Bobby Thomson, the famed outfielder for the New York Giants died Monday at his home in Savannah, Georgia. He was 86. Thomson gained notoriety for his home run off of Ralph Branca to win the 1951 National League pennant, which would later be labeled the "Shot Heard 'Round The World". Click here for a more complete write-up of Thomson's passing.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Gene Hermanski, 90, Brooklyn Dodger outfielder 1920-2010
Gene Hermanski, the former Brooklyn Dodger outfielder who suggested that they all wear number 42 to confuse the alleged snipers threatening Jackie Robinson, died Monday afternoon in Florida. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by his wife Carol, after a brief phone interview from their home in Homosassa.
Hermanski was born May 11, 1920 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, but spent his formative years in Newark, New Jersey where he would become a standout at East Side High School. After graduating, he signed in 1939 with the Philadelphia Athletics and later moved on to the Brooklyn Dodger organization in 1941 after his Pocomoke City team disbanded.
He served in the Navy and the Coast Guard during World War II, spending most of his time stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. During his military service, he was granted a two-month leave in 1943 which allowed him to make his major league debut with the Dodgers. He hit .300 in 60 at-bats before returning to the Navy.
While stationed at Floyd Bennett Field, Hermanski would play with the legendary semi-pro Brooklyn Bushwicks. Hermanski explained in a 2009 interview why he had to play under the name "Gene Walsh."
"I had to change it [my name]," he said. "It was the smartest thing I ever did in my life. If my commanding officer ever found out that I was playing ball in some ball park, he'd ship me overseas."
Upon his return to the Dodgers in 1946, Hermanski made the club as a reserve outfielder. It was there with the Dodgers that he witnessed baseball's integration happen before his eyes. Hermanski was the starting left fielder on April 15, 1947, the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut. Ralph Branca, along with Hermanski, went over that day to greet Robinson with a handshake while Robinson was largely ignored by the rest of his teammates.
He played in two of the Dodgers' World Series appearances (1947 and 1949), batting .308 in their loss to the Yankees in the 1949 classic. He played with Brooklyn until 1951 when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Andy Pafko. He would spend two more seasons with the Cubs before becoming part of the exchange between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates that sent Ralph Kiner to Chicago. Hermanski would play one more season in 1954 with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, reuniting with former Dodger manager Charlie Dressen before retiring from baseball. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .272 over nine major league seasons.
After his playing career was over, he worked as a sales representative for Tose Incorporated. At the time of his passing, he was the last living player from the Brooklyn starting lineup for Robinson's debut. Marv Rackley and Ed Stevens are currently the last surviving Dodger players that participated in that game.
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| Gene Hermanski pictured on his 1951 Bowman Baseball Card |
Hermanski was born May 11, 1920 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, but spent his formative years in Newark, New Jersey where he would become a standout at East Side High School. After graduating, he signed in 1939 with the Philadelphia Athletics and later moved on to the Brooklyn Dodger organization in 1941 after his Pocomoke City team disbanded.
He served in the Navy and the Coast Guard during World War II, spending most of his time stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. During his military service, he was granted a two-month leave in 1943 which allowed him to make his major league debut with the Dodgers. He hit .300 in 60 at-bats before returning to the Navy.
While stationed at Floyd Bennett Field, Hermanski would play with the legendary semi-pro Brooklyn Bushwicks. Hermanski explained in a 2009 interview why he had to play under the name "Gene Walsh."
"I had to change it [my name]," he said. "It was the smartest thing I ever did in my life. If my commanding officer ever found out that I was playing ball in some ball park, he'd ship me overseas."
Upon his return to the Dodgers in 1946, Hermanski made the club as a reserve outfielder. It was there with the Dodgers that he witnessed baseball's integration happen before his eyes. Hermanski was the starting left fielder on April 15, 1947, the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut. Ralph Branca, along with Hermanski, went over that day to greet Robinson with a handshake while Robinson was largely ignored by the rest of his teammates.
He played in two of the Dodgers' World Series appearances (1947 and 1949), batting .308 in their loss to the Yankees in the 1949 classic. He played with Brooklyn until 1951 when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Andy Pafko. He would spend two more seasons with the Cubs before becoming part of the exchange between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates that sent Ralph Kiner to Chicago. Hermanski would play one more season in 1954 with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, reuniting with former Dodger manager Charlie Dressen before retiring from baseball. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .272 over nine major league seasons.
After his playing career was over, he worked as a sales representative for Tose Incorporated. At the time of his passing, he was the last living player from the Brooklyn starting lineup for Robinson's debut. Marv Rackley and Ed Stevens are currently the last surviving Dodger players that participated in that game.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Mark Teixeira makes his way into the history books with his 25th home run
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| Mark Teixeira / Chris Ptacek - Wikimedia Commons |
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Hiroshima's Masato Akamatsu makes one of the greatest catches ever
Masato Akamatsu put himself into the record books August 3rd in a match between the Yokohama Bay Stars and Hiroshima Carp of Japan's Central League. Due to the wide reaches of internet broadcasting, Akamtsu's Spiderman-like routine will be forever etched into the memories of baseball fans. Performing a feat previously unseen, Akamatsu, an outfielder for the Hiroshima Carp robbed Yokohama's Shuichi Murata of a homerun by scaling the top of the wall with both feet, timing his leap correctly to catch the ball in stride. Some have argued that it rivals Willie Mays' catch in the 1954 World Series, and while that might be debatable, what isn't is the skill and grace with which Akamatsu made the catch.
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Darryl Strawberry's Sports Grill grand opening a star studded affair
Wednesday night marked the opening of Darryl Strawberry's Sports Grill in Douglaston, a short cry from the stadium where he built his legend. Situated next to the LIRR stop in Douglaston, the establishment is easily accessible via public transportation and both the Long Island Expressway and Grand Central Parkway.
Partnered with Eytan Sugarman who owns Southern Hospitality BBQ and Justin Timberlake, the two have created an enclave in Queens where families and baseball fans can enjoy great food and New York baseball memorabilia. Omnipresent when you enter are Strawberry's locker from Shea Stadium and two adjacent stadium seats from his former Mets home.
The menu sampling was impressive which included zesty pork sliders, crawfish and cheddar hushpuppies, buffalo shrimp, BBQ chicken and ribs, as well as what they call their "championship chili," which had the right blend of sweet and spicy.
Equally impressive was the mix of sports stars and celebrities for the celebration. Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, Doc Gooden, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Mickey Rivers, Bobby Valentine and current Yankees Nick Swisher and David Robertson were there to lend support to Strawberry's endeavor, as well as former New York Knick John Starks, Miss USA Rima Fakih, the aforementioned Timberlake, Ali Fedotowsky of the Bachlorette, and Karina Smirnoff from Dancing with the Stars.
The event began rather innocently with Strawberry making the rounds while the guests sampled the generous food and drink for the evening. Things started to get a little hairy as the celebrities and debutantes entered the building. A free flowing event took the aura of a crowded Manhattan nightclub, with the clientele to match. The crowd of press, family, and friends was forced into the bar area to accommodate the VIP section, blocking off the narrow conduit between the bar and the main bathrooms. A bit of chaos ensued as people tried to jockey for position to take photographs of Timberlake and attempt to travel to the other side of the restaurant.
Aside of the glitz and glamour of the opening night crowd, Strawberry's Grill served up a robust menu of American fare and memorabilia that will please a wide variety of palates and the most sentimental of baseball enthusiasts.
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| Justin Timberlake (center) with Darryl Strawberry (r.) / Nick Diunte |
Partnered with Eytan Sugarman who owns Southern Hospitality BBQ and Justin Timberlake, the two have created an enclave in Queens where families and baseball fans can enjoy great food and New York baseball memorabilia. Omnipresent when you enter are Strawberry's locker from Shea Stadium and two adjacent stadium seats from his former Mets home.
The menu sampling was impressive which included zesty pork sliders, crawfish and cheddar hushpuppies, buffalo shrimp, BBQ chicken and ribs, as well as what they call their "championship chili," which had the right blend of sweet and spicy.
Equally impressive was the mix of sports stars and celebrities for the celebration. Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, Doc Gooden, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Mickey Rivers, Bobby Valentine and current Yankees Nick Swisher and David Robertson were there to lend support to Strawberry's endeavor, as well as former New York Knick John Starks, Miss USA Rima Fakih, the aforementioned Timberlake, Ali Fedotowsky of the Bachlorette, and Karina Smirnoff from Dancing with the Stars.
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| Tino Martinez, Darryl Strawberry, and Bernie Williams (N. Diunte) |
Aside of the glitz and glamour of the opening night crowd, Strawberry's Grill served up a robust menu of American fare and memorabilia that will please a wide variety of palates and the most sentimental of baseball enthusiasts.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Book Review: Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner
Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
Michael D'AntonioRiverhead, 2010
400 pp.
In the hearts of Brooklyn baseball fans, the name Walter O'Malley evokes painful memories of the Dodgers being uprooted from Ebbets Field and moving to the far extremes of the West Coast. For the citizens of Los Angeles, O'Malley represents a forward thinking visionary who lead the progress of Major League Baseball to grow with our nation's westward expansion.
In "Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles", Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael D'Antonio paints an in-depth account of O'Malley's life that goes beyond the Dodgers moving out of Brooklyn.
D'Antonio explores how O'Malley ascended the ranks as the son of a Tammany Hall pol to become one of the most influential lawyers for the Brooklyn Trust Company. It was there with the Brooklyn Trust Company that O'Malley would enter the foray of Brooklyn Dodger ownership, buying shares of the company in 1944.
Great and exciting detail is given to how O'Malley positioned himself to purchase the controlling shares of the Brooklyn Dodgers, including those of general manager Branch Rickey. With complete control of the Dodgers ballclub, he lobbied tirelessly to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn. It is during this period that he would meet his greatest rival, Robert Moses, the powerful head of city planning. The two would engage in an embattled series of exchanges that would eventually lead O'Malley looking to California's greener pastures.
For the truly die-hard Brooklyn Dodger fans, the story might as well end here, as they could no longer cope with seeing the Dodger Blue wear jerseys that represented such a far away city. For the readers of "Forever Blue ..." this is just where the story picks up, as O'Malley has his own set of challenges moving the Dodgers to Los Angeles. See how he maneuvers through various lawsuits and city referendums before being able to build Dodger Stadium to the tune of $20 million.
D'Antonio does his best to devillify O'Malley as the leading cause for the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. He is presented as a sharp businessman who dealt heavily with the politicos of his time to advance the positioning of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The book drags initially with an overload of information on O'Malley's upbringing and formative years. While necessary to develop the scope of O'Malley's persona, the real crux of the action begins when O'Malley gains his first stake in the Dodgers and continues his maneuvers until he has complete control of the ballclub. It is at this point where baseball fans will take interest in the rest of the details of his journey.
Monday, August 2, 2010
2nd Annual BEST Sports Celebrity Golf Tournament August 15-16, 2010, Delware Water Gap, PA
Golf with former MLB players Tommy John, Jim Eisenreich, Bobby Shantz, Mike Pagliarulo, Bill Madlock and many others as they lend their support to benefit the BEST "Building Education Support Teams" scholarship fund. BEST offers scholarships to high school students in the Lehigh Valley area.
The event will be held on Sunday, August 15 and Monday, August 16 at the Water Gap Country Club, Delaware Water Gap, PA. There will be a "Meet and Greet" reception and silent auction of baseball memorabilia and other items from 6:00-8:00pm on Sunday with limited open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are available for $60.00.
Monday’s events start with a buffet breakfast and registration at 8:30am followed by a shotgun start at 10:00am. The day will conclude with a cocktail reception and buffet at 3:00pm. Cost: $150 per golfer.
To register or for information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Judy Tierney at 610-504-4239 or juti43@rcn.com.
BEST was founded in 2008 by Billy Staples and Judy Tierney as an attempt to aid students in need of financial assistance to fulfill their dreams and goals of obtaining a college education. Students must maintain a 2.8 GPA while enrolled in college. They are required to select a volunteer mentor who reports on his or her performance to the scholarship board. Upon completion of their studies, they are asked to return and work in their community for two years.
For more information about BEST, please visit their website - www.thebestscholars.org