Replay
The following information is in regards to three former columns printed in the past year: Take Me Out…, Teddy Ballgame, and Kiki.
In re: to a recent column I called “Teddy Ballgame”, a reader from Alberta, Canada wrote to take exception on Ted’s historic home run on his last at-bat. The gentleman from the country to the north notes, “One thing that has always annoyed my dad is Ted is credited for hitting a home run on his last career at-bat. And while that is technically true, the reality is that after Williams hit the homer, he never batted again although he had ample opportunity…Kind of ironic considering the big deal everybody makes regarding his .400 season when he played in the doubleheader on the last day of the season, and went 6 for 8 ending up with .406.”
In response to the above, I doubt Williams ever backed off from any at-bat. Long before the 1960 baseball season came to an end, Ted publicly announced that his last game would be his last Red Sox HOME GAME, and he would not travel to New York for Boston’s final three games. In the 8th inning with two out and a count of one and one, Teddy Ballgame hit Jack Fisher’s fast ball into the Sox bullpen, the last of his 7706 at-bats in a 19-year career and 521st home run.
The year before was his worst in the majors, and baseball expected the 41-year-old ballplayer to retire. With Ted’s 1959 stats of: .254, his only batting average below .300; 10 home runs; and 43 RBI’s, he had no intention of calling it quits and asked Boston owner, Tom Yawkey, for one more season. Ted even offered to take a 30 percent cut in his $125,000 a year salary in order to play.
Williams hit a homer in the first game of the 1960 season. His 500th occurred in Cleveland, but the one people most remember is that last one in Fenway Park on September 26th against the Baltimore Orioles before some 10,000 supporters.
Shortly after the death of The Thumper in July, 2002, Rev. Donald P. Haskell of the Wooden Shoe Methodist Church near Gladwin, Michigan, related this story during his sermon. It was in 1953 during the Korean War when Lt. jg. Haskell of the United States Navy was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. He had finished a legal disposition on a troubled sailor in Korea, but his carrier had already left for Japan. Lt. Haskell was billeted on a Marine air base near Pohang awaiting transportation to the carrier when he walked by a baseball field to find Ted Williams with a baseball bat and ball giving hitting hints to other combat Marine flyers. Apparently there were few times in his life when Williams was not swinging a bat.
It was only a few years ago when I learned that Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler was born, raised, and buried in the Michigan town of Harrisville, and for some reason I wanted to see Kiki’s tombstone. Last summer my wife and dog joined me on a trek from Gladwin in mid-Michigan up US-23 along Lake Huron to Harrisville. The editor of the Harrisville newspaper gave us instructions on finding Kiki’s St. Anne’s Cemetery, but although the cemetery was considered a small one we still needed assistance to find Kiki’s gravesite. When an employee could not help he suggested we find a priest at St. Anne’s Church.
While looking for the priest who gave us good and immediate information, we were lucky enough to chat with Harrisville resident, Helen Sanecki, about Kiki. In the conversation Helen told us that she had a copy of Kiki’s favorite poem that had been printed in the Alcona County Review years before, and would we like a copy. Would we ever!
IN MEMORIAM
( Author and date unknown)
In memory of the late Hazen (Kiki) Cuyler, and in recognition of the anniversary of his birth, August 30, surviving members of his immediate family wish to publish Ki’s favorite poem, one he recited before many audiences prior to his death of February 11, 1950.
Lord let me live like a regular man, with regular friends and true; let me play the game on a regular plan, and play that way all through.
Let me win or lose with a regular smile; and never be known to whine, for that is a regular fellow’s style, and I want to make it mine.
Oh, give me a regular chance in life, the same as the rest, I pray; and give me a regular girl for a wife to help me along the way.
Let us know the lot of humanity; regular woes and joys, and raise a regular family of regular girls and boys.
Let me live to a regular good old age; with regular snow-white hair, having done my labor and earned my wage, and played my game for fair.
And at last when the people scan my face on its peaceful bier, they’ll say, “Well, he was a regular man!” And drop a regular tear!