Dodger Correspondence: Cy Buker

(pic link: Baseball in Wartime)

Cy Buker pitched for one season in his big league career for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, the last year of World War II. Buker was drafted, but was soon released due to asthma. He pitched well for the Dodgers, going 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 45 games. Buker was a reliever and was one of "Durocher's Firemen."

Below he writes Roy back about his thrills and highlights.

As to thrills, etc., let me tell you that each and every game was a thrill and a highlight. To try to separate the outstanding one would be impossible for me. I guess beating the Cubs 3 or 4 times the year they won the pennant has to be among the tops of all the thrills I had. I was very lucky to have played on many clubs that had real fine guys. Brooklyn had to have had some of the best; including Dixie Walker, Augie Galan, Mickey Owen, Pete Reiser, Pee Wee Reese, etc. Some of the finest guys that ever lived.

One of the interesting things I found while researching Cy was a story he relayed about a disaster that could have killed the entire Dodger team in 1945. (It happened in September 1945.)

Before arriving in Chicago to play the Cubs, the Dodgers received a scare when the train with the team's Pullman coach caught on fire. "We were on the train from St. Louis to Chicago. Around 5:00 a.m. with train traveling about 80 miles per hour, we hit a gasoline tanker truck. The explosion killed the engineer, fireman, and brakeman and the truck driver. We were riding in a Pullman car sitting up. We couldn't get a sleeper with all the troops coming back home. It was quite a jolt to wake up and see flames all around the car. Since the cars were mostly steel, the flames went out in a short time. We had a double-header in Chicago, and I had to work one of the games."

That's some pretty scary stuff.

(click to enlarge)

eBay Auction Link: Cy Buker Letter:

Wrigley Field in LA

The nicest thing about collector message boards is that everyone wants to share a new find and/or recent purchase. Collectors will put up pics so that others can get a glimpse at something the community has yet to ever see. Not only that, oftentimes collectors will ask the community for some help in identifying some aspect of an item. This past week, such an item popped up that I thought readers of this blog might enjoy.

First of all, a big thanks to Steve F for agreeing to allow me to show his recent purchase of 1940's era fan photographs of old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. They were originally posted at the net54Baseball site.
These photos are fascinating since they are so different from what you might expect. For instance, in the photo above why are there spectators sitting on the outfield grass? This must be of some promotional event because there is only one outfielder playing a very short center field, or maybe this is just a pre-game ritual.
In the above photo the crowd swarms the field after, what must have been, an important game. Then below, a camera crew can be seen just past the 1st base line. Was this a film shoot? After all, numerous shows and movies were filmed here; like Home Run Derby and Damn Yankees. Maybe this was a playoff game.

If you have any insight about the events taking place in these photos please pass them along. I know Steve F would appreciate your input. Also, please check some of my other pics from Wrigley Field in LA here.

Repko's Back

Am I the only guy who forgot that Jason Repko was still with us?

He, along with Scott Elbert and A. J. Ellis, has been called up for the September lineup expansion.

Hat Tip: Dodger Thoughts:

2009 Topps Tribute Preview

Topps recently unveiled some preview pics from their upcoming high-end Baseball set called Topps Tribute. These cards are not cheap so expect to pay a lot for one pack. Each pack will include either a autograph or relic card (numbered to 99), 3 base cards and a parallel card. Above and below are samples from the set featuring Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider.
(Hat Tip: Beckett & Wax Heaven)

O-Dog the Community Leader

Orlando Hudson has been nominated as the Dodger representative for the 2009 Roberto Clement Award. As you may know, this award recognizes those players who best represent the game of Baseball through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions to their teams.

Orlando ’s main focus in the community is the C.A.T.C.H. (Curing Autism Through Hope and Change) Foundation, a non-profit he founded to provide resources and a support system for youth coping with autism. As part of his efforts with C.A.T.C.H., Orlando has hosted special needs children at Dodger Stadium throughout the season. He also made visits with children to former Dodger Jim Gott’s Danny’s Farm, a petting zoo and arts and crafts facility designed for children with special needs, and to the Loma Alta Elementary School , where he read, answered questions, took photos, and signed autographs. Later this month, Orlando will host Skate for Autism, a red carpet charity event in Northridge , CA , to roll, bounce, and skate out autism. The C.A.T.C.H. Foundation has also served children with its annual Autism Walk: Strike Out! Bowling Fundraiser, Homerun Holiday Christmas gifting ceremony, and financial contributions to local organizations and schools with youth coping with autism.

Through his Around the Mound Tour, which he created earlier this year, Orlando visited Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy and Van Ness Recreation Center in Los Angeles , as well as stops in several other Major League cities. He enlisted the help of several of his fellow Major Leaguers throughout the season, as they took part in a program he created to reach out to African-American youth and keep them interested in playing baseball.

Orlando’s work in the community earned him the inaugural Albert Einstein Leadership Award, given by the Pasadena Unified School District Community Advisory Committee. The award recognizes an individual who, through personal success or extraordinary effort, has positively impacted the special education cause or the public’s perception of special education students.

I can't think of a better man who is more worthy. Go here for more info. Also, fans can vote for this award, so get clicking.

(pic link: daylife)

We Hardly Knew You, Tony

via Rotoworld and confirmed through MLB.com, Tony Abreu is the "Player to Be Named Later" portion of the Jon Garland trade. That's too bad. I always thought he had a good bat and would have fit in nicely had Orlando Hudson decided to go elsewhere this coming Winter.

Oh well. A minor sacrifice for a big playoff push. We still have our finest prospects staying within the organization.