(#56)
My whole purpose of writing Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach is to share great baseball stories and put them in a place for everybody to read and share, so they won’t be forgotten. Too many of those great characters of the game are no longer with us and those great stories will eventually fade away. Everybody who has played, coached, or watched baseball games at any level has great stories to tell.
Here’s an example: I saw Steve Renfrow at Smith-Wills Stadium a few years ago and asked him to tell me a great Willis Steenhuis story. Without hesitating he told me this one.
Wingfield was playing Jim Hill at Leavell Woods, probably in the spring of 1979. Steve was pitching against the great Richie Hines. He hit him the the back with a pitch (probably with that big sweeping curveball). As Richie was walking to first base, Steve said to him, “Sorry man, I didn’t mean to hit you.”
Willis called “time!” and came rushing onto the field and said to Renfrow, as only Willis could say it, “Don’t tell him you’re sorry! Call him a &$%@sucker and tell him you’re gonna do it again!” 🙂
A lesson from the teacher. Priceless!
I can almost hear Willis’ voice saying it. (or even do an impersonation of him saying it)
That was the kind of competitor he was.
And obviously it made a lasting impression on Steve. One of many.
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 