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Willie Kamm

By Michael Ceraolo

Walter was, by far, the greatest pitcher I ever saw,
but he could be maddening as a manager and a man
He had enough confidence in me
to name me the interim manager
when he was hospitalized briefly in ’34,
in large part because he saw me giving young players
the benefit of my experience
So I was taken aback when he got rid of me
early in the ’35 season,
saying I was undermining his authority
by giving advice to young players!
I couldn’t let stand the implication
that I had done wrong and so deserved my fate,
so I requested a hearing with Commissioner Landis
The Commissioner determined I had done nothing wrong,
but he upheld management’s right to get rid of a player
for any reason, or no reason at all,
and that was the end of my major league career

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Robin Roberts

by Michael Ceraolo

I could be stubborn:
staying with my fastball for a few years
after it had lost its effectiveness,
believing the commissioner was independent
despite mounting evidence to the contrary,
but eventually I adapted
I’m proud to have been instrumental
in bringing in Marvin to head our Association,
though I think by the end he had gone too far
I think the game needs a commissioner
chosen by all interested parties,
not just the owners,
so he or she can be truly independent
and act in the best interests of the game

Who's Your Daddy?" ... Robin Roberts Edition - Baseball Roundtable

 

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The No No-No

by Greg Simetz

The fans in Cincinnati
Have been driven somewhat batty
By a ball club bound for doom.
Then hurlers Greene and Warren
Achieved a feat so rare and foreign
Finally cutting through the gloom.
Holding Pirate batters hitless
For eight innings, said one witness,
Appeared to seal a Redlegs win
But in a twist of fate so wicked
A fielder’s choice was committed
And they lost a no-hit gem.

 

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Rip Sewell

by Michael Ceraolo

I’m proud of my major-league career,
though some will denigrate it
because I pitched through the war
I’m proud of resurrecting the eephus pitch
(I thought I had invented it,
but I understand historians have found
someone who threw it before I was born)
But what I’m most proud of is my part
in the defeat of Murphy’s Guild in ’46:
I spoke out against the strike,
and the proposed union went down to defeat