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Friday, February 13, 2015
Billings Mustangs to honor Dick Stuart, aka "Dr. Strangeglove, with bobblehead in 2015.
http://www.mustangstoreds.com/2015/02/billings-mustangs-to-honor-dick-stuart.html
The Billings Mustangs organization allowed their fans to decide the fourth and final bobblehead promotion of the 2015 season. 13-years after his passing, Dick Stuart, forever remembered as "Dr. Strangeglove", will be immortalized in bobblehead form. The Stadium Giveaway (SGA) will take place September 6 at Dehler Park in Billings.
Stuart would have loved to have been a part of this day. He was a man who was proud of himself and the authoritative home runs he could hit. He was a one-way ballplayer who had the offensive dynamics to hang with the likes of Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Al Kaline, and even Mickey Mantle.
And then there was his defense - or the lack thereof.
It's tough to compare Stuart with others who played as poor of defense because he was such an important member of each roster. Despite a career full of "Bill Buckner-like" mishaps, Stuart still played in 1,112 games over ten years, committing 169 errors along the way. After reading a few stories that spoke of his lack of effort and blunderous behaviors, I half expected to see Stuart's name atop the list of errors committed in a career. In the history of professional baseball, Stuart had one-fifth the errors Herman Long had. However, Long played his 15 seasons between 1889 and 1904 when the equipment used to field ground balls and line drives was the equivalent to using your bare hands.
I needed to take a different route to compare Stuart to other big league ballplayers. I needed to compare him to players of his generation, the guys he shared a field with.
After seeing his name being listed in the League Leaders columns with Hall of Famers that first come to mind when you think of MLB History, I needed to do a little digging for myself and see where this guy came from; what he had done en route to his position in the majors?
In 1958, after clubbing 31 home runs for the Salt Lake City Bees (affiliated with the Pirates at that time), Stuart got his chance to show off his heavy-hitting swing at the big-league level. When Stuart made the move from Salt Lake to Pittsburgh, he definitely brought his bat. In only 67 games, Stuart smashed 16 home runs and drove in 48 RBI. Had he been called up at the beginning of the season and played in all 154 games, he might have hit 37 long balls with 110 RBI, giving NL Rookie of the Year winner, Orlando Cepeda, a run for his money.
Unfortunately, that's not the half of the game Stuart is largely remembered for.
Stuart is remembered be the nicknames that describe his defensive incapacity - "Dr. Strangeglove", "Stonefingers", "The Ancient Mariner", and, as he had printed on his own license plate, "E-3".
Stuart had a surprising amount of supporters despite his inability to play the field. He was well liked by the spectators in the stands but it was a different story in the clubhouse. In an article written in 2006 by Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Journal Star, Rosenthal had the opportunity to speak with Larry Shepard, who coached Stuart during his time with the Lincoln Chiefs. In one segment, Shepard recalls a situation during the Western League Playoffs and perfectly describes the kind of player Stuart was:
"(While coaching third base) I walked over to Dick, and Dick asked me, 'Is the squeeze on?' I said, 'No, no squeeze.'"
"I turn around and walk back to the coach's box, and the count now was 3-1. And (Dick) asked me again, 'Is the squeeze on?' 'No, Dick! The squeeze is not on!' Well, the pitcher throws the ball, and there goes Dick."
The batter sees Stuart coming down the line. The pitch is high, but he lunges after the ball in an attempt to protect Stuart.
"Of course," Shepard said, "the catcher catches the ball, and tags Dick. I asked Dick later in the dugout, 'What in the hell! I just told you...' and Dick said, 'I thought you might have changed your mind.'
"That was Dick," Shepard said. "He was just in another world."
Having read Rosenthal's article a few times over the course of the past few hours, I couldn't help but look for a few other stories about this character they called "Old Ironglove."
I stumbled across a website called Ultimate Mets Database that had personalized stories about Stuart. From personal encounters that describe him as a lovable guy, to being a "huge disappointment for the Mets."
My favorite stories were shared by Moe Resner, who shared time with Stuart during his coaching days with the Mount Vernon Generals of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.
"Even if it has to be 'Strangeglove' that reminds fans of his home run achievements, I'm happy," Resner stated. "But I just knew him as a fine friend. We met after his big league career had ended and he worked for a collection agency, carrying with him 8x10 photos instead of a business card. We worked financial deals together, and then he agreed to be my batting instructor for the 1981 Generals. It was a great year because Mt. Vernon won for the first time in 15 years with a record of 28 and 12. The best."
"Dick was a lovable guy who never stopped kidding and telling us his baseball stories. I once invited him to a party and he asked the host this trivia question: 'In 1960, when Pittsburgh's Bill Mazeroski hit his famous series-ending home run to defeat the New York Yankees in Game 7, who was on deck at the time?' No one knew the answer. Stu said, 'It was ME! I was on deck!'"
"Kiddingly, Dick once said, 'Moe, when my Mom and Dad came to see me play, I didn't let them sit behind first base. It was too dangerous.'"
The legacy of Dick Stuart would not be complete without the "Hot Dog Wrapper Story."
Stuart often said his most memorable day in the Major Leagues was when 30,000 Pittsburgh fans gave him a standing ovation for snaring a hot dog wrapper out of midair.
To take a deeper look into the biography of Dick Stuart, please read this article featured on SABR.org written by Jan Finkel. Though melancholy at times, it's a real eye-opener that really digs into the life and times of "Dr. Strangeglove."
Billings Mustangs to honor Dick Stuart, aka "Dr. Strangeglove, with bobblehead in 2015.
http://www.mustangstoreds.com/2015/02/billings-mustangs-to-honor-dick-stuart.html
The Billings Mustangs organization allowed their fans to decide the fourth and final bobblehead promotion of the 2015 season. 13-years after his passing, Dick Stuart, forever remembered as "Dr. Strangeglove", will be immortalized in bobblehead form. The Stadium Giveaway (SGA) will take place September 6 at Dehler Park in Billings.
Stuart would have loved to have been a part of this day. He was a man who was proud of himself and the authoritative home runs he could hit. He was a one-way ballplayer who had the offensive dynamics to hang with the likes of Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Al Kaline, and even Mickey Mantle.
And then there was his defense - or the lack thereof.
It's tough to compare Stuart with others who played as poor of defense because he was such an important member of each roster. Despite a career full of "Bill Buckner-like" mishaps, Stuart still played in 1,112 games over ten years, committing 169 errors along the way. After reading a few stories that spoke of his lack of effort and blunderous behaviors, I half expected to see Stuart's name atop the list of errors committed in a career. In the history of professional baseball, Stuart had one-fifth the errors Herman Long had. However, Long played his 15 seasons between 1889 and 1904 when the equipment used to field ground balls and line drives was the equivalent to using your bare hands.
I needed to take a different route to compare Stuart to other big league ballplayers. I needed to compare him to players of his generation, the guys he shared a field with.
After seeing his name being listed in the League Leaders columns with Hall of Famers that first come to mind when you think of MLB History, I needed to do a little digging for myself and see where this guy came from; what he had done en route to his position in the majors?
In 1958, after clubbing 31 home runs for the Salt Lake City Bees (affiliated with the Pirates at that time), Stuart got his chance to show off his heavy-hitting swing at the big-league level. When Stuart made the move from Salt Lake to Pittsburgh, he definitely brought his bat. In only 67 games, Stuart smashed 16 home runs and drove in 48 RBI. Had he been called up at the beginning of the season and played in all 154 games, he might have hit 37 long balls with 110 RBI, giving NL Rookie of the Year winner, Orlando Cepeda, a run for his money.
Unfortunately, that's not the half of the game Stuart is largely remembered for.
Stuart is remembered be the nicknames that describe his defensive incapacity - "Dr. Strangeglove", "Stonefingers", "The Ancient Mariner", and, as he had printed on his own license plate, "E-3".
Stuart had a surprising amount of supporters despite his inability to play the field. He was well liked by the spectators in the stands but it was a different story in the clubhouse. In an article written in 2006 by Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Journal Star, Rosenthal had the opportunity to speak with Larry Shepard, who coached Stuart during his time with the Lincoln Chiefs. In one segment, Shepard recalls a situation during the Western League Playoffs and perfectly describes the kind of player Stuart was:
"(While coaching third base) I walked over to Dick, and Dick asked me, 'Is the squeeze on?' I said, 'No, no squeeze.'"
"I turn around and walk back to the coach's box, and the count now was 3-1. And (Dick) asked me again, 'Is the squeeze on?' 'No, Dick! The squeeze is not on!' Well, the pitcher throws the ball, and there goes Dick."
The batter sees Stuart coming down the line. The pitch is high, but he lunges after the ball in an attempt to protect Stuart.
"Of course," Shepard said, "the catcher catches the ball, and tags Dick. I asked Dick later in the dugout, 'What in the hell! I just told you...' and Dick said, 'I thought you might have changed your mind.'
"That was Dick," Shepard said. "He was just in another world."
Having read Rosenthal's article a few times over the course of the past few hours, I couldn't help but look for a few other stories about this character they called "Old Ironglove."
I stumbled across a website called Ultimate Mets Database that had personalized stories about Stuart. From personal encounters that describe him as a lovable guy, to being a "huge disappointment for the Mets."
My favorite stories were shared by Moe Resner, who shared time with Stuart during his coaching days with the Mount Vernon Generals of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.
"Even if it has to be 'Strangeglove' that reminds fans of his home run achievements, I'm happy," Resner stated. "But I just knew him as a fine friend. We met after his big league career had ended and he worked for a collection agency, carrying with him 8x10 photos instead of a business card. We worked financial deals together, and then he agreed to be my batting instructor for the 1981 Generals. It was a great year because Mt. Vernon won for the first time in 15 years with a record of 28 and 12. The best."
"Dick was a lovable guy who never stopped kidding and telling us his baseball stories. I once invited him to a party and he asked the host this trivia question: 'In 1960, when Pittsburgh's Bill Mazeroski hit his famous series-ending home run to defeat the New York Yankees in Game 7, who was on deck at the time?' No one knew the answer. Stu said, 'It was ME! I was on deck!'"
"Kiddingly, Dick once said, 'Moe, when my Mom and Dad came to see me play, I didn't let them sit behind first base. It was too dangerous.'"
The legacy of Dick Stuart would not be complete without the "Hot Dog Wrapper Story."
Stuart often said his most memorable day in the Major Leagues was when 30,000 Pittsburgh fans gave him a standing ovation for snaring a hot dog wrapper out of midair.
To take a deeper look into the biography of Dick Stuart, please read this article featured on SABR.org written by Jan Finkel. Though melancholy at times, it's a real eye-opener that really digs into the life and times of "Dr. Strangeglove."
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