Former Mets catcher Sasser receives Hall of Fame honors

The visions of Mackey Sasser double and triple pumping before throwing the ball back to the pitcher are vivid memories for New York Mets fans. The former catcher's struggles with his throwing are well documented, but now the 48-year-old Sasser has been able to share his major league experience with the next generation of aspiring ballplayers at Wallace Community College.

Sasser has been the head coach at Wallace for the past 14 seasons where he starred as a player (1982-83) before signing with the San Francisco Giants. During his tenure he's posted a 462-281 record and has been able to have numerous players sign professional contracts.

Last week, Sasser was inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame in Alabama. Sasser played nine seasons (1987-95) for the Mets, Pirates, Giants and Mariners. While most recognize Sasser for his throwing problems back to the pitcher, he batted .307 with the Mets in 1990 and displayed a tremendous arm throwing out runners across the diamond.

His problems worsened after a collision at the plate with Jim Presley of the Atlanta Braves. Sasser suffered a torn Achillies tendon that further affected his ability to throw. He signed with the Seattle Mariners after the 1992 season, playing two injury plagued seasons with them. He spent one more with the Pirates in 1995 before retiring.

After some therapy, Sasser has been able to rise above the challenges he faced on the field.

"I didn’t want to deal with it anymore and moved on. I was able to get some help and it’s not a problem now. I had to learn to deal with myself, not just the problem,” Sasser said to the Dothan Eagle.

As a coach, Sasser takes great pride in watching his players develop not only on the diamond, but in their personal lives.

"I make my kids work hard because I want to get the best out of them," he said. "The most gratifying thing to me is when one of them comes back a few years later and he’s started a family or used his education to get a good job. I want to see them get to where they need to be.”

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Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez give an assist to Habitat for Humanity in Brooklyn

The New York Mets Alumni Association presented by Citi teamed up with Habitat for Humanity in Brooklyn earlier Friday for their “100 Homes in Brooklyn” project. Current SNY broadcasters and Mets alumni Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez represented the team at the Brownsville site. 

Both players address the media at the ceremony. Darling was grateful to be a part of the construction process.

“Both Keith and I are humbled by our opportunity to represent the Mets here,” Darling said. “For the Mets to include Keith and I with Habitat for Humanity and Citi, how great is that? To be able to put a roof over someone’s head, I don’t know if there is any better feeling you can have.”

Darling volunteered in New Orleans with his family in support of Habitat for Humanity. He enjoyed seeing his work come to fruition.

“I wasn’t down there volunteering as Ron Darling; I was just another guy with his family helping out. It was rewarding for the people that take part in it," he said. "The volunteers should be commended. At some point, your sweat equity and hard work will have someone indoors this winter.”

Josh Lockwood, the Executive Director of New York City’s Habitat for Humanity, discussed their valuable relationship with the New York Mets. He described how the relationship has grown over the past few years.

“This is the third year that the Mets alumni have been coming out to build with us,” Lockwood said. “It started a few years ago when the 1969 Mets completed our largest project ever. Last year and this year, we’ve had great philanthropically minded alumni coming out helping to build Habitat homes alongside the families that will live there.”

With the help of New York City officials, Habitat for Humanity has been able to acquire the land for basically free, providing they build affordable housing. The tremendous community interest in the dwellings has motivated them to work harder.

“We had a 41 home project a couple blocks away from here and that project had 10,000 applications for those homes,” he said. “It really inspired us to try and do more and build more. That’s led to an initiative to 100 homes in Brooklyn, and these 12 homes are going towards that.”

Georgette Lee, one of the people who was awarded one of the coveted homes, had a tremendous appreciation for the chance to have her part of the American dream. Today, it was a reality.

“I applied in March and was accepted April 1st,”  said Lee, who is looking forward to staying in the community where she was raised. “I met the income requirement, the credit check and I worked 200 sweat equity hours, which I did in five weeks.

“I think it is a wonderful opportunity because for years and years, I never thought I would be able to own anything in New York. To get the opportunity to not only own, but to help build and stay in the community where I was brought up is great.”

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Robinson Cano gets an assist from his father during the Home Run Derby

Last night's Home Run Derby champion, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano didn't have to go far for family support, it was 60 feet away. His father Jose was throwing perfect pitches down the pipe all night long. It shouldn't be a surprise though; the elder Cano was a pitcher for the Houston Astros in 1989.

Click here to read more about Jose Cano's career and his relationship with his All-Star son.

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Seven decades of World Series highlights signed by 12 baseball immortals

To celebrate the 2011 All-Star weekend, A&E Home Entertainment is providing a sale on a truly impressive 21 DVD collection of seven decades of World Series highlights presented in a stunning 58-page commemorative book. There will be a 30% sale on everything baseball when you enter the code PLAYBALL from July 11-13, 2011 from shop.history.com

Only 100 of these editions have been hand signed by 12 Hall of Famers, which is described below. Those ordering the autographed edition will also receive a custom case to display their wares. You can order the autographed edition by clicking here.

For those that cannot afford the price tag on the limited edition set, the sale also applies to the standard 21 disc version which still comes in the beautiful commemorative book. We at Baseball Happenings have been given a screening copy of the set and it is truly a treasure for any baseball fan. This edition of the World Series Film Collection can be ordered by clicking here.

A&E HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PRODUCTIONS UNVEIL A SPECTACULAR, LIMITED-EDITION, AUTOGRAPH-ENHANCED VERSION OF THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION

The quintessential blend of baseball history and history-makers comes together in an unprecedented intersection of a luxurious Major League Baseball DVD collectible with authentic Hall of Fame signatures with SIGNATURE LINE: THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION.  Available exclusively on Shop.History.com and Shop.MLB.com, the DVD set, which elegantly displays the iconic moments and legendary heroes across seven decades of World Series Films, will only be offered to sports fans around the globe in a limited-edition run of 100 for $2299.

The Signature Line edition will be embellished with the signatures of 12 World Series legends and Hall of Famers -- who helped pen World Series history and created many of the defining moments of Major League Baseball.  Authenticated by Mounted Memories, an MLB licensee and leader in the sports collectibles field, the set will also be officially licensed and authenticated by Major League Baseball, with each unit individually numbered and marked with a sequentially coded hologram to ensure authenticity.

SIGNATURE LINE: THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION will be gilded by the golden signatures of:

• Yogi Berra: Most World Series Championships, most hits, most doubles, singles, putouts, and guided Don Larsen to the only Perfect Game in World Series history.
• Bob Gibson: Two-time World Series MVP, most strikeouts in a World Series game (17) and totaled 92 Ks in 81 innings pitched.
• Reggie Jackson: “Mr. October” blasted 10 Fall Classic Home runs including three in a row on three pitches in 1977.
• Johnny Bench: Driver of the Big Red Machine and defensive titan, he won the 1976 World Series MVP after batting .533 with two home runs.
• Whitey Ford: The “Chairman of the Board” holds numerous World Series pitching records including: most strikeouts (94), most wins (10), innings (146), WS games (22).

Rounding out the star-studded roster of Fall Classic icons are:

• Gary Carter
• Bob Feller
• Rollie Fingers
• Carlton Fisk
• Brooks Robinson
• Mike Schmidt
• Bruce Sutter

About THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION

The drama and unforgettable images of baseball are the World Series moments celebrated from generation to generation.  Now, for the very first time, these dynamic events have been preserved and commemorated in a timeless treasure certain to become the centerpiece of any baseball fan’s home entertainment library.  Elegantly displaying the complete set of official filmed World Series highlights across six decades of World Series Films (1943-2008), this encyclopedic set is divided into 14 eras and features 50 hours of unforgettable baseball action across 20 remastered DVDs.

With a foreward by 19-time Emmy winner Bob Costas of MLB Network and framed with 58-pages of editorial, remarkable archival images, and rare Hall of Fame artifacts, the dramatic package creates a timeline of World Series lore since 1903. The 65 official World Series Films feature more than 50 hours of restored, digitized, and glorious history as it happened.

The list of baseball’s greatest moments is dominated by the iconic events of the World Series and they live in this significant DVD trophy. These instantly recalled plays and players are showcased within this one-of-a-kind compendium including “The Catch” by Willie Mays, Don Larsen’s Perfect Game, Bill Mazeroski’s series-winning walk-off home run, Bob Gibson’s record setting 17-strikeouts, Carlton Fisk’s dramatic home run, Reggie Jackson’s three consecutive home runs, Kurt Gibson’s improbably Hollywood game winner and Jack Morris’ dominating 1-0 Game 7 masterpiece.

This collection celebrates the images, plays, and heroes that make the World Series a cherished and significant event. As history unfolds technology evolves changing the annual documentary’s style. From the black and white editions, produced and narrated by Lew Fonseca (AL batting champ 1929, Cleveland Indians) thru the narration by legendary broadcasters including Mel Allen, Bob Prince, Harry Caray, Vin Scully, to the current Official World Series Film versions featuring multiple camera angles, players and coaches wired for sound, and play-by-play from TV and radio broadcasters, each annual film is a time capsule of its era.  Records and seasons change with time, but the legends and lore of the World Series on DVD will last forever.

THE OFFICIAL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL^® WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION includes these 20 DVDs:

• Disc 1 -- 1943 Yankees, 1944 Cardinals, 1945 Tigers, 1946 Cardinals, 1947 Yankees, 1948 Indians (approx 182 min)
• Disc 2 -- 1949-53 Yankees (approx 167 min)
• Disc 3 -- 1954 Giants, 1955 Dodgers, 1956 Yankees (approx 115 min)
• Disc 4 -- 1957 Braves, 1958 Yankees, 1959 Dodgers, 1960 Pirates, 1961 Yankees (approx 182 min)
• Disc 5 -- 1962 Yankees, 1963 Dodgers, 1964 Cardinals (approx 100 min)
• Disc 6 -- 1965 Dodgers, 1966 Orioles, 1967 Cardinals, 1968 Tigers (approx 152 min)
• Disc 7 -- 1969 Mets, 1970 Orioles, 1971 Pirates (approx 116 min)
• Disc 8 -- 1972-74 A’s, 1975-76 Reds (approx 170 min)
• Disc 9 -- 1977-78 Yankees, 1979 Pirates, 1980 Phillies, 1981 Dodgers (approx 166 min)
• Disc 10 -- 1982 Cardinals, 1983 Orioles, 1984 Tigers (approx 107 min)
• Disc 11 -- 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, 1987 Twins (approx 119 min)
• Disc 12 -- 1988 Dodgers, 1989 A’s, 1990 Reds (approx 177 min)
• Disc 13 -- 1991 Twins, 1992 Blue Jays (approx 139 min)
• Disc 14 -- 1993 Blue Jays, 1995 Braves (approx 132 min)
• Disc 15 -- 1996 Yankees, 1997 Marlins (approx 143 min)
• Disc 16 -- 1998-2000 Yankees (approx 186 min)
• Disc 17 -- 2001 Diamondbacks, 2002 Angels (approx 145 min)
• Disc 18 -- 2003 Marlins, 2004 Red Sox (approx 142 min)
• Disc 19 -- 2005 White Sox, 2006 Cardinals (approx 152 min)
• Disc 20 -- 2007 Red Sox, 2008 Phillies (approx 163 min)

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Wes Covington | 1957 World Series hero dies at 79

Wes Covington, the upstart who helped spark the Milwaukee Braves to victory in the 1957 World Series, died of cancer in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday. He was 79.

Wes Covington

Born March 27, 1932 in Laurinburg, N.C., John Wesley Covington was signed by the Boston Braves in 1952. He was sent to their farm club in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he roomed with a skinny 18-year-old from Alabama, Hank Aaron.

Covington led the team in home runs that season and according to Aaron in his autobiography, "I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story", Covington was thought to be the bigger power threat.

"If people had known that one of our players would someday be the all-time, major-league home run leader, everybody would have assumed that Covington would be the guy," Aaron said.

Early on, Covington did show his prowess at the plate, hitting 21 and 24 homers respectively in 1957 and 1958, but his subsequent lack of defensive abilities kept him from being a full-time player. In 11 seasons, Covington belted 131 homers while playing for six different teams.

Al Spangler, who played 13 seasons in the majors, was a teammate of Covington's in 1955 with Jacksonville and then again with the Braves from 1959-1961. Spangler noted Covington's strengths tipping towards his work at the plate.

"Overall, he was a great player," Spangler said via a phone interview from his Texas home. "He didn't like to play defense, but he was a great hitter. When we played together in 1960, he played left field and I would go in the later innings and replace him for defensive purposes."

Surprisingly, Covington is famous for plays he made on defense during the 1957 World Series. His two stellar catches in left field helped to preserve victories for the Braves. In Game 2, he made a nearly impossible grab off of a drive from Bobby Shantz’s bat and in Game 5, he robbed Gil McDougald of a homer after crashing into the fence to make the catch. To his former teammates though, Covington will be best remembered for his kindness. Earl Hersh, who played with Covington in the majors with Milwaukee and the minors with Wichita, had nothing but superlatives for the fallen outfielder.

"He was to me, a first class guy," said the 79-year-old Hersh from his Pennsylvania residence. "Everything was good that I knew about him. He was a nice person and a good ballplayer. I found him fun to be around; just a good time guy."

Bobby Malkmus, who also played with Covington in Jacksonville before teaming up on the Braves, said in a phone interview from his New Jersey home that Covington remained a loyal teammate despite the racial barriers which existed during the time.

"He was a tremendous guy, easy to get along with," Malkmus said. "We got along really well. He was a good ballplayer and a good friend. [There was] no black and white situation with him; he was just a good teammate, kind of a jolly person."

Covington, like many black players during the 1950s faced the challenges of Jim Crow segregation while traveling. Spangler recalled some of the difficulties that Covington and the other black players faced on the Jacksonville team in 1955.

“We had Wes and another African-American, Horace Garner," Spangler recalled. "They couldn't even get off the bus to go in and have lunch when we were traveling. When we arrived at a town, we never saw them again until game time.”

Malkmus, who played with Spangler and Covington in 1955, was saddened by the hardships faced by his recently deceased teammate.

“They had to stay with black families on the road," Malkmus said. "They didn't eat with us on the road. If we stopped to get something to eat, they either had to eat in the kitchen or we had to bring them food out to the bus. It was terrible.”

Malkmus was raised in the diverse city of Newark, New Jersey, which made sympathetic to the plight of his African-American teammates like Covington. He recalled the difficulties they faced in Southern cities. 

“I was born and raised in Newark amongst the blacks and got along with them really well," he said. "My experience with the South was brutal as far as blacks and whites were concerned. They didn't treat the blacks well. We used to shower and play with them, but we couldn't live with them.”

Upon finishing his baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966, Covington moved to Western Canada and operated a sporting goods business. He worked for the Edmonton Sun newspaper for 20 years as an advertising manager and then the Edmonton Trappers baseball club in a front office position. Covington rarely appeared in the States after moving to Canada except for the occasional Braves reunion or card show.

In 2003, Covington returned to Milwaukee after an almost 40-year absence. When asked why he had removed himself so far from the town where he built his baseball legend, Covington revealed motives outside of the sport.

“It's nothing against the city or the great fans," Covington said. "I just had other things I wanted to do with my life. I didn't want to be a baseball bum, living in the past."

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