Hot Stove #47 – Best All-Time Catcher Plus Some Memories of Jim Nutter

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~ Lonnie Shalton

It is time to return to picking the all-time lineup with my grandson Ian (who just turned 12). Coming up to bat – the catcher.

Campy and Yogi: When I first really embraced baseball, ages 10 to 15 or so, it was easy to think that the two best players in baseball were catchers Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella. In 1951, Yogi was the MVP of the American League and Campy took that award in the National League. Campy was MVP again in 1953. Yogi repeated in 1954. In 1955, they were each MVP and led their teams to the pennant (the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the 1955 Series – below, Campy batting and Yogi catching in that Series).

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Hot Stove #46 – Women in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Claire Smith was the first African American female newspaper reporter to cover Major League baseball on a daily basis. Smith often refers to her defining moment, which came in the 1984 National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. She was physically removed by players from the Padres clubhouse after Game One. While the situation was eventually resolved, thanks to Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, it left scars for a number of years.
~ Lonnie Shalton

When Rita and I toured the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown last summer, we were drawn like most to the plaque room where 314 players, managers, umpires and executive are enshrined. That number will increase to 319 at the end of this month when Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, John Schuerholz and Bud Selig will be inducted. But those are not the only awards to be handed out on Hall of Fame Weekend. The other recipients are not “inductees,”, but they are a vital part of the fabric that is baseball.

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Hot Stove #45 – California Stadium Tour/Bill Wakefield and the Perfect Game

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~ Lonnie Shalton

[I happily interrupt this Hot Stove post to celebrate two big stories from Kansas City baseball. Yesterday morning, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum received a check for one million dollars from the Major League Players Association and Major League Baseball. Go NLBM! In the afternoon, Salvy Perez hit a grand slam to knock out Boston and lead the Royals to their fourth straight series win. Go Royals!]

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Hot Stove #42 – Christian Colon – Thanks For the Memories

Kansas City Royals infielder Christian Colon acknowledged the fans during the World Series parade.
~ Lonnie Shalton

Christian Colon was designated for assignment by the Royals and has been claimed on waivers by the Miami Marlins. But he will not be forgotten in Kansas City.

 

Christian Colon – Part 1: I will miss Christian Colon. He provided two of the most dramatic moments in Royals history and arguably has the most unique statistical record in post-season play. From Baseball Reference:

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Hot Stove #40 – Wild About Harry – Oh What a Night

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~ Lonnie Shalton ~ 1 Comment

Events have again caused a break in my normal Hot Stove posting. There is a baseball twist, but this post is mostly about how sometimes you just get lucky.

Wild About Harry Dinner: When I got the “save the date” card in the mail, I knew I had to be there. The Truman Library Institute was having its annual “Wild About Harry” dinner on April 20, and the theme was the Truman civil rights legacy. One of the honorees was Congressman John Lewis and the keynote speaker was Calvin Trillin. I had personal reasons to see both of them.

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Hot Stove #38 – Bob Cerv – From the Kansas City Blues to a Wired Jaw to a Home Run Apartment in Queens

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~ Lonnie Shalton

When I was in grade school, my hometown team was the Kansas City Blues, the top farm team of the Yankees. In high school, my loyalty switched to the Kansas City A’s who had moved from Philadelphia in 1955. I still remember two special players who were on both the Blues and the A’s. One was Vic Power, a great first baseman with a good bat. The other was Bob Cerv who died last week at the age of 91.

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