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Brethren:
This
issue
of
From
the
Bullpen
comes
to you
courtesy
of my
trip
to
Hartford,
Connecticut,
and
Worcester,
Massachusetts,
for a
trial
deposition
of a
plastic
surgeon
at
UMass.
My one
and
only
other
visit
to
Worcester
was in
the
summer
of
2011,
when
we
traveled
there
for
the
discovery
deposition
of the
same
witness,
but on
that
occasion
I flew
into
Providence
instead
of
Hartford,
and
had
the
chance
to see
a
Pawtucket
Red
Sox
game
along
the
way.
I
SAY
POTATO,
YOU
SAY
POTAHTO
During
my
earlier
trip
to
Worcester,
when I
was
questioning
the
doctor
about
his
educational
background,
he
referred
several
different
times
to his
medical
education
and
his
residency
and
fellowship
training
taking
place
in (as
he
pronounced
it) “Wuss’-ter.”
As I
stared
at his
resume
in
response
to his
previous
answers,
I
finally
was
compelled
to ask
him
something
like,
“Well,
when
was it
that
you
were
in the
town
of
‘Worcester?’”
(pronouncing
it
roughly
like
“Worcestershire”
sauce).
With
an
uncontrollable
smile
on his
face,
the
doctor
informed
the
rube
from
Nebraska
that
“‘Worcester’
is
actually
pronounced
‘Wusster.’”
As you
would
imagine,
I was
a bit
embarrassed
at my
pronunciation
faux
pas,
but
the
doctor
was
very
nice
about
it and
told
me
that
non-New
Englanders
pronounce
the
name
of his
city
incorrectly
all
the
time.
In
retrospect,
to my
way of
thinking
it is
all of
the
New
Englanders
who
are
mispronouncing
it
because
there
is no
way
that
Worcester
should
be
pronounced
Wusster.
I
mean,
how
would
they
like
it if
they
came
to my
city
of
residence
and I
told
them
that
it was
pronounced
“Oh’-ha,”
leaving
out
one
entire
syllable?
In any
event,
I
pretty
much
only
learned
how to
pronounce
the
name
of the
city
during
my
last
trip
here,
but
this
time I
learned
that
this
old
industrial
town
in
middle
eastern
Massachusetts
is the
home
of
Robert
Fulton,
the
father
of
modern
rocketry.
It is
also
the
home
of the
Holy
Cross
College,
where
Bob
Cousy
was an
All-American
basketball
player
in
1948,
1949
and
1950.
So
there
you
go.
CONNECTICUT
STATE
CAPITOL:
CHECK
My
trip
to
Worcester
also
afforded
me a
chance
to
visit
the
State
Capitol
in
Hartford
and to
add
this
one to
my
list.
Completed
in
1878
at a
cost
of
about
two
and
one-half
million
dollars,
the
Capitol
Building
in
Hartford
is
ornate,
very
large,
and
dissimilar
to all
of the
other
39
state
capitol
buildings
that I
have
visited.
Unlike
most
of the
capitol
buildings
I have
seen,
it
does
not
have
an
enormous
rotunda
in the
middle
of the
structure
which
allows
you to
see
from
the
floor
to the
top of
the
capitol
building,
and it
is not
particularly
visitor
friendly,
because
they
do not
allow
tourists
to
walk
in and
view
the
Senate
and
House
chambers
unless
they
are in
live
session
at the
time.
In
spite
of
these
shortcomings,
my
visit
to the
Connecticut
Capitol
Building
was
enjoyable
and
edifying.
When
and
where
else
was I
going
to
learn
that:
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It
was
the
commander
(David
Farragut)
of
the
USS
Connecticut
that
uttered
those
famous
words,
“Damn
the
torpedoes,
full
speed
ahead.”
(In
the
Battle
of
Mobile
Bay
in
1864.) |
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Adm.
David
Glasgow
Farragut,
c.
1863
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Mark
Twain
spent
some
of
the
most
productive
days
of
his
writing
career
at
his
house
in
Hartford,
which
included
the
penning
of
A
Connecticut
Yankee
in
King
Arthur’s
Court.
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1874-1891
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Nathan
Hale,
a
native
of
Connecticut
(who
was
hanged
by
the
British
at
age
21
for
being
an
American
spy),
said,
“I
only
regret
that
I
have
but
one
life
to
lose
for
my
country,”
and
all
the
time
I
thought
he
said
he
regretted
only
having
one
life
to
give.
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Yadda,
yadda,
yadda.
Blather,
blather,
blather.
Okay,
I get
it,
who
cares?
But
how
about
some
fun
Connecticut
facts
involving
baseball?
Glad
you
asked.
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A
team
from
New
Haven,
Connecticut,
the
Yale
Elis,
once
made
it
to
the
College
World
Series,
with
former
President
Bush
as
the
captain.
But
all
of
you
already
knew
this,
doubtless.
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The
only
Major
League
team
to
ever
call
Connecticut
home
was
the
Hartford
club
from
1876,
one
of
the
original
founding
members
of
the
National
League.
Known
as
the
Hartford
“Dark
Blues,”
they
apparently
wanted
to
set
themselves
apart
from
some
team
with
a
different
hue
of
blue.
The
star
of
that
team
was
pitcher
Candy
Cummings,
a
member
of
the
Hall
of
Fame
who
purportedly
was
the
inventor
of
the
curve
ball.
After
one
season
in
Hartford,
the
club
relocated
to
Brooklyn,
New
York,
where
they
were
cleverly
known
as
the
“Brooklyn
Hartfords.”
After
posting
a
31-27
record
and
finishing
in
third
place,
the
franchise
folded,
and
there
has
not
been
a
Major
League
team
in
the
state
since. |
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The
Hartford
Dark
Blues,
1875
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A
rumor
was
started
back
in
2010,
reportedly
by
Peter
Gammons,
that
the
Tampa
Bay
Rays
might
relocate
to
Connecticut.
However,
it
was
generally
surmised
that
the
ownership
of
the
Yankees,
Mets
and
Red
Sox
would
never
allow
such
an
infringement
into
their
market
territories.
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Connecticut
has
been
home
to
a
great
number
of
Minor
League
teams
over
the
years.
Currently,
New
Britain
(a
suburb
of
Hartford)
is
home
to
the
Rock
Cats
(what
in
blue
blazes
is
a
“Rock
Cat”?),
the
Double
A
affiliate
of
the
Minnesota
Twins,
playing
in
the
Eastern
League.
The
Bridgeport
Bluefish,
playing
in
the
Atlantic
League
of
Professional
Baseball,
play
at
a
place
called
“The
Ballpark
at
Harbor
Yard.”
The
Connecticut
Tigers,
a
Detroit
affiliate
playing
in
the
short
series
A
League,
call
Norwich,
Connecticut,
their
home.
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There
are
numerous
Major
League
players
who
are
natives
of
the
Constitution
State,
including
Brad
Ausmus,
Steve
Blass,
Ricky
Bottalico,
Darren
Bragg,
Rob
Dibble,
Walt
Dropo,
Jay
Johnstone,
Hi
Ladd,
Dick
McAuliffe,
Charles
Nagy,
“Tricky”
Nichols,
“Queenie”
O’Rourke,
Carl
“The
Truth”
Pavano,
“Pretzel”
Pezzullo,
Jimmy
Piersall,
“Spec”
Shea,
Tim
Teufel,
Mo
Vaughn
and
that
popular
New
Englander,
Bobby
Valentine.
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R.I.P.
TO C.
And
finally,
mention
needs
to be
made
here
of the
passing
of
Itchie’s
personal
hero,
C.
“The
Bearded
Truth”
Everett
Koop,
former
surgeon
general
during
the
Reagan
era,
who
passed
away
Monday
at the
ripe
old
age of
96.
Shown
below
in a
state
of
bemusement
after
being
heckled
by
J.T.
at a
graduation
ceremony
at
Itchie’s
alma
mater,
Vatterott
College,
the
two
later
struck
up a
life-long
friendship
which
centered
mostly
around
their
mutual
love
of
intoxicating
spirits.
Rest
in
peace,
good
fellow.
* * *
* * *
Keep
the
faith,
brethren.
Skipper
Our
505th
edition
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