Oldtimers Day

September 6, 2009 by jcollins.

Back in the 80’s I used to enjoy a rock band by the name of DeGarmo & Key. I had heard that Dana Key was now a pastor in the Memphis area, so we searched out his church and attended it this morning. Dana’s message was on the 23 Psalm. It was pretty interesting as he incorporated a several illustrations from his days in the band. The church meets in what could easily be a country club. After the service we talked to Dana and he told us they actually own the building and they rent it out for events all year long to pay their bills. He said they probably have about 80,000 people through their facility each year. Not only does it pay the bills, but it also gives them an opportunity to share with people who come through. What a brilliant idea.

After church we headed downtown to the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, a free event that showcases the best of Memphis. There was a lot of different styles of music being played on 4 stages. Here is Mark “Muleman” Massey displaying a little Mississippi Delta Blues.

There were several cooking demonstrations – we made it in time for the fried rice demo, and sampling. Katie wanted to watch the next demo on fried pies, so I went for a walk.

I entered the Memphis Folklore store and listened as an old black man talked baseball. He talked about playing with Dizzy Dean, Satchel Paige and Bob Feller. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the man talking was one of a fast dying breed – a man who played in the Negro League, but never made it to the Majors – Joe Scott. Here was a man talking about stars that I have only read about, so I sat down and listened to the rest of his way too short interview. At the end he invited everyone to visit his booth where he was selling some of his collectables.

Quickly I went across the street to gather Sam, of course he and the girls had their own special treat going on, they were sampling pecan pies. Luckily there was still some left when I got there. Wow was it good, just like mom makes. Now it’s time to head back over to meet Joe Scott. Katie came along to take a photo of Sam, Joe and I. Then Sam and I sat down and talked baseball with Joe.

He shared stories about how Rogers Hornsby taught him to hit. Why Satchel Paige called him “Kid”, all the way up until Satchel passed away. He talked about playing for the Air Force baseball team and being the first black man to ever play in Wrigley Field. We sat and talked for about two hours. He talked about sitting between Johnny Bench and Pete Rose at autograph shows and that he was friends with both, but the two of them never spoke to each other – Joe’s got some thoughts on why that he shared. He considers Bob Feller – a friend that Joe spends time with about 2-3 times per year - to be one of the best pitchers ever, evidently the Hall of Fame agrees with him. He told me about playing against Dizzy Dean. He said Dizzy struck him out the first time and but that he got a triple the second time.

He doesn’t like the way the game has changed. He thinks pitchers should be allowed to throw at batters, he thinks there is too much money in the game today, and although he didn’t come out and say it, he thinks the players are too soft today. He said in his day both teams shared a clubhouse and the pitchers would tell him, I’m going to throw it right through your ears, and they did. Joe said, “I’ve eaten enough dirt to have a garden.” And just to set the record straight, Joe says Larry Doby was not the first black man to play in the American League, he filled me in on the real history. I guess there were a couple of other men the year before who were called up to Kansas City for 10 day contracts. During their time in the Majors they couldn’t make it in their rooms before curfew and didn’t make the club because of it.

Not only did Joe play ball with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson, Monte Irvin, Dave Winfield, Ted Williams, and virtually everyone else from that era of baseball, but he also went to high school with Ralph Metcalfe. Between 1932-34, Metcalfe was the fastest human, he won several Olympics medals at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics in Berlin including one gold as part of the 4×100 relay with Jesse Owens.

Joe told me that he thinks there are only about 5 men left who played in the Negro League, but never got a chance to play in the Majors. Similar to WWII veterans, they are dying fast and unfortunately their stories are dying with them. I wish I had a video camera to record all of his stories, because although he turns 89 next month, his memory was a sharp as a tack. In the end, Sam and I bought a few of his Hall of Famer signed baseballs : Monte Irvin, Bob Gibson & Lou Brock, Ted Williams, Dave Winfield and of course Joe Scott (Joe may not be in the HOF in Cooperstown, but if there’s a generous man HOF, he should be in there).

Posted in Dana Key, The Love of Christ Church, mark massey, joe Scott, Memphis, blues festival, Uncategorized | No Comments »