A Baseball Career That Ended in . . . a Split Second: The Life and Faith of Jim Aldredge

By Jerry Guibor

Jim Aldredge, a phenomenal baseball player, signed a professional contract at age 17. In his second season, he was hit in the left eye by a thrown ball. He eventually lost sight in the eye, but attempted two comebacks and was playing very well better than most players with two good eyes. But the politics of baseball and racism made him realize it was time to turn to Fresno and get an education. He was graduated from Fresno City College and Fresno State while working full time for the City of Fresno. He earned a Ph.D. and also studied at Oxford. At nights, he taught at Fresno City College, the University of San Francisco and Fresno State all the while he was working as an assistant city manager. He was made interim city manager a few times when administrators would change, but an outsider always got the job. At last, the city realized he was the right man all along and promoted him to city manager. He taught at Fresno State until he retired and was named professor emeritus. He then created a foundation to help aspiring students and athletes, and to deliver social services to the poor and needy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491701683

Jerry Guibor

Jerry Guibor is a retired sportswriter and editor who has written three previous books: A Candle Burned, From Nyet to Da and The Original Edison Field. He also has edited and designed They Put Me in Charge . . . And Told Me I Didn’t Have a Clue, a personal and business perspective by Leif Bilen, and is editing two forthcoming manuscripts, a memoir by career missionary Rob Farnsley (the title is “When a Christian Has Same-Sex Attraction/My View From the Deck”) and Pledging Allegiance, another memoir by Leif Bilen. Each of these works is based in the Christian faith. Jerry has worked as a volunteer missionary with three different mission agencies in Russia and Ukraine for 21 years. He lived in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in 1994-95, again in 2003, and in Kiev, Ukraine, in 2004-05. He has worked with Christian public school teachers in Ukraine each year since 2006 and continues to visit many of them twice a year. He lives in Fresno, California.

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A BASEBALL CAREER THAT ENDED IN…

A Split Second

THE LIFE AND FAITH OF JIM ALDREDGE

Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Jerry Guibor.

Researchers: Jerry Guibor and Craig Reid

Cover design and cover photograph by JG Images

Back cover design and photographs by JG Images

Various other photographs courtesy of Jim Aldredge, Connie Clendenan and Edison High School

Thank you to the Visalia Rawhide baseball team for access to Recreation Park

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-0167-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-0168-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013914079

iUniverse rev. date: 02/22/2014

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

PART ONE

The Baseball Years

Chapter One

April 23, 1958

Chapter Two

Can’t-Miss

Chapter Three

Plans Change

Chapter Four

Whites Only

Chapter Five

The Accident

Chapter Six

I’m Coming Home

Chapter Seven

A New Beginning

Chapter Eight

Humiliation

Chapter Nine

One Last Try

PART TWO

The Early Years

Chapter Ten

War Time

Chapter Eleven

Lessons Of Racism

Chapter Twelve

Scraping By

Chapter Thirteen

This Jackass

Chapter Fourteen

Recruited To Teach Bible Lessons

Chapter Fifteen

Mr. Crandle

Chapter Sixteen

Everybody Can Play

Chapter Seventeen

The Lure Of Sports

Chapter Eighteen

Edison High At Last

Chapter Nineteen

B’nai B’rith Heroes And Others

PART THREE

The Halls Of Learning

Chapter Twenty

He Can Do It

Chapter Twenty-One

Heavy Schedules

Chapter Twenty-Two

An Interlude

PART FOUR

The Career Years

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Volatile Sixties

Chapter Twenty-Four

Somebody’s Always Unhappy

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Classroom Beckons

Chapter Twenty-Six

All-Night Prayer

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Transfer Approved

PART FIVE

The Years At City Hall

Chapter Twenty-Eight

A Time Of Survival

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Solving Issues At City Hall

Chapter Thirty

An Exciting Time

Chapter Thirty-One

The Time Had Come

PART SIX

The World Of Education

Chapter Thirty-Two

From City Manager To Professor

Chapter Thirty-Three

Two Educators Meet

Chapter Thirty-Four

Caring For Two Loved Ones

Chapter Thirty-Five

A Simple Memorial

Chapter Thirty-Six

A Near-Death Experience

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Another Near-Fatal Incident—Oct. 26, 2007

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Retirement And Laurels

PART SEVEN

A Legacy

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Edison Honors Aldredge

Chapter Forty

The Legacy

Postscript

Appendix A

Civic Involvement

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

—Proverbs 3:5-6

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

—Psalm 23

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,

A wondrous beauty I see,

For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,

To pardon and sanctify me.

—verse three, The Old Rugged Cross

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

—1 Chronicles 16:34

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

—Proverbs 22:6

All verses in this book are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Prologue

Upon examination, a baseball exudes a charm that is deceptively soft and maddeningly hard. It’s a siren clothed in cowhide… with an alluring sweet spot.

What is this thing, a baseball, which seemingly takes on a personality of its own? It comes in one size, 9 inches in circumference, and one weight, 5¼ ounces, at most, light enough to be thrown 100 m.p.h. and heavy enough to travel more than 500 feet on the fly.

It even has been said that some batter somewhere knocked the cover off the ball, though nobody has ever seen that happen in an official game.

Under those two stitched-together leather covers, ever so close to the surface, is cotton yarn, which gives way to wool yarn and then tougher wool yarn, but if the cover does come off, when sullied and battered and torn, string is all over the place, miles of it, before the rubber-covered cork center appears for a second, then bounces wildly down the street.

Baseballs come from a factory where they are seemingly stuffed, between all that yarn, with line drives, bleeders, towering home runs, bad hops and errant throws, causing all description of joys and insults. Those taut threads, all 108 stitches, can leave angry imprints on an ankle or shin or arm or worse, looking like a red tattoo, dispensed capriciously, much like life itself. There is no explaining any of it, but why did the ball turn on one of its own? Why did it find Jim Aldredge and his promising career in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization come to a halt, just like that, all too soon, in a split second?

There are no answers, only the question: He can still play, can’t he? They tell him he can, and he’s game for one more chance—even if it means interrupting his education, his all-important insurance against life’s ups and down, even if it means one or two more minor league towns, and more political and racial indignities. Especially because he’s only 19 years old and he could hit a baseball as easily as breathing and chase down that siren in the outfield as swiftly as the best could.

Introduction

There is no doubt that Jim Aldredge was a top prospect, and the encomiums and bon mots roll off the tongue easily about him, almost too easily. After all, he last played in 1963, and memories play tricks on us after that many years ago. The stories grow into legends and improve with age, and soon they are masquerading as the gospel. Baseball people swear by them.

At the time, Bob Fontaine, one of the two Pirate scouts who signed him, said Aldredge could be the next Roberto Clemente. The other scout, Don Lindeberg, didn’t go quite that far, but there is always a manager who tags a young player as a can’t-miss. In spring training, longtime manager Sparky Anderson was always saying such-and-such a player would become the next Mickey Mantle, and that player was doomed, snakebit, and probably didn’t even make Anderson’s team.

Today, scouts and baseball people testify that Aldredge could really hit the ball. Or: He could chase down long fly balls with the best of them. Or: He was destined to have a big league career. Or: He was a five-tool player. Even though that description didn’t exist in 1956 when Aldredge signed.

So, how good was Aldredge?

Taking into account the unabashed writing style of sportswriters in 1955, which looks as quaint as one of them reporting in a news story our Fresno Grizzlies in the 21st century, let the record and some box scores tell the tale as Aldredge progressed through his high school years to spring training to his two years as a professional baseball player:

HIGH SCHOOL

McClatchy News Service reported:

The Madera High School baseball squad won its first Yosemite League contest in three years here [Madera] yesterday afternoon when it downed the Edison High Tiger nine, 9 to 8, in an extra inning game.

Later in the same story:

Aldredge led the Edison hitting with two home runs in the third and fourth innings. He was also the mainstay in the Tiger fielding with several near impossible catches in center field.

* * *

After the final Northern Yosemite League baseball game of the 1956 season, McClatchy Newspapers Service wrote:

The Edison High School Tigers of Fresno, depending on the big bat of James Aldredge and the steady pitching of Walter Jones, defeated the Merced Bears, 11 to 5.

Aldredge blasted two home runs. His first came in the seven run fourth inning, 388 feet into centerfield. His second round tripper cleared the left centerfield wall at 400 feet and is believed to be the longest ball ever hit by a prep player in Merced’s Civic Ball Park.

* * *

Late in 1956, a Fresno Bee headline and story announced:

Stars Sign Aldredge

For Bonus of $4,000

Pittsburgh Pirate scouts Bob Fontaine and Don Lindeberg signed Aldredge, and Lindeberg was quoted in the news story:

We will take Aldredge to training with us next spring and he will have every chance to make the team. We think he has tremendous possibilities and we were very happy to sign him. We have watched him for several years and I know a lot of teams were interested in him.

Aldredge batted .417 for Coach Mickey Mansini’s Edison team last season and walloped nine home runs.

* * *

Another Bee headline and story:

Fresno Baseball School

Stars Whip Sacramento

Fresno Bee sportswriter Bruce Farris observed:

Aldredge, the youngest player on the field at 15 years, was a stickout in all departments and coaches on both clubs predicted a fine future for the Edison High School junior.

The big speedster smashed a double and a single in four trips, drove in one run, scored another and made two sparkling running catches in center field.

* * *

In the baseball school’s playoffs in 1955, The Fresno Bee headline:

Aldredge Homer Leads

Fresno All Star Club To

9-4 Win Over Modesto

Writing from the Modesto press box, Bee sportswriter Farris started the game dispatch thusly:

James Aldredge walloped a tremendous home run to ignite a five run eighth inning rally and give The Fresno Bee, KMJ, KMJ-TV All Stars a 9 to 4 baseball victory over the Modesto Bee KBEE All Stars before 1,000 fans in Del Webb Field last night.

* * *

In the championship game of 1955, The Sacramento Bee, KFBK All Stars thumped The Fresno Bee, KMJ, KMJ-TV, All Stars, 7-4. In the game story, sportswriter Farris noted:

Aldredge, who at 16 years old, has another year of school competition left, again sparkled at bat and in the field . . . His rifle throws brought much applause as did his two fine running catches.

1957 SPRING TRAINING

Fresno Bee headline:

Jim Aldredge Hammers

Five Hits for Hollywood

The lead paragraphs in The Associated Press account:

James Aldredge, 18 year old outfielder [Aldredge would not turn 18 for another 33 days] on the Hollywood Stars and a former Edison High of Fresno diamond star, had the biggest day of his professional career yesterday when he collected five singles and stole two bases in Hollywood’s 9 to 5 exhibition victory over the San Diego Padres.

Aldredge was signed by the Stars and is expected to be optioned to the San Jose JoSox of the California League. He is making a strong bid to stay with the Stars.

b%26w_Aldredge_Hollywood_box_score.jpg

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE

In 1957, the San Jose JoSox edged the Fresno Sunsox 4-2, and Ed Orman reporting for The Fresno Bee wrote:

In the ninth Jim Aldredge, rookie centerfielder from Fresno, drilled a single through the infield into center. The former Edison High School star stole second and third baseman Jim Campbell’s singled pushed him to third after first baseman Dick Minice whiffed. Whitman grounded to shortstop Bob Geels. It was a double play ball but Geels chose to try to stop Aldredge at home. He made an inept throw in front of catcher Nat LeBlanc and Aldredge was already in.

From the same report:

Aldredge also made a sensational catch of [Gary] Rushing’s drive against the wall at the 400-foot mark.

* * *

The United Press reported about San Jose’s 6-1 win over Visalia in San Jose and said Aldredge doubled twice and singled to drive in three runs for the JoSox.

visalia_josox_box_score.jpg

WESTERN LEAGUE

The Lincoln Evening Journal headline:

Aldredge Homer in 4th Gives

Chiefs 2-1 Win Over Demons

Reporter Don Bryant wrote:

Leave it to the Lincoln Chiefs and the Des Moines Bruins¹ to provide first class baseball action.

The two Western League clubs did it again Friday night, with the Chiefs taking a 2-1 victory on the strength of Jim Aldredge’s two-run home run and a eight hit pitching job by lefty Al Jackson.

Lincoln got only four hits off two Demon pitchers, and Aldredge got two of those. But his fourth inning homer was enough to give Lincoln the series win, 2-1, and keep the Chiefs on top of the league.

Des_Moines_Lincoln_box_score.jpg

* * *

Before we enter the Life and Faith of Jim Aldredge, there is one more anecdote. After Aldredge signed with the Pirates, a St. Louis Cardinal scout told him the next spring that they would have signed him for $100,000, making him a Bonus Baby.

The Pirates made lefty Paul Pettit the first Bonus Baby when they signed him for $100,000 in 1950. Pettit won exactly one major league game before he developed a sore arm. Would the Pirates have taken another gamble? Probably not. Indeed, there were no bidding wars. So, would the Cardinals have really made such an offer? No one will ever know.

Certainly, there is a long list of Bonus Babies who failed. Of course, Sandy Koufax was the grand success story; he was the exception. Joey Amalfitano was the mild success story. To be sure, money doesn’t guarantee success, especially not in baseball.

* * *

Nevertheless, there are two more testimonies. Consider them valid.

Fresno Temple Church of Christ Pastor Harry Miller remembers how Jim was one of the best baseball players in the city of Fresno and the Valley before he graduated from Edison, although he probably won’t tell you anything about this.

Kalem Barserian, the president of American Dried Fruit, who played on teams with Aldredge, said: "Not only would Jim have been the next Willie Mays, without question, if he had not suffered the eye injury playing minor league ball, but he is one of the most honorable men that I have ever met. In fact, if I could be someone else in