A Great Night for the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame!

The 28th Annual Induction Banquet of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame roared through the J. W. Marriott near the Galleria in Houston on November 11th as a howling success. Convening for the 2nd straight year in its new Houston home base, the TBHOF hosted nearly 500 members of the Texas baseball community to the treat of participating in a great evening of celebration and fun.

Guests included Tal Smith, Pam Gardner, Enos Cabell, and others from the Houston Astros; former Astros 1st baseman Dave Bergman; former St. Louis Cardinals manager Solly Hemus; National Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro; former Major Leaguer Ken Aspromonte; former Houston Buff Larry Miggins; broadcaster and former Astros pitcher and manager Larry Dierker; and others too numerous to list here.

The evening began with an invocation delivered by the Rev. Drew Garner, the father of Astros manager Phil Garner. In honor of Veteran’s Day, TBHOF board member and WWII veteran Col. Fred Burley then recited the lyrics to “God Bless America” and pianist Glennie Scott followed with a touching vocal rendition of same.

Board member Greg Lucas paid tribute to the late Howard Green as an icon of Texas baseball history—and rightly so. We lost former Board member Green less than a month ago—and we dedicated this year’s banquet in gratitude to his memory. The TBHOF had no greater supporter or friend.

Board President Bill McCurdy welcomed the crowd with a few words about the TBHOF vision for a museum presence in Houston. McCurdy stressed that Houston has a unique opportunity to build the finest baseball museum south of Cooperstown—and one that preserves and displays Texas baseball history in a an educational and entertaining way through art, movies, special programs, and, hopefully, a cooperative memorabilia loan arrangement with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. McCurdy also stated that this first-class effort will require substantial endowment and corporate support, and he added that the TBHOF was busy working on a business plan that will detail what is needed. At this point, McCurdy concluded, the primary site options for the museum are: (1.) inside Minute Maid Park through some, so far, undiscussed arrangement with the Astros; (2.) directly across the street from Minute Maid Park with corporate sponsorship; or (3.) somewhere in the museum district of Houston, but also with endowment or corporate sponsorship.

Board member, Director of Operations, and Banquet Chairman George Scroggins was introduced to a lapping wave of applause for another splendidly planned evening. If there was a thread as common as baseball tonight, it was the fact that everyone here had been in touch with George at least once by phone, e-mail, or snail mail.

Advisory Board member Jimmy Wynn presented the 2nd Annual Toy Cannon Award for exceptional community service to Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton for the 22 million dollars he has raised for various charities over the long course of his 60-year broadcasting career.

With Milo Hamilton also presiding in his official role as Master of Ceremonies, the presentation of inductees began.

His colleague and mentor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jim Reeves, presented writer T. R. Sullivan for induction. Sullivan has covered the Texas Rangers for the past 16 years and is presently serving a term as President of the Major League Baseball Writer’s Association. Sullivan also co-authored Nolan Ryan, The Road to Cooperstown with Mickey Herskowitz.

Coach Jim Gilligan of Lamar University, a 2004 inductee into the TBHOF, then presented former National League umpire Satch Davidson for induction. Davidson, who was behind the plate when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s career home run mark in 1974, accepted in gratitude for the fact that he had spent his life doing something he really loved. Satch was surprised by a letter and gift from Slip Mahoney and the Bowery Boys, which is where Satch got his nickname. 

Mark Gretchen, the Director of Community Services for the City of Seguin, Texas, introduced pitcher "Smokey" Joe Williams for posthumous induction into the TBHOF as the second former Negro Leaguer to be enshrined by our state hall of honor. Gretchen also accepted in behalf of Smokey Joe and delivered a passionate expression of thanks for what this honor means to the man and his hometown. Smokey Joe’s plaque and TBHOF portrait will be displayed in the library at Seguin while local efforts continue to acquire his boyhood home as a future museum for the arguably greatest pitcher in Negro League history.

Houston Astros Senior Vice President Rob Matwick was presented for induction by his former college basketball coach, Lew Perkins. Perkins, now the Director of Athletics at the University of Kansas, described Matwick as the kind of man who always got things done the right way. Matwick was inducted for his nationally celebrated 20 years of service in various administrative capacities for the Houston Astros, including the plans and design for Minute Maid Park.

Former Texas Rangers General Manager and current broadcaster Tom Grieve presented Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez for an induction earned by his performance as a member of the American League club during his early years. Now a veteran member of the Detroit Tigers, Pudge flew all the way from South America to be here for his induction and he seemed genuinely touched by the honor. He also didn’t rule out a possible return to Texas to finish his storied career at some point, but he didn’t specify Rangers or Astros as his most likely destination.

1st baseman Lance Niekro of the San Francisco Giants was on hand to present his father, Joe Niekro, for induction in the most touching emotional moment of the evening. Tears of joy swelled and held in both men as they talked of what this night meant to each of them. Joe Niekro is still the winningest pitcher in Astros history, but he is much more than that to his son Lance and the other members of the Niekro family. “I only wish that each of you here could spend thirty minutes with my dad,” Lance concluded. “Then you’d know what a great guy he really is.”

Milo Hamilton performed triple duty on the evening as a recipient, master of ceremonies, and presenter. Milo presented our last inductee of the evening, Bob Aspromonte, because of a deep friendship the two have enjoyed since both of them were in Atlanta as a player and broadcaster back in 1970. “Aspro” hit his 7th career grand slam home run in his acceptance speech with a humble and eloquent description of what it was like growing up in the ‘50s in Brooklyn, signing and playing for the Dodgers at age 18, being befriended, mentored, and even given a glove by the great Jackie Robinson, becoming the first Houston MLB player to get a hit and score a run, hitting 3 grand slams for a little blind boy, becoming the last Brooklyn Dodger standing upon his retirement, and finally settling into a post-career good life as a member of the Houston and Texas baseball community. “Aspro” even finished on a rousing word of support for the earlier words of Bill McCurdy. “Bill,” Aspromonte said, “let’s go build that museum in Houston!”

The evening also included both a silent and live auction of some fine items to support our TBHOF operational fund including numerous quality objects of baseball memorabilia, two airline tickets provided by Continental Airlines, dinner for eight with Bob Aspromonte and Milo Hamilton at the State Grill provided by Frankie Mandola, and prime game tickets for four and the right to throw out the first ball at a 2006 game provided by the Houston Astros.

Each of our seven inductees received a handsomely engraved plaque to commemorate this night of honor, but they also again received something else even more special. For the second year in a row, our tirelessly unselfish official artist, Opie Otterstad, created works of special art to honor the new inductees. Each member received a framed copy of the original that Opie has created for display in our future museum—all the more reason for the TBHOF, the City of Houston, the State of Texas, and corporate interests to get behind the construction of this quality presentation of Texas baseball history in a way that has never been done outside of Cooperstown. If we build it, they will come—and the work of Opie Otterstad is only one of the big reasons they will come to see baseball presented as never before.

On that high note, the crowd filed out at evening’s end to the tune of Glennie Scott playing “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” When we go deep in the heart again next year, we hope you will find a way to be with us for a very special induction program. More on that later.
  

We are in the process of putting together a scrapbook and video clips. Meanwhile, here are some links to stories about our 2005 induction banquet:

Group Envisions Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in Houston
By Chris Duncan / Associated Press

Niekro Tops Texas Hall of Fame List
By Brian McTaggart / Houston Chronicle

Series Special for Aspromonte
By Brian McTaggart / Houston Chronicle

Postcards From the Ledge
By Jim Reeves / Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Matwick Enters Texas Baseball HOF
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

Niekro also Inducted into Texas Baseball Hall
By Associated Press / ESPN