Posts Tagged ‘Los Angeles Angels’
Friday, May 12th, 2017
They might as well have called it basebrawl—Gilmore Field showcased fights disguised as baseball games between the Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars during two games in a three-day span in 1953.
On July 31st, the Stars defeated the Angels 2-1 when Frankie Kelleher, a journeyman minor leaguer who spent the last 10 years of his 18-year career with the Stars, knocked a pinch single in dramatic fashion fit for the other kind of stars in Hollywood—a bottom of the ninth hit that sent shortstop Don Dahlke home from second base for the game-winning RBI.
An inning prior, quicker than a Hollywood starlet wannabe could bat her eyelashes, Angels first baseman Fred Richards and Stars third baseman Gene Handley scuffled when the former slid into third on a triple. They were ejected, consequently.
Two days after the Richards-Handley bout, the Angels and the Stars split a doubleheader—in the sixth inning of the first game, two battles detonated that made the Dempsey-Tunney fight look like a squabble in a sandbox.
When Kelleher got into his batting stance, Angels pitcher Joe Hatten readied his array of pitches—he chose to drill one right into Kelleher’s back. Combat ensued. First, it was Kelleher punching Hatten. Then, it was Angels first baseman Fred Richards “jump[ing] Kelleher, who whirled and began battling him. By this time, the infield was a mass of uniformed brawlers,” wrote Al Wolf in the Los Angeles Times.
Before the inning ended, another brawl erupted when pinch runner Teddy Beard slid into third base and, for good measure, spiked Angels third baseman Murray Franklin in the arms and chest. Wolf described, “As they clawed in the dirt, the diamond again became a mob scene, with a half-dozen fights going on simultaneously.” Among the several players injured were Eddie Malone of the Stars (spiked leg) and Bud Hardin of the Angels (black eye).
Pacific Coast League President Pants Rowland took action against the players’ wallets:
- Frankie Kelleher (Stars): $100
- Gene Handley (Stars): $50
- Teddy Beard (Stars): $50
- Fred Richards (Angels): $50
- Murray Franklin (Angels): $50
“Fist fights don’t belong in baseball and any repetition not only will bring larger fines but suspension,” declared Rowland. “Fights can easily precipitate riots in which innocent persons may be injured.
The LAPD contained the violence, thanks to television. Chief of Police William Parker watched the game at home on KHJ, reportedly tuning in at the moment that Kelleher sought revenge on Hatten. Parker then phoned in an order for his minions to head to Gilmore Field.
Baseball historian Richard Beverage, founder of the Pacific Coast League Historical Society and a former president of the Society for American Baseball Research observed that the PCL endured a downswing in 1953. “The league decision to refuse optioned players from the major leagues was now in force, and the concern of all was centered on where to find players,” wrote Beverage in his 2011 book The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957. “The consensus was that the clubs would have to expand their own scouting staffs to sign and develop their own talent, but this would bean an immediate decline in the quality of play. Those players obtained from the majors outright would undoubtedly be those who were no longer prospects or were now on the downside of their careers.”
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on February 20, 2017.
Tags: 1953, Al Wolf, Angels, Bud Hardin, Dempsey-Tunney, Dempsey-Tunney fight, Don Dahlke, Eddie Malone, Frankie Kelleher, Fred Richards, Gene Handley, Gilmore Field, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Joe Hatten, July 31, July 31st, KHJ, LAPD, LAPD Police Chief William Parker, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Times, Murray Franklin, Pacific Coast League, Pacific Coast League Historical Society, Pacific Coast League President, Pants Rowland, Police Chief William Parker, Richard Beverage, Society for American Baseball Research, stars, Teddy Beard, William Parker
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2017
What if the Dodgers had stayed in Brooklyn? Further, what if migration in the modern era had never taken place, thereby forcing expansion in Kansas City, San Francisco, and other MLB cities.
My paradigm assumes the following:
- Tampa, Toronto, Arizona, and Montreal do not have teams
- A’s, Braves, Browns, Dodgers, and Senators stay in their original locations
- The Giants move to Minneapolis after the 1957 season.
- Team names reflect the location’s history and lore
- Grizzly Bears: California’s state animal
- Conquistadors: Group claiming Oakland for Spain’s king in the 1770s
- Loggers: Washington state’s rich logging history
- Gold: Northern California’s gold rush in the mid-19th century
- Mountaineers: Georgia’s magnificent mountains
- Astronauts: Houston’s fame as the home of NASA
- Express: Colorado’s key role in America’s railroad history
Expansion teams have their inaugural years in parentheses.
1961-1965
American League
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Angels (1961)
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
St. Louis Browns
San Francisco Gold (1961)
Washington Senators
National League
Boston Braves
Brooklyn Dodgers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Grizzly Bears (1961)
Milwaukee Brewers (1961)
Minnesota Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
1966-1975
American League East
Baltimore Orioles (1966)
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians
Georgia Mountaineers (1966)
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators
American League West
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals (1966)
Los Angeles Angels (1961)
San Francisco Gold (1961)
St. Louis Browns
Texas Rangers (1966)
National League East
Boston Braves
Brooklyn Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds
Denver Express (1966)
Houston Astronauts (1966)
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
National League West
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Grizzly Bears (1961)
Milwaukee Brewers (1961)
Minnesota Giants
St. Louis Cardinals
San Diego Padres (1966)
Seattle Loggers (1966)
1976-Present
American League East
Baltimore Orioles (1966)
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Georgia Mountaineers (1966)
St. Louis Browns
American League West
Kansas City Royals (1966)
Los Angeles Angels (1961)
Oakland Conquistadors (1976)
San Francisco Gold (1961)
Texas Rangers (1976)
National League East
Boston Braves
Brooklyn Dodgers
Miami Marlins (1976)
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astronauts (1966)
Milwaukee Brewers (1961)
St. Louis Cardinals
National League West
Denver Express (1966)
Los Angeles Grizzly Bears (1961)
Minnesota Giants
San Diego Padres (1966)
Seattle Loggers (1966)
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on November 14, 2016.
Tags: 1770, 1770s, 1961, 1965, A's, American League, Angels, Arizona, Astronaut, Astronauts, Athletics, Baltimore, Baltimore Orioles, Boston, Boston Braves, Boston Red Sox, Braves, Brewers, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Dodgers, Browns, California, California's state animal, Cardinals, Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland, Cleveland Indians, Colorado, Conquistadors, Cubs, Denver, Denver Express, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Dodgers, Express, Georgia, Georgia Mountaineers, Giants, gold, gold rush in the mid-19th century, Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bears, Houston, Houston Astronauts, Indians, Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, logger, Loggers, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Grizzly Bears, Marlins, Miami, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Brewers, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Giants, MLB, Montreal, Mountaineers, NASA, National League, New York, New York Yankees, northern California, Northern California's gold rush, Oakland, Oakland Conquistadors, Orioles, Padres, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadephia, Phillies, Pioneers, Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rangers, Red Sox, Reds, Royals, San Diego, San Diego Padres, San Francisco, San Francisco Gold, Seattle, Seattle Loggers, Senators, Spain, Spain's king, St. Louis, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa, Texas, Texas Rangers, Tigers, Toronto, Washington, Washington Senators, Washington State, White Sox, Yankees
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Monday, April 17th, 2017
Boosted by cheers from Hollywood stars supporting the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, Gilmore Field débuted as a ballpark on May 3, 1939. Among the famous fans: Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, and Rudy Vallee. “Glamour was furnished in the person of beautiful Gail Patrick, star of the cinema and wife of Bob Cobb, the restaurateur, and one of the sponsors of the home team,” reported Read Kendall in the Los Angeles Times. Garbed in a red and white sports outfit, her black hair flowing from beneath a red baseball cap, Miss Patrick threw the first ball. “Comedian Joe E. Brown essayed to catch it and Jane Withers, juvenile screen actress, did her best to try and hit it. But the pitches were wild and their stint was finally halted to allow the game to get under way after all the ceremonies had been completed.”
The Seattle Rainiers beat the home team 8-5. Seattle hurler got pounded for 14 hits, but the Stars couldn’t overcome the deficit, although a ninth inning rally provided a glimmer of hope. Down 8-3, the Stars scored two runs and had the bases loaded with two outs when left fielder George Puccinelli flied out to Seattle centerfielder Bill Lawrence.
Babe Herman—in the waning years of a career that saw stints with the Dodgers, the Reds, the Cubs, the Pirates, and the Tigers—batted .317 in ’39, which was his first of six seasons with the Stars. His batting average stayed above .300 in each season. Herman’s performance in Gilmore Field’s first game was not indicative—he went 0 for 5. Ernie Orsatti, in his last season of playing professional baseball, knocked out a hit and scored a run when he pinch hit for pitcher Jimmie Crandall in the major leagues—all with the Cardinals—and five seasons in the minor leagues. A native of Los Angeles, Orsatti finished his career after the ’39 season: he also played for the Columbus Red Birds that year. Orsatti’s career batting average was .306.
Wayne Osborne, Bill Fleming, and Lou Tost took the mound for the Stars. Osborne got the recorded loss. Their battery mate, Cliff Dapper, was the only .300 hitter for the Stars in ’39. He did not, however, play in the Stars’ first game at Gilmore Field.
1939 was the second season for the Stars, a team previously known as the San Francisco Missions, the only Pacific Coast League team without its own ballpark. While owner Herbert Fleishhacker transported the team to the environs of southern California, his newly hired team president, Don Francisco, sought Gilmore Field as the site for planting the Stars’ flag.
“Plans were announced to convert Gilmore Stadium, owned by oilman Earl Gilmore and used primarily for football and midget car racing, into a home for the team, which had been rechristened the Stars,” wrote Dennis Snelling in his 2012 book The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957. “However, as spring training approached, Don Francisco deemed it woefully inadequate.”
Hence, Francisco struck a deal with the Los Angeles Angels to use Wrigley Field for 1938, which also saw the unveiling of the Rainiers’ home field, Sick Stadium, named after owner Emil Sick.
Gilmore Field was demolished in 1951.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on October 11, 2016.
Tags: 1903, 1939, 1957, A History of the Pacific Coast League, Angels, Babe Herman, Bill Fleming, Bill Lawrence, Bob Cobb, Buster Keaton, Cardinals, Cliff Dapper, Columbus, Columbus Red Birds, Cubs, Dennis Snelling, Dodgers, Don Francisco, Earl Gilmore, Emil Sick, Ernie Orsatti, Gail Patrick, George Puccinelli, Gilmore Field, Herbert Fleishhacker, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Jack Benny, Jane Withers, Jimmie Crandall, Joe E. Brown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Times, Lou Lost, May 3, Pacific Coast League, Pirates, Rainiers, Read Kendall, Red Birds, Reds, Rudy Vallee, Seattle, Seattle Rainiers, Sick Stadium, Southern California, The Greatest Minor League, Tigers, Wayne Osborne, Wrigley Field
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Saturday, April 15th, 2017
Gene Autry wore many hats, proverbially speaking, besides the cowboy dome piece in his movies:
- Owner of Los Angeles television station KTLA from 1963 to 1982
- Original singer of the Christmas standard Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Army Air Corps officer and Air Transport Command pilot during World War II
- Owner of Melody Ranch, a 110-acre site formerly known as Monogram Movie Ranch (bought in 1953, sold nearly 100 acres and used the remaining land for Western movies and television series)
- Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch radio show
- The Adventures of Champion radio show (about Autry’s horse Champion)
- Radio stations
- Television stations, in addition to KTLA
- Rodeo
- Record company
Baseball fans, however, knew Autry primarily as the man who planted a Major League Baseball flag in Orange County, California; Autry, once a part-owner of the Pacific Coast League’s Hollywood Stars, was the first owner of the California Angels ball club—originally named Los Angeles Angels—which had its first season in 1961.
Autry’s journey to ownership began, as financial successes often do, in the wake of disappointment. When the Los Angeles Dodgers switched radio broadcasters from Autry’s KMPC to rival KFI in 1959, an opportunity emerged. A new American League franchise in Los Angeles would be a ripe opportunity for KMPC, particularly because of its sports broadcasting pedigree. A former ballplayer raised the ante. “Joe Cronin had known Autry since Gene’s barnstorming rodeo days over two decades earlier. Cronin, now president of baseball’s American League, wondered if Autry was ready to tame the Wild Wild West’s newest franchise in L.A.,” wrote Robert Goldman in the 2006 book Once They Were Angels. “Autry jumped at the opportunity. It was a perfect fit, as not only did Autry love baseball, but he also had an impeccable reputation as a businessman and a person of integrity.”
And so, the mogul who grew up dirt poor in Oklahoma pioneered American League baseball on the West Coast.
And yet, the icon born Orvon Grover Autry is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Autry’s tenure as the Angels’ owner spanned decades, from the last days of the Eisenhower presidency to the first days of the Internet becoming a mainstream tool for information. When Autry sold the Angels in 1996, he left a legacy difficult to match and easy to applaud. His length of time made him a baseball fixture. His integrity made him a model of comportment for businessmen.
Tom Yawkey is in the Hall of Fame, and rightfully so—he spearheaded the renovation of Fenway Park in the 1920s.
Walter O’Malley is in the Hall of Fame, which causes havoc in the hearts of Brooklynites, who see O’Malley as a betrayer for moving the Dodgers to Los Angeles. His transit to Los Angeles after the 1957 season paved the way for Autry and other owners to establish teams west of St. Louis, theretofore the westernmost metropolis with a Major League Baseball team.
Barney Dreyfuss is in the Hall of Fame, a membership for the former Pirates owner resulting from many achievements, including being a proponent of the World Series; the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates played in the first World Series in 1903.
Gene Autry is not in the Hall of Fame, despite his steadfast ownership.
Devotion to the fans stands out. Not content to simply have a financial ledger in the black. Autry poured “his vast millions on players who made the club a winner if not a world champion. He attended his final Angels game only 10 days before he died,” wrote Myrna Oliver of the Los Angeles Times in Autry’s 1998 obituary.
In 1982, the Angels retired 26 as Autry’s number to reflect being the “26th Man” on the roster, which has a limit of 25 players. It was a sign of respect that Autry also earned from owners, fans, stadium workers, players, and baseball executives across Major League Baseball. Such is Autry’s emotional connection to Angel Nation that the phrase “Win One for the Cowboy” resonates from Angel Stadium to Aliso Viejo, from Santa Ana to San Juan Capistrano.
Cooperstown awaits. Patiently.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on September 29, 2016.
Tags: 1903, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1982, 1996, 1998, 26th Man, Adventures of Champion, Air Corps, Air Transport Command, Aliso Viejo, American League, Angel Stadium, Angels, Army, Army Air Corps, Barney Dreyfuss, Brooklyn, California, California Angels, Champion, Christmas, Cooperstown, Fenway Park, first World Series, Gene Autry, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, Joe Cronin, KFI, KMPC, KTLA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Major League Baseball, Melody Ranch, Monogram Movie Ranch, Oklahoma, Once They Were Angels, Orange County, Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, Robert Goldman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, The Adventures of Champion, Tom Yawkey, Walter O'Malley, West Coast, Win One for the Cowboy, World Series, World War II
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Sunday, March 12th, 2017
William Shakespeare, like other innovators, warned of worries that could prevent success—”Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt,” wrote the Bard in Measure for Measure.
It is a certainty, of course, that achievement in any endeavor requires a trio of curiosity, discipline, and persistence to defy doubts, exceed expectations, and create greatness. California’s Orange County exemplifies, boasting a lineage of leadership responsible for inspiring us to dream, resetting our standards, and easing our lives.
Henry Huntington, owner of the Pacific Electric Railway, spearheaded the rail and trolley connection between Los Angeles County, Orange Count, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County. Because of his transportation innovation, Huntington Beach bears his name.
Walter Knott, the berry mogul, saw prosperity where others saw dearth in Buena Park. World-famous amusement park Knott’s Berry Farm stands on the site where Knott amassed a fortune based in berries, preserves, and pies; a Ghost Town created for customers became the genesis for the park.
Walt Disney made Anaheim a household word when he constructed Disneyland. It came to fruition because of a deal struck with Leonard Goldenson, head of the nascent television network ABC—Disney needed financing; Goldenson needed programming. Thus was born The Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland.
In this pantheon of progressive thinkers in Orange County belongs Gene Autry, an icon of success in radio. And recording. And movies. And television. And personal appearances. And rodeo. And business. And broadcasting. And baseball.
Fans of the Angels, a team with many monikers since its major league début in 1960—Los Angeles Angels, California Angels, Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—know Autry, primarily, as the team’s founder. The First Angel.
Autry’s career is an American success story. Born near Tioga, a town in north Texas, Autry assimilated into Hollywood’s show business culture as a western star—America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy—with a guitar, a horse named Champion, and a signature song. Back in the Saddle Again was to Autry what Happy Trails was to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
One of Autry’s assets was the Monogram Movie Ranch, which got a name change to Melody Ranch—a tribute to Autry’s eponymous movie. Melody Ranch was also a song title and the name of one of Autry’s music companies.
Christmastime offers Autry’s voice as a mainstay—he was the first to record Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane), and Frosty the Snowman. Additionally, he co-wrote Here Comes Santa Claus.
Besides his success in music, movies, radio, and television, Autry was an astute businessman. Investments in rodeo stock and the World Championship Rodeo Company resulted in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inducting Autry in 1979.
Los Angeles television station KTLA was another prize asset in Autry’s portfolio. “When he was a kid in the 1920s, his family struggled financially, so he always had a work ethic,” explains Maxine Hansen, Executive Assistant to Jackie and Gene Autry from 1981 to 1998, when Autry passed away. Since then, she has worked exclusively for Mrs. Autry.
“You always found him working. Mr. Autry was close to his Uncle Cal, so he worked on his uncle’s farm. He also worked in a Tioga barbershop run by Sam Anderson. He did whatever he could to make money and help his family, including leaving school as a teenager and working for the Frisco Railroad as a baggage handler and later, a telegrapher. He was determined to work hard and succeed.”
On December 7, 1960, Autry led a group of investors to establish the American League’s expansion team, named the Angels. Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times reported that Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley said, “Gene Autry and Bob Reynolds are the kind of people that will be good for the game. We are delighted that they have been awarded a franchise, and I hope that the Angels can bring an American League pennant to Los Angeles very soon.”
Baseball was an outlet for Autry, like millions of other boys, rich or poor. “He enjoyed the game immensely,” says Hansen. “Childhood friends said he was a good player. He played on the Frisco Railroad team and he was pretty fair in semi-pro baseball. Mr. Autry got an offer from the Cardinals organization’s Class D team, but the salary was only $100 per month. So, he stayed with the railroad.”
Gene Autry is the only person to have all five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theater/Performance. Although he was one of the biggest celebrities of the 20th century, Autry never let stardom, money, or power outshine his ideals, values, or management style. “Mr. Autry put people that he trusted in positions of responsibility,” says Hansen. “He had a good eye for business talent. He expected them to tell the truth, especially if they made mistakes. And he left them alone to do their jobs. He was always willing and open to business opportunities.”
Autry purchased KTLA in the fall of 1963, connected his properties to make it the broadcaster of Angels games, and formed Golden West Broadcasters to bring his television and radio assets under one umbrella. KTLA was the Angles television broadcaster until 1995.
For Orange County’s baseball fans, the Autry asset with the highest significance was the major league team represented by a stylized A with a halo around it. The Angels played their first game on April 11, 1961—it was a 7-2 victory at Memorial Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles.
Wrigley Field in Los Angeles was the Angels’ first home; the team moved to Dodger Stadium for four seasons, then moved to its own ballpark in 1966—Angel Stadium.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on March 21, 2016.
Tags: 1979, ABC, America's Favorite Singing Cowboy, American League, Anaheim, Anaheim Angels, Angels, Angels Stadium, Back in the Saddle Again, Baltimore, Baltimore Orioles, Bob Reynolds, Buena Park, California, California Angels, Cardinals, Champion, Class D, Dale Evans, Disney, Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, Dodgers, Frank Finch, Frisco Railroad, Frosty the Snowman, Gene Autry, Ghost Town, Golden West Broadcasters, Happy Trails, Henry Huntington, Here Comes Santa Claus, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Knott's Berry Farm, KTLA, Leonard Goldenson, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Times, Maxine Hansen, Measure for Measure, Melody Ranch, Memorial Stadium, Mickey Mouse, Monogram Movie Ranch, Orange County, Orioles, Pacific Electric Railway, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Rodeo Hall of Fame, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus, The Mickey Mouse Club, Tioga, Walk of Fame, Walt Disney, Walter Knott, Walter O'Malley, William Shakespeare, World Championship Rodeo Company, Wrigley Field
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Tuesday, February 14th, 2017
Before he governed North Fork, New Mexico with a Winchester rifle on ABC’s The Rifleman, Chuck Connors played in the major leagues. It was, however, a short stint—one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers and 66 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1949 and 1951, respectively. His journey to Hollywood resulted from his geographic base. In Connors’s 1992 obituary, Bruce Lambert of the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Connors had a lackluster sports career, but his towering height of 6 feet 5 inches and his square-jawed masculinity made him a natural for rugged acting roles. When his struggling athletic career landed him with the Los Angeles Angels, a minor-league [sic] baseball team, he began picking up minor movie parts and soon gave up sports.”
Connors also played for the Boston Celtics.
The Rifleman ran for five years, from 1958 to 1963, starring Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as Lucas’s son, Mark. Lucas helped North Fork’s sheriff keep the peace from intruders seeking to do harm. The Rifleman‘s popularity carved a prominent foothold in the vast array of western-themed television shows in the 1950s and the 1960s, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Rawhide.
In a 1959 profile of Crawford, the St. Petersburg Evening Independent explained the dynamic between Crawford and Connors. “An avid baseball fan, Johnny doesn’t miss a chance to skip dancing, singing and acting lessons to root for the Los Angeles Dodgers, which, he tells you with much gusto, is his favorite team,” stated the Evening Independent. “He particularly relishes working with Chuck Connors, who formerly played with the Brooklyn Dodgers. As Johnny expressed it: ‘Chuck has taught me lots of special little things about baseball. Like how to hold my bat, and how to field the ball and run the bases. he and I are real close. I go out to his house to play ball with him and his sons and swim in their pool.”
Connors reunited with his former boss in the Dodgers organization—Branch Rickey—during the September 13, 1959 episode of What’s My Line?, a game show hosted by John daly, where panelists deduced a guest’s occupation through a series of “yes or no” questions. On occasion, the panelists failed to guess correctly. Celebrity guests often used fake voices while the panelists wore eye masks to prevent immediate identification.
At the time, Rickey devoted his energy, acumen, and stamina to forming the Continental League. Although it ultimately failed to launch, the league’s demise caused the expansion of the National League to Houston and New York in 1962.
After panelist Arlene Francis correctly guessed Rickey’s identity, a conversation ensued regarding the new league. Rickey the Continental League’s president, assured that the enterprise would flourish with a target start date of 1961 and a 154-game schedule. “Inevitable as tomorrow morning,” declared Rickey.
New York, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, and Toronto already had Continental League rights. When Daly asked about the remaining three slots and potential contenders, Rickey clarified, “More than we can fill. The embarrassment is in the field of exclusion rather than inclusion. We shall have a very difficult time in choosing the other three. In fact, we are now laboring hard, at the moment, to choose a sixth one, which will be announced surely in the next few days.”
Connors graciously acknowledged Rickey’s impact on his life. “I remember Mr. Rickey, who actually gave me my career in baseball,” stated Connors. “And it’s a pleasure to see him again.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you, too,” responded Rickey.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on January 27, 2016.
Tags: 1959, 1961, 1962, ABC, Angels, Arlene Francis, baseball, Bonanza, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Dodgers, Bruce Lambert, Chuck Connors, Continental League, Denver, Dodgers, Evening Independent, Gunsmoke, Hollywood, Houston, Johnny Crawford, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Lucas McCain, Minneapolis-St. Paul, National League, New Mexico, New York, New York Times, North Fork, Rawhide, September, September 13, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Evening Independent, The Rifleman, What's My Line, Winchester, Winchester rifle
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Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Wrigley Field is a baseball landmark. It thrives in nostalgia, our baseball memories contributing to its increasingly rich history.
Not that Wrigley Field, “the ivy-covered burial ground” as described eloquently yet mournfully in Steve Goodman’s song A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request. The other Wrigley Field. The one that used to be in Los Angeles with the boundaries of Avalon Boulevard, 41st Street, 42nd Place, and San Pedro Street.
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Tags: 1925, 1957, 1957 baseball season, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 41st Street, 42nd Place, A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request, Al Kaline, Anaheim, Angel Stadium, Angels, Angels in the Outfield, Avalon Boulevard, baseball, baseball diamond, baseball history, baseball landmark, Bob Allison, Bob Cerv, Brooklyn Dodgers, California, California Angels, Cats, Dick Stuart, Dodger Stadium, Dodgers' minor league team, Duke Sniker, Eddie Mathews, entertainment history, Ernie Banks, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Cats, Frank Robinson, Gary Cooper, Gil Hodges, Gilbert LIndsay Park, Gus Triandos, Hank Aaron, Harmon Killebrew, Heavenly Choir Nine, Herman Munster, Herman the Rookie, Home Run Derby, ivy, Jackie Jensen, Jim Lemon, Kedren Community Mental Health Center, Ken Boyer, landmark, Leo Durocher, Little League, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles history, Lou Gehrig, Mark Scott, memories, Mickey Mantle, minor league, movie and television studios, Nostalgia, Pacific Coast, Pacific Coast League, Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pride of the Yankees, producers, Rocky Colavito, San Pedro, San Pedro Street, softball, Steve Goodman, television show, television stations, The Munsters, Wally Post, Walter O'Malley, William Wrigley Jr., Willie Mays, Wrigley Field, Ziv Television, Ziv Television Programs
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