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Fosse got me up early this morning for one of her gross “goopy poopies,” likely because of the dead frog she ate last evening. Tastes like chicken, right Fosse! Tally was still in “good bed,” waiting for the sun to come up. On mornings like this I have to do two separate outings before my wife gets up to take over the responsibilities. I don’t know how she manages to sleep-in with Fosse anxiously staring at her. On occasion she’ll pick her up, so she can join her under the covers. Tally snoozes on!
My wife and Tally get up at the same time. Fosse is ready to go out again, but I make her “wait.” Tally’s business is good and firm. Once the two of us return and she hears me open the latch to come in, Fosse takes a running start and then slides down the hall on the smooth tile to greet us at the door.
Once out and about, there is absolutely nothing that Fosse misses once it lands on the floor, but at least she hasn’t tried to consume another of our TV remotes lately. Tally can’t see or hear if something drops right in front of her nose.
During dinner outside on the lanai last night, Fosse busied herself by chasing a small chameleon, “buffing” at the sandhill cranes, and sniffing out every crawling bug. Tally, on the other hands, practices what we call “petnosis,” staring longingly at us in hopes we’ll give her a bite of whatever we’re eating.
Tally usually only gets out of her bed if there’s a treat involved, while Fosse rarely sits still. Tally has to be coaxed to go outside, while Fosse can’t get enough of it. The only exception is when my wife tries to take a nap, Fosse immediately wants to cuddle. Her body heat then makes napping impossible. There is never a dull moment in our house these days. Fosse always wants to play fetch and gathers her toys around her to suggest that the games should immediately begin.
There are three times in every day when both pups want the same thing. The first is to ride on the golf cart to the dog park, where Fosse wrestles and Tally watches. The second is “yummy tummy,” when dinner is served. Fosse frantically gobbles her kibbles, as I prepare Tally’s wet and dry food combination, while tucking in the medication. There used to be a “kibble ball” for Tally’s dessert, but Fosse was too rough with the dispenser, so we now just mix it with her Cesar loaf and shut the door so Fosse can’t get to it. The third is “ham time,” that last treat before bed, a slice of turkey, not ham, these days in the interest of health. They both gather by the refrigerator in anticipation of this glorious moment.
The two dogs are very different, primarily because of their fourteen-year age gap. Fosse is just nine-months while Tally is approaching fifteen. Fosse’s role is to keep Tally young, along with us humans. I can hear Fosse down the hall, squeaking her “disco pig,” hoping that I’ll take the bait and play fetch. She also loves to tug on the rope of her “party balloon,” if she can entice me to engage her. “Mom” and “big sister” continue to play possum in our bedroom- dog differences!
It’s time to reflect on what all has happened this past week. Hurricane Milton has created lots of devastation in our area but has left behind two beautiful, calm, sunny days in its wake. To gaze up at the blue sky, you would think that nothing had happened but look across the street and down the block and the damage is obvious. Trees down or bent over, missing roof tiles, and lanai screens flapping in the wind are the norm. The neighbor across the street got an estimate of $4,000 for cage repairs. We were lucky to have escaped with minor problems. Is another storm on the way?
This is, of course, nothing compared to those who lost everything. Most of my neighbors can afford their losses, but I’m concerned, for example, about the family that owns the local baseball card shop. They just opened a second store in Sarasota and have significant roof damage to both locations. Hopefully, their inventory, that includes some of my collection, is safe. Fortunately, the anticipated flooding never happened, but water undoubtedly leaked into their properties from above. The windows were securely boarded-up, so it’s hard to tell what happened inside. They do intend to open today, but even a couple of missed sales days can cripple a small business like this. Most retail stores have been closed all week and many still don’t have power. I’m worried for them all!
Timing in life is everything! Our friend a few blocks down, just closed on their house two weeks ago, only to suffer some damage from this untimely storm. The card shop owners just celebrated a grand opening, that my wife and I attended, only to be welcomed with disaster. The eye hit landfall just 30 miles north of us in Sarasota, where I once owned property. I’m certainly glad I don’t today! I’ve been lucky in life, but others certainly haven’t!
We were without power for just 18-hours, most of that while we were sleeping, although a bit muggy and uncomfortable. Our house of steel, concrete, and high-impact glass can easily withstand the winds. It was quiet indoors until you opened the door to chaos. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced winds so intense, able to rip the glasses off my face. During Hurricane Ian two years ago, we lost most of the food in our freezer, but we weren’t here when the power was out for days. I think the power surge also damaged the electronics in the refrigerator, that we just finally got properly repaired a few weeks ago. Milton, for some reason, did not play havoc with our electricity.
For us, everything is back to normal. We had “Date Night” at nearby Oak & Stone on Friday night. We then marveled over a History Channel special on the ancient city of Petra, a modern-day “Wonder of the World” that we toured a few years ago. I, of course, watched Saturday college football, while my wife spent time with our two pups, both of us relieved that we weren’t dealing with the hassles that others are facing in our immediate area. All in all, it’s been a normal, restful weekend full of reflection!
Continued from Post #2595.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m upset with the decisions made by the Hall of Fame Gods, so I consulted the rules, looking for justification:
BBWAA RULES FOR ELECTION
1. Authorization: By authorization of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) is authorized to hold an election every year for the purpose of electing members to the National Baseball Hall of Fame from the ranks of retired baseball players.
2. Electors: Only active and honorary members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, who have been active baseball writers for at least ten (10) years, shall be eligible to vote. They must have been active as baseball writers and members of the Association for a period beginning at least ten (10) years prior to the date of election in which they are voting.
3. Eligible Candidates — Candidates to be eligible must meet the following requirements:
A. A baseball player must have been active as a player in the Major Leagues at some time during a period beginning fifteen (15) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.
B. Player must have played in each of ten (10) Major League championship seasons, some part of which must have been within the period described in 3(A).
C. Player shall have ceased to be an active player in the Major Leagues at least five (5) calendar years preceding the election but may be otherwise connected with baseball.
D. In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.
E. Any player on Baseball’s ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.
4. Method of Election:
A. BBWAA Screening Committee — A Screening Committee consisting of baseball writers will be appointed by the BBWAA. This Screening Committee shall consist of six members, with two members to be elected at each Annual Meeting for a three-year term. The duty of the Screening Committee shall be to prepare a ballot listing in alphabetical order eligible candidates who (1) received a vote on a minimum of five percent (5%) of the ballots cast in the preceding election or (2) are eligible for the first time and are nominated by any two of the six members of the BBWAA Screening Committee.
B. An elector will vote for no more than ten (10) eligible candidates deemed worthy of election. Write-in votes are not permitted.
C. Any candidate receiving votes on seventy-five percent (75%) of the ballots cast shall be elected to membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
6. Automatic Elections: No automatic elections based on performances such as a batting average of .400 or more for one (1) year, pitching a perfect game or similar outstanding achievement shall be permitted.
7. Time of Election: The duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA shall prepare, date and mail ballots to each elector during the latter part of November. The elector shall sign and return the completed ballot no later than December 31. The vote shall then be tabulated by the duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA.
8. Certification of Election Results: The results of the election shall be certified by a representative of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and an officer of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. The results shall be transmitted to the Commissioner of Baseball. The BBWAA and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall jointly release the results for publication.
9. Amendments: The Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. reserves the right to revoke, alter or amend these rules at any time.
It’s really Rule #5 that determines the difference between the Hall of Fame and my newly proposed Hall of Shame. “Integrity, sportsmanship, character,” are the key words. They only want good people – not necessarily the best players. It’s a good example of why cheaters supposedly never prosper. The rule does specifically mention “contributions to the team(s) on which the player played” but not necessarily contributions to the game of baseball itself. All of these “Bad Boys of Baseball” made significant impact on the game and the teams they played for and therefore should be included in its history, even if it’s only a separate wing as I suggest. This is why the Hall of Shame addition should be established at Cooperstown. I guarantee it will be the most popular of all the displays.
As for the baseball writers who make this decision, it has been said that “Good writers borrow, better writers steal.” Maybe their practices should be as closely scrutinized as the players they vote against!
Well, I finally sat through a full-fledged hurricane, and I’m glad it’s finally over. During our time here in Florida, we were traveling when the previous two hit, Ian in 2022, and Idalia in 2023, while Helene, a month ago, lacked the intensity of yesterday’s Milton, primarily because it made landfall closer to home and we were on the “bad” side, as if there could ever be a good side. It was a very stressful evening, after the power went off at 8p, and all you could hear in the darkness was the howl of the wind. Ear plugs would have been a good idea, because sleep was hard to come by, especially without air conditioning. There were actually few concerns about our safety inside this concrete bunker, but the less-stable pool cage was on my mind all night.
Just stepping outside was frightening, with pieces of screening flying through the air, trees uprooting, and shifting winds. I had to take the dogs outside, and a gust ripped the glasses off my face. I didn’t find them until this morning in a neighbor’s yard. I might have walked right by them again if it weren’t for Fosse’s nose. She was curious about what was in the grass in an area that I overlooked with the flashlight after it happened in last night’s darkness. It reminded me of the Michigan Blizzard of ’78, when a scarf wrapped around my neck was unraveled and sent flying across a corn field, while my car was stuck in snow on the side of an icy road.
I had just bought these glasses and had them adjusted again last week, so I worried all night that I would have to replace them. Just another casualty of the hurricane, so I was surprised to find them undamaged. We also have two big screens that have been pulled out of their framework that will need some repair work, but otherwise we went unscathed, unlike many of our neighbors. I’m thanking my lucky stars!
Internet and phone service has been reestablished, unlike a million other Floridians that aren’t so lucky. I’m sure we’ll be getting a hefty HOA assessment like two years ago for uninsurable trees lost in the high winds. I see them scattered throughout the neighborhood, another reminder of good fortune concerning our yard. There was little structural damage to the resort facilities, and the flood waters never came. It could have been much worse, and Mother Nature is making up for it with a beautiful afternoon. We got the doors re-hung on the lanai, cleaned out the pool, and started reorganizing the garage and closets, after preparations for potentially damaging water.
The site of my once-upon-a-time-ago condo on Siesta Key, just to the north of us, was already underwater from Helene, so I’m sure this only added to the damages. Glad we didn’t settle there this time or own that property anymore. It’s gotten so expensive and crowded. There was a time in life when living on the beach was a goal, at least in retirement. We’re now close enough to enjoy any given day there, but far enough away to avoid the surge. I’m grateful to have once again avoided disaster, but the cost of living in this state continues to escalate. Who knows what our future will bring?
I just finished my 15-part series on White Sox catcher Sherm Lollar (See Post #2509). It was a good distraction from shoulder and leg pain, as well as the incoming hurricane named Milton. The baseball playoffs continue with the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani in danger of early elimination by the Padres and the Mets are on a roll. Royals, and Tigers, and Guardians, Oh My! IU football remains undefeated and bowl eligible at 6-0 with a week off. My other distraction has been watching The Old Man on Hulu and sorting my son’s baseball cards.
I took the level of the pool down about 4 inches this morning in anticipation of heavy rain and then shut off the breakers. We’ve stocked up on food/water and filled the tubs/containers. Everything on the lanai has been taken to the garage or bungeed together as a precaution. Fountains and hoses have been disconnected. It’s currently raining with tornado warnings to add to the stress. We’re still a day away from Milton’s estimated landfall that should happen near Tampa, far enough away from us. The Weather Channel is currently reporting from Jacksonville for some reason, but the farther away from us the better.
We bought 11-bags of mulch yesterday to use as sandbags, if necessary, but with Hurricane Ian last year, the water only came up halfway down the street. It would need to rise another 5-feet or more to affect us. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen! We won’t be victims of the impending Gulf surge but flooding of the nearby Myakka River could pose a problem. We’ve elevated most everything possible in the house, just in case, up on tables or higher shelves. Throw rugs have been removed, as the lights start to flicker. We’ve even prepared a stock of frozen water containers to us in the refrigerator if the power goes out.
The neighbors all have generators and are more than anxious to test and show off their investments. They claim that it was worth it if they don’t have to use it but have a secret desire for glamping. For me, it would be just another thing to go wrong! Our resort community, Islandwalk, has a pretty good newly installed electrical back-up system. All our phones are charged with back-up. It’s cool enough that we won’t need air conditioning. My old Meteorologist in Lafayette, Indiana is reporting now for Channel 10 in Tampa. His team is on the background and love this sh*t! They, too, are fortunately not in our neighborhood! There will be some heavy drinking going on, but not at our house. Sleeping will be enough of a problem without the extra sugars.
The good thing about hurricanes is that you have several days to fret and plan, unlike other natural disasters. It’s the fretting part that’s painful, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Before the day is over, we’ll pack a few bags if we’re forced to move. I see nothing but red on these TV weather maps, but we’re as ready as we can be.
Many of our neighbors have not returned from their Snowbird perches up north or have delayed coming because of the storm. Others have followed the warnings and left. My son lives near-by in less likely to flood Zone E but has a houseful of nephews and nieces staying with him. We will not benefit from emergency services since we’re in Zone C with mandatory evacuation. As mentioned, the other half of our street has had water problems in the past, but we’re uphill, but still subject to the same orders to leave. They’ve also added more drainage pumps because of that previous problem and are more vigilant about keeping the street drains open. We’ve all learned lessons since the last storms!
Where would we go? It took almost eight hours, more than twice as long as normal, for friends to get to the other coast because of the traffic congestion. Finding a place to stay, with all the hotels reserved for emergency services, is nearly impossible. Staying home, allows others to escape if necessary. I can only hope we’ve made the right decision! All of my pessimistic nature is showing its colors!
Another emergency message has interrupted the TV broadcast. There are those that are also annoyed that the wall-to-wall weather programming has preempted The Young and The Restless. We’ll likely be restless confined to our concrete bomb shelter with high-impact hurricane glass. If the power goes off, we’ll “resort” to books – maybe “resort” is the wrong word!
I will do another post when things settle down and the power is restored. However, I’m not sure how long that will take? A lot of people have been in touch, expressing their concerns, so maybe this will get more readership than normal. My biggest issue at this point is next week’s prostrate surgery. The pre-testing was cancelled for tomorrow, so I hope there won’t be a delay. I’ve got to go – to the bathroom, again! Go away, Milton, and don’t come again another day!
Continued from Post #2623
As Yogi Berra famously quipped, “baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Sherm Lollar, on the other hand, was not known for his quotes or sense of humor. “A contemporary article called Lollar “a Charley Gehringer type,” adding, ‘He appears a colorless, dispassionate individual, on and off the field, but he gets his job done effectively. If Lollar hits as well as Gehringer did, no one will care if he doesn’t say a word all season.” Charlie Gehringer, not to be confused with Gehrig, was nicknamed ‘The Mechanical Man,’ who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1924-1942, won the American League batting title in 1939 with a .371 average to earn the AL MVP, was a 6x All-Star, stolen base leader in 1929, and World Series champion in 1939. Yet, like Lollar was not quite good enough for the Hall of Fame.
The significance of a great catcher can’t be emphasized enough, this is why I find it hard to believe that there are relatively few in the “Hall of Fame.” Others feel this way, as well, take for example this article by Leigh Allan, written on Jul 21, 2023:
“There’s always a catch (-er, that is) And as he goes, so goes the team (usually, anyway).”
“It’s not a rule that in order to have sustained success a team has to have a really good catcher. Sure does help though.”
“The White Sox provide a good example. During the amazing 17-year stretch of winning records from 1951 to 1967, they had Sherm Lollar behind the plate most of the time, from 1952-63. Lollar was a veteran when the Sox got him, but he stepped it up to Gold Glove levels when manager Paul Richards told him to depart from his natural quietness and become a vocal team leader.”
“Of course, being the White Sox, having a great catcher didn’t always work (witness the so-so records with Carlton Fisk), but the rah-rah bit did. A.J. Pierzynski had a solid defensive year in 2005, but it’s the vocal part we all remember helping the Sox to a World Series win — their first trip to the Series since 1959, when Lollar helped the way.”
“The reason Lollar only had one World Series trip was the dominance of the Yankees at that time, a team that had a number of Hall-of-Famers, a key among them Yogi Berra. And the Yankees most often were facing the Dodgers — Brooklyn variety — and the terrific Roy Campanella.”
“Come forward to the ’70s and there was the Big Red Machine with Johnny Bench, perhaps the greatest catcher of them all, leading the way. On the American League side, the A’s dominated, with Ray Fosse calling the pitches.”
“If you prefer more recent impact, there was early Yadier Molina getting two championships with the Cardinals, the San Francisco string of ring collecting from 2010-14 with Buster Posey, and even the Royals consecutive World Series appearances with Salvador Pérez. And it sure helped the Phillies to have J.R. Realmuto last year.”
“Great catching doesn’t necessarily lead to championships — if it did, Iván Rodríguez would have a ring on each finger. Including thumbs. But even Rick Hahn (Senior VP/GM of the White Sox) can recognize the importance of catchers, hence the $73 million contract for Yasmani Grandal (that played out OK for a little while, but then knees and age took their toll and the contract no longer seems like such a good idea).
“Great shortstopping is the next-most important aspect, with the catchers named above playing with Luis Aparicio, Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese, Barry Larkin, Bert Campaneris, Brandon Crawford (or Sox buddy Juan Uribe), and Alcides Escobar (OK, not an all-time great, but an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2015). But their catchers led the way.”
“(Yeah, yeah — when the White Sox had Fisk behind the plate, they mostly had an outstanding Ozzie Guillén at short, to no avail. But that’s just the Sox.) WHY ALL THIS BORING HISTORY BLATHER, OLD TIMER?”
“Funny you should ask, you young whippersnappers. It’s because unless Hahn is nuts, the White Sox are about to be trading veterans for prospects. A lot has been guessed about which veterans will go, but less about which prospects to seek, of which the most important to look at are catchers.”
“Grandal has become a liability behind the plate, and will be a free agent anyway. (In fact, he moved on to the Pittsburg Pirates for the 2024 season). Seby Zavala has improved but will always be below-average defensively, besides which the Sox don’t hit well enough to carry the hole in his bat, as Houston can do with Martin Maldonado. And Carlos Pérez hasn’t been on any top prospect lists for a reason.”
“The problem is finding good catching prospects, which are so rare that teams tend to hold on to them desperately. However, there is a possible solution. PRAY TELL, WHAT SOLUTION?”
“There are actually two teams who each have two slots among the Top 10 catchers on MLB.com prospect lists.”
“One is the Angels, but they aren’t likely to be big buyers by the trade deadline. It’s the other one that’s interesting — and a perfect fit for the White Sox.”
“The Dodgers already have the marvelous Will Smith behind the plate, with team control to 2026, but they have also have the top-rated catching prospect in Diego Cartaya and the No. 8, Dalton Rushing. Cartaya is in that top spot despite struggling at the plate in Tulsa this season, so obviously scouts really like what they see.”
“Further, the Dodgers are a natural landing spot for L.A. native Lucas Giolito, their bullpen has been awful, and losing Gavin Lux to injury for the season after Trea Turner left in free agency has left big holes in the middle infield. The White Sox just happen to have what they need. SO LET’S MAKE A DEAL, RIGHT?”
The article ends with a mock conversation between General Managers that leads nowhere, but the information in the story is valuable. It caught my eye because Sherm Lollar was the main point. I am also including a favorable story from essayist Peter Smith, another big fan of Sherm Lollar titled Growing Up Sherm Lollar Was My Joe Mauer:
“White Sox catcher Sherm Lollar made the All-Star team in 1958. Smith still has his baseball card.” (I have all of his baseball cards in my collection):
“I am holding my 1958 Sherman Lollar Sport Magazine All-Star baseball card. ‘Sherm Lollar, Catcher, American League.’ He’s wearing an uncomfortable smile-as if he doesn’t think himself worthy of being an All-Star. Or maybe someone left the cold cuts from the clubhouse lunch table out a little too long and they turned on him.”
“If I hold the card just right and squint through my reading glasses hard enough, I can still see the halo around Sherm’s head where I used to worship him.”
“Nine All-Star selections. Three gold gloves. To me, he was Joe Mauer long before there was a Mauer — a lion in an unexpanded American League, and a simpler time.”
“I turn the card over and read from the back.”
“Sherm’s great strength lies in his ability to handle pitchers,” some overworked, down at the heels public relations man wrote on the back of the card. “His experience of the hitter’s weakness is invaluable to members of the Sox staff.”
“Alas poor Lollar had a well known hitter’s weakness all his own. He was slow afoot and tended to ground into inning ending, rally killing double plays.”
“Even Joe Mauer goofs up and hits into a double play now and then.”
“I see Mauer ground one to start a double play and I flash back to Lollar running to first as hard as he can, still out by fifteen feet.”
“‘It’s his knee tendons,’ my father would say sadly. He’d shake his head, ‘All those years catching.’
“It may have been Lollar’s lack of speed that cemented the bond between us. I, too, was a lead-footed catcher. I, too hit into far too many double plays.”
“‘It’s my knee tendons,’ I took to telling my Little League coaches. I’d shake my head. ‘All these years catching…'”
“Tonight, when Joe Mauer takes the All-Star field, I’ll be in my groove on the sofa. And Sherm Lollar’s 1958 Sport Magazine All-Star card will be propped up at the base of the lamp on the end table.”
“‘Do a couple of old catchers and their knee tendons proud, Joe,” Sherm and I will be thinking. ‘Swing for the fences. And no double plays.'”
From https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/07/12/growing-up-sherm-lollar-was-my-joe-mauer
Joe Mauer was a catcher with the Minnesota Twins from 2004 to 2018. He was a 6x All-Star, AL MVP in 2009, 3x Gold Glove winner, 5x Silver Slugger winner, 3x AL batting champion and retired with a .306 lifetime average. He was just inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 on the very first ballot. Mauer was superior to Sherm Lollar in nearly every category, including a fielding percentage of .995 at catcher and .996 at first base. Like Berra, he was also able to stay with the same team. Mauer played 15-years in the Majors, while Berra and Lollar caught for 3 additional years. Certainly, Mauer got the benefit of better, lighter equipment, as well as superior technology than Berra or Lollar.
For a complete list of Hall of Fame catchers see Post #2513.
I have compiled nearly 300 Sherm Lollar-related items, plus some duplicates in my extensive collection, including baseball cards, press photos, articles, clippings, pins, advertisements, signed balls, game programs, scorecards, endorsed gloves, catching equipment, a rare game-worn #10 jersey from 1955, cups, ticket stubs, playing cards, a cancer foundation medallion, and even game pieces from Trivial Pursuit, Cadaco, and APBA Baseball. These items are in notebooks and displayed on the walls of my office. I have about $5,500 dollars invested through the years and will continue to scour E-bay and other sources. A glossy picture of Berra and Lollar together is one of my favorites. I’m in the process of looking for a museum in Chicago, Fayetteville, Arkansas, or Pittsburg, Kansas that may be interested.
Sherm Lollar would have never put himself out there like Yogi Berra. The iconic picture of the 1956 World Series and Don Larsen’s unmatched perfect game, shows Yogi leaping into Larsen’s arms following Dale Mitchell’s called third strike to end the game. Sherm was simply too big and too reserved to ever leap into someone’s arms.
I’ve reached the end of this series, but plan on researching other sources, and adding to what is already on-line. I may even consider, with some professional editing, publishing it in book form.
Happy 100th Sherm!
Continued from Post #2622
It was, indeed, “déjà vu all over again,” in the 1963 battle for supremacy between the White Sox and the Yankees! The Yanks won the regular season series 10-8, won 104 games to again claim the American League pennant, and went on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The White Sox, on the other hand, finished second, ten-and-a-half games back at 94-68. They did “Go” 18-9 in the month of September, making a last-ditch rally, after a 14-13 July and 17-13 August, but it was obviously not enough. The Minnesota Twins finished second, just ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
Dave DeBusschere appeared in 24-games before he decided that basketball was more his thing and not baseball. He finished his two-year career in a White Sox uniform with a 3-4 record. There were more changes in the Sox roster in May when Dom Zanni was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Jim Brosnan, and Sammy Esposito was released by the team. Nellie Fox and Juan Pizzaro were reserves in the All-Star game.
Sherm Lollar played in only 35-games in 1963 with no home runs and a meager .233 average to end his playing career, having never fully recovered from the thumb injury. September 7, 1963, was his final game. I have a ticket stub in my collection but did not attend. He came in to catch in the top of the 10th for J.C. Martin, and didn’t get to hit until the 11th inning in a 2-2 game. His last swing was a pop-out to the catcher, Jerry Zimmerman. The Twins went on to win it 4-2 in the top of the 12th on a Rich Rollins single.
For the first time ever, the Yankees were swept in a World Series. The Dodgers ended Berra’s catching career on a similar sour note as Lollar’s. Yogi, too, was 0-1 in his final game, with it being his sole at bat in the Series. Also, like Lollar, it was his 18th season as a player, but all with the Yankees, while Lollar played for four different teams: the Indians, Yankees, Browns, and White Sox.
Berra spent 1964 as the Yankees manager, when Ralph Houk, moved up to general manager. It was the same old story for the White Sox, who lagged one game behind in the final standings. Doubts about his managerial skills plagued Yogi throughout a difficult season with many veterans missing games due to injury. There was the “Harmonica Incident,” where after a White Sox sweep appeared to take the Yankees out of pennant contention, he clashed with one of his players on the team bus. The team rallied behind Berra afterwards to win the pennant. However, the Cardinals won the Series, and the incident may have been the reason why Berra was replaced by the winning Red Birds manager, Johnny Keane, at the end of the season.
Lollar became the bullpen coach of the Baltimore Orioles in 1964 and remained in that position until 1967, winning a second World Series ring in 1966, eleven fewer than Yogi. Berra joined the New York Mets in 1965 as coach (and briefly as a player again), and stayed for the next decade, serving the last four years as their manager. As a side note, in 1962 before Berra joined the crosstown Mets, they had posted a 40–120 record, the “second-most” losses by a post-1900 MLB team only because the 2024 Chicago White Sox just surpassed that dubious mark. Yogi’s hire added some credibility to the Mets’ organization that had frankly become a joke. The punch line came in 1966, when team executives famously bypassed future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in the amateur draft, instead selecting Steve Chilcott, who never played in the majors.
Sherm Lollar next became the bullpen coach of the 1968-1969 Oakland Athletics, guiding Catfish Hunter’s perfect game. Meanwhile, his Oriole pitchers from the previous year went on to play Berra’s “Amazing Mets” in the 1969 World Series. Suddenly, the Mets were no longer a laughingstock, and Coach Berra won another World Series ring, the only one not associated with the Yankees.
Yogi returned to the Yankees in 1976, under manager Billy Martin. Berra stayed for eight seasons as coach and then managed the Bronx Bombers for what turned out to be barely just over a year. Coach Berra’s Yankee’s, now in the American League East division, had returned to the Bronx after a two-year absence for stadium renovations. They were once again uncharacteristically swept by Cincinnati 4-0 in the World Series, just as the Dodgers had done to them in 1963. It marked their first postseason appearance since 1964.
1977 was George Steinbrenner’s first year of ownership and the newly renovated Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star game. His first major move was to sign Reggie Jackson to a five-year contract. The team finished in first place in the American League East with a record of 100–62 (.617), 2½ games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles to successfully defend their division title. In the best-of-five League Championship Series (ALCS), they beat the Kansas City Royals in five games. In the World Series, the Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games to celebrate the 75th season of the team and the 21st title. Coach Yogi Berra claimed more World Series hardware for his fingers and toes.
More of the same, in 1978, as Coach Berra’s Yankees compiled a record of 100–63, finishing one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox to win their third American League East title, but it took a one-game playoff. They went on win the World Series in a rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite all the controversy. Reggie Jackson had been suspended in a mid-season showdown with Billy Martin, which resulted in Martin resigning a week later. Dick Howser became manager for one game before Bob Lemon took over the team in July. Yogi ultimately received his 13th World Series championship ring.
This story has taken a twist from the now deceased Sherm Lollar to being more about Yogi’s tumultuous Yankees. Not happy with the slow start to the 1979 season, Steinbrenner fired Manager Lemon and brought Martin back. This move did not sit well with Jackson or team president, Al Rosen, who also resigned. The year was also tragically marked by the death of starting catcher, Thurman Munson, on August 2. As a result, the Yankees’ three-year domination of the AL East came to an abrupt halt. The team finished with a record of 89–71, finishing fourth, 13.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles.
In continuing to compare Berra and Lollar’s parallel careers, Sherm managed the Oakland Athletic minor league Iowa Oaks from 1970-72. While in Des Moines, Iowa, once again according to John McMurray’s article: “Lollar barely escaped serious injury. While he sat in his car at a red light after a game in 1970, a nearby building suddenly collapsed. ‘I was just sitting there listening to the radio when – wham! It was like the sky falling,’ Lollar related. ‘What made it worse was that I had no idea what was happening. I couldn’t see a thing because of the dust and debris.” Fortunately, Lollar was unhurt.
His next stop was to manage the Tucson Toros, another A’s affiliate, from 1973 to 1974, winning a division title during the 1973 season. I bought a 50-cent copy of a Toros’ program from 1973 at E-bay prices that included an article titled “Lollar Wins First Pennant at Tuscon:”
“Under Lollar’s guidance, the Toros took five of seven games from the Salt Lake Angels to wrap up the Eastern Division title. The victory brough Tucson its first championship team in two decades. Sherm said last spring that he felt the Oakland A’s could provide the Toros with the type of talent that would make Tucson a pennant contender…and he was right!”
“During informal moments Lollar like to relate two bits of trivia about his major league career. First, he was a teammate of the only midget to play in the majors while a member of the St. Louis Browns (Eddie Gaedel, brought in by owner Bill Veeck as a publicity stunt). Secondly, he was involved in the first pinch-hit home run recorded in a World Series...in 1947. Yogi Berra clouted the first four-bagger as a pinch hitter…for none other than Sherm Lollar.”
McMurray went on to write: “Lollar retired from the Toros after the 1974 season because of a dispute with Charley Finley, the owner of the Oakland A’s. He had done advance scouting for the A’s for the post-season, starting in 1971. In 1974, John Claiborne, Finley’s director of minor-league operations, told Lollar that Finley wanted to pay $500 less for the advance scouting than he had paid in previous seasons. Lollar refused. ‘He’s going to be mad, Sherm,’ said Claiborne, ‘and you might not be managing next year.’ Lollar stuck to his guns. ‘It was the principle of the thing,’ he told a reporter later. ‘I never did have any direct contact with Finley about it. But … I decided I had been playing ball 30 years and you’ve got to quit sometime, so I figured it was a good time.'”
“Sherm and his wife, Constance, reside in Springfield, Mo., during the off-season. They have two sons attending college in the South. Sherm spends a considerable amount of his time in the winter supervising activities at his 32-lane bowling establishment in Springfield.”
Sherm had met Connie in 1946, just after his debut with the Cleveland Indians. They married in 1949.
The Toros team was in Hawaii in the spring of 1973, so Lollar was unable to attend a White Sox All-Star reunion. He died after a long battle with cancer four years later on September 24, 1977, at the far too young age of 53. He is buried in Rivermonte Memorial Gardens in Springfield. Sherm Lollar’ final honor was being named to the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team. Yogi Berra continued to coach and manage, as the Bronx Bombers rolled on!
The 1980 Yankees were swept in the ALCS by the Kansas City Royals. Once again, Dick Howser was in charge, but this time for the whole season rather than just a day, with Billy Martin out of the picture, as the Steinbrenner see-saw rocked back and forth. The team finished with a record of 103–59, finishing in first place in the American League East, 3-games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
The 1981 team finished in first place for the first half of the season with a 34–22 record but finished fifth in the second half with a 25–26 record, for an overall record of 59–48. The season was suspended for 50 days due to the infamous 1981 players strike and the league chose as its playoff teams, the division winners from the first and second halves of the season, respectively. In the Series, it was the Dodgers in six over the Yankees.
1982 was the first losing season for the Yankees since 1973 at 79-83. Bob Lemon was back to share the managerial duties with Gene Michael. Once again, no Billy Martin, who continued to manage the Oakland Athletics since 1980. He returned to Steinbrenner and the Yankees in 1983 to deliver a winning season, but short of any titles, before Yogi took over in 1984 for another disappointing third place finish.
Temperamental Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had Berra fired sixteen games into the 1985 season, electing not to do it himself, following a sweep by the Chicago White Sox. Yogi was then replaced by Billy Martin in the revolving door that started with those two in 1983 when Berra replaced Martin as manager. It had been swinging for years during the Steinbrenner regime. Berra, in bitter retaliation, vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium. Steinbrenner publicly apologized ten-years later. Meanwhile, Berra joined the Houston Astros as bench coach in 1985, where he made it to the NLCS in 1986. He remained in that position for three more years, retiring after the 1989 season.
Yogi Berra had lasted in baseball 15-years longer than Sherm Lollar and lived 38-years more, reaching the golden age of 90. When all was said and done with his decades of involvement in New York baseball, Berra had appeared as a player, coach or manager in 13 of 15 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1981. Overall, he played or coached in 21 World Series.
While other great catchers like Sherm Lollar, Elston Howard, and Thurmon Munson never did get nods from the Hall of Fame, Yogi Berra was elected in 1972 on his second ballot. That same year, his No. 8 was retired in 1972 by the Yankees, jointly honoring both Berra and Bill Dickey, his predecessor as the Yankees’ star catcher. Sherm also played for Bill Dickey on that 1947 team that earned both he and Berra their first World Series rings.
Continued from Post #2621
One of the big buzzes prior to the 1962 season was the signing of 6’6″ Dave DeBusschere as an amateur free agent. As we all now know, he eventually went on to become a star in the NBA. However, on April 22nd, he did make his Major League baseball debut in a game against the Kansas City Athletics, pitching one inning while giving up a walk. He ultimately appeared in 12 games and threw 18-innings.
Juan Pizzaro was on the mound to open the 1962 season, supplanting Early Wynn for that honor. Minnie Miñoso had been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for two-time All-Star, Joe Cunningham, who hit a respectable .295 with 8 homers and 70 RBIs, while Roy Sievers moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies for Charley Smith and John Buzhardt, who respectively hit just above or well below the “Mendoza Line” for offensive futility. Andy Carey was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ramón Conde and Jim Koranda. Conde played in 14-games but went hitless in sixteen attempts, while Koranda was immediately sent to the minors. It was essentially the same “old” White Sox, but no Landis on opening day, with Aparicio and Fox leading off, followed by Cunningham, Robinson, and Smith. Mike Hershberger and Charley Smith were the next two “strangers” in the lineup, but once again steady Sherm was batting 8th.
However, some things never change. The Yankees won 96 games to again claim the American League pennant, with a five-game edge over the second place Minnesota Twins. The White Sox finished fifth at 85-77, 11-games back from their “Damn Yankees,” who also took their season series 12-10. At least, the Sox were 42-39 away from Comiskey, winning on the road unlike last year.
Sherm Lollar hit .268 with 26 RBIs in 84 appearances. However, once again, only 2 home runs. He fractured his thumb on June 20th when hit by a pitch from Ted Sadowski on June 20th. He didn’t return to play until July 25th. The Sox were sadly powerless, with just 92 as a team. Floyd Robinson only had 11 in the clean-up spot, while Al Smith hit 16 and Jim Landis 15. There was little “Go-Go” left.
At the end of the 1962 season, there was little fascination over Sherman Lollar, and articles about him had all but disappeared. The thumb was still bothering him and his confidence waning. There was only Yogi Berra yet to fuss over in the 59th edition of the World Series that was delayed a day to allow the three-game playoff between the Giants and Dodgers to determine the National League pennant. Another day of rest for the Yankees. Sherm was probably off cleaning his rifle, while contemplating retirement. His body was telling him on last year!
The tie-breaker series was necessary once both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 101–61. The Dodgers won a coin flip late in the season, which gave them home field advantage. The Giants had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958. This World Series, which was closely matched in every aspect, is also remembered for its then-record length of 13 days, caused by rainouts in both cities. Also, never before had two teams traveled so far to play each other for the Championship.
Yogi Berra had found a way to once again be a key player in the New York Yankees’ 1962 World Series victory over the San Francisco Giants. He had lost his starting position to Elston Howard in 1960, and only got into 86 games, similar to Lollar’s playing time that year. In Game 2, Berra came in as a last-minute replacement for Elson, who was unable to play. Yogi batted twice and drew a walk each time, although the Giants won 2-0 on Willie McCovey’s home run at Candlestick Park to tie the series at 1-1.
Whitey Ford had won Game 1 for the Yankees but would lose 5-2 in Game 6 while Roger Maris homered. The only run in Game 7 came in the fifth inning when Tony Kubek grounded into a double play. There was drama in the bottom of the ninth when pinch-hitter, Matty Alou led off with a bunt hit. He would have been out if not for a dropped foul ball. After the next two batters struck out, Willie Mays hit a double into the right-field corner, but Maris played it smartly and held Alou at third. McCovey hit a bullet to Bobby Richardson who held on for the final out. Ralph Terry grabbed the victory and the MVP Award.
The 1963 stage was now set for the final playing season of two great catchers, Yogi Berra and Sherm Lollar. Both would go on to manage in the future, but Berra had one more ring to claim, and Lollar still had something to prove. By mid-January, Luis Aparicio and Al Smith were traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson, and Pete Ward. That left only teammates Jim Landis and Nellie Fox from the 1959 team on the White Sox roster.
My first mitt purchase was endorsed by Jim Landis, since I was primarily relegated to right field, where I could do less damage, when I first played Little League ball. A Sherm Lollar catcher’s mitt wouldn’t have done me much good. I used that glove for many years, after it gathered dust, before I got involved in media league softball. It was obviously too big for me when first used, but I grew into it, playing catch with my dad and the neighbor kids.
A new, bigger mitt was probably a factor in Sherm’s final season, with the acquisition of knuckleballer Wilhelm, known as “Old Sarge,” although J.C. Martin would take over the starting role and Ray Herbert would take the mound on opening day.
Continued from Post #2620
The 1961 Chicago White Sox season was the team’s 61st season in the major leagues, and its 62nd season overall. They finished with a record of 86–76, good enough for fourth place in the American League, 23 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Their pitching staff surrendered 13 of Roger Maris’s 61 home runs that year, the most of any team. Juan Pizzaro was a bright spot with 14-wins, but the team finished 86-76.
The team lost Earl Averill, Jr. and Jim McAnany to the Los Angeles Angels in the 1960 expansion draft on December 14th, as two new teams joined the American League. The Washington Senators (later to become the Texas Rangers) were the second addition. The Yankees were dominant, winning 109 regular season games, and were chased by the Detroit Tigers with 101 victories. The Baltimore Orioles finished third and the White Sox fourth, 23 games behind New York, after a dismal 33-48 road record.
The Yankees were rebounding after the 1959 season that belonged to Sherm Lollar and the White Sox. Yogi’s team took 12 of 16 games from the Sox in 1961. The Bronx Bombers had finished on top of the American League two years in a row but had unfinished business to attend to in the World Series, the crack of Mazeroski’s lethal bat still a bitter memory. Berra was back to spewing his seemingly unknowing witticisms known as “Yogi-isms,” further endearing his fans. “It ain’t over ’til it’s over; It’s déjà vu all over again; The future ain’t what it used to be; and You can observe a lot by watching,” are four prime examples. Sherm, on the other hand, was never flashy or outspoken.
Yogi was piling on the honors that would someday include fifteen All-Star seasons with eighteen showings, ten World Series championships in fourteen appearances, and three A.L. MVP Awards. He played in more than a hundred games each year for fourteen years, received MVP votes in 15 consecutive seasons, led the star-studded Yankees in RBIs for seven consecutive years, and caught Don Larsen’s historic perfect game in the 1956 Series. He was definitely an impossible challenge for Sherm Lollar to keep up with.
A big factor in the Tiger’s 1961 success was Norm Cash, who admittedly swung an illegal cork bat and debuted with the Sox in June of 1958. He smashed a career-high 41 homers in 1961, led the Tigers to win twelve of eighteen games over his former Chicago teammates, and followed in 1962 with 39 more dingers. He only delivered 18 for the Sox in 1960, before he came into his own. The other big loss was catcher Earl Battey, who went to the Washington Senators in 1960 and then on to the Minnesota Twins in 1961-62, while taking over Sherm Lollar’s Gold Glove domination, with three straight of his own. Aging was becoming a factor in the White Sox roster.
Sherm Lollar drifted towards the bottom of the opening day line-up in the traditional 8 spot. Roy Sievers hit clean-up, as Luis, Nellie, and Minnie filled the slots above him. J.C. Martin, Al Smith and Jim Landis followed, just before Sherm and Early Wynn filled the card.
The “Go-Go-Sox” picked up Wes Covington off waivers, traded him along with Stan Johnson, Bob Shaw and Gerry Staley to Kansas City for Ray Herbert, Don Larsen, Andy Carey, and Al Pilarcik, released Joe Ginsberg, and purchased the contract of Warren Hacker from the Phillies. A lot of names that didn’t add up to much production, although Herbert would show vast improvement in 1962.
Sherm Lollar hit a remarkable .282 in 116 games, showing what a little rest can effectively generate. However, he was no longer a power threat, hitting only 7 home runs with 41 RBIs. Part of his “Go” was gone.
Yogi was still going strong, battling against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. He caught four of the five games, hit .273 with a home run, and drew 5 walks in 11 plate appearances. Berra would play in two more World Series and coach in another two before his illustrious career was over. Ralph Houk won his first title as the Yankee skipper. They would continue to haunt the White Sox every October, after eliminating them in September. Sherm was off, as usual this time of year, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family.
To be continued…