Bob Schwarz-- Click on photo and read latest KOM Flash Report and updates.

(Previous KOM League Flash Reports are available on request)

 

Ausust 19, 2013

 

No Flash Report updates have transpired in the last four days. I'm not planning any Flash Reports for the foreseeable future. No one is corresponding with me about what is on their mind and fortunately I don't have any deaths to report. I do know a couple of guys have had a rough time lately do to surgery and other age related problems but they don't come under the heading of "Urgent Messages." When those arrive I'll report on them. The two people I'm tracking right now, due to health problems, are; Don Keeter and Leonard Van de Hey. Keeter is in a Kansas City rehabilitation facility and Van de Hey is in a Wisconsin hospital following surgery. Word received today was that there will be more of the same for the former Carthage Cub from 1950-51.

 

This note was posted August 12, 2013. There won't be another Flash Report for a few days. If you have anything to submit for the next report feel free to do so by contacting me at j03.john@gmail.com Thanks for checking out this site. The traffic on this site has picked up significantly since the Flash Reports have become a feature.

For the latest interview with former KOM Leaguer, Bill Virdon, go to this site: Celebrate West Plains: Bill Virdon reflects on his career - KY3 News

m.ky3.com

m.ky3.com/display/6497/story/458e4da0908d50238e442ec6fee3...

The next report will have an update on what happened with regard to the guy offering to give me a Mickey Mantle baseball card and also more information on the late Roger Vander Weide's baseball career. His older brother Robert was "top dog" in the operation of the Orlando Magic when they entered the National Basketball Association.

August 15, 2013. The photos are viewed by a number of former KOM league ballplayers and their families. I learned, by posting these photos that Leonard Van de Hey, a member of the 1950-51 Carthage Cubs had surgery yesterday in Wisconsin. Also, a nice note was received from the daughter of the late Johnny LaPorta, Carthage Cubs 1949-50 that she enjoys the photos. Her mother, Angie, the greatest scorekeeper in the history of Carthage baseball, is residing in a nursing home in the Chicago area and still retains the memories of many of the KOM era.

In the next Flash Report an article will address the subject of radio stations that broadcast KOM League games. If you heard a game or games over KGLC in Miami, OK, KSEK Pittsburg, KS, KDMO Carthage, MO, KIND Independence, KS, KWON Bartlesville, OK or WBBZ in Ponca City and wish to share a memory I'd love to include it in the article. There were no games aired of Iola, Blackwell or Chanute home games since those towns didn't have a radio station until nearly a decade after the KOM League folded.

The voice of Miami baseball was Russ Martin. He pastored the First Christian in Miami and was well known for the dramatic phrases and embellishment of games when they became a bit drab. For a while, Joe Pollock, former KOM spedster with three different clubs was his play by play color man.

Pittsburg Browns games were carried on KSEK radio. That station was on the Liberty network and carried a game of the day with Gordon McLendon and Lindsey Nelson doing most of the games. If you got bored you go up to the top of the radio dial and get the Mutual Broadcasting Company game with Al Helfer doing the announcing on radio station WMBH in Joplin. In the evening that station carried the Joplin Miner games with Bill Grigsby doing the play by play. As a point of trivia the last KOM game broadcast was in 1998 with Grigsby doing most of the play by play and not so ably assisted by Yours truly. That was about as much fun as I ever had. By the way one of the announcers for Pittsburg was Thad Sandstrom who later headed up the WIBW radio and TV empire. If you want to know the fate of Mr. Sandstrom check that out on the Internet. The story is too long and gory to place here.

Bill Platt, James DeStefano (aka Jim King), Fred Pralle and Keith Upson broadcast for Ponca City, Carthage, Bartlesville and Independence, respectively. The story of Upson is contained under the last photo on this site. He is shown with the 1948 Independence Yankees. There are some great tales about the last four guys mentioned but I'll hold off writing anything about them to see if anyone has read the material to this point.

I'm under pressure to keep this site moving along since g-mail loves me at about the same level socialism admires free enterprise.

 

By the way readers are encouraged to use the "Add a comment" in the space provided by Flickr.

The KOM League

Flash Report

for

August 5, 2013

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The back-up site for Flash Reports and photos is:

Flickr: komleague's Photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/‎

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Likes this stuff:

Just to let you know that I thoroughly Love the letters and the photos. To me it’s like getting a package from home. So I definitely do NOT want to become a member of the "Infrequent Flyer Club." You can send those letters and pictures my way any time you want to. Sue - KCMO

Ed comment:

It is most likely that Sue is referring to the photos that one of my readers has sent her way. But, I can always hope someone likes the Flash Report. Last week a nice summary was sent to me by Bill O’Donnell. I was going to use it to justify why I still prepare these reports but it got lost somewhere in the innards of the e-mail file. So, Bill, after reading this and you still feel the same way you might want to re-send me a copy of that.

But, on the other hand, if you receive these reports and think they have outlived their usefulness you can let me know. The beneficial aspect of these reports for me, according to what I read in the literature, is that keeping the mind occupied might help stave off old age memory and mental problems. And, it may help folks as old as you to read this material and see if you can make sense of it. That way we are either both crazy or dually sane.

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Message from Dave Vander Weide

John, you posted in my dad's guest book. Thank You. His funeral is tomorrow August 6. Would you happen to be able to e-mail me any stats on my dad? I know his family would love it. I remember as a kid going through a trunk with all his baseball gear and seeing him in a uniform with the Carthage name on it.

This is the obituary for Roger Vander Weide

obits.mlive.com/obituaries/grandrapids/obituary.aspx?n=ro...

If you click on the foregoing URL you’ll see his photo along with the obituary. For those of you who can’t or won’t do so here is the obituary.

VANDER WEIDE, ROGER Aged 85, was peacefully called home to his Lord and Savior on August 1, 2013. He was preceded in death by two sisters and five brothers. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Thelma. He loved his children, David (Jean), Steven (Yvonne), and Robert; his grandchildren, Susan (Mike) Meeuwsen, Jenny (Mike) O'Neill, Ryan (Jenna) Vander Weide, Lisa (Joel) Terpstra, Chad, Josh, Hannah, Katie, Ben, Jessa, and Addie Vander Weide; and his great- grandchildren, Devin, Alexia, Breckton, Bellary Meeuwsen, Katelyn, Kylie, Kelsey O'Neill, Emma Vander Weide, Lillian, Natalie Terpstra were his pride and joy. Roger is also survived by his brother, Russell and Barbara Vander Weide. Roger owned Vander Weide Plumbing. He was a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and was an elder and Sunday school teacher at Hope Reformed Church. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, 11:00 AM at the Zaagman Memorial Chapel, 2800 Burton St. SE, with Rev. Peter TeWinkle and Rev. Dr. Robert Eckard officiating. Interment Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will greet relatives and friends at the funeral chapel Monday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to Breton Manor Rehab. - See more at: obits.mlive.com/obituaries/grandrapids/obituary.aspx?n=ro...

Ed note:

Vander Weide pitched for the Carthage Cubs in late 1947 and early 1948 but not enough to make it into the official records that were reported in the Baseball Guides. However, due to his late arrival, in 1947, he got into the team photo that included manager Al Kluttz. By that time Woody Fair was back in the Carolina league and Al, brother of big league catcher, Clyde Kluttz was in charge of the Carthage club. Also on that team was Ray Diering the younger brother of Chuck who was with the St. Louis Cardinals, Eddie Vargo who became a long time National league umpire, Wayne Boyer one of the famous baseball family from Alba, Mo. and Bob Mahoney who made it to the major leagues with the other St. Louis team, the Browns and also the Chicago “Pale Hose.” A lot of scribes used to call the White Sox by that name.

It was mentioned that Vander Weide is in the 1947 Carthage team photo. For those of you with the book “The KOM League Remembered” published by Arcadia, that photo is on page 27. Even if you don’t have that book the photo is still there. In that photo are 20 faces which include the batboy, Frederick “Pee Wee” Smith. Of that group only four are still alive. Even Harry Smith’s older brother, Pee Wee, has passed away. Harry is mentioned since he was the Carthage batboy in 1949 and on page 65 of the book mentioned previously struck the most casual photo of any batboy ever did for a team photo. For you who don’t have the book now nor ever will he is laying down in front of the Carthage team that had a few guys who turned in long baseball careers including the best known member, Bob Speake. Since Hal Brown is in that photo and receives these Flash Reports I’m mentioning him to let him know he isn’t forgotten. Of the 18 fellows in the 1949 Carthage Cub team photo only five are still living. Harry Smith suffered the same fate of his older brother Pee Wee and passed away a number of years ago at Carthage, MO. Pee Wee died in Kansas City.

Since it wasn’t mentioned in the obituary I’ll mention it here since I’ll get questions about the date of his birth. It was June 16, 1928 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Still remembering the short term players:

Over the years I've discussed whether Carroll Lloyd "Biff" Jones ever played a game in the KOM. I found a column this morning where the Omaha, Nebr. native played shortstop one night for Ponca City at Bartlesville and had two singles in four at bats. He was born 6/17/1929 in Omaha and died 12/28/2008 while living with his son in Tonopah, NV.

Biff was with Ponca City for a very short time and upon his release he went to Chanute, KS on the way home to Omaha, and tried to get a shot with them. Dick McCoy verified that Biff did go to Nevada and died there for he and his wife Mollie attended the funeral. I happened to get interested in Biff in recent days as I had found his name on the roster of an Omaha team that played in the National Baseball Congress Tournament at Wichita in 1960.

Also on that 1947 team was George E. Seely (sometimes spelled Seeley). He was born either 1/1/1924 or 1/3/1924 according to the records I've uncovered. George pitched in two games for Ponca City before being sent to Zanesville, Ohio. If I have the right George Seely and I think that I do, he graduated from high school in 1943, went to the Univ. of Colorado until being inducted into the US Army, also in 1943. After his final year in baseball, which I think was 1948 he got a degree in education and wound up teaching school for many years in Pueblo.

Note from a baseball researcher

Hi: I have Carroll Jones playing ten games for Ponca City in 1947. Was he a first baseman?

He played in 2 games at first for Sheboygan in 1947. Ray Nemec

Ed reply:

The Ponca City News showed him playing shortstop upon his arrival. He wasn't going to play that position too long for Boyd Bartley and Jim Baxes were going to play the position for the lions share of the time.

Nemec’s reply:

Hi John: Is there any way to check a few more games to see if Jones did play another position? Since Boudreau played in 122 games at 1B, I doubt that Jones played 1B. If he did it may have been only one game

He doesn’t show in the SS fielding of players in ten games or more

Ed reply:

Jones didn't play any first base for Ponca City that I found. And, he didn't have that many at shortstop either. I found what I reported earlier in a scrapbook kept by a female fan of those teams for 2-3 years. I imagine Jones did a little pinch hitting after he got two hits in his first game. I'll look at that scrapbook again and see if anything else appears. I think he played for Ponca City prior to the arrival of Baxes from Santa Barbara. After Baxes got there nobody but Bartley was going even get a shot at playing short.

When Jones went back to Omaha and took up amateur ball he was basically an outfielder. In 1960 when the Omaha Thomases went to the NBC tourney in Wichita he was their left fielder.

The Omaha team was sponsored by the Thomas Plumbing Company. They had their share of ex-Joplin Miners, Independence Yankees, Iola Indians and Ponca City Dodgers on the1960 team. Don Hunter and Biff Jones had played at Ponca City, Robert "Bugs" Redden at Iola, Bill Holderness played for Independence in '49 with Mantle and later committed suicide, and Dave Benedict another of Mantle's teammates at Joplin was also on the team. You probably know that Dave Benedict's son was Bruce.

If any reader would like to chime in on additional information regarding Biff Jones, join the crowd that might not be large enough to fill a pay telephone booth. That is, if there are still any remaining in the era of cell phones.

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I wasn’t kidding

In a recent Flash Report I mentioned that my first book “Majoring in The Minors” was like a pretty girl, hard to get. Here is a note from “back east.” “Hi John, I thought I would see if I could hunt up your book. There is one on Ebay listed at $160, supposedly a discount from the original price of $200. Well, I decided to see how flexible the dealer is and sent in a $35 offer. She countered at $125. I then sent in another offer with a note stating that I really didn't want to pay more than $50, but since the book also has several autographs, the highest I could pay would be $60 She declined the offer with a note saying the lowest she would go was $100. I have a hunch that she might consider splitting the difference, but I was really stretching my budget to offer the $60. Maybe you have someone else that might continue the haggling and reach agreement. I will still keep my eyes open during my tag sale and flea market hunting. Enjoy the summer!!!!!!! John, I believe there are 28 players that signed the book plus yourself. Book was 111 of 300. Bob

Ed note:

I looked at that signature page once again. Only 26 guys signed it. Stokes Dodson and Nick Najjar signed twice. We had a book signing and those were being passed back and forth and guys didn't know if they had signed before or not. I could write pretty good size book just telling the stories I know about those 26 guys. Of course, it wouldn't be read. Bob Saban who signed that was the cousin of Lou Saban who coached the Boston Patriots and he was also kin to the current coach of the Alabama football team.

I looked closely at the top of one of those pages. I believe that is the hard cover edition. That book is worth more than the soft cover that came out four years prior to that. If that's the hardcover then it was signed by all those guys at Chanute, Kansas in 2000. That book was purchased by a public library. That is why it's in mint condition. I could buy that for $100 and still make a buck on it due to the autographs. But I'm not going to do it.

A tip from the old batboy

I believe that book is still listed on E-bay and if you don’t have the hard copy edition it would be worth the money if for no other reason than 26 autographs that you could never assemble.

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Recent honors bestowed on former KOM leaguers.

By Anvil Welch Globe Sports Writer

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — Bill Virdon broke into professional baseball in 1950 with the Independence Yankees of the Class D KOM League.

Virdon, who’s lived in Springfield (Mo.) for more than 50 years, returned to southeast Kansas last Saturday for only the second time since 1950. The previous visit came in 1996 during a KOM League reunion engineered by league historian John G. Hall of Columbia.

Virdon, who was accompanied by wife Shirley, was inducted into the Independence Baseball Hall of Fame to highlight a Baseball Game Luncheon at the Independence Historical Museum & Art Center, 8th and Myrtle.

Virdon never played for the Yankees. He was traded to the Cardinals and was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1955. He was dealt to the Pirates early in the 1956 season. The left-handed batting, right-handed throwing Virdon patrolled center field for the Pirates most of the time through the 1965 campaign.

Guests last week, in addition to the Virdons, included longtime University of Kansas sports voice Bob Davis and Ban Johnson players Charles Stepp and Merle Blair. Also, seated up front for the meal of hot dogs, peanuts and cracker jacks were researchers Jan Johnson and Mike Webber.

Virdon, who answered several questions from the audience, had at least one very pleasant surprise in the crowd.

Bill Robinson, who lives in Wichita, and his late wife Virginia housed Virdon and another player in Independence.

“I don’t know anything negative about Bill Virdon,” Robinson said. “I never played baseball. We had a pleasant time.

“I’m 94. I do my own driving. I’m going to break Social Security,” Robinson quipped.

“We lived on North 11th St.,” Robinson said. “Our family ran Robinson Supply. I’ve been living in Wichita six years. We make it to Independence every three or four months.”

Virdon, naturally happy to see Robinson, said he couldn’t recall the name of the roommate.

“I don’t have a clue,” Virdon, 82, said with a laugh.

Virdon, who played Ban Johnson baseball for two summers at Clay Center (Kan.) before signing with Tom Greenwade and New York for $1,800, had no problem with Independence’s role in his development as a player.

“I found a position,” Virdon said. “I wanted to be a shortstop. Bunny (player/manager Bunny Mick) put me in center field.”

Just three players on the 1950 Independence Yankees reached the major leagues — Virdon, Don Taussig, another outfielder, and pitcher John Gabler.

The Independence roster was sprinkled liberally with southwest Missouri youths (a testament to Greenwade).

Bill Drake, a 1948 Joplin High School graduate, was a right-handed pitcher on the club. Drake, who played American Legion baseball in the summer, starred in football for the Eagles for Russ Kaminsky and in track for K.E. “Doc” Baker.

“Bill’s strength, first, was as a defensive player,” Drake said of Virdon. “He was a good overall player, of course. The thing I remember as much as anything about him was simply he was a good man. He was a gentleman. I respected him.”

Drake, also a Baxter Springs Whiz Kid, continued playing baseball after his professional stint as a third baseman/pitcher with such semi-pro teams as the Miami-based Tri-State Miners and Home Street Garage of Kansas City to supplement his income.

Drake, 83, said he once hit four consecutive home runs in a game for Home Street Garage. He lives in Raytown.

Virdon was Virdon last week, indicated museum coordinator Sylvia Augustine, with his accommodating manner.

“He always has been that way, I understand,” she said. “He signed everything that was brought to him.”

Virdon, a manager of the year in both the American League (Yankees) and National League (Astros), joined individuals Mickey Mantle, Ralph Terry, Glenn Wright, Bill Walker, Cy Blanton and Eugene Packard in the Independence shrine: The Independence Producers of 1921 and 1930 also have been honored.

The Western Association Producers of 1930 claim the first night game in organized baseball on April 28 at Shulthis Stadium in Riverside Park.

Lloyd Lee Dodson enshrined

cjonline.com/sports/2013-07-17/kevin-haskin-rich-baseball...

Kevin Haskin: Rich baseball history shared at induction ceremony

Inaugural class enshrined into Shawnee County hall

There was mention of Connie Mack on Wednesday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.

That was a reflection of just how much history was shared at the induction ceremony for the inaugural class of the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.

Lee Dodson, known simply as Mr. Baseball in Topeka, referenced Mack as one of his heroes.

“I like guys who lived to be 100, or close to it, since I’m closing in on it,’’ said Dodson, who at 89 shared some witty insight into a sport he loved ever since he attended his first game.

That happened to be at Chandler Field in Topeka. Dodson, who would go on to play professionally before coaching and organizing scores of teams and leagues, watched that day as his father managed a club.

“I couldn’t figure out,’’ said Dodson, “how the person who invented this game I was watching could make it so a ball hit to the shortstop could result in a play that was so close involving the batter who was running to first base. It was such a close race. That, and a lot of other things, absolutely hooked me.’’

Over time, Dodson figured quite a bit regarding baseball. So too did the other inductees in the inaugural class — Ken Berry, Beany Conwell, Bingo DeMoss, Marion McDonald, Mike Torrez, Fred White and Gene Wilson. The wide-ranging group represented players, builders, coaches, media and umpires.

The hall does not yet have a permanent display, though information on the inductees and history of baseball in Shawnee County can be found at www.sncobaseballhof.org.

When addressing the audience Wednesday, Berry told how he agreed to have his name affixed to a complex that would eventually be home to numerous youth teams.

“They called me up in 1969 and asked if they could put my name up,’’ recalled Berry, “and I said, ‘Sure, but you guys should know I’m only hitting .230.’ ’’

That recollection came from his 14-year career in the major leagues, in which Berry was an All-Star outfielder and two-time Gold Glove winner. Berry credited Conwell for leading the innovators who started the Ken Berry League. Conwell became the league’s first chairman of the board and was a fixture at the facility. He engaged in every task imaginable while also helping organize several teams.

In accepting the glass obelisk presented to each of the inductees, Conwell’s son, Kent, said: “As I know my dad would like to say, ‘Thank you. Now let’s go build something.’ ’’

For McDonald, his most enduring project was at Washburn.

It was in 1957 that he reinstituted a baseball program for the Ichabods as their coach.

His son, Bill, recently moved back to Topeka after spending 42 years in Michigan. He remains impressed by all the people who recall his father, who also served as a professional scout.

“I hear so many wonderful stories about my dad connecting people with baseball,’’ McDonald said.

One favorite that McDonald shared was the origin of the uniforms Washburn once wore that read “Topeka’’ across the chest.

Turns out, Marion McDonald got the Topeka Reds to donate them to WU after the minor-league team left town following the 1961 season. Bill McDonald said he heard that Pete Rose’s name tag was stitched into one of the uniforms, a story he still needs to research.

One inductee into the Shawnee County baseball hall who pitched to Rose was Torrez, who won 185 games and posted a 3.96 earned run average over 18 big-league seasons.

Another inductee, Fred White, called many of the games Torrez worked. The longtime anchor for both WIBW television and radio went on to become a broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals.

Although a family commitment prevented Torrez from attending, Berry was a contemporary who shared his respect for White, who passed away earlier this summer after battling cancer.

“I was very lucky to have someone like Fred and also Bob Hentzen of The Capital-Journal cover my games,’’ Berry said. “You couldn’t have asked for two greater guys to interview you after you played your heart out. I was very appreciative of Fred and all he did for me.’’

The inductee who was as responsible as anyone keeping games rolling smoothly was Wilson, a longtime umpire who first came to the state as a hot-shot recruit who played basketball for Kansas State. Wilson went on to umpire through four different decades. The manual he wrote for local American Legion umpires was incorporated at the national level.

“I had fun with the game,’’ said Wilson, “but I was serious too. Sometimes, though, you had to lighten up.’’

Like the time Wilson was working a Gopher League game at the very spot where he spoke Wednesday, the former SCABA diamonds.

“I crouched down and my pants ripped,’’ he recalled. “Before long, I had three mothers come down from the stands offering me safety pins.’’

Stories. Many were shared Wednesday reflecting the impressive history of baseball in Shawnee County.

DeMoss, an inductee who began playing for Negro League teams while in high school and went on to become the standout second baseman of his time, gave the class a feel that dates to almost the beginning of the 20th century.

Yet here we are in 2013 and baseball remains vibrant.

“I thank the inventors and the people that improved on it,’’ Dodson said. “Baseball has been total enjoyment for me.’’

Ed note:

Lee Dodson of the 1946 Chanute, KS Owls and Bill Virdon of the 1950 Independence Yankees are both very special individuals. I have got to know each of these fellows over the years and it was especially difficult to miss their induction ceremonies into halls of fame in two Kansas cities. It was very tough to ignore them at a high point in their lives when both of those guys came to Carthage when they hung my mug on the entrance to the Carthage ballpark in 1999. But, although I wasn’t in attendance of either of those events I’m especially proud of both those guys and want them to know it.

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Predictions

Back in 2004 there was a KOM league reunion held at Carthage, MO and when a group of old ballplayers arrived on the scene at the baseball field there was a large number of young ballplayers who were touring the nation as the representatives of the American National team. Sam Dixon struck up a conversation with one of the leaders of that group and the gentleman told him to keep an eye on one player in particular. He was a lad from San Diego and Dixon promised to look out for his eventual rise to major league stardom. After that reunion concluded Dixon handed me the sheet of paper the coach of the team had given him and told me that I should keep it. Well, I looked at it again after nine years and started down the list. I got as far as “S” and recalled the guy with that initial for his last name and he never made it. I figured with just a few names left on the list that none of those guys made it. And, then I saw two fellows with the same last name... Upton. Quickly, it came to me that Melvin Emmanuel and Justin are the same guys who play for the Atlanta Braves. Most people recognize Melvin as “B. J.”

What struck me that morning, nine years ago in Carthage, was an exodus from the ball field when it was announced that a team of random drug testers were there to check the young American team. Those guys who exited the field came out on the sidewalk slamming down their equipment and crying like babies with the full knowledge that they hadn’t played by the rules and their time on the team was over. Now roll the clock forward just nine years and word came down today that some guys who didn’t play by the rules will get to sit it out for a while. Isn’t it great that “Time wounds all heels?” These guys are getting what they deserve but maybe they aren’t getting enough of what they deserve. When the rules set forth permanent banishment from the game for rule breaking then fairness will have a new meaning.

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Conclusion:

In the last exciting edition of this newsletter it was mentioned that although all the copies of “Majoring in The Minors” were in the hands of others I still was able to share a copy that the late Tom Tarascio handed back prior to his death. I sent it along to a new friend in Pennsylvania who was coached by Jim McHugh former KOM leaguer for parts of four years.

Within days of sending along the big green book and a Mickey Mantle-Before The Glory copy I received this note. “Thank your for the book ‘Majoring in The Minors’ and ‘Mickey Mantle-Before the Glory’ and the Mantle pin. The books will be part of my summer reading. Maria McHugh donated the Jim McHugh-Jimmy Foxx letters to the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society in Hatboro, PA. The Athletics Historical Society closed this past spring and re-located to Spikes’ Trophies, 2702 Grant Ave. Philadelphia. Thanks again John--your book made my summer.” Sincerely, Bob. G.

Ed comment:

Many years ago Jim Mc Hugh sent along a letter he had written to Jimmy Foxx when the Philadelphia A’s great Hall of Famer was ill. Foxx sent him a letter in return promising to get better in order to make his young fan happy. McHugh gave me that material a number of years ago. One day I took both of the letters and added a photo of Foxx and McHugh and sent it back to him with the explanation that it was such a great item he should share it with the family. I was pleased to learn it was now in the Philadelphia A’s Historical Society.

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Well, that’s it for this time

If you have anything to share with regard to the Flash Reports, let me know.

P. S.

Oh, I’m not done. Last week I received a CD from Nick DeMaio of the 1952 Miami Eagles and a teammate of the late Jim McHugh. Nick is the “big guy” with Gunsmoke. That is a country-western band out of Darien, CT. In recent weeks his group appeared on the “Shot Gun Red” show on the cable channel, RFD. Sine I couldn’t that channel through my cable service Nick was kind enough to send me a CD. The music of Gunsmoke is of the genre and era when music was still be made and the lyrics weren’t “x” rated. Gosh, I love the past for a lot of reasons and one of the biggest was the music. Thanks again Nick for your kindness.

Another P. S. or P. S. S.

As I was finishing up this report a telephone call was received from a gentleman who remembered me from my last fling at theater. A few years back I was the voice of Lou Gehrig in a performance attended by few and appreciated by even fewer at a local playhouse. A group from that playhouse performed at one of our KOM league reunions and they were top flight in every aspect and may well have been the top group ever at any of the dozen or so reunions conducted. Anyway, a fellow who attended that performance was the most recent caller and told me he wanted to meet me for coffee. He said that he had recently picked up a baseball card of a former KOM leaguer and wanted to give it to me. So, a coffee date has been set for Thursday morning at a local grocery store. Oh, the baseball card he has of a former KOM leaguer is that of a guy he called “Mickey Mantle.” Has anyone ever heard of that name? I’ll let you know next time about the card and a little more about the guy who is purportedly on it.

 

Done