Today is the 10^th anniversary of Hot Stove! Time flies.

The inaugural issue was posted on November 30, 2015, shortly after the Royals won the World Series. I had chronicled the Royals playoff season with a series of emails and decided to continue in the offseason (a/k/a the “Hot Stove League”). As defined in Paul Dickson’s Baseball Dictionary:

Hot Stove League: The gab, gossip, and the debate that take place during the winter months when baseball is not being played. These discussions replaying the past season and anticipating the next at such gathering places as saloons, poolrooms, general stores, barber shops, and drugstores where there was a coal- or wood-burning, potbellied stove at the center of the conversational group.

The use of “Hot Stove” for the name of my newsletter seemed like a good idea at the time – we were heading into the offseason. But two things happened that were inconsistent with the name. I kept writing after the offseason (294 and counting), and I wrote little about the “gab, gossip, and the debate” of what might happen in the next season. For example, we all know the Royals need a hard-hitting corner outfielder, but my eyes glaze over as every free agent or trade prospect creates speculation and countless possibilities for the 2026 Royals lineup. Only one or two of those will come to pass. Wake me when the deals are done.

So, there is little “Hot Stove League” news in Hot Stove. But I’m not tempted to change the name. And I did try in my first post…

Inaugural Issue (11/30/15): The first entry in the inaugural post was a Hot Stove League item (via a Lee Judge cartoon):

Alex Gordon, one of the heroes of the 2015 postseason, was a free agent, and there was speculation he might get a big offer from another team. But not to worry. Alex soon signed a new four-year deal with the Royals.

The main story in that first issue is a personal favorite, Ian and Grandpa Rate the All-Time Outfield. My 10-year-old grandson Ian was deep into baseball, playing little league and following the Royals. It was a nice bonus when they won the World Series. Ian also took an interest in baseball history, and at our family Thanksgiving in 2015, Ian and I took a break from turkey and consulted his copy of Sports Illustrated Baseball’s Greatest.

We had previously discussed the best right fielder of all time. His choice was Hank Aaron, his favorite player. Mine was Babe Ruth. We are both right. Moving to the other spots in the outfield, Willie Mays was the easy choice for center field. Left field was a closer call, but we both agreed on Ted Williams. Although Ted’s stats were somewhat lower than other greats, he lost five years to flying planes in WWII and the Korean War.

Over a two-year period, Ian and I periodically selected a new field position to report in Hot Stove. Our final infield choices: First Base – Lou Gehrig; Second Base – Rogers Hornsby (my choice, but with a nod to Joe Morgan) and Jackie Robinson (Ian’s choice – I’m proud Ian has such a keen sense of history); Third Base – George Brett (hometown bias, so must recognize Mike Schmidt as a worthy alternative); Shortstop – Honus Wagner.

Our last pick was for catcher, reported in Hot Stove #53, and we both went with Yogi Berra (but could just as easily have picked Johnny Bench). And if you go beyond the American League and National League, the best all-time catcher is likely Josh Gibson of the Negro Leagues (in agreement – Bill James and Joe Posnanski rank Gibson ahead of Berra and Bench).

Baseball is the only sport that has fans comparing players a century apart. Gotta love baseball. And working on it with your grandson.

Bonus Pick: I felt awful for not finding a place for Stan Musial, one of the greatest of all time. It’s hard to slot him in a position because he started 989 games at first base, 868 games in left field and 679 games in right field. He has tough competition at each position: Lou Gehrig (1B), Ted Williams (LF) and Babe Ruth/Hank Aaron (RF). So, using a modern-day innovation, Stan is my designated hitter in the all-time lineup.

And I have a personal reason for being a Musial fan. We share common roots in Galicia, which in the early 1900s was a province in the Austria-Hungary empire. In 1910, Stan’s father left Galicia for the states. My maternal grandfather had done the same in 1907,  followed by my grandmother in 1911. After wars and new borders, Galicia was split. Stan’s father’s village was in Poland, and my grandparent’s village was near Lviv, in present day Ukraine.

Speaking of Ukraine…

The call: Slava Ukraini – “Glory to Ukraine”

The response: Heroyam Slava – “Glory to the heroes”

 Managing Editor Rita: There would be no Hot Stove without my wife serving as Managing Editor. I am not exaggerating. Rita’s input and ideas, as well as a good eye for typos, are an integral part of each new post. Love you Rita.

 

 I selected this photo of Rita (on the right) because it also includes our long-time friend Kay Wallick. The photo is from one of the many years we have shared with Kay and other friends at the Telluride Film Festival. Kay now lives in Wyoming where she became a visionary leader and advocate for older adults, including creating a dementia-friendly community that became a model for the nation. She has also served as chair of the Shepherd’s Centers of America. Last week, Kay joined my octogenarian club by turning 80. Happy Birthday Kay!

Pope Leo and His Baseball Jerseys: One of my favorite moments in the 2025 postseason occurred after the Cubs were eliminated by the Brewers. Pope Leo XIV was moving through a crowd in Vatican Square when someone yelled “Go Cubs.” Pope Leo responded in Spanish and English: “Han perdido! They lost!” (Video here).

Pope Leo is famously a Chicago baseball fan, but for the White Sox, not the Cubs. Soon after he was named Pope in May, the White Sox sent him a jersey and cap (the number 14 for XIV).

In early October, Pope Leo got a Royals jersey from Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney. The 267 is for Pope Leo being the 267^th pope.

During the 2025 World Series, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez presented Pope Leo with a Dodgers jersey with Shohei Ohtani’s #17. The archbishop asked the pope to pray for a Dodgers victory. Don’t know if he did, but they won.

When I was in college, I joined what some say is the second largest religious denomination. Lapsed Catholics. But what did not lapse was my appreciation for the many good deeds by the church and its parishioners, especially in promoting social justice and helping those in need. Pope Leo XIV has been vocal in supporting these causes, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis who was the first pope from the Americas (Argentina) and the first Jesuit pope (delighting my friends who attended Jesuit schools like Rockhurst, Creighton, St. Louis U and Georgetown). Pope Leo is the first pope born in the United States and most certainly the first White Sox fan.

Pope Movie Trivia: (i) The Two Popes had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in 2019. Rita and I saw it there and loved it, especially the well-written fictional (but fact-based) conversations between outgoing Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and incoming Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce). Funny, insightful, intellectual, soccer (including the World Cup), music (ABBA and the Beatles), etc. A Jesuit smorgasbord. We rewatched it on Netflix two days ago. Highly recommended. (ii) Pope Leo recently announced his four favorite movies (video here): It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), The Sound of Music (1965), Ordinary People (1980) and the Italian film La Vita E Bella, known in English as Life is Beautiful (1997).

Moving on from Vatican City to Kansas City…

Bishop Sullivan Center: Rita and I became good friends of Albert Riederer in the 1970s. We supported his campaigns for office, including his three terms as Jackson County prosecutor. When he retired, there was a tribute party at the Uptown Theater. One of the speakers was Tom Turner, then president of Bishop Sullivan Center, the charity Albert had designated for contributions in his honor. Rita and I were so impressed with Tom’s presentation that we became active supporters of Bishop Sullivan.

Details on the services provided by Bishop Sullivan can be found here. Briefly, they include One City Café, serving 4,000 meals each month; two food pantries serving about 750 households; employment counseling (computer classes, resume editing, etc.); rent assistance; clothes; short-term medical assistance; project elder cool (5,600 air conditioners since program started in 2000); and Christmas assistance (gifts and necessities).

Bishop Sullivan has two locations, 3936 Troost and 6435 Truman Road. The one on Troost is in a building that was formerly the activities center for the nearby St. James church and grade school. Coincidentally, this is where Rita went to grade school. Below, a photo from the 1950s showing Rita’s Brownie troop in the gym at the center. Today, that gym is stacked to the ceiling with supplies for the Troost food pantry.

“Where’s Rita?” (in this photo) was a teaser that Wayne Tenenbaum and I used in 2014 to raise funds to buy computers and a walk-in freezer for Bishop Sullivan. We asked friends to guess which Brownie was Rita and then nudged them for a donation. It was a big success. Did you find Rita?

In 2015, I took grandson Ian to a pancake breakfast sponsored by Bishop Sullivan. Activities included a Wiffle ball game with Royals players. Below, Ian with Christian Colon. [Update on Ian: He is now 20, taller than me and in college in Chicago. Time flies.]

Where’s Rita? She’s the tall one in the middle of the back row. The troop leader on the right is her mother, Mary. When we make donations to Bishop Sullivan, we consider them to be in honor of her parents, Herb and Mary Leifhelm, long-time parishioners at St. James Church.

If you are looking for a good cause this holiday season, the donation page is here.

St. Teresa’s Academy (Class of 1968): When Rita finished grade school at St. James, she moved on to high school at St. Teresa’s Academy. I got a good look at the community of alumni from STA when Rita was going through her breast cancer journey in 2012. Rita and ten of her STA classmates were “Rita’s Ramblers” in the “Making Strides” walk at Liberty Memorial. Joining some 12,000 others, the Ramblers braved the cold for the 5K walk and looked very chic in matching pink scarves handmade by Anne Devaney.

A few weeks ago, eight members of the STA Class of 1968 held a mini reunion (four from KC and four visiting from out of town; photo below by Talis Bergmanis).

I’m working my way to a special story. The woman in the center of the back row is Marilyn Lynch, a well-known performer in Kansas City theater. When Marilyn turned 72 in 2022, she downsized from her large family home to a small house she could “have clean in an hour and go out feet first.” Marilyn’s daughter lived in Michigan with her husband and four children. In 2020, her daughter was killed in an auto accident. In 2022, the husband died of an asthma attack. The four kids (ages 13, 11, 9 and 7) moved to Kansas City to live with Grandma Marilyn. In her small house.

Marilyn’s theater community organized a fundraiser that was supported by many of her STA classmates and old neighbors and parishioners from her days at Visitation Grade School. The funding was to help pay for construction of bedrooms in the basement so the kids could have their own rooms. After the first contractor abandoned the job, the Catholic community again came to her aid. The story is beautifully told in an article in the Leaven, the newspaper for the KCK Archdiocese (click here).

Bill Oades, one of Marilyn’s old connections from Visitation, is now a member at the Church of the Nativity. One of his fellow parishioners is Robert Massey, a contractor who was hoping to find a project for a person in need. He took on the task, and when word spread at the Church of the Nativity, more funding came in and volunteers helped with the construction. Below, Marilyn and Massey during construction (photo by Kathryn White from the Leaven article).

Marilyn: “They built the most spectacular living spaces for my grandsons downstairs. They are happy little campers. You cannot believe how life-changing this has been for them…You always hear the nasty stuff in the news, but why don’t you hear about this stuff. This is huge. They saved four children’s lives.”

Amen. Catholic charity at its best. And anyone else can help too. Marilyn’s GoFundMe page is here.

Steve and Judi Roling (50 Years): I went to mass in May. It was a joyful occasion including a renewal of vows and celebrating the 50 years of marriage of Steve and Judi Roling. Last week, baseball fans Steve and Judi took a guided tour of Kauffman Stadium (below, in the Royals dugout).

Steve also sent along some anecdotes told by the tour guide, but his best story was one of kindness about former Royal Jeremy Guthrie, now retired.

Steve: “As we were on the tour with other fans, one couple brought their 10-year-old son who was a two-time survivor of cancer. We were down by the indoor batting cage and Jeremy Guthrie showed up with his two sons to use the batting cage. When Guthrie was told about the life situation of this 10-year-old boy, he immediately took the young boy into the batting cage and threw batting practice pitches to him for over 15 minutes. Guthrie signed a baseball for the boy with words that made his mom cry…Guthrie is a class act!”

Opening Day at the K is March 26, 2026. Go Royals!!!

Lonnie’s Jukebox – The Day the Crosswalk Died: In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a directive to all governors that crosswalks should be kept “free from distraction.” Duffy followed up on social media to say, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.” Governor DeSantis in Florida was quick to act, and one of the first casualties was the rainbow crosswalk that was part of a memorial to the 49 people killed in the 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub (Pulse) in Orlando. Governor Abbott in Texas also sent out a strong directive that may lead to removal of rainbow crosswalks in San Antonio and Houston.

And then they came for Buddy Holly. The directive includes not only what some consider political messaging, but also any other artwork. Texas officials have warned that state funding could be withheld if cities refuse to remove any artwork from their streets. So, Lubbock, Texas, home of the intersection below, plans to remove the eyeglass frames honoring native son Buddy Holly. [A hat-tip to fellow golden-oldie record fan Bill Carr who alerted me to this via a NY Times article.]

But enough about federal regulation of city crosswalks. Let’s get to the silver lining. The new attention to Buddy Holly gives me a good excuse to again feature him in Lonnie’s Jukebox. Buddy is on my Mount Rushmore of Rock ‘n’ Roll (with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard). And his eyeglass frames are a big part of his story.

The Eyeglass Frames: When Buddy began his career, he did not perform wearing glasses – too nerdy, not rock ‘n’ roll. But he had 20/800 vision and eventually started using discreet frames. His optometrist, while vacationing in Mexico City, found a set of distinctive Faosa frames he thought would match Buddy’s style. The thick, black horn-rimmed frames indeed worked for Buddy, and his success removed the stigma of rock ‘n’ rollers wearing glasses (think Roy Orbison, John Lennon and Elton John).

The Crickets: Buddy’s first hits were as lead singer with the Crickets. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored Buddy as part of the inaugural class in 1986, and the other members of the Crickets (Niki Sullivan, Jerry Allison, Sonny Curtis and Joe Mauldin) were inducted in 2012 with five other bands whose lead singers had already been inducted: Comets (Bill Haley), Midnighters (Hank Ballard), Famous Flames (James Brown), Miracles (Smokey Robinson) and Blue Caps (Gene Vincent). Paul McCartney and John Lennon were fans of the Crickets and considered other insect names when they formed their band. They settled on the “beetles,” but changed the spelling to emphasize the “beat” of the music.

Here are five songs credited to the Crickets:

“That’ll Be the Day” (1957). This song hit the charts in August of 1957, just as I was beginning my junior year in high school. I was hooked.

“Not Fade Away” (1957). Their second hit was “Oh Boy!,” but I’m saving that for later. The B-side of the record was “Not Fade Away,” co-written by Holly and featuring a Bo Diddley beat. Buddy’s version never charted, but it became one of the most covered songs in rock ‘n’ roll (the Stones, Sheryl Crow, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, etc.).

“It’s So Easy” (1958). Although this song did not chart for the Crickets, it was a big hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1977 (her version here).

“Maybe Baby” (1958). Part of the soundtrack of American Graffiti. Video link is to scenes from the movie.

“Think It Over” (1958).

Buddy as Solo Artist: Buddy was also doing solo work, sometimes with members of the Crickets as studio musicians.

“Peggy Sue” (1957). Girl friend of Crickets member Jerry Allison.

“Everyday” (1957). Flip side of Peggy Sue.

“Early In the Morning” (1958). Written by Bobby Darin. Both singers had a hit, Darin peaking at #24 and Holly at #32.

The Day the Music Died: On February 3, 1959, Buddy and his fellow artists Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (the “Big Bopper”) were killed in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was only 18 months after his first hit, “That’ll Be the Day.”

“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” (1959). Three weeks after his death, this song with its poignant title debuted on the charts for a posthumous hit. The song was written specially for Buddy by Paul Anka, and after Buddy’s death, Anka donated the songwriter royalties to Buddy’s widow.

Encore. I’m returning to Buddy with the Crickets to finish. It’s one of my favorites, and I’m dedicating it to my Managing Editor. “The world can see that you were meant for me.”

 “Oh Boy!” (1957).

Below, the Crickets/Buddy Holly 45-rpm records that I still have from my teenage years.

Walk-Off Photo: Although I retired from the Polsinelli law firm in 2017, I still have an office and enjoy dropping by to see my former colleagues. Three years ago, I was recruited by other 7^th floor lawyers to judge their annual office plant competition (some form of cactus that hopefully has flowered by November). From left, this year’s contestants and their awards: Paul Boppart (Congeniality); Kristie Richardson (Swimsuit); Mary Jane Judy (Best in Show), Judge Lonnie, Brook Bailey (First Runner-Up) and Lexi Norris (Best Greenery).