Reunion Update
By Mike Morsch
Executive Editor
Montgomery Newspapers
 The
spirits of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig came to Hatboro last weekend.
While both have been gone for some time, a piece of them did surface
during the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society’s 13th
annual reunion weekend.
In one of those stories about baseball memorabilia sitting around
untouched in someone’s attic for 50 years, the society’s
museum became the lucky recipient of single-signed baseballs by
both legends, courtesy of Gail Hebert of Litchfield, Maine. Hebert
had seen the society’s Web site and eventually exchanged several
e-mails with Ernie Montella, general manager of the museum.
“I’d been wondering what to do with it (her baseball
memorabilia) and when I came across the Web site, I knew exactly
what to do,” said Hebert.
The story of how she came into possession of the baseballs also
has a unique twist. Hebert’s grandfather lived in the same
city, Mount Vernon, N.Y., as Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca,
whose name will forever live in baseball lore as the pitcher who
gave up one of the most famous home runs in baseball history —
“The Shot Heard Round The World” — to Bobby Thomson
that won the 1951 National League pennant for the New York Giants.
Ruth spent his final year in baseball as a coach for the Brooklyn
Dodgers, and society observers speculated that may be how Branca
obtained the baseballs that he eventually gave to Hebert’s
grandfather.
Hebert said she had been a baseball fan when she was young and had
taken several hundred of her own photographs. She also eventually
worked in the Philadelphia Athletics publicity office for a summer.
It was those photographs, some jerseys, caps and other baseballs
that she intended to put on permanent loan to the museum.
“After exchanging e-mails with her, I knew I was talking to
a real die-hard fan,” said Montella. “At one point,
she said, ‘They’re not A’s, but would you like
to have a couple of baseballs signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig?’
“I told her, ‘As far as we’re concerned, they
are A’s’” said Montella.
With such valuable treasures in the society’s hands, Montella
and society board members are now formulating a plan to display
the baseballs for the general public.
Montella said that the baseballs currently are in a bank vault for
safekeeping. The preliminary plan calls for the baseballs to be
displayed one day a week, but not on a regular basis at the museum.
As for the rest of the reunion weekend, more than 450 people attended
the breakfast at Williamson Restaurant in Horsham, which celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the team’s move from Philadelphia
to Kansas City after the 1954 season. The team eventually left Kansas
City as well, and is now known as the Oakland A’s.
The society and museum were formed as a way to preserve the memory
of the Philadelphia Athletics, owned and managed by Connie Mack.
The first reunion breakfast, in 1996, drew approximately 70 people.
The event continued to grow in size and stature over the years,
eventually landing in the Horsham banquet facility.
There are fewer than 80 living players who wore the A’s uniform.
Thirteen players from that 1954 team attended the reunion weekend,
including the team’s player/manager Eddie Joost, and it’s
big slugger, Gus Zernial.
“If it wasn’t for this society, I wouldn’t be
remembered in baseball. I cherish this society,” said Zernial.
“It’s always nice to say hello to the nice people who
remember us,” added Joost. “If it wasn’t for Ernie
Montella and these volunteers who keep this going, the society wouldn’t
be what it is today. There are so many great people here.”
Also in attendance was the teenage bat boy from that team. John
Schmidt, originally from Philadelphia, now resides in Naples, FL.
He traveled to the area for the weekend to visit with the players,
some of whom he hadn’t seen in 50 years.
“I can’t sit still for two minutes without seeing someone
and having fond memories,” said Schmidt. “Even though
it’s been 50 years, it seems like just yesterday.”
Schmidt has his own favorite memory from that era, when he served
as the bat boy for both the 1953 and 1954 seasons.
“The biggest thing for me is that my wife has been a part
of this weekend,” he said. “She was the president of
the Mario Fricano Fan Club. (Fricano was a pitcher for the A’s.)
It was Mario who introduced me to the woman who eventually became
my wife.” “But I was secretly in love with Gus Zernial,”
chimed in Ellen Schmidt.
The museum is at 6 N. York Road in Hatboro. Hours are Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The next event will be Saturday, Dec. 11, when the society will
draw a winner for a free trip to spring training, courtesy of LeMans
Suites in Lakeland, FL. The winner will receive free baseball games,
air fare and hotel accommodations.
For information, call 215-323-9901, visit the Web site,
www.philadelphiaatheltics.org or e-mail yorkroad6@aol.com.
The
Hebert Collection
Collection of 13 baseballs, 3 blank,
10 with autographs of many stars
Philadelphia Athletics, NY Yankees,
Indians, White Sox, and others, also
A's yearbooks, Yankee sketchbooks
circa 1950's. An unbelievable view of
baseball from a much better era. |
Jim Wilson's 1949 A's home uniform
#28, the game worn hats of Harry Byrd, Sam Chapman & Billy
Hitchcock are now a part of the Society's growing archives
collection. |
2004 Reunion Coverage
|
