A little bit of a curveball today. I had planned on writing about former Dodger, Ralph Mauriello, but I changed my mind. I wanted to keep with the father-son theme, so today I will share our correspondence with Chuck Lindstrom.
Like Hal Trosky Jr., who we featured yesterday, Chuck Lindstrom was the son of a Major Leaguer. “Dad” was Hall of Famer Freddie Lindstrom who played from 1924-1936. Freddie was known for his bat. He hit .300 or better seven times and ended his career with a lifetime batting average of .311. Freddie was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976 by the Veterans Committee.
Chuck Lindstrom’s professional baseball career lasted from 1957-1961. After being signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1957, Chuck spent time with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Davenport DavSox before seeing major league action. Chuck was recalled by the White Sox in September 1958. He spent most of the time in the dugout until manager and future Hall of Famer Al Lopez sent him into the game on September 28th; the last game of the season. Chuck entered the game in the top of the 5th inning as a defensive replacement for catcher Johnny Romano. Chuck had two plate appearances in the game. He walked in his first at-bat and later came around to score in the bottom of the 6th. In his second plate appearance, he faced righty Bob Davis. Lindstrom hit a ball to right field and raced around the bases. He ended up at third with his first career hit, a triple, and an RBI as Johnny Callison scored. The White Sox would go on to win the game 11-4 and with that the 1958 season came to an end as well as Chuck’s major league career. Lindstrom never appeared in another big league game after being sent back down to the minors. He stayed in the game until 1961 when he hung up his cleats for good.
We recently wrote to Chuck Lindstrom about his playing days and whether he regretted leaving the game at a young age.
“I played 5 years, but quit twice during that time. The lifestyle was something I liked and the old time baseball thinking like Al Lopez’s left something to be desired, though he was a nice person. I do not regret leaving when I did.”
Chuck was born after his father’s playing career ended, but we wanted to know if he had any special memories of “dad”.
“I have met many of baseball greats while accompanying my dad [to the Hall of Fame], who by the way doesn’t get the credit he deserves. John McGraw picked him the ninth best player of all time in 1938. Over a span of five consecutive years only a couple of players came close to his records.”
As any son would, Chuck bragged about his pops.
Read more about Chuck Lindstrom: One Hit Wonder
Read more about Freddie Lindstom: SABR Biography
Full text of our correspondence. Click to enlarge.
Posted by esiason14 :: Posted in baseball correspondence, Questionnaires, TTM Autographs
Tags: Al Lopez, Baseball correspondence, Baseball letters, Chicago White Sox, Chuck Lindstrom, Freddie Lindstrom, Hal Trosky, Hal Trosky Jr., Hall of Fame, TTM, TTM Autographs
Hal Trosky Jr. grew up around baseball. His father, Hal Trosky Sr., was a slugger in the ’30s and ’40s with his best season coming in 1936. That year, Hal Sr. smashed 42 homers and 162 RBIs while hitting .342. Suprisingly he only finished 10th in the 1936 AL MVP voting behind Gehrig, Appling, Averill, Gehringer, Dickey, and others. Hal Sr. retired early due to severe migraines, but he finished his eleven season career with great numbers; 228 HR and a .302 lifetime batting average.
Hal Jr’s professional career lasted from 1956-1960. He bounced around various levels of the minors before reaching the Bigs in 1958 with the Chicago White Sox. His major league career would be over after appearing in only two games; both in relief. He returned to the minors and played until 1960 when he retired for good. We recently wrote to Hal to learn a little more about his time in baseball. Mr. Trosky recounts his favorite managers…and surprisingly, his least favorite.
“My favorite managers were Frank Scalzi, Luke Appling, and Jim Turner. Least favorite was Al Lopez!”
We asked Hal what his favorite memory was of going to the ballpark with his father. Hal Sr. had his best years with the Cleveland Indians from 1933-1941, but he made brief comeback in 1944 and 1946 with the Chicago White Sox. The comeback years are what Hal Jr. remembers best.
“Favorite memory of being at the ball park when my dad was playing was his tenure with the White Sox. Every team member was so down to earth and special!! Totally different from todays athletes”
We asked Hal if he still gets into the baseball today. Any favorite teams or players? Surprisingly, Trosky no longer follows the game that he was around for so long. Apparently it has changed too much for him.
“I do not follow todays pro athletes in any sport. I could count on two hands pro athletes in the sport today that I select to imulate [sic]“
….and who would those athletes be?
“To narrow it to my first choice of emulation would be Tim Tebow. His actions represent 95% of the ‘standards’ that every and all of my teammates exhibited every day we PLAYED THE GAME!!!”
Tim Tebow! Probably the biggest sensation of the 2011 NFL season seems to have the beginning of an “old school” fan club. Like him or not, Tebow plays the game of football with heart. That’s how sports are meant to be played. Mr. Trosky remembers the good ol’ days.
Read more about Hal Trosky Jr. at SABR
Read more about Hal Trosky Sr. at SABR
Full text of our correspondence. Click to enlarge
Next post: Ralph Mauriello recounts his baseball career, regrets, managers, teammates, and most memorable moment
Posted by esiason14 :: Posted in baseball correspondence, Questionnaires, TTM Autographs, vintage autographs
Tags: Baseball correspondence, Baseball letters, Chicago White Sox, Hal Trosky Jr., Hal Trosky Sr., Tim Tebow, TTM, TTM Autographs
There are so many great baseball related blogs out there. I follow several dozen. Before I head off to work everyday, I enjoy a cup of coffee while trying to stay up to date with all the new posts. Perhaps my favorite blogs that I follow are Baseball By the Letters (Tom Owens) and Baseball Interactions (Juan Rosales). I collect baseball correspondence and also enjoy reading about other collector’s successes. I only wish I had more time to share my collecting stories. I’m hoping 2012 will allow me to do so. Please keep in mind that I’m a software engineer and not a writer unless it’s a software test plan or requirements document.
For the past several years, I have tried to get my son into collecting. It’s a great hobby and I’m hoping he maintains his interest as he gets older. We collect so many different type of autographs: 1962 Topps, vintage items, HOF, etc. Too many to count. Without a doubt, our favorite collection pieces are our baseball letters. Letters are so much more personal than just a signed name. There is a connection, on some level, between the player and the collector. We like knowing that the Big Leaguer took some time to reflect on his career and share it with us. We have written to hundreds of players and our collection currently stands at ~ 400 letters. From Hall of Famers to players who only enjoyed a cup of coffee in the big leagues, we enjoy all of our responses the same.
So in 2012, we hope to share our successes on our blog. We hope you follow along.
Next up: Second generation big leaguer, Hal Trosky Jr., shares his thoughts on today’s players, his favorite managers and big league memory. Is he a Broncos fan?!
Posted by esiason14 :: Posted in baseball correspondence, Questionnaires, TTM Autographs
Congrats to Ron Santo on his selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame. On Monday, the Veteran’s Committee finally did the right thing. It was long overdue and at least a year too late. Ron passed away from complications of bladder cancer in December 2010.
Voting Results:
Ron Santo (15 votes, 93.75%)
Jim Kaat (10 votes, 62.5%)
Gil Hodges (9 votes, 56.25%)
Minnie Minoso (9 votes, 56.25%)
Tony Oliva (8 votes, 50%)
Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Allie Reynolds and Luis Tiant each received less than three votes.
Posted by esiason14 :: Posted in 1962 Topps, TTM Autographs, vintage autographs
It was cold and snowy and we had to wait outside, but it was worth it. My son got Brooks Robinson on an 11×14 and I added Brooks to my HOF photo. Brooks is always great with the fans.
Click images for full size
I didn’t post this before, but I also added Frank Robinson and Steve Carlton at the Chantilly, VA show on October 15th.
View other HOFers on the photo
Posted by esiason14 :: Posted in In-Person Autographs, Signing Events, vintage autographs
Tags: autograph signings, baltimore orioles, Brooks Robinson, Hall of Fame, HOF, In-Person Autographs, Multisigned
