SPRING 2003 Page 10 The West View Former Yankee Pitcher has Story to Tell by Dab J. Neison It’s amazing what playingbaseball can do for, or to, you. As a promotion for Upper Deck baseball cards, former LD cheanpionstip: seasons. Both bats are engraved or print- ; une: because T wasn't ed with Pa ing.” But it wasn’t all torture. In 1949, Sanford allowed only one major 1950 “That’s what the Yankees paid a me. New York booed me all the innings for a 5-4 win over the White Sox. His reward? A rare, 1-1/2-minute standing ovation from a stingy, yet appreciative, Yankees home crowd. Yankee legend and manager -Casey Stengel told him, “That’s the way I thought you could pitch.” Hank Aaron. Sanford also has a business card oS by Berra. Other memories aren t as tangible, as when Sanford and his wife, Bonnie, heard Ruth speak _ Actually, some fans may have cancer, said Sanford, “and you. could hardly even hear him talk.” He remembers the ‘Bambino’ The Garfield, Utah native and 1936 West High graduate (now 83) had no stiffness during his Sept. 1, 1946 major league debut when he and his St. Louis 8-2/3 _ players, such as DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Warren Spahn, Ted hit Sanford recently finished autographing 4,000 cards, causing “stiffness in my hand,” he said. pitching and league baseball pitcher and cur-_- Fred — relief name rent Rose -Park resident in Sanford’s those of his teammates and other Browns teammates beat the sto- thought Sanford’s pitching form ried New York Yankees 1-0. The was Yanks would eventually trade for him “because I could beat them,” unorthodox. He said his “cross- he posted a 5-7 record run in the 12th inning for the 5-4 victory. But legendary Joe DiMaggio batted 0-6 Against Sanford. He also went on to win World Series rings with New York in 1949 and 1950, which ultimately cards. But, it’s World War II. Pitching against in home run and a double while hit- Ecuador’s sweltering, 120- “ting .200. The two-run homer inning game by retiring all 27 came against Cleveland Indians streak. The 21 complete games batters and striking out 17 in the legend Bob Lemon in St. Louis’ was a record at the time and possibly will never be broken, victory. Betting fans lost over the game. 5-3 win. Sanford’s explanation for the winning, 375-ft. hit in old “The ‘Jolly Rogers’ of the B217. ‘Flying Fortress’ hadn’t Lemon according to Sanford, because of how baseball is played today _ with starters and relievers. During his banner season, _ Sanford tied for the most league wins (15). He also pitched 230 innings and struck out 154. Sanford’s other “greatest - game” was during his 26-month tenure with the US Army in es played in awhile,” said Sanford, who recorded an outstanding, 151 record during the war. Sanford has other cherished memories in the big leagues, such as his four-hit, 2-0 win for the Browns over the Chicago White Sox just seven days after Cleveland Stadium swinging.” He threw his mitt isolated before his memories at West High (193520 in a Legion umpires interpreted the rule to Salt Lake Bees. Despite all the ups-and- aon of his long and colorful life, Sanford always seems _ opti- tains the comic doesn’t From 1958-76, Sanford mistic. He loves life, and has a lot of life to love. bother him. It apparently originated with a wire service and ran only once in the Salt Lake Tribune, according to Sanford. With all of hullabaloo over the play, Sanford said he still pitched out of the inning without allowing a run. | The American League changed the rule to match the | - National League’s, which man- side him. “It was the worst two Sanford’s memorable career is mirrored by his memorabilia: his 50-plus-year-old mitt, a baseball News) sportswriter, who called -autographed by Babe Ruth and me a $100,000 lemon,” he said. signature bats from the 1949. and - Becoming friends with his mentor and fellow golfers improved him both personally seem to help patrons fulfill the need to and athletically. - succeed. The Sorenson and Northwest Multi-pur“We have lots of inspiring stories,” said : pose Centers and the Boys and Girls Sorenson Multi-Cultural Center programs Clubs have much to offer patrons in the assistant supervisor Joani Shaver. During way of recreation and other community 2001’s golf schedule at Sorenson, a ' services. “It’s quite impressive to see how Kosovo, Yugoslavian, teenage refugee much fun” the children have playing (who was then a West High freshman) hit sports, said Northwest sports program a ball “200 yards or more,” said Shaver. coordinator Doyle Holt. For him personal“He had never held a golf club before!” ly, it’s “‘a lot of fun to see how much kids According to Shaver, the boy was really enjoy getting trophies” after the season. Salt Lake’s Westside recreation centers Bonnie Sanford remembers the Babe had the “kindest” brown eyes she’d ever seen. Sanford also logged fond worked in ticket sales for the old years of my life, because I was harassed by a (New. York Daily success. ers. third base, keeping it foul. The dated golfing had a heart of gold and gave back to his childhood in helping oth- game. ‘In contrast, Sanford’s New ‘York experience seemed to blind- Recreation Centers Fulfill Need to Succeed by Dale J. Neilson is simple: “threw it where I was 1946. Ruth had terminal throat a then-record Sox. comic strip, while Sanford main- degree heat, he threw a perfect 7- at St. Louis’ Sportsman’s Park in and hit a foul ball rolling toward _. In 1948, the pitcher had 12 hits, a and the Red photo. the Air Force’s 5th Fighter Wing Hubbell 36), and playing American Legion ball, where he struck out ger Walter Dropo “the shortest triple in history,” he said. Bonnie Sanford smiled when she said this action put her husband in the “Hall of Shame” ea first beating the Yankees. Fred Sanford, former Yankee pitcher, displays old team Carl 1948 incident in Boston versus: #) and gave known home-run slug- earlier stints of which he is most proud. Sanford set a minor league season record with the sixth-place Toledo (Ohio) Mud Hens in 1946, pitching 21 complete games in 23 starts. In his “greatest achievement,” Sanford said he retired 27 Kansas City batters in a row and won 2-1 in 12 innings during the it mean Sanford was in violation, gum basetwo calls rewrote the American League’s 1949 rulebook after an August great Yogi Berra hit a solo home ball he Sanford also unintentionally against the Yankees. In his last game against them (1948), the put him on Bowman Even fire” style helped him in 1949 inadvertently field a_ high, bouncing grounder with his bare right hand to start a-double play. he said recently. ; As a Browns pitcher, Sanford said unusual. Williams, a thrown mitt couldn’t legally touch a batted ball. Aaron Wiet, Sorenson’s sports coordi- nator, said his center “is here to keep kids off the streets and involved with practices and games. [Youth sports] keeps kids busy and ‘stresses sportsmanship,” said Wiet, who basically grew up at the center (back when it was called the PA. L.) and has worked in Salt Lake City sports progtants for over fourteen years. _Sorenson‘s spring soccer session is from mid-April through June (sign-ups are underway), while Northwest will also sponsor a dad-son soccer league this spring. Poplar Grove’s Boys and Girls Club begins its maiden schedule a couple tor Steve Poplar outdoor soccer in late spring and continues “for — of months,” said program direcKirk. | Grove finished its elementary A young Fred Sanford winds _up for the pitch, 1949. school students’ indoor soccer season in February. Sorenson and Northwest sponsor fall outdoor soccer and ongoing swimming and karate. Youth basketball continues to be a biggest draw for each center. Northwest drew “about 325” children to form 32 Junior Jazz teams this year in its “biggest program,” said Holt. Sorenson enrolled “about 250,” Wiet said. _ In the Poplar Grove Biddy Basketball program, 106 played on five teams. Biddy Basketball uses a smaller ball, court and an 8-foot basket. Soccer numbers , are the runner-up to basketball at each center. Wiet observed “almost 80” were enrolled at Sorenson, while Northwest had “75-100” enrolled, Holt said. Kirk estimated 106 participated —