EDITOR’S NOTE: The Baseball Reliquary “is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibilities.”
I first heard about The Baseball Reliquary in Jim Bouton’s book, Foul Ball. Even though The Baseball Reliquary was sort of tertiary to Bouton’s book’s main theme, his enthusiasm over his induction and what it personally meant to him sold me on their concept of being “The People’s Hall of Fame.” That’s because it inducted players for their cultural contributions as much as or more than for their baseball card stats.
The Reliquary is also the proud possessor of many rare relics, sometimes of questionable provenance. Their modus operandi has a bit of P. T. Barnum embedded. While the Reliquary started as collaborative, few would argue that Terry Cannon’s vision and tireless efforts built a wonderful, inclusive community of baseball fans. Terry wore many hats, and one of them was inviting others to join in on the fun. Nearly twenty years after I first heard of The Baseball Reliquary, Terry approached me to help administer The Institute for Baseball Studies Facebook page. Its home is Whittier College in Whittier, CA, which is also home of The Baseball Reliquary.
Sadly, Terry became ill with cancer. Despite that, he continued to give presentations, plan events, help operate The Institute, and commission Bobby Bradford to create an amazing jazz record about Jackie Robinson.
After Terry passed and the COVID-19 pandemic hit, The Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals induction ceremony (“The People’s Hall of Fame” I mentioned earlier) and other events were paused. But the spirit of the enterprise could not be extinguished. Along with The Shrine of the Eternals induction and celebrated keynote speakers, The Baseball Reliquary has two other prestigious awards: The Tony Salin Memorial Award and The Hilda Chester Award. The new Executive Director, Joe Price, his assistant Charles Adams, Joe Flow, “Buddy” Kilchesty, Bob Busser, Mary Cannon, and I (among others) all contributed to helping it survive.
The awards ceremony is back this year. The new Shrine of Eternal nominees include Rod Beck, Kirk Gibson, Mike Fiers, Joe West, and Joe Morgan. The list also includes holdovers from 2020, when the award program was suspended because of COVID-19. Those nominees include Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Mike Veeck, Ralph Branca, Denny McClain, and Leo Durocher.
EDITORS NOTE: 2024 Shine of the Eternal winners include Dusty Baker (famed MLB manager), Sean Doolittle (called the “conscience of baseball” by Sports Illustrated for working diligently for the rights of workers, women, and immigrants), Effa Manley (in the ’30s and ’40s ran daily operations for the Newark Eagles, a Negro National League club), and Kim Ng (currently the Miami Marlin’s General Manager). Jean Ardell (1943-2022) is the winner of the 2014 Tony Salin Memorial Award. Among her many other contributions, Ardell wrote Breaking into Baseball, which chronicles the multiple roles of women in the game as fans, players, umpires, owners and executives, and sportswriters.
I am also very pleased to announce that I will receive the 2024 Hilda Chester Award. Chester, an uber-enthusiastic Brooklyn Dodgers fan, was widely known for ringing a large cowbell at games to support the home team. To say that I am humbled and a little overwhelmed by the bar set before me would be an understatement.
I will be joining others who have been honored by The Baseball Reliquary. Alumni include
Bill Murray, actor/comedian and co-owner of the St. Paul Saints; John Adams, Cleveland’s long-time stadium drummer; Ruth Roberts, famous baseball song lyricist; Bob Colleary, who possesses an amazing collection of baseball memorabilia; Arnold Hano, noted baseball writer, Emma Amaya, Dodgers superfan, blogger, and haiku author; Jerry Pritikin, famed Cubs Bleacher Preacher, photographer, and raconteur; Tom Keefe, the originator of The Eddie Gaedel Society and good friend of World Series perfect game hurler Don Larsen; the aforementioned Tom Derry; Bart Wilhelm, Navin Crew member and attendee of an incredible number of baseball parks. and Ralph Carhart compiled The Hall Ball with photos taken with every Hall of Fame member or their gravesite.
The award encases Hilda’s cowbell, and this version was given to Tom Derry in 2016. Derry founded the Navin Field Grounds Crew, a group of volunteers who transformed Tiger Stadium from a demolished ballpark into a baseball mecca.
This is a wonderful, full-circle moment in my life, and I look forward to joining past and current winners and lovers of the game at the induction ceremony next Sunday, August 4, at 2:00 p.m., at the Villalobos Conference Center, Whittier College.
Have a personal interest in nominating my Great Grandfather, MLB Umpire Jim Johnstone for recognition. Read Jim Johnstone-SABR article. MLB Umpire AL,NL & Federal League. Inventor of Johnstone Platform Mask (patented 1922) that was worn by Yogi Berra his whole career. Many masks in posession of National Baseball HOF in Cooperstown. BUT only recognition is prototype of mask donated (and on permanent display) at The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center.Johnstone was also a minor league pitcher that faced Honus Wagner in NJ the year Honus won the batting title the same year he joined MLB.