Frederick J. Day - Dream Team: Saints and Gentle Souls from the World of Sports

Copyright 2021 by Frederick J. Day

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In memory of my father, founder of the

Pine Bush Little League, Albany, NY

What he lacked as an athlete, he made

up for as a dreamer.

Ray Kinsella: It would kill some men to get that close to their dream and not touch it ... theyd consider it a tragedy.

Doc Graham: Son, if Id only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes, now that would have been a tragedy.

Dialogue from the movie, Field of Dreams .

Table of Contents

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta once suggested that God intentionally places certain souls in our way with specific purposes in mind. If so, there are many reasons why God may have arranged for me to meet Ellen Flannery, my friend and basketball teammate. Among the many fruits of my friendship with Ellen, it was Ellen who planted the seed for Dream Team and then nourished that seed and stimulated its growth.

To be specific, on November 1, 2005, in recognition of the Feast of All Saints, Ellen sent a message asking if I had composed a dream team of saints. I responded that my dream team of saints consisted of Arthur Ashe, Joe Delaney, Roberto Clemente, and Mickey Mantle. Shortly thereafter, it occurred to me that I had committed a grave injustice in leaving Harold McLinton off my list. And if Harold McLinton, why not Pee Wee Reese? Before long, the concept for Dream Team emerged. Along the way, Ellen provided continual feedback and encouragement and helped greatly in refining the concept. She also introduced me to Dream Teamer Toni Stone, among others.

There were others whom God seems to have placed in my way as friends and unerring sources of ideas for Dream Team . The Rev. Ed Ifkovits, S.J., parochial vicar at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., provided the inspiration for research into the one-day wonder, Al Travers. Ed also introduced me to Lutz Long, Junius Kellogg, Big Pete Schneider, and other gentle souls. My friend, Scriptural advisor, and history guru, EJ Mr. D Dvorscak, provided me with an abundance of useful reference books, without which I would have been blissfully unaware of the unselfish contributions of tennis enthusiasts Jim and Gloria Smith and others. From Florida, my friends Melissa and Randy Keefer provided a constant stream of information on Annie Oakley, Effa Manley, Maddy English and other notable women who stand tall in the history of sports. Melissa and Randy were a big help in the Dream Team review process as well. Similarly, my stepfather Bill Pollock, a golf enthusiast and all-around sports whiz, introduced me to the charitable works of Payne Stewart and countless other athletes. My wife, Bic, also made invaluable contributions in helping Dream Team find its way to publication. My mother, Betty Pollock, and my sisters, Patty, Barb, Kathy, and Marzie, were enthusiastic supporters and willing reviewers. My goddaughter and favorite shortstop, Megan Shaffer, graciously recounted the story of her friend and former teammate, Shelby Njoku, and reviewed draft Dream Team narratives. The Schneider clan, Cathi, Jim, Pete, and Mike, provided intimate glimpses into the life of their father, Big Pete, and offered heart-warming anecdotes about that very special man.

My friends, Ron Vincoli, CJ Nitkowski, and Ha Pham, reviewed Dream Team drafts, made helpful suggestions, and offered encouragement. My friend, Leo Marquez, helped out with Dream Team research. Finally, my weekly meetings with the Knights of Panera helped to stimulate thoughts about all the good people in sports.

I thank them all. I thank, especially, the good Lord for having placed these special people in my way.

The very fact that God has placed a certain soul

in our way is a sign that God wants us to do

something for him or her.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997).

Once, as pro football running back Curtis Martin was walking to his automobile in the Foxboro Stadium parking area after a game, a vehicle pulled up next to him. A young boy stuck his arm out one of the vehicles windows and handed Martin an envelope. The vehicle carrying the young boy then pulled off, leaving Martin to ponder the contents of the envelope. Upon opening the envelope, Martin found an invitation to the childs birthday party, complete with date of the party, address, and directions.

On the day of the party, the doorbell at the boys home rang. To the astonishment of the young boy, standing at the front door was Curtis Martinin full party mode.

If Martins act of kindness was unprecedented, it was certainly not out of character. The main reason I play football, Martin once said, is to light up the face of a sick child or someone less fortunate, for that makes my heart sing.

Sportswriter Paul Gallico once commented that sportswriters are often cynics because they learn eventually that, while there are no villains, there are no heroes either. But, Gallico warned, until you make the final discovery that there are only human beings, who are therefore all the more interesting, you are liable to miss something.

If Gallico is correct in his assertion that there are no heroes, it is undeniable that a select few of the participants in amateur and professional sports have, like Curtis Martin, established themselves as human beings capable of heroic, almost saintly, deeds.

On August 5, 1936, at the Berlin Olympics, Lutz Long of Germany and Jesse Owens of the United States competed in the broad jump. Owens captured the gold medal, Long the silver. The two became fast friends. After Owens returned to the States, he and Long kept in contact through letters. When World War II broke out, Long was inducted into the German army. Owens and Long continued to correspond until Long was sent to North Africa. Long feared that he would not survive. In his last letter to Owens, Long wrote of a premonition about his death. He also asked a favor of Owens. If Long were to die during the war, he wished that Owens would locate Longs son, Karl, when the war was over. Tell him, Long wrote to Owens, how things can be between men on this earth.

Through the stories of athletes, some prominent and others not so prominent, Dream Team seeks to tell how things can be between men (and women) on this earth. Dream Team is the story of former major-leaguer Gabby Street helping a young African-American woman, Toni Stone, learn the game of baseball when he could easily have ignored her. Dream Team is the story of baseball player-turned-teacher Madeline Maddy English giving a speech in her hometown of Everett, Massachusetts and then running outside to play catch with some young girls who were in the audience. It is the story of tennis player Arthur Ashe reaching for the purest joy in life by trying to help others.