_________________________________________________________ F A M E F O R U M N E W S L E T T E R N A T I O N A L W O M E N 'S B A S E B A L L H A L L O F F A M E National Syndicated Column (contents are protected) Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2007 TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU186277. Issue Number 00365 _________________________________________________________ Volume X, Number 08 Publisher and Author March 9, 2007 Richard C. Jaffeson Washington, DC HallFame@usa.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame _________________________________________________________ 2006 NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS NELSON, DOMINGUEZ, TRIOLO SEE THE WEBSITE FOR ALL "HALL OF FAMERS" http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/albums DIDRIKSON, HOWARD, SCHILLACE, DANCER, FERGUSON, WINTER, WRIGHT, LUKASIK, MILLIKEN, BALLENTINE, GEYER, WALLACE, CIULLA, GUIDACE, MACURIO, SHELDON, BEAUCHAMP, HUDSON, BRENNEMAN, FERENO, SWEENEY TED WILLIAMS WEBSITE http://www.saveted.net _________________________________________________________ A. COLUMN: THE NIGHT THEY KO'ED HEMINGWAY Cerca de Cojimar en Cuba 1947 As is always customary in such places along the shorelines around the world, in late afternoon a light diurnal breeze arose moving silently and steadily from its origins at sea, and gradually gathering momentum by collecting a myriad of undulated cool eddies of air which formed over the surface waters with clock-like predictability, and systematically began its daily encroachment upon the warmer dry land. Santiago, a venerable ancient fisherman of this particular aldea pequena in the Caribbean, having rested all morning momentarily stirred due to the accustom movement of this refreshing persistent gentle current that casually brushed his deeply lined face and unkept white hair. He did not realize how long he remained on the veranda of the Terrace Restaurant, a small cafe and bar made of wood with a high thatched peaked roof and vistas on three sides facing the vast sea and small inlet which served the local fishermen strong native Cuban coffee and thick sliced bread before the early dawn, and then switched to brighter table cloths, higher prices, and fancier names for similar fare when tourists arrived from Havana later during the day. Since there had been fewer and fewer visitors that spring, Martin the cafe proprietor respected the fact that Santiago needed rest after a long three day ordeal at sea, and thus allowed him to remain undisturbed in a more remote corner of the veranda. He assumed that the presence of such an authentic viejo pescador would provide another element of local authenticity to his humble establishment as did the prized eighteen foot marlin and sundry tackle displayed on the one wall above the bar. Martin fancied that tales of such images at the Terrace might eventually find their way back to potential customers in Havana and its suburbs. Untroubled by his immediate surroundings, Santiago dreamed of his majestic lionesses on a far distant coast off Africa, and knew as it had always done since the days of his youth such impressions would again restore his faith and energy. Although alone with his thoughts, he also considered that someday he might not return to the village, and eventually remain along his beloved tranquil coast by the eternal sea. But, this afternoon the familiar breeze and a friendly voice moved him to announce the passing hours of the present day. "Mi Santiago, es tu despierto? Como esta?" the youngster's voice with respect carefully addressed her friend as he moved slightly in response. From his hand a newspaper which it had held in place throughout the morning, finally slipped silently and reached the cafe's wooden floor. "I am fine," Santiago softly spoke while blinking for he was initially unsure of his location, but quickly gathered his senses in recognition of the cafe's comfortable surroundings. By this time of day the tourists departed, and he was free to be himself. Regardless of age, the youthful sparkle returned to his eyes, perhaps a lingering reaction to the lionesses. Once Manolita saw that reflection, it instantly answered her question, and she knew that all was well. "I will get us some coffee," she instinctively suggested while Santiago stretched and rotated his aching shoulders to bring life back to his body. "Not in a tin," he politely instructed her, "Today, I prefer a cup of china or clay." The reason he did not mention for in his exhausting battle with los tiburones the previous day he spat out a strange coppery metallic substance, an unusual taste which he did not want to again experience. Manolita soon returned with two large mugs of strong coffee, one with extra sugar for her friend. "Look," she handed him the steaming liquid which he gratefully accepted, but decided not to inquire about his encounter in the Gulf unless he wanted to discuss the topic. Instead, Manolita switched subjects to his favorite pastime about which he briefly read in the morning paper before sleep finally triumphed. "How goes the baseball?" she began. "They say the Dodgers are in Havana for their training this spring. El Presidente Ramon San Martin was there in El Gran Estadio to welcome them." "True, Manolita," he responded while cooling the first sip of hot coffee. "But, my concern is for the great DiMaggio and his operation. They removed a three inch bone-spur from his heel. I am not certain what that is, but the paper reported upon his condition. There was a picture of him recovering at a famous hospital named Johns Hopkins in Maryland. I have heard many fishing tales of the Chesapeake Bay, estuario magnifico, and think that Maryland must be nearby. Of course, DiMaggio could afford to go where there are the best doctors. Our village is so poor, there is not even one. And, who among us could pay?" "Will the great DiMaggio soon recover?" she innocently inquired. "Oh, he must," Santiago replied emphatically, "in order to play the baseball!" "Was he ever here at the Terrace during the winter or spring?" "Not the DiMaggio," Santiago surveyed the room as if searching for some past memories, "although I think he would understand our village and appreciate the Gulf. You know his father was a fisherman, and they say the great DiMaggio first learned to hit the baseball with the remnants of a broken oar." "When I was young, about your age," he continued, "the great John McGraw would visit the Terrace, but only in winter months, and sit there near the telephone." Santiago pointed to the wall by the bar and reminisced, "When drinking, he was difficult and outspoken, and would talk loudly over the telephone regarding baseball players and race horses." "In later years, Durocher would be here as well, but compared to McGraw he is quieter. I thought McGraw the better manager, but not because he was here more often." "Since the Dodgers are in Havana," Manolita reminded Santiago, "won't Durocher come here?" "Not this year, my Manolita, it said in the paper that Durocher was suspended for the entire season. I do not know the reason." "But, there was another who visited the Terrace often in winter," he continued, "and sometimes with baseball players. The great Hemingway would come to the Terrace to drink, argue, fight, and watch our boats in the Gulf." Santiago paused to drink more of the strong coffee, "There are some like the mako shark who are 'afraid of nothing,' such is that one, or so he would say many times to others." "Of what does he write?" Manolita in her curiosity moved closer. "He prefers tales of courage and adventure about things such as bull fighting, civil war, world wars, prize fighting, and deep sea fishing for the marlin. Those stories are forceful about competitive struggles between our savage nature and human nature, perhaps to impress a lady in Paris." "A fine lady of royalty and society?" Manolita unknowingly asked. "Ah, not exactly, Manolita," Santiago smiled and he did not want to delve into too much detail, "but influential and a friend of the artists as the one called Picasso, before he was discovered. She does not have consistent or romantic interest in men, but is devoted to another named Alice, I believe." Santiago returned to matters pertaining to the their immediate surroundings. "One night at the Terrace, Hemingway drank too much while with several baseball players. An argument ensued about something long ago forgotten, and he challenged one player from Brooklyn to a fight. He often did that and considers himself highly accomplished and well trained in the art of self-defense whether drunk or sober. That night he was unlucky and picked the wrong person, Hugh Casey, a pitcher, who knew how to fight in the ring. Promptly, he knocked-out the prized author." Santiago pointed in the general direction of the bar, perhaps attempting to indicate where the incident occurred and how the body fell, and continued with his references to boxing. "Hemingway is a friend of the great DiMaggio, and they sometimes attend boxing matches together in New York. There is an account of them in the newspaper. I will read it to you by a broadcaster named Mel Allen, as he described the entrance to the main event." Santiago retrieved the newspaper from the floor; it was folded to the sports section which he read. "There was heard a vocal outburst from one of the distant entrances. You knew, of course, that some noted personage was arriving. All eyes and ears were trained and strained on the sector, as mingled applause and cheering, like a raging forest fire fanned by a brisk breeze, increased in crescendo until it became a single contagious roar. Is it Jack Dempsey? Is it Gene Tunney? Is it Joe Louis? Well, this one time it can't be Superman. But, it was the nearest thing in sport clothes to the legendary hero. It was Joe DiMaggio!" Santiago smiled and added, "Everyone recognized the great DiMaggio. The paper said someone among the crowded asked who was Hemingway. The author nodded to DiMaggio, and said, 'Yeah, I'm his doctor.' His reply was in all the newspapers." "I thought this morning when you returned you might need a doctor," Manolita interjected, "and then what would we do?" "As you see, Manolita, I am fine. When I go, mi joven, it would not be on a veranda, it would be out there," he pointed and stared into the distant blue waters, "out there in my boat upon the Gulf. As for this morning, the rest restored me, as well as your voice and the breeze from the sea revived me." "Why are there such breezes?" "They are part of nature," he casually explained while refolding the newspaper, "and it is what happens in the daily mix between land and water as a constant contest, which is easily understood." "Look at the sky," he pointed towards the sun. "Light energy comes from the sun, el gran sol, which travels great distances through the coldness and darkness of space to finally reach the earth's surface. The sun's rays do not heat the atmosphere, but release their energy when they reach more solid objects, and the amount of heat absorbed depends upon the type of surface encountered." "Plowed fields absorb more than rocky hillsides, and the hillsides absorb more than water surfaces. The sea, although transparent has substance and absorbs energy, but it takes time to heat. Once warm, water retains energy longer. Land can heat more rapidly, but just as quickly it losses that energy." "These differences cause breezes about which every fisherman knows," Santiago assured her. "During the day, the land becomes warmer than the water, and the colder air over the sea being more dense always moves towards warmer air. We have our sea breeze in the afternoons. They are dependable and help bring the skiffs to the inlet after a day's work out in the Gulf." "In the morning, it is the opposite, the winds reverse, because the land more quickly losses heat at night without the sun, while the water retains more latent energy. When the air over the water is warmer than the land, a land breeze develops, which helps our boats depart before dawn." "Winds are created due to an uneven heating of the earth's surface. They are named from the direction in which they originate." Santiago drew a sketch of the sun and earth with dashed lines to indicate energy and heat on a table napkin to further illustrate. "The sun heats the earth as its energy is radiated through space, passes through the atmosphere, and reaches the earth's surface. The earth's surface then conducts heat and warms the atmosphere. Convectional winds distribute and circulate heat. Colder air is more dense than warmer air, and there is constant movement between the two. As air becomes warmer is rises and is replaced by more dense colder air. As the air rises, it naturally is reduced in temperature and also at higher elevations becomes less dense." "Manolita, you noticed airplanes flying to Havana, those cabins are sealed and heated. At that altitude, outside it is very cold, below freezing, and almost impossible to breathe. Air naturally cools as it rises, and the high atmosphere is porous and does not retain heat. We live at the bottom layer of a sea of air, and in the upper layers it is always much colder regardless of how warm it may become at the surface." "While fishing on the Gulf, we watch the currents and eddies in the sea and air. Cloud formations, movements, and reflections tell us from great distances where land is located. Currents and eddies in the sea indicate conditions where the water has come." "There is much to learn," Santiago concluded as they quietly sat on the veranda in the afternoon while the cool sea breeze brought skiffs of the village safely home from their encounters in the Gulf to the sanctuary of the inlet. They may have thought more about baseball players who visited the cafe and without speaking their eyes sparkled as they watched the peaceful sea. Note: Also see a related article, "Leonas de las Playas," Fame Forum, Volume V, Number 02, January 23, 2002. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/files/C-Jan02B.txt B. NWB HALL OF FAME PRODUCTS These baseball items are available from the NWB Hall of Fame: new induction poster, commemorative buttons (2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999), personalized magnet locker nametags, t-shirts, caps, knife, and bats. Free commemorative ribbons are also available. The website main page has an order form, and the photo page displays several items. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame The 2006 commemorative button (Inductions: Nelson, Dominguez, and Triolo; and Triple Crown: Milliken) is available, and may be ordered from the website or with the form provided below. 2006 NWB/HOF COMMEMORATIVE BUTTON _________________________________ Name _________________________________ Address _________________________________ City,State,Zip []-1 button $2 []-2 " " 3 []-3 " " 4 Print this form. Checks should be payable and sent to: NWB Hall of Fame, PO Box 15282, Chevy Chase, MD 20825 C. HISTORIC TIMELINE March 6, 1885 Ring Lardner birthdate, sportswriter. March 6, 1900 Lefty Grove birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 6, 1940 Willie Stargell birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 7, 1938 Janet Guthrie birthdate, race car driver. March 7, 1942 Michael Eisner birthdate, MLB executive. March 8, 1922 Carl Furillo birthdate, MLB player. March 8, 1943 Lynn Redgrave birthdate, film actor. March 9, 1912 Arky Vaughn birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 10, 1860 Charlie Dryden birthdate, MLB sportswriter. March 10, 1993 Sherry Davis hired to announce Giants games. March 11, 1892 First basketball game in Springfield, MA. March 12, 1946 Liza Minelli birthdate, entertainer. March 12, 1962 Darryl Strawberry birthdate, MLB player. March 13, 1886 "Home Run" Baker birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 13, 1929 Helen Callaghan birthdate, baseball player. March 14, 1914 Harry Caray birthdate, MLB announcer. March 15, 1888 Fred Lieb birthdate, MLB sportswriter. March 15, 1912 Cy Young retires with 511 wins. March 16, 1876 Nelly Saunders and Rose Harland prizefight. March 16, 1906 Lloyd Waner birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 17, 1917 First women's bowling tournament. March 17, 1956 Mae Jemison birthdate, Endeavor astronaut. March 18, 1953 Boston Braves approve move to Milwaukee. March 18, 1927 George Plimpton birthdate, sports writer. March 19, 1871 Joe McGinnity birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 19, 1927 Richie Ashburn birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. March 19, 1998 Rupert Murdoch purchases LA Dodgers. March 20, 1973 Roberto Clemente induction MLB Hall of Fame. March 21, 1934 Babe Didrikson pitches inning in exhibition game for the Philadelphia Athletics. D. FAME FORUM ISSUES Volume IX, 2007 Season Publications Number 08, The Night They KO'ed Hemingway, March 9. Number 07, Rumble at Ritchie (boxing), February 27. Number 06, Million Dollar Mermaid (Belles), February 14. Number 05, Clifford's Pennsylvania Pilgrimage, February 1. Number 04, Beisbol Belles Broadcast (training), January 30. Number 03, Liberty Heights Revisited, January 18. Number 02, In Remembrance of President Jerry Ford, January 3. Number 01, That Was the Year That Was, January 1. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/handouts E. NWB HALL OF FAME PROGRAMS The National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame, an independent not-for-profit organization established September 1998, is situated in suburban Washington, DC. The objective is to recognize achievements of women in regulation baseball. The NWB Hall of Fame offers these programs for participants in regulation baseball with organized leagues. Managers are are encouraged to recommend recognition awards and suggest articles on their teams, players, or events. Applications are available through email and are posted on the website. NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS Nominations for the NWB Hall of Fame are due September 30. Inductions may include four current and one previous players by formal application or candidate statement. NATIONAL MVP AND MANAGER AWARDS MVP player and manager award requests are due December 31. Season nominations should be by a manager or administrator. One MVP player per team may be selected annually. Membership covers transmission of newsletters, announcements, invitations, applications, and access to all website pages. Membership is $9.00 renewed annually, and an application is available on the NWB Hall of Fame website. _________________________________________________________ NATIONAL WOMEN'S BASEBALL HALL OF FAME Richard C. Jaffeson, Executive Director PO Box 15282, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20825 301-847-0102 HallFame@USA.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame "National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame" is a registered trade name with the State of Maryland. MD672265, October 19, 1998. Programs, articles, and contents presented herein are protected under provisions of the U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. Fame Forum registrations are listed below: TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU186277. Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2007 __________________________________________________________