I guess it’s good once in a while for Cleveland to have a moment in the spotlight. In the early ‘50’s the Indians won a ton of baseball games. Was there one year when they had four 20-game winners? The big problem for them that year was the New York Giants. Willie Mays had arrived…
The A’s were still in Philadelphia and it was OK then to notice the American League. The Indians couldn’t lose. I watched the box scores every day. They were unstoppable. Then came Willy Mays, interrupting the dream.
I was a Brave at second base in the local kids’ league, and I felt a certain kinship. I had incredible stats, well documented in my letters, which the Indians chose to ignore. Willy Mays made them regret it.
Initially, Steve Curley drew my attention to the Indians. Steve was a year older and very smart. We were an odd pair. I was the jock and he was the egghead. We often played a street game: One guy hits the ball (toss and hit like infield andfungo practice) and the other rolls the ball from the point of retrieval. He aims at the hitter’s bat which has been placed horizontally on the street. A miss by the fielder or a catch by the hitter when the ball bounces up off the bat allows the hitter another turn. Sometimes we played for hours. Once, I hit 34 consecutive, intentional foul balls to emulate and surpass Richie Ashburn. Steve noted the number as a new record.
He also taught me about batting averages, slugging percentages (which were not calculated at the time), and so many other numbers that baseball likes to embrace. Maybe the Indians just couldn’t believe mine.
So, I was happy when Willie made “The Catch”. They were fake Indians after all. Willie made them pay.
Steve became a rich lawyer, like his father. Had I ever blossomed into a big leaguer, he would have been my first choice as an agent. Of course, back then agents were unheard of…
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SPAZZ
THE RAMBLERS
JIM GREENGRASS
THE INDIANS
THE PREACHER’S KID
THE KNIGHTS
PUBERTY
THE BULLDOGS