About
I love baseball, history, reading, writing, humor, photography, and the narrative of how often all my interests seem to come together as a common thread story. Perhaps you will see some of what I’m talking about between the lines of the two autobiographical books I’ve helped two wonderful former major leaguers write. The first of these was “A Kid From St. Louis: Jerry Witte’s Life in Baseball, Pecan Park Eagle Press, Houston, TX, 2003, by Jerry Witte with Bill McCurdy. The other just came out. This one is called “Toy Cannon: The Autobiography of Baseball’s Jimmy Wynn, McFarland, Inc, Jefferson, NC (2010), by Jimmy Wynn with Bill McCurdy.
The Pecan Park Eagle WordPress blog site is named for the East End Houston neighborhood where I grew up in the post World War II years of the late 1940s and 1950s.It is here at TPPE that I write my pretty much daily columns on mostly local baseball history – from the original Houston Babies and Red Stockings of the 19th century through the long beloved reign of the Houston Buffs and onto the modern era of this city’s and states’s original MLB club, the Houston Colt .45s and their transformative and still ongoing baseball identity as the Houston Astros.
As one of Houston’s “Richie Cunningham?The Fonz” Happy Days co-hort generational peers, I also write extensively on the personal experience of that era – and of the businesses, movie houses, other venues of fun, restaurants, and rambling American cars and original rock and roll music that pretty much beat the drum on the narrative “bop” of our lives back in the day.
If you’d like to hitch a ride with me on this Friday Night-Feeling word-rod, I will most happily welcome your personal company.
Sincerely and Receptively,
Bill McCurdy
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
February 23, 2012 at 1:17 am |
I grew up in Houston. My Dad was killed working on the Astrodome in 1964. My Mom just died in January 2012. I played ball at Stephen F. Austin HS. I would love to talk with you. M
October 27, 2016 at 3:33 am |
Do you mind if I ask which trade your dad worked at? My grandpa and uncle were Local 84 Ironworkers. They hung the iron.
January 26, 2013 at 9:38 pm |
I loved your story about my father it brought great laughters of joy and also many tears. He was not only an extremely fantastic father but a great role model. Thank you for sharing that story, it was so comforting.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Sacco smith
August 13, 2014 at 1:55 am |
I’m late getting on board, but I would love to participate in this
activity. I have lived in Big H since 1958, and was here often in the early ’50’s to visit my grandparents and go to the City Auditorium for Wrestling every Friday night.
February 10, 2016 at 4:54 pm |
I was wondering if you could direct me to any information about the Houston babies or Katy combine. I would like to get involved with one of the two teams but can’t find any current information about them. Thanks
February 10, 2016 at 7:19 pm |
Derek, Any of these four spokespersons for the Babies, Red Sox, Combine, or Strikers can help you:
Bob Dorrill (Babies) … BDorrill@aol.com
Bob Copus ( Red Sox) … rcopus@qclabs.com
Tom Flores (Combine) … tom@preferredalliancegroup.com
Bob Blair (Strikers) … Robert.Blair@lusad.com
Reach out by e-mail to any or all of these gentlemen and someone will help you find your place in the joy that is 1860’s vintage base ball.
September 18, 2016 at 5:20 pm |
Do you own the babe ruth original photo
April 10, 2018 at 9:03 pm |
I am trying to find some information on a memorial plaque that was inside the astrodome. Please let me know if you can help me.
Thanks,
Will
February 18, 2019 at 5:30 am |
A little AJ Foyt story.
Congratulations on your induction to the Houston Sports Hall of Fame. In great company along with George Foreman, 76 wins (68 knockouts) & 5 losses (yes, all his George’s & Georgette’s were there), Oiler Dan Pastorini, Masters legend Jackie Burke.
A. J. Foyt, Jr. 1-4NDYS. That’s the personalized license plate I had to order for him when he saw Rick Mears had a set on his Mercedes at Indianapolis. He raised 9 kinds of Hell about why he couldn’t or didn’t have that. I told him I’d check the Texas DMV Telex & make sure it was available, formality. He stood there more than a few seconds, face red & neck veins bulging. “MARTI, WHO IN THE F*** ELSE WOULD HAVE IT”? Good point bossman. 🤔
His speech was approximately 1.5 minutes on the award banquet show & he used the cuss word GD 3 times. Old dog? New tricks? Nope.
🏎️🌩️🙄