Nolan Ryan - -The Way to Go!

Harvey Frommer on Sports (From the Vault)

The news that Nolan Ryan will be running the show for the Texas Rangers and also be part owner of the team is good news all the way around - -for him, for fans of the Rangers, for baseball fans in general. The former power pitcher is now properly positioned to make things happen.

As an author who was privileged to have the opportunity to get to know him and his family while writing "Throwing Heat," his autobiography, I became intimately aware of how he began and what he has accomplished. The life and times of Nolan Ryan is truly the story of the realization of the American dream.

He grew up in the small town of Alvin, Texas, and still makes his home there. As a teenager Nolan delivered the Houston Post. In "Throwing Heat," he said, "Some people claimed that I developed my arm throwing the Houston Post. That was not the case. It was a short throw from a car, and I made the throw back-handed with my left hand while I steered my '52 Chevy with my right hand. But I did develop the knack of being able to roll and tie fifty newspapers in just about five minutes, and that probably helped me develop strong fingers and wrists."

The strong fingers and wrists were part of the reason for Ryan's great success. A tremendous work ethic was another. Nolan had 992,040 votes to rank first among all pitchers on the All-Century team. He was followed by Sandy Koufax (970,434), Cy Young (867,523), Roger Clemens (601,244), Bob Gibson (582,031). That's elite company.

One can only wonder what went through Nolan's mind out there on the field next to Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax. Aaron was one of Ryan's idols in his growing up years, and Koufax was a pitcher he truly admired.

"One Sunday between my junior and senior years in high school we went to see the Houston Colt .45's play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Koufax was pitching, and I was a big Koufax fan. It was the first time I had ever seen Sandy pitch. I was truly amazed at how fast he was and how good a curveball he had. I think he was the most overpowering pitcher I had ever seen."
The all time strikeout record has belonged to Ryan for quite a while now. But once upon a time, and for a long period, it belonged to Walter Johnson.

One day early in the 1969 season, Nolan was sitting in the Mets' dugout when Jim Bunning recorded his 2,500th strikeout. He asked Tom Seaver what the all-time record for strikeouts was and was told that it was 3,508 and held by Walter Johnson.

"That Johnson record will probably stand forever," Ryan told Seaver. Baseball fans know it didn't. Nolan broke it, and is the all-time strikeout leader with 5,714. That Ryan record will probably stand forever, as will a few other records Nolan picked up along the way.

He holds the record for most strikeouts in a major league season with 383, which he set while playing for the Angels in 1973. He struck out 100 in a season 24 times, another record. He also set the record for most consecutive seasons with 100 or more strikeouts, doing it 23 times in a row. He also holds the record for most career no-hitters with seven.

It is the records that are most associated with the man they called "The Ryan Express." For me it will always be his character. He's a great family man, a person who extends kindness to strangers, a guy who always remembers his friends.

Bravo, Nolan!

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Holiday Reads - -“When the Game Was Ours,” “Where Men Win Glory,” and more

The Book Review

How many times through the years did we watch, absorbed and marveling at the skills of Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson, the things they could do on the basketball court for their teams was a consciousness raiser.

Now there is “When the Game Was Ours” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.00, 352 pages). And as I marveled at what the two superstars did on the court, I marvel even more at their analytical ability, their story telling skills, their keen perceptions of the game - -then and now.
But the book is not just Larry Legend and Magic – there are about 100 others whose voices so exceptionally fill these pages. All praise is due Jackie MacMullan. A job very well done.

NOTABLE
“Where Men Win Glory” by John Krakauer, (Doubleday,$27.95, 383 pages) is the poignant portrait of as its sub-title proclaims: “The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.” More than just the story of a man who walked away from a multi-million dollar NFL deal to join the Army, more than the true facts about his tragic death in Afghanistan, “Where Men Win Glory” is as timely as today’s headlines. This is an important book and one that belongs in your sports library!

“Hard Work” by Roy Williams with Tim Crothers (Algonquin,$24.95, 286 pages) is especially for college hoop fans who want the story behind the legendary coach who has led the way for Kansas and North Carolina. Self effacing yet open, detailed and filled with drama, it is a book about one of the winners in sports, also one of the good guys.

“The President’s Team” by Michael Connelly (MVP Books, $25.00. 304 pages) is history brought to life - -the 1963 Army-Navy game and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that took place two weeks before. Connelly, a Boston Herald writer, has covered all the bases in this briskly paced account of the events. With amazing photographs, with amazing commentary by members of that ’63 Navy team and others, the time comes back in a rush. A MUST READ
“Graphical Player 2010” (Acta Sports, $21.95, 256 pages, paper) will appeal to fantasy leaguers with its at a glance dashboards for over 1,000 players in the bigs and the minors. And there is a lot more!

NOTABLE: A pair of winners from Universe Publishing/Rizzoli - -“Fenway Park America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature) and “Citi Field The Mets’ New World-Class Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature. These are books to enjoy, to play with, to marvel at the concise facts (including chronologies) and entertaining and to the smallest detail pop- ups.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.

FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

"Baseball Americana" and other Reads The Book Review

Holiday books galore for all kinds of sporting tastes are in stores, on-line and in libraries all for the reading. They range from big and beautiful coffee table clutterers to standard fare to paperback treats. A sampling follows:

"Baseball Americana," by Frank Ceresi and Harry Katz, with a nifty foreword by George F. Will (Harpercollins, $29.99, 256 pages) is a treat for the eyes. Filled with 350 illustrations as the sub-title of the book proclaims "Treasures From the Library of Congress," - the terrific tome is a tour through the decades presenting baseball in all its different tones and times.

Still in a coffee table frame of mind from MVP Books comes "The Pittsburgh Steelers" by Lew Freedman ($30,00, 192 pages) and "The New York Giants" by Lew Freedman ($30,00, 192 pages). Both books pack a punch filled as they are with hundreds of images, stats, insights and memories about each team. Highly recommended for football fans and especially those who root for the Steelers and Giants.

"Baseball Annual 2010" by the Hardball Times (Acta Sports, $21.95, 364 pages) is a mother lode of facts, figures, analyses. As usual, this is cutting edge, top of the heap stuff. The world champ of baseball annuals.

"Barney Ross" by Douglas Century (Schocken Books, $12.95, 215 pages) is paperback version of this moving and detailed account of one of the great boxers whose real name was Barnet Rasofsky. Some may remember the movie, but this book goes way beyond the stripped down story that cinema treatment presented. A WONDERFUL READ

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Remembering Tommy Henrich

"I was always a Yankee fan."

The oldest living Yankee, the final survivor of their great teams of the 1930s, Thomas David Henrich has passed away at the age of 96.

Born in Massillon, Ohio February 20, 1913, Henrich took to playing baseball often and well at an early age. In April 1937, Commissioner Landis ruled Henrich a free agent after he had been illegally hidden in the Cleveland farm system. He signed with the Yankees for a reported $25,000 and made his New York debut on May 11, 1937.

In an eleven year Yankee career Henrich batted .282. In 1948, he led the league in triples and runs scored, batted .308 with 25 homers and 100 RBIs. In 1949, his consistent clutch hitting helped keep the injury-racked Yankees in the pennant race. In 115 games, he hit 24 homers, drove in 85 runs, scoring 90 more.

Along with Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller, Henrich formed one of baseball's most celebrated outfields for the Yankees before and after WWII. Although Henrich played in only four World Series because of injuries and three years of military service, he was a key figure in two of the most famous Series games.

In 1949, his ninth inning homer off Don Newcombe of the Dodgers in Game One gave the Yankees the win and created the atmosphere for a Yankee world championship. Moments like those inspired Mel Allen to nick-name the four time All Star "Old Reliable" for a railroad train that was always on time that ran from Cincinnati through the Yankee announcer's Alabama birthplace state.

But Henrich will always be remembered most for his role in Game 4 of the 1941 World Series. It was Sunday baseball at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn before 33,813, standing room only. Yankees against Dodgers.

The first ball was thrown out by New York Mayor LaGuardia. The match-up pitted Brooklyn's Kirby Higbe against New York's Atley McDonald in the first Subway Series between the two teams. Higbe and McDonald were long gone as the game moved to the ninth inning and Brooklyn's Hugh Casey and Yankee reliever Johnny Murphy held forth with "Dem Bums" leading 4-3.

Tommy Henrich faced the burly Casey. There were two out. The count was three and two.

MEL ALLEN (GAME CALL) "Casey goes into the windup. Around comes the right arm, in comes the pitch. A swing by Henrich . . . he swings and misses, strike three! But the ball gets away from Mickey Owen. It's rolling back to the screen. Tommy Henrich races down toward first base. He makes it safely. And the Yankees are still alive with Joe DiMaggio coming up to bat."

"That ball broke like no curve I'd ever seen Casey throw," Henrich remembered. "As I start to swing, I think, 'No good. Hold up.' That thing broke so sharp, though, that as I tried to hold up, my mind said, 'He might have trouble with it.'"

Catcher Owen that 1941 season set the National League record of 476 consecutive errorless chances accepted was the goat. But there were those who thought a bit too much spit or other substance came along with the ball to home plate.

Whatever, the passed ball shook up Casey. The Yanks scored four times and won the game 7-4 and the next day won the world championship.

And "Old Reliable" Tommy Henrich, once again in the right place at the right time, helped the Yankees to another win.

The man from Massillon, Ohio was one of a kind. He will be missed.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Remembering Bob Sheppard

Back in the late 1980s on assignment for “Yankees Magazine,” a stint I held down for almost 18 years, I entered the tiny public address booth high up and behind home plate at Yankee Stadium.
My objective was to do an interview with the legendary Bob Sheppard.

A cordial and elegant man, Sheppard took both my hands in his and smiling told me to take a seat and we would talk. The game was in progress. He was at work. I was concerned that my questions would interfere with his game announcements.

“No problem,” he said, “Go right ahead. I have been doing this for a while now.”
He had. His first game was on April 17, 1951, Opening Day. The lineup at Yankee Stadium that day was:

Jackie Jensen lf
Phil Rizzuto ss
Mickey Mantle rf
Joe DiMaggio cf
Yogi Berra c
Johnny Mize 1b
Billy Johnson 3b
Jerry Coleman 2b
Vic Raschi p

Looking back at that long ago profile I did with the former St. John's quarterback and first baseman, I see that his favorite Yankee moments included: Larsen's Perfect Game, Maris hitting 61 home runs, Reggie's three home runs against the Dodgers and Mantle's shot almost over the roof.

Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle are on Sheppard's all time favorite list. "DiMaggio's name was symbolic of the early Yankees," Sheppard said, "and "Mickey Mantle has a nice ring to it because the two 'Ms' make it alliterative. "I just loved announcing his name. And one day, shortly before he died, we were both being interviewed on a television program. All of a sudden, he turned to me and said - right there on the air - that every time he heard me announce his name, he got goose bumps. And I felt the same way about announcing him."

Hundreds of eulogies have been written and delivered by Sheppard. "They ask me to do a eulogy. I try to tailor my remarks to the person I am eulogizing. Thurman Munson, Dick Howser, Billy Martin. Mickey Mantle's seemed to strike a cord because he died the night before."
Now the man some call "The Voice of God" will no longer grace the Yankee mystique with his voice. Over Thanksgiving the 99-year-old announced his retirement as Public Address announcer for the New York Yankees:

"I have no plans of coming back," Sheppard said. "Time has passed me by, I think. I had a good run for it. I enjoyed doing what I did. I don't think, at my age, I'm going to suddenly regain the stamina that is really needed if you do the job and do it well."

Bob Sheppard surely did his job well. He was honored with a plaque in Monument Park on May 7, 2000, commemorating his 50th season with the Yankees: "For half a century,” the plaque reads, “he has welcomed generations of fans with his trademark greeting, 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Yankee Stadium.' His clear, concise and correct vocal style has announced the names of hundreds of players - both unfamiliar and legendary - with equal divine reverence, making him as synonymous with Yankee Stadium as its copper façade and Monument Park."
When I began work on my “Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of the House That Ruth Built,” the first one I thought of to interview and to write the book’s foreword was Bob Sheppard. How fortunate and honored I was that he agreed to do both.

Here is the foreword:

Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to Yankee Stadium.

By Bob Sheppard

It's hard to believe that almost 60 years have past since I first delivered this greeting to Stadium fans. I could never have imagined when I joined the Yankees that I would be the public address announcer for almost 5,000 games of baseball played on these hallowed grounds. Although I wasn't a part of the Yankees during the Ruth-Huggins-Gehrig era, I've been privileged to announce the names of almost all of the great baseball stars of the past half century. Considering that my public address announcing career as merely been an avocation to my decades as a professor of public speech, I find this most remarkable indeed.

From the old days of the Stadium's visage wrapped with a copper façade and the sounds of Bronx cheers to the recent days of the Stadium's visage wrapped with Diamond Vision and the sounds of "We Will Rock You," the Yankee Stadium has been the citadel of sport. Where in one place could so many baseball icons display their rare talents with such regularity? Where could I have viewed the transformation of Yankee fans from the jacket and tie required cognoscenti of the 50s to today’s bleacher creatures. The public address announcer's chair has afforded me a virtual front row seat to Mickey Mantle’s s and Reggie Jackson's' towering home runs, Joe DiMaggio's final year of his brilliant career, the magic of Don Larsen's and David Cone's perfect games, 23 World Series & dozens of playoff contests, Roger Maris' 61st homer clouted under tremendous pressure from the press and the fans, the nimble play of Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Richardson, Elston Howard, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles & Scott Brosius, the crackling sliders of Whitey Ford & Sparky Lyle, the dazzling sinkers of Mel Stottlemyre, the sublime fastballs of Ron Guidry, Rich Gossage, & Mariano Rivera, the determined perseverance of Yogi Berra, Gil McDougald, Lou Pinella & Paul O’Neill, the steady leadership of Thurman Munson & Don Mattingly, and the recent sheer pleasure of watching Derek Jeter blossom from raw rookie into classic Yankee champion. And what other chair could have given me the opportunity to observe the strategic and individual brilliance of Casey Stengel, George Weiss, Ralph Houk, Lee MacPhail, Gabe Paul, Billy Martin, Gene Michael, and Joe Torre?
From my cat-bird seats, first in the loge along the third base line and now from the press box behind home plate, I've witnessed the Stadium go from brown & green to white & blue and now to brand new. Bounties of treasured events and memories have sprung forth from this grand cathedral for me and for several generations of Yankee fans. I extend my thanks and gratitude to Yankee owners Dan Topping & Del Webb, CBS & Mike Burke, and George Steinbrenner for allowing me this opportunity.

As author Harvey Frommer, in these pages, brings the Yankee Stadium past back to us in its full and vivid glory, I'll reflect upon my privileged past and present herein: I wish to be remembered as an announcer who carried the dignity and the style of the Yankee organization and tradition of this magnificent Stadium through the spoken word. My clear-concise-correct point-of-view has never allowed me to be a barker, a rooter, a screamer or a cheerleader. I've always aspired to be in harmony with the Yankee gestalt.

Not a bad aspiration and accomplishment for a professor of public speech who arrived at the Yankee Stadium as a New York baseball Giants' fan!

My greatest wish is that the new Yankee Stadium brings yet another four score and five years of cherished and exciting memories to new generations of Yankee fans.

Bob Sheppard added a grace, an intelligence, an elegance to the New York Yankee experience. He was one of a kind.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK, an oral and narrative history, will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.===

The Book Review: “The First Fall Classic,” Heroes & Ballyhoo,” Ron Darling’s “The Complete Game” and more . . .

The economy is bad. The complaints abound that book publishing is in trouble. All kinds of other media seems to be parading to center stage. With all of this, sports books of all kinds - - historical, autobiographical, anaylitical, inspirational - -keep on coming. And for the most part, we are all the better for it.

“The First Fall Classic” by Mike Vaccaro (Doubleday, $26.95, 290 pages) was of special interest to me having just completed my REMEMBERING (or CELEBRATING, title is still being discussed) FENWAY PARK due out in 2010 and having devoted a segment of it to the 1912 World Series between the Red Sox and NY Giants. My mission was not to go into depth on that landmark series, but we are fortunate that it was the mission of NY Post sports columnist Vaccaro. We are there with John J. McGraw, Christy mathewson, Tris Speaker, Smoky Joe Wood and the others in a riveting read. If you like careful research and old time baseball, go for “The First Fall Classic”

Spaking of old time sports, another winner is “Heroes and Ballyhoo” by Michael K. Bohn (Potomac, $27.50, 320 pages). I read the book before it was a book and praised it thusly with these words which now appear on the back cover. “Hype, hoopla, and histrionics characterized American sports in the 1920s, as well as all kinds of talented and unusual characters. Michael Bohn’s “Heroes and Ballyhoo” is a treatise, a tribute and a tip of the cap to that special time. Carefully researched and written, this book belongs on your sports bookshelf.”

Bill James iis still out there cranking out a lot of the same stuff he has been giving us for many years now – his “Handbook,” 2010 edition (Acta, $23.95, 514 paperback pages) is a niagara of baseball nuggets.

Ron Darling’s “The Complete Game,” Knopf, $24.95, 272 pages) is part memoir, part rumination on the rigors and rewards of pitching, part self indulgent “and then I did that…” If you are a fan of the NY Mets and /or Darling you will enoy the “The Complete Game,” completely. For others, the book is highly optional

“Heart of the Game” by S. L. Price (Ecco, $24.99, 306 pages) traces the lives of two minor leaguers in a heart breaking account of hope and disappointment, pain and prevailing, resiliency and reward. Thr book’s sub-title is “Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America” and it all about that. Price has created a very worthy read.

For all the Andre Agassi fans out there and they add up to a multitude – “OPEN” by the tennis legend (Knopf, $27.95, 386 pages) is an ace! Front stage, back stage, on the court and off the court, “OPEN” is all we would expect from the outspoken, thoughtful, talented crowd pleaser. There is gossip and there is game; there is the very young Agassi (a heart wrenching childhood) and the older Agassi like Frank Sinatra replaying romantic get togethers. No one is spared in the book, least of all its author, and we are all the better for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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FROMMERSPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer’s newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.

The Harvey Frommer Sports Book Review

　
"A Game Plan for Life" by John Wooden (Bloomsbury, $25.00, 208 pages) is all about as its sub-title proclaims the power of mentoring. Nearing 100 at his next birthday, the the famed former UCLA basketball coach, the Wizard of Westwood, serves up three pointers with a special focus on seven figures who helped shape his outlook on sports and life. If you are into Wooden and life lessons from a long lifer, this is for you.

"The Wizard of Waxahachie" by Warren Corbett (SMU Press, $24.95, 428 pages) evokes the life and times of Texan Paul Richards and his world of baseball in the fifties through the seventies. The first manager to track on-base percentage, the first to monitor pitch counts, Richards also invented the giant mitt for catchers of knuckeballs. Fascinating read. "The Wizard of Waxahachie" now has to stand as the definitive book on the subject.

"The Catch" by Gary Myers, (Crown $26.00) is all about the fabled moment in NFL history when quarterback Joe Montana threw the TD pass to Dwight Clark and all of San Francisco rejoiced. It is a book about that team but also about the team "the catch" defeated, the Dallas Cowboys. Myers has outdone himself in this breathtaking account that focuses on much more than a single catch. It is filled with compelling stories that take us into the inner workings of NFL franchises. MUST READ for pro football fans.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
　

The Book Review: “100 Ranger Greats” and Other Worthies

Many sports books keep coming down the pike, some worthy, some not so worthy, all with some interest to both the casual fan and also to the serious sports maven. A recent crop of sports tomes has much merit.

Leading off the list is “100 Ranger Greats” (Wiley, $34.95, 240 pages) by the trio of Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider. Cohen, a die-hard hockey fan and a toomler in the world of sports on XM Satellite radio, his Internet sites, and a regular contributor to NHL.com and “Goalie news” magazine. This track record stood him and the others well.

One might quibble about some of the choices and their order of selection in “100 Ranger Greats”. But one cannot quibble about the excellence of photography, layout and writing and research that went into this terrific, over-sized tome. If you are a fan of the NY Rangers – go for this coffee table delight that features superstars, unsung heroes and colorful characters.

“Shooting Stars” by Lebron James and Buzz Bissinger (Penguin, $26.95, 352 pages) is getting all kinds of media play and deservedly so. And if you think you have been over-exposed to the Cleveland Cavs legend - -there is more to know and learn in the pages of this carefully crafted book that goes back (not so many years ago) to the high school years and Lebron’s movement from boyhood to manhood. The leader of tough, gritty kids from Akron, James back then melded them into a “band of brothers” on and off the basketball court.

“Our Boys” by Joe Drape (Times Books, Henry Holt, $25.00, 266 pages) is a kind of echo of “Shooting Stars” dealing as it does with adolescent athletes – this time with the football team in Smith center, Kansas, winner of 67 games in a row, the nation’s longest high school winning streak. It is a wonderful read, painting as it does, a portrait of the Redmen team and coach Barta and his staff and the town that stood up for its young men.

INSPIRATIONAL “The Original Curse” `by Sean Deveney ( McGraw-Hill, $24.95, 242 pages) is old news made new again under the skillful researching and writing of the “Sporting News” reporter. Set in the war year of 1918, focused on the Red Sox of Babe Ruth and the Chicago Cubs and the World Series and the corruption and gambling of the time – this is a page turner.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

NY Yankees ’27 World Champions

A lot of hype and hoopla surrounds the 2009 World Series especially as it swirls around the Yankees of New York - - an odds on favorite to win it all.

Win or lose it - - the Yankees of 2009 are no way the powerhouse the Yankees of 1927 were.
What happened before the World Series of 1927 would provide a source of controversy through the ages. The Waner brothers, Lloyd, “Big Poison” and Paul, “Little Poison,” sent up their baseball cards to Babe Ruth who was at ease in a manner of speaking in his room in a hotel in Pittsburgh.
"Why, they're just kids," he said, "if I was that little, I'd be afraid of getting hurt."

That was the first year the Waners played together in the Pirate outfield. “That was a great thrill for us,” Paul recalled. “We even brought Mother and Dad and our sister to the World Series.

"We won before it even got started,” Babe Ruth wrote later. “The first two games were scheduled for Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. Naturally we showed up a day early and worked out in the strange park.”

The Pirates,” Ruth recalled,” had their workout just before we went out onto the field. We came out from the clubhouse. Most of the Pirates had dressed and were sitting in the stands to watch us go through practice.”

Earl Combs hit a shot into the centerfield stands. Mark Koenig hit a ball off the right field wall and one off the left field barrier. Then it was Babe Ruth’s turn.

“The first ball I hit over the roof of the right field grandstand,” the Bammer said. “I put another one into the lower tier. Then I got hold of one and laid it into the centerfield bleachers.”

"We really put on a show,” Ruth said. “Lou and I banged ball after ball into the right field stands. Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri kept hammering balls into the left field seats.”

All of the games of the 1927 World Series were scheduled for 1:30 P.M starts except for 2 P.M for a Sunday game. Prices for seats for all games were six dollars, five dollars, three dollars and one dollar. Four umpires were assigned.

GAME ONE
Outside of Forbes Field scalpers asked $25 a ticket, a price that was considered extreme gouging, which it was. The price for a World Series program featuring Miller Huggins and Pittsburgh manager Owen J. Bush on its cover, sold for 25 cents.

The pitching match up was Yankee right-handed ace Waite Hoyt against the big horse of the all right-handed Pirate staff, Ray Kremer, National League ERA leader who had won 19 of 27 decisions. The sloppy, herky-jerky game played in two hours and four minutes finally ended Yankees 5, Pirates 4.

Grantland Rice in the New York Herald-Tribune wrote: "It was scramble and rush and hullabaloo and stampede to look upon a gaudy spectacle which turned out to be one of the dullest games of the year. If Pittsburgh couldn't beat the Yankees today, it may be a tough job later on."
Babe Ruth shouted: “Well, it won’t be long now boys. It won’t be long now.”

GAME II
Miller Huggins, a gambler, a hunch player, a manager with six starting pitchers available to him - tabbed George Pipgras, the big guy from Minnesota, as a surprise starter for the second game of the series Thursday, October 6th, still using the old, greasy glove, the one that had stood him in good stead in minor league stops at Atlanta, St. Paul, Charleston, and more, Pipgras took the mound against the Pirates.

Vic Aldridge, in his eighth major league season, a 15-game winner, took the mound for Pittsburgh.
Festive Forbes Field became boo city in the late innings. Jeers and catcalls rained down from unhappy Buc rooters. Others simply expressed their displeasure with the home team’s ineffectiveness by exiting the ball park. The Bucs lost, 6-2.

“I was fast that day,” Pipgras recalled. “I didn’t throw but three curves. They kept coming up there looking for the curve but never got it.”

It was called “The World’s Dullest World Series after just two games!” in a New York Herald-Tribune headline.

GAME III

On Friday October 7, lines for bleacher seats were up and running at 5 A.M. - five hours before the gates of Yankee Stadium were scheduled to open.

There were 60,695 on hand, “the biggest money crowd in the history of the title series,” in James R Harrison’s phrase in The New York Times. There was also the biggest gate ever to that point in time for a World Series game - $209,665. Southpaw Herb Pennock, called “the aristocrat of baseball” by writer Will Wedge, was unbeaten in four World Series decisions.

The Yankees scored in the first inning off Buc right-hander, bespectacled Lee Meadows. Gehrig poked the ball to the running track in left center field scoring Combs and Koenig both of whom had singled.

The Squire Pennock set down Pittsburgh batter after batter. The Bucs were hitless through the seventh inning, an inning when the Yankees put the game away by scoring six times. The highlight of the Yankee big inning came when Mike Cvengros, a surname according to Grantland Rice “that you said with a sneeze,” relieved Meadows.

A three run shot, Ruth’s first home run of the world series, pushed the Yankee lead to 8-0. It triggered wild cheers for the Colossus of Clout as he made his way around the bases behind Combs and Koenig.

The screams of one fan captured the moment: “Take off those Pirates uniforms,” he bellowed, “we know you’re the St. Louis Browns.” The Yankees surely manhandled the Bucs like they treated the Browns. Maybe Worse.

The 8-1 romp placed the Yankees one win away from becoming the first American League team to sweep a World Series.

Game IV
Saturday October 8th was damp, cloudy like the spirits of the Pirates. Rain in the morning would hold the announced Yankee Stadium attendance down to 57,909.

In the fifth inning, Ruth's second home run of the Series scored Earle Combs. The Yanks led 3-1. The Ruthian blast, according to James Harrison in The Times: “climbed uphill, while 60,000 shrieked in ecstasy and turned their eyes on the right field bleachers.

Desperate, the Pirates, fought back. They tied the score in the seventh. However, that was as far as they got. The Yankees, as everyone seemed to know they would, won the game.

Outside the Stadium about 3,000 Babe Ruth admirers waited patiently. Many policemen kept them company, at the ready to ease the Yankee icon to his car, parked on 157th Street.

The 1927 World Series, quickest ever played, lasted only 74 hours and 15 minutes and was just the second four game sweep in World Series history, the Braves over Athletics in 1914 was the first.

The Pittsburgh offense was held to a .223 average. Yankee pitchers combined for an incredible earned run average of only 2.00. Outscoring the Pirates 23-10, the men of Murderer’s Row trailed a total of only two innings during the entire series. The Yankees used only 15 different players, just four pitchers. The New York Times declared on October 12th that it had no argument with those “who assert that these Yankees are the greatest team in more than 50 years of baseball history. George Herman Ruth once again demonstrated that he is the superman of the game. . .

(Dodger manager) Uncle Wilbert Robinson put it, 'That guy ought to be allowed to play only every other day.’”

The Yankees were the toast of the town, the champions, not only the best team in baseball in 1927, but they had strong bragging rights now to the mantle of the best baseball team of all time.
It was, as Waite Hoyt said, great to be young and to be a Yankee.

“Soldier Field” and “The Machine”

The words on the back cover are mine:
“Soldier Field is a true page-turner. Liam T.A. Ford covers all the bases in this in-depth narrative on the history of one of America’s landmark sports stadiums.”

I wrote those words after reading the manuscript and now there is this beautiful and carefully created book: “Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City (The University of Chicago Press, $30.00, 364 pages).

Not the mistake by the lake but an historic cathedral of sports, Soldier Field in its time has hosted so many events – sports and otherwise, that it is part of the fabric of the windy city. Not just the home of the Chicago Bears, but also a place of high drama for some and low moments for others, the story of Chicago’s stadium makes for terrific reading.

Way back at the beginning of my sports writing career I was there as a cub reporter in Chicago straight out of college writing for United Press International. I was struck by Soldier Field then and re-lived that time reading the pages of Ford’s masterwork. Highly recommended.

The words on the back cover are mine:
“One of the most original and winning baseball books in recent years.”
I wrote that about Joe Posnanski and his book “The Soul of Baseball.”

Now there is Joe Posnanski’s “The Machine” (Morrow, $25.99, 302 pages). It is an up close and in depth treatment of the Big Red Machine, the 1975 World Series - - Cincy Reds vs. Boston Red Sox. It makes for just delightful reading as one comes into close contact with the Pete Roses, Joe Morgans, George Fosters, the Sparky Andersons and the rest of that special collection of characters. If you don’t have the time for the book now, buy it, and keep it for hot stove reading – you are going to love it and the way Posnanski writes.

“Satchel” by Larry Tye (Random House, $26.00,392 pages) is a well researched and intelligently assembled evocation of the life and times of Leroy “Satchel” Paige, one of the most colorful and talented pitchers in baseball history.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Collision Course: Red Sox versus Yankees

It has been said that those who forget the past will somehow always be re-living it, or words to that effect. Here we are in 2009 - and it's 1978 all over again on the playing field of baseball's greatest rivalry - -without some of the old time sizzle.

In 1976, the New York Yankees finished the season with a 97-62 record and won the American League East title. The Red Sox of Boston finished in third place, 15 ½ games behind. In 1977, the Yankees won 100 of the 162 games they played and repeated as division title winners. Boston won 97 games and tied for second place with Baltimore. Both teams trailed the Yankees by 2 ½ games.

It was during these two seasons that more and more Yankee fans began to sport "Red Sox Suck" tee shirts. And it was during this time that Yankee principal owner George Steinbrenner kept wheeling and dealing, embellishing the Yankee image, his team's skills and the Red Sox failings.
The start of the 1978 season gave Boston fans hope. Over the winter the team engineered several key moves to strengthen itself. Mike Torrez, winner of two World Series games for the Yankees in 1977, was signed as a free agent. Dennis Eckersley, just 23, was acquired from the Cleveland Indians. It was felt that the combination of the veteran Torrez and the youthful Eckersley would shore up Sox pitching. Another key Boston acquisition was Jerry Remy, a sure-handed speedy second baseman obtained from the California Angels. Remy's promise was added speed on the base path and an effective contact hitter near the top of the Boston batting order.

With Remy at second base and Rick Burleson at shortstop, Boston fans felt their team had a double-play combination to rival if not surpass the Yankee tandem of Bucky Dent and Willie Randolph. George Scott, the Sox first baseman, had recorded 33 homers in 1977 -- almost twice the total of Yankee first baseman Chris Chambliss. Slugging Butch Hobson was a fixture at third base. Nettles of New York was peerless with a glove, but Sox fans argued that Hobson outmatched the Yankee third baseman when it came to hitting. Hobson had rapped 30 homers and driven in 112 run in 1977.

Both teams boasted top-flight catchers. Most baseball experts rated Boston's Carlton Fisk and New York's Thurman Munson among the two best backstops in all of baseball.

Both teams had powerful clutch-hitting outfielders, capable of making crucial defensive plays. Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans, and Fred Lynn would be Boston's picket line, augmented by perhaps the best potential designated hitter in all of baseball -Jim Rice. The Yankees had steady Roy White, flamboyant Mickey Rivers, and dramatic Reggie Jackson, buttressed by Paul Blair, Lou Piniella, and, if needed, Cliff Johnson.

If there was a difference, it was in pitching. Over the winter George Steinbrenner had signed Rich Gossage, Rawly Eastwick, and Andy Messersmith. This trio joined Catfish Hunter, Don Gullett, Sparky Lyle, and Ed Figueroa, Ken Holtzman, Dick Tidrow, and Ron Guidry (16-7 in 1977 and getting better, much better).

Against this array of all types of pitching talent, Boston had its Latin duo of Luis Tiant and Mike Torrez, Eckersley, Bill Lee, and Bob Stanley. Bill Campbell had saved 31 games in 1977, and it was felt that he could repeat that performance in 1978.

Seven straight wins at Fenway Park launched Boston on a fine start as the season got underway. By May 18th, the Yankees (19-13) trailed the second-place Sox (23-12) who were a half-game behind the surprising first-place Detroit Tigers. On May 24th, the Sox moved into sole possession of first place. They would remain there for 113 days, to the delight of their adoring and rabid fans.
At the All-Star break, powered by a combination of good pitching and power hitting, Boston had a record of 57 wins against just 26 losses $F6 a .687 winning percentage, the best in baseball. More enjoyable to some Red Sox fans was the record of the New York Yankees. The hated rivals were mired in third place, way back off the pace.

"George came into the clubhouse one day," Reggie Jackson recalled, "and said 'I'm going to back up the truck and get rid of all you guys, everybody, if we don't get it turned around.' It was an unbelievable tirade. Whether that motivated us or not, I don't know. I think it made us mad. George yelled at us. Told us we were terrible, that he was going to break up the club and nobody was above being traded."

Emanating daily from New York was news of controversy, sore-armed pitchers, bruised infielders, battered egos, unhappy coaches. In Boston, for a change, there was relative harmony.
On July 18th, the Sox stretched their lead over the Yanks to 14 games. "Even Affirmed couldn't catch the Red Sox now," snapped Reggie Jackson, referring to the horse that had won the 1978 Triple Crown.

Affirmed is long gone and so are the motor mouthings of Reggie Jackson. And this last weekend of September 2009 on a collision course the Yankees of New York and the Red Sox of Boston meet at Yankee Stadium - - a lot is on the line.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Lou Gehrig (From the Vault)

“I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

With Derek Jeter a lock to pass the all-time Yankee hit mark set by Lou Gehrig and reams and reams of copy having been devoted to the chase, what the great first baseman was like and what he did in his career is worth recalling.

They called him “Larrupin Lou,” “Iron Horse,” “Biscuit Pants,” “Columbia Lou,” “Buster.” Whatever they called him – he was “The Pride of the Yankees.”

Born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig II on June 19, 1903 in New York City to poor German immigrants, he was the only one of four children to survive infancy.

Labeled "the Babe Ruth of the schoolyards" after hitting a tremendous grand slam ninth inning home run over the right field fence for his Commerce High School team in a special "national championship" game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Gehrig went on to star at Columbia University.

"I did not go there to look at Gehrig,” Yankee scout Paul Krichell said.” I did not even know what position he played, but he played in the outfield against Rutgers and socked a couple of balls a mile. I sat up and took notice. I saw a tremendous youth, with powerful arms and terrific legs. I said, here is a kid who can't miss."

Despite his mother's protestations, Gehrig signed with the Yankees for a $1,500 bonus. After brief minor league stints in 1923 and 1924; Gehrig came to stay with the Yankees in 1925 batting .295 in 126 games, his first full season. When Lou Gehrig stepped into the batter's box as a pinch hitter on June 1, 1925 for shortstop Pee Wee Wanninger, it began a string of 15 seasons of Yankee box scores with the name Gehrig always in the line-up.

In 1927, his second full season with the Yankees, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the American League. His .363 average in 1934 gave him the batting championship. There were 13 straight seasons of 100 RBIs, seven seasons of more than 150 RBIs. His power came from his big shoulders, broad back and powerful thighs.

A two time MVP, a three time home run king, a five time RBI champ, Gehrig led the American League in batting average just once - with a .363 average in 1934 when he became the first Yankee to win the Triple Crown. Three times, however, he batted higher than .363 contributing to his .340 career batting average.

Among his records are: 184 RBI in 1931, an American League record, 23 career grand slams, a Major League record. On June 3, 1932, he became the first modern day player to hit four home runs in a game. In his 13 full seasons, Gehrig averaged 147 runs batted in. He hammered 493 career home runs - 73 were three-run homers, 166 were two-run homers. Gehrig homered once every 16.2 at bats. His home run to hit ratio was one to 5.51.

There are estimates that he earned $361,500 in salary from the Yankees. Playing in seven World Series pushed the total income above $400,000. Gehrig received $3,750 in his first season, $6,500 in his second year. This advanced $1,000 in 1927. For the next five years he received $25,000 and then he dropped to $23,000 for 1933 and 1934, after which he received $31,000 in 1935 and 1936, $36,750 in 1937, $39,000 in 1938 and $35,000 for 1939, a season when he played only eight games. Late in his career, Gehrig's hands were x-rayed and doctors spotted 17 fractures that had "healed" while he continued to play. He was worth every penny as he was a major part of seven pennant winners and six world champions.

On May 2, 1939, Wally Pipp whose place Gehrig had taken those long years ago, traveled from his home in Michigan to watch a Tigers-Yankees game. What he saw was that Gehrig, the highest paid player in all of baseball, had taken himself out of the lineup and was at home plate, a presenter of the lineup card to the umpires.

The great Gehrig would languish a while like a bowed oak, still the captain, still the Pride of the Yankees, still the bringer of the lineup card out to umpires before each game.

On June 19, 1939, in another bitter irony, the day of his 36th birthday, Lou Gehrig left the Mayo Clinic with a sealed envelope. “Mr. Gehrig is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This type of illness involves the motor pathways and cells of the central nervous system and in lay terms is known as a form of infantile paralysis. The nature of this trouble makes it such that Mr. Gehrig will be unable to continue his active participation as a baseball player.”

In December 1939, the Baseball Hall of Fame waived the mandatory five year waiting period for Lou Gehrig. On June 2, 1941, exactly 16 years to the day that he replaced Wally Pipp at first base, Gehrig passed away. On the Fourth of July 1941, a monument was erected in centerfield at Yankee Stadium:

HENRY LOUIS GEHRIG
June 19, 1903 –June 2, 1941. A MAN, A GENTLEMAN, AND A GREAT BALLPLAYER WHISE AMAZING RECORD OF 2,130 CONSECUTIVE GAMES SHOULD STAND FOR ALL TIME. THIS MEMORIAL IS A TRIBUTE FROM THE YANKEE PLAYERS TO THEIR BELOVED CAPTAIN AND TEAMMATE.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

From New York Yankee September Pasts

Whenever the month of September comes around,
thoughts turn to BUCKY DENT'S HOME RUN – October 2, 1978 and

THE BOSTON MASSACRE, September 7, 1978. But there have been

other marker moments that linger in memory. Herewith, a few . . .

SAM JONES, NO HITTER, SEPTEMBER 4, 1923
His major league career began with the Cleveland Indians in 1914, continued with the Red Sox from 1916-21, with the Yankees (1922-26), the Browns (1927), the Senators (1928-31), and the White Sox (1932-35). Twice a 20-game winner, Samuel Pond Jones won 229 games and lost 217 in 22 seasons pitching in the American League.
A stylish right-hander, one of the first major leaguers to wear eyeglasses on the field, Jones had his ups and downs. Like most pitchers of his time, he relieved and started. His eight saves in 1922 were tops in the league.. In 1923, he won 21 games, but lost a league-high 21 in 1925 as the Yanks dropped to seventh place
Jones won 67 games as a Yankee in five seasons. No game was more dramatic for him than his September 4, 1923 no-hitter, a 2-0 gem against the Athletics. It capped his career year, a time he was the Yankee ace, hurling New York to its first World Championship.

JIM ABBOTT NO HITTER, September 4, 1993
The Yankees traded for him on December 6, 1992. He was born without a right hand, but he persevered, more than persevered. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Jim Abbott carried the United States flag during the opening ceremonies at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis and pitched for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. In 1989, he went directly from the University of Michigan to the Angels' starting rotation. A solidly built southpaw, the intense Abbott won a dozen games and posted a 3.92 ERA in his rookie season. On the mound, he wore a right-hander's fielder's glove over the stump at the end of his right arm. After delivering a pitch and when completing his follow-through, he adroitly switched the glove to his left hand to be in a position to handle any balls batted back to him.
In 1991 he looked like one of the best young left-handers in the game after winning 18 games for the Angels while posting a 2.89 ERA. The Yankees traded their best prospect first baseman J.T. Snow and pitchers Russ Spring and Jerry Nielsen to California for Abbott. The media spotlight in New York City seemed to be on him daily. Abbott said he wanted to be like Nolan Ryan and not like Pete Gray, the one handed pitcher.
With the Yankees, Abbott had his ups and downs in two seasons in the Bronx. His record was 20-22. But he did have one especially shining moment. It came just six days after he had been touched for ten hits and seven runs in only three and a third innings against Cleveland. Facing Cleveland again, in the in the heat of the pennant race, Abbott tossed a 4-0 no-hitter against the Indians. “I remember it was a cloudy day. A day game, the kind of game I like to throw."

CAL RIPKEN: LAST YANKEE STADIUM GAME, SEPTEMBER 30, 2001
The day was drizzly and cold. The Yankees played against the Orioles for 15 innings, and the game was called finally because of rain. There were 55,351 fans around at the start and much less at the finish.
Many in the crowd had come out to see Cal Ripken, Jr. in his 126th game at Yankee Stadium, the most by an opposing player. His first game there was June 18, 1982.
There was an orange No. 8 painted on third base, as well as the Orioles' on-deck circle. Ripken was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch to Derek Jeter. Gifts presented to Ripken included a sterling silver press pin from Don Mattingly, a watch, an enlarged and framed copy of the commemorative ticket each fan was given reading “Farewell Cal Ripken.'' Black-and-white pictures of Ripken and Gehrig were on the tickets.
Ripken's pregame speech near home plate was staged near where Lou Gehrig, dying, said goodbye. “I know there will be many things that I'll miss about baseball, but coming to New York and playing in Yankee Stadium will always be at the top….
"I remember Graig Nettles making diving catches. I remember Louisiana Lightning I didn't like facing him that much. . . Willie Randolph and Dave Winfield. One of my all-time favorites at first base, Don Mattingly. It's really been a great run," Ripken said. "Let's get to the game."
The game was in Ripken’s words: “Eerie. The weather, the gray sky, the wind, the rain. I was punched out four times and went 0-for-7, but I still had a lot of fun competing."

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

New York Yankees QUIZ (Part I)

Love them or hate them - the Yankees are always in the news, always on the minds of baseball fans. They get the "ink" they deserve for being the most dynamic and depending on your point of view - at times - the most detested franchise in the history of baseball. See how much you know about the Bronx Bombers - -take the Yankee quiz. (no peeking)==========================================

1. What number did Don Mattingly wear when he first came up to the Yankees?
A. 16 B. 26 C. 36 D 46

2. Who caught Dave Righetti's no-hitter on July 4, 1983?
A. Butch Wynegar B. Cliff Johnson C. Yogi Berra

3. Name the four managers who have piloted both the Yankees and the New York Mets

4. In 1977, who nick-named Reggie Jackson "Mr. October"?
A. Willie Randolph B. Thurman Munson C. Goose Gossage D. Mickey Rivers

5. Who hit two homers in one inning in 1977.
A. Cliff Johnson B. Greg Nettles C. Reggie Jackson D. Chris Chambliss

6. Name the player Derek Jeter replaced in 1996 to become the regular shortstop.
A. Andy Fox B. Pat Kelly C. Alvaro Espinoza D. Tony Fernandez

7. What former Yankee was the first pitching coach for the New York Mets in 1962?
A. Joe Page B. Red Ruffing C. Vic Raschi D Johnny Sain

8. Who was nick-named Bulldog?
A. Jim Bouton B. Ron Guidry C. Joe Page D. Monte Pearson

9. Who pitched the first no-hitter in history against the Yankees?
A. George Foster B. Cy Young C. Bob Feller D. Hoyt Wilhelm

10 Who caught Dave Righetti's no-hitter on July 4, 1983?

11. Who caught Don Larsen's Perfect Game?

12. Who was the first major leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game?
a-Babe Ruth b-Lou Gehrig c-Mickey Mantle d- Tony Lazzeri

13. Who was the last batter Larsen faced in that perfect game?

14. Elston Howard was the first black player on the Yankees in 1955. Who was second?

15. What number was retired by both the Mets (1965) and Yankees (1966)?
a-18 b- 37 c-22 d-16.



===========
Answers (hold you left mouse button and drag it across the space below to see the answers)
(1) From 1982 to 1983 -- Don Mattingly's first two seasons with the Yankees, he wore #46, while appearing in only 98 games
(2) A
(3) Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel,Joe Torre Dallas Green
(4) B
(5) A
(6) D
(7) B
(8) A
(9) B
(10) Butch Wynegar.
(11) Yogi Berra
(12) D
(13) Dale Mitchell
(14) Harry Simpson 1957
(15) 37, Casey Stengel's number
====================
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball."
The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Babe Ruth Passes

Coming back to "the House That Ruth Built" for the final time on June 13, 1948 to have his uniform number 3 retired, to help celebrate the famed edifice's 25th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the 1923 Yankees, he was a sad shadow of his once vigorous self. Ruth wore his old uniform which was sizes too big for him. He mingled with his teammates from the 1923 team in the clubhouse. They played a two inning exhibition game against Yankees from other teams. The Babe looked on. The day was damp and rainy and somehow a camel's hair coat wound up over his shoulders.
The "Voice of the Yankees" Mel Allen introduced each of his 1923 teammates. Yankee Stadium was filled with applause and cheers. Then Allen introduced Babe Ruth. The ovation rocked the Stadium.

The camel's hair coat was doffed. Using a bat that he had borrowed from Bob Feller as a makeshift cane, he shuffled out slowly to home plate to a thunderous ovation and the sounds of the crowd of 49,647 singing "Auld Lang Syne." The Babe mentioned how proud he was to have hit the first homer in Yankee Stadium and said: "...lord knows who'll hit the last."

"Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen," the Big Bam spoke in a raspy voice. "You know how bad my voice sounds. Well, it feels just as bad. You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys. And after you've been a boy, and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in our national pastime."
Afterwards in the locker room with all the ceremonies completed, Joe Dugan poured a beer for the Babe.

"So, how are you?" his old buddy asked.
"Joe, I'm gone," the Babe said. And he started to cry.

All the years of smoking, chewing tobacco, dipping snuff, abusing his body finally caught up to him. Surgery and radiation treatments had done little to help him. When he had been released from the hospital on February 15, 1947, his wife Claire and his doctors did not reveal the fatal diagnosis of throat cancer to him.

Later that day back in the hospital the most famous personage in all the history of the national pastime, Babe Ruth tried to keep his sunny side up signing autographs and watching baseball on TV. Just some of the hundreds of letters that were sent to him each day were read to him by his wife. Visitors came. Visitors went. At 8:01 P.M., on August 16, 1948, after a two year battle, the Babe passed away in his sleep at age 53.

More than 200,000 over two days paid their final respects as he lay in state at Yankee Stadium. August 19th was one of those sweltering, humid New York City summer days. The funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral where Francis Cardinal Spellman celebrated requiem mass before a packed house. The Babe was always a draw. Ruth's old teammates were pallbearers. In the streets, along Fifth Avenue and the funeral route tens of thousands lined up to say good bye to the man who had been Yankee baseball.

Waite Hoyt told Joe Dugan: "I'd give a hundred dollars for a cold beer."
"So would the Babe," Hoyt said.

The man many consider the greatest player in the history of baseball was laid to rest in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York, just about a half an hour from Yankee Stadium.
His tombstone reads: "May the Divine Spirit that motivated Babe Ruth to win the crucial game of life inspire the youth of America."

The Babe's gravesite is the most visited one of all baseball players and is always a place of notes and gifts and wishes from people from all over the world.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (from the vault) THE HARMONICA INCIDENT:

AUGUST 20,1964 (Flashback)

Despite a string of four straight pennants, the Bronx Bombers were a bust throughout much of the 1964 season. Yogi Berra had succeeded Ralph Houk as skipper; there were reports that he got more laughs than lauds from his players. It was getting to be late August ; the Yankees were in third place behind Baltimore and Chicago. The Yankees were on the team bus heading to O'Hare Airport, losers of four straight to the White Sox, winless in 10 of their last 15 games.

A 5-0 shutout at the hands of Chicago's John Buzhardt had totally demoralized them. Phil Linz, #34, reserve infielder, a career .235 hitter was a tough, aggressive player who loved being a Yankee. But he was regarded by some to be un-Yankeelike along with teammates Joe Pepitone and Jim Bouton. "I sat in the back of the bus," Linz recalled. The bus was stuck in heavy traffic.

It was a sticky humid Chicago summer day. "I was bored. I pulled out my harmonica. I had the Learner's Sheet for 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' So I started fiddling. You blow in. You blow out."An angry Berra snapped from the front of the bus: "Knock it off!" But Linz barely heard him. When asked what their manager had said, Mickey Mantle said, "Play it louder." Linz played louder. Berra stormed to the back of the bus and told Linz to "shove that thing." "I told Yogi that I didn't lose that game," Linz related." Berra smacked the harmonica out of Linz's hands. The harmonica flew into Joe Pepitone's knee and Pepitone jokingly winced in pain.

Soon the entire bus -- except for Berra -- was in stitches.

Another version has it that Linz flipped the harmonica at the angered Berra and screamed: "What are you getting on me for? I give a hundred per cent. Why don't you get on some of the guys who don't hustle?"Linz was fined $200 -- but as the story goes received $20,000 for an endorsement from a harmonica company. "The next day," Linz gives his version, "the Hohner Company called and I got a contract for $5,000 to endorse their harmonica. The whole thing became a big joke."Actually, the whole thing changed things around for the Yankees. The summer of 1964 was Linz's most productive season.

Injuries to Tony Kubek made the "supersub" a regular: Linz started the majority of the games down the stretch, and every World Series game at short.New respect for Yogi propelled the Yanks to a 22-6 record in September and a win in a close pennant race over the White Sox. A loss in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games cost Berra his job. But there were those who said he was on his way out the day of the "Harmonica Incident."

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball."

The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.

FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Redux - Red Sox Vs Yankees: the Great Rivalry:

You do remember Don Zimmer being thrown down by Pedro, A-Rod cursed, the chants of "1918" and worse.

This weekend they will be at it again.

It is perhaps the oldest and strongest rivalry in American sports history - the Yankees of New York versus the Red Sox of Boston. Part of the rivalry is the stark contrasts in the images of the two teams.

In Boston, they scream: "Yankees suck! Yankees suck! "

And even when the Yankees are not playing in Boston you can hear those words at Fenway during a Tampa Bay, Mets or a Baltimore game.

The New York Yankees are the most successful of all franchises in baseball history, in sports history. A club of leaders and legends: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez, Bill Dickey, Earle Combs, Joe McCarthy, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, Casey Stengel, Billy Martin, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter . . . .

Through the years winning has been as much a part of the ethos of the Yankees as the pinstriped uniforms, the monuments and plaques. It was once said: "Rooting for the New York Yankees is like rooting for General Motors."

For the Red Sox and its fans, winning at times has not seemed as important as beating the Yankees and then winning. For through the years, the success of the Sox has been measured against Yankee success.

Item: In 1925, the Yanks sought to trade a first baseman even up to the Red Sox for Phil Todt. Boston passed on the trade. The first baseman Lou Gehrig became one of the great players of all time. Todt batted .258 lifetime with 57 home runs.

Item: Since shipping Babe Ruth to the Big Apple, the Sawks have lost a Game Seven in the World Series, lost the flag in a playoff in 1948 and 1978. The Sox lost game 7 of the World Series four times since selling Ruth: 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986.

Item: During a time of Yankee glory from 1919-1945, the Red Sox never placed first in the eight-team American League, finishing an average of thirty games behind in the standings. They came in last nine times, and had five 100-plus-loss seasons.

The Yankee-Red Sox competition involves much more than a baseball team representing Boston against a baseball team representing New York. It is, in reality, a competition between the provincial capital of New England and the mega-municipality that is New York City: the different life-styles of the residents of those areas, the different accents they speak in. The contrasting symbols are like guideposts to their cities. It's the Charles River versus the East River, Boston Common compared with Central Park.

History, style, culture, pace, dreams, self-images, bragging rights - all are mixed in, mixed up with the rivalry in one way or another. And the fact that both teams have been in the American League since the beginning of the last century doesn't hurt the competition either.

The late Bill Crowley, former Boston public relations director, said: "Red Sox fans hate the Yankees desperately. The pinstripes, the hoopla, the glamour - it is something that is very deeply resented. And when they win - especially over us - you can cast a pall over the entire area."

Red Sox territory comprises 5 states - Massachusetts Vermont, Maine., New Hampshire, Rhode Island and half of Connecticut.

The Sox give away Western Connecticut to the Mets and the Yankees, and there are pockets of resistance in Providence, Rhode Island and Worcester, Massachusetts. Most of the pockets are Italian. The people there were fans of Yankee stars like Crosetti, Lazzeri, DiMaggio, Berra, Rizzuto. And they transmitted their feelings on to their sons and grandsons.

Boston and New York attendance figures have ballooned through Yankee-Sox encounters. Historically, thousands have taken flights or motored or trained or bussed it between Boston and New York. Some have gone for a single game; others have stayed for an entire series. There have been times when the national television networks have been outdrawn in the ratings by local stations broadcasting the games between the ancient rivals.

On the field , inside the white lines, the rivalry has been characterized by some of baseball's wildest moments.

In all my years of covering the New York Yankees," notes New York Daily News sportswriter Bill Madden, "I can hardly remember a game at Fenway Park that was a normal game. I'm sure there were some but it seems like they have been low scoring, tension filled, white knuckle games or these 10-9 barn burners where no lead was safe. Players will never admit it but the intensity level is up whenever the Yankees and Red Sox meet."

In the first game ever played at Fenway Park, on April 12, 1912, the Sox trimmed the Yankees, 7-6 in 11 innings. The game was finally played after it had been rained out for two straight days.
On August 12, 1934, what was then the largest crowd in Fenway Park history, assembled to see Red Sox versus Yankees up close, going at each other. They split a doubleheader and Babe Ruth played his last game in a Yankee uniform in the Boston ballpark where he had begun his professional career.

On August 7, 1956 as 36,350 watched as the Sox defeated the Yankees, 1-0, in 11 innings. Ted Williams walked with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run. "Terrible Ted" was so infuriated, some would say, pissed off, at not being given a chance to swing his bat that he sprayed Fenway Park with saliva.

Odd, awesome and unpredictable rallies have contributed to the zany and wild mood - just part of the atmosphere in meetings between the Yanks and Sox. New York had a six-run eleventh inning in 1970, a seven-run ninth inning in 1940, an eight run ninth inning in 1937, a ten-run fourth inning in 1915, an 11-run seventh inning in 1952, a 13-run fifth inning in 1945.

In 1954, the Red Sox were up 5-1 lead over the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader and lost. They were trailing 7-0 in the second game and won. The big Boston blow was a Jimmy Piersall home run off Johnny Sain.

On August 29, 1967, both clubs struggled through 19 innings until Boston went down to defeat in the 20th inning. The Yankees won the game, 4-3.

On September 19, 1981, Boston was able to pull out an,8-5, triumph with a seven run eighth inning rally.

Many still talk about the long summer of 1949 when the Yankees and the Red Sox battled for the pennant playing out their drama in jammed stadiums before rabid and enraptured fans. Each day was another time for the tension, the drama and the excitement to be recharged.

BoSox? Bombers?
Rivalry . . .
Let's get it on again!

-- Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.

Baseball Names - and How They Got That Way! Part XI

The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year - generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language. All have a history, a story. For those of you who liked Part I, Part II, Part III and all the others and wanted more, here is more.
As always, reactions and suggestions always welcome.

CHOO-CHOO COLEMAN A catcher for the New York Mets during their early struggling years, Coleman is a case in point of the fact that not all things can be traced back to their origins. Once during a television interview, Coleman was asked how he got his nickname. He responded, "I don't know." He followed this up some time later with another gem. Casey Stengel, a bit frustrated by the ineptitude of the Mets, decided to return to basics. He held up a baseball during a locker-room meeting and said, "This is a baseball." Coleman interrupted, "Wait, you're going too fast."

CLOWN PRINCE OF BASEBALL Al Schacht performed for only three seasons as a member of the Washington Senators (1919-21), but he still was able to make a mighty reputation on the baseball field. Schacht was a comic and his routines centered on the foibles and eccentricities of the National Pastime. It was said that nobody did it better, and that's why Schacht was dubbed the Clown Prince.

“THE COUNT" - Sparky Lyle, handlebar mustache and lordy ways contributed to his look and nickname.

CRAB, THE The middle man in the famed Tinker to Evers to Chance double-play combination, Johnny Evers was a pugnacious and combative ball player and manager. Admitted to the Hall of Fame in 1946, Evers had an 18-year playing career and managed for three other years. His ingoing personality and bench-jockeying ability gave him his nickname on merit.
Pitcher Jesse Burkett earned the name for his surly disposition and also the peculiar manner of his stride.

"CRIME DOG" Fred McGriff was given this name by ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, a play on McGruff, a cartoon dog developed for American police to raise children's awareness on crime prevention.

CROW, THE A fairly little man with a screechy voice, Frank Crosetti fit his nickname. He played shortstop for the New York Yankees for 17 years and then had a long stint as a coach with the team.

“CY” His full name was Denton True Young. His nickname was given to him by a young catcher helping to warm him up. The backstop reported that Young pitched as fast as a "cyclone." Reporters shortened the nickname to Cy.
Young was still in great pitching shape until he was 44 years old. He credited his daily chores and farm work for giving him strength.

CY THE SECOND Irving Melrose Young pitched for six years in the major leagues concurrently with Denton True Young—the storied "Cy" Young who won 508 games in his career. Irving Young only won 62, while losing 94, but the fact that he had the same last name and pitched at the same time as the great Cy Young earned Irving his nickname (see CY YOUNG AWARD).

CY THE THIRD In 1908, a year in which Cy Young won 21 games and compiled a 1.26 earned-run average, Harley E. Young made it to the major leagues. He pitched only 752 plus innings, losing three games and winning none. But because his last name and the time he played reminded fans of the great Cy Young, Harley was called Cy the Third.

CY YOUNG AWARD Baseball's award to the top pitcher in each league originated in 1956. The rationale was that pitchers were at a disadvantage in Most Valuable Player balloting. The award gets its name from the Hall of Famer who pitched for 22 years, winning more games than any other performer in baseball history (508). Young also started more games, completed more games, pitched more innings than any other pitcher in history. He is fourth on the all-time list in strikeouts and shutouts. His career accomplishments personified the value of a pitcher to a team and underlined the reason for naming the award for the top pitcher after him.

DAFFINESS BOYS Also known as Dem Brooklyn Bums, the 1926 Brooklyn Dodgers wrought havoc on friend and foe alike. The hotshot of the team was freeswinging, slump-shouldered Babe Herman, dubbed the Incredible Hoiman, who bragged that among his stupendous feats was stealing second base with the bases loaded. Once Herman was one of a troika of Dodger base runners who found themselves all on third base at the same time. A Dodger rookie turned to Brooklyn manager "Uncle" Wilbert Robinson on the bench. "You call that playing baseball?" "Uncle" Robbie responded, "Leave them alone. That's the first time they've been together all year."

DEM BUMS When the Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1957, they left the "bums" behind. A beloved nickname in Flatbush, Gowns, Bensonhurst, and Williamsburg, "Bums" was deemed not quite appropriate for the Dodgers of Los Angeles. The nickname originated during the Depression. There was an excitable Brooklyn fan who used to scratch and claw at the chicken wire screen behind home plate at Ebbets Field. One day he was moved to anger at what he perceived as the inadequacies of the home team. "Ya, bum, ya, yez, bums, yez!" he bellowed. From that moment on, "Bums" meant Brooklyn Dodgers. The term was pictorialized by such cartoonists as Willard Mullin, used in newspaper headlines and stories, and capitalized on by the Dodger organization in its image-making for the Brooklyn team.

DIZZY and DAFFY DEAN Perhaps the most famous of all brother acts in the history of sports was "Me and Paul," the dazzling Dean brothers of the St. Louis Cardinals. Jerome Hannah Dean, also known as Jay Hannah Dean and best known as Dizzy, and his kid brother Paul, also known as Daffy, beguiled National League batters in the 1930's and at times drove their own teammates to despair with their madcap antics.

The brothers were born in a rickety shack on a plot of Arkansas ground that their destitute sharecropper parents worked. Dizzy picked cotton for 50 cents a day, and although he later bragged that he learned how to pitch while attending Oklahoma State Teachers College, he only went as far as the second grade in school. In Dizzy, and to a lesser extent Paul, was the sadness and brashness of the American Depression experience. "Some of the things I seen in this here life," Dizzy recalled, "almost cause my ol' heart to bust right through my sweatshirt."

Dizzy grew to be a 6'2", slope-shouldered right hander, a little bigger than his younger brother. Both of them had arms and hands toughened and shaped by the cotton fields. "I never bothered what those guys could hit and couldn't hit," he said. "All I knowed is that they weren't gonna get a-holt of that ball ol' Diz was throwin'."

In 1934, Dizzy and Daffy won 49 games between them. Dizzy won 30—more than any Cardinal pitcher ever. In a doubleheader against Brooklyn, Diz one-hit the Dodgers in the first game and Paul no-hit them in the second game. "If I'd a knowed Paul was gonna do that," Diz said, "I'd a done the same."

Dizzy was actually the zanier brother. Paul went along with his antics and thus was labeled Daffy. Dizzy once wrapped himself in a blanket and made a fire in front of the Cardinal dugout on a day when the temperature was over 100 degrees. Dizzy once led Daffy and a couple of other Cardinals into a staid hotel and announced to the manager that he was under orders to redecorate the place. Armed with ladders, buckets of paint, and brushes, the baseball players proceeded to splash red paint with wild abandon all over the walls of the hotel lobby. Dizzy also once made more than a mild commotion when he told scouts and newspapermen that there was a third Dean "who was throwin' real good at Tulsa." When the tip was checked out, it turned out that the third Dean brother who was "throwing real good" was throwing bags of peanuts—he was a peanut vendor at the Tulsa ball park.
The Deans had bright but relatively brief careers.

Paul won 19 games in both 1934 and 1935 and then lapsed into a journeyman pitcher role, the victim of arm trouble. In the 1937 All-Star Game, Dizzy had a line shot off the bat of Earl Averill carom off his right foot. They found out later that his toe was broken. Diz pitched again and again during the 1937 season, but he was not what he was; the fluid, cotton picking pitching motion was gone. He finished the year with a 13-10 record, and in 1938 he was sent to the Cubs for two pitchers and $200,000. He won seven, lost one, and had an ERA of 1.81, but that was his last year of pitching effectiveness. They were Dizzy and Daffy, but in their time they beguiled baseball fans and intimidated National League hitters.

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Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." The prolific Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK (2010).
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.