SAN FRANCISCO BASEBALL

OLD TIMERS ASSOCIATION

(Established 1941)

“FROM THE DUGOUT”

MAY 2021 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

Leo’s Prayer
“He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:2) Heavenly Father, much
as a baseball game which is usually 9 innings in duration but upon some unusual set
of events, the game may go into extra innings, Life which You have so graciously
granted to us all has taken us into extra innings as we continue to battle the COVID-
19 virus. These extra frames are being endured by your faithful member of the Old
Timers and their Families and Friend as set forth by Your Disciple Matthew. We
implore You to grant us the strength to continue to and beyond the end this scourge,
so that we may experience Your Grace and Glory. Bless us, O Lord, and we beseech
You to confer upon Your humble servants, Your Tender Mercies. Amen.
A Repeat of Special Announcements by Ken Mooney
Ken Mooney has asked that the Membership be reminded of two items:
1) If you have been a member of the Old Timers for 25 years or longer, you are
eligible to receive a 25-year commemorative pin. If you qualify and would like a pin,
give Ken a call at his cell number---(650) 245-6733.

1
2) If you are interested in purchasing Old Timers logo apparel, such as polo shirts,
jackets, baseball caps and a few other items that are available, give Ken a call, again
at cell number---(650) 245-6733.
COVID-19 Update
If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve seen that some positive
results have been reported in the Battle against COVID-19. The process of providing
vaccines to the American People and to the world is proving effective and we are
seeing the incidents of death and illness dropping. This is great but this evil disease
is far from eradicated and still poses a major health threat. So, how do we proceed
right now? Health officials are recommending that people get vaccinated, but are
also urging that masks be worn in public, that hand sanitizing vigorously continues,
that people maintain the practice of social distancing, and that everyone should
carefully monitor their own conditions for symptoms of this disease and seek medical
attention quickly if it appears as if one may be infected. In summary, use Common
Sense! Be Careful!! We’re still fighting this battle. It ain’t won yet!
THE APRIL BOARD MEETING
A meeting of Officers and Directors took place on April 13, 2021, in the limited space
of the SSF Elks Club. The Board will meet again on May 5, 2021 as the search for a
fair and equitable way to resume our monthly dinners continues.
New Pisa Alumni Society Update
The New Pisa Alumni Society continues to be very successful, and we are proudly
adding a new aspect---we are going to devote donations in memory and honor of
Connie Benedetti. We have seen a sharp increase in New Pisa Alumni Members
making their donations in Memory of someone special. If you would like to do that,
just let us know and we’ll gladly make that notation. The Benedetti name is
synonymous with great generosity, and the New Pisa Alumni Society is a tribute to
Dante, Connie and Donald.
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. Treasurer Paul Varni has continued sending checks to the
Alzheimer’s folks for donations sent in, including exceedingly generous donations
this month by Grant and Kathleen Becker, and Past President Len Grilli. Since the
inception of Kathy’s Fund, we have contributed over $12,500. We all keep hoping
that one day, the Alzheimer’s Association will put out the earthshaking
announcement that a cure or effective treatment has been developed.
If anyone in the Old Timers is seeking information about or assistance with a problem
concerning Alzheimer’s disease, your news staff can provide you with contact
information within the Alzheimer’s Association. Confidentiality will be maintained.

2
 On the Mend
Diane Hartje—Bill & Hallie Angel--Mieko Poppin--Pete Dalton--Nick Cannuli--Len Grilli
Don & Paula Collopy--Virginia Simon--Chuck Garcia--Ralph Burns—Tony Boyadzis
Bill McCullough--Jim Mullan--Frank Ruggiero—Jim Perry—Mike Bagdon
You Know You’re An Old Timer When
---you remember the entire family sitting down to dinner---at the same time.
---Muni busses were painted creamed spinach green and zit yellow.
---at big family gatherings, all the children had to sit at “the kids’ table.”
---not eating your dinner meant you got it again the next day.

The Mitchell Family Legend Continues

Bobbie had an elderly Uncle Fester on his Dad’s side of the family. Fester was a
kindly soul who really did look out for the well-being of others. One day years ago,
Uncle Fester boarded a small airplane in Nutsack, Nebraska for a flight to Bumfrazzle,
Arkansas to visit friends. Also on board were a blow-hard U.S. Senator, an extremely
arrogant psychiatrist, and a 14-year old boy. About an hour into the flight the pilot
announced over the PA that the plane was having engine trouble and all passengers
would have to don parachutes and jump before the place crashed. Uncle Fester
noticed that there were only 3 parachutes in the passenger section. The blowhard
Senator grabbed a parachute and said “I am of critical importance to this nation so I
must have a parachute.” And out he jumped. The arrogant psychiatrist said “I am
doing psychiatric research that will cure millions with mental illness and make me
rich, so I too must have a parachute.” With that he did the “grab and jump.” Fester
looked at the boy and said, “Son, I’m old and have lived a full life. You’re just getting
started and have many years left to live. You take the last parachute and save
yourself.” The youngster said “Relax, Gramps, we can both have a parachute. One of
those two geniuses screwed up and jumped holding my backpack!”
Just How Slow Was He?
Bobbie Mitchell, once again asked by Marino Pieretti to assess your editor’s running
speed, said “He’s so slow that we timed him in the 60 yard dash with a calendar! ”
Words of Wisdom
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Virtue is doing it.” David Starr Jordan
When Insults Had Class
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” Groucho Marx
“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” Irvin S. Cobb

3
 Let’s Talk Baseball
As of this writing, the 2021 Major League Baseball season is right around 3 weeks old
and our beloved Giants are doing a decent job and are a few games above .500. Now
let’s not get nuts or anything. The NL West is going to be a two-team race for the top
spot between the ultra-loaded LA Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Both of those
teams are not shy about pulling out the checkbooks to sign big-name players, and
both clubs are loaded with talent throughout their rosters. But the Giants have
quietly assembled a pretty decent roster. They can field a starting 8 of some very
capable position players, including a resurgent Buster Posey who is “swingin’ it” right
now and doing a great job defensively. Evan Longoria and Donovan “Donnie Barrel”
Solano are both hitting well; however, overall the team is not hitting much for
average, including some guys who have gotten off to some horrible starts and are
struggling below .200. But to the surprise of many, the G-Guys are going long-ball!
They are hitting a lot of home runs in big spots, especially on the road. The starting
pitching has been very good also, and this year’s closer, Jake McGee, has done a nice
job. The middle relief is a little scary and unpredictable, which is likely the case for
most MLB teams. The overall team defense is good, not great, but to this date, the
Giants have played a lot better than many of us expected. The front office has
tinkered a lot with the roster and has slowly but surely GM Farhan Zaidi is building a
competitive team. The ’21 iteration of the SF Giants are fun to watch. And if you
are so inclined, MLB is starting to allow a limited number of fans at Oracle Park. Me?
I’m a TV guy!
Moffett Field Golf---Closest to the Pin
5th Hole---Forward Tee Back Tee
1st George Fenech 19-5 Herman McKee 16-5
2nd The Phantom Tom Callan 27-4
7th Hole---Forward Tee Back Tee
1st George Fenech Bob Buono 4-2
2nd Gary Bader Tom Callan 17-4
13th Hole---Forward Tee Back Tee
1st George Bacigalupi 14-9 Herman McKee 23-11
2nd Woody Woodall 29-9 Rick Baptista 28-0
15th Hole---Forward Tee Back Tee
1st Al Morrison 13-6 Paul Giambra 15-9
2nd Bob Daley 30-4 The Phantom
REMINDER: The next golf outing is 5/17/21 at Sunnyvale. Be there! That’s an
order from Commissioner Rich Ford, who says “The only thing better than a full field
of golfers is a full glass at the bar!”
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 THE DEIGNAN FAMILY

2020-2021 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, the late 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,
the late 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 quintessential gentleman 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

ALUMNI OF MISSION HIGH SCHOOL

Fellow Old Timer Eddie Gutierrez, the late Joe Blea

RETIRED SAN FRANCISCO DEPUTY SHERIFFS

Bill Angel, Carol Murphy, 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

GARY BADER & RAY McDONALD

In Memory of Bob Farber

OLD TIMER PAUL NAVARRO, LUCETTI’S RESTAURANT

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

NEW PISA ALUMNI SOCIETY (2021 TEAM MEMBERS)

The Legendary Dante Benedetti; Rich & Victoria Murphy in Memory of Connie Benedetti; Bob
Devincenzi in Memory of Frank & Joan Strazzulo, Manny Piriano & Bob Tobener; Cris & Ron Belli in
Memory of Dante Santora; Roldan & Frances Vigil; Joan, Dave and Ed Paulus, Jr. in Memory of Ed
Paulus,Sr; Bill Kirkpatrick; Pat Sullivan; Tad & Barbara Tassone; Grant & Kathleen Becker in Memory
of Vince Zuardo; Leo Martinez; Lou & Judy Landini in Memory of Larry & Patricia Lawson; Jere &
Sandy Driscoll in Memory of Tony Patch; Gene & Diane Hartje; The Honorable Judge Quentin Kopp;
Mike & Denise Koppel; in Memory of Mike Dunne from a fellow Funston Playground Rat; Phil Kelber;
Jim Jarvis; Don & Penny Basso; Bob Mitchell in Memory of Marino Pieretti; Mike & Carol Murphy in
Memory of Ed Paulus, Sr.; Bob & Arlene Fife; Gary Bader & Ray McDonald in Memory of Bob Farber;
Loren Kertz; Donald, Mark, Sharon & Phil Benedetti in Memory of Our Grand Duchess Connie
Benedetti; in Memory of Pete Giovanola from his OT Pacifica Fog Buddies; Joe Gualco; Emily (Queen of
Balboa HS) Powell; Nick & Mieko Poppin; Sue & the late Rudy Bertolozzi; Roger Ferrari; Tony
Rodriguez; Bill Angel in Memory of Tom King; Ken and Carol Mooney in Memory of Connie Benedetti
and Nancy Markey; Jim & Ana Regan

Jim Perry’s April 2021 Challenge Jim Perry’s May 2021 Trivia Challenge

Which of the following MLB pitchers in the Which of these guys played the most seasons
300-Win Club won exactly 300 games” in the Big Leagues? Hint: there were two.

A) Randy Johnson B) Early Wynn 1) Pete Rose 2) Brooks Robinson

C) Lefty Grove D) Tom Glavine 3) Ty Cobb 4) Ricky Henderson

Early Wynn and Lefty Grove! 5) Eddie Collins