Stan "The Man" Musial

A great man, and an outstanding ballplayer died over the weekend.  Stan Musial was one of the best hitters ever and he was so respected that his nickname "The Man" was bestowed on him, not by his hometown St. Louis Cardinal fans, but by the fans in Brooklyn who, as the story goes, complained that their beloved Dodgers had gone down to defeat, again, at the hands of "the Man".  Fans of the Cardinals honored Stan the Man by naming a disproportionate number of boys throughout the St. Louis area and across the Midwest "Stan."

How honored and respected was Stan Musial?  Here's a true story.  In 1985, I attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans and I was able to attend a pre-game dinner.  Hundreds of athletes were in attendance, but the two who stood out above all others were Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial.  Two baseball players at the biggest football game of the year!  Here is a photo of me talking with a seated Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial is in the background (white jacket), either signing an autograph or getting out his harmonica.  

The Earl of Baltimore

Earl Weaver died yesterday at the age of 82. He was the best manager the Baltimore Orioles ever had and he learned to manage in their farm system. I first saw him in 1960 when he still harbored dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. He was listed in the program as the player-manager of the Fox Cities Foxes of the Class B Three-I League, but his managerial skills outshone whatever playing skills he still had. The Foxes won the league that year with an 82-56 record, led by Boog Powell, Cal Ripken, Sr., Pat Gillick and Dean Chance. Topeka's team, managed by Johnny VanderMeer, finished dead last.

In 1961, the Topeka Reds asked me to be their batboy. I shared the locker room with future Major Leaguers such as Tommy Harper, Tommy Helms, Art Shamsky, Vic Davalillo, Mel Queen and the team's manager, up-and-comer, Dave Bristol. Topeka won the Three-I League Championship that year and Bristol and many of the players, soon moved up to the Major Leagues.

Earl Weaver managed the Fox City Foxes again in 1961, but the stars of the previous years' pennant-winning team were gone. Weaver's team of career minor leaguers finished fourth at 67-62. Looking back, Weaver managing this team of irregulars to an above .500 finish was probably a greater achievement than Bristol winning the pennant with a handful of future stars.

I remember the Reds loved to compete against Weaver's teams! In his book, The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets and Knicks Made Sports History, Art Shamsky described Weaver as, "...a fiery little guy with a sort of gravelly voice..." and wrote that he was "...boisterous and inclined to be on the first step of the dugout, always looking for something to argue about...." He was all that and more.

I remember vividly one occasion when Weaver was tossed out of the game in Topeka's Community Park, a cozy little ballpark where the fans in the stands sat close to the field. Of course, I don't remember the cause of Weaver's eviction, but I'm sure he argued his point way beyond the bounds of acceptable decency. Upon being thrown out, he had to leave the field, which for a visiting player or manager wasn't easy to do. In most ballparks, the dugout is connected to the locker room via a tunnel and the evicted player simply walks up the tunnel to his clubhouse. But, at Topeka's Community Park the Visitor's Locker Room was only accessible from outside the ballpark. The players and manager dressed in their locker room and then walked outside the park to a gate on the third base side of the field where they entered the field. Naturally, when a player or manager was tossed from the game, they had to follow this same route in reverse, walking from the dugout down the third base line to the gate. On this occasion, the Reds players assembled on the top step of their dugout taunting Weaver with shouts of "Go soak your head" and many profanities. A few nearby fans hooted and jeered at Weaver as he walked past them, and on this occasion, Weaver came right back at them. In short order, Weaver was arguing with a handful of fans to the point where his own players had to restrain him and escort him off the field for his own safety. It was a great show and I thought police protection would be necessary before it was over. Earl always said he wanted engraved on his tombstone "Here lies the sorest loser ever." He hated to lose, and he was a great manager.

Lecompton Plays NY

Paul Bahnmaier almost single-handily has promoted the history of tiny Lecompton Kansas for several decades.  Lecompton's unfortunate history is that it was chosen as the slave-capital of Kansas Territory in 1854.  The Constitution written in Lecompton's Constitution Hall (inset) would have had Kansas enter the Union as a slave state despite the clear majority of free-staters living in the Territory.  Some Democrats, like President James Buchanan, supported the admission of Kansas as a state under the Lecompton Constitution.  Other Democrats, like Stephen Douglas, opposed the admission of Kansas under this Constitution because it did not seem to have the support of the Kansas electorate.  This split in the Democratic Party opened the door for Abraham Lincoln to be elected President with less than a majority of votes.

Now, Paul is using the opening of Steven Spielberg's movie "Lincoln" to promote Lecompton's place in American history and his efforts have caught the attention of writers from the New York Times and the Topeka Capital-Journal.  Surely, Lecompton played a role in American history.  The battles fought over slavery in Kansas served as a prelude to the Civil War and they helped to re-define the Jeffersonian ideal that "all men are created equal."  What Jefferson thought these words meant when he wrote them in 1776 is not what Americans think they mean today.  Jefferson did not believe that women or slaves were equal to white men.

Today, Americans celebrate the equality of all people and the struggles that took place in Lecompton, Kansas helped us get there.     

Topeka's Power Grid

Last week those of us living in the Westboro neighborhood of Topeka were without electricity for 24 hours, following a modest storm that left a few branches strewn in the yard.  According to this story from the New York Times, the U.S. plans to spend $1.2 billion over the next 5 years in Afghanistan to improve their power grid.  How about a few of our dollars staying home and improving our lives.  

Today's Update, with a comment from me.

Here is the latest on the Senate Bill introduced by Senator Hensley. If passed, the bill would require the State Board of Education to issue a teacher's license to me. My comment can be found below the story.

Happy Birthday, BSA!

This week the Boy Scouts of America celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding in the U.S. A Chicago businessman, William Boyce, was inspired to establish the organization after a visit to London where he was given directions by a Boy Scout who was doing his daily good deed. I became an Eagle Scout as was my father and older brother. Our family now includes four additional Eagle Scouts, my son and three nephews. I've been to two National Jamborees (Colorado Springs, Valley Forge) as a Scout, two National Jamborees (Ft. A.P. Hill) as an adult leader, one international Scout campout (Great Britain) as a Scout, and one World Jamboree (The Netherlands) as an adult leader. I've been to Philmont Scout Ranch twice and taken canoe trips in the Quetico-Superior Boundary Waters area on three occasions. I've served as President and as Commissioner of our local Scout Council and I've been fortunate to make many lifelong friends through Scouting. God Bless this fine organization.

The Latest

Here's the latest move to get my state teacher's license. The background is that a few months ago, a friend of mine who is a lobbyist, offered to approach the House and Senate leadership about getting me licensed. He was personally outraged at the vote of the State Board of Education denying my license. I offered to contact Senator Hensley about supporting an effort to have a bill introduced requiring the BOE to license me. I have known Senator Hensley for many years, dating back to when he was a young legislator and I was Mayor of Topeka. He supported many of our local initiatives. Now, Senator Hensley, who is himself a public school teacher, is the longest-tenured member of the Kansas Legislature and a strong advocate for education issues.

I e-mailed Sen. Hensley two weeks ago. He never responded to my e-mail, and I thought the matter was hopeless. Yesterday, the Topeka Capital Journal contacted me and asked me for a comment about Senate Bill No. 487. I had not seen the Bill, but obviously, Senator Hensley thought the idea has merit. I am grateful for his support.

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UPDATE: The Topeka Capital-Journal weighs in on this important issue, finding my pursuit of a teacher's license to be admirable and sincere, and even offering that I am rehabilitated. But, they oppose Senator Hensley's bill, suggesting it is a misues of the legislative process. They may be right.