February 8, 2006

Well, maybe not the little Munster. That would be Butch Patrick. But with the passing of Al Lewis, who played Grandpa Munster, we thought a little tribute was in order. So rest in peace, Al. Here’s to hoping the old Drag-u-la coffin car is as comfortable as it looked on the tube.

The tie-in to baseball is “Herman the Rookie,” in which Leo Durocher considers Herman Munster for the Dodgers much-needed power-bat position. The episode aired April 8, 1965, and since the club had banged out 79 homers in route to an 80-82 seventh place finish in ’64, Herman made as much sense as Ron Fairly.

L.A. players were hot TV commodities in the 1960s. Sandy Koufax did his level best to hit Mr. Wilson’s bat with a pitch in a classic “Dennis the Menace” show, and also appeared on “Mr. Ed,” in an episode best remembered for the horse sliding into home during a tryout. And at old Gilmore Field, at that.

Jim Lefebvre and Al Ferrara played headhunters on “Gilligan’s Island,” and Don Drysdale was featured in an awesome Vitalis commercial, with Giants manager Herman accusing Big D of doctoring the baseball with “greasy kid stuff.”

Drysdale throws down his glove, stalks off the mound in disgust, and heads for the clubhouse, emerging a moment later with a bottle of the non-greasy Vitalis product. Hence, he could not possibly have been doctoring the baseball…not with the hair tonic anyway. The spot concludes with the voiceover, “sorry Herman.”

And Maury Wills was picked off by Chucko the ape man in a 1969 episode of "Get Smart." Title, "Apes of Rath."

Munsters Trivia Tidbits, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database, include a note about Billy Mumy being the original casting choice for Eddie Munster, another about Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch appearing in the baseball episode, and Durocher’s line in reaction to Herman’s prodigious clouts: "I don't know whether to sign him with the Dodgers or send him to Vietnam…"

Look-Alikes: Alfredo Griffin and Garrett Morris, now more than ever...

Former Dodgers Employees Considering Alumni Association: The group is growing by leaps and bounds, so they might as well organize. The jettisoning of vice presidents, field and player personnel management, and clubhouse men is well chronicled, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Since January 1, 2006, the Dodgers have parted company with some 20 staffers. Gone are about a dozen security people, a broadcaster, and the personal assistants to both Frank and Jamie McCourt. Some resigned; some fired.

I say the association go with the name, the Dodgers Ex-Minions, Brotherhood of Unemployed Members Society. Why, DEM BUMS, of course…

BTW: A source reports that the Dodgers are shopping Odalis Perez and J.D. Drew, and continue to search for a corner outfielder…

Surviving Grady Little: Yep, there’s a website. SurvivingGrady.com, brought to you by a creative bunch of New England baseball fans. I’m pleased with Little’s hiring, but I’m keeping an open mind. Remembering the 1991 Darryl Strawberry warning from my New York pal, Jan Lomenzo, I pretty much have to…

Auction for ALS Los Angeles: Sports sculptor, jeweler Malcolm DeMille and BaseballSavvy.com are proud to sponsor the eBay auction of Mr. DeMille’s beautiful Arnold Palmer sculptural trophy. 50% of the sale price goes to the local chapter of the ALS Association, which promotes awareness, support and research in the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Here's the link to the auction. Please pass it along to your Arnold Palmer fan. Shoot, pass it along to his main squeeze, for Valentine's Day perhaps.

Investors Wanted: Invest a thimble full of venture capital today, make major league minimum tomorrow…

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Jackass of the Week: Rick Tocchet, with Mike Holmgren a close second…

I don't know about you, but I for one wasn't the least bit surprised that security for the Super Bowl came off with nary a glitch. Like, it’s one thing for a crack terror cell to go up against the FBI, the CIA and the United States Armed Forces, but the NFL? Please...

Hmmm: It seems someone at the International Atomic Energy Agency has an interest in BaseballSavvy.com. Why is anyone’s guess, but we received a click through to the site from IAEA.org. Go figure…

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Statue for Sandy: The Koufax in bronze campaign continues, so please scroll back to the upper right panel of this page and vote yes on 32. 2006 is the year…

Remember, glove conquers all….