Book Review: The Wizard of Waxahachie

 

The Wizard of Waxahachie
Paul Richards and the End of Baseball as We Knew It
 
by Warren Corbett
 
 
A Baseball Book Review
Monte Cely
(512) 310-9777
                                               
            Paul Richards was a Texas-born baseball man, a life-long resident of Waxahachie. In a career that spanned most of the 20th Century, Richards held almost all the baseball jobs to be had on the field and in the front office. 
 
            On the field, he was what we’d today call a “AAAA player” – enjoying much more success in the minors than in the majors. He did play for the Dodgers, Giants and A’s in the early to mid-1930s; and he got a second chance as a wartime replacement with the Tigers in the 1940s (he was a member of the 1945 World Champion Detroit team).
 
            But he was best known as a manager and executive both in the minors (Atlanta and Buffalo) and with struggling or new franchises in the majors (early ‘50s White Sox, late ‘50s Orioles, and expansion Houston). This book delves into his successes and problems as a manager and GM. Richards was one of the first to calculate and utilize the statistic that we now call on-base-percentage. He was an early adopter of pitch-counts and an early proponent of the five-man pitching rotation. He is credited with the invention of the jumbo catcher’s mitt for handling the knuckleball. Conversely, he clung to some outdated methods (such as advocating pulling teeth and removing tonsils to improve pitchers’ performance). His poor communication skills, coupled with a cold, stand-offish nature, were often criticized.    
 
            Richards’ interactions with baseball legends such as Connie Mack, Bill Veeck, and Judge Hofheinz make for interesting reading. The book delivers a balanced portrait of an innovative baseball man that was respected by many, despised by some, and loved by few. It’s a book that a Texas SABR member should enjoy. 
 
Here are the key statistics:
 
Book: The Wizard of Waxahachie
Author:  Warren Corbett
Author’s Credentials: Corbett’s work appears in SABR’s biography project and National Pastime. He has also contributed to the Diamond; Go-Go to Glory: the 1959 Chicago White Sox; and Lefty, Double-X, and the Kid: The 1939 Red Sox.
Published: 2009, SMU Press; ISBN: 978-0-87074-556-0                 
Length: 430 pages
Price: Retail list – $35.00;    Online – from $13.50 (used) + shipping.

July Meeting Summary

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter met for the 44th consecutive month on Saturday, July 24, at the Iowa Cubs-Round Rock Express extra-inning affair.

Sixteen members and guests watched the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano pitch two scoreless innings out of the bullpen and hit a single in his only at-bat. This was Zambrano’s second minor league "rehabilitation" appearance since his meltdown in the Cubs dugout last month.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Express tied up the game at 1-1. The teams exchanged runs in the 10th inning.

Brad Snyder of the Cubs hit a massive two-run home run to straightaway center over the green shed. Members surmised that the shot probably traveled some 450 feet. The Cubs held on to win in 13 innings, 4-2.

College Baseball and the College World Series

 

 

   1.

 

SOFTBALLS (1-8) – 1 POINT FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER

The same east coast team was runner-up in the first two College World Series (CWS), played in 1947-48.  Name that college that lost both series, and never returned to the CWS.

 

 

Yale
2. During the past 20 years, one team has won six CWS championships.  Name that team. LSU
3.

After leading his team to the NCAA championship, this college player was the first player drafted in the initial amateur draft in 1965.  Name the player and his college team.

 Rick Monday from Arizona State
 
4.

The 2010 opening day roster of the Houston Astros included five players who participated in the CWS during their college careers.  Name them

 Lance Berkman (Rice ’97), Geoff Blum (California ’92)  Jeff Keppinger (Georgia, ’01), Tommy Manzella (Tulane ’05), Jason Michaels (Miami, ’97-’98)
 
5. Name the coach with the most appearances in the CWS during his college coaching career.

Cliff Gustafson (UT – 17 appearances)

Others – Rod Dedeaux(USC 15), Mark Marquess(Stanford 14), Jim Brock (Ariz St. 13), Augie Garrido (CSF & UT 13), Mike Martin (Florida St. 13)
6. The NCAA record for HR in a season (48) and career HR (100) is held by this former Texas Ranger. Name him. Pete Incaviglia, Wichita St., hit 48 HR in ’85 and 100 HR in ’83-85.  He also holds NCAA record for RBI in a season with 143 in ’85.
7. Name the two major league Hall of Famers who attended Columbia University. Lou Gehrig and Eddie Collins
8. This college has produced 67 major league ballplayers, including Cap Anson, Craig Counsell, Carl Yastrzemski, and Ed Reulbach. Notre Dame
9.

CHANGEUPS (9-16) – 2 POINTS FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER

A "Baseball America" poll named this college second baseman the "Player of the Century".  After being drafted out of college, he was NL Rookie of the Year.  Name him. 

 

 

Bob Horner, Arizona State (’76-’78) was NL Rookie of the Year in ’78.
10. The NCAA record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched in a season is 47 innings.  Name the current major league 1B who holds this pitching record. Todd Helton (Tennessee ’94)
11.

Name the only major league Hall of Fame player who was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the CWS.

 Dave Winfield, as a pitcher for U. of Minnesota (’73)
12. The NCAA consecutive game hitting streak (58 games) is held by a former major leaguer.  This year, a college sophomore hit safely in all 56 games he played.  Name both players.

Robin Ventura (Oklahoma State, ’87)  and Garrett Wittels (Florida International ’10)
 
13. The record for most hits (15) by one player in a CWS is held by this former Astros outfielder. Jason Lane (USC, ’98)
14.

This current major league 2B holds the NCAA career record for highest batting average in a college career (min. 200 AB).

 Rickie Weeks (Southern U. ’01-’03) .465 in 546 AB.  He also holds career record slugging pct. at .927.
15. This current major league manager was named the CWS outstanding player in 1980.  Name him and his college. Terry Francona, Univ. of Arizona
16.

In 1981, this player led the NCAA in stolen bases, and years later, as an NL outfielder, he led the majors in stolen bases.

 Vince Coleman, Florida A&M and the Cardinals.  This feat was later accomplished by Brian Roberts (North Carolina/South Carolina and Orioles).
 
17.

FASTBALLS (17-21) – 3 POINTS FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER

Name the only team in college baseball history that has recorded more than 4,000 wins.

 

Fordham has 4,225 wins in 150 seasons.  Texas is second with 3,197 wins in 114 seasons.
 
18.

The most outstanding pitching performance in any CWS was by this Big 10 pitcher: 15 inning complete game with 20 Ks in 1965.

 Steve Arlin, pitching for Ohio State, shut out Washington State 1-0.  In ’65-’66 Arlin pitched 47 innings at the CWS with a 0.96 ERA.
19.

Name the two players who played on a CWS championship team, and later were head coaches for a CWS champion.

 Mike Gillespie played for USC in ’61 and coached USC in ’98.  Jerry Kindall played for Minnesota in ’56 and coached Arizona champs in ’76, ’80, ’86.  Kindall is the only player to hit for the cycle in a CWS game.
20.

This current MLB player is the only player in college history to record a 30-30 season.  In ’97 he hit 31 HRs and stole 32 bases.  Name him and his college team.

 J.D. Drew, Florida State.  He accomplished this in 67 games in 1997.
21.

Name the six University of Texas players who have been named the Outstanding Player at a CWS.

 Tom Hamilton (1B, ’49), J.L. Smith (P, ’53), Mickey Reichenbach (1B, ’75), Calvin Schiraldi (P, ’83), Huston Street (P, ’02), David Maroul (3B, ’05)
22.

THE HIGH CHEESE – BONUS COVERAGE

The most career shutouts by a pitcher during their college career is 14.  This record is shared by two players from Texas colleges. Name them.

 

 Greg Swindell (UT, ’84-’86) and Jesse Trinidad (Texas Pan Am ’74-’76).    NOTE:  Swindell had a 17-year ML career, but Trinidad only played one year of pro ball in the Gulf States League (’76).  He pitched 56 innings, going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA.
23.

The first grand slam HR hit in the CWS was by this Texas player.
 

 Kal Segrist in 1950.  NOTE:  Segrist was signed by the Yankees and had an 11-year minor league career, plus 38 major league plate appearances.  In 1954, he was included in a trade to the Orioles along with Gus Triandos and Gene Woodling for Bob Turley and Don Larsen.

July Meeting at Dell Diamond

The July meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will bear a striking resemblance to the recent April meeting as we will again be venturing to the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas to take in the Round Rock Express vs. Iowa Cubs game.  The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, July 24.  As before, we will gather for a pre-game meal at the Salt Lick restaurant near the southwest corner of the Dell Diamond parking lot.  Plan to meet at the Salt Lick at 5:30 p.m.

If you plan to attend please indicate (1) the number of people that will attend the pre-game meal (for the purposes of making a reservation at the Salt Lick) and (2) the number of game tickets required ($12 plus $1 convenience charge each).  Please send an email with those numbers to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com no later than Sunday, July 18.

Tickets will be purchased on July 18 and the pdf file containing the tickets will be sent to each attendee shortly thereafter.

June Meeting Summary

Heavy afternoon rain and lots of traffic did not deter chapter members from returning to Third Base with the largest turnout for a monthly meeting in more than two years. Fourteen members and guests were treated to a Dan Walsh quiz, College Baseball and the College World Series.

Bill Gilbert, showing no ill effects from his stint on the DL last year, won the trivia quiz with 28 total points. It should also be noted that for the first, and perhaps last time, Gilbert Martinez bested Jim Baker by two points in the quiz.

Tentative plans for the July meeting include dinner at the Salt Lick followed by a Round Rock Express game (versus the Iowa Cubs) on Saturday, July 24. More details to follow.

Rogers Hornsby Chapter Annual Report for 2009

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter, serving Central and South Texas, was officially recognized as a SABR chapter early in 2006. The Chapter held 12 meetings in 2009 with one meeting in each month, continuing a streak of 37 straight months with a meeting. Nine were dinner meetings, held on a monthly basis at a local sports bar, with an average attendance of ten people. In addition to baseball talk, these meetings allowed members to discuss areas of their research and were also used to plan chapter activities. Members are encouraged to bring guests to these meetings and some new active members have been added as a result.

The third annual winter meeting of the chapter was held in January 2009 on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos. Thirty five people were in attendance at the meeting which included 3 research presentations by Chapter members and a trivia quiz conducted by Norman Macht. The featured speaker was Larry Dierker, former pitcher, manager and broadcaster with the Houston Astros. Other guests included authors, Talmage Boston and Milton Jamail and Round Rock Express Broadcaster, Mike Capps.

One of the meetings in 2009 was held at Dell Diamond, the home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express. The meeting included a pre-game get together and attendance at the game as a group. The October meeting was held at the home of Gilbert Martinez in connection with an NLDS game on television.
 
The chapter website ( http://chapters.sabr.org/hornsby/ ) was officially launched in April 2009.  Jan Larson spearheaded the effort working with Peter Garver of the SABR office. The site is used to announce chapter meetings/events, make prediction contest results available to chapter members and to make various research papers, book reviews, etc. available to SABR members and the general public.
 
The site has information about the history of the chapter, chapter meeting summaries and membership information.  Trivia quizzes (and correct answers) that have been presented at regular chapter meetings are also available for use by interested parties. There are currently three chapter members with editing rights that maintain the site.
 
Chapter member Monte Cely served as one of three judges for the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award.  This annual award honors outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year (2009).  Eligible projects must be the product of original research or analysis, must significantly advance our knowledge of baseball, and must reflect factual accuracy and notable insight.
 
Fourteen books were submitted for consideration.  The three award winners have been announced and will be honored at the 2010 SABR Annual Convention.  They are:
 
  • "The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball" by Dennis Pajot
  • "Death at the Ballpark" by Robert Gorman and David Weeks
  • "Ball, Bat and Bitumen: A History of Coalfield Baseball in the Appalachian South" by L.M. Sutter
 
The chapter has continued the monthly meetings in 2010.  Another very successful Winter Meeting was held in January 2010 with Astro TV broadcaster Bill Brown as the featured speaker. The Winter Meeting is expected to be an annual affair.

What Ever Happened to the 2005 Houston Astros?

 

What Ever Happened to the 2005 Houston Astros?
 
By Bill Gilbert
 
          In the last week, Eric Bruntlett was released by the Washington Nationals, Jason Lane was released by the Florida Marlins, Adam Everett was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers and Mike Lamb was designated for assignment by the Marlins. All four were members of the 2005 Houston Astros team that won the National League pennant. This raises a question about how the Astros failed to sustain the success that was achieved in 2005.  
 
          Headliners on the 2005 Astros were lifetime Astros, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, and veteran American League pitchers, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte who were signed away from the Yankees ,  as free agents. However, the heart of the team consisted of a contingent of players signed and developed by the Astros who were moving into their prime years, pitchers Roy Oswalt (28), Brad Lidge (28) Chad Qualls (27) and Mike Gallo (28), infielders Morgan Ensberg (30), Chris Burke (25) and Bruntlett (27) and outfielders Lance Berkman (29) and Lane (28).
 
          The demise of the team was due to several factors. Pettitte and Clemens went back to the Yankees after the 2006 season, Bagwell retired after 2005 when he was no longer able to play with his arthritic shoulder, and a fading Biggio hung on through 2007. The scouting and development system failed to produce adequate replacements. However, the biggest reason was the failure of most of the home grown players to sustain their early promise.
 
          Oswalt and Berkman were already well established in 2005 and continued to play well until experiencing some decline in 2009. Lidge had a poor year in 2006 and has been inconsistent since then except for a big year with the Phillies in 2008. Qualls is pitching inconsistently in relief with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Gallo hasn’t been in the major leagues since 2006.
 
          Burke and Bruntlett were utility players but both made game-winning plays in the 2005 post-season. Neither hit well enough to be major league regulars. Burke is now playing in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system and Bruntlett played in the 2008 and 2009 World Series with the Phillies before dropping into the minor leagues.
 
          The big dilemma is what happened to Ensberg and Lane. Teammates on USC’s College World Series Champions in 1998, they both had, by far, their best years in 2005 but never came close to matching this success.   Former Astros General Manager, Gerry Hunsicker, once said that he thought Ensberg and Lane would be as good as Berkman. In 2005, Ensberg was better than Berkman. Ensberg, the team MVP, batted .287 with 36 home runs in 2005 and finished 4th in the voting for National League MVP. He fell off to 23 home runs in 2006 and 8 in 2007 and was out of baseball in 2009. Lane led all National League right fielders with 26 home runs in 2005 but never hit more than 15 in any other season. He last played in the majors in 2007 but hung around in the minors until his release last week.
 
          Ensberg’s demise may have been at least partially due to a shoulder injury sustained while diving for a foul ball in 2006. However, my recollection is that what hurt both of them was the loss of aggressiveness in their approach at the plate. They took too many pitches for strikes and had difficulty getting into good hitters counts.
 
          The short-lived success of the Astros is a good example of the difficulty of a mid-market team to remain among the elite. It can quickly fall apart due to factors such as injuries, age and an unexpected decline in performance. All played a part in what one sportswriter described as a “descent into irrelevance”. In the case of the Astros, the most notable factor was the failure of players in their prime years to produce.    
 

 

Book review: The Game From Where I Stand

 

The Game From Where I Stand
A Ballplayer’s Inside View
 
by Doug Glanville
 
 
                                                A Baseball Book Review                                                                   
Monte Cely
                                                                                                            cely@swbell.net
                                                                                                            (512) 310-9777
           
                                                                                               
            Doug Glanville played professional baseball for fourteen seasons, nine of them in the majors as an outfielder for the Cubs, Phillies, and Rangers. He is also an Ivy League graduate (engineering degree from Penn) as well as an African-American. This book, his first, brings a different perspective to life as a big-leaguer. 
 
            Glanville discusses all aspects of his experience in professional baseball. Topics include making it through the minor leagues, materialism, the union, steroids, superstitions, recovery from injuries, dealing with managers, and much more. Most of the book deals with off-field issues, although there are some interesting in-game episodes as well. 
 
            If there’s a theme to this book, it’s that baseball players are human. Glanville tells about his dealing with many of the same issues that all professionals do – like having to relocate and working under stress. He provides some very interesting insight on the struggles of an aging starter having to make the many adjustments to becoming a role player. He also talks at length about his challenges in adjusting to “life after baseball”. 
 
            The author brings his perspective, intelligence and sensitivity to this “inside” look at the game. For the most part, it’s very interesting. In a few instances he allows himself to become an “armchair psychologist” (his term) and those passages are somewhat tedious. But overall, the book is a unique and insightful insider’s view.
 
 
Here are the key statistics:
 
 
Book: The Game From Where I Stand
Author:  Doug Glanville
Author’s Credentials: Glanville played in the majors for the Phillies, Cubs and Rangers through 2004. Since 2008 he has written the online column “Heading Home” for the New York Times.
Published: 2010, Times Books, ISBN: 978-0-8050-9159-5
Length: 276 pages
Price: Retail list – $25.00;    Online – from $14.00 (new) + shipping.