Roger Begue

Prolific Side-Arm Pitcher

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Roger Begue has accomplished so much on baseball fields, more than most Roy Hobbs Baseball participants.

He was a standout amateur player as a youth, was drafted by the Royals and pitched 5 years in their farm system, compiling an 18-15 record. Then, came Roy Hobbs exploits for the Northeast Ohio resident.

“He is one of the top three or four players to compete in Roy Hobbs,” said friend and competitor Carl Rakich.

His stats and achievements could fill this page but those aren’t what are most important about Roy Hobbs to Begue. Just ask him about his favorite World Series moments and that becomes clear.

“My favorite Roy Hobbs World Series moment of all the great experiences has to be simply looking up into the stands and seeing my family there,” Begue said. “Sitting here thinking about that question, that memory stands No. 1 in my mind. Shared experiences in trying to reach a common goal with teammates and family. Doesn’t get any better than that.”

His exploits are legendary. In 1998, he was 26-7 with three saves, pitched 198 innings, struck out 225 and posted a 2.03 ERA. In the 2001 World Series, he was 4-0 with a save in the AAAA 30-plus division. He won the quarterfinal game, saved the semi-final and won the title game.
Now at 57 and recovered from a 2010 bout with lymphoma, Begue is a Hall of Famer.

Bill Clary

Challenge, Game and Relationships

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

At the heart of baseball is competition. Winning is a sweet feeling, one that never gets old.

Bill Clary knows that. So this is what he said about his favorite Roy Hobbs moment:

“As much as I want to say something more profound I can’t help myself when I say it’s our three AAAA open championships and two veteran championships,” said Clary, who resides in Fort Mill, S.C. “Coming together to achieve a common goal, meeting the challenges head on, meshing a team and experiencing the joy of reaching the peak of accomplishment together.”

And one more thing.

“Also, seeing our adopted Challenger teammate Scott McQueen each year is a moment we all look forward to,” Clary said.

Clary is the president and CEO of Elite Consultants, Inc., which he founded in 1991. That’s the same year he began playing Roy Hobbs. The former Malone University baseball standout has been a key to growing baseball in the Charlotte area. His Charlotte Kings are perennial World Series contenders, winning 5 times, 3 times in Open AAAA competition and 2 more in the Veterans category.

Now, 23 years since his first World Series, Clary keeps returning for a few reasons.

“The challenge, the game and the relationships,” Clary said.

His wife, Maureen, said he knows the game so well he’ll say what television commentators say during games.

“Except a minute sooner,” Maureen said.

Tommy Faherty

South Jersey Mr. Baseball

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Tommy Faherty’s Roy Hobbs resume is about more than wins and losses.

“In South Jersey he is Mr. Baseball,” Lance Kolsky wrote in a nominating letter. “He is the man. He started, monitored, and is the heart and soul of the Wonderboys. He does it all.”

And he’s done it for a long time. Faherty, 70, is a charter member of Roy Hobbs Baseball, having managed the 40s champion New Jersey All-Stars in the inaugural World Series in 1989.

In 2013 when the inaugural Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame class was inducted, Faherty attended the ceremony. He said he was “star-struck.” Then, he recently heard that he would be inducted in 2014.

“Quite frankly, it is hard for me to contain myself!!!!” Faherty wrote in an email, using the 4 exclamation marks.

It’s clear being selected is a high honor for Faherty, a resident of Robbinsville, N.J.

“This means as much or maybe more to me than any big-leaguer going into Cooperstown,” Faherty wrote. “There are other senior leagues, senior tournaments and senior halls of fame out there. In the world of amateur baseball Roy Hobbs is the Big Leagues.”

And Tom Faherty is now in the Hall of Fame.

“Tom is a charming leprechaun who aspires to be remembered as a first flight Marine instructor,” Kolsky wrote. “In actuality he will always give you that pot of gold.”

Bill Devine

Life-ling baseball connections

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Roy Hobbs means family to new Hall of Famer Bill Devine.

Baseball and family are always intertwined for Devine. In 1969, he played Little League with his brother, Pat. Now, Bill and Pat are teammates on a Pittsburgh adult team.

Bill began playing Roy Hobbs in 1994 and when asked to select the best moment out of those years he focused on family.

It was in the late 1990s, Bill recalled. He held his two young sons, Michael and Tim, in his arms for a photo. The photo was on the cover of a Roy Hobbs publication. Things have changed since then.

“The boys are grown men and I am gray,” Bill said. “But that picture captured the ultimate father-son moment for me.”

Baseball is clearly more than balls and strikes to Bill, a 2014 Hall of Fame inductee.

“”Everything I have achieved in life has a connection to the game,” Bill said. “My dad played, my brother and I played and our four sons play. I was able to go to college and travel the country by playing baseball.”

At 57, Bill still plays. You’ll see him this year on fields where the Twins and Red Sox play.

“Roy Hobbs provides the opportunity to play the game you love,” Bill said. “On major league facilities. To meet and make great friends, and to be part of something larger than yourself. It’s baseball heaven.”

Dave Mathews

Returned to baseball at 44

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

It seems hard to believe but when Dave Mathews was 11 he quit baseball. The Tacoma resident said he was a “runt” until age 16.

“I wasn’t very good, and I was very small,” Mathews said.

At 16, though, he enjoyed a growth spurt and played football and ran track. He didn’t return to baseball until he was 44.

The athleticism that helped him succeed in track and football burst forth in baseball.

With help from teammates, Mathews has found a home in Roy Hobbs. He’s now 69 and built a Hall of Fame resume with the Tacoma Cascades and Washington Titans. He has been part of 10 World Series championship teams.

Fellow 2014 inductee Mic Stump said in addition to the titles, Mathews is a good teammate to have in a dugout even though he is pretty quiet … except when he has a bat in his hand. Then he is very loud, and many consider him to be one of the toughest ‘outs’ in adult amateur baseball.

Stump said if this “does not qualify a player for RH HOF I would be at a loss for words.”

Don’t worry, Mic. Mathews is qualified. And he still loves baseball.

“I love the camaraderie and team chemistry,” Mathews said. “I thrive on competition and trying to get better every year in spite of advancing age. The smooth feel of really ‘barreling one up’ with a wooden bat, is unrivaled. I want to hit a home run, with a wooden bat, in a major league park, before I quit.”

Joe Monari

Playing with honor and integrity

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Joe Monari is a Roy Hobbs World Series pioneer. He played in his first in 1990, back when the event was held in Orlando.

The Army vet helped start and develop Roy Hobbs Baseball in and around Chicago, organizing and managing teams such as the Chicago Phillies and Dupage Indians and more.

He’s been everywhere it seems, playing several positions on the field as well as running teams and once winning a World Series home run derby. But he does it the right way.

From his Hall of Fame nominating letter: “a fierce competitor. … with determination and more importantly HONOR and Integrity.”

You want something done? Ask Monari and his family. The Monari family helped with Inside Pitch magazine and World Series programs and modeling Roy Hobbs apparel.

Fran Podraza, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, first crossed paths with Monari in Orlando. Ever since, Podraza has been impressed with Monari’s character.
“An honest guy,” Podraza said.

And more. “His love of the game and his affection for his players,” Podraza said.

Podraza also appreciates Monari’s ability and the way he conducts himself as a team player.

“I’d have him on my team,” said Podraza, who voted for Monari for the Hall of Fame.

In a sense, Joe Monari and Fran Podraza are now on the same team – the Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame.

Rick McGalliard

Makes baseball happen

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Ken Breyley has played with incoming Hall of Famer Rick McGalliard for 22 years. He knows about McGalliard’s talent, passion and knowledge when it comes to the game.

Talent?

“Mac is a consummate baseball player,” Breyley said of the Barberton, Ohio, resident.

Respect?

“He’s a little old-fashioned,” Breyley said of his 62-year-old friend.

Knowledge?

“Probably the most knowledgeable guy I know as far as how to play the game,” Breyley said of the shortstop.

Finally, there is the way the Brewers manager functions.

“Treats teammates with great respect and for lack of another word – love,” Breyley said.

There’s more. McGalliard assists with Challenger Baseball and keeps Brewers teams playing from the 38s to the 60s and helps make Fort Myers trips affordable for players who need help.

Now, the owner of the Kenmore Eastern Sports Bar in Akron is a Hall of Famer.

“Very much elated,” McGalliard said.
The 2014 World Series is the 24th for McGalliard, who played in his first when it was still held in Orlando.

He remembers his first game at Terry Park, sitting in a dugout where many baseball legends sat long ago.

“I was like a little kid,” McGalliard said. “Babe Ruth, Ted Williams had been here.”

So has Rick McGalliard, who loves the game, win or lose.

“Win or lose, the beer is still cold afterward,” McGalliard said.

John Morris

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

When it comes to Roy Hobbs Baseball in North Carolina, John Morris is more than a valuable player. He’s a very valuable person.

Along with 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Craig, they’ve made adult baseball a reality in their community.

“If it wasn’t for him, I’d hate to say it but we probably wouldn’t have a league,” said Gary McDonald, a teammate.

Morris, 62, and a resident of Swannanoa, N.C., builds and maintains baseball fields. Before Roy Hobbs came along he supported youth baseball programs and remains involved in that part of baseball.

For 25 years he’s been going to the World Series, with either the Asheville Sox or Colorado Rockies. He’s played, coached and managed or pulled off a Roy Hobbs trifecta, doing all three. He’s been on 5 World Series title teams.

J.D. Hinson, another teammate, said he’s known Morris for 15-to-20 years and knows what makes him tick and in turn what’s helped make Roy Hobbs a success in North Carolina.

“Love of the game,” Hinson said. “The passion for the game and he wants to play.”

And he makes playing possible for other players.

“He’s working on the fields on Sunday,” Hinson said.

But not during the Roy Hobbs World Series in Fort Myers. Morris will once again be playing for the Asheville Sox this year, going for a sixth championship.

Tom Scull

Long-Ball Tommy

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

A magical three-week stretch in 1998 might be enough to cement Tom Scull’s spot in Roy Hobbs lore and crack open the Hall of Fame doors.

That year he turned 50 and homered in 3 age divisions in 3 weeks in the World Series.

“I’m not sure if records were kept but I might have been the first and possibly last player to have hit 3 home runs while playing in the 30-, 40-, 50-year-old categories,” said Scull, a Port St. Lucie, Fla. resident. “I just remember being in a zone all 3 weeks.”

He has been ‘in the zone’ at every World Series except the first. Although his main position is catcher he can play anywhere.

Hall of Famer Lane Green compiled a list of reasons Scull, who grew up in New Jersey, deserves selection. There’s not enough room to list everything but Green’s list includes being a leader and instilling trust and confidence in teammates.

Scull hasn’t repeated that homer binge but at 66 he still plays in the World Series.

“There are several reasons I keep coming back to play,” Scull said. “One is because I can. As long as I am blessed with health and ability to play the game that I love I will continue to do so. … I can’t imagine doing anything else come November.”

This year’s trip includes something else – Hall of Fame induction.

Vito Ruscio

Game and Friendships count

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Oh, Vito Ruscio loves baseball. Don’t doubt that. If you do, just check with his friend, Bob Fioravanti, Jr.

“Vito is the most passionate baseball guy that I’ve ever played ball, with, for or against,” Fioravanti said.

How passionate? Ruscio, 59, plays on 5 teams and manages 3 of them. He’s been a fixture in the Oak Lawn (Ill.) league and the Roy Hobbs World Series. He’s managing 1 team and playing on 2 in the 2014 World Series.

No wonder he’s a Hall of Famer. Ruscio keeps returning to Fort Myers every year.

“The best thing is going there every year and seeing the guys you only see once a year,” Ruscio said. “It’s really a blast.”

It doesn’t matter that he’s won only 1 World Series title. That came with the Chicago Giants in 2005 in the 38s.

It’s the game and the friendships that count most. Testimonials from teammates and friends such as Kevin Orzechowski attest to Ruscio’s passion for the game.

“He is more than a baseball player,” Orzechowski wrote in a Hall of Fame nominating letter. “He is a father figure, friend and mentor to his teammates.”
Bonnie Fear knows Ruscio from Oak Lawn.

“I often hear people say that they love having baseball in their lives,” Fear wrote. “I say the game of baseball is lucky to have Vito in theirs.”

Mic Stump

6 Roy Hobbs Gold Medals

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Mic Stump’s Roy Hobbs resume is likely matched by few if any in the organization’s history. He’s compiled a 420-108 record since 1995. He’s done it all, from playing to coaching and managing and serving as an administrator.

In a world of competitive people he wants to win as much as any but he does it with class, according to those who know him.

“He is gracious, affable, savvy, and even-tempered in the heat of battle,” fellow Hall of Famer David Mathews said.

It seems Stump has won more gold medals than Michael Phelps. Well, not quite but he’s earned Roy Hobbs World Series gold 6 times. The Fircrest, Washington, resident has also led teams to two runner-up finishes. It seems that his resume makes him a lock for the Hall but Stump said he was surprised at the news.

“Stoned silence,” Stump said.

Stump was in his car when he heard.

“It took my breath away,” Stump said.

Stump has been involved with Roy Hobbs for 24 years.

“What the Hall of Fame means to me is the summation of all the wonderful camaraderie, baseball, laughter tears, competition,” Stump said. “Being boys between the white lines. And I can’t get over the feeling of great honor to be mentioned in the same breath with Dave Mathews Doc Pollak, Bill Devine, and Tommy Faherty. I’m blown away.”

Dutch Van Wey

Baseball was his life

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Dutch Van Wey is going into the Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame this November, but to his widow, Criss, he was always a Hall of Famer in many ways.

As her husband of 43 years. And a cook, businessman, boss and much more…

He died Oct. 10, 2010 from a heart attack he suffered while pitching. He was 67. But baseball was always there, ever since he was a boy and through days as a football and baseball player at the University of Southern California and coaching Little League in Livermore, Calif.

“I think baseball was pretty much his whole life,” Criss said.

That included Roy Hobbs. He was a World Series fixture from 1989 to 2009.

As a boy, according to Criss, Dutch was poor but a coach helped turn his life around. That inspired him to coach.

“He said I hope I give back as much as I got,” Criss said.

His death on a baseball field didn’t surprise Criss. She said Dutch joked that he would die either after sinking a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole or in bed with three women or on a baseball field.

Teammates such as Lanny Ropke recall a special guy.

“If he took a liking to you, you were his friend for life,” Ropke said.

Criss can’t make the induction ceremony.

“If he was here, he’d be over-joyed with honor, joy and delight,” Criss said.

Joel Weinstein

Leaving large diamone footprints

BY GLENN MILLER
Roy Hobbs Baseball

Joel Weinstein’s journey has taken him from boyhood days climbing a fence to play stickball on the grounds of Sarah Greenwood Elementary School in Boston to a Red Sox fantasy camp and now at 76 to the Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame.

Not bad for a guy who ran track and cross-country and played hockey at English High in Boston. Oh, he played fast-pitch softball for 5 years as a young man but not baseball. Then came that camp in Winter Haven in 1991, when he was 52.

“Fantasy camp changed my life,” said Weinstein, a resident of Carmel, Calif., a man who has always operated and played much, much bigger than his barely 5-foot frame.

He was hooked. He coached and played and then found Roy Hobbs and in 1999 participated in his first World Series. Weinstein, an electrical engineer, founded the New England Red Sox in 2000 and they’ve been a World Series fixture ever since.

If Weinstein could build a time machine and take buddies back to 1991 they would see an inauspicious baseball debut. “I destroyed my hamstring on the very first ball hit to me in a practice game, but still had a great time,” Weinstein said.

He’s still having a great time. And playing well, earning team MVP honors in the 60, 65 and 70 age divisions.

But that’s not all … Said Pat Thompson in his nomination letter: “Joel has managed upwards of 200 senior baseball players, several of whom have spun off and formed their own teams. The fact he partnered with Roy Hobbs on the Sea Otter (Baseball Festival in Monterey, Ca.) is an example of his dedication to baseball.

“While he may taking many more steps to get to second base than most others, he will have giant shoes to fill when he steps down as NE Red Sox skipper.”

Rick Winstead

Can’t keep a good man down

Richard Winstead has a plate and 8 screws in his right shinbone as the result of an accident involving his landscaping work. The inactivity that followed caused him to sit too much and his weight to grew to, at one point, 339 pounds.

He didn’t play in the 2012 World Series and didn’t play much last year. But the same drive that led him to be a Roy Hobbs pioneer as an organizer and player in the Knoxville/Kodak area of Tennessee propelled Winstead to lose 70 pounds.

He plans to play this year instead of just coaching.

“I don’t want to end my career coaching,” Winstead said.

This is not a man who can be kept down long. He’s coached youth and high school ball and wrestling in his community. He helped start and keep going his team, the Kodak Reds.

The Reds are bringing 2 teams to Fort Myers this year. Winstead, who turns 54 on Nov. 19, will play in memory of teammate Darris Clabo, who died of a brain tumor at 57 earlier this year.

Winstead will also play this year as a member of the incoming class of Hall of Fame inductees.

“Super, super humbled,” Winstead said of the honor. “Super appreciative.”

Baseball is a passion for Winstead and his wife, Teresa.

Oh, by the way, his weight is down to 256 pounds at last report.