SAN FRANCISCO BASEBALL

OLD TIMERS ASSOCIATION

(Established 1941)

“FROM THE DUGOUT”

September 2020 Edition
_______________________________
Officers Directors

Joe Marino, President Bill DeMattei Nick Poppin

Bill Angel, Vice-President Cliff Righetti Bob Fife

Mike Koppel, Secretary Dave Longa Grant Becker

Paul Varni, Treasurer Gene Hartje Jim McCoy

Bob Mitchell, Sgt. at Arms Paul Giambra Tony Marotto

Gary Bader, Membership Chair Mark Shustoff Jon Hanlon

Leo Martinez, Goodwill Chair

Rich Ford, Golf Commissioner Fashion Consultant

Jim Jarvis, Immediate Past President Ken Mooney

Lou Landini, Newsletter Editor

The Officers and Directors Meeting of August 8, 2020

Your Officers and Directors met on August 8, 2020, and the news emanating from
that gathering is unfortunate. Because the COVID-19 pandemic continues, albeit
with peaks and valleys in the number of new cases being reported and mortality, a
resumption of social life as we knew it before the onslaught of this disease is
apparently a long way off. Medical science is doing all it can to find a vaccine or a
cure of sorts, but this little microbe is proving to be a formidable and defiant enemy.
So where does that leave us Old Timers? We are all dressed up but we have nowhere
to safely go for our meetings, dinners or gatherings of any type. Therefore, your
Officers and Directors have reached the following decisions:
(1) All monthly dinner meetings at Nick’s are cancelled through 2020, and we’ll see
what 2021 looks like when we get there.
(2) According to Pieretti Group Chief Dave Longa, the monthly luncheons are
suspended until further notice.
(3) The 2020 Old Timers Raffle has been cancelled.
(4) The Annual January Crab Feed for 2021 is cancelled.
1
(5) The Annual Golf Dinner held each January is not yet cancelled by Golf
Commissioner Rich Ford, but he has indicated that if it does take place, only golfers
will attend, with no guests or spouses allowed because of anticipated reduced seating
capacities at Nick’s Restaurant.
(6) There is no word on the status of the annual Day on the Bay Cruise.
Your Officers and Directors are scheduled to meet on September 16, 2020, to
continue with the monthly business of the Old Timers as best as we can, and to
discuss any news that may arise affecting the Old Timers.
Editor’s Column
We’ve discussed Fall junior college baseball preparation and what happens when
players return to school after the Christmas and New Year holiday season. Now let’s
get to the business of intercollegiate play. JC baseball seasons now consist of 36
games, plus two pre-season scrimmages. Roughly the first third of the season
consists of non-conference games, and the remaining games are played against teams
within the conference for the purpose determining league champions and playoff
eligibility. Games take on a whole different dimension when the stats count, and
players are now playing in front of pro and college scouts. And there is a whole
logistical side to intercollegiate baseball. Uniforms (which are by no means cheap)
have to be supplied, along with batting helmets for each player. Metal bats have to
be tested and certified as safe to use (white bats are now prohibited). The players
have to be reminded of decorum rules (i.e. cursing, use of tobacco, arguing,
unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.), the breach of which can result in the ejection of a
player, and in certain circumstance the concurrent ejection of the head coach. An
ejection is automatically followed by a one-game suspension. Should a player or
coach be ejected a second time during a given season, that will result in
disqualification for the rest of the season. It is up to coaches to monitor the
behavior of their players on the bench and to deter obscenities and vulgar and
insulting comments directed at the opposition and umpires. (Old Timers, the bench-
jockeying we did would get you ejected in a heartbeat now!)
It is the home team’s responsibility to prepare the field for play, to provide the game
baseballs (which have to be a predetermined brand and model), the umpires, and
scorekeeping and transmission of game statistics. There is a timetable for game days
as to the times the home and visiting team take batting practice and pre-game infield
practice. The home team must provide the visitors with water, ice if needed, and the
services of an athletic trainer if requested. With baseballs running at around $8 per
copy, the home team will assign bench players to hunt down foul balls that leave the
field of play. Also, the home team will designate a player to bring the home plate
umpire baseballs between innings and as needed during an inning, and to bring water
bottles to the umpires between innings.
Next month, we’ll talk about what goes on during the modern college baseball game.
It’s somewhat more intricate now than when we were playing.

2
 New Pisa Alumni Society Update
To get your name listed in this ultra-exclusive group and provide financial support for
youth baseball in SF, please send $10 for each name you want included (checks
payable to the SF Baseball Old Timers Association) to your editor, Lou Landini, at 208
Forest Park Drive, Pacifica CA 94044. Dante Benedetti is smiling down on this group
for keeping his long history of generosity and commitment to Kids’ Baseball alive. We
are sitting at $1195 collected, and at an upcoming Board Meeting, we will vote on
proposals to donate this money.
Kathy’s Fund Update
Despite the fact that we haven’t been able to have our monthly dinners, should
anyone like to contribute to Kathy’s Fund during this lull period, please do so by
making a check out to SF BASEBALL OLD TIMERS, and indicate on the memo line
“For Kathy’s Fund” and mail it to LOU LANDINI, 208 FOREST PARK DRIVE,
PACIFICA, CALIF 94044. Thanks to the extreme generosity of Rene and Louise
Courpet, Don and Paula Collopy and Mr. Anonymous, our treasurer Paul Varni will be
able to cut a check for $225 to the Alzheimer’s folks for donations sent in during
August. We all keep hoping that one day, the Alzheimer’s Association will put out the
earthshaking announcement that a cure has been developed. So, when we convene
the next time, whenever that is, let’s keep the donations coming so we can achieve
that cure we all so badly want to see.
Important Dates Department
***PLEASE NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION, AS NOTED ABOVE,
THE FOLLOWING EVENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CANCELLED OR SUSPENDED.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020---the monthly Old Timers dinner is CANCELLED.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020---the Marino Pieretti Lunch is declared by Dave
Longa as SUSPENDED. If there is a change in status, Dave will let you know.
Wednesday, October 7. 2020---the monthly Old Timers dinner is CANCELLED.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020---the Marino Pieretti Lunch is again declared by Dave
Longa as SUSPENDED. Dave will inform you if the lunch will occur.
THE DAY ON THE BAY Cruise---Dave Longa has not ruled out this very popular event,
but as of this writing, no date has been established.
In Memoriam
We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Brother Old Timer Milt Panagotacos.
Milt was a real gentleman of many talents, and a man of immense dignity. He was a
firefighter, school teacher, coach, friend, advisor, confidant, but best of all he was a
devoted husband, father and grandpa to his Family. Milt’s passing has left a huge
hole in the lives of all who had the joy of knowing him. Rest in Peace, Milt.
Also, long-time and loyal sponsor Roger Minhondo of the Basque Chalet Restaurant in
San Rafael has passed away. Roger was a good guy and will be sorely missed.
3
 On the Mend
Gary Hughes remains sidelined with a significant illness and we wish him a speedy
and full recovery, as well as for the following members of the Old Timers Family:
Pete and Rosemary Dalton Connie Benedetti Nick Cannuli Pat Ward Len Grilli
Tony Boyadzis Don Collopy Paula Collopy Virginia Simon Chuck Garcia
Jim Perry Ralph Burns Bob Mitchell John Ward Bill McCullough
You Know You’re An Old Timer When
---your Mom got Green Stamps when she bought stuff.
---you have no idea at all what a “play date” is for today’s kids.
---you had a school lunch box with the Lone Ranger on it.
---your parents watched Lawrence Welk every Saturday night, and you hated it.

Bobbie Mitchell---World Traveler

Our man, “Balboa Bob” Mitchell, was on a late-night flight from San Francisco to New
York, when somewhere over Kansas, the pilot came on the intercom and “This is the
Captain speaking. One of our three engines has flamed out, so our arrival in NY will
be delayed by an hour.” About an hour later, the pilot again got on the intercom and
said “This is the Captain speaking again. Another engine has gone out, so our arrival
in NY will be delayed two more hours.” Bobbie turned to a man sitting next to him
and said, “If that last engine conks out, we’ll be up here all night!!” The man called
to a flight attendant and ordered a triple Scotch straight up.
Golf Report
More weirdness has befallen Golf Commissioner Rich Ford in this season. First, after
confirming that all was ready to go for the August outing at Metropolitan Golf Links
in Oakland, Rich got a call from the Metropolitan people who advised him that they
had to cancel our outing. Then, San Jose Muni confirmed our 9/14 tourney, but
called Rich a few days later and pulled the rug out from under that event, citing
Santa Clara County’s prohibition on tournaments. What’s very odd is that they
dumped our group, but will allow the same number of players to go out on the course
as long as they aren’t part of a group. What am I missing here? Rich, we all truly
appreciate all your efforts on our behalf. You are a saintly man.
***IMPORTANT NEWS REGARDING PEACOCK GAP ON 06/28/2020: We have a
correction of which we need to make you aware. On the entry form you have
received for Peacock Gap, the green fee is erroneously listed as $50. The correct
green fee is $62. (If by some chance you have already sent in a check for $50, bring
an extra $12 with you on Game Day.)
Words of Wisdom
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”—Napoleon Bonaparte

4
 Thank You Once Again and Always to Our Loyal Sponsors
ROB FIFE, 729 SOLUTIONS
1618 Sullivan Ave, Suite 535, Daly City 94115 650-755-7049

LOREN A. KERTZ, CHARLES SCHWAB CO.

403 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera 94925 415-945-6408 loren.a.kertz@schwab.com

ROBIN GRIDER

2020 OLD TIMERS PRESIDENT JOE MARINO, COLUMBUS CAFÉ

562 Green St, SF 94133 415-326-3088

FRANK J. PISA BARBER SHOP

5 Civic Center Lane, Millbrae 94030 650-697-0736

GREG RIGHETTI, MARIN LOCK & SAFE

808 Third St, San Rafael 94901 415-456-4346 marinlockandsafe@gmail.com

MARK BENEDETTI INSURANCE

199 California Dr, Suite 702,Millbrae 94030 650-697-2044 mbinsuru@hotmail.com

NICK DUTTO, METROPOLITAN ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION, INC.

2400 Third St, SF 94107 415-642-3002 ndutto@metroelectric.com

CHUCK GUST, NICK’S SEASHORE RESTAURANT

100 Rockaway Avenue, Pacifica 94044 650-359-3900 www.nicksrestaurant.net

SAN FRANCISCO FIREFIGHTERS TOY PROGRAM

Leo Martinez, the late Al McCarthy, Vince Tudoni. Rich Blackburn, Skip McKinney, George Schnapp,
Jim McCoy, Art Citron, Dan Jacobsmeyer, Brian Kearney, Ray Molinari

TOM CREEDIN, SCOMA’S RESTAURANT

Pier 47, Fisherman’s Wharf, SF 94133 415-771-4383

THOMAS J. BRANDI, THE BRANDI LAW FIRM

354 Pine St, 3rd Floor, SF 94104 415-989-1800 tjb@brandilaw.com

JAR OF GOLD DAVE LONGA

Jim Jarvis, Bill Difu and the late Ernie Golding The Friends of Marino Pieretti Group

RETIRED SAN FRANCISCO FIREFIGHTERS

Nick Cannuli, Bill DeMattei, Mel Canevaro, Jim O’Connor, Don Dennehy, Bob Moser,
Milt Panagotacos, Mike Pera, Jack Bonnici, Roger Bross, Frank Kelly

ALUMNI OF BALBOA HIGH SCHOOL

Emily Powell (Everybody’s Sweetheart), Nick Poppin, Bob “The Carrot” Mitchell, Gene Hartje, Tony
Boyadzis, Joe Marino, Donald Basso, Elliot “Bart” Bartholomew and Grant Becker

THE BALL TEAM

The late Frank Strazullo, the late John Alameda, Mike Bagdon, Rich Ford, Con Maloney, Billy Jones,
Art White, Ken Mooney, and the late Jerry “Big Sully” Sullivan

THE 1956 BIG 8 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL TEAM

Bob Bandettini, Glen Buckowitz, Ron Castro, Ken Dito, Russ Fadeef, Roger Ferrari, Lew Flores,
Fred Glosser, Blair LeMire, the Late Legendary John McCarthy, Pete Nielsen, Larry Nissim, Jim
Poppin, Fred Quinn, the late Ray Warman, the Late and Great Frank “Cic” Williams, the late and
venerable Victor “Bud” Williams

5
 DANIEL DUGGAN, DUGGAN’S SERRA MORTUARY
500 Westlake Av., Daly City, Calif. 94014 650-756-4500 dan@duggansserra.com

ANONYMOUS DONOR
Thanks, Old Timers---Your Monthly Newsletter Is A Great Read

WILLIAM DeMATTEI
Retired San Francisco Firefighter

THE DEIGNAN FAMILY

ALUMNI OF MISSION HIGH SCHOOL

Fellow Old Timer Eddie Gutierrez, the late Joe Blea

RETIRED SAN FRANCISCO DEPUTY SHERIFFS

Bill Angel, Jim Mullan, Ron Lim, Al Dworkin, Paul Varni, Mike Koppel, Jim Deignan, Gil Ybarra

HAT TRICK RACING

Grant Becker, Troy Onorato, Pat Ward and Marvin Cortes

TJC FLOORING FLOOR EFFECTS

Terrence Cody Brian Grdeen
415 Old County Road, Unit C 415 Old County Road, Unit C
Belmont, Calif. 94002 650-773-5782 Belmont, Calif. 94002 650-574-0457

RODRIGUEZ STRAWBERRY STAND

12625 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, California
Doug Rodrigues, Brandon Gomez, Old Timer Ron Castro

OLD TIMER PAUL NAVARRO, LUCETTI’S RESTAURANT

109 W. 25th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, phone: 650-574-1256

NEW PISA ALUMNI SOCIETY (2020 TEAM MEMBERS)

The Late and Legendary Frank Strazzulo, Rich Ford, Jim Jarvis, Leo Martinez, Roldan and Frances
Vigil, Bill Angel and Family, Judy and Lou Landini, Mike and Denise Koppel, Bill Kirkpatrick, Emily
Powell, Joe Gualco, Tad and Barbara Tassone, Donald and Penny Basso, in Memory of Mike Dunne, in
Memory of Larry Lawson, Bob and Arlene Fife, Tony Rodriguez, Bob and Nancy Crosat, Gene and Diane
Hartje, Rudy Bertolozzi, Frank Ruggiero, The Honorable Judge Quentin Kopp, Joan and Ed Paulus Sr.,
David Paulus, Ed Paulus, Jr., Bob Mitchell, Connie and Donald Benedetti, Mark Benedetti, Sharon
Benedetti, Phil Benedetti, in Memory of the great former Newsletter Editor John McCarthy, Beverly
McCarthy, Bill Collins, Alan and Annealisa Dworkin, Patrick Sullivan, Renee Courpet, Roger Ferrari,
Rich Murphy, Ken Mooney, Roger Strack, Jere Driscoll, A Special Tribute to Mike Dunne from Bob and
Nancy Crosat, Gary Bader, Clarence Press, Stephen Driscoll, Nick Shihadeh, John and Dotti
LeTourneau, Jack Scramaglia, Larry Nissim, Jim and Ana Regan, James McCoy, Dan Merolla, Bill Difu,
Robert Lopez, Steve Callahan, Jim Deignan, Dominic Cannuli, Paul Giambra, Nick and Mieko Poppin,
Bob Devincenzi

The August 2020 Jim Perry Nutbuster The September 2020 Jim Perry Trivia
Nutbuster
When the 1994 ended with mid-season with
the player’s strike, the team with the best Which Hall of Famer averaged .400 over 5
record in baseball at that time was the consecutive seasons?
Montreal Expos at 74-40, a winning A) Ty Cobb B) Rogers Hornsby
percentage of .649 and 34 games over .500.
C) Joe Jackson D) Bill Terry

Bonus: What years?