How about Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts? He was really a founding member of the baseball blogosphere and changed the way I thought about, consumed, and enjoyed Dodger baseball. The Vin Scully baseball blogging! I’d also throw all the Fangraphs founders in there, too!
Joe this is a great idea!! You btw deserve to be in the first class. With your incredible passion for baseball and its fans and the absolute joy you have provided us all I can't think of anyone more deserving than you----- and your father for starting you on this great vocation that has given us all such hapiness.
Lawrence (Larry) Ritter, author of The Glory Of Their Times. This 1966 classic opened up a whole new genre of oral history baseball books.
Edit: I would also like to nominate John Tortes “Chief” Meyers for the Garden. If you have heard his segments on the audio version of The Glory Of Their Times you will understand why he so richly deserves this honour.
Glory was a wonderful work. But it brought oral histories into baseball. It didn't create (open up) a new genre generally. That concept dates back at least to the Federal Writers Project, part of FDR's WPA, a depression era exploration.
Edit: unless he has returned from the dead, the Brilliant Reader who goes by the moniker Studs Terkel takes his name from a prominent practitioner of the art. The original Terkel was part of the WPA project and published recordings from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Frank Zappa.
I would like to nominate my grandfather, Lafayette Erickson Broome (he had a Hall of Fame name!). I follow all sports (was at UNC when Dean won his first natty in 1982 with Worthy, Perkins and Jordan), but my first love has always been baseball. This stems from dining room table conversations as a youngster with my father and grandfather, who was born in 1898 and had seen many of the dead ball era players in your book, as well as numerous other Hall of Famers from the 1920’s through the 1960’s. He saw Ruth, Cobb, Dimaggio, Mantle and many other AL players (they lived in the DC area). His two favorite players were Tris Speaker (he frequently recounted how shallow he played CF and thought he was a better overall player than Cobb) and Walter Johnson (considered him the greatest pitcher ever). We also lived in the DC area for a while, and I used to go watch the Senators lose while Frank Howard either hit an occasional 450 foot HR or (much more frequently!) struck out. I once wrote an article on baseball’s all time worst trades (several of which you included in the book), and one of my top 10 was Coleman, Brinkman and Rodriguez for McLain and his bum arm. Bob Short was an idiot. I digress. I loved Hondo and the Senators because of my grandfather. And I believe he represents many grandfathers and fathers. So, he is my nominee for the Garden.
I’m already breaking the rules a little bit, but I am nominating as a unit the holy trinity of Los Angeles Dodger organists : Helen Dell, Nancy Bea Hefley, and Dieter Ruehle.
I nominated two baseball people to Joe’s Baseball Garden: Bill the Beer Man and Rick the Peanut Man. If you were a Seattle sports fan in the 1980s, you would know how legendary those names are to a generation or more of fans.
They may not be well-known enough nationwide to belong in Joe’s Baseball Garden, but perhaps each MLB team could have their own gardens-within-the-garden with their own specific joyful entries that local fans would know about. I think of Bill the Beer Man being Seattle’s version of Wild Bill Hagy, who famously led fans in chants of “O-R-I-O-L-E-S” while spelling out each letter.
Bob Sheppard SHOULD BE the Voice of whatever the Garden of Baseball turns out to be... Reggie Jackson famously nicknamed him "The Voice of God",[2] and Carl Yastrzemski once said, "You're not in the big leagues until Bob Sheppard announces your name." I dont know how to do it but some how A.I. Bob's voice to be the public address announce to each and evey attraction in the Baseball Garden
I would like to nominate Cass Michaels and I have a story as to why.
When I was about 5 years old I’d get into fierce arguments with my uncle about who was the greatest active player in baseball. He’d tell me it was Joe Dimagio and I’d argue that no, it was Cass Michaels. My position was based on my name. While helping my dad build my first train set, that uncle had an accident and passed away. We named my oldest child, Robert, after him. So, my nominee is Cass Michaels.
I hope you know about the Baseball Reliquary and its Shrine of the Eternals. So many in there now would meet your qualifications without much extra energy!
My mind immediately went to Carl Ehrhardt, the Sign Man at Shea Stadium, who entertained and spoke for his fellow Met fans for 18 years using a collection of 1,200 homemade placards. He always seemed to have the right message for the moment, from "Look Ma, No Hands" for an infield bumble and "AAUGHH!" for a Mets loss to the sublime "There Are No Words" when they clinched the 1969 World Series. This Wikipedia articles captures some of his story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ehrhardt#The_%22Sign_Man%22_at_Met_games
I’m nominating the baseball organist. The one I have in mind is from the Royals’ 1985 season, but many older fans probably have their own. I loved the little tunes in between pitches, the DA DA DA DAAAA whenever the Royals would work the count to ball three and the CHARGE the organist’s rally would inspire throughout the ballpark. It was quaint and wholesome and so much better than hearing, say, Fall Out Boy in the top of the third inning (my only exception is Thunderstruck, because Thunderstruck is awesome, although I’ll bet the organist could learn it).
How about Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts? He was really a founding member of the baseball blogosphere and changed the way I thought about, consumed, and enjoyed Dodger baseball. The Vin Scully baseball blogging! I’d also throw all the Fangraphs founders in there, too!
Joe this is a great idea!! You btw deserve to be in the first class. With your incredible passion for baseball and its fans and the absolute joy you have provided us all I can't think of anyone more deserving than you----- and your father for starting you on this great vocation that has given us all such hapiness.
Lawrence (Larry) Ritter, author of The Glory Of Their Times. This 1966 classic opened up a whole new genre of oral history baseball books.
Edit: I would also like to nominate John Tortes “Chief” Meyers for the Garden. If you have heard his segments on the audio version of The Glory Of Their Times you will understand why he so richly deserves this honour.
Glory was a wonderful work. But it brought oral histories into baseball. It didn't create (open up) a new genre generally. That concept dates back at least to the Federal Writers Project, part of FDR's WPA, a depression era exploration.
For those interested in those who followed Ritter in baseball histories, SABR has an entire library with ~600 recordings from former players and others who affected play between the lines. https://sabr.org/research/oral-history-research-committee/ And while I haven't had a chance to listen to all of it, the Negro League Oral History Project gives us a chance to listen to Peanut Johnson and others. https://archivesspace.ubalt.edu/repositories/2/resources/76
Edit: unless he has returned from the dead, the Brilliant Reader who goes by the moniker Studs Terkel takes his name from a prominent practitioner of the art. The original Terkel was part of the WPA project and published recordings from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Frank Zappa.
I didn’t think that I needed to specify that I meant baseball books but I guess I should have.
Sorry if I was overly snarky. Not intended at all.
No sweat.
I would like to nominate my grandfather, Lafayette Erickson Broome (he had a Hall of Fame name!). I follow all sports (was at UNC when Dean won his first natty in 1982 with Worthy, Perkins and Jordan), but my first love has always been baseball. This stems from dining room table conversations as a youngster with my father and grandfather, who was born in 1898 and had seen many of the dead ball era players in your book, as well as numerous other Hall of Famers from the 1920’s through the 1960’s. He saw Ruth, Cobb, Dimaggio, Mantle and many other AL players (they lived in the DC area). His two favorite players were Tris Speaker (he frequently recounted how shallow he played CF and thought he was a better overall player than Cobb) and Walter Johnson (considered him the greatest pitcher ever). We also lived in the DC area for a while, and I used to go watch the Senators lose while Frank Howard either hit an occasional 450 foot HR or (much more frequently!) struck out. I once wrote an article on baseball’s all time worst trades (several of which you included in the book), and one of my top 10 was Coleman, Brinkman and Rodriguez for McLain and his bum arm. Bob Short was an idiot. I digress. I loved Hondo and the Senators because of my grandfather. And I believe he represents many grandfathers and fathers. So, he is my nominee for the Garden.
Addendum: I nominated them separately.
But they do kind of all belong together.
I’m already breaking the rules a little bit, but I am nominating as a unit the holy trinity of Los Angeles Dodger organists : Helen Dell, Nancy Bea Hefley, and Dieter Ruehle.
I nominated two baseball people to Joe’s Baseball Garden: Bill the Beer Man and Rick the Peanut Man. If you were a Seattle sports fan in the 1980s, you would know how legendary those names are to a generation or more of fans.
They may not be well-known enough nationwide to belong in Joe’s Baseball Garden, but perhaps each MLB team could have their own gardens-within-the-garden with their own specific joyful entries that local fans would know about. I think of Bill the Beer Man being Seattle’s version of Wild Bill Hagy, who famously led fans in chants of “O-R-I-O-L-E-S” while spelling out each letter.
Each team could have individual flower beds. ;-)
El Tiante.
If they won't put him in the shrine, he obviously should be in the garden.
Bob Sheppard SHOULD BE the Voice of whatever the Garden of Baseball turns out to be... Reggie Jackson famously nicknamed him "The Voice of God",[2] and Carl Yastrzemski once said, "You're not in the big leagues until Bob Sheppard announces your name." I dont know how to do it but some how A.I. Bob's voice to be the public address announce to each and evey attraction in the Baseball Garden
I would like to nominate Cass Michaels and I have a story as to why.
When I was about 5 years old I’d get into fierce arguments with my uncle about who was the greatest active player in baseball. He’d tell me it was Joe Dimagio and I’d argue that no, it was Cass Michaels. My position was based on my name. While helping my dad build my first train set, that uncle had an accident and passed away. We named my oldest child, Robert, after him. So, my nominee is Cass Michaels.
Michael Walsh
I hope you know about the Baseball Reliquary and its Shrine of the Eternals. So many in there now would meet your qualifications without much extra energy!
https://baseballreliquary.org/
My mind immediately went to Carl Ehrhardt, the Sign Man at Shea Stadium, who entertained and spoke for his fellow Met fans for 18 years using a collection of 1,200 homemade placards. He always seemed to have the right message for the moment, from "Look Ma, No Hands" for an infield bumble and "AAUGHH!" for a Mets loss to the sublime "There Are No Words" when they clinched the 1969 World Series. This Wikipedia articles captures some of his story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ehrhardt#The_%22Sign_Man%22_at_Met_games
Wonderful idea!
The guy who asked Lasorda what he thought of Kingman's performance.
I’m nominating the baseball organist. The one I have in mind is from the Royals’ 1985 season, but many older fans probably have their own. I loved the little tunes in between pitches, the DA DA DA DAAAA whenever the Royals would work the count to ball three and the CHARGE the organist’s rally would inspire throughout the ballpark. It was quaint and wholesome and so much better than hearing, say, Fall Out Boy in the top of the third inning (my only exception is Thunderstruck, because Thunderstruck is awesome, although I’ll bet the organist could learn it).
If these guys can do it, I'm sure that the organists can too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Ao-iNPPUc&list=RDe4Ao-iNPPUc&start_radio=1
I nominate Sarah Langs. “Wheeeeeeee!” ❤️
Baseball is the Best!