Frank Howard emphatically endorses Gil Hodges Hall of Fame candidacy

While a statue of Frank Howard towers over spectators at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., the 6’7” slugger is also a well known figure in New York, where he was a coach for both the Yankees and Mets (serving as a manager for the latter in 1983). On Saturday, the 78-year-old Howard returned to New York as a guest at the JP Sports Long Island National Card Show at Hofstra University, signing autographs for a few hundred fans that waited patiently to greet one of the most feared power hitters in baseball history.

Frank Howard signing autographs / N. Diunte

Reflecting on his return to New York, Howard drummed up a lot of positive memories, including when he played basketball for Ohio State at Madison Square Garden in 1956. He set a Garden Festival tournament record with 32 rebounds in one game.

 

“You know, [playing] in the old Madison Square Garden, the ten years I coached here, six with the Mets, four with the Yankees, [were] really ten of the greatest years of my life,” Howard said on Saturday. “The ball clubs we had really weren’t real strong contending clubs, but they were clubs that were entertaining and fun to watch.”

Howard made his mark in New York as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1963 World Series when they squared off against the New York Yankees. He hit two monstrous shots off of Whitey Ford in Games 1 and 4 en route to a Dodgers sweep that are still talked about amongst New York baseball fans. He chose to very humbly tip his cap to the Hall of Fame pitcher, rather than relive the glory of his tape-measure blasts.

“Whitey Ford is the professional’s professional, he’s the pro’s pro,” Howard said. "He’s in the Hall of Fame for one reason: besides having outstanding equipment, [he had] a great baseball mind, a big Yankee heart and fire in his belly every time he went to the mound. That’s the reason why they’re in the Hall of Fame; that kind of talent only comes around every 25-30 years in baseball."

Caught in the midst of this year’s World Series match-up between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants, Howard remarked upon his experiences as a World Series champion. He found tremendous pride in being part of a winning team.

“It’s America, they love winners,” he said. “You’ll get more recognition being on a World Championship club than you will in all of the individual accomplishments that you might set or do. Recognition comes from being on a winner.”

Later in his career, Howard continued in the lineage of his former teammate and manager Gil Hodges, serving as interim manager for the New York Mets in 1983, replacing George Bamberger midway through the season. He recalled Hodges as one of the best baseball men he’s ever met.

Frank Howard watching Gil Hodges in spring training

“[He] knows the game of baseball from A-to-Z,” he said. “[He was] probably the most fundamentally sound, or as fundamentally a sound manager and player that has ever played in the big leagues. The epitome of presence, class, charisma … he would walk into a room and the room would light up.”

Hodges’ candidacy for the Hall of Fame is always a passionate topic, as his combined accomplishments as a player and manager warrant strong consideration from the Veterans Committee. While Howard does not have a Hall of Fame vote, he is certainly in support for his induction.

“That’s up to the writers. … I’m a little biased, but I think he does.”

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Harrelson continues to nuture the Long Island Ducks at Hofstra seminar

Thursday morning, Bud Harrelson presided over the Hofstra University Club as part of the Operation Downtown Seminar entitled, The Birth of Long Island Ducks Baseball. The presentation, which was sponsored by the Scott Skodnek Business Development Center and Astoria Federal Savings, was attended by over 100 leaders in a variety of Long Island businesses.

Bud Harrelson / N. Diunte

Harrelson has been part of the ownership groups of the Long Island Ducks since their inception in 2000. Despite his two World Series rings with the New York Mets during his major league tenure (one as a player in 1969 and one as a coach in 1986), Harrelson cited this chapter of his baseball life as the most fulfilling.

“I’m often asked about my best accomplishment in baseball and I answer, ‘The Long Island Ducks.’ I say it is the best thing I’ve ever done because the fans know me, and I know them.”

Now that the Ducks are firmly entrenched in the community, fan support hasn’t wavered. “We have affordable family entertainment, less than the cost of a movie. We are approaching six million fans in career attendance, and stand in the upper ten percent in minor league attendance,” said Harrelson.

The Ducks are an independent team in the Atlantic League, which means that they aren’t tethered to any major league club. As they have grown, the Ducks have become a magnet for high caliber talent.

“We look at those players who are the non-roster invitees to spring training," he said. "Those are the guys we want. When we started, we really had to go after ex-major league players, now their agents are calling us.”

Despite a league maximum salary of $3,000 per month, former major leaguers are willing to play with the Ducks because of their reputation of getting players back into a major league organization.

“In the last ten years, we’ve had over 50 contracts purchased by MLB organizations. We are warehousing players, but every time one leaves, another one comes.”

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Gaylord Perry and George Foster give back at Long Island youth baseball clinic

Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry and former National League MVP George Foster led a group of retired Major League baseball players that delivered an enriching baseball clinic at Hofstra University on May 22nd, 2010.

Sponsored by the MLBPAA and the RPS Treiber Agency Group, over 200 children aged 6-16 attended the clinic. For many of the participants, they were able to have direct instruction from former Major League baseball players.

The baseball alumni sent a clear and consistent message: play hard, have fun, and take care of your education. Perry looked forward to bringing smiles to the faces of both the kids and their parents.

"I enjoying seeing the excitement in the kids and the parents," he said. "The parents saw us play in their day during our day, so they knew what we did, but the young kids are out here to have fun, play ball, and learn a few things. I want to give them confidence that they can do the job."

A return to New York brought back fond memories for Perry who played there with the Yankees towards the end of his career.

"I was fortunate enough to really get my start here in 1964 against the Mets," he said. "I pitched 10 innings in relief, winning in 23 innings. In 1980 I finished the season with the Yankees. They had a very good club, and in 1982 I won my 299th game in Yankee Stadium, so New York is very special to me."

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