Diamond Pages

by Jim Janssen

When I was about 14 or 15 years old, my freinds and I took the train into the Bronx From Long Island to see the Yankees play the Twins. Taking the advise of my father, we went to the park about two hours early to watch batting practice and to get some autographs. My friends and I hounded as many players as we could, getting snubbed by most (Winfield, Mike Pagliarulo, Rickey Henderson).

Don Mattingly signed my card, and my friends cap. He was very cordial and instantly responded. That made all of us feel special.

 But what really made our day was when we yelled over to where a few of the Twins were hanging around talking(Puckett, Al Newman and I do believe Laudner). We Yelled "Hey Kirby!!" and he turned around and smiled that huge smile of his and walked right over to us. He not only signed a ball I had caught, and singed our programs, but he stayed and talked to us for about 20 minutes. Here was a multi-millionare world champion talking BS with a few loud mouthed teenage Yankee fans. I instantly became a fan. We gave him a standing ovation each time he came to bat (much to the dismay of the drunken idiots that surrounded us). All of us were touched by that simple gesture from an opposing player.

I know there was a controversy surrounding him after he retired, but I will never forget that smile.

Kirby Puckett stats

(Originally posted on the Bawbag site)

By Ron Turner.

Originally posted in the forum Apr 12, 2006.

Baseball has been dealt its share of bumps, bruises, and black eyes throughout history. From the infamous Black Sox, to Pete Rose, and up to the current steroid issues, the sport has almost become synonymous with scandal. Among these problems are moments of greatness that have made baseball “America’s Pastime.” One of these moments occurred in the 1940’s, when many of the games heroes traded their bats for rifles to serve in World War II. This period of empty playing fields may be the greatest moment in sports history.
By 1941, Europe was a mess, but the United States had managed, for the most part, to remain neutral. Japan had other ideas though, and on December 7, 1941, they were able to drag the US into the conflict with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The news of this catastrophe brought America to arms, and, neutral or not, they were going to war.
Baseball’s commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis was familiar enough with American history to be concerned. During World War I, baseball faced shortened seasons, and many other problems associated with the fighting. Landis wrote President Franklin D. Roosevelt and asked if he should cancel the coming season. The president responded with a letter that has become known as the “Green Light Letter”. In it he said, “I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going” (Mondore). Baseball was a favorite leisure activity for many Americans, and Roosevelt wanted to allow some form of entertainment for the labor force that would be working long hard hours to supply the war effort (Mondore). With a new sense of purpose, Landis went back to work.
In 1941, many of baseballs players found themselves either volunteering or being drafted to serve in the war. By 1943, about five hundred of them including thirty-four future Hall of Fame (HOF) inductees, were overseas serving their country (Koppett 212). Among those who joined the military were Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, and Hank Greenberg. Another future HOF member, who had not yet made it to Major League Baseball, was Jackie Robinson. He was still forced to play in the Negro Leagues due to the segregation of American sports.
Hank Greenberg is credited with being one of the first to enlist. Hank won the American League Most Valuable Player award twice (1935 and 1940), led the AL four times in home runs, played in four All-Star games, and even hit 58 homeruns in one season (“Hank”). At 30, Greenberg was one of the best players in Major League Baseball. Within a short time after Pearl Harbor however, the Detroit slugger chose to return to the US Army Air Corps and served as a Lieutenant in the Southeast and Pacific Asia regions (“Sports”). Four years later, Greenberg was discharged and returned to Detroit late in the season, where he hit a grand slam in the ninth inning of the AL championship game to take his team to the World Series (Koppett 212).
Bob Feller was another future HOF member who would miss over three seasons of baseball from 1942-1945. His career consisted of three no hitters, twelve one-hitters, 266 wins, and 2,581 strikeouts (“Bob”), but some of his greatest honors came as a Navy anti-aircraft gunner (“Sports”). He received an impressive eight battle stars and five campaign ribbons while serving the country he had once entertained from a pitchers mound.
Warren Spahn is one of the most celebrated left handed pitchers in all of baseball history. The southpaw threw a record 363 career wins (“Warren”), which is still the mark for a lefty. Spahn’s career was just beginning the year the war started, but it would have to be put on hold for a bit longer. Spahn became a combat engineer where he was decorated with three battle stars, a citation for bravery, and a purple heart for a wound to his foot. Spahn also received a battlefield commission to Lieutenant for his exemplary service (“Sports”). In 1946, Spahn returned to baseball where he maintained a very respectable 3.09 career earned run average (“Warren”).
While men like Greenberg, Feller, and Spahn were overseas, baseball continued at home. The regular players were being replaced on team rosters with men who were too old for service, exempt because of nationality, or rejects from the draft. In 1941, the league averages were a .262 batting average, nine runs per game, and 1.1 homeruns per game. In 1943, those stats had dropped to a .253 BA, 7.8 RPG, and, more notably, twenty percent fewer homeruns. Teams were being combined to keep full rosters, and also to keep travel costs down as requested by the president. Fans, however, continued to check stats, listen to games, and attend matches.
In 1943, Philip Wrigley decided on a new way to bring baseball to the hard working Americans. That year, he created the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Mr. Wrigley, in keeping with the time, had no fantasies about women being good at baseball, so he modified the game to fit their “limited” talent. The base paths were made shorter, while the ball was made larger, and stealing bases was required (Gregorich 84-5). The ladies were required to attend charm school, wear makeup and dresses at all times, and be as lady like as possible (Gregorich 87). This game was obviously designed to exploit the feminine qualities of its players.
Despite having the odds stacked against them, these women proved to the world that they were as good as anyone, and that this gender gap in the sports world could and should be bridged. Thanks to women like Mary “Bonnie” Baker, Rose “Rockford Rosie” Gacioch, and Dorothy “Kammie” Kamenshek; the stage was about to be set for a long future of women’s baseball.
“Bonnie” Baker joined the league in 1943 where she became an all-star catcher. She continued her career until 1949 and later spent three years managing the Kalamazoo Lassies. In 1998, Baker was inducted into the HOF, and to this day many believe she was the inspiration for the character, Dottie Hinson, in “A League of Their Own” (“Mary”).
“Rockford Rosie” Gacioch was a very athletic baseball player. She hit for power, and could play the outfield very well. In 1948 though, Gacioch was moved to pitcher where she managed a twenty win season in 1951, and even threw a no-hitter in 1953 (“Rose”).
“Kammie” Kamenshek has been called the greatest female player of all time for a good reason. From 1943-1952, when she retired, Kamensheck was a perennial All-Star. Kammie won several batting titles during her career, and posted a very impressive .292 lifetime batting average during the “dead ball” era, when balls were supposed to be harder to hit far. In 3,736 plate appearances, she only struck out 81 times. A minor league men’s team in Florida was interested in bringing Kamenshek on to their team, but she turned them down believing it was another form of exploitation to earn the team some money (Gregorich 90-5).
Another change began taking place during this time. In 1942, many teams began looking to the “Negro” leagues to fill the void on their roster. It was no surprise to them when they met opposition from the commissioner and media during the planning process (Koppett 222). The integration of baseball would have to be scratched. 1946 was different though. It was the first full year of baseball since the war had ended, and one of baseballs all-time greats was about to become a household name.
The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson to a Minor League contract in Montreal in 1946. The following year he would join The Dodgers as their second baseman. Robinson went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. At the end of his career, he had hit for a .311 lifetime batting average, and helped his team to six National League Pennants and a World Series Win. In 1967, Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame (“Jackie”). His number hangs in the Dodgers stadium as a proud reminder of an end to segregated baseball. Even off the field, Robinson was a strong leader in the civil rights battle that was taking place in America, and many would agree that his life is an example to us even today.
The “white” Major League Baseball was not far removed from the Negro Leagues (Koppett 221) during its history, but this was an event that would change everything. Jackie Robinson started a movement that would play out in a very rocky fashion. Over the next few decades, a black player would dethrone baseballs homerun king, Babe Ruth, and this would be only one of many records taken by black men. At every turn, racism bore its ugly face. Death threats were sent to Hank Aaron as he neared Ruth’s record. Even Robinson saw the bad side of America when he played at opponents’ stadiums where he was met with racial slurs. No matter how hard it became, baseball was now a game of many colors.
It could be argued that this development in the sport had little to do with the war, but after four years of black and white men serving their country and battling a common enemy, there is little denying that WWII somehow influenced the change.
It is hard to imagine that while 500 Major League Baseball players were off fighting a war, that so much would be going on in the game. Since this time, baseball has been in perpetual forward motion. Even the ball has changed, resulting in an increase in homeruns. One thing that has not changed, however is the joy baseball brings to fans. To this day, it is hard to think of another hobby that means so much to so many in the United States, as watching a bunch of boys and girls running around a field hitting and catching a ball.
Major League Baseball has become a game of big hitters, big paychecks, and even bigger egos. The sport has developed into a monstrous empire that rakes in revenue across the globe. Sadly, many of the fans have been lost because of wage disputes and steroids abuse by players, while memories of the roots of baseball slip away into dusty old record books.
On September 11, 2001, a foreign group struck the United States of America again on its own soil. The call went out, even if not vocally, for US citizens to respond. This time though, there was no Greenberg, Feller, Spahn, or Robinson playing in the Major Leagues. In fact, there was no draft to help the current players make a decision to serve their country, but even if there was, baseball would have probably found a way to protect their “super stars.” Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and others like them would have probably been deemed necessary to the morale of the United States, as opposed to being just “ordinary” citizens able and willing to fight for the jobs and freedoms they enjoyed.
In 1942, the heroes of the diamond were unable to see the difference between themselves and America’s farmers, factory workers, and other laborers. They instead saw themselves as equal and therefore reacted to foreign aggression the same way the rest of their country did. This is what made this moment stand out the most in the sports world. This was not a story of men who crushed records, won pennants, or defied rules of human ability. They did all these things, but more than that, they fought along side “regular” men for the life they loved.
It is not easy to decide on one moment and say that it forever changed the course of history. Baseball is no different. There have been many times when a viewer could say that they were witnessing history in the making. There have been many heroic moments in the sport, and eras that will be remembered forever, but the period from 1942-1945 is special. This was a time when a fan could not physically see a record being broken, but this period of empty playing fields may be the greatest moment in sports history

By Eric Castillo

I went to a Somerset Patriots game and they were playing against the Lancaster Barnstormers. I went early with my dad so we could get good seats. We got seats in the third or fourth row and right next to the Patriots dugout. I saw the manager of the Patriots and got his autograph because he was the one and only former Yankee great Sparky Lyle. I also went up to their third baseman for his autograph because he is Jeff Nettles, the son of the former Yankee great Graig Nettles. I talked with him a bit but then he had to go warm up. The game went into extra inning and people left so I moved up to the front row to watch the game and I saw one of the players in the dugout playing with one of the used balls. When he was finished he called me over and threw me the ball. The game ended when one of the Patriot hitters drove in the winning run to win the game.

By Robbie Trachtman

It was April 23, 2000, the year the New Haven Ravens would eventually win the Eastern League Championship against the Reading Phillies. The projected starter was Joel Piniero. I was to throw out the first pitch of the game. They sent me out right after the national anthem, and the players were all in their positions already. The problem was, they never gave me a ball. Joel had a ball ready to warm up with, but then noticed I didn't have a ball to throw out. Joel handed me the ball and said, "Show me what you got." I was so excited that he gave me the ball, and now I cherish it even more because he made the major leagues.

There were many future major leaguers including Jermaine Clark, Brian Fuentes (an all-star in the majors although he was terrible with the Ravens), Ramon Vazquez, Joel Piniero, Gil Meche, Jason Michaels, Eric Valent, Johnny Estrada, and more in that series.

Joel Piniero is the nicest major leaguer I've ever met.

Originally posted on the Diamon Pages FORUM

Updated 4/4/06