Baseball is a hot-weather game. It's not fun to watch or play the game in cold weather.
As we enjoy a hot blast here in late July, here are some past names of Boys of Summer who used to play on fields around our region.
n Chris Bando: He played as a catcher for the Charleston Charlies when they were the Class AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1981. In my years of working in baseball, he was as good a person as I have ever met. He played in the major leagues from 1981-89, and hit .291 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 1984. He was a college star at Arizona State and led them to a national championship in 1977.
n Corey Bird: He was known for his incredible work ethic when he was at Herbert Hoover High School as he led the Huskies to back-to-back state championship games in 2012 and 2013. The Huskies won the championship in 2013. He wanted a Division I opportunity and he got that at Marshall. Recently, he was drafted by the Miami Marlins.
n Tim French: A high school pitching star at South Charleston in 1970, French was chosen in the draft by the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers.
n Jim Fout: Most in the area remember him for his career as a basketball coach, but many may not know that Fout coached South Charleston to a state baseball championship back in 1977. The Black Eagles defeated Ravenswood in the title game at Blackwell Field. Among the players Fout had in the late 1970s were Steve Miller, Donnie Dent, Joe Bare, Ty Hall and Doug Kovach.
n Von Hayes: The California native was one of the most highly touted prospects to come through our city when he played for the Charlies in 1981. He was traded by the Indians to the Phillies and played in the big leagues from 1981-92. He made the National League All-Star team in 1989, and in 1986 he led the National League in doubles and runs scored.
n Mike Kauffman: He is one of the area's most interesting baseball stories. Kaufmann graduated from Stonewall Jackson in 1963, then served our country in Viet Nam. After, the service, he went to Marshall as a 26-year-old freshman and made the baseball team. He played on the 1973 team that made the NCAA tournament, set the school record for career stolen bases and is in the athletic Hall of Fame. He is a retired Charleston businessman and is a highly respected Bible teacher at several area churches.
n Rimp Lanier: An original member of the 1971 Charlies, Lanier was a smallish third baseman-outfielder for manager Joe Morgan. He was a September call-up by the Pirates that season but was not on the postseason World Series roster.
n Jim Lett: Lett is one of the most amazing athletes in Kanawha Valley history. A multi-sports star at Winfield, Lett was a tremendous football and basketball star in the late 1960s who went on to play both football and baseball at the University of Kentucky in the early 1970s. He eventually turned baseball into a career, spending over 30 years in professional baseball as a player or coach. He was in the Reds organization for 24 years.
n Billy Michael: A star outfielder at Stonewall Jackson in 1971, Michael was a draft pick of the Detroit Tigers.
n Terry Puhl: One of the best players to ever play in Charleston, the talented Puhl was the center fielder for the Charlies at the start of the 1977 season. In July, he was called up to the major leagues by the Astros and he never returned. He had an outstanding career with the Astros from 1977-90.
n Arik Sikula: He didn't have a classic baseball build, but this kid was a baseball player. He had an amazing state tournament in 2006 when he pitched and hit and led underdog South Charleston to the AAA state title. After playing at Marshall he was chosen in the draft by the Blue Jays.
n Glenn Verbage: Most longtime baseball observers in Huntington consider the former St. Joseph star as the best baseball player to come out of Huntington. I did not see him play, but when he played in the MAC at Marshall, he was considered an equal to Mike Schmidt when Schmidt was at Ohio University.
n Melvin Walker: The former Dunbar great was a true phenom in football and basketball, but his best sport may have been baseball. In most discussions, he is considered just behind Randy Moss as the best all-around athlete to come out of the Kanawha Valley.
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One football note: Many are saddened with the passing this week of former Minnesota Vikings head coach Denny Green. He is known by many in this area as the NFL coach who drafted Randy Moss. However, he also has another state connection. His high school football coach in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was former Marshall head coach George Chaump.
Contact Frank Giardina at flg 16@hotmail.com.