Paul Soglin: Waxing America

The Shrine of the Eternals: Where Minnie Minoso, Roger Maris, and Shoeless Joe Jackson Get The Recognition They Deserve

Waxing America has been complaining about the Baseball Hall of Fame for years. No Minnie Minoso.  No Ron Santo. No Curt Flood. In Paul's words, "Phooey!"

But now, through Internet connections too obtuse to recall, we have discovered that there's an alternate Hall, where true baseball innovation and achievement is justly celebrated and revered: The Baseball Reliquary. Located in southern California, the Reliquary has created the Shrine of the Eternals, where,

Criteria for election shall be: the distinctiveness of play (good or bad); the uniqueness of character and personality; and the imprint that the individual has made on the baseball landscape. Electees, both on and off the diamond, shall have been responsible for developing baseball in one or more of the following ways: through athletic and/or business achievements; in terms of its larger cultural and sociological impact as a mass entertainment; and as an arena for the human imagination.

Since elections began in 1999, they've inducted: Jim Abbott, Dick Allen, Emmett Ashford, Moe Berg, Yogi Berra, Ila Borders, Jim Bouton, Jim Brosnan, Bill Buckner, Roberto Clemente, Steve Dalkowski, Rod Dedeaux, Jim Eisenreich, Dock Ellis, Mark Fidrych, Curt Flood, Josh Gibson, William “Dummy” Hoy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bill James, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Roger Maris, Marvin Miller, Minnie Minoso, Buck O'Neil, Satchel Paige, Jimmy Piersall, Pam Postema, Jackie Robinson, Lester Rodney, Fernando Valenzuela, Bill Veeck Jr., and Kenichi Zenimura.

Justice! Roger Maris! Minnie Minoso! Buck O'Neil and Curt Flood! Why have we not known about this sooner? 

When Minnie Minoso was inducted in 2002, he traveled to Pasadena to gratefully acccept induction in person:

(Photo: Larry Goren, Baseball Reliquary)

This year's runners-up were Effa Manley, Casey Stengel, Don Zimmer, Charles M. Conlon, Dizzy Dean, and Luis Tiant.

But what about Ron Santo? And don't forget Gil Hodges.

Still, any baseball shrine that honors Bill Lee and Marvin Miller and Jim Bouton and Ila Borders is on the right track.

- Barry Orton

Damn Yankees

When Barry Orton listed both his Ten Best and Ten Worst baseball movies he omitted Damn Yankees, which merits special recognition. 

The film features the torrid Gwen Verdon singing "What Lola Wants, Lola Gets." a horrid cameo role by the detestable Mickey Mantle, an inspired performance from Ray Walston, and a forgettable performance by Tab Hunter.

Most importantly. this favorably reviewed film focuses on two heroic and memorable themes of biblical proportions.

First and most obvious, the premise is that a good person hates the Yankees, a righteous and pious calling.

Secondly, any man with a heart and soul past the age of fifty will gladly sell his soul to play a season of major league baseball. Actually, I would sign the contract for one game if I could get a line drive hit.

Worst. Baseball Movies. Ever.

It seems Waxing America readers are fans of fictional baseball movies, judging from comments on Paul's post about "Field of Dreams," which is on most fans' list of top ten best baseball movies. (Google "top ten baseball movies" to see the usual picks.)

My best ten list is pretty typical, except that I don't include "Pride of the Yankees" (hate the Yankees), or "Bad News Bears" (foul-mouthed cuteness is overrated), or "A League of Their Own" (Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell paying baseball? No.). My unranked ten best are: "Field of Dreams," "The Natural," "Eight Men Out," "Bang the Drum Slowly," "Bull Durham," "Major League," "The Jackie Robinson Story," "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings," "The Sandlot," and "Long Gone."  My favorite is "Long Gone," an HBO film based on a wonderful Paul Hemphill novel that nailed the "minor league old guy on the way down and young phenom on the way up" story several years before "Bull Durham." Well worth a watch.

Anyway, here's my unranked ten worst:

1. "Fear Strikes Out" - Anthony Perkins playing Jimmy Piersall and not credible throwing or hitting. (thx commenter Ty O'Mara)
2. "For Love of the Game" - Kevin Costner as a sensitive, thinking pitcher worried about his relationship?  Nope. (thx Toni Morrissey)
3. "Mr. 3000" - Despite the Milwaukee locale, Bernie Mac is not a Robin Yount.
4. "Brewster's Millions" - How do you make an unfunny movie with John Candy and Richard Prior? This one manages.
5. "Bad News Bears Go to Japan," "Bad News Bears in Breaking Training," "Bad News Bears" (2005 remake with Billy Bob Thornton), "Major League II" and "Major League: Back to the Minors" - 5 dogs share one slot and don't make one decent film when their good parts are all added together.
6. "The Babe" and "The Babe Ruth Story" - Neither John Goodman nor William Bendix could do more than a bad home run trot.
7. "Strategic Air Command" - 47-yr old Jimmy Stewart as a Cardinals player recalled to the Air Force as a bomber pilot to help save the USA from the Commies, while June Allyson pines for him back home. Painful. (See also "The Stratton Story," another bad baseball movie with Stewart and Allyson.)
8. "It Happens Every Spring" - Ray Milland invents something that repels a baseball from wood, becomes a star pitcher and hilarity fails to ensue. (thx Marshall Cook)
9. " The Slugger's Wife" - Neil Simon wrote this bomb, which Janet Maslin called "...resoundingly unfunny..." (thx Tim Morrissey)
10. "Ed" - Matt LeBlanc and a chimp named Ed. The stupid hijinx are unwatchable.

The very worst?  A tie between "Fear Strikes Out," which has non-baseball scenes of parental abuse that are less fun than the painful baseball sequences, and "Strategic Air Command," which features dialog that General Curtis E. LeMay  may well have written.

Nominations for worse baseball flix to avoid?

- Barry Orton

Baseball's World Series: The Winter Classic

In a few years, baseball's fall winter classic will find the New York Yankees welcoming the Colorado Rockies sometime in the first week of December as Major League Baseball determines that not enough regular season and playoff games can be scheduled before Thanksgiving.

The most controversial matter will be the Steinbrenner insistence that the games be played in New York while the other owners suggest that sub-freezing temperatures warrant shifting the World Series to a domed neutral site such as Houston or New Orleans.

Purists note that the seven game classic in which the Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Championship was concluded on October 4, 1955, and that another seven game series with the Yankees was made famous by Bill Mazeroski's game and series ending home run and concluded on October 13, 1960.

When asked about the greed of the owners as the main motivator in extending the season, the baseball commissioner replied,

Greed has nothing to do with it. As you know baseball has been imitating football for many years now. First came 'charge,' then the 'wave,' then horrible stadium music, then continuous game interruptions for commercials, and now we figure playing in winter is best for the game - fans love it.

Field of Dreams: A Kid and His Dad

This week I watched Field of Dreams two more times. The film mesmerized me when it was first released in 1989, and it continues to be fresh and powerful today.

The author W.P. Kinsella understood the game and what it meant to fathers and sons, and perhaps daughters.

The movie tells the story of the pure beauty of baseball and with it, the relationship of a father and son.

From the day I was old enough to throw a ball fifteen feet through my early teenage years, every opportunity to play catch with my father was a realization that I was accepted as his peer.  Baseball, fit for the backyard or an empty lot, elevates a six year old or a sixteen year old to a parallel plane in life with his father.

Free from owners and advertisements, garish uniforms, and drug-using professionals, the dad can throw to his son and realize the dreams of his youth, and the son can toss a fast one back to his father and still dream of the future.

I went over some old reviews, like Roger Ebert's, Variety, and one from Rolling Stone. There is barely a mention of Ray's relationship with his father.

Maybe I missed the point of the film. Or maybe these reviewers never played catch with their fathers.

Wrigley Field Over Miller Park, Health Officals Need to Step In

Last week it was Miller Park, Wednesday of this week it was Wrigley Field to watch the hapless Cubs host the erratic Milwaukee Professional Baseball Club.

I sat behind home plate with high school buddy Jim Anixter and a friend of his.

By time the game was over I had met six new fans and we had a rollicking discussion about the game, our childhood and baseball, baseball in general, steroids, Bud Selig, Billy Williams, Billy Pierce, Ron Santo, Ron Santo and the Hall of Fame, our childhood neighborhoods and how we came to be Cubs or White Sox fans.

There were no Brewer fans.

That discussion was not possible at Miller Park. OK, I exaggerate, perhaps 10% of the conversation might have occurred at Miller Park.

We covered the noise at Miller Park before, artificial noise sucks. and Reflections on Today's Milwaukee Brewer Game, June 9, 2009:

The sound system will be even more offensive. The blaring stadium music and needless reminders about upcoming promotions will ruin one of the most enjoyable parts of the game. Fans will not be bale to discuss each pitch, each at bat, and the nuances of the game without difficulty. The excessive noise, and that is what it is - noise - will make the game less enjoyable.

The more I think about it, Milwaukee public health officials should step in and do some testing. If Miller Park is not already violating decibel levels, then Milwaukee officials should rewrite their noise ordinance.

Natural crowd noise and cheers are welcome. An occasional electronic blare is tolerable, but this is not a rock concert. Part of the baseball experience is discussing the game, an impossibility in Milwaukee.

Then again maybe that is part of the Selig legacy. Make sure the fans cannot discuss the quality of the Brewers pitching staff, the rapid decline of Hart and Hardy, and the two decades of steroids.

If the Cubs can fill Wrigley Field with a mediocre team that shows rare signs of brilliance without the noise, the Brewers can do the same at Miller Park.

Oh, and not once did the Cub fans attempt a wave.

Bill Veeck, My Dad, and Cuban Baseball

This is more about Bill Veeck and my dad, Al, than it is about Cuban baseball.

 I think it was September, 1976.

I was visiting my parents and siblings in Highland Park, Illinois after a business meeting in Chicago.

I sat in the kitchen reading the sports section of the Chicago Sun Times and read that Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck was contemplating a series of off-season games between the Chicago entry in the American League and the Cuban national team.

I called Comiskey Park and left a message for Veeck:

I was the mayor of Madison, I visited Cuba last year and would be glad to assist in any way. I could be reached the rest of the day at my parents' home. They told me that Veeck was expected back at the ballpark about 5:00 PM.

I clearly left my first name.

I knew there might be confusion. After all, Dad was the only Mr. Soglin in the house.  I told my mother that if Veeck called while I was gone, it was for me, not Dad, a rabid Cub fan.

Long ago, he gave up wondering where he had gone wrong in raising a son who loathed the northsiders.

My worst fears were realized when I returned home about 4:00 PM. My younger brothers were in hysterics. They rushed to tell me about this prank phone call for Dad from Bill Veeck.

My heart sunk, and I imagined the worst.

One of them answered the telephone and summoned Dad. Later we reconstructed the conversation:

Caller: Mr. Soglin? Hello, this Bill Veeck returning your call.

Dad: Who?

Caller: This is Bill Veeck, you called me.

Dad: Who the hell is this?

Caller: Bill Veeck, Bill Veeck from the White Sox.

Dad: Who the hell is this? What are you guys up to...

Caller: Bill Veeck, maybe I have the wrong....

Dad: Which sonofabitch is this? I'll see you guys Tuesday night...of all the stupid #^%#*#)%...

Veeck: click

I summoned all the courage possible and called Comiskey Park and asked for Bill Veeck. He was on the line immediately. I hastily apologized for my family and my Dad. I explained that he was a Cub fan, and he assumed the call was a practical joke by one of his buddies.

Veeck, knowing how White Sox and Cub fans felt about the opposing teams, chuckled and said no apology was necessary - he rather enjoyed the explanation. The family differences over the Cubs and White Sox and Dad's colorful language were things he appreciated.

I told him about my trips to Cuba and their interest in American baseball. We discussed Hank Aaron passing babe Ruth on the all time home run list and the greatest Cuban hitter to play in the United States, my hero Minnie Minoso - "Minnie Minoso is not a friend of the revolution, but he is our hero and he is always welcome in Cuba."

I offered to provide introductions to Cuban officials if Veeck was interested. The White Sox owner thanked me, and said if he could get this by the Commissioner of Baseball, Bowie Kuhn, he would be back in touch with me.

Veeck never called back.

Brewer Walk Off Celebration - Knowing When To Get In Their Faces

It was funny, it was original, and it flunked the in-your-face test.

Brewer walk off celebration home run by Prince Fielder.

Horse racing handicapping genius Andy Beyer, referring to the shrieking and celebrating by two dollar show betters once wrote, "You may raise your voice as your winner crosses the finish line, if you have at least 10% of your net worth riding on the outcome."

Do it when you are in the heat of a pennant race, not some meaningless gesture when you are fourth place more than a dozen games behind and there are less than three weeks left in the season.

Morry Gash, Associated Press:

Hating The Damn Yankees and Other Thoughful Observations

It is not a good year for baseball as the New York Yankees enter the final month of the season cruising. The Bronx Bombers have a commanding lead in the American League East, crushing Sox of all colors, and sporting the best record in  major league baseball. 

September brings us no tight divisional races, unless by some miracle the sub-500 Twins catch the dismal Detroit Tigers or the Colorado Rockies miraculously pass the Los Angeles (nee Brooklyn) Dodgers.

In fact it is unlikely that the playoff picture will change at all between now and when the first snows fall when the playoffs begin.

The 2009 season was dismal. The White Sox, Cubs, and Brewers collectively are two games under .500 and not likely to improve.

The highlight of Milwaukee's season, as of this afternoon, is a 20 game home wining streak against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The year was marred by the lack of professional pitching, which also can be said about the Cubs.

Of course, no team is going to ever make it to the World Series with Alfonso Soriano's loafing in left field while this so-called "lead-off hitter with power" goes an entire month, at the height of the season, without a four-bagger.

Nothing need be said about my Chicago White Sox other than Ozzie Guillen is the most over-rated manager in baseball and should have been fired long ago. The White Sox won the World Series despite Guillen, not because of him.

John Kruk Knows Managerial Excellence

Bernazard unleashes tirade

Tony Bernazard, a New York Mets executive, recently challenged one of club's minor league teams to a fight during a postgame clubhouse tirade, the New York Daily News reported, citing multiple sources with ties to the team.

The tirade by Bernazard reportedly occurred ten days before the All Star game, and only now are the New York Mets reportedly investigating the matter.  

MLB.com is silent on the subject as of this postin;, it is fortunate that we have John Kruk to reflect on this matter.

The former Philly slugger and artful ESPN sports commentator made it clear that there is no role in professional sports for this kind of management.

Leadership is about calmly coaching, building teamwork and perfecting the craft. It means creating a comfortable and inspired culture, not one of intimidation and fear.

Leadership is about building trust. Taunting and challenging your own people to fight, whether it is literal or figurative, does not cut it.

Those of us concerned about management practices in both the public and private sectors wince whenever bad sports analogies or bad mindless 'inspirational' performances are presented as examples of coaching and managing. As we have noted before, the style of Lakers coach Phil Jackson is far preferable to the fiery and erratic performances of Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

Now if we could just get a response from MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Or perhaps the wiser thing to do is give the job to Kruk.  He has a sense of humor and he can get those honorary first pitches over the plate.