"The Days of Wine and Rojas" The Newsletter of ADML'50 and '66 Confessions of a Fan In looking for a title for our newsletter it was my goal to find a title which reflects what brings us together. Here are some of my personal observations. I think our playing of games between persons who played baseball decades, or in the case of ADML'50 almost a half century ago, demonstrates our search for simpler times, times of our youth, times with our fathers, times of joy and times of sadness. We all want to replay some of these times. Some of us do it in different ways. For example, in our manager notes there are two persons who continue to play the game taught to us by our fathers (e.g. Bob Courter and Peter Shibley). Others do it through the collection of memorabilia (e.g. Bob Courter). But most are like me and David Vinson, we do it playing DMB. At a time when there was no major league baseball in the South, David was a New York Yankee fan. Some would say that was before 1966 (the year the Braves moved to Atlanta), others might say that was before 1991 (the year the Braves began their most recent dynasty). I tend to view the Civil War ending in 1966 and Reconstruction ending in 1991. But in any event, David was like many Southern youth, a Yankee fan. His least memorable moment is Bill Mazeroski's homer to win the 1960 World Series for the Pirates over the Yankees. Now, David finds that his 1966 ADML team has Bill Mazeroski as its secondbaseman. Nevertheless, I am sure that more pleasant memories are resurrected for David each time he plays the game. For joy and sorrow often come together when we play our games. For me the name of a player in next month's '50 ADML dispersal draft will bring joy, sorrow and remembrance. My father, who died three years ago, was a police officer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Along with the responsibilities his job brought certain perks including working the games of the minor league team in Chattanooga, the Lookouts. Before the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, their AA farm club was the Lookouts. Hence I grew up a Twins fan. After 1961, the Lookouts became a Phillies farm club. Thus, I have a secondary allegiance to the Phillies, made easier by the fact they are in different leagues. But in any event my father's job brought certain unique experiences including getting to know people like Jim Kaat and Bill Giles, the executive with the Phillies. He also got to watch an eighteen year old Harmon Killebrew hit a homerun over the leftfield scoreboard at Engel Stadium in Chattanooga and to see the ball travel across six lane Third Street into the window of a gas station. The leftfield wall was fifty feet high and 375 feet from home plate. But my father developed his closest baseball friendship with the Lookouts post 1961 manager, Andy Seminick. I am sure that when his name is called next month I will have both a tear and a smile. Sometimes when I play a DMB game with past players I hear a poignant Henry Mancini score in the background. Hence I have titled the newsletter, "The Days of Wine and Rojas" to play on the movie title "Days of Wine and Roses" for which Mancini wrote the score. I know its hokey but aren't we all a little hokey spending time playing these games. Obviously, the title uses the names of player's names which help us to remember other times. The title also remembers a year and a team, the 1964 Phillies. We often have remembrances of entire years or teams and our playing of the game often seeks redemption for those teams. To me the Phillies were a team in desperate need of redemption. I have a feeling that many of us play for redemption. For example, although I haven't spoken with them, I am sure that Rick Michal and Bob Courter each hope to have a couple of Cubs on their '69 teams and to guide them to pennants. As well as other information about us the "manager profiles", which will be a feature of this newsletter until everyone is covered, provide our remembrances of players and teams. If you haven't sent in your profile think about this when you do. We also remember simpler times when players stayed with teams and teams with cities and there was no cancellation of seasons or World Series. See John Laburda's Manager Profile. The baseball team was part of the community and each team had its own unique local flavor. The trivia question this issue focuses on the fact that even in New York, the nations media capital, the three team's brewery sponsors were local rather than national breweries (e.g. Budweiser or Schlitz). Many of us never experienced a game at Ebbetts Field or the Polo Grounds or Crosley Field or Forbes Field or Connie Mack or Sportsman Park. Many of us never heard a call of Jack Brickhouse or Red Barber or Mel Allen or Bob Prince. The trivia question each issue will provide us some insight into what it was like. The trivia question will be more than just how many hits someone had or who led the league in home runs. We want insight into the mystic quality of hearing or going to a game in the 1950's or 1960's. If you have a question you think does this please send it to me or Jeff. Another regular feature, each issue's quotable quote, hopefully will tell us something about the personalities surrounding the game in the 1950's and1960's. This issue features Dizzy Dean the man who brought "slud" and "blue darter" to the nation's vernacular in the 1950s and 1960s. Future issues will include characters like Casey Stengel, Bob Uecker and Jay Johnstone. If you have a quote you think notable send it to me or Jeff. We also want to focus on the leagues themselves and consistent with our requests for quotes and trivia we want your participation. Following the ADML '50 dispersal draft and "66 Rookie Draft, we will ask everyone to send in their predictions for the upcoming season. A compiliation will be prepared and published in a future issue. We will also ask you to vote for the starters in a midseason Allstar game to be played by the league leaders in the case of ADML '50 and last year's champions in the case of ADML '66. A final feature will be "Trade Notes", the first installment of which will be prepared by Jeff for the next issue. Trade Notes will analyze recent trades from a short term, long term and pennant race effect perspective. If you are willing to write an installment of "Trade Notes" let us know. Well, Ive rambled on too long, a practice I promise not to repeat. The next issues are all yours. I hope you enjoy the rest of this one. Pat Lucas, Editor Trivia For the twelve years or so following World War II, America still had three powerhouse teams in New York. As the years passed, interstate highways and air transportation linked all of America and the Dodgers and Giants moved west. At the same time large national brewing companies like Annheuser-Busch, Schlitz and later Miller began to grow and establish satellite breweries all over the North American continent. Slowly, local and regional breweries went out of business or became secondary players in their own markets, unable to compete with the big boys national marketing muscle. Beer and sports have always had a symbiotic relationship so that Schmidt's night at Connie Mack in Philadelphia has become Bud Light night at the Vet. During the 1950's however the big three of New York brewing, Ballantine, Rheingold and Schaefer, still held a significant presence in New York and each sponsored one of the big three baseball teams. Can you name which brewery sponsored each of the three teams, the Yankees, the Dodgers and the Giants? Quotable Quote Dizzy Dean often thought post-Dean announcers tended to be too statistic oriented, too colorless and too dull. In this regard he recalled a conversation with Pee Wee Reese when they were on the air. Pee Wee: "Diz, you've watched this pitcher out there for four innings, and he's doing a great job. What would you say he's throwin' out there?" Diz: "Well, Pee Wee, I've been watching him for four innings and I believe that's a baseball he's throwin'." Manager Profiles Bob Courter is the manager of the 66 Marlboro Mudhens and yet to be named ADML 50 franchise. Bob, a resident of Marlboro, New Jersey and married 22 years, has two children, Kimberly, age19 and Matthew, age 16. Kim is currently a second year College student and Matt, a Second Degree Black Belt in Karate, will be entering his Junior year of High School. Bob is currently a Manager working for AT&T for the past 19 years. Along with 5 DMB leagues, he bowls and plays golf. He retired from softball after almost 30 years of league play, a detached retina and heel spurs on both feet, forcing his retirement. Bob is a devout baseball card collector, having collected every regular issue Topps card with a Cub on it. His starts with 1951 and continues thru today. He also currently has about 200,000 cards starting with 1980 and up. He has sold cards at shows and if anyone is working on sets let him know and he may be able to help you complete them. He recently began acquiring autographs on 8 x 10 pictures and currently has 12 Hall Of Famers, including Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Frank Robinson, Warren Spahn, Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, and Hank Aaron. He also has some future Hall Of Famers autographs: Nolan Ryan, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, and hopefully someday Ron Santo. Bob's favorite baseball moments consist of his attendance at three baseball fantasy camps where he faced retired major league players including some available in the upcoming ADML 50 dispersal draft (i.e. Jim Piersall, Andy Pafko and Bill Nicholson). Two of the camps were with ex Chicago Cubs and one was with the White Sox. Bob has played on the hallowed grounds of both Wrigley and Comiskey. His favorite moment was when he got his only base hit so far off of the Hall of Fame pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm. He was struck out twice by another Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. His least favorite baseball moment consists of all of 1969 and 1984. Obviously, Bob is a big Chicago Cubs fan. Peter Shibley, a 42 years old, resident of Bloomington, Illinois and manager of the 66 ADML Whippernon Whips and a yet to be named 50 ADML franchise, graduated from Bates college in 1976. Peter still holds the record for most wins and the lowest ERA in a season at his school. Peter was also a New England College All Star in 1976. Peter played professionally in 1976 for the Moncton A & W in the New Brunswick, Canada senior league. Peter is long time rival of fellow game player, Paul Faits. Both Peter and Paul were born and raised in Agawam, Massachusetts. Peter spent hundreds of games in the Astrodome in the late 70's and 1980's watching the Astros with Paul's brother, Ed. Peter is presently concentrating on his last hurrah in slow pitch softball and perfecting his golf game. Peter has years of gaming experience since 1970 with Stratomatic football and baseball leagues, Earl Weaver computer baseball and 11 years in Rottissirie type leagues for baseball and football. Peter is an avid craps player and has been known to bet a pony or two and an occassional sporting event. Peter's favorite recreation other than enduring the pain of being a pitcher is playing basketball but only when his muscles are loose. Peter witnessed Nolan Ryans' 4000 strirkeout, the Astros-Philly playoff series, the Rockets-Celtics NBA Finals, Jim Bouton's comeback in the 80's (when he turned to Peter's group in the stands before warming up and said "No laughing mow.") and All Star weekend in the Astrodome. Peter and his friends once invited Joe Sambito's girlfriend to their house for a party (yes! he was married at the time), and as she was leaving she told one of Peter's friends " I've heard a lot about you." He said, "oh yeah. When?" and she nailed him with "From you tonight." Peter and his friends never saw her again. Peter also once coached the bat boy for the Astros in little league who told this story: "Don Sutton was pitching and told this batboy to be sure to get the balls Sutton was scuffing in the dugout into the game by giving them to the umpire. The umpire kept throwing them out and Sutton chewed out the kid. The kid told Sutton he couldn't do it because the ump kept finding them. He said the ump told him Look kid, I've never thrown a batboy out of a game before, but you are going to be the first.'" Peter doesn't know if Sutton won the game or not. David Vinson, a 44 year old native of McIntyre, Ga. ( the former home of Kevin Brown), is the manager of the ADML 66 Middle Georgia Moonshiners. David is single. He says he got close to being married once but came to his senses in time. His favorite pastimes in addition to the sports games that all of us play are watching sports and, participating in them, although he has retired from everything but golf and tennis. David also likes to read and surf the Internet. David also loves to eat. David's favorite team is the Braves with the pre-Steinbrenner Yankees being a close 2nd. His favorite moments have been the sustained tension and excitement of the Braves' post-season visits with the victory over the Indians finally being the iceing on the cake so to speak. When David contributes material to the newsletter expect a lot of cullinary analogies. David's least favorite moment was Bill Mazeroski's homerun against the Yankees in 1960. David's favorite player of all time would be a tie--Dale Murphy and Mickey Mantle. If he had a child he'd probably name it Mickey Dale or Dale Mickey, we guess depending on whether it was a boy or a girl. John Laburda, a 48 year old native of Cleveland, Ohio and the manager of a 50 ADML franchise, is a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana where he is a pharmacist at a VA hospital. John is married and has two children, Amy, age 12 and Leslie, age 9. John grew up, lived and died a follower of the Indians. His death occured repeatedly on many cold dreary evenings at cavernous Municipal Stadium yelling at Leon Wagner, Jose Cardenal, Max Alvis, the immortal Joe Azcue and other Wahoo warriors. His favorite players are Rocky Colavito and Sam McDowell. Its a good bet if he drafts Colavito he want trade him. His favorite pale faces are Nolan Ryan and Roberto Clemente. John's favorite baseball moment was the Indian's finally reaching the World Series. Other than that he likes Kirk Gibson's homer off of Dennis Eckersley in Game One of the 1988 World Series. His most disheartening moments are the forfeit resulting from 5 cent beer night in Cleveland and the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs and World Series out of stupidity and greed. Rick Michal, a 42 year old resident of Chicago and Cub fan since conception, is the manager of the 66 ADML Chicago Red Dogs. Rick is married and his only dependents are his two cats. Rick is the commissioner of 19 year old BCBL and the owner of the Alaska Outs, a BCBL franchise. Rick is a writer/editor for the nuclear industry and is the proud owner of a ten year old 160,000 mile vintage Ford Thunderbird that still runs like a charm. Deliriously satisfied with life, except for the Cubs frequent failings, Rick plays softball and bowls. His least favorite baseball moment is Opening Day each year, when he realizes the Cubs are soon to be eliminated from the pennant race. He claims, being a Cub fan, that there are no favorite baseball moments.