Sports
Introduction
Sports has always been an important part of my life as a participant and as a fan. I relish the fact that I was a decent athlete when I was growing up. I lament the fact that I did not take golf or tennis more seriously as it would have been a nice fallback in my twilight years. I lived baseball and basketball and played both until I was in my 30’s. I must admit that I was not very forward-thinking. Surely, I will never get too old to play baseball or basketball!
My love affair with the game of baseball began at eight years old in Little League and continues to this day. I live and die with the ups and downs of the St. Louis Cardinals – the most successful team in the history of the National League.
I loved playing high school basketball at Charleston High School and Kelly High School and in intramurals at Southeast Missouri State University. I always took the game very seriously; however, all was well – win or lose. (I never liked running just for the sake of running, but when you add a red rubber ball to that running, I can run all day and night!)
I never played competitive football or hockey, but I totally enjoy both games as a fan. (Wasn’t it nice to watch the Blues win the Stanley Cup? I also enjoyed watching Warner, Faulk, Bruce, and the other “Greatest Show on Turf” players in the 1989-1991 seasons set many of the NFL offensive records. That St. Louis Ram offense coached by Mike Martz was really special.)
When it comes to the college or professional versions of the four games, I can say that I really like pro baseball, pro football, and pro hockey. Since Larry Bird and Magic Johnson left the game, I will admit that I have probably watched less than a handful of professional basketball games. I do not think that I have ever seen Lebron James play with the exception of the clips that I have either watched on TV or viewed on facebook. A “run and gun” offense with ” little or no” defense just is not basketball to me. No longer is there a concept of team work. Instead it is an “all about me” game. Finally, who wants to watch a game where traveling and carrying the ball is overlooked? About half of the points are made from dunks. Dunks may excite the crowd, but what skill is required to dunk a basketball when one is 6′ 4” or taller? No thanks, I will stick to real team sports.
Why did I not write about watching soccor, golf, tennis, bowling, horse racing, and auto racing? I do enjoy curling, if you get my drift! Of course, I have no problem with anyone else enjoying those games.
As far as amateur sports go, I only follow the championship game for college football. (Alabama or Clemson and their opponent) LSU certainly was very good in the 2019-2020 season. Marlene and I actually attend all home games for the Rochester High School Rockets (Rochester, Illinois) football and Southeast High School (Bradenton, Florida) girls basketball. The Rochester Rockets have won the State Championship for their division eight times since 2010. We have really enjoyed following those two teams.
Big Brother Inducted into Hall of Fame
My brother, Bob, was inducted to the Nicholls State University Baseball Hall of Fame in September of 2013. My wife, Kay and family, and I were fortunate enough to attend the induction ceremony on September 21, 2013 (strangely, the event was held on our father’s birthday.) Bobby grew up in Bertrand, Mo., attended elementary school at Diehlstadt Grade School, high school at Diehlstadt High and Charleston High, and college at Southeast Mo. State University.
He transferred to Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1960. Bob pitched for the Colonels from 1960 to 1962. In 1961, his record was 9 wins and 3 losses. During that year, he pitched the first no-hitter in the University’s history and had an E.R.A. of 0.99 in 81 innings – striking out 113 batters. Bob held the University’s career strikeout record for 30 years. In the fall of 1962, he signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Reds.
Bob and his wife, Anna Lee now reside in Amite, Louisiana. Congratulations to my and Kay’s big brother.
Author’s Update: Bob went home to be with the Lord on July 13, 2020!
Merry Christmas Bowie Kuhn
Baseball is a wonderful game! It really irritates me to no end when I hear folks say that baseball is “too slow” or it is so “dull”. Either they are not watching the same game as me or they do not appreciate the exquisite strategy of the game. Should the manager put this hitter on base or pitch to him? Should the manager pinch hit for the pitcher? Of course, I like the National League style better than American League baseball. I do not like to see the seemingly endless parade of relief pitchers, but I am not certain that I am going to like the new rule that will be used in the MLB in 2020 which relates to how many batters a reliever must face. Managing in the National League is significantly more difficult than in the junior circuit (American League)!
I will not deny that the game has dramatically changed since the days of Mays, Musial, and Mantle. Many of these changes have had a direct effect on the fans’ enjoyment of the game. Three negative changes, in particular, stand out to me. They are 1) free agency, 2) cannot breakup double plays, and 3) cannot run over the catcher. The latter two took out an important and exciting part of the game. We were always taught to breakup the double play and that meant sliding hard (clean slide) into the shortstop or the second baseman. Shortstops and second basemen have always had the ability to protect themselves from someone like Matt Holliday running over them. A couple of baseballs to the side of the head works wonders on runners that do not slide or slide late. (I am not promoting violence or injuring an opponent!) That is how the game used to be played. I got clipped a few times at shortstop, but I did not take offense at clean slides.
To me, the most exciting play in baseball, used to be a double to right field with a speedy runner on first and that runner attempts to score. The ball and runner arrive at the same time. Who wins that collision – the catcher with the protective equipment blocking the plate or the runner that plows into the catcher trying to dislodge the ball. Who will ever forget the Pete Rose and Ray Fosse collision in the final play of the 1970 All-star game? I am certain that most catchers, and specifically Buster Posey and Mike Matheny, will heartily disagree with my opinion. That is certainly an exciting play that is missing from today’s game. To make matters worse, the umpires are very inconsistent on interpreting this relatively new rule.
However, the event that had the greatest effect on my favorite sport was free agency. Players can now play for the highest bidder. “It’s not about the money” is such a tiresome, untrue quip. 99.9 percent of the time it is about the money. Prior to Curt Flood’s challenge of the reserve clause in 1969, players were unable to freely move from one team to another team at will. Owners certainly had the upper hand. All that changed after a simple letter postmarked on Christmas eve of 1969 was mailed to the commissioner of baseball. (See a copy below.) The current players owe Curt Flood and Marvin Miller a lot of gratitude for making it possible for any player to control his own destiny after a specified number of years have been completed with a team.
Generally, I agree with the players’ thinking on this; however, I detest how it has affected the game. It was inevitable and I am surprised that it did not happen sooner. It, however, certainly was not good for the the paying customers (fans). We lose many of our heroes. (See Albert Pujols.) In the game, as played in 2020, very few players spend their entire career with their initial team. Yadi Molina of the Cardinals is one exception. (Unfortunately, the Cardinals greatly overpaid to make that happen.) Most fans are loyal, but many players and owners are not.
This letter changed the National Pastime forever. Baseball will never be the same!
Me and Baseball
The Bertrand Years
Over the years, Bertrand has produced some very good baseball players. I am aware of three players with a Bertrand pedigree that signed minor-league contracts. My brother, Bob, signed out of Nicholls State University in 1962 and a few years later, Dickey Bethune signed out of Arkansas State University. More recently, James Naile (of Charleston – but with Bertrand roots) signed out of Alabama – Birmingham and is currently pitching in the San Diego Padres organization (signed as free agent with Cardinals in late 2021). Strangely, all three are pitchers. Like I previously stated, Bertrand has produced some very good players.
My summers at Bertrand were filled with baseball. From eight years old to 17, I was a member of a team there. I played in the Little League, Babe Ruth League, Pony League, and Connie Mack League. It would be an understatement to say that I loved baseball. Every single moment I wanted to play catch or take batting practice. The problem was that I could not always find someone to play with. (My cousin, Fray, received the brunt of my pestering and often, but not always, accommodated my wishes! The problem was that he was three years younger and I was already a teenager when he was old enough to participate.)
In the following paragraphs, I am going to describe my time as a baseball player in Bertrand.
Little League
I began when I was eight years old. As it was my first experience, I was very timid and lost. As the youngest player on the team, I also was the least skilled. I was stuck in right field where I prayed that a ball would not be hit my way. As a hitter, my main goal was to draw a base on balls as I rarely swung the bat. In retrospect, I was very uncomfortable and did not enjoy my first year of organized ball as much as I thought that I would.
In subsequent years, I did improve immensely. Each year I became a more aggressive hitter and settled in as a plus defensive infielder. I played on some very good teams from 1955 through 1960; however, the most successful were the 1959 and 1960 Little League teams. I found the picture below that documents some success that we had in 1959.
I recognize eight of the nine players in this picture. Unfortunately, I do not remember one of the young fellows. I will identify the other eight. Kneeling from left to right are Mike McCubbins, Sonny Alcorn, and IDK. Standing are Glen Morrow, Gary Harper, Max Smith, Donald Lynn, Glen Helmes, and Johnny Hooper. I do not recall the circumstances of the trophy. It appears that we must have done well. The battery of Donald Gene Lynn and Max Smith were outstanding that year.
Update: Directly from the horse’s mouth, IDK is Steve Duke. I initially thought that it could be him, but I knew he was at least two years older than me. He admitted that he unknowingly played in a tournament in Sikeston on our team while actually being too old. That solves the mystery of IDK.
I played on another top-notch team in 1960 managed by Larry Miller and James Howell. I think that we only lost one game that summer. Players on that team were Catcher – Roger Blackman, Pitcher – Charles Naile, First Base – Jim Stephenson, Second Base – Paul Groves, Third Base – Fray Morrow, SS – Glen Morrow, LF – Bobby Hooper, CF – Larry Paar, and RF – Charles Burks.
That happens to be one of the better teams that I ever played on. We had a nice infusion of very young guys join us that year. Charlie Naile was our pitcher and he did a very nice job. Charlie could throw strikes which is somewhat unusual in Little League.
Pony League, Babe Ruth League, and Connie Mack League
Two things were constant during the years 1961-1965. First, the manager throughout those years was O. D. Harper and second, there were four young men that played on our team all five years. The four players were Galen Harper (catcher), Charlie Naile (second base), Johnny Merrick (third base) and Glen Morrow (shortstop and pitcher).
I will share some remembrances from those years. First, I would like to share that we frequently rode in the back of Mr. Harper’s pickup to away games. It could be very cold and breezy in that pickup. It was always a treat to stop in Sikeston at A&W for refreshments after a hard fought game
We achieved a feat in a game at Morley, Missouri in 1962 or 1963 that is unheard of. We went back to back to back to back. Specifically, Charlie Naile homered, Galen Harper homered, Johnny Merrick homered, and finally Glen Morrow homered. I have never seen or heard of that being done at any level of play. I think that the Morley manager finally decided that his pitcher had had enough after giving up four consecutive home runs.
I can remember a couple of my better pitching performances during those years. When I was 14 or 15 years old, I pitched possibly the best game of my life in Doniphan, Missouri. Believe it or not, in a single game, I pitched 18 innings and allowed only one run. I struck out 27 batters and walked four. I think that the Doniphan team only had three hits. They scored their lone run on a wild pitch. I had a great curve ball going that night. The problem was that we could not score either. We had ample opportunities, but we could not score our second run until the top of the 18th inning. (Galen Harper called a terrific game.) Doniphan was the most distant (miles) away game of the year. We did not get back to Bertrand until after midnight. After throwing so many pitches, I slept very well that night, but I could not pick up my arm the next day.
The second best game that I ever pitched was in 1964 at Bell City, Missouri. There was a lot of pressure and distraction as a potential love interest from Memphis was there to watch. I had the good breaking ball going and we won 1-0. I think that I may have struck out 11 or 12 batters that night. I had very good control and Bell City did not hit one ball particularly hard. (Again, Galen called a great game.) I was exhausted as the hot summer night really did me in. The ride home with a potential love interest at my side tended to soothe my extremely tired, aching body.
Yes, it was so much fun and I have a lot of pleasant memories about baseball under the lights of Bertrand. Charlie, Galen, Johnny, and me were quite the foursome. Of course, Johnny is gone now, but he will never be forgotten. Those were the days!
Before I close the book on Bertrand baseball, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my good friend, Martha. She was as much a part of the team as Charlie, Galen, Johnny, or me. Martha was O.D.’s daughter and Galen’s big sister. She never missed a game. She was the scorekeeper and our head cheerleader. We all loved Martha Harper!
Baseball in Sikeston
In the summer of 1968, I was invited to play with a team in Sikeston managed by Larry McClellan. I knew Larry from competing against him in basketball in high school. He was a Sikeston Bulldog and I was a Charleston Bluejay. I had the unenviable task of trying to guard him when I was a sophomore and he was a senior. That certainly was a mismatch. I would lay back about six feet from him and he still would go by me for a layup. Larry certainly was no ordinary basketball player. He was talented enough to play for the Harlem Magicians.
Larry was not only the manager but a very good catcher for our team, the Sikeston Blues. Tommy Masterson, Terry Brown, and I were the only caucasian players on that team. We played at Sunset Park on Sikeston’s west side. We had a very good team and played an exciting brand of baseball. I did enjoy pitching to Larry as he was a very good defensive catcher. I really liked Larry! My plan was to play with the Blues the next summer. It did not work out as Uncle Sam came calling. I did not play baseball anywhere in the summers of 1969 and 1970.
I returned from the military in 1971 and the Sikeston Blues team was defunct. However, a teammate from that team, Tom Masterson, asked me to play with a new team that he was putting together. And what a team that was! We had four former shortstops in the infield. Bill Reid played third base, I played shortstop, Jim Vines played second base, and Bobby Kindall played first. During the year, pitching duties were shared by Bobby Kindall, Rill Reid, and me. We broke in a new young catcher in 1971 named Benny Eason. He got better and better as the season progressed. Tommy was a constant in center field. That was a very good team and I do not think that we ever lost a game that summer. In fact, I have played on some very good teams, but I will go out on a limb and conclude that this team was the most talented team that I ever played on!.
An Important Update From the Sound Mind Institute - A new Career
I had just thrown seven consecutive pitches in the dirt with two bouncing off the backstop. Finally, my catcher came out to the mound for a chat. “Man you are killing me, I am certain to have bruises on both arms! Take a deep breath and take your time. Come on, Rook, throw strikes.” I listened attentively to the best catcher that I have ever pitched to. I picked up the resin bag, took a deep breath, went into the stretch, reared back, and heaved the next pitch. Unfortunately, it went behind the batter. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of my manager coming out of the dugout and I looked down to the ground, thoroughly embarrassed by my lack of control. It took my manager a lifetime to get to the mound. I asked my catcher “what is he waiting on?” He winked and replied, “he is speaking to the home plate umpire. Skip likes to make double switches when he changes pitchers.” I said “but, it’s just the fourth inning and my batting spot is eight batters away!” Yadi said, “sometimes it just doesn’t make any sense but that’s just the way Mike manages.”
I slowly walked to the dugout with my head down praying that the ground beneath me would devour me. “Go back to the hole that you got out of,” yelled one angry fan. A young child screamed, “rookie has a rag arm!” Others were yelling obscenities. And finally a drunk yelled the ultimate insult, “you are wilder than Trevor Rosenhausen (a composite of Trevor and Izzy).” I noted that my wife, Marlene Miller Morrow, (my greatest supporter), was holding her face in her hands – trying to hide it. It was obvious that the best fans in America were after my hide. The thought of all of the years that I had prepared for this opportunity – for this moment – flashed through my mind. And now I have blown it with this terrible debut. I will never ever get another shot! I then thought about how this disaster would be particularly troubling for all the catchers that I had pitched to over my developing years. Surely, they all had been watching and pulling for me. And I had let them down.
Great memories raced through my mind. My greatest dream, as a child, was to play for the St. Louis Cardinals but I was a realist – knowing that the chances were very slim that it would ever happen. My older brother had signed as a pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds in 1962, so there was a glimmer of hope for me!. It all had started in Bertrand Little League where I was the top reliever. I was not often needed as our main starter Charlie “Snubby” Naile (Sandy Naile) pretty much finished all the games that he started. Our catcher was Roger Blackman, who later attended Sikeston High School and had some success in football with the Bulldogs. In Pony League and Connie Mack, my catcher was Galen Harper, a very good receiver and a close friend. He caught more of my games than any other catcher. Then at Kelly High School my catcher was Mike Adams, a sophomore from Bertrand who was very scrappy. In the summer of 1965, I played for Festus in the Missouri Ban Johnson League. I pitched to Butch Lucas who was the catcher for Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. After my Sophomore year at Southeast Mo. University, I was recruited to pitch for Jackson, Mo. in the Missouri-Illinois Independent League. My manager and catcher for that team was Don Jett, who had been a catcher in the Minnesota Twins system. After my Junior year, I played for the Sikeston Blues who played their games at Sunset Park. The Blues manager and catcher was Larry McClellan, who had played professional basketball with the Harlem Magicians. The last team that I pitched for was a Sikeston team managed by Tom Masterson. The catcher on that team was Benny Eason who had just learned to catch that year and had developed into a very good one! That last Sikeston team may have been the best team that I have ever played with – excluding the Cardinals of course. It included Tom Masterson, Jim Vines, Bobby Kindall, Bill Reed, Johnny Heacox, Joe Carlisle, Benny Eason, and others.
I was so very fortunate to play with so many outstanding athletes and so many of them were willing to wear the “tools of ignorance”. I had always thought of myself as a thrower and not a pitcher. I could throw pretty hard and had a pretty good curve. I was always wild! But, somehow, somehow, I made it to the ‘Bigs’. But now my legacy had come to this – two lousy batters. At least in my baseball career I had thrown to the best catcher that had ever worn the “Birds on the Bat” and to seven other very good backstops that, like Yadi, had bruises on their arms to show for it. Did I get sent down to AAA? Designated for assignment? Was my Cardinals pitching career over?
“Mr. Morrow, Oh! Mr. Morrow, it is pill time,” the good nurse said as she rudely interrupted my stupor. If it wasn’t for my good nurses, I probably would not live such a lucid existence! I am so fortunate as so many people my age no longer live in reality like I do!
After taking my pills, I became very drowsy. Before long, I found myself interviewing with President-elect Trump for an economics position. Many economists in academia and government had mentored me and I had returned the favor to many up-and-coming, brilliant young minds. I was very qualified. I explained to Mr. Trump that I was strong capitalist and had some interesting suggestions for stimulating the job market and normalizing the trade deficit. I reminded him that I also had expertise in designing polls. Did I get that position? Am I going to DC? Well, I don’t know yet! I cant wait to wake up and report the results of that interview to all of you! It is amazing to me how I am so much better now at 69 years old at everything that I have ever done in the past than I was at 12, 17, 21, or 30 when I actually accomplished whatever feat it was. Good old memories, a vivid imagination, and the staff here at SoundMind Institute make getting older wonderful? Mr. Morrow, Mr. Morrow, “wake up!’
Three years later. ….. Totally awake and extremely lucid, I can now provide this update. I, regrettably am no longer in the Cardinal organization as I received my unconditional release shortly thereafter and never received another offer from a MLB team. I now am contemplating a comeback as a 72 year old shortstop. Of course, I will have to rely on positioning as my range will most likely be an issue. (just ponder the thought – a shortstop with a walker!) As far as working for President Trump, it never happened; however, I was not too disappointed as one of the folks that I mentored, Larry Kudlow, landed the position. He is doing a great job!
I do, however, have some good news to report. I am now the lead singer for The Grassroots. As I am approaching a new day (11:59 PM) and career, this is my “Midnight Confession”! I knew something good had to happen “Sooner or Later”. I am so glad I did not have to “Wait a Million Years” as sometimes the “River Is Wide” out there. I am going to “Come on and Say It” now that I am “Glory Bound”! As I sing these six and other Grassroots mega hits. I am on top of the world. Everyone knows that “Two Divided by Love” can only be one and one is the loneliest number, “Heaven Knows” that life is good at the Sound Mind Institute; however, the Institute may not be for everyone!
This post is to honor The Grassroots featuring the late Rob Grill, Warren Entner, and Dennis Provisor as one of the great groups of the 60’s and 70’s. They should assuredly be in the Rock Music Hall of Fame. Yes, I am awake!