INSIDE PITCH. 63 years ago he got contract & bonus; Today Esposito still playing at age 82

Transcription

1 THE INSIDE PITCH Greg Wagner photo Americans shortstop Doug Flutie completes the double play vs the Rushmore Chiefs. 63 years ago he got contract & bonus; Today Esposito still playing at age 8 By Glenn Miller Roy Hobbs Baseball Tony Esposito remembers that day in 1953 when a St. Louis Browns scout named Art Wenzel came to his Chicago home and offered him a contract with a $7,5 bonus. My mother thought we hit the lottery, Esposito, an 8-year-old shortstop for the New Jersey Cardinals, said after a game Sunday at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Tony and his mom didn t have much then. His father was dead. First of all we didn t have screens on our windows to keep the flies out, Esposito said. The offer of another $5 a month was enticing. I was on the train that night, Esposito said. Esposito had graduated from St. Philip High School in Chicago and had never before ventured far from home. Now, he was on his way to play for the Aberdeen Pheasants in the Class C Northern League. Aberdeen is in South Dakota and at the time the Northern League had teams in cities such as Duluth, St. Cloud and Grand Forks. Esposito was 19 that summer, his only year in pro ball. It was a small town, Esposito said of Aberdeen. They put us up in people s homes, upstairs in an attic somewhere. He played 9 games, hitting.6 with 3 triples, 3 homers and 14 doubles. One of his teammates was an outfielder named See ESPOSITO, page 8 WEEK 3 LEGENDS/VINTAGE /FOREVER YOUNG NOV. 8 th Thursday's 53s slate ready by 5p on Wednesday; Vintage by 6:3p Committee meets at 1p to discuss AAAA; invitiation open to all Tuesday s games complete the first leg of the Roy Hobbs World Series LEGENDS World Series, with one exception, a single 53s game scheduled for Wednesday morning. The VINTAGE Division continues play through Wednesday evening to complete its first 4 games. The VINTAGE Division Thursday schedule will be available approximately 1 hour after the Wednesday afternoon games are completed, no later than 6:3 p.m. The 4 teams playing the night games will be inserted into the schedule based on their first 3 games. The schedule for Thursday s LEGENDS Pool game 5 will be released Wednesday afternoon once the AAAA Division is set and all 53s results are tallied. It will be posted at royhobbs.com, and recorded on the Roy Hobbs message line: Thursday matchups are based on records, runs allowed and no rematches from first 4 games. The Roy Hobbs Advisory Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday at RHWS headquarters to determine the set up and seeding for the Legends AAAA playoffs. Although all AAAA managers have been invited to participate on the committee, any interested managers are welcome to come and be involved too.

2 Baseball & Brews Tour The first annual Roy Hobbs Baseball & Brews brewery tour will be held Wednesday and Friday nights this week during the Veterans Division play. The tours will run from 5 p.m. to 9:3 p.m. from the Player Development Complex parking lot. Cost is $45 per person, and Southwest Florida Brewery Tours will take 14 customers to 3 breweries for flights and samples of their beers. The tours are limited to 14 people; however if 19 or more sign up 4 hours in advance, SWF Brewery Tours will add a second van. Seats will not be sold at the time of the tour all reservations must be made in advance. See Karen Marcinkoski at Roy Hobbs Headquarters or sign up on-line at Hall of Fame induction Sunday; get tickets at PDC The Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame will induct 11 new members with its Class of 16 on Sunday (Nov. 13) night at the Shell Factory s Dolphin Room in North Fort Myers. The 11 were elected by the current members of the Hall of Fame and the 1-member Board of Trustees in process that covered the summer months. Additionally the Trustees also selected two individuals to receive the Hall s Brian Mullen Ambassador of Baseball award, which recognizes their Meritorious Service as an Ambassador of Amateur Baseball. LARGE GROUPS WELCOME OUTDOOR BAR LOCALLY BREWED CRAFT BEERS ON TAP 3 LARGE FLATSCREEN TVS 1% DISCOUNT WITH ROY HOBBS GUEST APPRECIATION CARD (39) VERONICA S. SHOEMAKER BLVD. FORT MYERS, FL AT THE CORNER OF COLONIAL DRIVE AND VERONICA SHOEMAKER BLVD The Class of 16 includes: David Harvill of Michigan, JD Hinson of North Carolina, Gerry Huppmann of Virginia, Dick Kissick* of Rhode Island, Roger Laurella of Illinois, Frank Murphy of Illinois, Dave Mydland of South Dakota, Carl Rakich of Florida, Lanny Ropke of California, Ron Staples of Washington, Dave Zavracky of New Jersey. * -- deceased The 16 Brian Mullen Ambassador of Baseball Award honorees are: Juliet Hawkins of Ohio and Bob Molbert of Florida The Class of 16 and the Ambassadors will be presented and honored at an induction ceremony and dinner at the Dolphin Room of The Shell Factory in North Fort Myers on Sunday, Nov. 13, during the 16 Roy Hobbs World Series. See Karen Marcinkoski at Roy Hobbs World Series headquarters to get tickets, or go on line to royhobbs.com/ halloffame to handle ticket purchase. Ticket cost is $45. For more information on the honorees and the Hall of Fame, please check out the 16 Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame Yearbook. The Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame was developed in 11-1 to honor outstanding baseball service and accomplishments on and off the field of amateur baseball players in the Roy Hobbs ranks. The Roy Hobbs Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, recruited a volunteer Board of Trustees in 1 and tasked that group with developing a set of criteria and a mission statement. That group of 7 developed basic criteria and selection process as well as a Mission Statement, the second generation of which reads: The Roy Hobbs Baseball Hall of Fame is established to recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of baseball through their involvement with Roy Hobbs Baseball for at least 1 years, the Roy Hobbs World Series and their local leagues and teams. Individuals shall have made contributions as players, coaches, managers, umpires and administrators. Contributions should have been made on and off the field of play, all impacting the dugout; a prime consideration for induction is the individual s contributions to the game, their teammates and baseball colleagues.

3 3 SanibelOutlets.com miles before Sanibel Causeway Over 4 Designer Brands Including: MONDAY S RESULTS Legends Division AAAA Division Bergen Yankees 8, Midwest Pirates Bergen Yankees 9, Ruckus 8 Border City Brewers 5, DuPage Lugnuts Border City Brewers 14, Americans Baseball Club 8 Cobras 9, Ruckus 4 DuPage Lugnuts 9, Charlotte Kings 7 Midwest Pirates 5, Puerto Rico Orioles 4 Puerto Rico Orioles 1, Cobras 1 Rushmore Chiefs 8, Americans Baseball Club 1 Rushmore Chiefs 13, Charlotte Kings Overall Pool Atlanta Astros 16, PSOF Rangers 6 Bahama Breeze Islanders 17, Kenmore Eastern Brewers 1 Baltimore Orioles Legends 4, Cuyahoga Indians Carolina Thunder 15, DHBA Athletics 6 Dallas Orioles 15, St. Louis Patriots 5 Huntsville Stars 11, Chesapeake Redwings 4 Huntsville Stars 14, South Chicago Yaquis 1 Long Island A s 17, Dixie Braves 3 Michigan Stars 1, Boston GoodFellas Minnesota Bandits 1, Gulf Coast Thunder 1 Minnesota Bees 3, Ohio-Penn Silverhawks 13 Minnesota Goats 1, Windy City White Sox 7 Nor Eastern Yankees 1, Gulf Coast Thunder Nova Scotia Monarchs 15, Ohio-Penn Silverhawks 4 Oakville Golden A s 7, Wolfdogs Ohio Indians 11, Carolina Rockies 7 Omaha Indians 14, Louisville Orioles 4 Philadelphia Phillies 8, Bridgewater Cardinals 7 Philadelphia Phillies 1, Chicago Blues Rhode Island Waves 7, Kenmore Eastern Brewers 5 Tidewater Drillers 18, St. Louis Grays 8 Greg Wagner photo Baseball Still Life, tools of the Trade at JetBlue. Wright Field Reds 15, Carolina Rockies 3 Youngstown Astros 1, Crosstown Traffic 8 Baltimore Baseball Club 9, Kent Mudhens Detroit 65s 4, Sacramento Solons 3 Midwest Nine, Houston Colt.65s 1 New England Red Sox 6, Washington Nationals NorCal Antiques 4, Philadelphia Brewers 3 Nova Scotia Monarchs 1, South Florida Suns Ohio Classics 9, Wilmington NC Thunder 8 San Antonio Broncos 19, Chicago Spirit Silver Foxes Baseball Club of R.I. 9, Lehigh Baseball 8 Terre Haute Volkers Group, Livingston Dodgers Toledo McGuire Group Insurance 9, Minnesota Bees 4 TSP Fire 65 1, Boston Braves 11 Washington Titans 18, DC National Spirit 3 Youngstown Astros 17, MidAtlantic Nationals 6 Forever Young San Diego Padres 15, New Jersey Cardinals 3 Tri-City 75 1, New England Red Sox 75 6

4 4 TUESDAY S SCHEDULE SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA Sweeping Gulf Views Endless White-Sand Beaches Calming Hammocks Beachfront Suites Romantic Gourmet Dining 55 West Gulf Drive Sanibel Island, Florida Legends Division 9:3 a.m. South Chicago Ohio-Penn Silverhawks, CP-S 1 a.m. Wright Field Ohio Indians, JB3 Minnesota Wolfdogs, JB4 Youngstown Bridgewater Cardinals, JB5 Oakville Golden A St. Louis Patriots, CL Atlanta Minnesota Bandits, CL3 Baltimore Orioles Dallas Orioles, CL4 Rhode Island Gulf Coast Thunder, CL6 Michigan Chesapeake Redwings, PDC4 Boston Nova Scotia Monarchs, PDC5 Louisville DHBA Athletics, TP-S Long Island A Carolina Rockies, TP3 1:3 p.m. Dixie PSOF Rangers, CP-S 1:45 p.m. Border City Rushmore Chiefs, JB DuPage Americans Baseball Club, JB1 Windy City White Sox, JB3 Bridgewater Wright Field Reds, JB4 Cuyahoga Minnesota Goats, JB5 Carolina Youngstown Astros, JB6 Chicago Rhode Island Waves, CL-S Bahama Breeze Atlanta Astros, CL St. Louis Baltimore Orioles Legends, CL3 Bergen Puerto Rico Orioles, CL4 Midwest Cobras, CL6 Nova Scotia Michigan Stars, PDC1 Chesapeake South Chicago Yaquis, PDC3 Tidewater Louisville Orioles, PDC5 Charlotte Kings, TP-S Nor Eastern Philadelphia Phillies, TP Kenmore Eastern Crosstown Traffic, TP3 5:3 p.m. Omaha St. Louis Grays, CL-S DHBA Tidewater Drillers, TP-S Minnesota Huntsville Stars, TP4 1 a.m. Boston Baltimore Baseball Club, CL-S MidAtlantic Terre Haute Volkers Group, CL1 Philadelphia Lehigh Baseball, JB-S Youngstown Midwest Nine, JB1 Livingston Chicago Spirit, JB South Florida Washington Nationals, JB6 Wilmington NC New England Red Sox, PDC1 Sacramento TSP Fire 65 PDC3 San Antonio Washington Titans, TP NorCal Silver Foxes Baseball Club of R.I., TP4 1:45 p.m. Nova Scotia Kent Mudhens, CL1 DC National Toledo McGuire Group Insurance, JB-S Ohio Sacramento Solons, PDC4 Minnesota Detroit 65s, TP4 TSP Fire South Florida Suns, TP-S Forever Young Tuesday 1 a.m. - Tri-City New Jersey Cardinals, PDC 1:45 p.m. - New England Red Sox San Diego Padres, PDC Wednesday 1 a.m. - Tri-City San Diego Padres, TP4 9:3 a.m. - New England Red Sox New Jersey Cardinals, TP

5 5 Where the Fun Never Ends! Stay&Play Specials Available BOOK YOUR NEXT GETAWAY TODAY Suites & Efficiencies Fully-Equipped Kitchens HOME OF THE 151 Fifth Avenue Fort Myers Beach, Florida LighthouseIslandResort.com Legends Division AAAA DIVISION W L Pct. RA Border City Brewers Rushmore Chiefs Midwest Pirates Puerto Rico Orioles Bergen Yankees Cobras Americans Baseball Club DuPage Lugnuts Ruckus Charlotte Kings Open Pool Play W L Pct. RA Long Island A s 1. 6 Minnesota Bandits Huntsville Stars Wright Field Reds Youngstown Astros Carolina Thunder Dallas Orioles 3 1. Baltimore Orioles Legends Oakville Golden A s Omaha Indians Nor Eastern Yankees Bahama Breeze Islanders Philadelphia Phillies Minnesota Bees Ohio Indians Atlanta Astros Michigan Stars Rhode Island Waves Nova Scotia Monarchs Tidewater Drillers Louisville Orioles South Chicago Yaquis Minnesota Goats DHBA Athletics St. Louis Patriots STANDINGS Chesapeake Redwings Kenmore Eastern Brewers Carolina Rockies Cuyahoga Indians Ohio-Penn Silverhawks Dixie Braves PSOF Rangers Bridgewater Cardinals. 16 Wolfdogs. 19 Chicago Blues. 5 Crosstown Traffic 3. 5 St. Louis Grays Windy City White Sox 3. 4 Gulf Coast Thunder Boston GoodFellas W L Pct. RA San Antonio Broncos 1. 3 Detroit 65s 1. 7 Terre Haute Volkers Group 1. 7 Ohio Classics 1. 9 Toledo McGuire Group 1. 9 Washington Titans 1. 1 Youngstown Astros Houston Colt.65s New England Red Sox Wilmington NC Thunder Boston Braves Philadelphia Brewers Midwest Nine Silver Foxes Baseball of R.I Nova Scotia Monarchs Baltimore Baseball Club NorCal Antiques TSP Fire DC National Spirit MidAtlantic Nationals See STANDINGS, page 8

6 6 Greg Wagner photo - -. Houston Colt 65 s shortstop Gary Albertson. NOTEBOOK Pairings Parties will be held at Nervous Nellies and Pinchers Week 3 Pairings Parties will be held Thursday evening. The Legends Division Pairings Party will be held at Nervous Nellies on Fort Myers Beach at 7 p.m. The Vintage Party will be held at Pinchers at Fort Myers Beach as well. Forever Young teams are invited to the Vintage gathering. The parties will start at 7 p.m. and will include finger foods and a cash bar. This is NOT a dinner or a meal, but rather a social gathering with snacks. More details on the party will be included in Wednesday s Inside Pitch. 16 Roy Hobbs Cups -- Friday Roy Hobbs is deeply apologetic over the missing Roy Hobbs souvenir cups this week. We were notified Monday by the manufacturer that they will have cups in our hands by Friday. Roy Hobbs is giving out older versions of our cups, which players may keep. When the 16 version arrives, we will have those available for players who did not get the correct cup. With all this in mind, Roy Hobbs appreciates your patience. Picking up T-Shirts The tournament T-shirt is available through Friday for all registered players outside the Roy Hobbs Store in the screened in patio at the Player Development Complex. No Shirts will be given out on Saturday. Hours to pick up the Tournament T-shirt are from Noon to 6 p.m. With the shirt, each player will get a tournament patch. 5/5 raffle 5/5 raffle tickets, to benefit the Roy Hobbs Foundation, are available each day at the Player Development Complex. Tickets are $1 apiece or 6 for $5. The drawing will be held in the patio area at the Player Development Complex at 5 PM Friday. The Roy Hobbs Foundation was established to raise monies for research on finding a cure for Leukemia and to assist our Challenged Athlete friends. Results corrections Please check the posted results and standings each day. Managers should contact Rob at the Tournament Headquarters ( ) with corrections to scores. That s the best way to make sure that playoff seedings and pairings are as accurate as we can make them. Please help with dugouts Roy Hobbs Baseball and the grounds crews need your help in the dugouts. When games are over, please police your dugout for trash and cups, etc. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

7 7 HIGHLIGHTS Sunday games Legends Division Youngstown Astros 11, Omaha Indians 6: (Indians) Bob Mancuso - /5; Jim Waters - /5; Adrian Cotton & Bob Peck - /4; Steve Daeges & George Powell - B. DHBA Athletics 5, Crosstown Traffic 4: (Athletics) WP: Larry Wingfield; Carlos Pandolfo; Steve Gidwitz - 3/3, B; Fred Pascaralli - 3/3, game winning RBI. Carolina Rockies 8, Bridgewater Cardinals 4: (Rockies) WP: Pat James - 4 IP, 4 Hs, BB, ER; Stacey Stegal - /3, 1 RBI; Ronnie Alexander - /3, 1 R; David Ball - /4; Kurt Reid - /4, 1 B, 1 RBI; Mark Withridge - 1/1; Pat James - 1/1; Darrell Smith - 1/3, RBIs, B. Ohio-Penn Silverhawks 1, Michigan Stars 1: (Silverhawks) WP: Dave Pence - 5 IP, 1 H, ER, 9 Ks; Wright Field Reds 14, Philadelphia Phillies 1: (Reds) WP: Chuck Gentry - IP, Rs, K; Gentry - /4, Bs, 3 RBIs; Ramey - /3, 4 RBIs, Rs; Reamy - /3, Rs; Brohas - Rs; Jannazo - Rs; Thompson - RBIs; Reynolds - Rs. Kenmore Eastern Brewers 11, Gulf Coast Thunder 4: (Brewers) WP: Craig Pucci - 5 IP, Rs, 4 Hs, Ks; Bob Blick - 1B, B, 3 RBIs; Denny Bloom - 1Bs, 3 Rs; Craig Pucci - 1Bs, B, 3 Rs. Carolina Thunder 8, St Louis Grays 3: (Thunder) WP: Tim Whitehead - 9 IP, 7 Ks; Kenny Smith - 3/5, RBIs; Wayne Santome - 3/4, 3 RBIs; Mike Burnside - Hs; Tim Whitehead - Hs; Robert Isbell - Hs. Omaha Indians 8, Crosstown Traffic 3: (Indians) WP: Mike Metz - 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks; Jim Waters - 4/6, 3 Bs; Bob Mancuso - 3/6; Dan Critser - 3/5, B; Steve Daeges - /6; Tim Trader - /5. Carolina Thunder 8, Tidewater Drillers 7: (Thunder) WP: Kenny Smith - 8 /3 IP, 4 Ks; Tim Whitehead - 4/4; Joe Carlson - 3/4; Kenny Smith - /3; Randy Bills - /4; Alan Paul - /3. Wright Field Reds 15, Carolina Rockies 3: (Reds) WP: Doug Stultz - 5 IP, 5 Hs, ERs; Phil Pierce - 3 IP, ER, 5 Ks, 3 Hs; MacVeigh - /, RBIs, SB; Pierce - /, Rs; Dubro - /4, Rs, SB; Janazo - /3, B, SB; Gentry - /4, B; Ramey - 1/3, RBIs, B; Brohas - 1/3, RBIs; Reamy - 3 Rs, SB. St Louis Patriots 1, Wolfdogs 5: (Wolfdogs) Tom Chaboudy - 3/4, RBIs; Don Smith - /3, RBI. Dallas Orioles 14, Oakville Golden A s 8: (Golden A s) Rob Fisher 1 IP, Rs; Dave Sorichettie - 3 Hs; Dave Peyman - 3 Hs. Oakville Golden A s 11, Minnesota Goats 1: (Golden A s) WP: David Oelke - 7 IP (CG), 4 Hs; Chris Fraser - 3 Hs, Rs; Billy Johnson - Hs, Rs; Greg Campblell - Hs. MidAtlantic Nationals 13, Kent Mudhens 1: (Mudhens) Doug Lane - 3/3, BB, HBP, SBs, Rs, RBIs; Steve Masten - /3, BB, RBI; Alex DiMuro - /4, BB, Rs, RBIs. Forever Young Division San Diego Padres 19, Tri-City 75+ 7: (Padres) WP: Phil Clements CG; Jim Lortz 4/5, 3B; Phil Clements 4/5. Monday Games Youngstown Astros 17, MidAtlantic Nationals 6: (Astros) WP: Tom Murphy - CG, 7 Ks, 4 Hs; Jim Wilson - 3/4, 3 RBIs; Jack Lewis - 3/4, 3B; Bruce Brewster - 3/4, 3 RBIs. Baltimore Baseball 9, Kent Mudhens : (Mudhens) Dave Vowles - /; Don Booth - /; Alex DiMuro - /4. Nova Scotia Monarchs 1, South Florida Suns : (Monarchs) WP: Bill Ritter; Eric Calnen - 4/5, 3 1Bs, B, 3B, 4 RBIs; Albert Slaunwhite Greg Wagner photo W-City White Sox s James Sutton is keeping his eye on the ball. - /, 1B, B. Terre Haute Volkers, Livingston Dodgers : (Volkers) WP: Ron Richmond and Wayne Faas - 7 Hs, Rs; Dave Cundy - 3/4, 3 Rs; Bobby Hoefner, Larry Weaver, Murf Appling, Billy Jacobs, Chris Watson, & Larry Dewitt - Hs Forever Young Division San Diego Padres 15, New Jersey Cardinals 3: (Padres) WP: Alan Bucholtz, 5 IP, last 4 innings scoreless

8 8 ESPOSITO From page 1 Meg Giffen photo Tony Esposito, NJ Cards 75+ Tito Francona, who went on to play 15 years in the majors. Tito s son is Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona. Why did Esposito play only one year? As he prepared to leave the dugout on Sunday, he raised his left pants leg to show a surgical scar. He had taken shots of painkillers in the knee so he could play in Now, his knee could be fixed with arthroscopic surgery. That wasn t available in So he got on with life after baseball and went to work in the food service business and owned a company called Esposito & Associates. Although he stayed fit over the years by playing basketball and golf and running, he didn t play baseball for more than 5 years. About five years ago a friend asked him to play. He went to shortstop and tried making that long throw to first. On about six bounces, Esposito said. Now, after training for baseball, he makes that throw easily, almost as if he were still playing for the Pheasants. Well, almost. STANDINGS From page 5 Sacramento Solons Lehigh Baseball Minnesota Bees Kent Mudhens Washington Nationals South Florida Suns Livingston Dodgers Chicago Spirit L 1 1 Pct RA Forever Young Division W San Diego Padres New Jersey Cardinals 1 Tri-City New England Red Sox