By Gordon Engelhardt
Evansville Courier & Press
January 4, 2008

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" for his defensive prowess, will highlight the Night of Memories Feb 9 at the Vanderbutgh 4-H Center.  Paul Gries, who is in charge of inviting honored guests, had been trying to land Robinson for 3 years.  In the recent past Robinson always had a conflict because the Baltimore Orioles fantasy camp was held around the same time as the Night of Memories.

"This year they changed the date(of the Orioles' fantasy camp) and he was able to make the Night of Memories," Gries said. "It's a big deal for us, with him, Don and Preston(Mattingly), Jamey Carroll, Heath Phillips and Andy Benes."  In his 23-year career with the Orioles from 1955 to 1977, Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves and was an 18-time All-Star.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983.
 

Habitat for Humanity and the Tri-State Hot Stove League have teamed up to make the annual Night of Memories both a day and night to remember.
There is a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for noon on Feb. 9 at the New Haven Subdivision for the Good Sports Build in addition to the Night of Memories that evening at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center.
The Good Sports Build is a program dedicated to involving athletes with Southwestern Indiana ties in helping Habitat for Humanity build houses for families who lost their homes in the November 2005 tornado. The Night of Memories is a fundraiser for youth sports programs in Evansville.
Utah Jazz coach and former University of Evansville standout Jerry Sloan was in town last July to announce that his family foundation, the Bobbye and Jerry Sloan Hand-in-Hand Foundation, was contributing $50,000 to sponsor construction of a house in the subdivision next year. Located off South Green River Road at Fickas Road, New Haven homes are being built for families affected by the Nov. 6, 2005, tornado that claimed 25 lives in Evansville and Warrick County and destroyed more than 800 homes.
Habitat for Humanity and the Tri-State Hot Stove League has made a concerted effort to follow up the Sloan's generosity. The Hot Stove League's directors voted on Oct. 30 to appropriate $50,000 to help sponsor a Habitat house. Recently, Bob and Brian Griese came to the forefront.
"Bob and Brian have verbally agreed to sponsor one house together," said Hot Stove League Vice President Paul Gries.

So far, the following guests have committed to attend the Night of Memories: Andy Benes, Don and Preston Mattingly, Jamey Carroll, Harry Spilman, Heath Phillips, Brad Wilkerson, Eric Campbell, Jay Buente, Boots Day and Cathy (Sloan) Wood (Jerry Sloan's daughter). Dec 26 Update - Brooks Robinson Coming

Sally Gries, director of community relations for Habitat, is hoping some of the athletes will donate their time to visit patients Feb. 9 at HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital. "We're hoping six to eight guys will be able to visit with HealthSouth," she said.  "With the character of the people in Southern Indiana, I think they will do that," added Paul Gries, her second cousin. "The first person to step up to the plate was Jamey Carroll."
Carroll's game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th inning lifted the Colorado Rockies to victory over the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card tiebreaker. The Rockies eventually advanced to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
Tickets for the Night of Memories are available at the Habitat office, 1401 N. Fares Avenue or by calling (812) 423-5623. They can also be purchased from all of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference baseball coaches and athletic departments and the UE and University of Southern Indiana baseball coaches.

DAVE JOHNSON, Executive Sports Editor
Thursday, February 15, 2007

Bobby Allison's auto racing career came to an end in a near-fatal crash at Pocono Motor Speedway in 1988.
Allison's legs were crushed and his skull was smashed. He was unconscious for three weeks and spent several months in the hospital.
When he got out, the man who won 84 Winston Cup races decided 23 years was enough.

Not that he'd ever given any thought to being killed while driving a racecar.
"No, never," Allison said during his appearance at the Tri-State Hot Stove League's annual Night of Memories fund-raiser last weekend. "I always thought that every accident that I was ever in was going to be my last - that it wouldn't happen again.
"I guess I wasn't smart enough to realize how dangerous it was," he said with a slight smile. Then he got serious again and added: "But I did lose two sons."
In 1992, Clifford Allison died in a crash at Michigan Speedway. Eleven months later, Davey Allison was killed in a crash while trying to land his helicopter at Talladega Superspeedway. "There's nothing worse," Bobby Allison said, "than losing a child."
- Jeff Gordon is Allison's favorite driver. "I like him. The guy is really, really good," said Allison. "His biggest failing is that he's too easy on his people. He doesn't take enough of the credit and gets too much of the blame. He needs more support."
- Don Mattingly remembers the only time he circled the track in a racecar.
Mattingly wasn't driving, though. He was in the back seat of a pace car at Michigan Speedway, before the Michigan 500. Gordon Johncock was driving.
"I can see Johncock in the rear-view mirror and he's smiling," Mattingly recalled.
When Mattingly glanced out the rear window, he found out why. "Dale Earnhardt's about 3/8th of an inch behind us."
"Here we are, going 90 miles an hour, and Earnhardt's less than an inch from our bumper. I'm thinking, 'Man, this is crazy.' "
- Mattingly, the New York Yankees bench coach, on whether he's looking forward to succeeding Joe Torre as the Yankees' manager someday: "The quicker you get to the top of the ladder, the closer you are to getting tossed off the ladder."

- Bob Feller, another 2007 Night headliner, was asked to compare pitchers today with those of his day.
"Today's pitchers don't work hard enough," said the 88-year-old Hall of Famer, who grew up on a farm in Iowa. "I got in shape by picking corn, milking cows and cleaning out the barn. Today, they play video games and get on the computer."
Asked how he'd pitch to Barry Bonds, Feller said: "The same way I pitched to Ted Williams. I'd throw fastballs in on his hands. Then I'd throw him big, overhand curveballs."
Williams batted .344 during his Hall of Fame career, but he hit just .241 against Feller.
"I had more trouble with (Joe) DiMaggio," Feller said. "He hit about .300 against me."
In 18 big-league seasons, Feller won 266 games and struck out over 2,500 batters. He noted his fastball was once clocked at 107.9 mph. "I throw as hard as I ever did," he said. "But the ball won't go as fast."

DAVE JOHNSON, Executive Sports Editor
Sunday, February 11, 2007

 Photos by Bob Gwaltney

Don Mattingly was at the Night of Memories Saturday.  As usual, "Babee" Pickett was there, too.
The Evansville woman may be Donnie Baseball's biggest fan. She showed up at the Vanderburgh 4H Center at 6:38 a.m., nearly 9½ hours before an autograph session featuring Mattingly and other celebrity signers got under way.
This was the eighth straight year that Mattingly - and Pickett - have been at the Night, the Tri-State Hot Stove League's annual youth-sports fundraiser. "I'm always first in line," said Pickett, 58. "I guess I'm just crazy - a Donnie freak."
Pickett started following Mattingly in 1984, the year the Evansville native and former New York Yankees first baseman won the American League batting title. After that season, she met him for the first time at Mattinglys' 23, the restaurant he operated on Evansville's East Side.
"He signed a baseball and let me have my picture taken with him," Pickett recalled. "I was wearing my Yankees jacket. It fit back then."
On Saturday, she got her hero's autograph for the 69th time, on a Mattinglys' 23 menu. She also had Mattingly's son Preston, who is an infielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system, sign a couple of baseball cards.
"Someday, all of my stuff will go to my nieces and nephews," said Pickett, who has never married. "They can add Preston to the collection, too. I'm already giving them a head start."
Pickett keeps all of her Mattingly memorabilia in one room of her Southeast Side home. "It's the Donnie Room - a shrine."
It contains Mattingly pictures, bats, posters, prints ... even grocery sacks from a local supermarket that put Mattingly's picture on them.
Her favorite item? Probably a Mattingly-signed bowling ball.
"It looks just like a baseball, with seams and everything," Pickett said. "Bill Vukovich (who owns River City Recreation) engraved it for me. It's one of a kind; he said he'll never do another one like it."
Pickett had Mattingly autograph the ball at a previous Night of Memories.
"Then I carried that 16-pound sucker up the hill" to the Auditorium, where the main program is held. "I was hurting."
But probably not so much as when she pierced her own ear so she could hang a "23" ear ring (Mattingly's jersey number) from it.
"That really hurt."
Or when she had her arm and leg tattooed.
"The one on my arm has 'NY, 23' and Donnie's signature," she said. "The one on my leg has a baseball and '.307' (Mattingly's lifetime batting average).
"And they're all on the left side - left ear, left arm, left leg - because's Donnie's left-handed."
Pickett will turn 59 on April 20, the same day Mattingly turns 46. "I didn't realize we had the same birthday until I bought his first baseball card and saw it on the back."
She said she used to have her birthday parties at Mattingly's restaurant, which closed in 1996.
"Every year I'd give everybody my Donnie Quiz, which was a bunch of trivia questions about him. Anybody who missed over half the questions had to stand up and sing the national anthem. Sometimes it got pretty loud in there."
Pickett and Mattingly don't just share the same birthday.
"My middle initial is A; his middle initial is A. My dad and mom's names are Bill and Mary; his dad and mom's names are Bill and Mary. ... It's freaky."
Pickett said she isn't sure Mattingly knows her name, "but I think he remembers me when he sees me. He's always really nice."
She's gotten to know Preston Mattingly a little better.
"He dates my niece. I told him, 'Preston, when you and Jesse get married, it won't be like I'm stalking you guys any more. We'll be family.' "

   Feller was 'Rapid' to serve his country
DAVE JOHNSON, Executive Sports Editor
Wednesday, February 7, 2007

If you check out the stats from Bob Feller's baseball career, you can't help but notice the gap.
Feller broke into the major leagues in 1936 and retired in 1956. In 18 seasons, all with the Cleveland Indians, the hard-throwing righthander won 266 games and struck out more than 2,500 batters.
But you have to wonder how many more wins and how many more strikeouts Feller would have had if it hadn't been for the gap - the nearly four full seasons he missed while serving his country in World War II.
Feller entered the Navy on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was the first major leaguer to enlist in the armed services.
Feller had just turned 23, and he was coming off a season in which he went 25-13 with 250 strikeouts and finished third in the American League's Most Valuable Player voting. When he heard about the attack, he was driving to Chicago from his farm in Iowa to meet with Indians general manager Cy Slapnicka and negotiate his 1942 contract.
Feller drove on to Chicago and told Slapnicka he planned to enlist immediately. Actually, he didn't have to volunteer because he had a draft deferment; his father was dying of cancer and Feller was the sole support of his family, which included his mother and a younger sister.
"But I didn't give it a second thought," said Feller, who will be in Evansville for the annual Night of Memories fundraiser on Saturday. "I knew (the United States) was in bad trouble."
After basic training, Feller was assigned to the USS Alabama. He was put in charge of an anti-aircraft gun crew and was on board the battleship for 34 months - at first in European waters and then in the Pacific, "dodging subs and U-boats." He earned five campaign ribbons and eight battle stars.
Whenever he could find time, Feller kept his pitching arm in shape by playing catch aboard ship or on islands in the Pacific. So he wasn't overly rusty when he rejoined the Indians after being discharged in late August of 1945.
There were five weeks left in the season, enough for Feller to make nine starts and go 5-3 with seven complete games. He was 27 then, and he'd already compiled a record of 112-57 and led the majors in strikeouts for four straight years.
In his first two seasons back from the war, Feller went 26-15 and 20-11. Over the next four, he was 72-48.
By now, though, Feller was 33 and past his prime. The eight-time all-star pitched five more seasons but won just 36 more games before retiring at the end of the 1956 season. Nevertheless, his 266-162 record, 3.25 earned run average and 2,581 strikeouts got him elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, the first year he was eligible.
At the time he retired, Feller ranked 14th all-time in victories and third in strikeouts. In the 50 years since, he's slipped to 35th and 24th.
But if it hadn't been for that four-year gap ...
"People have projected that I probably would have had 100 more wins and 1,000 to 1,500 more strikeouts," said Feller, who averaged 24 wins and 262 strikeouts in the five years before and after the war.
That easily would have vaulted him into the all-time Top 10 in both departments. Not that that matters to him.
"No, not at all," he said. "You do what you have to do."
- Nicknamed "Rapid Robert," Feller threw a 95- to 100-mph fastball and could hit 102 to 105 "on a good day." But that alone didn't make him great.
"If your fastball isn't moving, it doesn't matter how hard you throw," he said. "But I had a good curveball, too."
Feller was still in high school when the Indians signed him. And he was 3½ months shy of his 18th birthday when he struck out 15 St. Louis Browns in his big-league debut in July of 1936. Later that season, he fanned 17 Philadelphia A's to tie the single-game record. The next year he broke it by striking out 18 Detroit Tigers.
Feller, who threw three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters, still attends spring training and makes personal appearances for the Indians. However, he quit throwing batting practice about 10 years ago.
"I've slowed down a little bit," said Feller, who's 88. "If I (threw BP) today, I couldn't comb my hair for a week."
- In a telephone interview, Feller touched on several other subjects, including:
- The war in Iraq: "It's been mismanaged; it was not well-planned. We don't have the leaders we had 60 years ago. We should have gone in with 450,000 troops, tanks and good supply lines. We should have had Marshal Law and curfew. That's what we did in Japan and it worked, didn't it?"
- Leading candidates for election to the Hall of Fame when the veterans' committee announces the results of its balloting on Feb. 27: "I think Gil Hodges might make it, and I like Cecil Travis, Riggs Stephenson and Lefty O'Doul."
- Baseball's Steroids Era: "Anybody who takes steroids is stupid. Those guys are gonna die in their early 50s, if not before. They're lousing up their bodies and their brains and their reproductive organs and everything else. ...
"I hope those guys never make the Hall of Fame. But then, anybody with any brains is not gonna vote for anybody who's on steroids."
 

'Rapid Robert' joins lineup for Feb. 10 Night of Memories
By DAVE JOHNSON
Courier & Press executive sports editor 464-7522
johnsond@courierpress.com
Thursday, January 25, 2007
 
 

As a former high school coach and minor-league infielder, Paul Gries knows his baseball.  But he admits he'd forgotten how good Bob Feller was until he looked up the pitcher's stats on the Internet. "That refreshed my memory," Gries said.
"Two hundred and sixty-six wins ... three no-hitters ... a ton of strikeouts ... boy, this guy was big."
And he's coming to Evansville. Gries, who is in charge of lining up celebrity guests and memorabilia for the Tri-State Hot Stove League, said Wednesday that Feller has agreed to attend the club's 2007 Night of Memories. The annual youth-sports fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Vanderburgh 4H Center.
"We're just real excited that Bob Feller has agreed to be one of our honored guests," said Gries, the Hot Stove League's vice-president. "He's 87 years old and apparently still going strong. We feel fortunate to get him and to give people in the Tri-State a chance to see him and get his autograph."
Feller joins NASCAR legend Bobby Allison and Evansville's Don Mattingly, the New York Yankees bench coach, in headlining this year's Night. They're among more than a dozen celebrities who already have accepted invitations, and Gries said he's hoping to bring in at least one more big-name guest - possibly Oscar Robertson, the basketball Hall of Famer.
It's been over 50 years since Feller threw his final big-league pitch, but he remains one of the greatest in baseball history. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year on the ballot.  Nicknamed "Rapid Robert" because of his 100-mph fastball, Feller compiled a record of 266 wins and 162 losses in 18 big-league seasons, all with the Cleveland Indians, between 1936 and 1956. In 1969, when Major League Baseball selected its all-time team as part of its 100th anniversary celebration, he was named the game's "greatest living righthander."  Feller threw three one-hitters and 12 one-hitters and is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on opening day (in 1940, against the Chicago White Sox). He led the American league in victories seven times and in strikeouts six times.
"And if it hadn't been for the war, he surely would have won more than 300 games," said Gries, a reference to the fact that Feller was in his prime when he missed three seasons, 1943-45, while serving in the Navy during World War II.
Gries said the club "has a good chance" of also getting Robertson for the 2007 Night. "He's supposed to let us know for sure in the next few days."
Most confirmed guests are current or former athletes from the Tri-State. The list includes Colorado Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes, former major leaguers Harry Spilman, Bob Sykes, Boots Day and Bo Hart; minor leaguers Heath Phillips, Preston Mattingly, Eric Campbell, Neil Sellers, Bryan Rueger and Jay Buente; former Reitz football standout Don Hansen, who spent 12 seasons in the NFL; and Bobby Plump, the former Milan High School basketball player whose last-second, game-winning basket in the 1954 Indiana state finals inspired the movie "Hoosiers."
The Night of Memories will include an autograph session and live and silent auctions of sports and nonsports memorabilia. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the adults-only main program starting at 6:30. The autograph session is from 4 to 5:30 and is open to anyone with a paid admission ticket. Gries said fees have not been finalized, but probably will range from $15 to $30" per signature.
Admission is $20. Tickets are on sale at local high school athletic offices during school hours or by calling (812) 401-0715. Eight-seat corporate tables also are available. Call 425-2600.
"If my memory is correct, Bob Feller once pitched in an exhibition game at Bosse Field against the New York Giants and Wille Mays and Monte Irvin. I believe it ocurred in the '50's as the two team broke from spring training in Arizona. Not sure Bob would remember that, but my father--also from Iowa(I believe Feller hailed from Van Meter, Iowa, just west of Des Moines)--got me into the clubhouse of the Indians after the game where I had the opportunity to meet some of the Indians players, and thus became a lifelong Indians fan. It might be good for Paul Gries to ask Feller about that". .....Tom Akin
 

With Mattingly on hand, Memories is never a tough sell
By Dave Johnson
Courier & Press executive sports editor 464-7522
e-mail: johnsond@courierpress.com
Tuesday, January 9, 2007

The Tri-State Hot Stove League's eighth annual Night of Memories is a little more than a month away.
"Eight years ... it doesn't seem possible," said club president Larry Broerman.
But that's what it is, and Don Mattingly has been there every step of the way.
The Evansville native and New York Yankees coach will again help headline this year's Night. The youth-sports fundraiser is Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Vanderburgh 4H Center.
The event has attracted Hall of Famers and other big-name sports figures over the years, including Yogi Berra, Scott Rolen, Bob Griese, Paul Hornung, Whitey Herzog and Harmon Killebrew. NASCAR legend Bobby Allison will be there this year.
However, club officials say nobody's appearance is more important than Mattingly's.
"Donnie has been with us every year, and it's very important for him to be on board," said Hot Stove League vice-president Paul Gries. "He's so respected around the country, all you have to do is mention his name and peoples' eyes light up."
One of Gries' duties each year is to send letters of invitation to potential celebrity guests.
"All I have to say is, 'Don Mattingly's gonna be here,' " said Gries, "and they listen."
In addition to Allison and Mattingly, the 2007 Night of Memories will feature big-leaguers from the area, such as Colorado Rockies infielder Clint Barmes, who's from Vincennes; old-timers such as Harry Spilman of St. Phillips, Ind., and Bob Sykes of Carmi, Ill., and former NFL linebacker Don Hansen of Evansville, and area minor leaguers like Heath Phillips of Evansville, Eric Campbell of Owensville and Preston Mattingly, Don's son.
Sykes must have thought he was seeing double when he was introduced to Preston Mattingly before a Night of Memories press conference on Monday.
"Boy, this makes me feel old," Sykes said. "Preston wasn't even born when Donnie and I were teammates (with the Yankees in 1982)." He smiled and added: "Man, he looks just like his dad looked the first time I saw him in spring training."
Preston Mattingly, who was the Los Angeles Dodgers' first pick in last year's June draft, said he's looking forward to attending his first Night. "I've always heard Dad talk about it. It sounds like a fun experience."
Other guests include ex-major leaguers Boots Day and Bo Hart and Bobby Plump, the former Milan High School basketball player whose game-winning basket in the 1954 state finals inspired the movie "Hoosiers."
Gries said there's a chance the celebrity-guest list will grow in the next four or five days. "We're waiting to hear back from Bob Griese, Oscar Robertson and Jay Cutler."
Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the adults-only main program starting at 6:30. An autograph session is set for 4 to 5:30 and is open to anyone with a paid admission ticket.
Admission is $20. Tickets are available at local high school athletic offices during school hours or by calling (812) 401-0715. Autograph fees will be finalized"in a couple of weeks," Gries said.
About 20 memorabilia items, most of them autographed, will be up for bid during the live and silent auctions. They include: a bat signed by 23 baseball Hall of Famers; a game-issued Rolen jersey signed by last year's world champion St. Louis Cardinals; autographed jerseys of Berra, Don Mattingly, Drew Brees, Mark Prior and Jamey Carroll, and tickets to Cardinals games and to the 2008 Super Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
n

Newburgh Police Chief Brett Sprinkle nabbed a speeder the other day.
Actually, the guy wasn't really speeding - although he has plenty of times in the past.
No, Sprinkle brought in legendary NASCAR driver Bobby Allison because he was wanted by the Tri-State Hot Stove Baseball League.
With the chief's help, Allison has agreed to headline the club's annual Night of Memories fund-raiser on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.
Sprinkle and his father, Hot Stove member Gary Sprinkle, landed Allison with the help of Ken Harr, assistant director of security for the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Brett Sprinkle said he and Harr, a lieutenant with the Sullivan County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Dept., became good friends several years ago while they were attending the FBI Academy in Washington, D.C.
"I told Ken how much I'd love to see a race in Bristol and he's invited me and Dad down every year," said Sprinkle. "Then we started talking about how great it would be if we could get one of the drivers to come to Evansville for the Night of Memories.
"Ken mentioned that he has a neighbor who's good friends with Bobby Allison. He said every time Allison is in Bristol, he stays at the neighbor's house."
The neighbor asked Allison if he'd be willing to attend the Night of Memories. Allison, who has stayed active in racing by doing autograph sessions and appearances since retiring as a driver in 1988, said he'd try to fit it into his schedule.
"We thought we had him for the Night of Memories last year. But the date conflicted with a wedding he had to attend in New York," Brett Springer said. "So we got ahold of him earlier this year and he said he could make it."
Hot Stove vice-president Paul Gries said the club is "thrilled" to be able to bring in Allison, who was chosen as one of the 50 greatest drivers when NASCAR celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998.
Previous Nights of Memories have featured mostly baseball, football and basketball stars. "So Bobby Allison will hopefully bring in some new people, people who may not have attended our event in the past," Gries said.
"We've been trying to get somebody from NASCAR for several years. Now that we've got Bobby, we may be able to develop a network where we can get a different driver every year or every couple of years."
Though he hasn't raced competitively since 1988, when he was critically injuried in an accident at Pocono Raceway, Allison remains one of the biggest names in NASCAR. His 84 Winston Cup victories rank third all-time, behind Richard Petty's 200 and David Pearson's 105, and he's a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Allison, who turned 69 last week, was a leading driver on the NASCAR circuit from 1966 through 1988. He won a career-best 10 races in 1971 and again in 1972 and earned over $7.7 million.
The 1983 Winston Cup series champion won the Daytona 500 three times and also was a three-time runner-up. He won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award six times.
Allison and other guests will attend the Night of Memories' autograph session from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5, with the program, which is open to adults only, set for 6:30. During the program, several hundred memorabilia items will be put up for bid in live and silent auctions.

General admission tickets cost $20 and are available by calling (812) 401-0715. Corporate tables are available at 425-2600. Autograph fees will beset when thecelebrity-guest list is confirmed, Gries said.
The Hot Stove League has raised more than $600,000 from its seven previous Nights. Paul Hornung teamed with Evansville natives Don Mattingly and Bob Griese, who have been with the event from the start, to headline last year's fund-raiser, which pulled in over $100,000.
The club distributes proceeds to 100 youth-sports organizations in the Tri-State.
- Contact Dave Johnson at 464-7522 or johnsond@courierpress.com
 
 

By Dave Johnson
Executive Sports Editor
February 13, 2006

Paul Hornung was one of the greatest players in Notre Dame football history. He was an all-America quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 1956.
However, as a youngster growing up in Louisville, he never really dreamed about playing for the Fighting Irish.
"I wanted to play for Kentucky," Hornung said.
During Hornung's senior year at Flaget High School, when he quarterbacked the Braves to the mythical state championship, Kentucky coach Paul "Bear" Bryant paid Hornung a visit. So did Babe Parilli, the Wildcats' all-America quarterback.
"Parilli was my idol," Hornung said. "Ralph Beard (who had led UK to two NCAA basketball championships in the late 1940s) came to my home, too."
Bryant wanted Hornung in the worst way. He even offered a deal to Hornung and his Flaget teammate, halfback Sherrill Sipes: If you guys come to Kentucky, I'll give the 11 other seniors on your team a scholarship, too.
Unfortunately for UK fans, Bryant's all-out recruiting blitz didn't really stand a chance.
"My mother was a very strict Catholic. She wanted me to go to Notre Dame. She was always doing the rosary thing," Hornung recalled with a smile.
So when Sipes decided to go to Notre Dame, Hornung went along with him.
"Sipes and I became the first two high-school teammates to ever start in the same Notre Dame backfield," Hornung said during the Tri-State Hot Stove League's Night of Memories fundraiser Friday. "I've always been very proud of that."
He's also proud to have won a Heisman Trophy - not only because he was the first to win the award while playing on a losing team (the Irish were 2-8 in 1956), but also because of the individual competition he faced that year.
"I've always thought that was the greatest class in Heisman Trophy history," Hornung said.
Tennessee running back Johnny Majors was runner-up in the balloting. Rounding out the top five were Oklahoma halfback Tommy McDonald, Oklahoma center and linebacker Jerry Tubbs and Syracuse halfback Jim Brown, who Hornung calls "the best football player who ever lived."
The top 10 vote-getters also included Stanford quarterback John Brodie, Michigan end Ron Kramer and Ohio State guard Jim Parker, "the best offensive lineman of all-time," in Hornung's opinion.
"Everybody in the top 10 is in the College Football Hall of Fame," said Hornung, who went on to have a great NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. "And seven are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Hornung is in both. So is Evansville native Bob Griese, the former Purdue and Miami Dolphins quarterback. Griese also attended the Night of Memories, and he chided Hornung during a question-and-answer segment.
"Obviously, Paul," said Griese with a sly smile, "you went to Notre Dame because you couldn't get into Purdue."
As the audience roared, Hornung shot back: "I graduated cum laude, Griese. ... By the way, did you graduate?"
Griese did, after leading the Boilermakers to a record of 25-7-1 from 1964 to '66.
"I love you now, Bob," said Hornung, "but I didn't like you when you played at Purdue."
In 1963, while he was with the Packers, Hornung got into trouble for betting on NFL games. So did six Detroit Lions players, including all-pro tackle Alex Karras. Hornung and Karras were suspended for a year by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle.
Another sports legend, hockey's Wayne Gretzky, is currently embroiled in a gambling scandal.
"If he gets away with this," said Hornung, "I wish I'd have known him back in my day."
A freak injury cost Clint Barmes a shot at winning last year's National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Colorado Rockies' shortstop missed three months after he slipped and broke his collarbone while carrying a slab of deer meat - a gift from Rockies teammate Todd Helton - up the steps to his apartment.
When he went to his seat Friday night, Barmes found it occupied by a mounted deer head.
Said Evansville's Don Mattingly, the New York Yankees hitting coach: "One word, Clint: elevator. Hey, you're in the big leagues. Get an apartment with an elevator."
Mattingly wasn't the first to poke fun at the Vincennes product.
"I guess I'll always be the deer meat guy," said Barmes. "Every city I go into, all I hear is, 'Hey, Barmes, where's the deer meat?' "
The Hot Stovers raised $111,000 at their seventh-annual fundraiser. President Larry Broerman said after expenses are met, the club will have $85,000 to $90,000 to distribute to area youth-sports groups.
Treasurer Steve Millay said the live and silent memorabilia auctions generated $46,000 and $18,700 came from the autograph session.
Two tickets to next year's Super Bowl in Miami sold for $7,200. It was the highest price for an auction item in the history of the event.
The winning bidder was a woman wearing a Dolphins necklace. She declined to give her name, but said she's a big fan of Griese, who supplies the club with a pair of Super Bowl tickets each year. This was the sixth time she'd been the high bidder.
"It's just something I enjoy doing," she explained.
She said she attends the Night of Memories every year but seldom bids on other items. "When you pay that much for tickets, you don't have money for anything else."

Professional athletes' lives are full of commitments. Assuming a spouse and children aren't in the picture, the list usually goes something like this: team, training, media and guest appearances. And that's the abbreviated version.

The few who make it to superstar status live in an even greater whirlwind that can cross genres such as music and movies. It's hard enough to book a date with one professional athlete. So imagine trying to get 18 together for an autograph show in Evansville on a frigid February day. "It drives me crazy until I know they're here," said Paul Gries, the man charged with the task. Gries, vice president of the Tri-State Hot Stove Baseball League, started netting commitments for this year's Night of Memories autograph show about 10 months ago. On Friday afternoon, everything came together. Well, almost everything. Two of the 18 guests canceled.

Minor league baseball player Heath Phillips had a family emergency. His wife got sick, so he flew back to Florida to be with her, Gries said. Brian Griese, who started six games at quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year until he went down with an injury, got stranded in a snowstorm at an airport in Memphis. "They closed the airport down," Gries said. "Brian not being here might cost us $5,000. He's that big."

But the cast was still star-studded. Evansville's own Don Mattingly was there as usual, this time without the signature mustache. The elder Griese, Bob, a Hall of Fame quarterback and college football announcer, made it too. Paul Hornung drew a slew of Notre Dame fans hungry for a signature from a Heisman Trophy winner. Organizers expected to raise more than $100,000, the bulk of which will be funneled into local charities and athletics. Most of the athletes volunteer for the show. Only a few have ever requested a paycheck. Gries wouldn't say who or how much. In an age where big names can demand, and most often receive, thousands of dollars for a single appearance, Gries worries that money might be a bigger factor at future shows. The Hot Stove League and its corporate sponsors pay most of the athletes' expenses, such as lodging, airfare and dining. Many of the established ones such as Bob Griese pay their own way. "We try to take care of them as much as we can," Gries said.

Griese and Mattingly, who have been with the show since it started, help recruit athletes who don't have local ties. Three years ago, Mattingly brought fellow retired Yankee Yogi Berra. Berra alone raised thousands of dollars and was one of the most popular guests ever, Gries said. Gries convinced Griese to bring his son, but Mother Nature interrupted. Gries has his eyes on Brooks Robinson for next year's show. He's been working the former Baltimore Orioles third baseman for several years, but Robinson has always had a schedule conflict. Gries said he might move the autograph show back a month to accommodate him. St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman Scott Rolen is such a busy man that Gries schedules him only once every three years. "These guys got a life too, and they can't just come every time," he said. "They've got other commitments too."

Basketball players are the toughest to get because the show takes place during the middle of their season. Gries is still waiting for current Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan to retire. He hopes Sloan, who played at the University of Evansville, will become a regular when his coaching days are over. "When Jerry Sloan retires, he's going to settle," Gries said. "And we're going to have him here."

© 2005 The Evansville Courier Co.
 

As usual, there will be big names at the Night of Memories. Names like Don Mattingly, Bob Griese, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lattner and Bobby Plump.
But there will be some other names, too - names that you could even take home with you. Names like Lance Amstrong, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Brooks Robinson and Rick Pitino. Mattingly, Griese, Hornung, Lattner and Plump are on the list of celebrities that will appear at the 2006 Night, the annual
Tri-State Hot Stove League fund-raiser that's scheduled for Friday at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. Plus, Hot Stove League vice-president Paul Gries said
more than 150 memorabilia items will be auctioned during the evening program, many of them autographed by Armstrong, Bird, Pitino and other sports legends.
Among them: - A racing shirt signed by Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion;
- A large picture autographed by Johnson and Bird;
-A limited-edition print of Notre Dame football stars that's signed by Hornung, Lattner and fellow Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli and Johnny Lujack;
- A set of Gold Glove baseballs autographed by nine of the game's all-time best fielders, includingRobinson and Jim Kaat, who each won 16 of the awards, Mattingly, who won nine, plus "Pudge" Rodriguez, Luis Aparicio, Joe Morgan, Andre Dawson, Al Kaline and Dave Winfield. A similar Gold Glove set sold for $4,500 at the 2004 event. "We're hoping this one goes for about the same price," he said, "and the Notre Dame print should go high, too."
Gries explained that Hot Stove member Gary Ankrom obtained the framed Notre Dame print several years ago. It had been autographed byBerteli, the 1943 Heisman Trophy winner who died in 1999. A couple of weeks ago, Ankrom mailed the print to Lujack, the 1947 Heisman winner, and the 81-year-old former QB added his signature. "We'll have Hornung and Lattner sign it Friday," said Gries. "Tell people if they're a Notre Dame fan, they'd better plan to be there and bid. They may not get an opportunity like this again."  Gries said the club has raised about $500,000 from its six previous Nights of Memories.
"We've made about $320,000 in the past three years alone," he said, "and about $35,000 a year comes from the auction."  Other items that will be up for bid this year include two tickets to next year's Super Bowl and autographed jerseys of Colorado Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes of Vincennes, Ind., and Washington Nationals infielder Jamey Carroll, the former Castle and University of Evansville player.

For more information, go to www.hotstoveleague.org.

© 2005 The Evansville Courier Co.
 
 

By DAVE JOHNSON,
Executive Sports Editor
January 10, 2006

It couldn't have been easy, following in his Hall of Fame father's footsteps.
But Brian Griese has done a lot on the football field to make Bob Griese proud.
Bob quarterbacked Purdue to a Rose Bowl victory in 1967. Brian did the same with Michigan three decades later, leading the Wolverines to an unbeaten season and a share of the national championship. Bob spent 14 seasons in the NFL and played on three Super Bowl teams with the Miami Dolphins.
In 1998, Brian reached the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. Two years later, when he compiled a franchise-record 102.9 passer rating for the Broncos, Brian joined his dad, an Evansville native, as the only father-son combination to win NFL passing titles. Not bad for the Griese kid, who has played eight NFL seasons. Still, it's probably what he's accomplished off the field that has made his dad the proudest.
Each year, Brian holds a golf tournament in Michigan to raise money for a children's hospital. He also has been involved in fund-raising efforts for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and for PUSH for the Cure, which benefits spinal cord and brain injury research.
But the main focus of his attention is the Judith Ann Griese Foundation, which he founded in Denver four years ago. It's a memorial to his mother, who died of breast cancer when Brian was 12.
He also opened Judi's House - a place where grieving children and their families can go to cope with the loss of a loved one.
"This is his big passion during the offseason," Bob Griese said. "And it's a great thing. In four years, they've helped over 1,000 kids and their families."
Brian Griese is hardly the first celebrity to lend his name to a good cause. Unlike some, though, he gets directly involved in the day-to-day operation. It literally consumes him. "Brian started this himself," his dad said. "He put a lot of his own money into it. He even wrote the mission statement ... If he wasn't playing football, I think he'd be doing this full-time."  Brian and his wife have moved to Tampa, where he plays quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but still makes frequent trips back to Denver. Judi's House and the foundation "will be Brian's legacy," Bob said. "Fans in Denver will remember him much more for his philanthropic efforts than for what he did as a football player."
All the charity work keeps him pretty busy - but not too busy to help with yet another good cause. Bob said Monday that Brian will accompany him to Evansville next month for the 2006 Night of Memories. The Feb. 10 event at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center will be the Tri-State Hot Stove League's seventh-annual fund-raiser for area youth-sports programs. "I've always invited him, but this is the first time he's been able to do it," Bob said.
A couple of times, off-season surgeries have kept the younger Griese from attending. Even now, he's recuperating from a season-ending knee injury that sidelined him in mid-October, after he led the Buccaneers to a 5-1 start.
The elder Griese, a Rex Mundi High School graduate, has been a semi-regular at previous Nights. Also, he annually supplies the club with a pair of Super Bowl tickets that usually sells for $4,000 or more during the program's live auction.
This year's Night of Memories will have more of a football flavor than in previous years, what with Heisman Trophy winners Paul Hornung and Johnny Lattner having accepted invitations, too. All four will appear at the pre-program autograph session, along with baseball's Don Mattingly, Clint Barmes, Jamey Carroll and Brad Wilkerson. Fees will be $30 per item for Hornung, Mattingly and Bob Griese's signatures and $20 for the others, vice-president Paul Gries said.
"We're really excited, and we're really glad Brian could make it," Gries said. "This gives us another great lineup."
The Hot Stove League has raised over $500,000 from the Night of Memories, and all of the proceeds go to area youth-sports groups.
"That's why I come back," Bob Griese said.
And why his son keeps following in his footsteps.

COURIER & PRESS
By DAVE JOHNSON,
Executive Sports Editor
January 5, 2006

It's not every day you get a chance to meet a Heisman Trophy winner. One day next month, you'll get a chance to meet two.
Johnny Lattner has agreed to join fellow Notre Dame football legend Paul Hornung at the Tri-State Hot Stove League's 2006 Night of Memories.
The seventh annual fundraiser for area youth-sports programs is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, at the Vanderburgh 4H Center.
Lattner received the Heisman as the nation's top college football player in 1953. Hornung won the award in 1956. "It's always nice to come back to Evansville,"
said Lattner, who lives in Chicago but has relatives here. "And I always enjoy getting together with Paul. When he was a freshman at Notre Dame, I was a senior. (Coach Frank) Leahy had me be his 'big brother,' so I got to know him pretty well. We don't get to see each other as often as we used to, so this'll be nice."

Lattner and Hornung head a Night of Memories celebrity-guest list that will feature at least a half-dozen former and current major-league baseball players and other former big-name athletes. Don Mattingly, Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes, Brad Wilkerson, Harry Spilman, Boots Day and Bob Sykes have agreed to attend, and the club has extended invitations to Bob Griese, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, Andy Benes and Bobby Plump.

"We're waiting to to hear back from those four and one or two others. We should know more in a week or so," said Hot Stove vice-president Paul Gries. With or without them, the club has put together another strong lineup. "It's a pretty big deal to have two Heisman Trophy winners - especially from a school like Notre Dame, which is back in the limelight again," Gries said. "We'll probably have Johnny and Paul sit side-by-side (during the autograph session) because there's gonna be a bunch of people who'll want to get both of their signatures."

The autograph session has proven to be a hit with fans and a big moneymaker for the club, which has raised over $500,000 from six previous Nights. Gries said Lattner, Hornung, Mattingly, Barmes, Wilkerson and Carroll will appear at the autograph session. Fees will be $30 per item for Hornung and Mattingly and $20 each for the others. Much of the rest of the proceeds traditionally come from the memorabilia auctions and raffle. Gries said about 100 items will be put up for bid this year, including two tickets to the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami. Griese helps the Hot Stove League obtain the tickets each year, and each year they draw some of the highest bids of the night - usually somewhere in the $3,500 to $4,500 range.

Other high-ticket items figure to be a set of nine baseballs individually signed by multiple Gold Glove winners and a limited-edition "Legacy of Gold" print that salutes Notre Dame's all-time greatest football players and coaches. Both were acquired by club member Gary Ankrom.

The Gold Glove set includes balls signed by Mattingly, who won nine awards at first base; second baseman Roberto Alomar (10); third baseman Brooks Robinson (16); shortstop Luis Aparicio (9); catcher Ivan Rodriguez (11); pitcher Jim Kaat (16), and outfielders Al Kaline (10), Andre Dawson (8) and Dave Winfield (7).

Ankrom noted the Notre Dame print has been autographed by Angelo Bertelli, the 1943 Heisman Trophy winner who died six years ago. He said that by Feb. 10 it'll be signed by three others: Hornung, Lattner and Johnny Lujack, who won the 1947 Heisman.

"I called Lujack on Monday - his 81st birthday - and he said he'd be happy to sign it. All we have to do is send it to him in California," Ankrom said. "So it'll be in the mail tomorrow."

Lattner said he'll bring along an auction item, too - a full-size replica of his Heisman Trophy (the original was destroyed years ago in a fire). But it won't be for sale - just for rent.

"Five or six years ago, I started taking the trophy with me to a couple of charity events a year; I even had a case specially-made to carry it in," Lattner said. "We'd auction it off and the high bidder would get to borrow it for a couple of weeks."

Lattner estimated the trophy has helped him raise about $30,000 for various charities.

Dozens of patrons filed through a line at the Tri-State Hot Stove League's Night of Memories to pay for items they'd purchased in auctions. One face was more recognizable than most: Don Mattingly.
Near the end of Friday night's event at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center, he bent over a table and signed one last autograph - this one on a check for $1,550. Donnie Baseball was high bidder for a set of 11 All-Star Game baseballs signed by Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, one to commemorate each of the veteran catcher's 11 all-star berths.
"I've just always admired Pudge," explained Mattingly, the legendary New York Yankee from Evansville. "He's a great player."
Mattingly's check - not to mention his appearance as one of the event's celebrity guests - helped the Tri-State Hot Stove League raise more than $94,000 for youth sports leagues.
"After expenses, we should be right at $80,000 net," said Hot Stove League president Larry Broerman. "That'll put us over $500,000 for the six years we've had the Night of Memories."
Mattingly has attended all six, and he's bought something in the auction each time. His previous purchases include basketballs signed by John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Larry Bird, Jason Kidd and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and NFL jerseys worn by Evansville natives Sean Bennett and Kevin Hardy.
"I don't know if I'd say I'm a collector," Mattingly said. "But I like and admire certain guys and also appreciate it when they come (to the Night of Memories) and give their time (like Bennett and Hardy did). Plus, the money goes to a good cause."
Mattingly said some of his favorite mementos are hockey-related. "I collect hockey jerseys - especially goalies' jerseys."
Mattingly said he met Dominik Hasek at a fund-raiser in Rochester, N.Y., and purchased a jersey, a stick and a puck that had been signed by the goaltender.
There wasn't much hockey memorabilia put up for bid Friday, but several items did well. Mattingly's winning bid for the Rodriguez balls was the fourth-highest, behind the $3,800 for two tickets to next year's Super Bowl, $3,200 for a 10-person Busch Stadium suite for a Cubs-Cardinals game next summer and $1,800 for a Mickey Mantle-signed replica Yankees jersey.
Several items sold for what organizers considered bargain prices - such as a signed pair of Alan Jackson concert-worn jeans, which brought $350, and a Miami Dolphins mini-helmet autographed by Bob Griese and Don Shula, which went for $100.
"All in all, it was another good night," said Broerman.
He said the tentative date for the 2006 Night of Memories is Friday, Jan. 29.

By DAVE JOHNSON
Executive sports editor
February 3, 2005

He's the man who made the elbow famous ... or was it the other way around?
Thirty years have passed since Tommy John underwent the revolutionary surgery that salvaged, and probably extended, his major-league pitching career.
Dr.  Frank Jobe, the Dodgers' team physician, performed the operation on the then-31-year-old hurler in September 1974. He snipped a tendon from John's right arm and used it to replace the torn ligament on his left (pitching) elbow by weaving it through holes drilled in the bones above and below the elbow.
The procedure - officially known as Tommy John surgery - proved to be a breakthrough in sports medicine. It has been performed on hundreds of ballplayers - not just major- and minor-leaguers, but also high school and college athletes - with a reported success rate of 80 percent to 85 percent.
However, when John became the first to have the surgery, a torn elbow ligament usually meant the end of the pitcher's career. "When it happened to me, I thought, 'Well, I'm the unlucky guy from Terre Haute whose elbow just went out, ' " recalled John, who will appear at Friday's Night of Memories fund-raiser, sponsored by the Tri-Stove Hot Stove League.
But he said he never felt he was "washed up" - or even thought about quitting.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't know how good I was going to be after the surgery," said John, who had won 124 games in 11 big-league seasons. "But I knew I was gonna pitch again because I was willing to take however long it took - one year, three years, four years - to get ready."
During his recuperation, he even telephoned Hoyt Wilhelm, the Hall of Fame pitcher who had been his teammate with the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, to see if Wilhelm would teach him how to throw a knuckleball. "I figured if I couldn't pitch like the old Tommy John, I was going to come back and be a skinny Wilbur Wood," John said, referring to the White Sox's portly knuckleballer, a perennial 20-game winner. Full recovery from Tommy John surgery usually takes about two years: a year of rehabilitation and another year of easing back into pitching.
John pitched in the instructional league in September 1975, one year and one day after the surgery, and was back in the majors for good the next spring. He pitched for 14 more seasons and threw 2,543 more innings. And he won 164 games - or 40 more than he'd won before. Before he got hurt, John never won more than 16 games in a season, Afterward, he won 20 or more three times. When he retired in 1989, at 46, he had a 288-231 record and a 3.34 earned run average.
USA Today reports about one of every 10 pitchers on big-league rosters have undergone Tommy John surgery, about 20 percent of those who have had it done. Another 20 percent to 25 percent are minor leaguers; the majority are high school and college players.
That latter figure concerns John. He says some of the younger players probably don't need it; they may just need rest. Coaches and parents must share part of the blame, too. "So many kids are one-sport players. Their parents see them as the next Roger Clemens; they see the big dollars down the road. So they hire coaches, and trainers. A kid plays on his high-school team in the spring; then on another team in the summer; then he plays fall ball. Winter is for weight-lifting, and in the spring it starts all over again."
John, 61, remembers when kids played two or three different sports a year. "They'd play baseball or football, but they'd also do basketball or tennis or cross country. Now they're eliminating the fun sports that give their bodies a chance to heal."
John "never dreamed" so many pitchers would be helped by the surgery that bears his name - a name Jobe copyrighted.
He feels good about that - "even though I never got a penny (from endorsements)," he said with a laugh.
"But I sure wish I had."
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Contact Dave Johnson at 464-7522 or johnsond@evansville.net

When the Tri-State Hot Stove League asked Whitey Herzog to come to next week's Night of Memories, the White Rat said he was all for it.
There was only one hitch.
The former Cardinals manager, who lives in St. Louis, explained that he wanted to make it an over-and-back, one-day trip "and my wife doesn't like me to drive at night." So it looked like no Whitey - at least, for this year. But then Andy Benes came to the rescue. The former pitcher lives in St. Louis, too, and he'd already accepted an invitation to attend the Feb. 4 fund-raiser.
"I'll just bring Whitey with me," Benes said. So Herzog will be here after all, and he figures to be one of the stars of the show.
Herzog, 73, spent four decades in professional baseball as a player, scout, coach, manager and front-office executive. He wasn't a great player - he batted just .257 in his eight seasons as a big-league outfielder - but he was a great manager. Herzog led the Kansas City Royals to three American League playoff appearances in the 1970s, then won three National League pennants and one World Series with the Cardinals in the '80s.
His teams were fun to watch and fun to cover. And the White Rat himself - well, he was a sportswriter's dream.
In his office after games, Herzog would invite reporters he liked to have a beer with him - which we never did, of course - and then he'd fill our notebooks with strategy lessons, anecdotes and memorable quotes.
For example, whenever someone would ask Herzog what it took to be a successful manager, he'd always answer: "A sense of humor ... and a good bullpen."
Late in his managerial career, he mentioned that baseball "has been good to me ... since I quit trying to play it."
And he said he had only four rules for his players: "Be on time; bust your butt; play smart, and have some laughs while you're at it."
Benes and Herzog's careers overlapped, but just barely. Benes' first full big-league season, 1990, was Herzog's final year with the Cardinals.
The big right-hander broke in with the San Diego Padres in 1989, just a year after they made him the first pick in the draft, out of the University of Evansville. Benes, who grew up as a Cardinals fan and spent five seasons with St. Louis, said he regretted that he never got to play for Herzog.
"I really enjoyed watching him. His teams played hard; they always played nine innings," said Benes, who retired two years ago with 155 big-league victories.
Benes said Herzog reminded him of "Trader Jack" McKeon, his first manager with the Padres.
"They were both old-school. It was 'Put on your uniform and go get 'em.' "
Benes said he's gotten to know Herzog well in recent years because they're both involved in several of the same fund-raisers and community projects.
"Whitey's so much fun to be around," he said. "He's got so many stories ... he remembers everything."
But Herzog won't be Benes' only passenger next Friday. The ex-pitcher from UE and Central High School also will bring along Fredbird, the Cardinals' mascot.
"Fredbird doesn't talk," said Benes, "so we'll put him in the backseat."
Then, for three hours over and three hours back, it'll be one baseball story after another.
"Whitey's gonna have a captive audience, that's for sure," said Benes. And wouldn't you like to be in that car?
 
 

By DAVE JOHNSON
Executive Sports Editor 464-7522
johnsond@evansville.net
January 4, 2005

Don Mattingly tries to attend as many fund-raisers as possible during the off-season.

One of the biggest is a dinner for the Joe Torre Safe-At-Home Foundation. The New York Yankees manager brings in some heavy hitters to help raise money for victims of domestic violence. The November dinner in New York featured Yankee superstars Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada; Mattingly, the Yanks' hitting coach and former all-star first baseman, and baseball Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Bob Gibson.

Entertainers Regis Philbin, Billy Crystal, Spike Lee, Michael Bolton and Jane Pauley were there, too. James Taylor provided the music.

"It's a pretty big deal," said Mattingly. "Joe tries to raise between $4 million and $5 million, and (corporate) tables cost about $50,000."

Mattingly has another fund-raiser coming up: the Tri-State Hot Stove League's sixth annual Night of Memories, set for Friday, Feb. 4, at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. It won't be as glitzy or as glamorous as the Torre affair and it won't raise as much money. But in Mattingly's eyes, at least, it's just as important. For one thing, it's in his hometown. For another, the proceeds go to youngsters who are involved in local and area sports programs.

"We're more low-key (than Torre's event)," said Mattingly, who serves on the Hot Stove League's board of directors. "But I really enjoy ours because it's a really good cause; we're doing it for the kids."

The Hot Stove League has raised more than $400,000 in its five previous Nights and, as Mattingly noted on Monday, "we've had some pretty big names ourselves."

The biggest name last year was St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen. In 2003, with some gentle coaxing from Mattingly, former Yankees great Yogi Berra showed up.

Although the 2005 Night of Memories is a month away, Hot Stove League officials still hope to land someone who can match Rolen's and Berra's drawing power.

"Hopefully, we'll come up with a surprise or two," said Paul Gries, the Hot Stove League's vice president. "Ozzie Smith is a possibility, and so are Don Zimmer, Whitey Herzog and Raymond Berry."

But even without them, Gries and president Larry Broerman believe the Hot Stovers can reach their goal of $100,000. "We've still got a great lineup," said Broerman.

Headlining it are Mattingly, Tommy John and local area major leaguers Brad Wilkerson, Jamey Carroll and Clint Barmes.

Andy Benes, the former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher from Evansville, will be back for the first time in four years, too. He's bringing along Fredbird, the popular Cardinals mascot.

Area minor-league ballplayers will fill out the guest list.

"We think Fredbird will be a big draw, especially for the kids," Gries said. "They'll be able to get his autograph and have their picture taken with him."

The main program starts at 6:30 p.m. and is adults-only. Admission is $20. Children may attend the two-hour autograph session which begins at 4. Autograph fees will be announced later.What: Sixth annual Night of Memories, sponsored by the Tri-State Hot Stove League, to raise money for area youth sports groups. When: Friday, Feb. 4, at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. An autograph session is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 6, followed by the adults-only program at 6:30. Celebrity guests: Former major leaguers Don Mattingly, Tommy John, Harry Spilman and Andy Benes; current big leaguers Jamey Carroll, Brad Wilkerson and Clint Barmes; St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird; Cardinals announcer Wayne Hagin; minor leaguers Wes Carroll, Ryan Hutchinson, Taylor Mattingly, Ryan Miller, Steve Obenchain, Heath Phillips, Andy Rohleder, Ryan Spilman and Adam Swain. Auction items: About 150 items will be up for bid, including memorabilia signed by Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Nolan Ryan, Don Shula, Bob Griese and Dale Jarret, plus game-used equipment. Tickets: $20 admission to the program. Autograph fees will be announced later. Information: Log on to www.hotstoveleague.org
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 .

The Answer Man stops in for his final visit of 2004. As always, he's happy to take your question or comment ...

Question (phone message): I grew up in Rockport, and when I was a teen-ager back in the late 1970s, my father used to take me to Evansville to watch the Triplets' games. I had a huge crush on Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, so I was interested in a story you wrote that said Fidrych might be coming back for the Night of Memories. When will you know for sure?

Answer: Sorry to be the one to break the bad news to you, ma'am, but "The Bird" won't be able to make it this time. When I called him yesterday at his home in Massachusetts, where he runs an asphalt company, he explained that he has a prior commitment. The 2005 Night of Memories, the Tri-State Hot Stove League fund-raiser, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4, and that night Fidrych will be busy finishing up a week-long charity event in Michigan.

"Every year, a bunch of us (former Detroit Tigers, Lions and Pistons) travel across the state by dogsled and make appearances at banquets and chili suppers and stuff to raise money for Special Olympics," said Fidrych, the former American League Rookie of the Year whose career was cut short by injuries. "We raise about a quarter of a million dollars each year, and this will be my 12th year.

"But I'd love to come back to Evansville. Maybe next year."

Hot Stove League officials also found out this week that Bob Griese, the Hall of fame quarterback from Evansville, can't make the 2005 Night either.

"Bob called and pointed out that that's Super Bowl weekend," said Paul Gries, the Hot Stove League's vice-president, "and he has to be in Jacksonville (Fla.) that week. He said he's really frustrated that he can't make it, because he likes to come back home to see his brother (Bill) and all his friends.

"This was an oversight on our part," Gries said. "Next year, we won't schedule the Night of Memories on Super Bowl weekend. I guarantee you that."

Comment (phone call): Hey, Dave, I just found out there's a new toy on the market, just in time for Christmas. It's an Indiana University basketball doll. You wind it up and it doesn't do anything.

Response: Gee, I wish you'd told me about it a week or so ago, before I finished my shopping. I spent my last $20 on a Barry Bonds doll. You rub some special cream on it and it doubles in size overnight.
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You can contact Dave Johnson at (812) 464-7522 or johnsond@2vansville.net

By Dave Johnson
December 5, 2004

The lineup is beginning to take shape for the 2005 Night of Memories.

Fans can expect to see some of their old favorites at the Tri-State Hot Stove Leagues annual fundraiser for area youth sports groups.
Club vice president Paul Gries, who is in charge of inviting the honored guests, said he has received commitments from current major-league baseball players
Brad Wilkerson, Jamey Carroll and Clint Barmes, as well as retired hometown heroes Don Mattingly and Andy Benes.
Gries said Benes plans to bring along Fredbird, the St. Louis Cardinals' mascot.

Others who have accepted invitations to the 2005 Night, which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4 at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center, are minor-league coach Harry Spilman and area minor leaguers Ryan Miller, Steve Obenchain, Wes Carroll, Heath Phillips and Andy Rohleder.
Cardinals broadcaster Wayne Hagin also plans to attend, Gries said, and there is a "good" chance Bob Griese will be back after a two-year absence.
The Hot Stove League has managed to bring in some big names to head its guest list the past several years. Last year, it was Scott Rolen; two years ago, it was Yogi Berra.

Gries said the club struck out in trying to lure Joe Torre or Ozzie Smith to the 2005 event. However, he said Hot Stove members have been in contact with several other popular ex-players, including Don Zimmer, Tommy John, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry.

The Hot Stove League distributes proceeds from the Night of Memories to deserving youth-sports groups in the area. Last year, it donated $94,000 to more than 100 organizations; $29,000 was generated from a two-hour autograph session that featured Rolen, Mattingly, Harmon Killebrew and George Foster. Admission tickets to the 2005 adults-only event cost $20 and are available from Hot Stove members, at Evansville high school athletic offices or online at www.hotstoveleague.org. Autograph ticket prices will be announced when the celebrity-guest list is finalized, Gries said.

Trivia time: Newburgh's Jamey Carroll scored the final run in the history of the Montreal Expos, who have become the Washington Nationals, and Owensboro's Brad Wilkerson hit their last home run.

The Expos' final batter was outfielder Endy Chavez, who grounded out to second base in the Expos' final-game 8-1 loss to the Mets in New York. Presumably, ESPN's Chris Berman will start calling him Endy "Game"Chavez whenever he appears on Sportscenter.
 
 

By Dave Johnson
October 14, 2004

OK, so I've been away for awhile. You probably think I've been in hiding somewhere, mourning the Dodgers' too-short playoff run.
Nope, I've been in California, bulking up at BALCO. Anyway, you know the drill: The Answer Man will take your question or comment ...
Question (phone call):
Have they set a date for the Night of Memories, and do they know what celebrities will be there?
Answer:
The 2005 Night of Memories, the Tri-State Hot Stove League's annual youth-sports fund-raiser, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4, at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.  However, the celebrity-guest lineup is in the very early planning stage, according to club Vice President Paul Gries.  Gries said Andy Benes has indicated he'll attend the event, "and he said he may bring along Fredbird," the St. Louis Cardinals' mascot.  Gries expects Don Mattingly to be there, too, and Bob Griese "probably" will be back.  Gries said Hot Stove members have been in contact with several other possible guests, including Ozzie Smith, Joe Torre, Don Zimmer, NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry and Cardinals broadcaster Wayne Hagin.
"But nothing's definite yet," he said. "It's still early."
 

Question (e-mail): With the Montreal Expos moving to Washington, D.C., we've been constantly reminded by the media that it's been 33 years since the Washington Senators played their last game at RFK Stadium and left D.C. for Texas. However, hardly anyone has mentioned the unusual circumstances of that final Senators game. As a serviceman stationed in D.C., I was there that night. The New York Yankees, down by a couple of runs, were batting in the top of the ninth when a huge number of fans suddenly stormed the field. They plundered everything that wasn't securely fastened down - outfield signs, pieces of turf, the bases, etc.
It took only about a minute for the umpires to call the game and award the Yankees the victory by forfeit.
Washington's big Frank Howard, a longtime fan favorite, hit a tape-measure home run in that game. The next day in the newspaper, the Yankees pitcher admitted he had intentionally "grooved" one to Howard "just to see how far he could hit it." The Yankees' Bobby Murcer also hit a homer.
My question is this: Did Howard and Murcer lose their homers because of the forfeit, or did they still count?
Answer: Everything counted that night, including Howard's 26th homer and Murcer's 25th.
Well, almost everything, anyway. Under baseball's forfeit rule, the Senators' 7-5 lead with one out to go went into the record books as a 9-0 Yankees win.
And although every hit, run and error went into the official boxscore, no one was credited with being the winning or losing pitcher.
By the way, the Senators drew 14,460 fans that night. The Expos, for their final game in Montreal two weeks ago, drew 31,395.
 
 

By STEVE FORD
Courier & Press staff writer
464-7511 or sford@evansville.net
February 7, 2004

Memories made by great athletes aren't limited to athletic fields. Sometimes, some of baseball's best leave kids wide-eyed and speechless by just sitting, smiling and writing their name. Such was the case Friday at the charitable autograph signing prelude to the Night of Memories at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.
Assembled to do their pricey work - $20 to $60 per autograph, depending on the item and the signer - were Evansville legend Don Mattingly; former Jasper (Ind.) High School great and current St. Louis Cardinal Scott Rolen; Owensboro, Ky., native and current Montreal Expo Brad Wilkerson; former Cincinnati Red George Foster; and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew.

Even at those prices, the pace was brisk, the lines long and the assembled fans appreciative.
Proceeds from the event benefit area youth sports through the Tri-State Hot Stove League.
"It's really special," said 12-year-old Garrett Braun of Newburgh while admiring Rolen's signature on a baseball card. "It's a lot different than getting it off the Internet. You get to see Scott Rolen sign your card."
Garrett had come with friends Eric and Joe Schach and their father, Rick. All were fine with spending $20 to get in and $30 for Rolen's autograph.
"He's my favorite player," Eric Schach, 12, said of Rolen. "We go to a lot of games."
Said 8-year-old Joe: "It's really fun because I've never seen any baseball player so close. I just said 'Thanks' and left."
Rolen said he doesn't sign a lot of autographs because he doesn't like the commercialization of the cottage industry and was never into them himself.
"I never got (an autograph)," he said. "We used to go to a lot of games, but (Rolen and his brother, Todd) weren't allowed to get them. But I don't mind doing something like this, because this is for all the right reasons. And if I can make a kid's day by signing, great. That's why you do it."
Rolen made some days.
Andrew Wagler came from Washington, Ind., with his family, including older brother, Jarrod, who played against Rolen in high school.
"It's really neat my brother played against him and then I get to see him so close," said Andrew Wagler. "We go to games in St. Louis every year, but (Rolen's) autograph is hard to get. Everybody wants it. I have another baseball, but to see him sign yours in person is even better."
Reed Farmer, 8, of Haubstadt, Ind., expressed similar feelings.
"I was real excited when my mom told me I could come," he said. "My dad got me a case for my ball and everything. Scott Rolen's my favorite player."
Isaac Johnston, 6, was rendered nearly speechless after his turn with Rolen. He just clutched his newly signed ball and nodded politely when asked about the experience before finally saying, "It was neat."
Wilkerson understands both sides and is happy to be able to help.
"The thing I like best is when you see a kid's eyes light up when you sign something," he said. "It's become kind of a business, but it's worth it to come to something like this because I can give something back to the area that gave me so much.
"It's funny. I used to go to games in Cincinnati and St. Louis, but I don't think I ever got any baseball player's autograph. But I can remember going to a blue and white (University of Kentucky) scrimmage at the Sportscenter in Owensboro.
"I got Jamal Mashburn's autograph and I thought that was pretty neat. So I try to sign all I can because I remember the way that felt."
The autograph session is a huge part of the Night of Memories' overall success, according to event chairman Paul Gries. "Last year the autographs brought in $26,500 and this year we should be right in that ballpark again," he said. "People really seem to appreciate it."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

By DAVE JOHNSON, Executive sports editor
February 8, 2004

Sights and sounds from the 2004 Night of Memories ...

THE CUBS and Dodgers appear to have the inside track on signing Greg Maddux, but Scott Rolen would like to see the Cardinals make a pitch for the free-agent hurler.
"I'd love for us to sign him. I think he'd be a great addition to our ballclub," said Rolen, who was in Evansville on Friday for the Tri-State Hot Stove League's annual fund-raiser. Rolen said Maddux, Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown are pitchers who have given him the biggest challenge since he broke into the majors seven years ago.
"It's just fun facing Maddux," the Jasper native said. "He's so good, so on top of his game. He's the ultimate competitor."
Rolen apparently isn't the only Cardinal who'd like to see Maddux try to notch his 300th win in a St. Louis uniform. Jim Edmonds and Jason Isringhausen reportedly have volunteered to rework their contracts if the Cardinals sign Maddux.
Some clubs may be turned off by Maddux's age - he'll be 38 in April- but the guy still knows how to get batters out. He went 16-11 with a 3.96 earned run average for the Braves last year and is one of only four pitchers who have averaged at least 17 wins a year during the first four seasons of this decade. The others: Johnson, Tim Hudson and Andy Pettitte.

HOT STOVE LEAGUE officials might want to bring George Foster back next year just to do a comedy routine.
The former Reds slugger was a hit with everyone he met, surprising those who remember he was somewhat of an introvert during his playing days.
During a roundtable discussion with Rolen, Don Mattingly, Harmon Killebrew and other guest celebrities, Foster said, "People always ask me how I liked being part of the Big Red Machine. I tell 'em, 'Whattya mean, part of it? I WAS the Big Red Machine.' "
Foster helped the Reds win two World Series, including a four-game sweep of the Yankees in 1976.
"We had to apologize to the wives for that," he said. "They were upset because they didn't have time to go shopping."

KILLEBREW signed autographs and smilingly posed for pictures despite getting just three hours' sleep. The 68-year-old Hall of Famer was supposed to arrive in Evansville at 2:45 p.m. Thursday. However, his flight from Arizona was fogged in at the Atlanta airport for 16 hours and he didn't get in until 10:45 a.m. on Friday.
Killebrew blasted 573 home runs during his 22 big-league seasons. He said his favorite park to hit in was Boston's Fenway Park.
"If George Foster had played in Fenway (with its short left-field fence), he'd have hit 800 home runs," Killebrew said.
Asked to name players from his era who should be in the Hall of Fame, Killebrew mentioned three of his former Twins teammates: Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat and Bert Blyleven.

PROCEEDS from the Night of Memories totaled about $112,000, Hot Stove vice-president Paul Gries said.
After paying expenses, the club should have a little over $100,000 to distribute to area youth-sports groups, he added. That will push the four-year total past the $420,000 mark.
A two-hour autograph session that was held just prior to the fifth-annual Night raised $29,900, Gries said. That topped last year's session, which featured Yogi Berra, by $3,400.
Autographs cost between $20 and $60, depending upon what item you wanted signed and who signed it, plus a $20 admission fee.
Gries said Rolen signed the most autographs: 450, or about one every 16 seconds.

Organizers already are thinking about who they may try to bring in to help headline next year's Night.
Said Gries: "Maybe (Hall of Fame pitcher) Juan Marichal"
______________________________________________________________________________________________
PRESS RELEASE:
Children can attend the Autograph session from 4 pm - 5:30 pm in the Banqet Hall located behind the 4-H Center's main office.  Children must be accompanied by an adult and have a $20.00 admission ticket. Items will be for sale at the door for the celebrities to sign.  Doors to the "21 and over" "Night of Memories" will open at 6 pm with the program starting at 6:45 pm.   Auction items will include items signed by Mickey Mantle, Sammy Sosa, Nolan Ryan, Stan Musial, Bob Griese, Clyde the Glide, Cal Ripken and many, many more. Autographs only available from 4 pm - 5:30 pm in Banquet Hall.
Autograph Cost:  Scott Rolen & Harmom Killebrew - $30.00 each item
                            Don Mattingly, George Foster, Brad Wilkerson - $20.00 each item
                            Premium items double.  Limit of 5 items per celebrity.

Courier & Press  By Dave Johnson Febuary 6, 2004 It's time to make some Memories Putting together a $100,000 fund-raiser isn't easy, Larry Broerman said, but it's getting easier.  Broerman is president of the Tri-State Hot Stove League, which will hold its fifth annual Night of Memories today at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.  "Over the years, we've gained a lot of confidence in how we stage this event," Broerman said. "Really, we're not doing anything differently now than we did five years ago at the first Night. But things go more smoothly now because we've had people in the same roles for years."  Several dozen Hot Stove members will gather at the 4-H Center this morning to get things ready for this year's event, which features appearances by Scott Rolen, Don Mattingly and other baseball stars, a memorabilia auction and an autograph session. Broerman said the club has raised about $300,000 from the four previous Nights and hopes to raise at least $100,000 this year. All of theproceeds go to area youth sports groups. More than 100 organizations divided the $125,000 raised in 2003.  Hot Stove members work on the Night of Memories year-round, lining up the guest celebrities and acquiring items for the auction. However, the planning intensifies during the two months leading up to the event, when the 200-member clubmeets at least every other week.  "As the Night gets closer, you try to make sure every knot is tied," said Broerman. "That's why we always hold our final pre-Night meeting at the 4-H Center. It's sort of like a dress rehearsal.  "We get our committees together and do a walk-through, ask if anybody has any questions, if anybody has any problems that need to be worked out. At our meeting Monday night, there was none of that. Everybody knows what to do."  Today's event starts with an autograph session from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Banquet Hall, behind the 4-H Center office. Gates open at 3:45, and tickets will be available at the door.  Signers include Rolen, Mattingly, Harmon Killebrew, George Foster and Brad Wilkerson. Fees range from $20 to $60 per item, plus a $20 admission ticket.  "We decided to have a separate autigraph session this year so the kids could be involved," said Broerman, who pointed out the actual Night of Memories program is adults-only.  The program will be at the 4-H Auditorium, beginning at 6:45.Doors open at 6, and "plenty" of tickets are available, Broerman said. Tickets also are on sale in the local high school and college athletic offices.  Hot Stove vice president Paul Gries said about 190 memorabilia items, many signed by Hall of Famers and other big-name athletes, will be auctioned and raffled. Gries, who is chairman of the memorabilia and honored guest committee, stressed that none of the celebrities are paid for their appearances.  "It's all for charity; it's all for the kids," he said. Foster, who was a slugging outfielder on Cincinnati's Big Red Machine teams of the mid-1970s, flew in from Connecticut. Killebrew made the trip from Arizona, Wilkerson from Florida and Jamey carroll, another major leaguer, from California.  "I think this is great. I'm happy to be a part of it," said Foster. "Anything to help keep kids on the right track, I'm all for that."        BACK TO THE TOP  "The mystery has been solved"  Courier & Press By Dave Johnson Feb 3, 2004 The signature on the baseball I discussed in Sunday's column apparently is that of veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. A reader identified the autograph from a picture that accompanied the column.  "I spent some time with him and his brother (Roberto) back in spring training of 1989, when both were with the San Diego Padres," the reader wrote in an e-mail. He said over the years, he has obtained many autographs from the brothers and from their father, Sandy Alomar Sr., who was a major-league infielder in the 1960s and '70s.  "In recent years, Sandy Jr. has left the 'Jr.' off his autograph. Remarkably, his signature is almost identical to his father's."  The Alomar baseball is among about 150 items that will be auctioned during the Tri-State Hot Stove League's annual Night of Memories fund-raiser Friday night at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. Club member Yvonne Pund donated it and a baseball signed by Hall of Famer Bob Feller after purchasing them at an estate sale for $5 apiece. Feller's signature was easy to recognize, but Pund couldn't find anyone able to identify who had signed the other ball.  However, Alomar Jr. makes sense. The five-time all-star played for Cleveland in the 1990s, when Feller was a spring-training coach for the Indians. The baseballs likely were signed at the Indians' spring-training camp in Arizona.  'Mystery ball' one of many items going up for bid       Courier & Press  By Dave Johnson                   February 1, 2004  Several dozen autographed baseballs are among the items that will be up for bid on Friday at the  Tri-State Hot Stove League's Night of Memories.  Club member Yvonne Pund, a former secretary  for the University of Evansville base-ball program, donated two balls that she bought at an estate sale.  "I could tell one was autographed by (Hall of Fame pitcher) Bob Feller," she said. "But I couldn't  recognize the signature on the other one." But the price was right - $5 apiece - so she bought both.  "I figured, at five bucks a ball, how could I go wrong? You can't even buy an unsigned baseball for $5,"  Pund said. Pund took the balls to a recent Hot Stove League meeting and showed the "mystery" ball  to several members, hoping someone could identify it. One person thought the signature might be  Rollie Fingers. Another thought the last name was DeFelice. But upon closer inspection, neither  seemed right. Pund decided to donate the mystery ball, anyway. "Hopefully, somebody out there will recognize it," she said.  Maybe a reader can help. If you can identify the signature in the accompanying photo, let me know  and I'll pass it along. As Pund said, "It sure would be nice to know." Nobody who gets Harmon Killebrew's autograph Friday will have any trouble reading it. He must never got anything less than an "A" in  penmanship. "That's because of Miss Kent, my teacher in fifth grade," Killebrew explained. "She  demanded good handwriting." Killebrew will be signing dozens of autographs at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.  He and four other guest celebrities - Scott Rolen, Don Mattingly, George Foster and Brad Wilkerson -  will appear at an autograph session just before the Night of Memories fundraiser.  I told Killebrew I've known  people - especially athletes - who practiced writing their names as they were growing up, just in case they  became famous.  "I wasn't like that," said the 68-year-old Hall of Famer. "But I did work at it over the  years. I've always tried to give  people a good signature; I think they appreciate it. Some of these players  today ... when they sign, you can't even read it." Since being inducted into the Hall of Fame 20 years ago,  Killebrew has been a popular guest on the card-show circuit and at charity events. Asked to estimate how  many autographs he signed over the years, he laughed and said, "Seven million." But he can count on one hand  the number of people he has asked for an autograph. "Ted Williams, Mickey (Mantle, (Joe) DiMaggio ...  just guys I admire," he said. But probably not the guy on the mystery ball. If Killebrew has an opinion on the  latest Pete Rose controversy, he's keeping it secret. Asked if Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame, now that he's  admitted he gambled on baseball, Killebrew replied, "He's not eligible, is he?" No, but he would be if his lifetime  ban were lifted. Then Killebrew, who sits on the Veterans Committee with every other living Hall of Famer,  would have to help determine Rose's fate. I asked Killebrew, "If that happens, will you vote for him?" "Well,  that hasn't happened yet," he said with a chuckle. "So I don't have to anwer you." The strong-armed Killebrew,  nicknamed "Killer," didn't just hit home runs (573 in his major-league career). He hit them long and he hit them  hard. Many were tape-measure jobs. Ossie Bluege, who scouted and signed Killebrew for the Washington  Senators in 1953, said he "hit line drives that put the opposition in jeopardy. And I don't me infielders; I mean  outfielders."  Paul Richards, the former manager, once said of him: "The homers he hit against us would be homers in any park -  including Yellowstone." "These Memories don't come cheap" COURIER & PRESS By Dave Johnson January 29, 2004 The Tri-State Hot Stove League's Night of Memories has become one of the area's most popular sports events. So with this year's event at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center about a week away, it's no surprise that interest is mounting - as is the number of Night-related calls and e-mails we've been receiving.  Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:  Q: How much will autographs cost?  A: That depends upon whose autograph you want. Several of the celebrity guests will sign for free during the  Feb. 6 fundraiser. They include current major leaguers Harry Spilman and Jamey Carroll, former big leaguer Boots Day and several area minor leaguers. However, the bigger-name guests will cost you. Scott Rolen,  Harmon Killebrew, Don Mattingly, George Foster and Brad Wilkerson will appear at an autograph session from  4 p.m. to 5:30 in the Banquet Hall behind the 4-H Center's main office. The signing fee is $30 per item for Rolen and Killebrew and $20 for the three others. These include bobblehead dolls, baseballs and "flats," such as photos. The fee doubles for "premium" items, such as bats and jerseys. Q: May I get as many items signed as I want?  A: No, there will be a five-item limit. "If you have more than that, you'll have to get back in line," said Hot Stove vice president Paul Gries. "We want to give as many people a chance to get autographs as possible." They also want to deter dealers and speculators who can't seem to wait to list their autographed items on eBay the next day.  Q: Is there a separate admission fee for the autograph session?  A: Everyone who attends the autograph session must have a $20 ticket, Hot Stove president Larry Broerman said. However, anyone who plans to attend the adults-only Night of Memories afterward will have his hand stamped and will not need to purchase another $20 ticket for admission to the program.  Unlike in past years, children will be admitted to the autograph session. However, those 12-and-under will have to be accompanied by an adult. And if a father brings his three kids, for example, all four will have to have an admission ticket. Q: Aren't those prices awfully steep?  A.: You aren't alone in feeling that way. However, organizers say you'd pay more at similar events around the country. For example, at the recent Cardinal Care Winter Warm-Up in St. Louis, it cost $85 to have something signed by Rolen. "All the money we raise goes to the kids" in the form of donations to area youth sports organizations, Broerman noted. "Last year, we raised over $125,000 from our memorabilia auction and autograph session, and every penny of it went back to the community. This is a fundraiser - it's for charity - and, to me, our prices are more than fair. I think most Cardinals fans out there would be happy to pay $20 just for an opportunity to meet Scott Rolen."  Gries noted that the only other time Rolen, Killebrew, Mattingly, Foster and Wilkerson will sign during the Night of Memories is if you buy an unsigned item during the memorabilia auction and want to get it signed.  "Other than that, once the autograph session is over, your chance to get autographs is over," Gries said. "We don't want these guys to be constantly hounded all night long. We want them to have a good time, so they'll want to come back again."  Q.: Will I have to bring my own item to get signed, or will they have stuff there?  A.: A limited number of photos, baseballs and bobbleheads will be for sale at the door.  Q.: How many items will there be in the memorabilia auction?  A.: Between 150 and 200, Gries said. Among them: Photographs, bats and balls signed by more than a dozen Hall of Famers, including Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bob Griese and Rick Barry; a Cardinals jersey autographed by Rolen, and two tickets to the 2005 Super Bowl.  Q.: Where can I buy a ticket?  A.: Individual autograph tickets will be sold at the door. Night of Memories tickets are available at local high school and college athletic departments or by calling (812) 464-1943 or 477-4418.  Q.: One more thing about the autograph session: How early should I get there if I want to be assured of getting something signed?  A.: The earlier, the better. Last year, when Yogi Berra was the headliner, people began getting in line before noon. __________________________________________________________      Courier & Press January 13, 2004 by Dave Johnson "Memories in the Making"   Don Mattingly walked through the door at DiLegge's Restaurant, spotted Harry Spilman and rushed over to give him a hard time. "Hey, Harry, what are you doing stealing our pitching?" Mattingly said in mock  anger as he threw his arm around Spilman's shoulder. The New York Yankees' new hitting coach had just  gotten the news: Roger Clemens, a fellow pinstriper last season, is coming out of retirement to pitch for  Spilman's Houston Astros. He'll join a starting rotation that includes another ex-Yankee, Andy Pettitte, who signed with the Astros as a free agent last month.  "I just want you to know," Donnie Baseball told Spilman, the Astros' hitting coach, "we're holding you personally  responsible."  All Spilman could do was laugh, just like everyone else in the room, as they gathered for a press conference  to promote the Tri-State Hot Stove League's Night of Memories.  Baseball was definitely on everybody's mind Monday, even with spring training still more than a month away. Ballplayers were all over the place. Area minor leaguers Ryan Miller, Wes Carroll and Andy Rohleder sat alongside Mattingly, an Evansville native, and Spilman, who lives in St. Philip,. They'll all be on hand for the Feb. 6 Night of Memories along with a star-studded cast that includes St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen of Jasper and Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew.  Proceeds from the Night of Memories, which is held at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center, benefit area youth-sports groups. Last year, an appearance by Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra helped the Hot Stove League raise $125,000, which it distributed to 106 organizations. "Admittedly, we've got a tough act to follow after Yogi," said club president Larry Broerman. "But I think we've come up  with a very good lineup." One notable absentee will be Bob Griese, the Hall of Fame quarterback from Evansville. After appearing at the four previous Nights, Griese already was committed to playing in a celebrity golf tournament in California.  But Mattingly and Spilman will be there, as usual, along with a couple of other regulars, Brad Wilkerson and Jamey Carroll  of the Montreal Expos. Wilkerson, the outfielder from Owensboro, will take a break from working out in Florida and fly in  for the event. So will Carroll, the infielder from Newburgh who's spending much of his off-season in San Francisco.  A newcomer on the celebrity guest list this year is George Foster, a slugging outfielder on Cincinnati's Big Red Machine teams of the mid-1970s.  An autograph session and memorabilia auction highlight the Night of Memories. Proceeds from the first four Nights topped $320,000.  Broerman said.  "We're hoping to raise at least $100,000 this year and then go over the half-million-dollar mark  in 2005."  Spilman, a Georgia native, said he's impressed not only by the number of big-name athletes Hot Stove officials manage to bring in year after  year, but also that so many of them are homegrown. "It's pretty amazing that a town this size  can generate so much enthusiasm and raise so much money on one night," Spilman said. "It's also amazing how many pro athletes we have in this area. Heck, it's fun for me just to come home every winter and keep up with these guys."  Added Mattingly, who, like Spilman, saw his son chosen in last year's major-league draft: "I keep thinking about the talent we have around here. How many (area players) did we have in the majors and minors last year, 15 or 20? I think baseball people are realizing kids in Southern Indiana can play." Two of those kids - Miller in 1996 and Wes Carroll in '97 - won college scholarships as Hot Stove League High School Players of theYear.  "This is like a brotherhood of baseball guys," said Miller, who pitched for Memorial High School and the University of Evansville. "I enjoy just sitting around and listening to the stories."  Carroll does, too."It's a thrill just to be there," said the former Castle and UE standout. "When I went to spring training last year, I told everybody about being with Don Mattingly and Yogi Berra. Some of his teammates didn't believe him, though. "So I had to call my brother (Jamey) and have him convince them I wasn't lying."  This spring, Wes can tell them about being with Scott Rolen, Harmon Killebrew and George Foster.  And next year, who knows?  Maybe Roger Clemens. ____________________________________________________________________ KIDS WILL HAVE A PLACE AT "Night of Memories" By Dave Johnson December 4, 2003 If it's for the kids, then why aren't the kids involved?  That's a question, and a complaint, the Tri-State Hot Stove League has heard since its Night of Memories began. The first four Night of Memories raised over $300,000, all distributed to youth sports organizations in the Tri-State.  Problem is, the star-studded event has always been adults-only because beer is available. So the kids haven't been able to get in and see their heroes up-close or get their autographs.  Hot Stove officials believe they've come up with a solution to the problem. The 2004 Night of Memories, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6 at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center, will feature a separate time and location for autographs.  As in past years, the program will be held up on the hill in the Auditorium, Hot Stove president Larry Broerman said. But it will be preceded by a 90-minute autograph session in the Banquet Hall, located behind the 4-H Center's main office.  "This will allow the kids to be there, removed from where the beer is sold," said Broerman. "It will provide them with an opportunity to see the celebrities and get their autographs."  The autograph session will be from 4 p.m. to 5:30. Doors to the Night of Memories will open at 6, with the program starting at 6:45.  Broerman said tickets will cost $20 per person, the same as last year. "Anyone who attends the autograph session will need a ticket," he said, "and kids must be accompanied by an adult."  Last year, when Yogi Berra headlined the celebrity guest list, some people complained about the long lines and having to stand outside in the rain and cold while waiting to get inside for autographs.  "Since we're having a separate autograph location, that shouldn't be a problem this time," said Broerman. "The Banquet Hall is large enough that people will be able to stand inside while they're waiting in line."  Broerman said the cost of the autographs has yet to be determined. But the list of signers is shaping up.  The tentative lineup features Scott Rolen, Don Mattingly, Bob Griese and Harmon Killebrew. Others who are expected to attend include Andy Benes, Brad Wilkerson, Jim Leyland, Harry Spilman, Gene Lamont, Johnny Lattner, Jamey Carroll and Clint Barmes, plus several area minor leaguers. Live and silent auctions of 150 to 200 memorabilia items are another highlight of the Night of Memories. Last year, about $35,000 of the $132,000 raised came from the auctions. All of the proceeds were distributed to 106 area youth groups.  For advance tickets or information, call Mike Goedde at (812) 464-1943 or Jerry Purdie at 477-4418.