TOMMY HENRICH

It is easy enough to check the encyclopedia for Tommy Henrich (pronounced Henrick.) The Massillon, Ohio native joined the Yankees in 1937 as a 24 year-old. Left-handed in the field and at bat, he played outfield and occasionally first base for New York through 1950, batting .282 lifetime. Key hits on crucial occasions were a Henrich specialty, which is why he came to be known as "Old Reliable" among the players and fans. In the forties, it became a commonplace among baseball people that Henrich was "the most under-rated" ballplayer in the game.

A number of years later, at a social get-together of sportswriters, I wisecracked that Tommy Henrich was "the most over-rated under-rated" ballplayer of all time, a mark that was greatly appreciated by the audience not because it was true -- it wasn't -- but because as writers they enjoyed the turn of phrase. Since then I have seen or heard that wisecrack quoted many times and if Henrich ever saw or heard it hope he realizes that it was just a joke by a wiseass who couldn't resist an alliterative temptation.

I finally met Tommy Henrich in person at an Old-Timers Day in the mid-seventies, and have had the pleasure of his company several times since. He is an absolute delight -- bubbling over with enthusiasm about baseball, very knowledgeable, eager talk to about the old days and the men he played with and against, a pleasure to be with.

And he knows how to turn a mean phrase himself: "Catching a fly ball is pleasure," he has often been quoted as saying, "but knowing what to do with it after you catch it is a business."

Tommy Henrich, now in his mid-eighties, lives in Dewey. Arizona. about 80 miles north of Phoenix.