Melissa Ludtke Got The Locker Room Doors Open To Female Sportswriters
ALSO: PICKING THE TOP CHOICES FOR PRE-1980 ERAS COMMITTEE BALLOT
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Though the Phillies won their first NL East title in 13 years, their bullpen and offense tanked in their four-game NLDS flop against the sixth-seeded Mets . . .
Japan’s rabid baseball fans should give NLDS Game 5 the best TV ratings in the country’s history with Yu Darvish (Padres) starting against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) and Shohei Ohtani hitting at the top of the Los Angeles lineup . . .
Roster Resource reports the A’s spent roughly $63.1MM on payroll last season, easily the lowest in baseball, and doesn’t have a single dollar committed to any player for the coming season. The Athletics have five impending free agents, five players eligible for salary arbitration (to the tune of a $13.8MM if all are tendered contracts), with the rest of the young roster still in its pre-arb years . . .
The A’s finished 69-93 but that was far better than its 112-loss season of 2023 . . .
Arizona owner Ken Kendrick blames himself for insisting his GM sign Jordan Montgomery when fellow veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez turned up lame . . .
The D’backs have the distinction of being the first team eliminated by paper tiebreaker but they did lose five of their final seven games . . .
Detroit’s A.J. Hinch, fired by Houston following the electronic sign-stealing scandal, got his revenge when his Tigers knocked the Astros out of the playoffs, ending that team’s seven-year string of reaching the AL Championship Series . . .
The Yankees won five of their seven games against the Royals before the playoffs . . .
Catcher Salvador Perez is the only Royal remaining from their 2015 World Championship team.
Leading Off
She Just Wanted to Do Her Job: Melissa Ludtke Tells Her Story
By Bill Pruden
Melissa Ludtke deserved better!
Although technically only a "researcher" — her employer Sports Illustrated did not have any female “reporters” –- she put in countless hours beyond her normal duties, earning a place on the SI team covering the World Series.
It all happened 47 years ago today, on October 11, 1977, in the middle of Game One of the 1977 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
Summoned from her seat in the press box at Yankee Stadium, she was informed by Yankees PR man Mickey Morabito that regardless of what her press pass said, not to mention the permission she had secured from both teams, Ludtke would not have access to the locker room after the game — by order of Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.
Taken aback, she asked to hear it directly from him.
Instead, she got word from Bob Wirz, Kuhn’s PR flack, who reaffirmed the denial. When Ludtke asked whether it was because she was a woman, he said yes.
As Ludtke writes, Wirz “admitted that Kuhn did this because of my gender.” She later wrote that at that moment she “didn’t envision facing off in federal court in a case about gender discrimination,” but “It just felt good to have him on record with this answer.”
It was, it is safe to say, the last time for quite some time that Melissa Ludtke felt good about any aspect of the situation.
Now in 2024, with women having reached the executive suite in Major League Baseball, as well as filling a growing number of on-field positions at various levels of the professional game, it is all too easy to forget the difficult road they had to pursue.
Their dreams of baseball-based careers, dreams unrelated to their gender, were based upon a passion that knows no gender barrier but which had so often been fueled, like that of so many of their male counterparts, by parents whose love of the game was bequeathed like a precious jewel.
So it was with Melissa Ludtke, whose recently-published memoir, Locker Room Talk: A Woman’s Struggle to Get Inside tells us that and so much more in a thoughtful and revealing way. She illuminates a time, not really that long ago, in which, baseball seldom thought much about women and their relationship to the game beyond the periodic “Ladies Days” that dotted the annual baseball calendar.
Ludtke’s memoir of her effort to secure the locker room access necessary to do her job offers a richly-detailed reminder of the challenges and the mindset she and those who followed faced as they sought to pursue their dreams of a career in baseball.
While it arrives almost 50 years after the fact, its lessons and the personal affronts she experienced have not been lost to time.
She offers a detailed look at the case, recounting courtroom arguments and news reporting, that reminds us of how different things are now.
Ludtke, in fact, presents, appropriately, a tale of two cases: the legal one, focusing on equal rights based in the 14th Amendment being argued in a court of law presided over by Judge Constance Baker Motley, and another, playing out in the court of public opinion where even some of the nation's more respected media outlets stooped to the tabloid level.
They focused on little more than the idea of allegedly leering women in a man's domain, impugning Ludtke’s character and motives, while ignoring the fact that the equally-male NHL and NBA had already made the jump into the modern era, with no apparent damage to their product.
Indeed, in many ways the whole episode revealed baseball at its commercial worst as it piously claimed to protect its family-friendly image.
This is not truly a baseball book — the centerpiece of the work is the comprehensive description of the trial as Sports Illustrated sought to secure for Ludtke the same clubhouse access that every other writer had – and needed - to do the job.
And while the level of description is highly detailed, it simply mirrors the detail necessary to everyone’s understanding since Judge Motley not only knew virtually nothing about baseball, but, as we learn, barely tolerated her husband, a devoted fan, when he listened to games on the radio.
But in that detailed way, the narrative, complemented and interspersed with Ludtke’s personal story, explains the importance of her quest as well as the oppositional mindset set embodied in Commissioner Kuhn. He was relying on baseball’s historic Get Out of Jail Free card: the commissioner’s power to act in the “best interests of baseball” allows the reader to see how planted in an earlier time baseball was.
The centerpiece of the story is Ludtke’s telling of the case as she tracks her own path to the showdown as well as the reactions and the events that unfolded afterward. But in putting it all in context, she gives readers an inside look at the male-dominated world of sports news coverage, one centered then in print media.
While Kuhn emerges as the lead bad guy, the opposition to Ludtke’s – and Sports Illustrated’s - efforts was pronounced among most of the baseball writers’ fraternity. Their coverage of the events showed little understanding of the obvious discrimination nor any sympathy for someone whose dreams, if not her gender, were no different from theirs while being rooted in the same love of the game.
Coming as it does so many years after Judge Motley’s barrier breaking ruling and at a time when interest in women’s sports is exploding, Ludtke’s book and its compelling story serve as a stark reminder of how much things have changed.
And yet as T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” not only fly off the shelves, but also reflect a new normal, one cannot ignore the continuing remnants of the misogyny that Ludtke faced in 1977.
While surely diminished, those issues have not disappeared from baseball or the world of sports.
Yes, Melissa Ludtke deserved better. She also deserves admiration and respect for her long-ago effort that she has so thoughtfully and movingly recounted in her book.
Bill Pruden is a high school history and government teacher who has been a baseball fan for over six decades. He has been writing about baseball--primarily through SABR-sponsored platforms, but also in some historical works--for about a decade. His email address is: courtwatchernc@aol.com.
Cleaning Up
Players Eras Committee Should Pick For Pre-1980 Ballot
By Dan Schlossberg
When the Eras Committee (nee Veterans Committee) considers Cooperstown-worthy players who made their greatest impact before 1980, they’ll have their hands full.
Even preparing the 10-man ballot will be difficult, with any winners needing 12 votes (75 per cent) from the 16-member panel when results are announced at the December winter meetings.
From a personal perspective — and I’ve seen all of them play in person — here’s how I think they should rank:
Maury Wills — This switch-hitting shortstop hit .281 and made seven All-Star teams while resurrecting the art of base-stealing (his 104 steals in 1962 broke Ty Cobb’s long-standing mark of 96 and won Wills an MVP award).
Tommy John — A lefty with more wins (288) than any non-Hall of Famer except suspected drug-abuser Roger Clemens, John compiled a solid 3.34 ERA and lasted a remarkable 26 seasons, one short of Nolan Ryan’s record. Would have won 300+ if not for pioneering the elbow surgery that now bears his name.
Steve Garvey — Another paragon of durability, he still holds the NL record for consecutive games played. He hit .294 with 272 homers in 19 years, won an MVP, and was a superb defensive first baseman.
Keith Hernandez — Like Garvey, he was a solid hitter (.296) and former MVP whose legacy came in the field (11 Gold Gloves at first base). He won a batting title and two World Series rings, leading several teams to the top in 17 seasons.
Al Oliver — Too often overlooked, this outfielder hit .303 with 219 home runs in 18 seasons, mainly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Thurman Munson — Hit .292 with 113 home runs and won three Gold Gloves in 11 seasons as a hard-nosed catcher before his career was cut short by a 1979 plane crash. He won Rookie of the Year and MVP trophies too while serving as captain of the Yankees.
Dick Allen — Missed two past elections by one vote but deserves another look after hitting .292 with 351 homers, winning an MVP trophy, and making All-Star teams seven times in 15 seasons. Too bad controversy followed him everywhere.
Luis Tiant — Though he asked voters not to consider him after he died (which he did a few days ago), this side-twisting Cuban right-hander should have been enshrined years ago. He went 229-172 with a terrific 3.30 ERA, twice leading the AL, and posted a 3-0 post-season mark.
Mickey Lolich — The hero of the 1968 World Series for the Detroit Tigers, this rotund lefty was often overshadowed by Denny McLain but still won 217 games, 25 of them in 1971, in 16 seasons.
Lew Burdette — An even earlier World Series MVP, he won 203 games (same as Hall of Famer Roy Halladay) and lost 144 as Warren Spahn’s sidekick, on and off the mound. He could also hit, with three home runs against Sandy Koufax (who called Burdette his toughest hitter). Burdette is best-remembered for three complete-game victories, including a shutout in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, with the underdog Milwaukee Braves against the Yankees in the 1957 Series.
Honorable Mentions: Joe Niekro (221-204, 3.59 ERA in 22 seasons), Jim Perry (215-145, 3.45 ERA), Wes Ferrell (six 20-win seasons, 193 wins, but 4.04 ERA in 15 years); and Alvin Dark, a star shortstop who later won pennants in both leagues as a manager.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ has been Weekend Editor of Here’s The Pitch since it started four years ago. He covers baseball for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and many other outlets. His latest book is Home Run King: the Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron [Sports Publishing, May 14, 2024]. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: That Ohtani Guy Again
“Once he starts pitching again, he’ll win every year.”
— Rival coach on probable NL MVP Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is about to join Frank Robinson as the only men to win MVP trophies in both leagues . . .
The starting pitcher for the American League in the 2021 All-Star Game, he pioneered a rules change that allows pitchers to stay in the game as designated hitters even if relieved of their mound duties . . .
Fans lined up outside Dodger Stadium for up to eight hours when the team announced a limited giveaway of bobblehead dolls depicting Ohtani and his dog Decoy . . .
Though he needs an interpreter, the Japanese-speaking Ohtani delivered a speech to teammates in English after hitting his 50th home run . . .
Three fans are engaged in a legal tussle over ownership of the ball, which is expected to fetch up to $2 million before Goldin’s finishes its on-line auction.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
An excellent top 10 list by Dan. You can start Tommy John -- yes, he was never THE top pitcher of his era, But more wins than any other pitcher not there aside, if you say "He had Tommy John" well, I rest my case.