scouts and recruiters
cross-checkers, 132, 168
data-driven approach, 75, 79
discovery of Eberly, 55
Eberly as, 65–66, 70, 72, 75, 81–83
job description, 83
respect for Eberly, 3, 75, 83, 102, 139
Seaver, Tom, 67
Seeley, Juanita, 46
Seminoff, Kirk, 171
Shaw, Milan, 62, 102, 230
Shupe, Jack, 100, 101, 106
small-town America
description, 50, 111, 163, 192
during the Eisenhower Era, 38
everyone knows everyone, 111, 113
factors in decline of, 45, 110, 163, 172
family mealtime, 134–35
homegrown food, 22, 84–85, 193
during the Reagan Era, 110
values, xvi, 22, 43–45, 77–78, 111, 139, 173
See also Clarinda, Iowa
Smith, Larry, 94
Smith, Marvella, 15, 22
Smith, Osborne Earl “Ozzie”
backflip, signature, 2, 22–23
background, 15, 16–17, 21
baseball career
All-Star, 143
in Baseball Hall of Fame, 2–3, 235, 236
on the Clarinda A’s, 5, 15–23, 28, 30–31, 32, 33, 84
college ball, 31, 33, 74
major leagues, 5, 33, 75, 117, 126, 138, 143
media coverage, 2–3
minor league, 33
Sportsmanship Award, 32
statistics, 33, 141–42
description, 16
at Eberly’s memorial, 5, 14
financial donations by, 110, 141, 219
performing skills, 24, 211
personality, 21, 30, 33
relationship with Eberly family, 2, 31, 32, 126, 234–37, 238–39
summer job, 19–21
Snow, Dave, 96–97, 100
Snyder, Ben, 175–76
Social Security, 39
Soma, Cas, 11, 174
Southwestern University, 112
Soviet Union, 50, 235
Spahn, Warren, 59
Span, Denard, 161
speed of pitched baseballs, 97, 121, 132, 225
Sports Illustrated, 2–3
Stanton, Walt, 70
Steen, Greg, 105
steps to professional ball
college ball, 17, 31, 33, 58, 66, 69, 78, 132, 148, 157
minor leagues, 33, 55–56, 71–73, 76, 91, 117, 158, 159
overview, xi–xii, xv–xvi, 164–67
summer ball, 81, 94, 95–96, 102, 112, 131, 149–50
Steventon, Alice, 100–101, 106
Stewart, Jimmy, 50
Stone, W. M., 42
Strawberry, Darryl, 187
Strawberry, Michael, 187
Sunderman, Cecil, 123
superstitions, 100, 153–54
Suzuki, Ichiro, 161
Szkotak, Steve, 219
T
Tarkio College, 119–20
Taylor Pharmacy, 236
team dynamics, 81, 95–98
Tedore, John
background, 34, 35–36
and creation of Municipal Stadium, 49, 53
as Eberly’s role model, 37, 49, 108, 174, 229
as high school coach, 17, 34–35, 48–49
television, 45, 50, 53, 164, 187, 192, 193
Texas A&M, 127, 137, 187
Texas Wesleyan, 101, 109, 116
Three Rivers College, 239
“Through My Eyes” (poem), 10
Thuman, Jim, 172
Thweatt, Gary, 24
Tomlinson, Ernie, 178
Toronto Blue Jays, 92–93, 117–18
Trebelhorn, Tom, 220–21
Truck Haven Café, 89
Tuskegee Airmen, 36
Tyler, Steven, 23
U
Uecker, Bob, 73
United States
Civil War, 41–42
culture and events, 23, 24, 50, 140, 235
Great Depression, 39–40, 53
Korean War, 50
military medals, 36, 47
1980s recession, 110, 140–41
Vietnam War, 23, 66
World War II, 35–36, 38, 48, 53
University of Alabama–Birmingham, 168, 169
University of Evansville, 127, 128, 131, 132, 143, 148, 157
University of Houston, 140
University of Iowa, 34, 36, 81–82, 128, 137
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 13
University of Oklahoma, 24
University of Southern California, 18, 89
Unruh, Terry, 24, 30, 176
U.S. Olympic team, 143
V
values
Christian, 12, 25
commitment, xiii, 16, 80, 120
discipline and work ethic
of Carroll, 147, 149, 152, 155, 157, 159–61
Clarinda town motto, 17, 197
and Eberly, 63–76, 82, 91–92, 112, 115–16, 147, 157, 236
of Smith, 16, 21, 31, 33, 74
of Tedore, 36
Theodore Roosevelt on, 44
don’t accept “you can’t,” 18, 77
Eberly’s article on changes in, 164–68
family first, baseball second, 9, 56, 135, 136
give it your all, 3, 11–12, 36, 114, 129, 146, 152, 159
giving back
commitment to the community, xiv, 85, 124–25, 229–30
finding jobs for players (See players, jobs found for)
as paying it forward, xi, 174
mutual friendship and obligation, 6, 98, 190
perseverance, 9, 54, 115, 118, 159–60
responsibility and accountability, 78, 92, 115, 130
second chances, 26, 34, 41, 54, 122–23, 189, 226
of small-town America, xvi, 22, 43–45, 77–78, 111, 139, 173
trust, 22, 63, 77, 80, 82, 97–98, 137
truth, 9, 80, 153
See also personal development
Vess Cola plant, 40
Vietnam War, 23, 66
Viola, Frank, 144
W
Waite, Bob, 94–95, 98, 99, 100, 104–5, 107
Walker, Rube, 67
Walla Walla Padres, 33
Wal-Mart, xiv
Warn, Bob, 82
Warner, Charlie, 52
Warren, Bill, 19–20
Warren, Bob, 19–21, 22, 23
Warren Construction, 19–21
Wasem, Jim, 57, 58
Washington Nationals, 160–61
Washington Post, 159–61
Wayne, John, xiii, 89
Weil’s clothing store, 7, 72, 185, 236
Westminster Presbyterian, 5
Wheaties, 125
Wichita, Kansas. See National Baseball Congress World Series
Wichita Eagle-Beacon, 29–30, 103, 170, 171, 198
Williams, Matt, 161
Williams, Ted, 3
Williamson, Mark, 95, 96, 138
Windhorst, B. J. (grandson), 9, 154–55, 239
Winfield, Dave, 239
Wogan, Adam, 159–60
women’s issues, 23, 178
Woods, Tiger, 23
Woodward, Vern, 49
Woolson, John, 207
Woolworth’s, 50
Works Progress Administration (WPA), 39, 42
World Series, 66, 144, 187
World War II, 35–36, 38, 48, 53
Y
Young, Bill, 25–26
Young, Carolyn, 95
Young, Jim, 95
Young, Matt, 80
Z
Zdan, Stanley (stepfather), 229
About the Author
MICHAEL TACKETT is an editor in the Washington bureau of the New York Times. Previously, he was a managing editor for Bloomberg, the Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune, and a national editor at U.S. News & World Report. The Baseball Whisperer is his first book. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
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The Baseball Whisperer Page 25