Update 4-18-2025
No, it is not Bo, but…
This week, loyal reader Rodney Todd made a great guess on the Mystery Photo that reminded me of a story that fits perfectly with the lead story in next week’s post.
I love this Mystery Photo project, and special thanks to my friend Ronnie Clay, who has generously offered to help. His collection of obscure old Arkansas-related photos is amazing. So…more to come. The hint for the week is 1980, a title and a kiss!
Now, back to Rodney’s guess. He offered Bo Belinsky and Mamie Van Doren. In the season after the miracle, Travs won the Southern Association playoff, the Little Rock franchise became a Baltimore Orioles affiliate. Dave Nicholson hit 20 homers for the third-place Travs, but the most famous name on the team was Cal Ripken. That would be Cal Sr., who played in 32 games.
Bluffton’s Chuck Daniel, a recycled sore-armed College of the Ozarks guy, who had been one of the heroes of the August run to the league playoff title in 1960, was still in Little Rock in 1961. So was Don Bradley, who had been the ace of the staff in the story-book finish to the 1960 campaign. Daniel and Bradley led the 1961 Travs in innings pitched. Third in innings pitched among Little Rock starting pitchers was a brash 24-year-old from New York City named Robert “Bo” Belinsky.
Belinsky won nine games in Little Rock that season and posted a very good 3.72 ERA. The next spring would find the colorful lefty pitching in the majors and leading the big leagues in sports page headlines. The Belinsky story fits perfectly with my feature that runs in Only in Arkansas Monday, about “Mr. April Lon Warneke.”
In the meantime, take another look at the Mystery Photo and think 1980…
In case you missed Backroads and Ballplayers #101.
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