Postcards from the Hot Stove League Banquet Circuit
I don’t think any sport revels in the banquet circuit like baseball. There aren’t many football dinners in the spring or basketball shindigs in late summer. But baseball, especially in the month before spring training begins, has a long and lovely tradition of stoking the hot stove fires. And as the days happily grow longer, before you know it the greatest words in the English language have come true: “The pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training.”
I have indulged myself in many banquets this January and though the rubber chicken and the suspect sauces have taken its toll on my waist line (popping pants buttons don’t lie), the stories I’ve heard and the new people I’ve met have been well worth it.
HEAR HEAR TO THE PBSF SHINDIG!
DENNIS GILBERT, the baseball agent-turned-management consultant-owner hopeful, championed a great cause early this century with the formation of the PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL SCOUTS FOUNDATION to aid baseball talent hunters in need. Its 9th annual “In The Spirit of the Game” dinner in LA on Jan. 14th lived up to its billing as the must-see event of the off-season.
Lifetime scouting achievement awards were bestowed upon longtime Yankee scout BILL LIVESEY and versatile DON PRIES scout for many teams as well as an important contributor to the Major League Scouting Bureau and the new Scout Development program.
In presenting Livesey’s award, Yankee gm BRIAN CASHMAN praised him as “the architect behind the architect [Gene Michael],” a man central to the development in the early 1990s of the Yankee Core Four of DEREK JETER, MARIANO RIVERA, BERNIE WILLIAMS and the recently retired JORGE POSADA.
The blockbuster trade of catcher JESUS MONTERO for fireballing 6’ 7” MICHAEL PINEDA had just been announced perhaps accounting for Cashman’s especially serene appearance. Even non-Yankee fans have to credit the organization’s scouting and player development successes. And Livesey was in at the creation of the solid organization (as was the current farm director of the Tampa Bay Rays, MITCH LUKEVICS).
In his short graceful acceptance speech, Livesey paid homage to the memory of his University of Maine coach JACK BUTTERFIELD who hired him for the Yankees. Livesey, who came to New York after being head coach at Brown University in Providence, also gave thanks to the other gm’s he worked for: CHUCK LAMAR with the Rays, JIM DUQUETTE with the Mets, and J.P. RICCIARDI with the Blue Jays.
In accepting his award DON PRIES spoke eloquently. “This room is filled with dreams,” he began. He gave tribute to the Foundation for bringing new hope to scouts who have been upended by “life’s surprises.” He ended with an elegy to his late father. “I fell a little bit short, Dad,” he said about his dream of making the majors as a player but being honored by the PBSF made him feel major league. Pries concluded by urging everyone to “respect the game and protect the game.”
Other scouts honored with Legacy awards but unfortunately did not address the capacity throng at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel were: JACK BLOOMFIELD, GIB BODET, BILL CLARK (a pioneering international scout and renaissance man who writes thrice-weekly columns for the Columbia, Missouri Tribune and once signed famed baseball writer W. J. KINSELLA as a bird-dog), CARL LOEWENSTINE, JOE MCDONALD (former Mets and Tigers gm), MOOSE STUBING (has lived most of his life in Texas and Calif.yet still proudly possesses a wonderful New York accent) and DON WELKE longtime right-hand man of Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick.
Irrepressible former Dodgers manager TOMMY LASORDA as always brought his hilarity to the proceedings. When his long-suffering wife once complained, “You love baseball more than me, he consoled her: “But honey I love you more than football and basketball.”
HEAR HEAR TO THE SCOUTS AND WRITERS FOR THEIR NYC SHINDIGS!
Back in New York the following weekend, I attended for perhaps the 20th year in a row the NEW YORK PRO SCOUTS HOT STOVE LEAGUE dinner at Leonard’s restaurant in Great Neck. The prestigious TURK KARAM award as scout of the year was given to the Blue Jays’ TOM BURNS of Harrisburg, Pa. He paid homage to his current gm the youthful scout-appreciating ALEX ANTHOPOULOS; his prior Toronto boss J.P. RICCIARDI and the honchos when he started with the California Angels: No-Hit BILL STONEMAN and BILL BAVASI.
As always Talkin’ Baseball’s indefatigable host ED RANDALL kept the proceedings going at a brisk mirth-filled pace with an assist from the remarkable MOE RESNER still an active baseball coach with the Westchester Grays near the age at 80, a onetime standup comic, creator of a DVD on the last day of the Polo Grounds, and an overall irrepressible life-spirit.
There were plenty of highlights the next night Sat. Jan 22 at the 89th annual dinner of the NY Baseball Writers Association of America. Among them were the moving comments by GARY CARTER’S three grown children as their father is battling a spreading brain cancer.
With the Mets’ 50th anniversary being celebrated in 2012, original Met JAY HOOK (winner of their first game . . . after 9 consecutive losses) told a story about helping sportswriter ROBERT LIPSYTE with an article on why baseballs curve. As the holder of a master’s degree in thermodynamics, Hook obviously possessed great expertise.
A few days after the article came out Hook got hit hard and was knocked out in 5th inning. After the game Stengel came into the clubhouse looked at Hook and Lipsyte and looked at them again. Then said: “I like guys who can do what they know.” Hard to believe that Hook is 75 years old now. Forget the lifetime 29-62 5.23 ERA major league stats. He made the majors and he looked great. Sure hope he’ll be around later this year for more Mets celebrations. Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island is planning a big conference for the last Thursday-Saturday in April.
Deservedly, the closing speaker at the BBWAA dinner was retired Yankee trainer GENE MONAHAN. He started in baseball as a teenage bat boy in Fort Lauderdale in 1962 and went on to serve his favorite team for a half-century. Little known is that like a good scout and development man, the modest Monahan developed four future head trainers: BARRY WEINBERG of the A’s and now Cardinals; HERM SCHNEIDER of the White Sox; MARK LETENDRE formerly of the Giants and now with MLB’s umpire conditioning program; and his Yankee successor STEVE DONOHUE.
Monahan’s farewell words cited Hall of Famer BROOKS ROBINSON – Happiness is “doing your best at what you love.”
LEE LOW AT THE BAT
I did not attend the Tuesday January 24th BAT (Baseball Alumni Team) dinner that benefits players in need. But I did go over to the Marriott Marquis for the afternoon press conference.
Another early Met RON SWOBODA as always provided great insight into his career and the game. As a rookie in 1964 he was not too eager to face future Hall of Fame DON DRYSDALE. But lo and behold, Casey Stengel called upon him to pinch-hit (BTW never ever pronouncing his name right). He took two fastballs he never saw for strikes and then managed to hit a line drive to second. Not bad for a righthanded hitter against an immortal.
SWOBODA also recalled that before his remarkable two HR game against STEVE CARLTON late in 1969 (marring the future Hall of Famer’s 19-strikeout performance) he was in a slump. In an indoor batting cage session he asked for help from Mets broadcaster/Hall of Fame slugger RALPH KINER. Kiner encouraged him and voila! he broke out of his slump and went on to finish the regular season and playoffs in good form. Swoboda has had a long radio career in New Orleans and is currently color man for the New Orleans Zephyrs Triple-A team.
The lefthanded BOB MILLER of the original Mets proved to be another genial storyteller with a Casey Stengel story. Like Jay Hook he was another pitcher with a college background who turned down a Yale scholarship to play for the Tigers. Coming to the Mets in the expansion draft he was getting hit hard in one game and Stengel came to the mound.
“I’m not tired,” he told the skipper. “Well, your outfielders are getting tired,” came the reply.
A FINAL WORD ON SCOUTING:
They remain the lifeblood of the game, underpaid but appreciated by those who want to develop consistent winning organizations. I host a panel discussing the new SABR book, CAN HE PLAY? A LOOK AT BASEBALL SCOUTS AND THEIR PROFESSION, Sa Jan 28 at 1p at the Mid-Manhattan Library, 5th Avenue and 40th Street. Discussing scouting with me are BILLY BLITZER of the Chicago Cubs and CESAR PRESBOTT of the Yankees.
AND A FOND FAREWELL TO COLONEL POTTER, GREAT CHARACTER ACTOR HARRY MORGAN:
“If you want to find out about a boy don’t talk to his English teacher – talk to his baseball coach.” So said HARRY MORGAN to JACK WEBB, Officer Gannon to Webb’s Joe Friday in a “Dragnet” TV episode late 1950s. Noted it on a CBS Sunday Morning tribute to Morgan who lived a full life into his mid-90s.
See you real soon. In the meantime Remember: Take it easy but take it!