THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 Page 15 Mr. Tiger By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart efore I get into this week’s sports column, I want to honor one of the best policemen I have ever known. I’m a pretty good judge of policemen because of my son Mike, a policeman for Saugus, and Michael, a grandson in Watertown. John Naglieri was a superstar in the town of Saugus, an impeccable officer in service to Saugus. I knew John from his days in Little League, through high school, into the police force and had the dubious honor of creating a record with him. I was umpiring for a Policemen’s League and John was at bat. John had two strikes on him at this point. A slow pitch was delivered that was dropping as it reached the plate. I called “strike three.” John turned to me, said the pitch was too low and said that this was the first time he had ever B been called out on strikes in his long time as a batter. I have a record. We will miss you, John. Now we get to Mister Tiger, Albert William Kaline. Al was born two months after me, December 19, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland, and died April 6, 2020, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He had several relatives who played semiprofessional baseball in the Baltimore area, and no one in his family had graduated from high school. At two years old, Kaline developed osteomyelitis which required that two inches of bone be removed from his left foot. By nine years old, he had learned to throw a fastball, curveball and changeup. When he attended Southern High School in Baltimore, he played basketball, football and baseball. When he tried out for the baseball team as a pitcher, they had an abundance of pitchers, so he moved to the outfield. He was an All-State baseball player for all four years of his high school days. Kaline was signed by the Detroit Tigers directly from high school as an 18-year-old “bonus baby,” a term used at the time to define those who went directly to the major league team without any minor league experience. His first appearance for the Tigers was June 25, 1953, against the Philadelphia Athletics. He batted .340 as a 20-yearold in 1955 and became one of the youngest players to win the American League batting crown. Ty Cobb originally completed the fete in 1907. During the 1955 season he became the thirteenth major league player to hit two home runs in the same inning and became the youngest to hit three in a game. He finished the year as second to Yogi Berra as the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP), finishing the year with 200 hits, 27 home runs and 102 runs batted in (RBIs). He was selected to the league All-Star team and continued on that level with a string of consecutive All-Star selections through 1967, 13 seasons. During the 1961 season, Kaline was second in the league batting, hitting .324, trailing teammate Norm Cash. The team won 101 games that year, but finished second to the Yankees by eight games. Throughout his playing he experienced pain in his foot from his bout with osteomyelitis, and after the 1963 season, an orthopedic surgeon prescribed corrective shoes to ease the pain. He had many times out of the play, suffering a broken bone in his hand when he struck a bat against a bat rack in 1967. In the 1968 season he broke his arm, but was able to play late in the season. In 1968 the St. Louis Cardinals took three of the first four games of the World Series and were leading 3-2 in the seventh inning of the fourth game. But the Tigers came back when Kaline hit a bases loaded single to drive in two runs, and the victory. The Tigers went on to win the series for their first world championship since 1945. Kaline hit .379 with two home runs in the seven games. At Milwaukee in 1970 against the Brewers, he collided with the center fielder, Jim Northrup, as they raced for a flyball and fell to the ground. Willie Horton rushed to the injured Kaline and saw that Al had trouble breathing. Horton was able to clear Kaline’s airway and saved his life. On September 24, 1974, Kaline became the twelfth player to achieve 3,000 hits in MLB history. Kaline finished his career with the Tigers with 3,007 base hits, 498 doubles, 75 triples, 399 home runs and 1,582 RBIs. Kaline was a league All-Star 18 times, a World Series star, 10 times a Gold Glove Award winner, won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973, and was the league batting champion in 1955. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 with a vote of 88.3% on the first ballot. A brilliant ballplayer – I was lucky to see him perform at Fenway Park many times in his career. Teamsters Local 25 endorses Caggiano for Northeast Metro Tech School Committee T eamsters Local 25 is honored to endorse Anthony Caggiano for election to represent Revere on the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School (Northeast Metro Tech) School Committee. Caggiano is a 35-year member of Teamsters Local 25 and father of triplets who attended and graduated from Northeast Metro Tech. Teamsters Local 25 supports Caggiano as the best candidate who understands and appreciates the outstanding education provided by Northeast Metro Tech and the profound positive impact the school has on Revere and 11 other cities and towns. “As a longtime member of Teamsters Local 25, Anthony Caggiano understands the importance of worker rights, fair wages, and the benefits of union membership,” said Teamsters Local 25 President Sean O’Brien. “Anthony will undoubtedly bring his experience and dedication to the laBAKER | FROM PAGE 14 gram, with $50.8 million available beginning today. Grant awards range between $25,000 and $75,000. Anthony Caggiano (left) and Teamsters Local 25 President Sean O’Brien. bor movement to the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School Committee. As a father of three graduates, Anthony has a unique underAs part of this grant program, preference is given to small businesses whose owners are women, minorities, veterans, members of other underrepresented groups, or fostanding of the Northeast Metro Tech curriculum that prepares graduates to enter both college and the workforce.” Caggiano is a graduate of Recused on serving the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts, who have been unable to open and those most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preference is also given to appli(Courtesy Photo) vere High School and Suffolk University, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration. He also holds an Associate’s degree in cants that have not been able to receive aid from other federal programs, including PPP and other relief related to COVID-19. The program has two distinct funding “doors” based on busiComputer Science from North Shore Community College. Caggiano has a deep family connection to Northeast Metro Tech. His three sons are all graduates who now attend Salem State University, and his mother and stepfather were members of the faculty at the school before their retirements. The Northeast Metro Tech School Committee is comprised of members from a dozen communities. Students who attend Northeast Metro Tech live in Chelsea, Malden, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Revere, Saugus, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester, Winthrop and Woburn. Caggiano is a shop steward at DHL Express. Teamsters Local 25 Officers, Agents and the entire membership are proud to endorse his candidacy to represent Revere on the Northeast Metro Tech School Committee. Teamsters Local 25 is the largest Teamsters’ union in New England, with 12,000 members. ness size, with different eligibility criteria, which is available online. Applicants must review the information to determine which program to proceed with applying.
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