Comparing Baseball, Football Halls of Fame
PLUS: BASEBALL ANNOUNCERS WORTH REMEMBERING
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Lance McCullers, Jr. hasn’t pitched since 2022 and won’t be back this year either, according to the Astros . . .
The Atlanta Braves will get a major boost when center-fielder Michael Harris II returns from a two-month injury layoff (oblique) within the next week . . .
Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox for ending their latest losing streak at 21 games with a win over the Oakland A’s Tuesday night . . .
Speaking of Oakland, Sean Newcomb picked up a win without facing a batter when the Athletics beat the Twins, 6-5, in Oakland earlier this season. He relieved Lucas Erceg with two down in the eighth inning and his team behind, 5-4. The lefty threw two pitches to Willi Castro, then picked off Austin Martin to end the inning. A two-run homer by Shea Langeliers in the home eighth won the game, with Newcomb the winning pitcher. Castro’s at-bat didn’t count because the inning ended before it was completed . . .
Catcher Danny Jansen, traded from Toronto to Boston on July 27, is about to become the first man to play for both teams in the same game. When the suspended June 26 game resumes Aug. 26, all he needs to do is crack the Red Sox lineup. He was actually at-bat, with an 0-1 count, when the June 26 game was suspended by rain in the second inning. That game was scheduled to continue Aug. 26 as part of a day-night doubleheader. Since he’s now with Boston, Toronto will have to pinch-hit for him when the game resumes.
Leading Off
What The Baseball Hall of Fame Can Learn From Pro Football's Hall of Fame
By Paul Semendinger
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. That was a place I had always wanted to visit — and am so glad I finally did.
My experience there was amazing. The Football Hall of Fame is an outstanding place to celebrate football's great history, to remember the big games and the legends, and to be inspired by greatness. I loved every minute I was there.
But, before I continue, let me take a huge step backwards, just so I can be very clear...
I love the Baseball Hall of Fame. I love every aspect of it.
Cooperstown is a great little village.
The Baseball Hall of Fame provokes awe and majesty and wonder. I can get lost in the artifacts and displays. I could spend the rest of my life at the Baseball Hall of Fame and be happy forever.
I have visited the Baseball Hall of Fame countless times. I have done a great deal of research there for my various books. The people on the library/research staff are first rate.
A few years ago, I pitched, and won, the semi-final game of a tournament series at Doubleday Field. That was one of the highlights of my life.
In addition, one of the key moments in my novel Scattering the Ashes takes place at the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Hall of Fame is a magical place that I will always love.
But, much in the same way that I love Yankee Stadium, when I visit ballparks and stadiums that are even better, I have to stop, take note, and assess all of this fairly
Yes, I love the Yankees. What is also true is that CitiField is a better stadium. Fenway Park, PNC Park, and Camden Yards are also nicer ballparks. The truth is... the truth.
And while I love the Baseball Hall of Fame, there are some things that the Football Hall of Fame does better — much better.
I noticed that at the moment my son Ethan and I entered the museum. After paying the admission fee, I saw my son talking to a man in a yellow sport coat. The man turned to me and smiled. I recognized him immediately.
"Tiki?" I said. The man smiled even bigger and said, "No, Ronde. Tiki doesn't have a jacket like this."
There, at the entrance to the museum, greeting the guests, was Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber's twin brother, and a member of the Football Hall of Fame. Ronde, Ethan, and I talked, for more than a few minutes about football, Ronde and Tiki's books, the fact that Tiki belongs in Canton, the 100 years of the New York Giants, and Tiki's radio show in New York on WFAN. Ronde wasn't just there for a photo shoot, he was there to greet, talk, and engage with the fans. How amazing is that?
A short while later, Joe DeLamielleure, another Football Hall of Famer, arrived to greet the attendees to the museum. Ethan and I also enjoyed a few minutes talking with Joe DeLamielleure.
Of note, we were not there at induction weekend. We were visiting on a random Friday in July...
I have been to the Baseball Hall of Fame countless times. I have never been greeted at the entrance by a Hall of Fame baseball player. I've never been greeted there by any baseball player.
I thought to myself, "Wow. That's a great personal touch. Baseball should do something similar.
“There are many Hall of Famers who could take a day a year to greet the fans and say hello. There are also countless living All-Stars, and others, who baseball could ask to spend a day there.”
How great would that be, as one enters the hallowed Halls of Cooperstown, to be greeted by Johnny Bench — or even Butch Wynegar.
I thought, even when one enters Disney World, he is greeted by Mickey Mouse or another character. It says something when the representatives from the place being recognized are there in person to welcome visitors. Baseball could do this. It would not be difficult.
It would simply take a moment to reflect on a simple way to add a special element to the fans' experience. Having Hall of Famers, in person, at the entrance, speaks volumes about the caring nature of the experience one gets at the Football Hall of Fame.
And, before people wonder if only the lesser stars (if that's even possible among Hall of Famers) are present in Canton, as I strolled through the museum that day I was wearing my John Riggins jersey. I was told by numerous people that Riggins himself had been at the museum only a week before. John Riggins was there, greeting guests, and even doing a presentation in one of the museum's small theaters. Football does this right.
The volunteers at the Football Hall of Fame were also first rate. We were engaged by them numerous times. They talked about the game, the exhibits, and the history. They smiled a lot. They were friendly and welcoming. I believe the same is true in Cooperstown, but, somehow, maybe it was mid-west America, in Canton, it was a little different. "Come find any of us in these blue shirts, we're all here to help."
The football museum is also brighter, more open, and less cluttered. In Cooperstown, there is often so much to see, it's almost overwhelming. In Canton, it seems more care and time was spent making sure each display had just a few pieces that told football's story. I felt less rushed there and more able to take it all in.
I also appreciated the small workshops and presentations at the Football Hall of Fame. Ethan and I spent about 40 minutes with a staff member who discussed the history of the football helmet with us in a small theater. After the presentation, we were permitted to touch and even try on some of the helmets.
It was all very personal and real. With baseball, the artifacts are seemingly more "off-limits." I get the sense that one can "see and not touch" there. It's not that way at the Football Hall of Fame. These small little touches make a big difference.
I will say that the Baseball Hall of Fame's gallery where the plaques are is much more majestic than football's where the busts are all located. The baseball plaques also tell the story of each player. Football displays only the names, not the players' accomplishments.
I'll never stop loving the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is one of my favorite places to visit. I go there often and always love it there. But, after visiting Football's Hall of Fame, I can't help but think that with a little fine-tuning, the Baseball Hall of Fame experience can be enhanced a great deal.
I'd love for the people in Cooperstown to reach out to me to discuss more. I can help. Sometimes the best people to help make a fan's experience greater aren't the so-called experts, but the fans themselves.
Dr. Paul Semendinger is still pitching at 56 years old. His team just reached the playoffs again. Paul is also the author of baseball books The Least Among Them and From Compton to the Bronx (with Roy White). Paul's new book on the Battle of Gettysburg (Volume One of Three) should be out this autumn. Paul also runs the Yankees site Start Spreading the News.
Cleaning Up
Voices to Remember
By Dan Schlossberg
Nothing captures the month of August like the sound of baseball on the radio, evoking long-held memories of voices that impregnated mild summer nights as well as the ears of young listeners trying to fetch far-away signals on transitor radios.
Announcers then were giants of the game who personified their teams, didn’t retire when their knees buckled, and seldom sold themselves to other clubs in publicized bidding wars.
For the most part, they were matinee idols who did much of their work by daylight – at least before Charlie Finley floated the idea of night World Series games, a novelty that began in 1971.
Because radio broadcasters had to paint word pictures for listeners, they were artists, special breeds who addressed their microphones as if in conversation with blind listeners. It was their job to make listeners experience the action even though they couldn’t see it.
Virtually all of the great ones are gone today but their memories and their voices never fade.
Excluding players who became announcers – never a “sound” idea in the first place -- these were the best of them:
1. Vin Scully – He spent six decades with the Dodgers, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, working alone even in his later years. The poet laureate of the broadcast booth, he was a master of the understatement, knowing when to talk, what to say, and when to say nothing and let the crowd noise speak for him.
2. Ernie Harwell – After breaking in with Brooklyn, he worked for the Giants, Orioles, and Tigers, spending most of his best years in Detroit. An author, songwriter, and baseball historian, the cerebral Harwell, like Scully, was one of the true gentlemen of the game. And his voice was a gift from heaven.
3. Milo Hamilton – During a broadcast career that lasted 63 years, he covered the Browns, Cards, White Sox, Braves, Pirates, Astros, and Cubs twice, landing behind the mic when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. His commentary for Atlanta radio outlet WSB is invariably paired with the video whenever it’s shown even though Scully was announcing for the Dodgers.
4. Bob Prince – An unforgettable and often controversial character, he was so beloved by the Pittsburgh fans that Hamilton had trouble replacing him. He had an unmistakable voice, especially when calling for “the bloop and the blast” that could put the Pirates back in the game.
5. Red Barber – A Mississippi native whose initial reaction to Jackie Robinson was negative, he changed his tune while working for Branch Rickey in Brooklyn, later moving across town to the Yankee booth. “The Old Redhead” was a baseball historian whose broadcast career began with Larry MacPhail’s Reds when he broadcast the first game he ever attended.
6. Harry Kalas – Known for his deep, leatherly voice, he worked for the Phillies from 1971-2009 after launching his major-league career with the Houston Astros. He broadcast the first game in the Astrodome, the first game at Veterans Stadium, and the first game at Citizens Bank Park.
7. Russ Hodges – No relation to Gil, he was in the New York Giants’ radio booth when Bobby Thomson hit “the shot heard ‘round the world” on Oct. 3, 1951. He said “The Giants win the pennant!” nine times without giving the 5-4 score because he saw the bedlam on the field but lost his scoresheet, which blew out the open window of the broadcast booth.
8. Howie Rose – Still active as the radio voice of the New York Mets, this lifelong fan used to sit in the stands with a tape recorder and “announce” games. Apparently, it was good training, as the mild-mannered Rose became a baseball historian who later broadcast many of the game’s big moments.
9. Skip Caray – The son of Harry and father of Chip was known for his ascerbic commentary, often saying things that aggravated and exasperated the producers in the truck. One example, when the Braves were on the wrong end of a losing game, was “Don’t tell our sponsors but you can go ahead and walk your canine.” On the air for Sid Bream’s pennant-winning slide in 1992, he formed a long-lasting broadcast booth trio with Pete Van Wieren and Ernie Johnson, Sr.
10. Joe Castiglione – After more than 40 years in the Boston Red Sox booth, he’s expanded to writing and lecturing about baseball. Because of his long tenure, he’s become as much of an institution in Boston as Carl Yastrzemski.
Former AP newsman Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers the game for forbes.com, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Memories & Dreams, and Here’s The Pitch. He’s also the author of 41 books. Dan’s e.mail is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: All-Star Takeaways To Remember
“We’re trying to keep as many as we can upright right now.”
— Atlanta manager Brian Snitker on giving his All-Star starting pitchers extra rest
Jack Flaherty, the best starting pitcher traded at the deadline, has never been an All-Star . . .
Neither has Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo . . .
One of Nimmo’s rivals, National League left-fielder Jurickson Profar (Padres), became the 18th player in major-league history to play at least 11 years before making an All-Star team . . .
The last time the Phillies had three infielders start an All-Star Game was 1982, when Mike Schmidt (3B), Manny Trillo (2B), and Pete Rose (1B) opened in the NL lineup . . .
With Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan starting for the AL in this year’s Texas game, Cleveland had at least two starters for the first time since 2000, when the three chosen Indian starters were Roberto Alomar, Travis Fryman, and Manny Ramirez . . .
Hall of Famer John Smoltz was the youngest pitcher to lose an All-Star Game at age 22 in 1989, the same year the winning pitcher was Nolan Ryan, not only 20 years older but the oldest man to win an All-Star Game.
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.