Rio Grande Chapter meeting recap – 10/1/2011

The new Rio Grande Chapter held a special meeting Saturday, October 1, at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after learning recently that former Albuquerque Dukes/Dodgers first baseman Mel Corbo would be in town — his first visit to Albuquerque since he last played here in 1968 — and wanted to see the ballpark. Mel entertained a small gathering of members with his tales of spring training in Vero Beach, Florida, rooming with Bobby Cox when the two were teammates in 1964, and rooming with Bo Belinsky in 1969, Corbo’s final pro season.

Earlier meetings of the Rio Grande Chapter have included guest presentations by: John Roskos (former local high school standout and 1993 draftee by the Florida Marlins, now a local police officer); Stanley Bregman (attorney for Robert Short when Short bought the Washington Senators and then moved them to Arlington, Texas); Ron Briley (local baseball author, talking about his latest book); and Mike Capps (longtime play-by-play man for the Round Rock Express and co-author of a biography on Red Murff in the 1990s).

— Gary Herron