiating against a team with an all-black always treated pretty darn fairly by the St. starting five. Louis Cardinals organization. Gibson went to Creighton University In the 1965 game in Minnesota, I primarily to play basketball, although he was catching and he came in to pitch also played baseball and high-jumped for the last inning. We had a 6-5 lead, the track team. He was a three-year and the first man up was Tony Oliva. starter on the basketball team, and when It goes strike one, strike two, and I he finished his college career in 1957, he know what I want him to do next. was the all-time leading scorer for Oliva’s a great low fastball hitter, so I Creighton University. He also was the first want him to come up with the ball. I member of the CU Sports Hall of Fame. think, should I just signal that, or should I go out and tell him so I When the Harlem Globetrotters won’t second-guess myself? I went came to Omaha after Gibson had out and said, “Bob, a good fastball up completed his college career, he was and in. Not down and in, up and in.” invited to play for the opposing team, as He just looked at me as if I wasn’t was customary in those days. (In those there. I turned around and went days, the opposing team really tried to behind the plate and called fastball. beat the Globetrotters.) Gibson’s fourth- He threw it down and in. Double to quarter performance was so spectacular left center. I said, Well, fuck it, I did that he was invited to play on the real what I had to do. He then proceeded Globetrotters’ team, and spent several to strike out the next three guys. months touring with the ’Trotters and One of them was Killebrew, who playing with Meadowlark Lemon. killed fastballs and had already However, after one season with the homered against Maloney, who threw ’Trotters, the St. Louis Cardinals as hard as anybody in baseball. organization decided that it was too big of Gibson threw him nothing but an off-season distraction for him, and fastballs. The last out was Joe offered to pay him the same $4,000 that Pepitone, and I’ll never forget it. He the Globetrotters paid him if only he would threw Pepitone two fastballs, and not play for Abe Saperstein’s touring Gibson’s fastball sailed so much that team. after the second one, Pepitone turned to me and said, “Throw me that high After signing with the St. Louis slider again.” I said, “Okay.” Gibson Cardinals, Gibson spent parts of a couple throws another fastball and strikes of years playing for the Omaha AAA him out on three pitches. affiliate of the Cardinals, but a greater share of his AAA seasoning was with the After the game, he and I are the Cardinals’ AAA club in Rochester, which last two in the shower. I turn to him was considered a higher level than the and say, “Great pitching.” He’s just Omaha club. soaping himself down like I’m not even in the damn shower. Wouldn’t Gibson was definitely an “old-school” say a word. That’s just the way he player, one who did not fraternize with was. players on other teams or even give his own teammates much of a glimpse into his When I was traded to the Cardinals mental pitching book. He was also fiercely four years later, he was the first one independent and stubborn, as illustrated by to welcome me. this story from Joe Torre about the 1965 All- Star game. PITCHING DOMINATION Johnson keeps getting better with age. He has now struck out 300 or more batters Randy Johnson’s fifth Cy Young Award, for five years in a row, and only he and Nolan and his fourth consecutive NL Cy, punctuates Ryan have had six 300-strikeout seasons in a phase of the Big Unit’s career that is their careers.