Soon I’ll talk about the 1946 World Series. You know, when Enos Slaughter scored from first base because Johnny Pesky held the ball. Or was it really as simple as that?

David Halberstam’s book “The Teammates” purports to be about the friendship between four Boston Red Sox players — Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky. But is it that, or is it just another Ted Williams book? The first thing you learn in the book is that Dimaggio and Pesky are making a road trip to Florida to see ol’Ted one last time before he dies. Emphasis on ol’Ted.

Throughout the first part of the book, the reader gets a thorough grounding on how the world revolves around Ted, how Dom, Bobby, and Johnny were “his” friends. It seems the world revolves around Ted Williams, the greatest hitter ever. If you don’t believe that, just ask him.

What does Ted Williams have to say for himself. Here are a couple of quotes I found attributed to him on the Baseball Almanac website:

“If ever there was a man born to be a hitter, it was me. (Modest, isn’t he?)

“I’ve found that you don’t need to wear a necktie if you can hit.” (Would that be Ted saying that some people, like Ted Williams, are not required to follow the rules and social conventions of polite society?)

And what did others have to say about Ted — just a few samples:

“If he would just tip his hat once, he could be elected mayor of Boston in five minutes.” — Eddie Collins

“The papers said that the other players, even some of the umpires, begged him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he refused. Gods do not answer mail.” — John Updike from “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” The New Yorker 10/22/1960

Ted Williams always faced the world (and usually glared) on his own terms, always. There was Ted’s way, or the highway. Should the baseball world have put up with this? Should his best friends, Dom, Bobby and Johnny have put up with it, alibiing to the world about what a nice guy he really was? Would we as fans put up with it without the .344 batting average, 1,798 runs scored, 521 home runs, 2,019 walks and the .634 slugging average? Are those numbers enough for us to cut ol’Ted some slack — OK, let’s face it, a lot of slack.

To be honest, Halberstam does make mention of the other Ted — the one who would help out a down-and-out former teammate, who called Dom Dimaggio regularly when brother Joe was dying to ask about him.

Which is the real Ted, the one we should remember. Or do we forget about Ted the man an concentrate only on the .344 batting average, etc.

You tell me.

Posted by Jim Powers

“Anybody know anything about baseball?” Poulton asked.

Reacher shrugged. “Couple of guys worked out an overall all-time top ten and only two players had the letter ‘u’ in their names.”

“Babe Ruth,” Poulton said. “Who’s the other one?”

“Honus Wagner,” Reacher said.

Poulton looked blank. “Never heard of him.”

– from “Running Blind” by Lee Child

Posted by Jim Powers

A windy afternoon in the Denver metro area didn’t deter 48 baseball fans from gathering at the Blake Street Tavern for the Hot Stove meeting of the Rocky Mountain Chapter. The meeting, scheduled to participate in the second annual SABR Day in America, brought together fans of all ages to talk about the local nine and baseball history.

Chapter president Matt Repplinger opened the meeting with a few brief announcements, including the schedule for the Game of the Month (1st game on April 28 when the Rockies take on the Mets at Coors Field) and announcing the winner of the Rockies prediction contest from 2011. Jim Collison’s dire prediction of 72 wins was closest to the Rockies actual total of 73. But, since he was not present to win, Jim Wohlenhaus’ slightly less pessimistic prognostication of 78 was awarded an old-time ballparks tie. Matt then introduced Root Sports’ Mark Stout as the program’s master of ceremonies. Tickets for the door prize were also distributed as members arrived.

Mark provided a little background on himself and his path from Babe Ruth Baseball all-star in New Jersey to Ithaca College to Buffalo and then Denver. He also peppered in many tidbits of trivia, most notably about the recent Rockies minor-league signee, Jamie Moyer. His love of the game of baseball was evident from the first word.

The program then led to two outstanding Rockies quilts to be displayed. The woman who made the quilts explained how she took Rockies jersey t-shirts as the fabric for the designs. (Look for pictures to be added when available!) Then board member Paul Parker auctioned off two items as a fundraiser for the chapter:

• A bat signed by Carlos Gonzales, sold for $100′; and
• A Hall of Fame baseball signed by Fergie Jenkins, sold for $55

After this, Walter Sylvester gave the front office perspective on the Rockies off-season transactions. He noted the two big themes that guided the Rockies’ off-season moves: Get older by bringing in more veterans with veteran attitudes into the clubhouse, and have depth in positions of need. To the former point, Sylvester noted the Cuddyer and Ramon Hernandez deals as the primary examples. The latter point bled into a discussion on what the organization’s hopes are for 2012. In short, it comes down to the starting pitching.

After the Sylvester Report, the door prize was awarded to Thomas Harding, author of the blog Hardball in the Rockies. The prize was (as noted on this site) the book The Teammates by David Halberstam. This was followed by a presentation on the impact of major league expansion on the minor leagues. (Ed. note: Look for this research and other presentations to be added to the website in the coming months.) The idea was born out of a discussion between the two presenters, Alan Rice and Matt Repplinger. Their conclusion was that the minor leagues have expanded again with the expansion of major league baseball after the great reduction in minor league teams in the 1950s. Credit goes to Alan for much of the legwork with gathering the information, and to Matt for delivering.

Then, despite the wind, 22 joined in for the “rain or shine” game of catch in the shadow of the right field bleachers at Coors Field. While the wind was brisk, it did not deter the group from throwing the ball around and shaking the rust off their arms. As the group departed, the anticipation for the coming baseball season seemed to be a cheerful specter that was one more day closer.

Johnny Pesky had this to say about pitcher Spud Chandler of the Yankees: “God, he was mean. He’d hit you in the ass, just for the sheer pleasure of it. It’s like it made him feel good. I had shined his shoes when he had pitched out in the Pacific Coast League (see below). It was as if he had some personal thing against me, as if he was insulted by my being in the big leagues. He was the worst tipper in the big leagues.”

Just following this quote from “The Teammates,” David Halberstam relates an instance, told to him by Pesky, of how Ted Williams used psychology in a game against the Yankees in 1942 to get Chandler’s goat and fatten his own statistics. You can find it on pages 32-34. Can someone provide a synopsis of what happened?

Bobby Doerr, Dom Dimaggio and Ted Williams knew Johnny Pesky when all were associated with the Pacific Coast League.  Doerr, DiMaggio and Williams were players for PCL teams.  In what capacity did they know Pesky?   The answer can be found by reading the first few pages of “The Teammates” by David Halberstam, Rocky Mountain SABR’s current book discussion selection. Join the discussion by answering the Pesky question. There will be more to come.

We’ll have a face-to-face discussion of “The Teammates” on February 25 at the Village Inn at Colorado Blvd. and Mexico Avenue. That’s just north of Interstate 25.

And, if you attend next Saturday’s Rocky Mountain SABR Day in America at the Blake Street Tavern, you may win a free copy of “The Teammates.”

Join us for a discussion of “The Teammates,” the story of four Red Sox — Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.

In October 2001, Dom Dimaggio and Johnny Pesky begin a 1,300-mile trip to visit their beloved teammate Ted Williams, knowing that he is dying. The fourth member of this close-knit group, Bobby Doerr, is unable to make the trip because he’s tending to his wife who has just suffered her second stroke.

This is the beginning of Halberstam’s “The Teammates,” a profoundly human story of four great ballplayers who have made the passage from sports icons — then they were young and seemingly indestructible — to men dealing with the vulnerabilities of growing older. At the core of the book is the friendship of these four very different but extraordinary men, who stayed close to each other for more than 60 years.

First among them was Ted Williams, not only a dominating player but a dominating personality as well. Johnny Pesky joined the Red Sox and soon became one of the league’s toughest hitters and something of a little brother to Williams.

Dom DiMaggio, the center fielder, was an athlete carried as much by his remarkable intelligence as by his natural talent. Small and bespeckled, he grew up partially in the shadow of his older brother, but would end up a seven-time American League All-Star.

And then htere was future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr, a professional ballplayer at sixteen, who right from the start displayed a natural grace and maturity that made him the perfect buddy for the tempermental Williams.

Join the discussion on the Rocky Mountain SABR website or on the chapter’s Facebook page. And you can meet for a face-to-face discussion on February 25 — breakfast at Village Inn, Colorado Blvd. and Mexico Avenue, just north of Interstate 25.

Seems like a lot of money for a 32 year old who looks like an absolutely average player. Baseball-reference.com compares him to Larry HIsle, Troy O’Leary, and Milton Bradley.

STAN COOK

An early Christmas present for everyone!

Jim Armstrong, master of ceremonies

Keynote Speaker John Thorn signing copies of his book "Baseball in the Garden of Eden"

Rob Neyer speaking, with the rest of the dais captivated by his eloquence

Alan Rice accepts the John Zajc Award

Matt Repplinger accepts his election as chapter president

The outgoing board

The incoming board

Outgoing chapter president Paul Parker with John Thorn and his latest book

Outgoing board member Herb Shankman with his grandson

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!

Our SABR Day in America / Hot Stove chapter meeting is to take place at Blake St. Tavern (in LoDo) at 11am Sat. Jan 28th.

First… Chapter business and The Rockies Prediction Contest awarded to participant with the closest number of wins for past Rockies season (with themed baseball trivia to be presented throughout this years hotstove event).

Then…

A research presentation by Alan Rice and Matthew Repplinger on the expansion / contraction of the minor leagues 1953-2011.

Followed by…

Our Annual Rockies Report (aka the Slyvester Report) given annually by Walter Sylvester (Baseball Operations with Rockies) on the current state of the local 9′s minor league prospects and things to look forward to in the upcoming 2012 season.

Concluded with…

A mass game of catch (regardless of the weather) in parking lot adjacent to Coors Field (great photo opportunity) .

(this event will be MC’d by Marc Stout of Root Sports)