Talk:Cal McLish

From BR Bullpen

In 1959, I was 13 years old and baseball was the most important thing in my life. I played with the neighbor kids from morning until the sun went down. You can only imagine how excited I was when Cal McLish and his family moved in across the street from me. Almost every Saturday, Cal would open the doors to his 1956 Ford Stationwagon and all the kids that could fit in would get to go to the Cleveland Indians baseball game. We sometimes got to go into the dugout and clubhouse. Cal would often take a lot of heat for bringing so many kids on a regular basis. I heard his response several times and it was "When these kids don't want to come to the game, we won't have a job." Cal McLish was the best example of a baseball hero that I ever knew. When I see guys like Barry Bonds, I want to puke. As luck would have it, Cal won 19 games and was an all-star in 1959.

JOHN LEMIEUX Bay Village, OH