Rob Hunt: Growing up with Carl
Jul. 23—While I have now spent better than 60% of my life as an Anderson resident here in Madison County, I was not raised in the town of Carl Erskine's birth and home.
As a lifelong baseball fan, I most certainly grew up knowing about his baseball career. I knew of his time with the Brooklyn — and later Los Angeles — Dodgers, the two no-hitters, the 1955 World Series breakthrough win against the Yankees and his friendship with Jackie Robinson.
As a boy, I read countless books, magazines and articles about the sport I grew up loving, and Carl's name came up a multitude of times as I devoured every bit of historical information I could find. I learned about Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie and another Hoosier transplant to Brooklyn, Gil Hodges. When my father bought the Microleague baseball simulation game for our home computer during the 1980s, Carl was one of my go-to pitchers when I needed a win.
But it wasn't until I moved to Anderson in 1993 that I learned Carl's baseball accomplishments were simply the very tip-top of an iceberg of a life devoted to causes much bigger than himself, including as an ambassador for the Special Olympics and as one who strove to break down racial barriers.
It was actually a couple years later that I met Carl, following a chance encounter at one of the branches of the Star Financial Bank, of which he was an executive.
The branch manager overheard me talking about baseball — I don't recall the exact nature of the conversation — and asked if I'd ever heard of Carl Erskine.
After showing I did know of Carl the only way a young man could, by rattling off most of his career statistics, she smiled and asked if I'd like to meet him.
Pick your adjective: Floored. Stunned. Flabbergasted. I was all of those and more.
I said, of course, I'd love to meet the World Series champion, and she set up an appointment with Carl at the downtown Star offices.
I was a bundle of nerves as I waited — along with my wife, Anne, and my then 2-year old daughter Sydney — in the lobby.
Carl, who looked like a giant to me, wore a pleasant smile as he approached us, shook our hands and exchanged preliminary pleasantries. He immediately put me at ease with his demeanor as we sat and chatted like old friends.
I battered him with questions about his playing days, who the toughest hitters were to face and striking out Mickey Mantle four times in one game, each of which he answered calmly and thoughtfully.
My biggest takeaway from that meeting was how down to earth this man truly was. While I was peppering him, he wanted to know just as much about our young family, where we were originally from and about our daily lives.
And it was genuine. While I think he enjoyed talking baseball, he relished meeting some new people and talking with them even more.
We have talked several times over the years for some stories and in passing, and Carl has always been that way.
I still have a framed photo of that meeting back in 1997 on my desk of Carl holding my daughter, and it is one I'll treasure always.
And, now, he finally has a rightful place amongst baseball's greatest, alongside seven of his former teammates and two of his managers, as well as longtime Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, who won the Ford C. Frick Award.
I consider it an honor to have been there as the National Baseball Hall of Fame presented Anderson's favorite son with the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. He is truly deserving of the honor.
Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.
