Saturday, May 15 & Sunday, May 16th
John Clarkson and the Saginaw ‘Old Golds’ visit
Baseball’s Birthplace
This past weekend Saginaw’s Vintage Base Ball Club played in its sponsored
tournament-The John Clarkson Classic in Cooperstown, New York. The team enjoyed
three days of sunny cool weather and took in the history of America’s
game. Richard ‘Professor’ Curry, “I appreciated the opportunity
to have the boys pass over the same Hall of Fame floors Walter Johnson, Cy Young,
Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth walked on 1939. Even more so they played on the same
Doubleday Field that the 1968 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers played on
in ‘68 (Tigers 10 Pittsburgh Pirates 1), and the 1984 World Champion Tigers
(beat the Atlanta Braves 7 to 5).” Other Tiger games: 1946: New York Giants
9 Tigers 5 (the Tigers were World Champs in 1945), 1956: N.Y. Giants 11 Tigers
10 (12 innings), 1978: Detroit 4 Mets 4, 1995: Cubs 8 Tigers 6, & 2005:
Tigers 6 Red Sox 4. The ‘Golds’ enjoyed the weekend, especially
entertaining the Clarkson trophy (with John’s image on it) that was taken
everywhere, rivaling the Christmas Gnome (dwarf of folklore). Clarkson was seen
at bars, restaurants, hotels, the Doubleday dug out, around Otsego Lake, in
the arms of some beautiful ladies, and every place in between. John’s
favorite drinking places included Sherman’s Tavern and Cooley’s
Stone House Tavern. Clarkson had breakfast at the Cooperstown Diner (it was
so small it had a ½ in its address), and a dark beer for lunch at the
Doubleday Café. He had pictures taken with a Priest, sat on a motorcycle,
spent time in the men’s room, smoked Janet Spitz’s morning cigarette,
was with the Mudville Nine, the Saginaw ‘Golds’ players and wives,
and sat on Dino the Dinosaur. John was also reprimanded by the Cooperstown police
for interfering with traffic on Main Street. Now for the games: Saginaw’s
first game was played on an uneven field behind the Fenimore Art Museum. The
layout headed up by team Owner Harold Campau took quite a while to set up (as
where to put home plate). You had to run up to 1st base, Pitch down hill, and
the second sacker and centerfielder had to climb up a mountain like terrain.
Game One: Essex BBC from Danvers, Mass. with the help of many uncharacteristic
errors by the ‘Golds’ won 12 to 7. Saginaw’s ‘Brute’
Hammond, ‘Squints’ McCauley, ‘Lumberjack’ Piersall,
and Slink Spitz chalked up three hits each. Rick Spitz tore off a nail and splattered
blood on his ‘Golds’ uniform. Game two: More Saginaw Errors. Brooklyn
Atlantics (Beast from the East was 41-11-1 last year & 10-0 this year) pounded
Saginaw 16-3 @ Doubleday Field. 1st baseman Ryan Dost was 3 for 3 and played
the base like Boog Powell-he actually looked like Boog Powell. Professor, “This
game was about as much fun as boarding a kayak and shooting the falls at Niagara.
The Atlantics pulled the hidden ball trick on ‘Ducky’ Mahan. The
last one I remember having that pulled on was ‘Red’ McKee (Saginaw’s
1st M.L. player-19 years @ catcher) in the 1920’s.” Sunday was a
great day for the ‘Golds’-the errors went away and the bats heated
up. Game Three: Saginaw defeated Mudville from Holliston, Mass.19 to 4 with
the help of 12 runs in the 1st inning. Sonny ‘Hustler’ Guerra, ‘Brute’,
and ‘Lumberjack’ provided 5 hits each. Richard ‘Professor’
Curry who caught most of the innings (in Game 3) received the game ball from
‘Squints’ for making this tournament possible. Richard went 2 for
4, knocked in one and scored a run, and threw out a runner at second. After
circling the bases twice in game 3 and playing in the 4th game (1 for 3 with
a putout), Richard had to be fork lifted out of the bed Monday morning, Motrin
only delays the pain. Game 4: Saginaw: 15- New York Gothams: 6: Four hits each
for the ‘Brute’, Kevin ‘Big Wheel’ Beemer, and ‘Son-in
Law’ Thomas ‘Sawdust’ ‘T-Ball’ ‘Hit it to
Right’ Tesch. The ‘Professor’ gave the game ball to Harold
Campau for being the best Vintage Base Ball Owner out there. Harold hauled down
all the equipment (550 miles), umpired, kept score, and was the entertainment
director at both Taverns. ‘Ducky’ Mahan and ‘Big Wheel’
Beemer both pitched well in both of Sunday’s games. Tournament totals
for Saginaw included 14 hits for Nick Hammond (.875 BA), 12 hits for McCauley,
11 each for Piersall, Toby ‘Scoops’ Larkin, Beemer, and Sonny Guerra.
Spitz and Ryan ‘Britches’ (or the ‘Babe’) Dost had 10
each. Larkin & Piersall had two doubles each and ‘Brute’ and
Beemer had a triple each (both could have been inside the park homeruns). Brooklyn
won the trophy going 4 and 0. Hammond won a trophy for most hits (14) and Larkin
one for most catches (18-without a glove and made in the air). Dost, Chad ‘Shorty’Short,
Larkin, Sonny (games 3 & 4), and Squints played well in the field. Saginaw
players earned money to make it here by selling lottery tickets and running
a baseball tournament at Hoyt Park. Mudville has invited Saginaw to play a double
header next year inside Ft. Warren (Civil War Era) on George’s Island
in Boston Harbor….Richard Curry E-Mail: clarkson1883@yahoo.com.
Next Games: May 23rd: @ Lathrup Park (Home Opener): 11:00 AM on Sunday: ‘Golds’
vs. Detroit Lah De Dahs, and 3:00 vs. Bay City Independents.
