Hot Stove

Hot Stove #53 – Best All-Time Lineup

~ Lonnie Shalton ~ 1 Comment

At long last, a decision on best all-time catcher. It’s been complicated.

 

Best All-Time Catcher: In Hot Stove #48, I discussed how grandson Ian and I had assumed we would settle on Johnny Bench as the best catcher. As I researched the history, I was reminded of my childhood appreciation for Yogi Berra. I wavered. Also, the imposing presence of Negro Leagues great Josh Gibson gave me pause – Gibson was listed by stats guru Bill James as one of the top 10 players (not just catchers) of all time while Berra and Bench were down in the 40’s. So I procrastinated and put off a final decision. I got a little help from Hot Stove reader David Von Drehle who put this in perspective for me:

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Hot Stove #52 – One Baseball Video Plus the Telluride Film Festival

~ Lonnie Shalton

For the seventh straight year, Rita and I spent Labor Day Weekend in Colorado at the Telluride Film Festival. Rita likes to call it our sport of extreme sitting. We were joined this year by long-time friend Marsha Murphy who now lives in Naples, Florida. As the festival ended and Hurricane Irma approached Florida, Marsha wisely changed her plane ticket and is now visiting friends in Kansas City.

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Hot Stove #51 – Moses Lithograph and Van Horn High School – 50 Hot Stoves

~ Lonnie Shalton

Hot Stove #51 – Moses Lithograph and Van Horn High School – 50 Hot Stoves

Though little remarked in the press, Lonnie’s Hot Stove reached #50 in the last post. This all started in the afterglow of the 2015 World Series with the inaugural post going out on November 30, 2015. I can’t believe Hot Stove is now at #51. Of course I also can’t believe I turned 76 this month. Time flies when you’re having a good time. A list of the first 50 is at the end of this post.

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Hot Stove #48 – Photo Ops

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~ Lonnie Shalton

I’m going to give you (and myself) a break from the long form post. Mostly photos. “Write less, show more.” [Inside Hamilton joke]

The Polsinelli Firm: I joined my law school friend Jim Polsinelli at his Plaza firm in 1979. We had nine lawyers. Today we have around 800 lawyers in 20 offices around the country. If you are wondering what that has to do with baseball, take a closer look at the photo below. At first glance, you are watching Yadier Molina complete his home run trot. Now let your eyes follow down the left leg of the arch…to our St. Louis office. Wayne Tenenbaum was watching a Cardinals game on TV and gave me the heads-up that the Polsinelli name is in full and constant view at Busch Stadium. I’m guessing Coca-Cola paid more to be seen there.

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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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