Remembering Our Baseball Past

Some Things Are Long Overdue

Kudos to the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs for coming up with another outstanding year of giveaway items.   It isn’t easy to come up with new ideas year after year but the Ironpigs seem to outdo themselves each and every season.   It could have been a coincidence, but I was glad to see a few items that were suggested in previous Noise Nation blogs such as the Rich Thompson bobblehead and Vance Worley eyewear (tip of the cap to Kram) on the list of giveaways for the 2012 season.   It’s nice to know that we’re sometimes on the same page as the Ironpigs decision makers.   So again, congratulations to the Ironpigs for continuing to come up with original promotions.  You’re doing a good job.

There is however, one thing that has always bothered me.   As a lifetime fan of baseball I’ve always loved the history of the game.  No other sport can match the history of baseball and the records we all hold sacred.   Every baseball fan knows that Babe Ruth’s homerun record was broken by Hank Aaron and that Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record, but how many football fans can name the running back who broke Jim Brown’s rushing record?   In baseball, statistics are almost as important to the fans as the game itself.   Baseball fans in general, love history.

The Lehigh Valley has a great baseball history and we love our hometown heroes.   It was fun receiving a free baseball cap honoring the old Allentown Cardinals and a bobblehead of Northampton High School product and current Phillies catcher Brian Schneider with a Jamie Moyer bobblehead being added this year.   But what about the Lehigh Valley oldtimers?  Do we just forget they ever existed?  We’ve seen the likes of Larry Holmes, Mario Andretti and Chuck Bednarik throwing out the first pitch at a ballgame, but where are our baseball players from the past? Our hometown heroes!  Someday there will likely be some sort of Ironpigs Hall of Fame so a Lehigh Valley Professional Baseball Wall of Fame may be asking too much.  But why not a night at the ballpark honoring former major league baseball players from the Lehigh Valley?  Some of those players are already gone but that doesn’t mean they’re forgotten.   Others need to be recognized while they’re still here.  Personally, I’d love to see something at Coca-Cola Park honoring the Lehigh Valley’s greatest just so we can let them know we remember their contributions to America’s past-time.    I’ve probably forgotten a few, but here’s a list of the living and the dead for those too young to remember.   There are also dozens of others who had productive minor league careers but never made it to the bigs.

Curt Simmons, LHP:  Born 5/19/29 in Egypt, PA, went to high school at Whitehall and played American Legion baseball for Coplay.  He was signed by the Phillies in 1947, went 17-8 for the “Whiz Kids” in 1950 but was called to active duty in the military and missed the 1950 World Series when the Yankees swept the Phillies 4 games to none.  Coming back from an injury in 1959, he pitched 6 games for Williamsport in the Eastern League, going 4-1 2.86.  One of his starts was on his old home turf when he pitched against the Allentown Red Sox in Max Hess Stadium, now the site of the Lehigh Valley Mall.    Curt won a total of 115 games with the Phillies before he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where he won an additional 69 games and finally got his chance to pitch in a World Series in 1964.  He finished his 20 year big league career with 193 wins and a 3.54 ERA.

 

Elmer Valo, RF:  Elmer was born 3/5/21 in Rybnik, Czechoslovakia and came to the United States with his family when he was 6 years old.  The family eventually settled in Palmerton, PA where Elmer would later graduate from Palmerton High School.   He was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1938 and made his major league debut on September 22, 1940.  On May 1, 1949, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, he became the first American League player to hit 2 bases loaded triples in the same game.  He finished that game with 4 hits in 5 at bats and  7 RBIs.  On August 2, 1950 he hit for the cycle against the Chicago White Sox but despite the hitting heroics, perhaps Elmer was best known for his fearless outfield play, never afraid of crashing into a wall to make a play.   In 20 big league seasons with the Athletics, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Yankees, Senators and Twins Elmer hit .282 with 58 home runs, 601 RBIs and had an amazing on base percentage of .398.   In over 1,800 big league games, he walked 942 times with a mere 284 strikeouts.  Late in his career he became one of the games best pinch hitters, setting records in numerous pinch hitting categories.  After retiring as an active player he spent many years as a scout for the Phillies.   Elmer died in Palmerton on 7/19/98 at the age of 77.

 

Gary Lavelle, LHP:  Gary was born in Scranton, PA on 1/3/1949 and graduated from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA.  He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1967 and made his big league debut 7 years later.  He pitched in the major leagues for 13 seasons, almost exclusively in relief, finishing his career with an 80-77 won/lost record and a 2.93 ERA.  He finished with double figure victories 3 times, winning 10 games in 1976 and 1982 and 13 games in 1978.   His 136 career saves still ranks in the top 100 of all-time and he finished in the National League top 10 in saves in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1983.   He was a 2 time National League all-star and pitched 2 scoreless innings in the 1977 All Star Game.

 

Pat Kelly, 2B:  Pat was born in Philadelphia on 10/16/67 and played high school baseball for the Catasauqua Rough Riders.  He went to college at West Chester University where he played shortstop.   The New York Yankees drafted him in 1988 and by 1991 he was playing for the Bronx Bombers.  Pat’s best big league season came with the Yankees in 1993 when he hit .273 with 7 homers and 51 RBIs.  He also stole 14 bases that year.   He remained a Yankee until the end of the 1997 season and finished his career with a partial season in St. Louis (1998) and Toronto (1999).  During his brief time in St. Louis he was fortunate to be part of the on-field celebration when his good friend Mark McGwire hit home run number 62.    He finished his big league career with a .249 lifetime average and 36 home runs.  Most recently he has been working in the front office of a professional baseball team in Australia.

  Brian Schneider, C:  “Hoops” was born 11/26/76 in Jacksonville, FL and graduated from Northampton High School in 1995.  While playing for the Konkrete Kids, he was named Lehigh Valley baseball player of the year in 1994 and 1995.  He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in round 5 of the 1995 amateur draft.   He made his big league debut in 2000 and is currently on the 40 man roster of the Phillies.   He played for the Expos/Nationals through the 2007 season but on November 30th he was traded to the New York Mets.  After 2 years in New York he became a free agent and was signed by the Phillies where he has played ever since.  His best season came in 2005 as a member of the Washington Nationals when he hit .268 with 10 HRs.  He currently has a lifetime average of .247 with 65 career home runs.  He played 3 games for the Ironpigs in 2010 while on a rehab assignment.

 

Dave Schneck, OF:   Born 6/18/49 in Allentown, PA and graduated from Whitehall H.S.   He was drafted by the New York Mets in 1967 and made his major league debut in 1972.   He hit 8 home runs in 413 career at bats with all 8 of his homers hit on the road.   He hit 34 home runs in the minors in 1971 and had 122 career minor league homers.  On 12/3/74 the Mets traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Don Hahn and Tug McGraw in exchange for John Stearns, Mac Scarce and Del Unser.   The Phillies later traded Schneck to Cincinnati in exchange for John Vukovich.

Jimmie Schaffer, C:  Born 4/5/36 in Limeport, PA and attended the former Coopersburg High School.  He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955 and made his major league debut in 1961.  He played major league baseball in parts of 8 different seasons with 6 different teams including 2 years with the Phillies (’66, ’67).  He was a minor league manager throughout the 1970’s in the Baltimore Orioles organization and was a coach for the 1980 A.L. champion Kansas City Royals as well as the Royals’ 1985 World Series Championship team.

Jeff Mutis, LHP:  Jeff was born 12/20/66 in Allentown, PA and graduated from Allentown Central Catholic.  He played American Legion baseball for Mountainville and college ball at Lafayette College in Easton, PA.  He was selected in the 1st round by the Cleveland Indians in the 1988 amateur player draft.  He made his major league debut on June 15, 1991 after going 11-5 1.80 in AA ball.  Despite winning just 4 major league games, he did throw a complete game shutout on 7/17/93 against the California Angels.  Jeff pitched for the Florida Marlins in 1994 and earned his only National League victory on June 28th in a relief appearance against the Phillies.

Bob Heffner, RHP:  Bob was born  9/13/38 in Allentown, PA and graduated from Allentown (William Allen) High School.  He was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1958 and pitched for the Allentown Red Sox in 1959 and 1960, going a combined 19-9.  He made his big league debut with the Bosox in 1963 starting 19 games and going 4-9 4.26.  He was 7-9 4.08 for the Red Sox in 1964 and 0-2 in 1965. He finished his career after a season with the Cleveland Indians and California Angels.  He won 11 big league games, including complete game shutouts of the Washington Senators in 1963  and New York Yankees on 8/21/64, striking out Mickey Mantle twice.  He also earned 6 saves in his big league career.

Johnny Bucha, C:  Johnny was born 1/22/25 in Allentown, PA and graduated from Allentown Central Catholic in 1942 where he lettered in 4 sports.  He made his professional baseball debut playing for the Allentown Fleetwings, and eventually made it to the major leagues in 1948 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.  He again played part-time for the Cardinals in 1953 and then played in 60 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1953.   His only major league home run came on 9/9/53 against the Philadelphia Athletics.  He died of mesothelioma in St. Luke’s Hospital, Fountain Hill on 4/28/96.

Still others include:
Jim Honochick, Umpire.  8/19/17 Oneida, PA.  Died 3/10/94 in Allentown, PA.  Began his career as a minor league baseball player for Baltimore in the early 1940’s but an injury forced him to retire.  He became a umpire and worked in the American League for 25 years.   In his career he worked 4 all-star games, 6 World Series and was behind the plate for 3 no-hitters.  After retiring he teamed with former Orioles 1st baseman Boog Powell in a series of classic tv commercials for Miller Lite.
Frank Pulli, Umpire.   3/22/35 Easton, PA.  He was a National League umpire from 1972 to 1999.   In his career he worked the NLDS 4 times, the NLCS 6 times and the World Series 4 times.  He was also the first base umpire on the night Hank Aaron broke the home run record of Babe Ruth.
Andy Tomasic, RHP.  12/10/17 Hokendauqua, PA, Whitehall H.S., Temple Univ. Died 11/27/2008.  Pitched 2 games for the 1949 NY Giants.  84 wins in 8 minor league seasons.  Also played 2 years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joe Antolick, C.  4/11/16, Hokendauqua, PA.  Died 6/25/2002 in Catasauqua, PA.  Played in 4 games with the 1944 Philadelphia Phillies getting 2 hits in 6 at bats.  Hit .280 in 12 minor league seasons which included a year with the Allentown Dukes in 1939.  He was also a minor league manager from 1946 to 1951.
Dale Matthewson, RHP.  5/15/23 Catasauqua, PA.  Died 2/20/84 in Georgia. Pitched 28 games in 2 seasons for the Phillies during World War II going 0-3 4.34.  16 minor league seasons winning 134 games with a 3.07 ERA.
Frank Sigafoos, IF.  3/21/1904, Easton PA.  Attended Purdue University and died 4/12/68 in Indianapolis, IN.   Utility infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1926, the Tigers & White Sox in 1929 and the Reds in 1931.  Had just 134 big league at bats and a .201 lifetime average.   In 14 minor league seasons he had a career batting average of .313 with his best year in 1930 with Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast League where he hit .305 with 19 HR.
Frank Grube, C.  Born 1/7/05, Easton, PA and attended Lafayette College.   Died 7/2/45 at the age of 40 when he was shot to death outside his apartment in New York.  Played parts of 7 big league seasons with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns and had a career average of .244.  He had a .281 average in 8 minor league seasons.
Harry Keener, RHP.  Aug. 1871 Easton, PA  Died 3/25/1912 in Easton.  Won 3 and Lost 11 for the 1896 Philadelphia Phillies.  Went 52-31 in 4 minor league season including 7-6 for the Allentown Peanuts in 1899.
Bill Parks, OF/P.  6/4/1849 Easton, PA.  Died 10/10/11 in Easton.  Went 4-8 with the Washington Nationals in 1875 and also played outfield for Washington, Philadelphia and Boston in 1875/1876.   He was also player/manager for the Nationals during part of the 1875 season.
Joe Connell, PH.  1/16/1902 Bethlehem, PA.  Attended Villanova Univ.  Died 9/21/77 in Trexlertown, PA.   Played in 2 major league games with the New York Giants in 1926, pinch hitting in one and pinch running and scoring a run in the other.
Chris Jelic,  OF.  12/16/63 Bethlehem, PA.   Attended the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1985.   He was traded to the NY Mets in 1987 in the deal that also sent David Cone to New York.  He played 9 seasons in the minor but only managed to get 11 at bats with the Mets at the end of the 1990 season.
Bill Kern, LF.  2/28/33 Coplay, PA.   Attended Muhlenberg College.  Went 4-16 .250 with 1 HR for the 1962 Kansas City Athletics.  His homerun came in his final big league game off Jim Bunning.  In 11 minor league seasons he hit .282 with 144 homeruns and 400 RBIs.
George Lees, C.  2/2/1895, Bethlehem, PA.  Attended Lehigh University.  Died 1/2/80 in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Played in 20 games for the 1921 Chicago White Sox, hitting .214 (9-42).
George Hennessey, RHP.  10/28/07 Slatington, PA  Died 1/15/88 in Princeton, NJ.  Pitched 5 games for the St. Louis Browns in 1937, 5 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1942 and 2 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1945.   He also pitched 13 seasons in the minors, going 119-88 including a 14-7 record for the 1939 Allentown Dukes.
Bert Kuczynski, RHP.  1/8/20 Philadelphia, PA.  Died 1/19/97 in Allentown, PA.   Pitched in 6 games for the 1943 Philadelphia A’s and also played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions that same year, thus becoming one of the very few athletes to play their rookie years in MLB and the NFL in the same year.  After serving in the Navy during World War II, he returned and played football for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1946.  He was a history teacher at Catasauqua High School for 27 years and coached football for the Rough Riders from 1953 to 1964 and baseball from 1961 to 1972.
George Diehl, RHP.  2/25/18, Emmaus, PA.  Died 8/24/86 Kingsport, TN.  Pitched in 1 game for the Boston Braves in 1942 and again in 1943.   He had no record and a 3.52 career ERA.  He also won 118 games in 13 minor league seasons.
Davey Dunkle, RHP.  8/30/1872 Phillipsburg, NJ.  Died 11/19/41 in Lock Haven, PA.  Pitched for Philadelphia, the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators from 1897 to 1904.   His career record was 17-30 with a 5.02 ERA.  He also won 143 games in 9 minor league seasons.  Most notable, he was 27-13 with Providence in 1900, 26-13 with Providence in 1901 and 30-10 (373 innings pitched) for the Louisville Colonels in 1902.
Slim Emmerich, RHP.  9/29/19 Allentown, PA.  Died 9/17/98 in Allentown.   Was 4-4 4.86 for the New York Giants in 1945 and also pitched briefly for the Giants in 1946.  He was 77-87 in 10 minor league seasons which included a 13-21 season with the Allentown Wings in 1943.

Play Ball!