Nostalgia Lane

Good idea for a topic since I'm probably the biggest offender when it comes to bringing up something that happened way back at chain-o-lakes stadium in the 70's, or RS wise in the 60's-70's.

Have mentioned before am pretty sure, but just waiting for ST to arrive and seeing then MiLB managers Joe Morgan and Rac Slider again and take in the stories and knowledge those guys had was wonderful to me.

I remember a 1st round mammoth/hulking slugger they took 1st round 1 year (who never made it pas AA if remember correctly) was taking his turn at BP once while Joe and I were chatting. Joe was still keeping a watchful eye out.. I asked him what he thought of Otis's chances (otis Foster).. Oh man.. He responded in a loud enough voice so Foster could here every word.. "That damn 400z bat is too heavy and he tries to pull everything!

I'd never heard of anyone using a 40oz bat before, but was afraid to say anything more about Foster at the time, but did ask Joe later on who confirmed he DID swing a 40oz bat.

Joe was indeed like that. he was full of knowledge, yet would say off the wall things at off the wall moments like the Globe had him pegged when he managed the big league club, opposite of Rac Slider, who managed Winter Haven until like '81-82 (I was gone then). Both knew the game well and I learned most of what I know from those 2.

You mentioned pitchers also and will limit to RS.. I'll got with bruce Hurst. His curve ball was just so good. Batters couldn't square it up. balles went fould, or they missed it and he was one of the absolute nicest people you could ever meet, tho homesick as could be the year he was at Winter haven. A devout Morman who was extremely religious. Probably the best thing personally that could have happened to him was going to a place.. Like SD where he'd be left alone. I have always loved the Sox, but was glad he found a place like that, out of the spotlight and opposite.. Sad when my friend Pete Ladd was traded away in the Bob Watson deal, another super nice guy.

Richie Gedman also.. i remember his allergies and always having a red face from them. LOL Runny nose.. The works. He roomed with Ladd/Danny Weppner and Nipper if remember correctly when he got to Winter Haven.

Stories, stories, stories.. I could go on and on about them. Lakeland Tigers ones also with Jimmy Leyland chain smoking cigarettes and way more.

It was a different era and time. Players weren't swamped for the most part for autographs at the miLB camp and players, even many MLB ones were approachable, stars even, like Yaz and Tiant were nice guys and people could chat with them. Yaz's ST/winter home was 1 1/2 block from where we lived. He'd be out on the chain of lakes fishing often.. Or from the pier in front of his house facing Lake Howard.

I got somewhat of a help to start with my dad being friends with the guy who owned concession rights (Phil) at chain-o-lakes for years. We all would be together at the stadium and sometimes fly to boston together, where could get bleacher seats and sit in the press box.. As long as didn't sit on the front row..

As for funny stories to put an end to this? I once caught a wad of tobacco... several guys were playing pepper down in the Sox BP.. must have been '76..'77. I forget exact year.. I'm kind of half way watching them since it's pre game.. All of a sudden, something comes flying up towards me and instinct is to grab it.. U know.. guys playing ball.. It's wet and slimy.. Juice coming down my arm.. Denny Doyle hollers up "good hands!"

I coulda' killed him...

Hahaha that's insane. Can you imagine the shit show that would cause these days? Lol.

As far as it being busy for autographs and stuff that's why I love spring training. I used to go to the Braves spring training every year. I got lawn seats one year, and started talking to a woman who was with her young son. We hit it off, and she asked me to sit with them. Turns out it was Chipper Jones's wife and kid lol. So after the game we all just hung out and shot the shit.

I'd like to hear some more from you fans that had a chance to interact with baseball people way back if you don't mind sometime here.

Mostly going with sort of humorous items so far, maybe some not interesting to many.

A reliever Winter Haven had 1 year named Pete Ladd was very good, later on went to Houston in that awful Bob Watson deal as one of those MiLB guys most had probably never heard of at the time players, but was probably the best player friend I made over the years.

He made his name for the Brewers in their WS.. Think was '83 and was outstanding cpl years for them. Pete loved to play that old time hockey game where you pull the rods and twist them on this table like thing that has figures of players on the end of it? Does that make sense? He was a Vermont guy and huge hockey fan. His appt was right behind where we lived and could walk over, play that, old time strat-o-matic baseball.. A kid at heart who loved games, yet was fierce on the mound.

1 of his "roomies" was another really good pitcher that year, California boy Danny Weppner. A lefty who was the best starter the team had and looked like had a real future, unfortunately he blew out his arm and was done. Super nice guy chatting with. Could picture him with that bleached (sun) blond hair on any california beach with a surfboard.

about 2y later he tried to comeback as an OF and saw him again, but the bat just wasn't there. A real shame.

I had a similar but nowhere near as good story. My mother and I were Braves fans when the Braves moved out of town. A few years later, my mother suggested I write a letter to the Red Sox and ask them why I should become a Sox fan. I got back a three page hand written letter from Jackie Jensen with a signed baseball card and a scotch tape thumb print. A love affair was ignited. The card was 1958, I was 9 and Jackie won the MVP that year.

The game was a lot different back then. My dad had a connection through a higher up with the Sox. John Donovan, who was a high up exec with the Sox. Our first family vacation was to Winter Haven back in 87(a year late). We stayed at the same hotel as the Sox. Staying at the same hotel as the Sox then isnt what it is like now. You literally sat around the pool with them. There was no security. They would be having beers, playing cards and lounging by the pool. Believe or not, Boggs was a great guy. It was my dad and my three brothers. We would bring a tennis ball to the ball. Boggs would throw it to us as we jumped in the pool. Really good with kids. Dave Henderson was incredible. Just laughed and played catch with us. We were spoiled kids who didnt know how incredible this was. My brothers and I would go up to Wade at the pool and say" Hey Wade you want to play catch", like he was an uncle or something.
My father was an attorney and Mr. Donovan had some legal issues with the team. Oil Can was in the middle of something. My dad went to Mr. Donovan's office and returned crossing the baseball field with himself, Mr. Donovan and Sparky Anderson, while we watched in the stands. We met a bunch of the other players there. Greenwell was young, Geddie was really nice. I dont remember Clemens.

Spring training back then was a different world. You could literally walk up to the players as they were warming up, there were only one or two fields. My brothers and I laugh about Dave Henderson. He was in the hitting cage and we were right behind it. He literally couldnt get a ball out of the cage. Pop ups into screens, rolling over ground balls onto his feet. He was a disaster. Eventually a lot of the players were coming over and torturing him. They kept using a term which I have repeated to the kids I coached over the years. " Hey Hendu, you are a real Cagey hitter"

The best, by far, highlight of the spring training happened as we were walking away from the field one day, and my brothers and I had no idea of the significance. I was only about 9, but as the 5 of us were leaving, an "old" guy comes up to us in a golf cart and asks us what position we play. I tell him shortstop and pitcher. thats all the time he spends talking about fielding. He has a bat with him which is way too heavy for me, and he says "let me see your stance". I, and all 50 pounds of myself get in my stance, and then I get picked apart which I wasnt happy about as I thought as I was good hitter. He is moving my feet and telling me my hands are too low. I had a straight line swing and he was telling me that was no good, that it would result in a lot of ground balls. Truthfully I pulled a lot of ground balls, but at my age, most nine years olds couldnt catch a ground ball and make the throw from third to first. He gives me a 15 minute batting lesson. I am half paying attention, but he did talk about getting some elevation on my swing to get the ball in the air more. My father, for the first time in his life, said absolutely nothing. Not a word. He would talk to a lamp post. Not this time. The only thing he muttered was a request for a picture. We got the picture and off we went. I think I uttered something to my dad to the effect of that guy doesnt know what he is talking about, I like my swing better. My dad, finally able to speak, said, "Steve, you have no idea what just happened to you, God just gave you a hitting lesson"

I have one picture on the wall in my office. It's from that day. Myself, my three brothers and Ted Williams.

Here's a story that still comes up at family get-togethers.

It's, I'd say, the winter of 1970-'71 and I'm jacked and pumped about going to Midland Mall in Warwick, RI for a Yaz-Rico Petrocelli autograph signing. It was, of course, a different time. Guys would make these appearances from time to time to spread goodwill on behalf of the team. I don't they got paid much and the sigs were free.

My grandfather, my sister and I get there early and are right in front of the table where they're expected to sign. But soon, dozens of people arrive and start crowding around the table. Mall management must have realized they made a mistake in not organizing the thing better because as the crowd grows, we get word that Yaz and Rico are signing on another level of the mall.

We trudge up there and see the area nicely roped off but with long lines. Instead of being first in line, we're way back.

Gramps - a guy who never had a drink, used a curse word or said a bad word about anyone - is hot. When we finally get up to the table he starts giving it to a mall suit, telling him how unfair it was. Then when it's our turn to get our photos signed, he starts giving it to Yaz and Rico! He tells them the whole story about how we were first in line and ended up having to wait.

Yaz and Rico - who surely just wanted to get through this signing and get to a steak dinner and beer - just kept nodding their heads and saying things like "I'm sorry to hear that, sir" and "That's a shame, sir."

Yaz had a down year in 1971 and we still joke that it was because he was shook up at having this nice old man ream him out in public.

Petrocelli had that reputation as kind of a boxer himself and not afraid to mix it up during altercations in games when they happened, but i found him to be one of the really nice guys the team had. maybe because was a teenager a reason, but he'd let me carry his things to the dugout sometimes for him and thought it was an honor myself back then.

he gave me an 8x10 one year in B&W.. Looks like a still shot for something he had made with the old citrus showcase which sat behind chain-o-lakes stadium in the background and personally signed it to me before ST broke and they went back to Boston. I've still got it.

Went and dug out the Petrocelli 8x10 and was reminded of something.. How autographs from that period fade.. Used plain old ink mostly then. This one he used blue ball point pen. I've also got a 1967 Sox WS ball, autographed by the team, given to me and most all the autographs are faded away. Can barely make out joe Foy and jerry Addair still, yaz on a sweet spot is all but gone and it's been kept inside of a secretary most all the years since, in a case.

Also have a 1935 Phillies team ball, given to me in early 70's by the dentist of the Phillies who lived in Winter haven then. Phillies had ST for awhile in WH during the 1930's and had the privilege to know the kindly gentleman who did the dental work and befriend several of them, become friends with a few (ted Kleinshans mostly) and gave him several team balls. This 1 he varnished after he got it and it has held up better with ink signatures.

One day will go and get out more of things have and various yearbooks from 70's got autographed and see how held up.