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#1
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A Great Opportunity....
Hey guys,
A few years back I wrote a letter to Carl Erskine asking if I could have the chance to meet with him maybe over breakfast and talk about baseball (his time with the Dodgers, World Series, Jackie, his books, etc.). He wrote me back and said that he would love to meet up for breakfast, but with life moving ever so fast (college graduation, marriage, new home, children) I never had the chance to meet with him. Well, a few weeks back I decided to write him again and ask if the offer still stood. He responded today with a simple note containing directions to an IHOP in Anderson, Indiana and his phone number to call this week to setup a time. Some of you know that I have been working on a collection of the 1955 World Series (Dodgers and Yankees) and am near completion. I cannot wait to talk to Carl about the World Series in detail. Words cannot even describe how excited I am to get this opportunity to meet with one of the great guys in baseball. I wanted to also open this thread up for anyone else who may have some memorable stories of time they spent with a baseball great. I know Jim has shared some great stories and would love to hear from everyone else.
__________________
"What I have done after my baseball career -- being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track so they become productive human beings again -- that means more to me than all the things I did in baseball" - Don Newcombe https://www.collectorfocus.com/collection/jgmp123 |
#2
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My friend who's a sports and Hollywood celebrity fan, once went up to Al Barlick's house in Springfield Illinois and knocked on the door. Al's wife answered the door and Al was watching tv. The wife invited him in and my friend got a chat and a few autographs about. My friend's an easy going likable guy with Southern manners (born in Mississippi), so he could get away with that.
I'll tell this friend your story. Last edited by drc; 07-31-2012 at 07:24 PM. |
#3
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I didnt realize barlick lived in springfield and I lived there my whole life.
looking forward to hearing about erskine. |
#4
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JimStinson
WOW !!!! An old time collector once told me that in 1955 the toughest non-signers on the Dodgers were Billy Loes & Carl Furrillo. I'd ask about that , then I'd ask about what Koufax was like his rookie year 1955. I always heard the players thought he was a LESS than average pitcher (in 1955-1958) Of all people Erskine could shed light on that and lastly I'd ask him why "The Brow" always signed his name next to Campy & Jackie .....Heck ...just going to I-HOP is a blast ! (smile) have fun ! Attached is a 1955 signed yearbook.
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#5
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Jim,
Will do! All great topics. To add to Koufax, wasn't his control an issue when he came up for a number of years and he didn't really hit his stride until they hit LA?
__________________
"What I have done after my baseball career -- being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track so they become productive human beings again -- that means more to me than all the things I did in baseball" - Don Newcombe https://www.collectorfocus.com/collection/jgmp123 |
#6
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JimStinson
From what I heard Koufax couldn;t do anything right.....and then he did EVERYTHING right, in fact his curve ball was a thing of beauty, Batters were throwing down their bats and bailing out of the box on called strikes ....THATS a curve ball !
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#7
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Quote:
What most people don't realize about Koufax, unless you read about his story in Ed Linn's great book from the mid 1960's entititled "Koufax", is that he actually played very little baseball before being recruited out of the University of Cincinnati as a Dodger "bonus baby". Sandy was a basketball player and if not for one of his sandlot baseball coaches from Brooklyn lobbying hard for the Dodgers to recruit Sandy, the world may have never seen one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history develop. Because of Koufax being signed as a bonus baby, he was never able to develop his undeveloped pitching technique in the minor leagues. Instead, because the Dodgers had a rather forminable pitching staff, Koufax mostly rode the pine in his early years with the Dodgers. It wasn't until the early 1960's that one of Koufax's catchers recommended that Koufax back off on throwing his hardest fastball that he was able to finally harness the control that had eluded him for so many years. Jim Stinson is right, although Koufax's fastball was tremendous, it was his amazing curveball that made him mostly unhittable once he finally hit his stride. During the years 1962-1966 Koufax put together possibly one of the greatest runs in pitching history, making Koufax an icon. Because of the arthritis that Koufax developed in his throwing arm, he was forced to leave the game way to early at age 31. Last edited by Scott Garner; 08-01-2012 at 05:43 AM. |
#8
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Quote:
Tom C |
#9
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Quote:
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#10
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Quote:
Last summer, around this time, I interviewed Mr. Carter for a book I have been writing on the University of Dayton basketball history. Mr. Carter was the Dayton head coach in the late 30's and most of the 1940's. Last November, Coach Carter turned 100 years old. I stayed in touch with him every couple of weeks until he sadly passed away a couple of months ago. If you're interested in reading, here's a story I wrote on him right before his 100th birthday... Former UD coach set to celebrate milestone birthday Have fun with your breakfast. I talk from experience, these are the type of "meetings" you'll never forget. Last edited by mschwade; 08-01-2012 at 11:49 AM. |
#11
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Matt,
I am super excited and will make sure to mention it to Carl.
__________________
"What I have done after my baseball career -- being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track so they become productive human beings again -- that means more to me than all the things I did in baseball" - Don Newcombe https://www.collectorfocus.com/collection/jgmp123 |
#12
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The funny thing is, until about two months before his 100th birthday, Coach Carter would drive himself every Monday to IHOP to meet some of his old friends for breakfast. I have to imagine it's the same IHOP, but I don't know for sure.
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#13
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I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Erskine at a small card show about 15 years ago. Spent about 20 minutes speaking to him. No line for Carl but folks were lined up to get Tommy Heinrich's auto. Couldn't have been nicer.
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#14
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Some quick notes from my meeting today with Mr. Erskine....
• Koufax was plucked directly from the sandlot and was given a $20k bonus to sign and in that time it was a lot of money to give someone not established. Anything $20k or more owners required those players to be added to active roster and no farm systems for them. So Koufax put directly on the roster with no formal training/pitching background. There were many times that Koufax felt guilty because he didn’t fit in and felt that he was taking a roster spot from someone more deserving. Carl told me that in 1959, Koufax told him on more than one occasion that he was going to retire and buy into a Los Angeles radio station, but felt like he owed one more season to the Dodgers because of the money they invested in him. • Frank kellert had the best view of Jackie stealing home in Game 1 and after game said he thought Jackie was out…Later on in the locker room, Jackie had to be restrained from trying to choke Kellert. • The Brow: Charlie DiGiovanni’s boss was a snake of a man and really gave the Brow a hard time if something didn’t get finished. For instance, several dozen items had to be signed daily by the team (it was just part of the job) and the Brow was a pretty smart kid. He realized early that he needed to check that all the baseballs, yearbooks, etc. were signed by all members of the team. If a signature was missing, then he had to add it. It was never out of malice, but rather to make sure that he didn’t catch fire for the job not being complete. • Favorite piece of advice he ever received: During his rookie season, Hugh Casey walked up to him and said; “Welcome to the big leagues. There are guys in this league that will hit .330 .340 every season off pitchers in the league and they will hit .330 .340 off of you too. Don’t focus on those guys, but rather the guys hitting ahead of them.” He said that is why he was so successful when he pitched. Focus on the guys ahead and get them out, then give up the double to the big hitter and leave him on base. • Toughest lineup he had to face: St. Louis Cardinals – Stan Musial followed by Red Schoendienst followed by Enos Slaughter. Said he always pitched well against Stan, but the other guys sometimes gave him fits. He said, “I never liked facing 3 Hall of Famers in one inning”… • Carl still can’t believe the things that Jackie had to go threw to play baseball. Remembered a time when the KKK showed up at the team hotel and threatened to kill Jackie if he played the next day…. And did I mention the guy bought my pancakes!! He refused to let me pay. He also asked for my address so he could send me a couple things(what? I have no idea). A class act.
__________________
"What I have done after my baseball career -- being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track so they become productive human beings again -- that means more to me than all the things I did in baseball" - Don Newcombe https://www.collectorfocus.com/collection/jgmp123 |
#15
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Another story from my Mississippi-born friend is he and his twin broth were in the small Mississippi town that Dizzy Dean lived in. The inquired how they could find Dean, and the resident said "He's easy to find. He drives a gold Cadillac." The brother eventually saw the gold Cadillac park outside a fried chicken place and waited for Dizzy to come out. Dizzy signed a piece of notebook paper for them on the hood of his Cadillac.
My friend has photos of many his autograph seeking excursions, including one inside the Hugh Hefner mansion, so his stories are often verified. |
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