Andy Young: A baseball treat that’s easy on the ears

By Andy Young

Pitch counts, designated hitters, nine-figure contracts, outrageous ticket prices, and ear-assaulting player theme music played at or above the 120-decibel level are just some of the reasons I no longer wish to attend any Major League Baseball games in person.

When I grew up every bat was made of wood, Sunday doubleheaders were the norm, and the pitcher not only occupied a spot in the batting order, but his goal was to hurl (and win) a complete game. Home runs, strikeouts, and earned run average mattered; contrived statistics like exit velocity, launch angle, and WAR (wins above replacement, for the uninitiated) most certainly did not.

The days of button-down wool uniforms, train travel, and back-of-the-cereal-box baseball cards aren’t coming back. But for those of us who fondly remember when there weren’t mandated 150-second breaks for TV commercials between each half-inning, there’s a reliable (and far more affordable) way to rediscover the passion we had for baseball when it truly was the National Pastime. It’s called reading.

Here’s the first thing anyone wishing to revive a fading romance with baseball by absorbing printed words should know: if it’s written by Joe Posnanski or the late David Halberstam, read it! Both men write beautifully, but more importantly, their historical reliability is impeccable. That’s not always the case with other frequently published authors.

Baseball-related literature can be hit-or-miss, but nothing rekindles my love for the game I grew up with faster than a well-researched work about the game’s history. And for those who agree, here’s a recommendation: go get yourself a copy of the fourth (and probably last) edition of The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, by Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff. It’s a two-volume, 1049-page, 4.8-pound treasure chest. If something happened in professional baseball between 1876 and 2019, it’s here.

For example, the independent Maine State League operated with teams in Portland, Bangor, Lewiston, Belfast, Augusta and Rockland in 1897. Unfortunately, it disbanded in mid-season, as did leagues with that same name in 1907 and 1908.

If you’ve always wanted to know who holds the record for hitting the most career minor league home runs (Hector Espino, 484), striking out the most minor league batters (George Brunet, 3,175), or having the highest single-season minor league batting average (Gary Redus, .462 for the 1978 Billings Mustangs), you’ll find it in TEMLB’s pages.

Open up to any random spot and you’re guaranteed to find some hidden gem that requires further investigation. For example, page 715 features the season records of the eight teams in the 1980 Carolina League. And while it looks like a misprint, the Rocky Mount Pines really did triumph just 24 times in 139 games that year. Their winning percentage (.174) isn’t the worst ever; that honor goes to the 1951 Granite Falls Graniteers, who went 14-96 (.127) in the Western Carolina League. However, Rocky Mount’s shortstop, Jim Gabella, was the improbable MVP of the 1980 Carolina League all-star game, hitting a game-winning homer in the bottom of the 10th inning. Not only that, he later became the only minor league field manager to complete the coveted Burlington hat trick, piloting minor league teams in Burlington, North Carolina; Burlington, Iowa; and Burlington, Vermont.

The cost of purchasing The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball may take a few potential buyers aback but bear in mind that amount (including shipping) is far lower than the price of a field level seat at Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and numerous other big-league venues.

And, even better, poring over The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball can be done at an ear-friendly decibel level of zero. <