Backup Catcher Hall of Fame Thoughts

The Backup Catcher Hall of Fame is gaining momentum with each passing day (or at least every time I mention it). Cuzz Gekas and I are finally seeing our dream come true after years of hard work. We have established our first class of inductees (Duffy Dyer, Bob Montgomery, Bill Plummer and Jeff Torborg). Vince Saputo has shown his support by tossing out several names for consideration.
Still, the question lingers as to how these players would feel about the BCHOF. The original idea was meant as an honor, but would ex-catchers see it that way?
Cuzz summed up his views with, "For BCs it is not simply a matter of donning the mask and gear and squatting behind the plate. It is a way of life. We are trying to reward the grinders who show up everyday knowing their playing time is limited but always have to be ready. They know they will never be stars or even starters, but approach their craft with a certain nobility."
Vince chimed in with, "No insult at all. These men had a career in baseball at its most physically punishing position. Many played on winning teams behind superb catchers. They knew, going in, that it would be a journeyman's task, not one of celebrity. Even after 10 years or more, they had to go out and get "real" jobs when catching days were over! That you have taken time to recognize their contribution should be taken as an honor."

I think our intent is clear. What about others? What do you think? Most importantly, what would a backup catcher think? What would Larry Haney think?

I really plan on asking a catcher some day about this. I just couldn't ask Haney when we met him. The logistics were bad (and obviously, so was our photographer!).

(Future BCHOF'er?) Larry Haney, Cuzz Gekas and me in Waukesha, WI-February 2010.

Backup Catcher Hall of Fame:Reader Contributions

I have gotten a bunch of good comments regarding the Backup Catcher Hall of Fame idea that Chuck E. Gekas and I have been putting together. Cuzz and I take this seriously, wanting to protect the integrity of the Hall and the honor of being inducted.
Last week, I saw a post that my old friend Vince Saputo made on his Facebook Wall. He listed seven men as nominees for the BCHOF. I will list his choices and the thoughts that Cuzz (my BCHOF partner) and I have on their merits.
Chris Krug and Dave Ricketts-These players simply did not spend enough time in the majors to get any real consideration.
Jim Pagliaroni-Pags played too much and was too good to be considered. Four years with 300+ AB's made for a nice career, but ruin his chance at the BCHOF.
Carl Sawatski-Sawatski is the toughest to determine. He played a bit more than necessary later in his career, which really works against him considering his era. This one might have to go to the veterans committee for further review.
Pat Corrales, Earl Averill and Doug Camilli-These three are viable candidates. They played enough games to be regular backups, but not too many to ever be considered starters. Their numbers were solid.
Overall, Cuzz and I applaud Vince's effort and interest. For a first attempt, Vince's suggestions were pretty good.
Other readers contributed many names. I will briefly give my thoughts on the players suggested.
Some catchers just didn't have quite enough of a career to be given serious consideration. Art Kusnyer, Larry Cox and Sal Butera had some success in the majors and should be proud of their careers. They just fall short for consideration.
The next group played too much. We understand that a backup catcher might be pressed into starting duty at times, but these catchers played more than half of the games in at least three years. Chris Widger, Mike Ryan and Joe Garagiola were starters too often or at least in the 'platoon' category.
Joe Ferguson is in a class of his own here. For one thing, he played too much at other positions. Twice he played over 50 games in the outfield. Plus, four times he caught more than half of his team's games. Additionally, most of this was done with the Dodgers who were an excellent team. Playing a lot for bad teams might be understandable. Playing a lot for playoff teams puts Ferguson out of consideration.

The final group was the biggest, proving my readers know their stuff (or at least their backup catchers). Each player in this group has the stats and the intangibles necessary for consideration. Kelly Stinnett, Paul Bako, Doug Mirabelli, Gary Bennett, Ken Rudolph, Greg Myers, Bruce Bochy, Luis Pujols, Bill Fahey, Tom Lampkin, Joe Nolan, Steve Swisher and Todd Pratt are all excellent candidates. As the years pass, I am sure many will be inducted into the BCHOF.
The momentum is picking up for the BCHOF. People realize we take it seriously when we are choosing catchers who fit the standards of the BCHOF. It takes a special player. Just ask Bill Plummer, Bob Montgomery, Jeff Torborg or Duffy Dyer (aka the first group of inductees).

Future BCHOFer (?) Bob Uecker in Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI-Summer 2009.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

I first met Vince Saputo about 20 years ago when we both worked at Lerner Newspapers. Years later, after Vince had left, his wife Melody joined Lerner. I got to know the Saputo family as we worked on several projects together. They were a lot of fun back in the day. They relocated a while back, but we recently reconnected through Facebook.
Vince is a District Sales Manager at Penton Media. He works directly with Electrical Contractors and Maintenance magazine and Electrical Wholesaling magazine. Vince writes his own blog, Poet at the edge, which is interesting, thought-provoking and informative.
When I saw that Vince posted a pic of him and Paul Teutul Sr., I asked him to share his story and he agreed.
Here's the story:Schneider Electric Co. is having Orange County Choppers build 8 bikes to give away during a promotion. As part of their efforts to promote this to electrical contractors, Schneider brought in Paul Sr. for a personal appearance on Monday, September 14, 2009, at the NECA (National Electrical Contractors Assn) trade show which was held at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle (WA).
Paul was there from about 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. The first half hour was given to people who had registered and won Paul Sr.'s book, so they could have a photo and an autograph. After that, they allowed any attendee or exhibitor to come up and have a photo taken with him. Well, I jumped in line!
I noticed all of the guys were standing and, of course, Paul was sitting, which I thought wouldn't make for a good photo. So, after I shook his hand and he said, "How are you doin/ Good to see you, man.", I said, "Thanks" and "I'm going to get down here with you." And he said, "Cool."
That way, I tried to get our faces on the same level. I think it worked.
I applaud Vince for his quick thinking on the photo composition. That is the mark of a true veteran. I also thank Vince for sharing his story. Hopefully, we will see more of the Saputo family here in the future.

Vince Saputo and Paul Teutul Sr. in Seattle, WA-September 2009.