Glenn Lust: All America

Our Hot Stove guest last night was Glenn Lust. Ever heard of him? Played basketball and baseball for Ole Miss from 1962-1967. Got a medical redshirt extra season. Grew up just south of Louisville. Quiet but good humored. Made a recruiting visit to Kentucky to visit Adolph Rupp, but knew he wouldn’t play much. Was recruited by Press Maravich to play at Clemson. I asked Glenn if he'd played against Pistol Pete. Lust's calm demeanor piped up, and he humbly quipped "I held him to only 40 points".

Lust made All-America in baseball. After his sophomore year Dixie Walker offered him $100,000.00 to sign with the Orioles.  He regretted turning it down. Lust played with Don Kessinger. Their team made it to the college world series. Afterward Lust was there when Leo Durocher signed Kessinger for $20,000. Lust knew Archie Manning, and actually babysat Peyton and Eli.

Our host Johnny had a 1954 Atlanta Journal out for inspection, with a Crackers box score. Johnny attended that LSU/UGA basketball game when Maravich made that final hook shot. I told him that Reid had been there as well. My rider Eddie had been in Athens that same day playing YMCA basketball as a kid. He said Maravich spoke to all the YMCA kids.

Good books by author Pat Jordan were discussed: (1) False Spring, about his minor league days with Phil Niekro, (2) Tom Seaver & Me, a memoir, and (3) A Nice Tuesday, another memoir. Legendary Southwest Dekalb football coach Buck Godfrey also taught English at the school. He penned a book on his experience in Little League, as part of the first black team to compete in the Little League World Series – “The Team No One Would Play”.

Old Tom Curran is always good for a story. In high school in Maryland he competed against Tom Brown, who matriculated to Maryland and later played for the Senators, then for the Packers. Brown made the famous game-saving interception in the NFL championship game, memorialized in the book The First 50 Years.

On the ride home Eddie and I started talking about books. Like me he likes audiobooks. He is a sports nut, a big Braves fan. I told him the story of Lang taking me to the World Series, and mentioned that Lang had written a book about the Braves. Turned out Eddie has read Lang’s book. Actually I told Eddie how the Whitakers had adopted me as a college student. Eddie likes to make lists of lots of things, as do I.

When Eddie moved to Atlanta he was a stringer for the tiny radio station in Thomasville, his hometown. Got a press pass to Braves, Hawks, and Falcons games. Would file audio reports and tape interviews. One time he was walking into the Omni before a game and a tall fellow started talking to him – Julius Erving. Dr. J asked his name, and later after the game in the locker room Erving again called Eddie by name. Later the Sixers returned to Atlanta for a playoff game. Again Erving called Eddie by name. Made quite an impression. Eddie brought his Luis Aparicio autographed baseball (top).

This past weekend a bunch of baseball nuts went out on a chilly field trip to various historical baseball site around town. Three of the Hot Stove guys tagged along. The first baseball game in Atlanta was played on a field adjacent to Oakland Cemetery. Another early field was across the downtown connector from Turner Field, called Brisbane Field. The lot is still vacant to this day. A few years later there was a ballfield at the corner of West Peachtree and Ponce de Leon. Finally the group ended up across from Ponce City Market, at the base of the old Spiller Magnolia, in what used to be centerfield of Ponce de Leon Park.

My take: if Freddie Freeman signs with the Yankees he will be miserable, having to deal with criticism from the press and fans.

MIKE MUSSINA  [SABR Bio] is the only pitcher to finish his career with a twenty-win season since Sandy Koufax did it in 1966. In his 18th and final MLB campaign, Mussina had a 20-9 record. He was also an All-Star and won a Gold Glove that year, 2008. The year Mussina led the league in innings pitched was his last with his original MLB team. He pitched 237-2/3 innings in 2000 with BAL then signed with the Yankees as a free agent on 07-Dec-2000. He coaches the high school basketball team in the town where he grew up: Montoursville, Pennsylvania (though he was born in nearby Williamsport). He had been offered a basketball scholarship by Vanderbilt University before he decided on baseball.