May 2001
Blyleven Hurls Another Curve
Lots of New Members
Cow Chips
Remember the Senators
Correction
May Birthdays
Subscription Dues Renewal
Calendar
Give Me an M! Give Me an I! . . .
Board of Directors
Blyleven Hurls Another Curve
Thirty-eight members attended the Halsey Hall
Chapter spring meeting on April 28 and were regaled by former Twins pitcher and current broadcaster Bert Blyleven, who was the featured speaker. Bert talked about being drafted in the third round by the Twins organization in 1969, going to major-league camp as a non-roster player but not making the team the following spring, and then being called up by the Twins after Dave Boswell and Luis Tiant were injured and making his big-league debut in Washington on June 5, 1970, winning 2-1 after giving up a home run to Lee Maye to start the game.
Five members gave research presentations at the meeting. They were No-Hitter Probability: What Are the Odds? by Bob Kapla; Cuban Baseball by Stew Thornley; Using the Runs Created Formula in an Attempt to Predict Pitcher’s Performance with Runners on Base by Kevin Hennessy; Bert Blyleven by Ray Luurs; and a book report on Roger Kahn’s The Era by Lee Temanson.
At the business meeting, Ray Luurs, Dan Cagley, and Fred Buckland were elected as new board members and Cary Smith re-elected to the board, all for two-year terms. The new board members will succeed Joe O’Connell, Bob Tholkes, and Jim Wyman.
Hot Stove Saturday Morning
The next Hot Stove Saturday Morning will be June 2 at the usual location, Baker’s Square at 66th and Xerxes in Richfield. The event following the June 2 Hot Stove Saturday Morning will be the Bus Roadeo on Como Avenue, across from the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul.
Lots of New Members
The Halsey Hall Chapter welcomes new members Fritz Reeker, Don “Pieso” Hammer, John Dobratz, Paul Malone, and Dan Cagley. Information on some of them is below. The others will be introduced next month.
Fritz Reeker is actually a returning member to the Halsey Hall Chapter and has been a member of SABR since about 1980. An attorney specializing in petitioner’s workers compensation, Fritz is originally from the St. Anthony Park area of St. Paul. He now lives in Edina and has a wife, Lynne, and daughter, Carla. Fritz went to University Elementary, University High (where he had Phyllis Thornley as his school librarian), Carleton College, London University, and the University of Minnesota Law School. Even though he did not attend Murray High School in St. Paul, a vestige of his youth remains—the strike zone spray-painted on a brick wall, where Fritz learned to pitch. Fritz played in the St. Paul leagues, with Tom Johnson and Bob Trammell among his former teammates, and he pitched against Dave Winfield. Fritz saw his first game at Nicollet Park in 1955 when he was 4 and his first Twins game, a cold affair against the White Sox, on April 30, 1961. He counts himself among the few fans who have caught foul balls in five different decades. As for other sports, Fritz was once a tennis pro with the U. S. Professional Tennis Association. As for hobbies, Fritz collects books and some sports-related material.
Don “Pieso” Hammer is a native of Northfield who now lives in Stillwater, Minnesota. Don is a veteran of the Special Forces in the U. S. Army. A welder/fabricator, Pieso is also an amateur blocksmith and an automotive historian. He attended his first Twins game in the mid-1960s, went through high school with Ron Gardenhire, and played and coached three years in the senior league. He now is a member of the St. Croixs vintage baseball team.
John Dobratz is a repair manager from Circle Pines. His family includes Kaeleigh Luurs-Dobratz and Courtney Luurs.
Paul Malone is a printer and has been employed at Apache Print in St. Anthony since 1981. He also self-published a book in 1999, Dry Wells . . . A Century of No-Hitters. Paul saw his first game on Knothole Day, against the White Sox, in 1963. Ten years later, he was present to see Jim Holt, Joe Lis, and George Mitterwald hit consecutive home runs. He also saw Gene Larkin go 5-for-5 in 1991. Paul has a wife of 25 years, 2 married daughters, and a son who is a senior in high school.
Here is the directory information for the new members as well as some directory updates:
Fritz Reeker
4408 Philbrook Lane
Edina, Minnesota 55424
H—952-927-8098 W—952-546-3354
E-mail: ehem@worldnett.att.net
Don “Pieso” Hammer
15269 Upper 61st Street North
Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-6894
651-351-0869
E-mail: upnorthhammer@earthlink.net
John Dobratz
10470 National Street
Circle Pines, Minnesota 55104
612-298-4605
Paul Malone
18444 Tulane Street
Forest Lake, Minnesota 55025
H—651-464-6719; W—612-789-1000
Dan Cagley
10039 Lyndale Avenue South, Apt. 3
Bloomington, Minnesota 55420
952-346-9296
E-mail: daniel.cagley@mnhs.org
Jeff Ashley
5187 Lannon Avenue NE
Albertville, Minnesota 55301-9759
763-497-9898
E-mail: jeff.ashley@liesch.com
Updates:
Bob Kapla has a new e-mail address: kaplarj@gbonline.com
Jed Levitt has a new address: 1609 Pleasant Street, Apt. 204, Lauderdale, Minnesota 55108464-6719; 612-789-1000
Ron Replogle has a new phone number: 952-935-5908
Lee Temanson has a new work number: 612-359-3601
Cow Chips
Ray Luurs held the door for Juan Berenguer at the Eden Prairie Post Office . . . . Jerry Janzen attended the April 13 Twins-White Sox to see and hear his cousin, Anna Gambucci, sing The Star Spangled Banner. . . . Seth C. “Dr. Fan” Hawkins was in San Diego April 24 and 25 to see Rickey Henderson tie and break Babe Ruth’s career record for walks.
Remember the Senators
Noting that the Twins will wear Washington Senators uniforms during the first game of their May 26 doubleheader, Dr. Seth C. Hawkins wonders why the team
continues to ignore its Washington heritage in other ways. Seth would like to see the Twins, among other things, honor Walter Johnson and other greats from the Senators and recognize the franchise’s championships prior to their move to Minnesota. If you would like to join Seth’s lobbying effort, contact him at 651-225-1505.
Correction
The April birthdays in last month’s The Holy Cow! listed Harry Agganis as having been born on both April 20 and April 30. He was born only once, and that was on April 30.
May Birthdays
2—Ray Luurs (also Eddie Collins, Clay Carroll, Larry Cheney, Gates Brown, Ross Barnes, Ed Bressoud, Keith Moreland, Hideki Irabu, Felix Jose, Baron Manfred von Richtofen, and Johnny Unitas)
7—Steven Elsberry and Terry Bohn (also Dick Williams, Claude Raymond, and Tom Zachary)
20—Howard Luloff (also Bobby Murcer, Jim Lyttle, Todd Stottlemyre, Ken Boyer, Wilcy Moore, Sadaharu Oh, and Hal Newhouser)
21—Jeffrey Dahmer (also El Tappe, Mark Quinn, Eddie Milner, Barry Latman, Larry Rosenthal, Kent Hrbek, Harvard Eddie Grant, Mace Brown, Bobby Cox, and Earl Averill)
23—Joel Rippel and Halsey Hall (also Lawrence S. Ritter, Zack Wheat, Dummy Hoy, Buck Showalter, Reggie Cleveland, Frosty Thomas, and Deacon Phillippe)
31—Glenn Poser (also Kenny Lofton, Tippy Martinez, Mac Suzuki, Joe Orsulak, Ray Washburn, Joe Namath, Clint Eastwood, Don Ameche, and Madge Blake)
Subscription Dues Renewal
If you haven’t already, please send your annual subscription dues of $12 to Kevin Hennessy, 608 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102. Make the check out to Halsey Hall Chapter—SABR. Those who have joined the chapter since January 1 don’t have to pay again for another year. If you’re unsure of your dues status, check with Kevin at 651-227-5183 or at bbwsmin@altavista.com.
Calendar
June 2—Hot Stove Saturday Morning, 8:30 a.m., Baker’s Square, 66th and Xerxes, Richfield; Bus Roadeo at 10 a.m.
Give Me an M! Give Me an I! . . .
A group of high-school students came to the April 11 Twins game wearing t-shirt with letters on each. By sitting in the proper order, they were able to spell out DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ. Dr. Seth C. Hawkins’s devious mind wondered about the other phrases that could have resulted if the students had switched seats. John Gregory and his devious computer program came up with a number of possibilities, including a couple that aren’t too disgusting to print: ITEMIZE WIG ON DUCK and WE DIGITIZE NO MUCK. Speaking of too disgusting to print, does anyone know what can be spelled with the letters from Spiro Agnew’s name? (The answer will not appear in the next The Holy Cow!)
Halsey Hall Chapter
Board of Directors 2000-01
President—Joe O’Connell (Joe Non-Cello)
Vice President—Cary Smith (Itchy Arms)
Secretary—Rich Arpi (Chirp Air)
Treasurer—Kevin Hennessy (Seven Inky Hens)
Dan Levitt (Vital Dent)
Bob Tholkes (Sloth Kebob)
Jim Wyman (Win My Jam)
Webmaster—Cary Smith (YMCA Shirt)
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley (Henry Wetslot)
Holy Cow Extra Editor—Bob Tholkes (The Blob’s OK)
Please direct news about chapter events, about
yourself or about other chapter members to:
S. Thornley
1082 Lovell Avenue
Roseville, Minnesota 55113-4419
E-mail Stew Thornley
http://member.aol.com/halseyhall/Home.html