LOST on the STREETS

 

                                                              

                                      LOST on the STREETS

    It seems silly to have a title about streets and a picture without any. Maybe it's just about connections. The bridge connects Iowa to Illinois, the Mississippi River connects to countless locations and the fence connects from one end of a walkway to another. 

    The day was Thursday, August 29th and it started like many of my retirement days do.

I took my morning walk with my only daily change being the direction I take as I leave my driveway.

Either way, it takes me through our neighborhood on the east side of Davenport and regardless what

direction I choose I  always end up walking 26-27 minutes. Often I will repeat the same walk after 

dinner. Some streets have a bit of incline, but after growing up in Pennsylvania it's difficult to call

any place in Iowa a "hill"

     I never imagined that this particular walk would have a lasting effect on my thoughts and make me 

question my own existence, 

    That statement may sound overly-dramatic, but it happened and it came out of nowhere. I was

 only five or six seven minutes from home with only half a block and two left turns away from 

our house as I was finishing the morning's walk.

    There's not a lot of variety in my morning walking regimen or the morning routine of any of the 10-

12 people I see each day at 6:30 a,m. unless somebody starts earlier or later than usual. There's always  

two or three folks walking or running with their dogs, two ladies walking together, a young couple  

walking and talking, each of them drinking a cup of coffee and a several runners/ joggers who are

headed over to the Duck Creek running and bicycle path.

    I was walking on the left side of the street and less than a hundred yards ahead of me I saw a person 

coming toward me. As she approached, I noticed she was carrying a large plastic bag about the size of

 one of those huge book bags that some kids carry to school. The bag was in her right hand and it 

looked half full, of what, I couldn't tell.

    From fifty yards away I could tell that this person, who looked like a frail fifth grader was a mid-30's 

woman. She wore a tank top with shorts and it appeared that her bare shoulders, legs and face were 

sunburned. That became even more evident when she came closer. Her exposed skin was fire engine 

red. 

    For some reason, my mind created a scenario to explain what this woman was doing on this street 

and my first thought was that she was walking to someone's home to babysit. There are no restaurants, 

coffee shops or any businesses less than a mile and a half from the spot where we stood.

    She wore glasses. Her uncombed blond hair was relatively short and the slightly taller than five 

feet woman weighed less than 100 pounds.

    She pleasantly asked me if I knew where River Drive was. River Drive is one of the major streets 

that runs parallel to the railroad tracks and the Mississippi River. 

    Not only was she four miles from River Drive, she was heading in a direction that only took her 

farther away from her destination.

    She spoke clearly, but said, "I'm a little disoriented. I feel okay, but I'm a little mixed up."

    Davenport, Iowa has almost 100,000 residents and is one of the Quad Cities (two in Iowa and two

in Illinois). The four cities, (Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline and Rock, Island) combined total nearly 

a quarter of a million people.

    Despite being completely lost and miles from her destination, the lady was not crying or upset. She 

only wanted to know how to get to River Drive. She showed me the identification wrist band on her 

 right wrist that she had been given at one of our hospitals, probably three or four miles from where we 

stood. Evidently, someone had taken her to the hospital the night before. I assumed that heat 

prostration was the condition. Sunday had been a sunny, no clouds in the sky,, and mid-90's most of the 

day.

    She mentioned she had stayed in one of the area's parks all day, with little, if any protection from the

sun and it was apparent she had probably lost body fluids and was very weak. The woman only

said that someone had taken her to the hospital and that they checked her vitals, gave her some fluids 

and then discharged her. 

    I first saw her before 7:30 a.m. and she had already walked a minimum of three miles to get to the 

spot where we met. That means she left the hospital at daylight (around 6:00 a.m.). I didn't ask her 

what was in her bag. I think it may have served as her "suitcase" and possibly carried a change of 

clothes.

    I then proceeded to try to give her directions from our current location to River Drive. That was 

an inconsiderate and increasingly shameful act that still bothers me today, I was talking to her as if she 

was a businesswoman who was late for work and the GPS in her 2023 Ford Explorer was not working.

    She politely listened to me explain about the rough sidewalks, traffic, and some sights to look for

to assure she was traveling the correct route. She never questioned my laundry list of directions or 

complained about  another walking journey ahead of her. Her departure from the hospital only

took her farther away from her destination,

     I thought, 'Jim, you are an idiot. What kind of person are you?' I'm not naive or unaware our world  

has con-artists, liars, cheaters, scammers and those characters always in search of creating some kind 

of scheme to take advantage of someone on the internet, telephone or simply a knock on your door. 

    I allowed all those "what ifs" to take complete control of a decision-making process. 'Doing nothing 

is better and much safer than being a good person.' - when did that begin to define my personality? You

can always be observant, alert and apply some sound decision-making skills that can help and not avoid

those clearly in need of some help and some kindness.

    In this instance, my thoughts lasted two or three minutes when I thankfully realized giving long

distance walking directions was not an answer-it was an avoidance.

    We walked up the last street that connects to mine and I asked her to wait five minutes for me on an

island that separates three streets. I ran home, bolted upstairs and told my wife what I was going to do. 

She asked me what I needed and I told her I would grab what I could when I went dowwnstairs. I was

in a hurry because I thought this lady probably had been lied to many times in her life.

    I grabbed a plastic bag and took the fruit off our table, some bottled water, emptied my wallet which 

totaled about a dollar and a half and grabbed the keys to my car.

    She was waiting for me when I stopped to pick her up and drive her to a church downtown that my 

wife and I used to attend. I knew they used to serve breakfast each morning to those who needed a good

meal, many of them homeless. The church accepted donations of food, money, clothing-anything that 

could help many of the people who showed up for breakfast and were without a home.

    We drove for less than ten minutes. I intentionally did not ask many questions. She was somewhat     

familiar with the city, but I never got the feeling she was from Davenport. She talked about sleeping in 

the park(s) like she had spent the night at a Holiday Inn. She never complained. She probably told me,

"I appreciate you," and "I appreciate what you are doing" a half of dozen times on our drive. I only 

wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible and not feel the need to answer a hundred questions.

    The drive to the church parking lot was only ten minutes from my home and as soon as we pulled in 

to a parking space that faced one of the entrances of the church the lady said, "I know her." There were 

several people sitting on the sidewalk including a woman equipped with a large, open umbrella that 

kept her in the shade and she was surrounded by a number of objects that I could only guess were her

possessions. The younger lady in my car said, "I think her name is Sara and I know her."

    She exited my car and walked to Sara and they seemed happy to see each other. I was a bit concerned

that we might be too late for breakfast, but evidently it did not begin until 9:00 a.m. so we were a few 

minutes early. I wanted to find a person in charge or a director of the breakfast program and after asking

my friend of 30 minutes if she would be alright until I came back, she told me she was fine. Sara 

echoed her remarks and before I went around a corner of one of the buildings to find some church

personnel, I asked my friend if she was okay and also to please wait there until I came back.

    "I appreciate you," she smiled and I said I'd be right back as I walked around the corner of the 

building where she sat.

    I approached a long table with seven or eight men sitting in the chairs and looking like they were

preparing for the morning's meal. When I asked, "Is there a person-in-charge nearby,?" almost all of the 

guys pointed to another building and several wanted to walk me over there. They were very anxious to 

help and I then thought maybe one of the reasons could have been that I looked like I could use a good 

meal. I still had my morning walking clothes on; an old shirt and shorts, a baseball cap, some droopy 

socks and probably still showing some signs of the morning's hustle and bustle.

    I found the director, identified myself and briefly told her my reason for being there. The director 

walked with me and there was my new friend sitting on the pavement eating one of the tangerines I had

tossed in the bag. We all talked for a moment and I was assured she would be okay. She said, "I 

appreciate you," and for the first time I noticed her glasses. They fit her well, were in good condition 

and looked somewhat similar to the glasses I was wearing. It made me wonder for a moment how she

might have acquired them, maybe through an organization, a friend-I don't know. There could have 

been a hundred different reasons.

    I drove away thinking about her and what had transpired in less than an hour. When I arrived home I

 told my wife what had taken place and I said that I thought I would like to stop by the next day to see if

she was there or more likely, moved on to another location. She had mentioned without any details 

about two cities, Muscatine-about 30 miles from Davenport and Burlington was slightly more than 80 

miles.

    It's been exactly three weeks now and I've never been back to the church. I'll never see the lady I met 

or probably any of the other folks who were there for breakfast that day again. I've thought about that 

day several times and sometimes wonder why I have a degree in counseling when all some people are 

searching for is someone who will listen and I can do that.

    The lady who talked to me on the sidewalk and rode with me to the church never asked me for 

anything except directions. I didn't do anything special. I think I just did what I'm supposed to do. I'm 

glad I'm still thinking about it and I hope in some way it will make me a better person.

      

  

  

    

    

    

                           

Reviews of Baseball's Test of Spirit- A Man's Unlikely Odyssey into the Scouting World.

Reviews of Baseball's Test of Spirit: A Man's Unlikely Odyssey into the Scouting World for Sale now on Amazon.

"Jim Pransky was my coach at St. Bonaventure University in the early 80s. "Nice guys finish last," was a famous line by manager Leo Durocher. Jim has proven this adage wrong. For anyone who loves baseball, this is a behind the scenes look of baseball's less glamorous side of being a baseball lifer. In a world of dysfunction, his story is one of function - a solid youth, loving parents, overcoming injury, and a wife he adores. It's a life of gratitude, hard work, many nights at the Holiday Inn, and countless baseball games. His memoir is an engaging read. Baseball may have tested Jim's spirit, but he is not someone to be underestimated."

-Tom Lagasse

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

"Baseball’s Test of Spirit is a book of two themes. The first theme is one of perseverence and determination in chasing one’s dreams. It is the unlikely story of how one person essentially gave up on his dream after suffering an injury, then rebounded to build a successful career in college and Major League Baseball. The second theme gives an inside look at professional baseball and scouting in particular. Anyone who likes a “feel good” comeback story or enjoys baseball will enjoy this book."

-Mark Frick

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

“Jim Pransky has written a sterling account of his improbable climb in professional baseball. He has proven over the course of his long scouting and collegiate coaching career that there is more than one way to observe and evaluate a baseball game. He is a true baseball man. His commitment to the game and the people in it has made an indelible mark on the players he has drafted and coached.” Shawn Pender, Senior advisor to the president and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Formerly, vice-president of player development of the Cincinnati Reds.

- Shawn Pender, Senior advisor to the president and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Formerly, vice-president of player development of the Cincinnati Reds.

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

“Jim is a patient teacher and an excellent evaluator. He’s been a positive influence
for baseball players at all levels.”

- Arnie Chavera, former catcher in the Astros organization. Presently, Athletic Director at Black Hawk College.

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

"The book, available in Kindle and paperback versions on Amazon offers a behind- the-scenes look into the life of a full-time baseball scout, a close-knit fraternity that has dwindled to 1,000 or fewer today.  It provides intriguing baseball stories, scouting reports on players who made it big and those who didn't, as well as life lessons Pransky learned from four decades of coaching and scouting. Baseball junkies will love it,"
         

-Don Crim, Senior Columnist, Muddy River News. 

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

 "Jim Pransky went from the baseball fields in McKean County to a 25-year career in Major League Baseball. Even Pransky admits it was an unlikely trek." 'I never thought  I'd end up working in professional baseball, Really. for me, it was very unlikely that I would ever become a big league scout.First, it's hard to do anyway, but I just a kid who grew up in Eldred. I played  baseball, loved baseball, but we never played in front of a scout. I had never even met a scout until I started college coaching, I never thought that was possible."

 

    - Sara Furlong, Managing Editor, Bradford Era.

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻

    "I just finished this wonderful book. As a baseball fan I enjoyed the anecdotes about the various players and baseball personnel. And I really liked learning about scouting and all it entails. But the book is about much more than perseverance, following your passion and work/life balance. Kudos to Jim Pransky for this well written book about his life's journey through the prism of baseball."

     - Herb Niles

                                                                  * * * * * 

Jim's true life story of his career as a baseball scout is truly an odyssey as the title indicates. The twists and turns of a scout workingin MLB where there is only 30 MLB teams is quite revealing of how baseball works and of how challenging it is to find and develop MLB players. Jim's participation in the first Money Ball draft was one of many compelling stories Jim shares with his readers.

      -Tom Wagner

                                * * * * * *

"This book is an excellent insight into the game of baseball. My passion for the game began in 1957 when I began playing at the age of ten. I continued playing to the age of 25 when I became an area umpire. Thirty years later and after umpiring 3 New York State Championships and Division 1 baseball (St. Bonaventure games including the plate assignment for the first Atlantic 10 series were memorable."                

     -Mike "Whitey" Welch.

                                                               * * * * * *

    "Baseball's Test of Spirit"- A Man's Unlikely Odyssey into the Scouting World is a fascinating glimpse into a baseball life. The structure itself of the book is interesting,

alternating life-on-the road with a personal memoir with scouting reports about memorable players along the way. The author, Jim Pransky, scouted Albert Pujols when he was a husky shortstop playing on the road at a JUCO in southeast Iowa, and Jim was just so-so on Albert's hit for power tool. He was not the only one to miss on Pujols. Only one or two scouts in major league baseball saw the first-ballot Hall-of-Famer for what he would become, and the peek behind the curtain for scouting on that 13th rounder is one of the many stories that illustrate the strange brew of art, science, conventional wisdom, and analytic precognition that make up modern baseball. Pransky shares the gritty and mundane details of scouting flyover country which enriched my understanding of the great game and stories and unknown people who form the tapestry of the most American of sports. I highly recommend this baseball book for fans who enjoy a good yarn. Five out of five stars.

    -Andy Lorentzen

                                                        * * * * * * * 

    

Note: This post includes Amazon affiliate links.
                                 

Brooks, Eddie and Kevin - Connections

                                  Brooks, Eddie and Kevin- Connections

Brooks Robinson passed away Wednesday, September 27 at the age of 86. He was one of baseball greats.

Brooks also provided the inspiration to write this piece, ironically tying three baseball people together that deserve to be recognized in the game, not solely for what they accomplished in the game, but for the people I witnessed or knew about in my own baseball world and provided a day(s) of enjoyment. Many times, just good stories-and we need those.

Even if you are not a baseball fan, I think it's a good read. I think it's rewarding to hear or read something favorable about all people, but especially those involved in athletics now. If it's junior high, sandlot, high school, college, amateur leagues or professional ball maybe it counters some of the bad that oozes in to our daily lives.

These three gentlemen are maybe connected in a somewhat around about away, but it makes sense to me and they all bring back good memories and/or good thoughts about right now,

   Brooks Robinson made his ML debut for the Baltimore Orioles in 1955 and his last ML appearance with the same club in 1977. He was an 18 time All-Star, won two World Series and was the American League MVP in 1964. He ended his career with 2,848 hits and 268 homers and won 16 Gold Gloves. He was inducted in to the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Brooks celebrates his MVP award with his family in 1964

The Orioles are set to go back to the World Series in 1970 after losing to the Miracle Mets in 1969. It's not unusual for professional organizations to put together a three or four year dominating run, maybe more difficult in the age of free agency and monopoly money contracts. You may notice that Terry Crowley was the only change from the '69 squad.

Baltimore played in three consecutive World Series- losing to the Mets in '69, beating the Reds in '70 and losing to the Pirates in '71. The A's then went on their run winning three straight in '72, '73 and '74.

The Reds lost in '70 and '72 then won two straight in '75 and '76. 

Three straight titles now with the before mentioned roadblocks plus multiple playoff series is almost impossible.

"Thanks Brooks Day," brought over 51,000 to the hometown stadium in September '77. The next night the Orioles drew 3,325 fans.

   Eddie Watt spent most of his big league career with the Baltimore Orioles playing in the big leagues from 1966-1975. If Brooks was at one end of the spectrum Eddie may have closer to the other end, yet he played a prominent and sometimes overlooked role with the Orioles success. He was awarded for his contributions, selected to the Orioles' Hall of Fame in 2000.

    Eddie became a pitching coach with Houston after his playing career and that's really when the Pransky part of the story began. My two nephews came down to Saint Cloud, Florida to vacation for a week in February. Shane was probably 12 and Brett was 10. I lived about three miles from the Astros spring training complex where Eddie was a minor league instructor.

   Before our initial visit we sat in my living room, brought out all of my baseball cards and began to put together all of the Houston players and coaches we might see at the complex.

  We had a substantial pile of Terry Puhl, Kevin Bass, Billy Doran and other Astros cards ready to go.

   Anyone who ever collected baseball packs of cards knows there is usually one player or coach you usually found in your pack almost every time you opened one and it wasn't Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays or Sandy Koufax. One of my frequent acquisitions was Minnesota's Tom Brunansky. Tracy Jones of the Reds was another.

   And, we eventually discovered we had probably 12-15 cards of Eddie Watt, both as a player and a coach. We had twice as many Eddie cards than anyone else.

   We went to the stadium early, probably a little after 8:00 for the 9:00 workout. I recall making the boys French Toast and awakening them to my version of David Bowie's "Young Americans." They didn't like my culinary or vocal skills.

   We'd pull in to the parking lot each day and as we walked to toward the cloverleaf of practice fields we always saw Eddie sitting alone on a bench outside the locker room entrance. He was one of the first staff members to come out so the boys would take a couple of his cards and approach him.

   Shane and Brett were always polite and Eddie was always gracious, seemingly surprised that these two youngsters would have some of his cards.

   We did that for three days in a row and I think Eddie always enjoyed and may have looked forward to it each morning. I always stayed away from the kids and let them do their thing. I was just happy they had a good time with it. Eddie probably signed hundreds of cards during his career and now we had about 15 of them.

Some notes about Eddie as the 24 year old reliever was putting some good numbers together. Eddie was a starter in the minors, but found his value with the Orioles as a late inning relief man. Eddie was from Lamoni, Iowa, about two and a half hours from where we live now. Graceland College is located in Lamoni. No, it wasn't named after Elvis!

   As the boys grew older, every once in a while we would talk about those autograph days and Eddie's name would always surface. Brett, who was now a very good writer thought about writing a story about his Florida spring training experience as a youngster.

   He called Eddie about 8-9 years ago and Eddie spoke pleasantly to him and included some good baseball stories including the time he picked up a signed Brooks Robinson glove for his grandchild.

   As he watched his grandson play in a pickup game, Eddie asked him about Brook's glove. His grandson replied that the glove was in use- as second base. The Hall-of-Famer's autographed glove was now being used as second base, stepped on and kicked around, but in the eyes of the youngsters serving a valuable purpose. Yikes!

   Eddie is now 82 years old. He was 38-36 in the big leagues with a 2.91 E.R.A. He won a World Series Championship with the Orioles in 1970. He appeared in 411 games in the major leagues.

Kevin Lester

   The first person I contacted after I heard of Brooks Robinson passing was my friend Kevin Lester. I was quite certain that the only time that I saw Brooks play was in an Old Timer's Game in Buffalo back in the early 80's. 

   I knew Brooks hadn't been out of the major leagues that long because I recalled he had a couple of hits in the game (Brooks retired in '77) Kevin confirmed that the game was played at War Memorial Stadium in 1984. Kevin would have known because he played in the game.

Larry Doby hit two home runs in the game for the American League stars, one off Warren Spahn and another off Johnny Sain.

When I was scouting I used to tell young catching prospects if they wanted to stay in the game for a long time the best way was to refine their catching skills. If pitchers like throwing to you, you'll have a job year after year. I didn't really mean that they might play in major league old-timers games or in one of the great baseball movies of all time, but in Kevin Lester's situation that was what took place.

I attended this 1984 classic with my parents and Ed Harrington. Note the crowd size- 26,434.

Kevin's bio- the early years.

   I was in my final season as the baseball coach at Saint Bonaventure in 1984. Kevin had graduated before I arrived on campus so I never met him until 1993-1994 when I was scouting a Buffalo Bisons game. Kevin was the official scorer for the Bisons, but that was one of the many hats he wore during the years.

   When we met for the first time in the Bisons' press room eating area, a 40 year friendship was initiated and continues to this day. I loved working games in Buffalo-I was only a 90 minute drive to my parents' home in Buffalo, I knew the Buffalo area well and Kevin and I could talk Saint Bonaventure, baseball and family endlessly.

   Kevin established a tradition for us. Whenever I came to town to start covering a series we would go to the press box and call Fred Handler, Kevin's coach with the Bonnies and my mentor, friend, and the baseball coach I succeeded at Saint Bonaventure. We'd talk to Fred before each opening game. It was always a true delight and a happy time for all of us.

Kevin was a teacher, coach and administrator at Williamsville South for several decades. Kevin was the catcher in "The Natural". He can be seen several times in the movie, often in the dugout scenes. Here's Roy Hobbs' bat- "Wonderboy.

Kevin is a member of the Western New York, the Buffalo Bison and the New York State Hall of Fames.

Kevin's bat leads the Bonnies to a win.

I knew quite a bit about Kevin's background, but not his football prowess at SBU. Also mentioned in this clip is Portville's Dan Dibble.

Kevin with Robert Redford. "The Natural" was filmed at War Memorial Stadium.

   Jumping back to that 1984 Old Timers Game, Kevin stated; "Yes, it was very special. USA Today was just getting started about that time and I was interviewed by a reporter and he asked me how I felt playing with and sitting in the dugout with Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. I looked down the dugout and I said I felt like the pope sitting with the 12 apostles."

   The next day there was a picture in USA Today of me catching while Willie Mays was batting and they had my quote in the paper about the pope comment. I got several calls from friends throughout the country.

   Brooks had a double and a home run using my bat. He wanted to buy if off me, but I told him it was my last one, and I asked him to sign it and he did."

This may not be the easiest clip to read, but it sums up what made all of these events possible for Kevin: FAMILY. Kevin and his wife Janet had three sons, Michael, Pat and Kevin Jr. plus eight grandchildren. Janet died from cancer in 2010.  I did not know until one of my scouting trips to see the Bisons.  Kevin and Janet were married for 39 years and provided a wonderful life for their children,

   I guess this story is about connections. Brooks is attached to Eddie and Kevin. Eddie is connected to Brooks and me (and my nephews) and Kevin is affixed to Brooks and me.

   My relationships with Brooks, Eddie and Kevin are all different, but all meaningful. What they share is how much they have contributed to others. We can simply say they are all good guys.
 

 

BROTHER

 

     I made a phone call this afternoon, the same call that I've made for 50 years. Today is my brother Bill's birthday and just like he does in August, we ring our only brother on his celebrated day.

   Bill is eight and a half years older than I am. Since my high school years I don't think we have ever been together on our birthdays. Our entire adult life has never found us living less than a six or seven hour drive from one another.

   The previous paragraph might suggest that we could lack the closeness that many siblings have, but I have never felt that way and I don't think Bill has either. My big brother has ALWAYS held a large presence in my life, especially when I've stumbled and couldn't or wouldn't ask for help.

    His sense of responsibility to family comes with few words and little fanfare, but with a directness that never leaves anyone wondering what he's thinking. 

"Mike" and Bill at our parents' home.
    My mom always told me that when the decision-making process was in full swing regarding what to name the youngest Pransky boy my eight-year-old brother chimed in, "I don't care what you call him, I'm calling him Mike."

     I don't remember those initial days of life very well, but I imagine he did call me Mike for a while. Evidently, he had enough influence that somehow my middle name is Michael.

    My brother was a 1965 graduate of Otto-Eldred High School. I've written almost 100 blog stories in 4-5 years and most of them have at least a partial sports connection and so does my brother's.

     Bill played youth league baseball for Coryville (little league and Babe Ruth). I recall my mother had to dye some of his white t-shirts green for his Babe Ruth uniform top. 

    My brother's baseball career was significant for two major reasons. It launched my dad's love for baseball, a game he never played as a youngster, but loved every level of it for the rest of his life.

    And, I'm sure my first game of catch was with Bill. 

    I also remember fondly that my brother's teenage years consisted of quarterbacking while I ran pass patterns (fly, button hook, button hook and go, sideline, post). I'm sure they have more technical names now, but no one had more fun than I did. 

   We played wiffle ball, home run derby and Bill was my first catcher as I learned how to pitch. I was six-years-old and Bill was 14, but he never turned down a request to play ball with me. He didn't became frustrated at my overthrows or give me one of those, "Hey, just leave me alone," or "get lost," or any of those comments that are easy for a big brother to throw at the little guy who always seems to be in the way. We never argued or disagreed.

   Bill's favorite sport was basketball and he didn't even mind when on a special occasion his little brother tagged along, lugging his scrapbook to an O-E practice and securing as many autographs as possible.

I think I went to almost all the Terrors' games in 1964 and 1965. I've written stories about the Coudersport team that was undefeated until the '64 state finals and about some of the players of that era, both in western N.Y. and Pa. I remember Bill scored 23 points (his career high) in the opening game of the tourney. Jeff Wolcott and Bill made the all-tournament team.

    Bill was awarded the prestigious Jody Wolcott Award as a senior. The honor was given to a graduating student who best represented the qualities of an athlete, scholar and gentleman.

Some O-E names from the classes of 1965 and 1966.

   Jeff Wolcott (Jody's older brother) was the leading scorer on that '65 O-E team.

   Bill and I only played together a couple of times, but they remain memorable to me. He came home from college for the summer and we drove up to the high school to shoot some hoops in the court/ parking lot on the backside of the building. We eventually played a couple of young varsity players in a two on two game. Bill was 20 or 21 and I was 12 or 13 and had just concluded seventh grade and we beat them. That definitely was a highlight of my young sports career.

   Years later, as Bill's two sons were beginning their competitive basketball experiences and the elder Pransky brothers were beginning to feel the years, we would play the boys in one game to ten baskets whenever we could get together.

   Although approaching the 35-40 year-old barrier, first Bill and then me, the old guys had the edge. The boys were separated by only two years and despite having the jumping and athleticism advantage they hadn't quite developed the teamwork part of the game yet and their ultra-determined will to beat their dad and uncle was so strong it acted as an albatross. 

   Bill and I also knew that we could always win one game, but we always called it quits after that game. "Wait 'til next year." 

   Next year came four or five times and then somehow the two on two games stopped being held. Some foul play was claimed, but never proven.

    My dad taught my brother and I the same useful skills that would help us as we gained responsibility as we grew older. Car maintenance-changing the oil, rotating and changing tires and how to use and then properly return the tools to their proper place on the workbench was rightly very important to my father. The same was true with checking and repairing household items. Bill, in fact, helped my folks build the home where they lived for almost 40 years. He was 13 and carrying shingles and I was 5 and driving a go-kart Dad made for me.

My dad was an avid sportsman and loved hunting and fishing. He taught both of us. Bill loved hunting and continues to enjoy it. The high schools in his area have archery teams and he loves coaching the kids.

I always enjoyed trout fishing, but somehow all the other lessons were too soon forgotten. I wished they hadn't vanished-I guess I never really learned them.

Bill and I didn't have too many of the same teachers at O-E, but I do remember Mr. Lehoskey, our industrial arts teacher, asking me on day one if I was "Big Bill's" brother. Bill, a future mechanical engineer, was skilled in all the aspects of design, building a couple of his future homes. 

I think Mr. Lehoskey anticipated that he had another budding engineer. It took only two classes for him to change his mind. He was a baseball fan though, so we always had something fun to talk about in later years,

    My brother's engineering degree directed him to several different residences in Clarion (Pa.), Atlanta, New Orleans and both northern and southern Ohio-all for the same company for thirty plus years.

    There was a period of time when he did some extensive international travel for work. I don't think he told my folks where or when he was going. They might have worried about some of the destinations. I just always assumed that-I never knew either.

    As I write this, I'm sitting directly in front of my music cabinet that holds about 200 vinyl albums- a combination of my wife, Grace's, and mine. Actually, half of mine were (are) Bill's. Some people wonder why I have so many LP's by "The Animals," "Four Seasons," "The Beach Boys," and, of course, "The Beatles" among others- lots of surf music too. Thanks, Bill. The younger brother status does have many advantages. 

    The impetus for this writing came from three topics that seemingly have no association. 

    I saw a post last week on FB that mentioned it was National Siblings' Day. That's nice. I never knew there was a day for that, but okay. 

    Last weekend I watched "Field of Dreams," for the tenth time. I think there's a rule that if you live in Iowa, you have to watch it at least five times.

At the end of the movie Ray Kinsella suddenly thinks he realizes what the phrase "Ease his pain" means.

Ray, speaking to Shoeless Joe Jackson- "It was you."

Joe replies, "No, Ray. It was you."

The movie has many moving parts and if you asked someone what it's about you'd get multiple answers of baseball, Iowa, ghosts, the 60's, farming, chasing dreams, etc.

It does have a lot of twists and turns, but it's about family. Ray and his father. Ray, his wife and little girl. Doc Graham and his life as a doctor and husband. I'm reminded of my father, mother and hometown every time I watch it.

My wife Grace sitting on the porch swing at Ray Kinsella's house in Dyersville, Iowa. Yes, I ran the bases and walked into the corn. We live about an hour and a half from there.

National Siblings' Day, Field of Dreams and my brother's birthday.

   Thanks Bill for holding us all together. And, thanks for always being there!

  

 

     

     

   

The Staviskys

      From the mid-60's and five decades later, I can't imagine there were many years when there wasn't at least one member of the Stavisky family involved in local high school athletics at Oswayo Valley HS and/or Port Allegany HS or on a collegiate and even professional level.

     Regardless of their role (as players, coaches, athletic administrators and educators), they played a positive role in the success, development and recognition of young people at those schools and probably in some bordering towns also

     

Brian Stavisky inducted in to the Big 30 Basketball Hall of Fame, 2017

     Despite being away from blog writing for four or five months, I'd still like to recognize more athletes, not only from my era, but incorporate players and coaches from more recent times. This essay kind of divides that task right down the middle.

     I had the pleasure of knowing three of the four Staviskys mentioned in this piece. One was my boss and I played against his brother. I scouted another and the youngest, well, I watched him grow in to a very good Division 1 pitcher.

     Bill Stavisky was a 1966 OV graduate and he played varsity basketball against my brother ('65 grad) Even though I can't clearly remember watching him play in the North Tier, since I witnessed almost all of my brother's games, I'm confident I saw Bill play. If that doesn't qualify, a dozen or so years later, Bill and I and a handful of Otto-Eldred teachers played some pickup ball at the Eldred Borough Elementary School.

     Bill was my elementary supervisor for several years at both the Eldred Borough and Township schools and I remember two aspects clearly. He was a true professional in his educational supervisory position and although I'm sure I was a challenge for him as a rookie teacher I respected his daily dedication to teachers and students.

     Secondly, he still had a very competitive court game in our after-school pickup game.

     

Bill led the way in the win over O-E with 28 points. Randy Nuhfer scored 21 for the Terrors in OV's 64-58 win.

     

      A big win for Emporium over OV, but Stavisky hit for 24.

     Oswayo Valley picks up a home win and a reversal of game one with a two point win over Bradford Central Christian. Stavisky scores 25 and Denny Phillips adds 15 points.

OV at 3-6 with five games left on the North Tier schedule. Emporium at 9-0

     

Some of the season's top scorers with Stavisky averaging over 17 per game.  O-E's Randy Nuhfer also on the list.

     

1966 area leading scorers. Northern Tier represented by Smethport's Mike Taylor, Nuhfer,  Ron Caskey of Port Allegany, Pat Fannin (Emporium) and Stavisky.

          

     

     

Bill was a star track and field performer as his brother, Dan, would be in a few years.

     

OV was one of the few area Pennsylvania schools to play high school baseball in the 60's.

     

Stavisky picks up the only OV hit in a 4-0 loss to Olean.

     

Above- Bill was a member of the McKean-Elk All Star squad and as many talented baseball players have done through the years, played All-Catt baseball. This home run helped Shinglehouse defeat Rushford. 

     

A Shinglehouse win over Crosby- a second inning homer by Stavisky

     

     1968- Alle-Catt All Stars, 4 players from Shinglehouse.

An extra inning A-Catt win with Stavisky getting the game winning RBI.

      

Alle-Catt standings after extra inning win for Shinglehouse.

Above-another year of All-Catt All Stars and another look at some '66 basketball numbers.

I remember well the Stavisky family home in Eldred-located on the corner, just across the street from the Eldred Area Park and only a five minute walk to the elementary school. I was the little league coach and operated the park program for all the kids and Bill's son, Danny was often seen with the Pascarella boys during the summer.

Danny was too young for organized baseball during my years supervising the Park activities, but I'm sure he was involved in future years.

I left the area permanently in 1984 and the next time I heard Dan's name occurred when I was a young baseball scout and saw a scouting report issued by the Major League Scouting Bureau- an organization of scouts that wrote reports and furnished them to major league organizations. 

MLSB had submitted Dan's name as a potential prospect as a senior high school pitcher. I think the family was now living in the Pittsburgh region. 

Despite some professional interest, Dan was definitely headed to Notre Dame. I went to a fall scout's day prior to the '98 season in South Bend to see their top pitcher, Brad Lidge, who became an outstanding major league pitcher.

I'm working without a net here (I no longer have most of my notes or evaluation cards), but I know I saw Lidge pitch that day, but I don't recall Dan throwing in the workout. I don't think I would have forgotten him. Indiana was not one of my coverage states and I was just filling in for our territorial scout that day, but as you'll see in the following clips he hade a fine career in South Bend and led the way for his cousin to follow him to Notre Dame.

Dan Stavisky tosses six innings for the win over Toledo. It's Dan's fourth win of the season.

     

Dan's sophomore year and a one-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader versus Pittsburgh. No walks, ten strikeouts and one hit allowed to pick up his sixth win of the year.

     

Dan shuts out St. John's in the Big East tourney. Stavisky extended his scoreless streak to 22 and a third innings with a six hitter.

     

Dan extends his scoreless streak to 23 and 2/3 innings before giving up a solo run in the second. The game was delayed for over an hour in the first inning because of weather and the Irish lost a 6-1 early lead and dropped a one run game to Stetson.

Dan played a big role in his cousin, Brian, following him as a member of the Notre Dame baseball squad.

Notre Dame coach, Paul Mainieri, said, "We had been close to Brian's cousin Dan during his career here and Dan pushed for us to consider signing Brian. Once I saw him play, I knew that we wanted him badly."

     It would be hard to name anyone in the Olean-Bradford area, Big 30, (I'm not sure what it's referred to now-I just call it back home) who achieved the success and recognition that Brian Stavisky did in athletics from his pre-teen years through his 1999 high school graduation.

     A college baseball career at Notre Dame followed and a 2002 sixth round selection by the Oakland A's with a College World Series appearance led to a nine year professional baseball career that included parts of two seasons at the AAA level.

Brian slides home with an early game run for the Irish against Rice in the CWS. Notre Dame picked up a 5-3 win.

     Through the years the Big 30 region and surrounding area have produced some athletes who have reached the highest level in their respective sport; the NFL, MLB, etc. and those players should always be recognized and commended for their accomplishment of playing on the biggest stage. I've written about a few of them and still find it remarkable that one of the smallest populated regions in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York has produced as many big leaguers as it has. 

     I've always stayed clear of comparisons in these essays and just try to recognize outstanding accomplishments and Brian Stavisky's achievements as a student, athlete and a person would rank him high on any list.

     I wrote a book several years ago entitled "Josh and Josh, Small Towns, Big Leagues." The book featured two players at a Division 2 midwestern university (Quincy University) who made it to the major leagues.

     One of those players was a pitcher who graduated from Port Allegany HS, Josh Kinney. 

     Kinney recalled his high school friend and teammate. "Brian was one grade behind me. He was a tremendous athlete. I don't know how many times he won the Punt, Pass and Kick awards, but I remember he went to the Pro Bowl for the national competition."

     "I don't think I was overshadowed, Brian was just that good. You can't take anything away from him. He was a standout at everything he did. He was an awesome football player and I think he scored a thousand points in basketball before his junior season was over. He could flat out hit a baseball. He deserved everything he got. I was the pitcher, but you put me next to him and you are going to notice him."

     Before Port Allegany had a high school baseball program, the Port kids traveled to Oswayo Valley to play for them and the Oswayo Valley athletes came over to Port to play football. Brian played two years of high school baseball at each school.

    His four year statistics during his high school years read: a .582 batting average, .725 on-base percentage, 46 home runs, 28 doubles, 11 strikeouts and 79 walks. His teams recorded a 60-20 record. The outstanding team record is not surprising considering they had two long-term professional baseball players on their roster.

     Brian was also the top student in his class. The 6'3, 230 lb. Stavisky also played golf and was active in several non-athletic programs in school. He learned the importance of taking advantage of what his school offered and he continued that same routine at Notre Dame.

A replica of Josh Kinney's Quincy jersey retired on the left center field wall at Quincy Stadium. That's his ex-teammate, Josh Rabe, who played for the Minnesota Twins and came back to Quincy and coached ten plus years at the university, setting a school coaching victory record. Rabe is now the A.D. at Quincy.

     I had not seen Brian's father, Dan, in probably two decades or more until we were at the College World Series in Omaha in 2002. I was scouting for the A's and we had just drafted Brian. I was the closest scout to Omaha (five hours) so I was assigned to go to the tourney and just keep an eye on the players we drafted, just watching their performance and making sure no injuries occurred. 

     I saw Dan in the stands and was fortunate to spend some time with the Staviskys. It was a real treat for me. It was the first time I had watched Brian play since I saw him play a few innings in a Babe Ruth game in Eldred 8-9 years earlier.

     

Notre Dame at the CWS six years after Brian's appearance and Coach Mainieri recalls Brian's game winning home in the ninth to beat Rice.

     

2002- and Brian's two run HR in to a strong wind gives Notre Dame a 5-3 win over Rice and their 50th win of the college season. It was Brian's ninth HR of the season.

     Brian and I were able to have lunch together a couple of years later when the A's Midwest League team was in Davenport, Iowa to play the Cardinals' affiliate. I had a couple of players that I had signed on Brian's squad and we all went to a downtown restaurant.

     Brian was kind of quiet until he and I started to discuss all the people and locations we knew back in Potter and McKean County. 

     Brian played nine seasons and 784 games in the minors. He played parts of two seasons in AAA and his overall career offensive numbers showed him with a .302 batting average and 78 home runs.

     Brian's father, Dan, was the one Stavisky I played against, but that was after watching him play a dozen or more Alle-Catt games for Shinglehouse. My parents and I made many trips over to Shinglehouse on a Sunday afternoon to watch games. I remember how much I liked the field: grass infield and a wire fence that circled the entire field. I think the kids got a nickel or a dime for bringing back foul balls that landed in the crops behind home plate. I thought it was the best field I had seen in the area.

Dan was about 3-4 years older than I was so I don't think we ever played little league, Babe Ruth or other sports against each other. I do recall what a good athlete he was at shortstop- a strong arm and good foot speed. He was clearly one of the better all-around athletes in the league and I'm sure he was still in his teens when I first saw him.

    

1971- Dan wins three events in track meet.

     

1965- Danny no-hits my hometown team.

     

Headlines of no-no

     

1965- Danny and Tim Welch represent Shinglehouse on the P-M all star squad.

     

Danny's HR and double pace Shinglehouse over Austin

     

Two local all star squads win openers. Tony Flint of Port Allegany leads P-M.

    

Danny doubles in all star game and goes 2-5 in win.

    

Basketball returnee.

     

Repeat of P-M victory. Rob Maynard paces Smethport All Stars.

     

Dan and Mary Stavisky retiring from the Port Allegany School District. Mary was an elementary school teacher and Dan was a physical education teacher for 41 years and an athletic director for 32.

     NOTE: Please excuse any errors in this piece. I'm sure I "booted" a few. A little bit rusty, but as always it's enjoyable to bring back some good memories especially about good people. Sometimes I see it like some of the kids in my graduation class- I wish I had gotten to know them better. I know more about them now through FB than I did back in the 70's. 

     I feel the same about many of the athletes I competed against in high school, Alle-Catt or softball. There's a lot of good people- I've written about some, but there's more folks that I hope I can write about in the future-some of the younger ones also.