Masthead
The Newsletter of the Halsey Hall Chapter
Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)


February 2005

Ron Replogle Dies
New Member: Quentin Wittrock
In the Spotlight: Achievements by Members
Help Sought
Spring Chapter Meeting May 21
    Nominations
    Weekend in KC?
Update Personal Info on MySABR
Newsletter Update
Board Biz
Reichard a Candidate for SABR Board
Cow Chips
January Recap
February Birthdays
Calendar
Board of Directors

 

Ron Replogle Dies
Ron Replogle died Tuesday morning, January 11, at the age of 71 after suffering a heart attack the night before. Ron was a lifelong educator, working as a teacher for many years, then tutoring adults to help them pass their high-school equivalency exam. It was while tutoring that he had his heart attack. He also did reading for the State Services for the Blind for 35 years.

An avid reader himself, Ron was a member of the Halsey Hall Chapter’s book club. He also enjoyed board games and made many of his own APBA cards. Ron was a regular attendee at chapter functions and was at the chapter’s Hot Stove Saturday Morning breakfast three days before his death. In addition to baseball, Ron was a great opera fan.

His body is being donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Department, and his daughter, Irene, said they will hold a celebration of Ron’s life on April 9. In addition, Irene and her sister have set up a web site on which friends can share their thoughts on Ron at http://SweetOldRon.org. The guestbook site also has a
picture gallery. Anyone wanting to add a photo may contact Irene (773-296-9049, irene@alumni.caltech.edu) to get a log-in name that will allow for the uploading of pictures to the site.

Ron was a character who fit in well with the other characters in the chapter and whose company we all enjoyed.
 

New Member: Quentin Wittrock
A native of Iowa, Quentin Wittrock is a lawyer living in Coon Rapids with his wife, two baseball-loving daughters, and approximately 1,000 baseball books, about half of which are biographies. He has attended major league games in 39 different stadiums and was at all seven games of the 1991 World Series. Quentin attended his first major league game in Kansas City in the early 1960s. In Minnesota, he was at the 1970 Twins-Red Sox game that was interrupted by a bomb threat, the first game at the Metrodome (exhibition game against the Phillies in April 1982), and the game in which Cal Ripken got his 3,000th hit in 2000. He plays on the St. Croix vintage base ball team and shares his October 1 birthday with his boyhood hero, Rod Carew, as well as Mark McGwire, Mark McGwire, Jeff Reardon, Chuck Hiller, Jimmie Reese, Julie Andrews, and Jimmy Carter, and a date that is also the anniversary of the first World Series game (1903), Roger Maris’s 61st home run (1961), and Ichiro’s hit to break the single-season hit record (1904).
 

In the Spotlight: Achievements by Members
Steve Hoffbeck had an article on Bobby Marshall in the Winter 2004-05 edition of Minnesota History. The article will also be part of an anthology Hoffbeck has edited, Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota, which will be published this spring by Minnesota Historical Society Press. Other chapter
members who have articles in Swinging for the Fences are Kyle McNary, Dan Cagley, Joel Rippel, and Jim Karn.

Jim Thielman has a book out about the 1965 Minnesota Twins, Cool of the Evening. Jim has worked at newspapers in Minnesota, Florida, and North Dakota and covered the Twins from 1977 until 1993.

Josh Leventhal, has compiled for Voyageur Press in Stillwater (where he is an acquisitions editor) an illustrated anthology of baseball writing, Baseball . . . The Perfect Game: An All-Star Anthology Celebrating the Game’s Greatest Players, Teams, and Moments. Consisting mostly of previously published articles and excerpts, Baseball . . . The Perfect Game will be available in late March.

Roger Godin was the subject of a feature article in the January 9, 2005 St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding his new book, Before the Stars: Early Major League Hockey and the St. Paul Athletic Club Team.

Bob Evans was on Public Television’s Antiques Roadshow with the Minneapolis Millers jersey worn by Willie Mays in 1951. Bob told how he had purchased the jersey in the 1980s for $50, with neither he nor the owner realizing Mays had worn it. Although the uniform bore Mays’s number, 28, it was a 1950 jersey. However, Bob’s research confirmed that it was worn the following year by Mays, who played 35 regular-season games for the Millers before being called up by the New York Giants.

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Help Sought
SABR member Dixie Tourangeau is trying to confirm whether former Millers second baseman Jimmy Williams had been a guest of honor at a
baseball dinner in the Twin Cities in the 1950s.

If anyone remembers such an event and can provide details, such as a date, contact Dixie at 64 Calumet Street #2, Boston, Massachusetts 02120-2826, 617-232-0726, marilyn668@aol.com.
 

Spring Chapter Meeting May 21
The Spring 2005 Chapter Meeting has been set for Saturday, May 21 at the Community United Methodist Church in Columbia Heights. The Keltner/Badger State SABR Chapter is being invited as are members of the Cream Citys vintage base ball team, which will have a match with the Quicksteps vintage team following the meeting as well as a 15-minute demonstration prior to the Twins-Brewers game at the Metrodome that evening.

Events Committee Chair Howard Luloff (952-922-5036, hfan77@webtv.net) will have more information on tickets for the baseball game. Meanwhile, registration prices for the meeting have been set: $15 for the meeting, lunch, and morning refreshments; $7 for the meeting only. Those wanting to eat will have to contact Howard by May 14. Anyone interested in doing a half-hour research persentation may also contact Howard.

Nominations
Election of four directors for two-year terms to the chapter’s board of directors will take place at the business meeting during the Spring Chapter Meeting on May 21. Anyone interested in running for a board position may contact Fred Buckland, chair of the nominating committee, at 952-835-7644 or via e-mail at
fpbuckland@qwest.net.

The board of directors for 2005-06 (consisting of the four newly elected members and the three holdover members) will elect officers from among themselves on June 5.

Weekend in K. C.?
Tom Swift (507-645-2280,
tomswift@nickelcurves.com) is soliciting interest in a possible group trip to Kansas City to see the Twins play the Royals July 7-10.


Update Personal Info on MySABR
For members with e-mail, an electronic notice is sent each month to alert them to the posting of a new newsletter. This is done through the SABR web site, and members must make sure their contact information is correct and up-to-date on the site. Here’s how:

Go to the SABR site (http://sabr.org) and log in to MySABR by clicking on the “Member Login” icon in the top right corner. At the log-in page, enter your user name and password. Either enter your e-mail address for the user name and hit “Forgot your password?” or click on the link to request a user name and password.

Once logged in, you can change your user name and password if you wish. Click on the link for MySABR in the left-hand column to change personal information.

Within this site, you can also get into the Research Tools section, which has a number of useful features, such as the SABR Encyclopedia. This encyclopedia now incorporates the SABR Home Run Log. Research Tools also includes access to ProQuest, a digital archive to a number of North American newspapers.

SABR executive director John Zajc says they can create a user name and password for any member, whether the person has an e-mail address or not, but he adds, “Without an e-mail address, there is no simple way to communicate that information quickly. I guess the person would need to call before he or she logged on and we could set the fields to whatever they wanted.”
 

Newsletter Update
Beginning in July, The Holy Cow! will be produced only in a web-based format. However, subscriptions to receive copies of a print-out of the newsletter will still be available to members.

Because of increased production and postage costs, the annual subscription fee will increase to $15.

While the production and electronic distribution will remain within the purview of an editor appointed each year by the board of directors, the mailing of hard copies will be overseen by the chapter’s treasurer, who may coordinate such distribution with a volunteer. (Brian Mohr has volunteered to do the mailing.)

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Board Biz
In addition to the newsletter changes noted above, the board of directors on February 5 approved procedures for the webmaster.

A list of all procedures is on the Halsey Hall Chapter web page at http://halseyhall.org/bylaws.html#procedures. In addition to the webmaster, the chapter has procedures for president, secretary, treasurer, the events committee, and business meetings, nominations, and elections.

Procedures for vice president and the newsletter editor are now being developed and should be ready to be adopted at the next board meeting.

In other business, it was agreed that Rich Arpi and Cary Smith will be co-coordinators for our annual involvement at Twinsfest. Chuck Blomquist and Howard Luloff will join Rich and Cary on an ad hoc committee for the purpose of updating the display board.
 

Reichard a Candidate for SABR Board
Kevin Reichard is among the candidates for a four-year term on the SABR board of directors. Paul Hirsch, Jamie Selko, Peter Richardson, and Fred Ivor-Campbell are the other candidates for director.

Two other board positions are up for election this year with the incumbent in each running unopposed for re-election—Dick Beverage for president and F. X. Flinn for treasurer.
 

Cow Chips
While in the Florida Keys, Brenda Himrich and her husband visited the former home of Ted Williams (as well as his former post-office box, shown below) in Islamorada. . . . Mark Johnson got three jigsaw puzzles of Norman Rockwell baseball paintings for Christmas. . . . Ray Luurs, in town from Colorado to babysit for his daughter, paid a surprise visit to the Hot Stove Saturday Morning January 8. . . . Jerry Janzen has been covering women’s and men’s Gophers basketball for Southside Journal (http://southsidejournal.info). . . . Kyle Eliason is involved in a relationship that does not include marriage on the horizon but that has produced several small haemoorahagic spots on his neck. . . . Howard Luloff did the public-address announcing for more than 20 hockey games over the holidays. He also sang the national anthem before the St. Louis Park-Cooper boys’ basketball game on January 21.
  Ted Williams's post office box

January Recap
More than a dozen members turned out for the Hot Stove League gathering on Saturday night, January 22nd and enjoyed baseball talk and the usual fine hospitatility of Kevin Hennessy, who hosted the event at his house.

Once again, Rich Arpi organized our participation at Twinsfest and, along with Cary Smith, Gregg Omoth, Chuck Blomquist, Gregg Nelson, Howard Luloff, S. Thornley, Roger Godin, Joe O’Connell, and Kyle Eliason, staffed a table to promote SABR and our chapter.

Terry Mulholland with Kyle Eliason Howard Luloff auditioning to sing the national anthem
Images from Twinsfest: Sporting a Joe Mauer jersey, Kyle Eliason had the chance to pose with Terry Mulholland. At right, Howard Luloff auditions for a chance to sing the national anthem before a Twins game this season.

 

February Birthdays
    1—Brent Peterson (also Paul Blair, Danny Thompson, Kent Mercker, Rich Becker, Carl Reynolds, Earle Mack, and Clark Gable)
    2—Kevin Reichard and Jeff Brubaker (also Scott Erickson, John Tudor, Red Schoendienst, Don Buford, Max Alvis, Wes Ferrell, George Halas, Orval Overall, Willie Kamm, Farrah Fawcett, Dexter Manley, and Tom Smothers)
    5—Cary Smith (also Hank Aaron, Al Worthington, Roberto Alomar, Don Hoak, Lee Thomas, and Roger Peckinpaugh)
    6—Gregg Omoth (also Babe Ruth, Smoky Burgess, Richie Zisk, Dale Long, Glenn Wright, Chad Allen, Richie Zisk, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ronald Reagan, and Fabian)
    9—Erin Geary (also Vladimir Guerrero, Mookie Wilson, Bill Veeck, Clete Boyer, and Carole King)
  12—John “Bear” Hagemann (also Joe Garagiola, Dom DiMaggio, Chick Hafey, Chet Lemon, Don Wilson, Ruben Amaro, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln)
  14—Phil Lowry (also Dave Dravecky and Jimmy Hoffa)
  16—John Dietrich (also Billy Hamilton, Creepy Crespi, Bobby Darwin, Jerry Hairston, Sr., Terry Crowley, and John McEnroe)
  19—Douglas Skipper (also Dave Stewart, Dick Siebert, Oscar Roettger, and Eddie Arcaro)
  21—Edwin Anderson (also Tom Yawkey, Alan Trammell, Charley Walters, Joe Foy, Luther “Dummy” Taylor, and Barbara Jordan)
  22—Ned Ribback (also Sparky Anderson, Steve Barber, Ryne Duren, Mike Rogodzinski, Clarence Mitchell, and Bill Klem)
  25—Wayne “Bubba” Hensley (also Monte Irvin, Ron Santo, Cesar Cedeno, Andy Pafko, Danny Cater, Bob Brenly, Paul O’Neill, Shannon Stewart, Stump Merrill, Dana Kiecker, Jack “Lucky” Lohrke, Roy Weatherly, Johnny Kling, Kurt Rambis, Carl Eller, George Harrison, and Carrot Top)
  27—Jim Karn (also Hilton Smith, Ron “Babe” Hassey, John Wockenfuss, Matt Stairs, Willie Banks, and Chelsea Clinton)
  28—Bob Evans and Fritz Reeker (also Frank Malzone, Moose McCormick, Mario Andretti, and Bugsy Siegel)
  Major league players born on February 29: Terrence Long, Bill Long, Jerry Fry, Al Autry, Steve Mingori, Paul Giel, Al Rosen, Pepper Martin, Ralph Miller, Roy Parker, Ed Appleton, and Dickey Pearce

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Calendar
    February 12—Book Club Meeting, Barnes & Noble, Edina, 9:30 a.m., Brushbacks and Knockdowns by Allen Barra, Tom Swift: 507-645-2280, tomswift@nickelcurves.com

    March 12—Hot Stove Saturday Morning, Bakers Square, 66th and Xerxes, Richfield, 9:00 a.m., Mark Johnson: 612-822-9638, mjohn@mr.net

    May 21—Spring Chapter Meeting, United Methodist Church, Columbia Heights, Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., Howard Luloff: 952-922-5036, hfan77@webtv.net
 

Halsey Hall Chapter
Board of Directors 2004-05
President—Stew Thornley
Vice President—Cary Smith
Secretary—Chuck Blomquist
Treasurer—Rich Arpi
Kyle Eliason
Gregg Omoth
Tom Swift

The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley
Webmaster—Deano Thilgen  

Halsey Hall Chapter Web Page: http://halseyhall.org

Halsey Hall Chapter E-list/Message Board: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/halseyhall

Past issues of The Holy Cow! are available at http://halseyhall.org/pubs/holy.html

  

Chapter History: http://halseyhall.org/officers_history.html

Chapter Procedures and By-Laws: http://halseyhall.org/bylaws.html

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