A Legendary Breakfast
by Bob Warrington
On 4 October 2009 the A’s Society staged its Legends of Baseball Breakfast. It was a hugely successful event with former players, attendees, organizers and guests all commenting on how much they enjoyed being there. The breakfast was held at Williamsons Restaurant in Hatboro, PA, which did its typically tremendous job of feeding everyone excellent food in an efficient manner.
While the food was great, the real drawing card of the breakfast was the appearance of the former major league baseball players. Who wouldn’t want a chance to meet with and talk to players we once cheered in younger days; men who may have left the baseball diamond, but who will never leave our hearts and minds. Those memories were vividly rekindled at the breakfast.
And quite a line-up for former players it was! Eddie Joost, “Spook” Jacobs, Carl Scheib, Tony Taylor, Tony Gonzalez, Barney Schultz, Don Hasenmayer, Doug Clemens, Dick Tracewski and Jackie Hernandez all graced the gathering with their presence, and several used the forum to reminisce about their careers. Joost talked about his sometimes-tempestuous relationship with
manager Casey Stengel when both were with the Boston Braves. But, the last manager of the Philadelphia Athletics saved his fondest recollections for the man he regards as having saved his career—Connie Mack. After being consigned to the minor leagues for the 1946 season, the A’s acquired Joost and he returned to the major leagues the next year, remaining in the “Show” into the 1955 season.
Former Phillies’ outfielder Tony Gonzalez made a plaintive plea to the audience not to be asked any questions about 1964. (Any reader who doesn’t recognize the immediate horror and prolonged agony that year evokes in the soul of any Phillies’ fan old enough to have lived through it clearly hasn’t been paying attention to Philadelphia baseball for the last forty-five years.)
Inevitably, however, the conversation did turn in that direction. Tony Taylor talked about the scene in the visitor’s clubhouse in Cincinnati when word came that the St. Louis Cardinals had beaten the New York Mets to win the National League pennant by one game. Taylor, Johnny Callison, and Ruben Amaro sat in the clubhouse with beers in their hands and tears in their eyes, Taylor said. The Phillies had just beaten the Reds, and had the Mets won, it would have set up the first three-way tie for first place in major league baseball history. But, it was not to be.
“Spook” Jacobs told an engaging tale about a “run-in” he had with former Phillies’ manager Gene Mauch when both played in the minor leagues. Mauch, running from first to second, leveled Jacobs who was trying to get him out at second base. Jacobs returned the favor later on, when he had a chance to take Mauch out while running the base paths from first to second.
In response to a question from the audience, Dick Tracewski reminisced about being a member of the 1963 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic that year.
He recalled how pitcher Sandy Koufax mowed the Yankees down—striking out 15 of the Bronx Bombers—in Game One of the Series. Johnny Podres and Don Drysdale won games Two and Three for the Dodgers, holding the Yankees to a single tally in each contest. Game Four saw Koufax again master the Yankees, allowing them just one run and sewing up the Series for the Dodgers.
A special appearance at the breakfast was made by A’s Society co-founder and former president, Ted Taylor. Taylor was onhand to sell his book, “Philadelphia Athletics by the Numbers,” which incorporates the considerable research he has done tabulating the name of every player that ever wore a number for the A’s and every number they ever wore by season. The well-crafted and very interesting book is available from the A’s Society Gift Shoppe. This author bought a copy at the breakfast, is mighty glad he did, and recommends it to others.
Festivities actually began the night before the breakfast when a Society-hosted dinner was held at Otto’s Restaurant in Horsham. The guest of honor was “Spook” Jacobs, who was the first former player to join the Society and has remained a steadfast supporter of the organization ever since. As a tribute to Jacobs, the A’s Society commissioned a special U.S. postage stamp with his likeness on it and a cachet that was cancelled by the Hatboro Post Office. Jacobs is a long-time stamp collector and has a fabulous collection of baseball-themed stamps that was once on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jacobs said at the breakfast that he was truly touched by the Society’s gesture.
A special “Thank You” must go out to Joanne Zapata, General Manager of the Horsham Days Inn, who treated A’s Society guests with the graciousness and style for which she has become known. Her support is an essential element in making Society events successful.
Praise about the A’s Society breakfast would be incomplete if some acknowledgement was not made of the people who devoted the time and effort to make it a reality. At the top of that list is Steve Harlem, who took on the daunting task of organizing this year’s event and serving as the Master of Ceremonies. He did a splendid job. Max Silberman brought his typical grace and sense of humor to introducing the players. Then, there are the stalwart Society volunteers who perform all those chores necessary to make the breakfast, or any Society event, a success by doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, without complaint, and in a superlative fashion. A tip of the A’s hat goes out to all of the above for keeping the A’s Society at that plateau where it has resided for many years— the most successful baseball historical society in the world.
