Oldies But Goodies: Johnson, Bidwell Have Been Around Twilight League Forever
By Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"I love being at the bleepin' ballpark," Johnson said.
He didn't actually say bleepin', but Johnson's course vocabulary has a way of coming across as inoffensive, innocent. Gruff but gentle, part baseball lifer and part classical pianist, he swears his way through reactions and descriptions of everything, usually with a smile. It's actually endearing.
The dugout conversations on this day touched on his professional career, his family, his team, the
Johnson finished scribbling out a lineup card and reluctantly walked to right field so the game could begin. He pounded his fist into his glove before every pitch. A few fly balls were hit to right-center, including one center fielder
Foss scratched out a 5-0 victory and Johnson, in the league for a 52nd consecutive season, said, repeatedly, "Good bleepin' game."
Then he went home to his piano.
"I started taking lessons when I was 11," Johnson said. "My mother had a Baldwin. Semi-classical, classical music --
Five days later, 10 players are on hand for a game against the
"They bleepin' told me bleepin' they would be here. They're not bleepin' here! Un-bleepin'-believable."
Bidwell, in his 40th season, is scheduled to pitch. He's at the other end of the dugout, talking about the Commander Cody show he attended, saying how the 70-year-old country rock musician was complaining of sore, arthritic fingers.
"It was kind of sad," said Bidwell, who has followed Commander Cody to just about every show within driving distance since the mid-1970's. "He was kind of in the dumps. He's a painter, too. He does fantastic portraits of jazz and rock musicians. I bought one. It was this beautiful portrait of
Bidwell, 58, set the league record for victories before most of his teammates were even born and earned another as Foss beat the Expos, 13-4. Afterward, during a walk to the parking lot, where players dig into a case of beer, Bidwell continues a discussion about music. He attends concerts quite often with his older brother, Mel, 60.
"I love live music almost as much as I love baseball," he said. "One of our favorites is
Bidwell talks about these musicians with the fascination and passion that a baseball fan might have for his longevity.
"Maybe the real baseball connoisseurs, I guess," he said.
Like Family
In some ways, Johnson and Bidwell couldn't be more different. Johnson is gruff, cantankerous. Bidwell is chatty, free-spirited, a one-man party who still wears rock 'n' roll T-shirts under his jersey.
In other ways, they couldn't be more alike. Both are fiercely competitive and committed to a sport and a team. They're basically family now, after all these innings and years spent together as part of the most successful team in the
"I treasure it," Johnson said.
Johnson was raised in
Johnson, a third baseman who eventually made a career in car sales, began playing in the
"Gene won the batting title that year at like .472, something ridiculous," Bidwell said. "He had the respect of the umpires. They would never call a third strike on him. It used to piss everybody off. Hey, he had that respect. He played the equivalent of Triple A, which they didn't have in 1960. But that's the level he was at, behind
"Jeff was a big pain in the ass and a vicious competitor, just like Gene," Holowaty said, laughing. "Gene has been the backbone of the league. There were guys in the '60s and '70s who were old-school baseball guys who you could really learn from. They taught me to compete [during one season for
Outsmarting Batters
Bidwell, a
Bidwell, an intimidating 6-foot-4 pitcher with a Fu Manchu and a mop of gray hair, has walked just two batters in 35 innings this season. He's succeeding the way he always has, by mixing a curveball, slider and knuckleball with the occasional fastball at about 75 mph. Young hitters in their prime, fresh out of college, swing out of their shoes thinking they'll hit the ball 450 feet against Bidwell and, more often than not, pop up or hit a weak ground ball.
"David is very sly," Johnson said.
"He knows how to pitch," said his catcher of the past seven years,
Bidwell became the league's all-time winningest pitcher in the mid-1980s and earned his 100th victory in 1989. He picked up No. 200 in 2003. He now has more than 250 victories and about 80 losses and has never had an arm injury despite throwing well over 2,000 innings. Only one person kept the exact statistics.
"My dad had it written down in his estimate book," Bidwell said. "It would say, 'This guy needs a roof, this guy needs siding, these are David's wins year-by-year from 1975.'"
Bidwell's father,
"Rubber arm, still, and certainly knows how to pitch," said Vernon Orioles cleanup hitter
It's Still Fun
Every year on
He says he will continue to pitch until he's incapable, and there's really no sign of him slowing to the point that he would be overmatched. Johnson says he will manage until it's no longer enjoyable. Over the years, games became family events with wives, parents and children consistently attending.
The playoffs begin Tuesday at McKenna Field in
Both Johnson and Bidwell hope they don't outlast the league, which is down to six teams and, it seems, hanging on by the stitching of a baseball.
"Gene is more nervous this year than any, just about having enough guys," Bidwell said. "It sucks that we put him in that position. I understand guys have other commitments. Work is one thing, but if you're going to miss a game on a Sunday because you're going to the beach and you can't come back in time, you're not committed enough. It never used to be like that. My first 20 years in the league, we'd have the same guys in the order all the time, write it down. The only thing that would change is the pitcher."
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