The Last (Foreseeable) NL Game in Houston

September 28, 2012

In the 7th inning of the 9/26/12 last NL home game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bud Norris became the last pitcher to bat by the normal NL rules. He grounded out, 5-3, on the next pitch served beyond this photo.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012, Minute Maid Park, Houston. Unless Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, or some other future czar of the sport wills it, the Houston Astros have now played their last game at home as a National League club. It happened in the evening of the aforementioned date listed at the start of this brief commemorative piece.

The honor of becoming the last batting pitcher at a Houston-based MLB game went rightfully to the hard struggling Bud Norris (6-13), who had not picked up a “W” since last May until Wednesday’s last chance at home arrived. Next season, of course, will see Houston moving from the NL Central to the AL West, and to the American League’s use of a designated hitter for the pitcher.

Numerous other “last man in a Houston-based NL game to” records licked in hard and sure.

In the 4th inning, Jose Altuve hit the last home-based NL home run, a solo shot to left center. At the same moment, Cardinals comeback kid, Chris Carpenter (0-1), became the last pitcher to give up a home run in Houston during an NL game. Altuve’s homer was immediately followed by Scott Moore banging out the Astros last home-based double and extra base hit in home game history and before the inning was done, Justin Maxwell had tallied the last home-based run in the club’s NL history when he scored on a single to right by Brett Wallace, who simultaneously picked up the last home-cooked NL RBI in franchise history.

Milo Hamilton

Milo Hamilton wrapped up a 69 season career in sports broadcasting on Wednesday night too. HOLY TOLEDO! – It was Milo’s last regular season game after 28 years behind the mike for the Houston Astros in a baseball career that saw his big league record starting out with the St. Louis Browns in 1953, then expanding to St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, and the Pittsburgh Pirates before making Houston his last long stop. – We shall miss you, Milo, and thanks too for being the best MC in the history of the Houston sports and charity banquet circuit. If everyone could project and articulate speech as you do so well, listening to public talks would certainly be easier and far more pleasant. Milo Hamilton was inducted into the broadcasting wing of the Hall of Fame as a 1992 Ford Frick winner.

 

It was many other quirky first records, but those were the big ones. As a club, it was also the last win at home for Houston as a National League club. Their 2-0 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals put a formal end to Houston’s 90-year association with the National League, vis-a-vis, as a farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals from about 1922 through 1958 and by contract with the Chicago Cubs from 1958 through 1961,

After their long minor league trail concluded, Houston then began a 51-season association with the National League as a full member and rival of the now departing forever foes, the Cardinals and the Cubs.

Executive Editor Doug Miller of KHOU-TV, Channel 11, came to see me about noon on Wednesday to get my take on the flap over Houston’s departure to the American League.. To me it’s as simple as the fact that many Houstonians have a bond to the National League that has been soaking in for all of those 90 years we were connected through our long history as an NL farm club and full member. All of our heroes went to the NL; our everyday friends and enemies resided there; we were family.

Then Commissioner Bud Selig told us through the conditions he placed upon new owner Jim Crane that we had no choice but to move to the American League as a condition for gaining MLB’s approval of the McLane to Crane Group sale of the club in 2011. And so, it went down, with a little price bargaining.

“Houstonians don’t like being told what to du,” I said to Mr. Miller. I could have added: “We especially don’t like being told to leave our “family” – the National League – and go live with those strangers down the street – the American League.

Bonds are not simply black and white words on legal size paper. They are emotional connections between one heart and another – and sometimes even to adversarial forces that work into the fabric of the same family script over time.

Over time, the National League became out family. Then that bond was torn away. And some of us still bleed from the rip.

Season ticket holder Mike McCroskey and Astros third base coach Dave Clark use the 7th inning to bid each other goodbye to the idea of National League home games in Houston.

 

The Astros won their last home NL game by 2-0 over the Cardinals, but the smoke from the post-game fireworks left a symbolic cloud of disappointment hanging over the second straight 100 plus loss season in the NLC cellar.

Steve Sparks (L) and Greg Lucas (R) interviewed Mighty Casey of Mudville prior to his club’s first game loss to Beeville by a score of 4-2 on Wednesday. (Casey refused to talk with reporters post-game.) Any opinions expressed by Casey do not reflect the views of his interviewers – or any other undeclared human soul.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Minute Maid Park Malaise

September 27, 2012

THEN: Prior to the new ownership, this was the kind of western view that was possible from the interior of Minute Maid Park. It was pretty much everything that the designers and architects of this beautiful structure had intended and a quality contribution to the aesthetic ambience of downtown life in Houston.

NOW: Sadly, this is how things look inside Minute Maid Park today after a single season under the new Astros ownership. In an ironic display of “uglification,” the club has decided to honor the companies contributing to the team’s inner city youth program by turning our beautiful ballpark into an eyesore that is only rivaled by those Houston street corners with all the cardboard business signs that have been hammered into the ground on sticks.

Look, Mr. or Ms. Corporate Advertiser at Minute Maid Park, please allow us/me to ask you something? Do you really want your company to be best remembered as one of those who turned our ballpark into one of the ugliest edifices in major league baseball? If not, then please extend your desire to help the quality of life in Houston to include protecting the architectural integrity of Minute Maid Park by asking the Astros to remove your sign from the blight of advertising garbage that now clouds our once spaciously grand western window,

It’s pretty obvious now that the current ownership mostly sees every inch of wall and ballpark air space as an opportunity for some new revenue stream. And, on one level, who could blame them? Look at the big money they paid for this franchise!

On the other hand, if this is what it’s coming down to, that baseball is only affordable if we turn our parks ugly for the sake of finding some new sources of support for the principal activity, than maybe, just maybe, it’s time for some of us who have loved the core game all our lives, just for itself, to move on.

I personally don’t need to sit in the middle of a commercial for so many other things to enjoy the game for itself alone. If my Astros game attendance now falls off in 2013 to nothing, or just moves down Highway 59 South to Sugar Land, I assure you, it will not be because the team is moving to the American League. It will be because of the way the ballpark and its architectural beauty is being dismantled.

Mr. Crane, in all respect for the financial  pressure that rests upon your shoulders alone, we fans still implore you to act for baseball, the history and future of the game in Houston, and for the architectural integrity of our community’s Minute Maid Park – that you lease from us.

In the words and spirit of Ronald Reagan, we must ask: “Mr. Crane, will you please take down that wall!”

 

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Athletes Say the Darndest Things

September 26, 2012

NEAL McCURDY:
“No sweat!”

Just about everybody is familiar with the famous approximate words of Babe Ruth back in the day when his salary with the Yankees finally exceeded that of either President Calvin Coolidge of Herbert Hoover. I forget which was in office at the time, but that has no real bearing upon the kick in Ruth’s response to a reporter’s question about the justification for such a discrepancy.

“I had a better year than the president,” Ruth supposedly answered, framing a baseline for athlete arrogance that continues through this day.

I heard another story about the legendary Larry Joe Miggins during the period of his funeral this past weekend too that cracked me up. Not surprisingly, it was shared with a group of us by his father, also Larry Miggins and the now one of the few archetypical-level legendary surviving members of the old Houston Buffs.

According to his dad, Larry Joe Miggins started out as a kick-off and punt returner for his 1974 freshman level St. Thomas HS Eagles football team. A number of us already knew that Miggins used to call his legs by the powerful names of “Lightning” and “Thunder,” but most os had not heard younger Larry’s practical philosophy on what it takes to become a successful special teams return man.

“First, you have to make sure you catch the ball without a fumble and, hopefully, have some momentum on your side going forward,” Larry Joe Miggins supposedly said. “Then, if you get hemmed in and are pretty sure you won’t be able to break free all the way, run toward the tackler whom you think is going to hurt you the least on the take down.”

Way to go, Larry Joe. Long before we rolled out all those process food preservatives, common sense was on hand to help us survive some of our greatest high-risk physical challenges on all the athletic fields of honor. No ball carrier sought out DIck Butkus as a tackler, if he had a choice.

My now adult son and doing-fine kiddo Neal handed me the depth of his athletic philosophy very early on the field of athletic opportunity. We started Neal out as a first grade fall-season soccer player even before the next spring came and introduced him to baseball, the game he really rallied to love and try to play.

Soccer was a different deal. In his first game, we noticed that Neal was just standing out there. His lack of action caused me to immediately fail my own parental resolution to stay behind the screen and not to meddle in what he was doing, or not doing on the field. During a timeout or period change, I had to come to the sidelines and offer him some “encouragement.”

“Neal,” I called out to my son, “you need to move around out there and try to help your team move the ball.”

Neal has always known where I park my goat. He can get it faster than I can see him coming – and he even knew how to do it back in the first grade in response to his “encourager” dad.

“Daddy,” Neal yelled back in a straight-faced clear voice, “I would move around more, but when I do, it causes me to sweat.” His smile told me too that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was picking up on my own questions about soccer as a game in which the players just run all over the place and often simply end up in a scoreless tie.

No big knock on soccer for those who like it. I just don’t get it. And it’s not baseball. Fortunately for Neal, and for me, baseball was a different deal. He played for several years and he remains a diehard baseball fan to this day. In fact, we are going tonight to watch the Astros play their last National League home game ever against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Love baseball? Then kick back and just wait for somebody else to say something quotable.

No sweat. It will happen.

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Baseball Trivia: Getting It Right

September 24, 2012

NFL Founder & Chicago Bears Owner/Coach George Halas made no case for himself as a member of the future Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the 1919 New York Yankees.

Over the long weekend of the Miggins services, I was introduced to a number of people as some kind of expert on baseball history, which I’m not. I just happen to be a guy who loves the history of the game and I have spent my life constantly reading about all aspects of the sport. I probably know more than most by the sheer concentration of effort, but I am certainly no savant memorizer of facts – nor am I any kind of base encyclopedic conduit to a photographic memory of all I’ve read.

It just doesn’t work that way. All I know for sure is – I’m not interested in having to be right about every baseball question that comes along, but I am totally committed to getting everything recorded as right as we can get it – and that includes a couple of mistakes that transpired in conversation between me and a few of the funeral guests on two questions about baseball history. I got the first question answered wrong, but was given credit for a right answer. The second question stumped me, but the after-thought discussion we had following my rebuke of what was passed as the correct answer to the second question suggests that I was much closer to being right in that instance than I was about the first query.

After some chance to research each in Baseball Almanac, here’s the truth about each:

Question # 1: Who holds the minor league record for setting the longest consecutive games hitting streak?

I was given credit for answering “Joe DiMaggio” – the same guy who holds the famous 56-game major league record – and I was told I was right. As it turns out, we were both wrong.

Joe DiMaggio holds the record for the second longest minor league hitting streak with his 61 games as a San Francisco Seal in the Pacific Coast League back in 1933. The longest minor league consecutive game hitting streak record went to 69 games – and it was set by a fellow named Joe Wilhoit of the Wichita Jobbers in the Western League back in 1919.  Wilhoit had a brief MLB career of 782 games, but he hit only .257 as a big leaguer.

Question # 2: When Babe Ruth joined the New York Yankees in 1920, he replaced what other famous Hall of Famer as right fielder?

This is a trick question that fails on several levels. When I first heard it Saturday, my answer was “I don’t know,” thrown in as a doubtful towel to my follow-up comment that I always thought that he replaced a fellow named Ping Bodie, no Hall of Fame candidate, for sure.

My questioner said that the answer was George Halas, who played briefly in the big leagues before turning his full attention to bringing the Chicago Bears and the NFL to life as an owner/coach – and going on to enshrinement in the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Even I knew on Saturday that Halas had not played long enough to have held down any of the 1919 Yankee outfield spots on a regular basis, but all I could do from there was resolve to research it further when I got home.

Which I did.

George Halas played only 12 games with the 1919 Yankees between May 6th and July 5th. He wasn’t even on the roster by season’s end and he played only 6 games in the outfield, batting 2 singles in 22 at bats for a “career” BA of .091. It was a good thing for George that he had some other talent for football.

Babe Ruth replaced no one really in 1920. Technically I was right from memory. The Babe replaced Ping Bodie in center field on Opening Day of the 1920 season, but his 86 games in right field on the season were still second to the 100 games that Sammy Vick put in out there. Ruth also played 32 in left field, 25 in center field, 2 at first base, and 1 at pitcher – while blasting the home run record to smithereens with 54 long balls.

Thank the baseball gods for the ongoing presence of people like Norman Macht, Cliff Blau, Bill Gilbert, Tal Smith, Bob Dorrill, Darrell Pittman, Bob Hulsey, Greg Lucas, Bill Brown, Tim Gregg, Mike Acosta, Tom Kennedy, and our own Early Houston Project’s Mike Vance. As long as we have people of this quality in our midst, the pursuit of abject truth and authenticity in baseball history shall remain relentless. *

 

* If your name’s not on this short list, please don’t get your feelings hurt. You know who you are – and so do I, if we have met. I simply could not list all of you in one short paragraph. – Keep up the good work.

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A Pine Box Goodbye

September 23, 2012

Forest Park Lawndale. Houston, Texas, September 22, 2012.

Saturday afternoon, September 22, 2012, at the beautiful Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston’s East End, an unpretentiously simple pine box casket carried you away for one last short but memorable ride ahead of us following walkers who attended your funeral on a typically hot and humid first official day of autumn.

The pine box rested securely on the open back of a blackened 19th century mortuary carriage, one driven and attended by two men dressed in black clothing and also wearing black fedora hats – and they were all pulled by a mighty white horse of transcendent  visually physical size and power.

Before you went into the ground, the priest would say a few more words and offer a few more prayers before presenting your mother with a memorial crucifix; a two-man delegation from the Texas Army would present your beloved wife with a memorial American flag; your loving mother would offer a goodbye song in Gaelic; a larger delegation of the Texas Army would then offer a cannon and rifle-fire farewell; and then we went “home,”  leaving your pine box carriage and bodily remains in the  final resting place  that shall be their more discernibly still physical ground from here until the end of time.

An armed salute to Larry Joe Miggins was carried by fellow members of the Texas Army at gravesite on September 22, 2012.

Everything about your funeral speaks volumes for how you lived and how you embraced death as simply another transition in the flow of life. You departed in a pine box, in a state of chosen humility that was true to your bones and wisdom about the journey of life through here – and from here – to eternity. You rode  one final time on a blackened byre that symbolizes nothing less than our shared vulnerability to the kinds of physical conclusions that  impose themselves in one or another, eventually, upon us all, and you are escorted and joined on this journey by all those who have ever spent time both guiding your journey – as the men in the carriage did yesterday – or walking in your path – as the rest of us did, en masse, on a sunny September Saturday afternoon.

The great white horse is the spiritual deliverer of the soul to another realm of God’s Universe. He shines with the brightness of hope, and he parades with all the pull and power of God for deliverance to a bigger, better realm. He is available to all who believe and who are present for the deliverance of a loved one, as we all saw of him yesterday – and then – when the job is done – he just seems to slip quickly and quietly out of our sight again.

Did anyone else notice? Once we reached the graveside yesterday, and the body of Larry Joseph Miggins had been lifted by his brothers to its final resting spot, the great white horse that led us all there  – just suddenly seemed to vanish from sight.

I sure noticed. I missed the opportunity for one more admiring glance at the great white horse, but I was also immediately comforted by the thought that we shall each see him again, someday, in one fine form or another, when it is our time to make the same crossing that you tried to teach us more about yesterday.

God truly is Love. Only a Loving God would have placed someone like you to mingle  among us for as long as you were here. Thank you for being our friend. And thank you for making life for all of us a little easier – and a whole lot more fun

 

 

Transcendance.

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Larry Joe Miggins: Expanded Obituary

September 21, 2012

EXPANDED OBITUARY (Houston Chronicle, Friday, September 21, 2012):

 Larry Joseph Miggins beloved husband of Sherl Miggins, father of Thomas Joseph Miggins and Laura Marissa Miggins, left this physical world unexpectedly last Friday in a tragic car accident.

Larry was born in Houston on February 18, 1960, the fourth of twelve children of Larry and Kathleen Miggins of Houston who also survive him. He spread his love and joy amongst us all and was an active participant in many groups and attracted loyal following of friends who were drawn to his flavorful character.

Larry embraced life with vigor and a can-do attitude. He loved sports and getting together with people, playing for many years on the Rice Rugby team where he named his legs “thunder” and “lightning” and his exploits were legendary and still grow. He was passionate about baseball, having played in the Houston Men’s Senior League for 16 years with his older brother Rory, who preceded him in death in 2007. Most recently Larry was Captain and slugger for the Houston Babies, a historically accurate 1860s baseball team where he was known as “Longball” for his prolific hitting ability. Larry first distinguished himself athletically at St. Thomas High School where he lettered in football and baseball. During his senior year, he was awarded the first ever Fighting Eagle Award for his courage and leadership. Larry’s Eagle Fight never died.

He obtained an engineering degree from Texas Tech University in 1982, which credentialed his natural ability to fix anything. Larry and Sherl met their sophomore year. He enjoyed a long and very enjoyable career of 25+ years at the Rice University Facilities and Engineering Department. His love of Rice and his bond with employees, students, coaches, and athletes manifested in many activities including an active role in promoting scholarships to Rice through the HOOTS society. Together with Sherl, they worked together to provide the theme and artwork for the Department’s entry into the annual Sand Castle Contest in Galveston.

His love of Texas and Irish history was prevalent in his life as an active member of the Texas Army where he reached the rank of Colonel. He enjoyed with a zeal and passion akin to the original Texas Army on many a reenactment battle of Texas history including the annual battle of San Jacinto where he fondly commented that Texas won again this year.

Larry’s Irish roots run deep through his soul and he enjoyed from a young age celebrating his heritage with the annual St. Patrick’s day parade, The Irish Society Chili cook-off, the Dick Dowling memorial ceremony where he was chairman taking over for his father who has honored the Irish Hero of Texas for 40 years. With his brother Rory, they were regulars at the art car parade and many music events throughout Houston. He was a fantastic dancer, the first on the dance floor with his wife Sherl as he used to say to “bait the dancefloor” and get the party started. He lived life to the fullest, first in line for hard work, volunteering or the celebration after. He was a truly a blessing to all who crossed his path and had the pleasure of meeting him. He always gave 110% and had an infectious character that was enjoyed by all. He often said “I am not afraid of dying, I am afraid of not living” and indeed he showed us all how to live with passion, fight, humor, thunder and lightning.

In addition to his wife, children, and parents, Larry is also survived by his 10 siblings, their spouses, and his 18 nieces and 19 nephews to whom he was a terrific uncle: Eileen Hohlt (John), Mary, John, and Annie Hohlt; John (Debbie), Christine, Julia, and Matthew Miggins; Maureen Swanson (Pat), Fiona, Patrick, Brian and Kenneth Swanson; Noreen Gottschalk (Stephen), Robert and Daniel Gottschalk; Matthew (Penelope), Gabriella, John, and Maria Miggins; Kathleen Hibbler (Jim), Elizabeth, Conor, Bridie, and Rory Hibbler; Neil and his children, Charlie, Jack, and Adelaide Miggins; Robert (Julie), Lily, John Carlo, Patrick, and James Miggins; Patrick (Nancy) and James, Rory, and Bridie Miggins; and Michael (Abby), Molly, Cate, Lucy and Claire Miggins. Larry is also survived by his mother-in-law Betty Maxey Clark and his surviving sisters-in-law are Regina Clark Kuethe (Kenneth) and Ashley, Addison, and Hope Keuthe; Kay Clark Popham and Dane Jetty.

Larry’s surviving aunts and uncles include Helen Miggins, Rita Miggins, Eileen and Jake Hoppenthal , Margaret McMahon , Ann McMahon, Bridie Morrissey, Martha Smith, and Amelia and Bob Baird. In addition to Rory, Larry was preceeded in death by his father-in-law, Kenneth Clark.

Larry has countless cousins, world-wide, who survive him and cherish his memory.

In addition to his activities noted above, Larry was a member of many other families including St. Augustine parish, the Texas Army, Slippery Rock Booster Club, Dick Dowling Irish Heritage Society (founding member), The Irish Society, and the St. Thomas High School Alumni Association.
The family will receive friends at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer (at Shepherd) on Friday, September 21, from 7 to 9 pm, with the Rosary recitation at 7:30 pm. The Funeral Mass will begin at 1:00 pm, Saturday, September 22, with a reception to follow in the parish hall.

Following the luncheon, Larry’s remains will interred at Forest Park Lawndale, close to his dear brother Rory.

In lieu of remembrances, Sherl, Thomas, and Laura suggest contributions to the Catholic schools that shaped his character and that of his children: St. Anne’s School Foundation, St. Thomas High School (Miggins Scholarship), or St. Agnes Academy.

“God grant you glory, dear Larry Joseph, please open heaven to all your friends.”

*****************************************************************************

The link to the personal column I wrote on Larry Joe Miggins two days ago in The Pecan Park Eagle of September 19, 2012 will remain available by our best definition of forever at

https://thepecanparkeagle.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/larry-joe-miggins-dies-in-wreck-near-anahuac/

Rest In Peace, Larry Joe! Those of us who remain here shall both miss and love you forever, and we look forward to the day, God Willing, that we shall see you again. – In the meanwhile, we shall try our best to remember and live every breath-filled moment of our every remaining day that: God is Love, And that real Love never abandons. It lives on forever in our hearts and actions.

Love to you and the entire Miggins family – and to their larger gathering of loving friends!

Your friend forever,

Bill McCurdy

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Larry Joe Miggins: Brief Obituary

September 20, 2012

The following brief obituary appears today on page B4 of the September 20, 2012 Houston Chronicle. A more detailed obituary will be featured in tomorrow’s Chronicle, but this will one will suffice to help those of you who plan to attend the services now set for Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd:

OBITUARY

Larry Joseph Miggins, age 52, born February 18, 1960 to Larry and Kathleen Miggins in Houston, Texas, passed away on Friday, September 14, 2012.

A visitation will be held from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Friday, September 21, 2012, at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer Road. The recitation of the Holy Rosary will begin at 7:30 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, 2012, at St. Anne’s Catholic Church. The Rite of Committal will follow at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

A more detailed obituary will appear in tomorrow’s edition of the Houston Chronicle and online at www.generationsfunerals.com where tributes for Larry Joseph and the Miggins family may be posted.

The link to the personal column I wrote on Larry Joe Miggins yesterday in The Pecan Park Eagle of September 19, 2012 will remain available by our best definition of forever at

https://thepecanparkeagle.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/larry-joe-miggins-dies-in-wreck-near-anahuac/

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Larry Joe Miggins Dies in Wreck near Anahuac

September 19, 2012

Larry Joe Miggins,
“Long Ball”
Houston Babies

Last night, about 7:00 PM, I got one of those phone calls you never hope to receive. It came by voice mail in sad, but metered words, words left there by former Houston Buff and St. Louis Cardinal Larry Miggins. I had only seen Larry the previous night, when we recreated the celebratory song from his 87th birthday party of August 20th at the September meeting of SABR downtown.

Monday night had been such a joyous occasion, but even then, neither of us knew that something tragic already had happened and was just waiting until Tuesday to reveal itself to all who knew and loved the eldest surviving son of Larry and Kathleen Miggins, the one and only Larry Joe Miggins.

Word had come that Larry Joe Miggins, age 52,  had been killed on a rain-slickened wet highway last Friday night, September 14, 2012, as he was attempting to drive home from the annual Texas Gatorfest held in Anahuac. It was just the sort of thing that drove the life of good friend and amazing character Larry Joe. Hunting gators for  population control and human consumption was just the sort of thing that would lure the retired Rice University physical plant engineer in pursuit of another passion. And, if it was anything like his family’s historic preservation of the Dick Dowling statue in Houston, his participation with the Texas Army in recreations of the Battle at San Jacinto for Texas Independence, or his fiery all-heart play for the Houston Babies of 1860-rules vintage base ball, I feel sure that the gators had no chance in the wake of his mighty Miggins presence.

Larry’s truck apparently had hydroplaned off the road during a storm and sailed into the brushes out of sight until its discovery Tuesday by a search team, and nearly four days after the fact of his loss. From the reports we have, he most probably was killed instantly, taken by God’s Will, but to the shocking loss of all the family and friends who knew and loved him.

Larry Joe with parents, Larry and Kathleen, and wife Sherl.

Early death among the twelve children of Larry and Kathleen Miggins is not new. In 2007, the family lost oldest son Rory after a long valiant battle with melanoma. Now they surrender next oldest brother Larry Joe to the violence of sudden death by automobile. We know this to be true. Larry Joe was never quite the same after the loss of his brother – and his grief was never-ending. Those of us family and friends who now survive him can only hope and pray that Larry Joe has now moved on to a state of eternal peace, reunion, and joy.

Larry Joe Miggins was one of those timeless, ageless people who could have survived in any century he might have incarnated. He had a knowledge of history and the basic skills required of those who knew how to handle life in the 19th century and earlier – and he had the intelligence and technological ability that would have suited him just fine in the 25th century.

I will miss my friend – my fellow lover of baseball – and my endless correspondent on all discussions about the Civil War and the relative value of the Lincoln presidency, which Larry Joe abhorred. We very often disagreed along the same union vs. secessionist lines that separated a nation 150 years ago, but we never lost respect for each other’s right to think for ourselves. I will miss his play of logic, backed by the passion of his Irish heart. The two forces were inseparable.

Larry Joe Miggins and John Lomax of the Houston Press.

Then there was baseball. And its poetry. And beauty. And the song that hummed its way through the whole narrative of the game. Larry Joe understood those things because he too was built the same way. He talked, and walked, and lived an eloquent life that was uniquely his own – and he carried it with him until the day he died.

Our Houston Babies are going to miss Long Ball Miggins greatly, but he will be with us in spirit. And we shall do all we are able to make sure that his great driving soul is never forgotten.

Recently, on August 28th, Larry Joe concluded an e-mail to me with these remarks: “I continue to learn from you and your Knowlege of history, daily whether it is in blog or e-mail. I do (battle) re-enactments for my love of history, but to also make the common man and young kids get an idea of the horrors of war.”

I learned from you too, Larry. You were, and still are, as the knowledge of your life shall reveal to others, a great teacher of how to lean heavily into life with caring, courage, character, and commitment. We, your family and friends, simply reserve the right to miss you with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

Our human time together on earth is limited, but love is forever. And you are loved, my friend, by so many. including me, your friend, teammate, and colleague.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Larry Joe Miggins is survived by his wife Sherl; his two adult children, Thomas and Laura; his parents, Larry and Kathleen Miggins; his surviving ten siblings, Eileen, John, Maureen, Noreen, Matthew, Kathleen, Neil, Robert, Patrick, and Michael; numerous brothers and sisters in-law; numerous nieces and nephews; and numerous aunts and uncles.

“Numerous” – Miggins is thy name.

Larry Joe Miggins (right) with Sam Houston IV (middle) and (left) brother John Miggins at San Jacinto.

Five years ago, the obituary for older brother Rory Miggins wrapped on a limerick that may ring home again:

“Fare thee well, my child, forever.

In this world, we have lost our joy.

But in the next, we will never sever,

There we’ll find our darlin’ boy.”

Good night, Larry Joe, and give it your best. You’re playing in the Really Big League now.

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SABR-Houston is Cornucopia of Baseball Joy!

September 18, 2012

Marie “Red” Mahoney of Houston is a veteran all-star outfielder who once played ball for the Soth Bend Blue Sox and Fort Wayne Daisies in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Red Mahoney and deceased fellow Texans Alva Jo Fischer and Ruth Lessing were the first women inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. She was presented last nigh by SABR-Houston member and early Houston baseball researcher Marsha Franty.

The first fall meeting of the Larry Dierker SABR Chapter unfolded last night, 9/1712, at the Inn at the Ballpark in Houston, across the street from Minute Maid Park and it proved again to be the Cornucopia of Baseball Joy that our chapter consistently brings to the table. Fresh from our annual two-month summer meeting break, things returned to normal, pre-heating the hot stove season that is right around the corner.

The truth is, our baseball season in Houston never ends. Even when the Astros are not playing, we find plenty to do with our always expanding research into the early history of baseball in Houston, our active participation with the Houston Babies in the growing local vintage base ball circuit, our recruitment of new members, and our ongoing contact with the stars of Houston’s baseball community, who join us regularly as both speakers ad members.

What a deal SABR-Houston is for the hard-core baseball fan and historian – and last night was a broad blast in just about every direction our brothers and sisters in baseball do travel. Due to time and space constraints, I am only able to give you a sniff of baseball as a nostalgic aroma of variable scents, all pleasant – and mostly leathery. If you want a closer whiff, you’re just going to have to make the trip downtown to join us sometime. Our next meeting is Monday, 7:00 PM. October 8th, at The Inn at the Ballpark. Further word on the agenda will be forthcoming soon from our chapter president, Bob Dorrill.

Here’s a sample of the bases we touched last night:

Red Mahoney

 Marsha Franty introduced former AAGBBL all star and Texas Baseball Hall of Famer Marie “Red” Mahoney, who celebrates a somewhere in the 80s birthday this coming Friday, September 21st. Red answered questions in a relaxed conversational mode, making it abundantly lear that she didn’t get into women’s professional baseball back in 1940s to make any kind of “women’s lib” statement, “I went up there to play baseball because I loved the game and that was it.,” she emphasized time and again.  Red was a big star for South Bend and Fort Wayne in 1947-48, and possibly was one of the models for the center fielder that Madonna played in “League of Their Own” in the 1990s movie treatment of the women’s league.

Chris Chesnut, resplendent in a Texas Aggie knit sportshirt, then gave us a fun look at some famous complete 1-0 games, with special notice of the 1-0 no-hitter loss suffered by Houston Colt .45 pitcher Ken Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds on April 23, 1964.  As some of you may recall, Pete Rose reached 2nd base after one out in the top of the 9th on a throwing error by pitcher Johnson himself and then advanced to 3rd on a 5-3 ground out to Bob Aspromonte by Chico Ruiz. Rose then scored the only run of the game when 2nd baseman Nellie Fox booted a grounder by Vada Pinson.  Frank Robinson then flew out to Jimmy Wynn to end the inning, but the damage had been done. The Reds would retire the Colt .45s in the bottom of the 9th, handing Ken Johnson 1-0 loss in a game in which he gave up no hits. Rose tried to consoled Johnson later with the fact that his no-hitter when all the others had been forgotten because of its unique losing outcome.

Tony Cavender reviewed a new book about Gil Hodges, oe that again makes the arguable arguments for his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame, citing this year’s inclusion of Ron Santo as compelling data for the same treatment of Hodges in the near future. The struggle will continue. As long as there is a guy named Rabbit Maranville in the House, the arguments in support of players with marginal stats will no doubt age on, with the charges for Gil Hodges stirring up the most dust.

New local member Paul Giesler delivered an entertaining talk on his involvement in the SABR biographical article project, stressing that the SABR goal is to build a 10,000 word or so bio on all former major leaguers. Giesler has done several, including a detailed one on one of the great characters of the game’s past, Billy Sturges. According to Giesler, Sturges was playing shortstop for the Cubs in Game Three of the 1932 World Series when his friend, Babe Ruth of the Yankees, allegedly called his shot. According to Sturges, Ruth had been jawing with the Cubs bench all day. Immediately prior to his “called shot,” Ruth apparently had raised his finger to point at the Cubs as he said something like “it only takes one” to hit a ball out of here. Again, as so often happens in baseball, and none more so elsewhere than here,  the hand moving allusion to possibility was viewed was viewed from afar as an outright prediction. And, Babe Ruth being Babe Ruth, after all, the choice between settling for fact or fiction in the matter was easy. Legends build on fiction. Facts have the same effect upon legend as soap does to dirt. Babe let it ride for whatever people wanted to make of what they saw and heard about.

Early Houston Baseball Researcher Mike Vance gave us a great sweeping look at the early presence of major league clubs that both trained in and barnstormed through Houston. According to Mike, over two-thirds of all Hall of Famers have either had a direct playing, managing, or coaching experience at a Houston based ballpark. The list of confirmed names was awesome in the truest sense of that word.

Larry Miggins and Red Mahoney were both honored for recent and upcoming birthdays. Both are local icons and national treasures and we are delighted to be blessed with their company. Red is one of the surviving members of the AAGPBBL and Larry may be the only survivor of both the 1951 Texas League Champion Houston Buffs and the 1946 Jersey City club that played against Jackie Robinson’s Montreal Royals in Robinson organized baseball debut in 1946. We are checking to confirm where Larry stands on the list of survivors at both Houston and Jersey City.

A great night was had by all.

Larry Miggins hit 28 home runs for the 1951 Texas League champion Houston Buffs. Here he stands by the 1951 pennant trophy that was awarded to the Buffs, but was en route from Jo Russell to Mike McCroskey last night night for storage.

Red Mahoney and SABR researcher and friend Marsha Franty. Marsha Franty and Mike Vance have interviewed Red Mahoney extensively for the Early Houston Baseball Project.

Come join us in October. If you really love baseball, we think you will be glad that you did.

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Even Astros Not This Bad

September 17, 2012

God gave us baseball, but he gave it to us with the expectation that we would find pitchers and fielders who wouldn’t give up 19 runs to the other team in a single inning of play.

Back in 2005, Tom Kaiser and David King put together one of the most entertaining and informative little books that’s ever come along about the fabled minor league baseball organization we still know today as The Texas League. It was entitled “The Texas League’s Greatest Hits: Baseball in the Lone Star State” by Trinity Press and you can probably still find it through Amazon or E-Bay and be well worth the better part of twenty bucks that $19.95 with sales tax will more than consume.

The book is a treasure of baseball stories that often cross the line as downright freakish records. The one I chose to share with you today is just such an item too.

Get this.

I think the game was played on June 29, 1896 since the only reported date is a newspaper edition story from the June 30, 1898 of the San Antonio Express as, I presume, a next day account. I also have to assume that the game between the Galveston Sand Crabs and the Fort Worth Panthers was being played in the latter mentioned city since the big action of note here happened in the bottom half of the fourth inning, the normal spot for home teams batting.

I could be wrong. Back then, teams often flipped for bats first and second and it might have been one of those times the visitors chose to bat last. Off hand, I don’t know if the 1898 Texas League had a rule in place that set the alignment as visitors first and home second. Since that’s not the material part of the story, let’s just assume that the game being played as Galveston@Fort Worth.

At any rate, when Fort Worth came to bat in the bottom of the fourth, they had a6-4 lead over Galveston. By the time this inning of bat was finally completed, the Fort Worth lead had swelled to 25-4. That’s right. The Panthers had scored 19 runs on the Sand Crabs in a single inning. They would go on to score 6 more for a 31-4 final tally over the thoroughly deflated and flattened Sand Crabs.

Much detail about the inning has been lost, but we do know this much: Fort worth had 12 hits in the fourth, including 8 singles 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run. The Sand Crabs also kicked in 4 errors and a passed ball to intensify the self-immolation process and gulping Texas League record the most most runs ever surrendered in one inning as a mark that still stands to this day, 114 years later.

That June 30th San Antonio Express game article bore with it the title that “Even the (1898 San Antonio) Bronchos Never Did Anything Quite So Bad as This.”

To that, we would quickly add: “Neither Have the 2012 Houston Astros.”

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