Appendix 1: The Complete Collegiate Baseball Record of President George H.W. Bush

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This article was published in Fall 2017 Baseball Research Journal


This is the appendix to “The Complete Collegiate Baseball Record of President George H.W. Bush” by Herm Krabbenhoft.Editor’s note: This is the appendix to “The Complete Collegiate Baseball Record of President George H.W. Bush” by Herm Krabbenhoft.

 

APPENDIX

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A. 1946 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

B. 1947 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

C. 1948 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

D. Images of the front and back of the 1990 Topps George H.W. Bush baseball card.

E. Minor-League Records of Teammates of George H.W. Bush.

F. Images of the front and back of the 1990 Topps George W. Bush baseball card.

G. Images of the front and back of the George H.W. Bush baseball card issued by the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

H. Images of the Bobby Brown and Jim Campbell items posted on Reddit.com (July 13, 2017).

  1. Image of photocopied note from George W. Bush to Herm Krabbenhoft (undated).

J. Image of note from George H.W. Bush to Norman Macht (May 8, 1989).

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A. 1946 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

Game Opp Score # AB R H RBI PO A E
04/15 Connecticut 4-3 8 3 1 2 1 15 1 0
04/20 Brown 17-3 7 3 1 1 0 5 0 0
04/24 Columbia 1-0 7 3 0 0 0 11 0 0
04/27 (1) Dartmouth 10-6 7 3 1 1 0 7 1 0
04/27 (2) Dartmouth @ 3-2 7 3 0 0 0 8 0 0
                     
05/08 Columbia * 5-3 5 3 1 0 0 11 0 2
05/11 Army 10-3 8 3 1 0 1 15 0 0
05/15 Army * 6-5 8 4 0 2 1 5 0 0
05/22 Amherst 9-6 7 3 0 0 1 8 1 0
05/25 Holy Cross * 0-5 8 2 0 0 0 8 0 0
                     
06/03 (1) Cornell * 1-3 7 3 0 0 0 5 0 0
06/03 (2) Cornell § 4-1 8 3 0 1 0 4 0 0
06/05 Harvard * 8-0 7 2 1 0 0 5 0 0
06/08 Villanova 1-5 7 3 0 0 0 6 0 0
06/15 Princeton 8-4 7 3 2 1 0 10 0 0
06/22 Princeton * 7-4 7 4 0 1 1 9 1 0
06/24 Harvard 6-3 7 4 1 2 1 5 0 0
                     
Totals 17 Games W14, L3   52 9 11 6 137 4 2

 

NOTES: (1) An asterisk following the Opponent indicates that the game was played at the opponent’s field. (2) The @ symbol following the Opponent indicates that Dartmouth was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) even though the game was played at Yale Field on 4-27. (3) The § symbol indicates that Yale was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) even though the game was played at Cornell on June 3. (4) In the Score column, Yale’s runs are always given first. (5) The # column gives Bush’s batting position in the lineup. (6) Each of the games played in the doubleheaders on April 27 and June 3 were 7-inning contests. (7) The Yale-at-Harvard game on June 5 was called midway in the 6th inning due to rain.

B. 1947 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

Game Opp Score # AB R H RBI PO A E
03/29 Virginia * 6-4 7 2 1 1 0 12 0 0
03/31 Richmond * 7-8 7 4 0 2 0 11 1 1
                     
04/01 Georgetown * 3-2 7 4 0 0 0 11 1 1
04/10 Wesleyan 11-0 6 5 1 0 0 8 1 0
04/12 Fordham 3-1 7 3 0 0 0 10 0 0
04/17 Trinity 1-0 7 3 0 0 0 5 1 0
04/19 Navy 1-2 7 1 0 0 0 8 1 0
04/23 Amherst * 7-5 8 2 2 0 0 8 0 0
04/26 Dartmouth 8-3 8 5 1 2 2 10 0 0
04/30 Army * 3-4 8 4 0 1 0 17 0 1
                     
05/03 Army 3-3 7 2 0 1 0 6 1 2
05/07 Columbia 15-3 8 5 2 2 0 9 1 0
05/10 Dartmouth * 7-6 7 3 1 0 0 10 1 0
05/16 Pennsylvania 1-0 6 5 0 1 0 9 0 0
05/17 Columbia 3-4 6 5 0 1 0 9 0 0
05/23 (1) Cornell 3-1 8 2 0 0 0 8 1 0
05/23 (2) Cornell @ 1-2 7 2 0 0 0 10 0 0
05/24 Pennsylvania * 14-4 8 7 3 3 X 7 0 0
05/28 Brown 5-1 8 4 1 1 0 10 3 0
                     
06/04 Harvard * 9-3 8 4 0 0 1 8 0 2
06/11 Maryland 2-3 8 3 0 0 0 13 0 0
06/12 Princeton 7-3 8 4 1 2 2 7 0 0
06/14 Princeton * 0-1 8 3 0 1 0 14 0 1
06/17 Harvard 1-0 7 3 0 1 0 10 3 0
                     
06/20 Clemson § 7-3 7 4 1 1 0 6 0 0
06/21 New York § 6-4 7 4 1 1 0 7 0 0
                     
06/27 California ¶ 4-17 7 4 0 0 0 7 0 0
06/28 California ¶ 7-8 7 3 1 0 0 9 0 0
                     
Totals 28 Games W18, L9   101 16 21 5 260 12 8

 

NOTES: (1) An asterisk following the Opponent indicates that the game was played at the opponent’s field. (2) The @ symbol following the Opponent indicates that Cornell was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) even though the game was played at Yale Field on May 23. (3) The § symbol indicates that the game was an NCAA Eastern Regional Tournament game; the game was played at Yale Field. (4) The ¶ symbol indicates that the game was an NCAA Championship Series game; the game was played in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Yale was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) in the June 27 game. Yale was considered to be the visiting team (i.e., batted first) in the June 28 game. (5) In the Score column, Yale’s runs are always given first. (6) The # column gives Bush’s batting position in the lineup. (7) “X” in the RBI column for the May 24 game indicates that rbi information was not available.

C. 1948 Game-By-Game Batting and Fielding Record of George H.W. Bush.

Game Opp Score # AB R H RBI PO A E
04/02 North Carolina * 7-7 7 3 0 0 0 7 1 0
04/03 North Carolina State * 9-6 7 4 2 3 3 11 0 0
04/05 Wake Forest * 0-2 7 3 0 1 0 6 0 0
04/06 Duke * 1-10 6 2 0 0 0 3 0 0
04/07 Maryland * 6-5 7 4 0 0 0 10 1 0
04/08 Lafayette College * 3-4 7 3 0 0 0 8 0 0
04/17 Navy * 0-2 7 2 0 0 0 11 2 0
04/20 Connecticut 7-0 8 3 1 2 2 11 0 0
04/22 Boston College 2-0 8 2 0 0 0 7 1 0
04/24 Amherst College 4-3 8 2 0 0 0 10 2 0
04/27 Springfield College 5-1 8 4 1 1 0 10 0 0
04/29 Massachusetts 12-2 8 3 3 1 1 1 0 0
                     
05/01 Brown * 16-2 8 4 1 1 1 9 0 0
05/05 Providence College 22-4 8 5 2 3 4 9 3 0
05/08 Pennsylvania 5-2 8 4 0 2 0 10 0 0
05/15 Dartmouth * 6-2 8 4 0 0 0 7 0 0
05/19 Trinity College 7-6 8 4 2 2 1 12 1 0
05/22 Army 1-0 8 3 0 2 0 3 1 1
05/26 Holy Cross 1-4 8 4 1 0 0 11 1 0
05/27 Columbia 0-2 8 3 0 0 0 7 1 0
05/29 Cornell * 4-3 8 4 1 1 0 7 1 0
                     
06/02 Williams College * 14-5 7 6 0 2 3 6 0 1
06/05 Princeton 14-2 7 4 1 1 0 7 0 0
06/12 Princeton * 7-5 7 3 1 0 0 7 0 0
06/15 North Carolina § 6-1 7 3 0 0 0 6 1 0
06/16 Lafayette College § 11-2 7 5 0 2 0 13 0 0
06/17 Lafayette College § 4-3 7 3 1 0 0 7 0 0
06/21 Harvard 0-2 7 4 0 1 0 5 1 0
06/25 So. California ¶ 1-3 7 3 1 0 0 10 1 0
06/26 (1) So. California ¶ 8-3 7 5 0 1 2 12 1 0
06/26 (2) So. California ¶ 2-9 7 4 0 1 0 5 1 0
                     
Totals 31 Games W21, L9   110 18 27 17 248 20 2

 

NOTES: (1) An asterisk following the Opponent indicates that the game was played at the opponent’s field. (2) The § symbol indicates that the game was an NCAA Eastern Regional Tournament game, played in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Yale was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) in the June 15 and June 17 games; Yale was considered to be the visiting team (i.e., batted first) in the June 16 game. (3) The ¶ symbol indicates that the game was an NCAA Championship Series game; the game was played in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Yale was considered to be the home team (i.e., batted last) in the the June 25 game and the second game on June 26. Yale was considered to be the visiting team (i.e., batted first) in the first game on June 26. (4) In the Score column, Yale’s runs are always given first. (5) The # column gives Bush’s batting position in the lineup.

D. Images of the front and back of the 1990 Topps George H.W. Bush baseball card.

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

E. Minor-League Records of Teammates of George H.W. Bush.

While Bush didn’t make it to the pros on the diamond, nine of his Eli teammates, with the hope of making it to the Big Show, signed contracts to play minor league baseball — Dick Manville, Norm Felske, Dick Mathews, Art Moher, Jim Duffus, Frank Quinn, Walt Gathman, Art Fitzgerald, and Dick Tettelbach. Presented here are the minor league records achieved by each of these Bush teammates.

The first Bush teammate to play in the minors was Dick Manville, a pitcher on the 1947 Bulldog squad (and who had previously played for Harvard). His Yale career was rather brief (only four games at the very beginning of the campaign, during which he pitched brilliantly, hurling two shutouts and striking out 33 batters in his three starting assignments). After this impressive beginning, on April 21 Manville was placed on the “Ineligible List” when it was discovered that he had played (professionally) with the Montpelier team of the Northern League in the summer of 1946. After leaving Yale, Manville a had rather lengthy and itinerant professional minor league career, as shown in Chart E-1.

 

Chart E-1. The Minor League Baseball Record of Dick Manville.

Year Team League Class W-L ERA
1947 Evansville Three I B 5-3 3.58
1948 Hartford Eastern A 14-10 3.95
1949 Milwaukee American Association AAA 9-7 4.17
1950 Los Angeles Pacific Coast AAA 2-9 4.37
1952 Shreveport Texas AA 2-7 4.37
1953 New Orleans Southern Association AA 2-4 5.88
1953 Denver Western A 2-3 5.40

 

In addition to his minor league exploits, Manville had two trials in the major leagues — one game (two innings) in 1950 with the Boston Braves and eleven games (17 innings) in 1952 with the Chicago Cubs. In neither ML stint did Manville record a victory or a defeat.

There were five Eli players who made the jump to the pros in 1948. Catcher Norm Felske signed with Jackson of the Class B Southeastern League. He was optioned to Fall River of the Class B New England League where he batted .319 in 31 games. In 1949, he played in 28 games for Hartford of the Class A Eastern League, producing a nifty .314, batting average. However, as the result of an injury was released at the conclusion of the campaign. He did not pursue a professional baseball career any further.

Dick Mathews signed with Toronto of the Class AAA International League, from where he was optioned to Terre Haute of the Class B Three I League. There he played in 64 games at third base, turning in a .248 batting average with seven homers. In 1949, he was optioned to Wilmington of the Class B Inter-State League. There he appeared in 130 games, batting .288 with two homers. That turned out to be his final fling at professional baseball.

Shortstop Art Moher signed a contract with Seattle of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and was immediately optioned to Flint of the Class A Central League. There he performed in 81 games during the 1948 campaign, batting a spiffy .302, but fielding only .899. Before the 949 season got under way, he voluntarily retired from professional baseball.

Second string pitcher Jim Duffus, who had compiled 2-2-1 and 1-2-0 won-lost-tied ledgers with the Bulldogs in 1947 and 1948, respectively, signed with Rochester of the international League. He got into 13 games, winning six and losing five and turning in a 3.40 ERA. In 1949, he pitched for Allentown of the Class B Inter-State League, producing a 7-5 mark with a 4.08 ERA. He voluntarily retired from professional baseball at the end of the season.

First string hurler Frank “The Arm” Quinn, who had set numerous strikeout records for Yale as well as in the EIBL, signed with Birmingham of the Class AA Southern Association in 1948 and turned in a very respectable 5-2 won-lost ledger along with a 4.71 ERA. In 1949, he earned a trial with the parent Boston Red Sox — appearing in eight games (all relief assignments) and compiling a 2.86 ERA with no wins or losses. In 1950, after appearing in just one game for the Fenway club, he was acquired by the Washington Senators and sent down to their Chattanooga team (also in the Southern Association) where he produced a 1-3 mark with a 6.30 ERA. While Quinn was on the spring roster of the Senators in 1951 — and even appeared on a baseball card (# 276 in the Bowman set) — he saw no more major league action.

There were two former teammates of George Bush who tried their luck at professional baseball in 1949. Walt Gathman, who had assembled a perfect 7-0 won-lost record with the Elis in 1946, signed a contract with Waterbury of the Class B Colonial League and then, after being released after just four days, signed with Bristol of the Class D Appalachian League. After a three-day tryout, he was again released. Art Fitzgerald encountered a similar fate, signing a contract with Wilmington of the Inter-State League, but being released only six days later.

Finally, Dick Tettelbach, who as a freshman in 1948 led the Elis in batting average, signed with Joplin of the Class C Western Association in 1951. For the next several years he turned in very productive performances as he moved steadily up the minor league ladder, as shown in Chart E-2.

 

Chart E-2. The Minor League Baseball Record of Dick Tettelbach.

Year Team League Class G AB R H HR RBI BA
1951 Joplin Western Assoc. C 125 488 128 155 7 79 .318
1952 Norfolk Piedmont B 133 499 105 158 6 83 .317
1953 Binghamton Eastern A 122 413 68 104 6 44 .252
1954 Birmingham Southern Assoc. AA 147 567 129 185 12 85 .326
1955 Denver American Assoc. AAA 144 554 107 171 16 95 .309
1956 Denver American Assoc. AAA 74 220 24 55 2 25 .250

 

During his minor-league career, Tettelbach was the league leader on several occasions — runs scored (128) in 1951; triples (8) and stolen bases (30) in 1952; and doubles (34) in 1954. Not unexpectedly, his excellent minor league performance eventually earned him a trip to the Big Leagues, where he made his major league debut with the Yankees on September 25, 1955. He ended up playing in just two games, going hitless in five at bats. Then, prior to the start of the 1956 season, he was traded (along with Whitey Herzog, Bob Wiesler, and Herb Plews) to the Washington Senators (for Mickey McDermott and Bobby Kline). With the Senators, he cracked the starting lineup and in his first at bat — on Opening Day (after President Dwight Eisenhower had thrown out the ceremonial first pitch) —he blasted a home run off Don Larsen. However, after 18 games he was hitting only .156 and was sent down to the minors (Denver), where he batted an unimpressive .250 in 72 contests. Tettelbach made it back to the Bigs in the beginning of the 1957 campaign, but batted a paltry .182 in nine games. On May 15 he voluntarily retired from professional baseball.

In summary, then, of the nine Eli teammates of George Bush who signed minor league contracts, seven actually played professionally, with three of them even making to the majors — pitchers Frank Quinn and Dick Manville and outfielder Dick Tettelbach.

F. Images of the front and back of the 1990 Topps George W. Bush baseball card.

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

G. Images of the front and back of the George H.W. Bush baseball card issued by the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

H. Images of the Bobby Brown and Jim Campbell items posted on Reddit.com (July 13, 2017).

Brown-to-Campbell letter (entire — with letterhead; notice the full-color red-white-blue AL logo — suggests that this letter is the original, not a copy. This image was copied from the EstateSale.com site since it was not posted on the reddit site.)

 

Brown-to-Campbell letter (partial — no letterhead visible)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Campbell-to-Bush letter (written by Bobby Brown and included as enclosure with Brown-to-Campbell letter)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Campbell-to-Bush letter [i.e., the “Campbell-to-Bush” letter written by (i.e., “dictated”) by Bobby Brown and edited and reformatted by Campbell)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Contract (only the first page is shown on the auction site)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Campbell-to-Teeley letter (bottom half of letter)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Campbell-to-Teeley letter (entire; version 1)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

Campbell-to-Teeley letter (entire; version 2)

The Detroit Tigers once offered Vice President George H.W. Bush a playing contract (for $1) after seeing him play in the 1984 Old Timers Game in Denver

 

I. Image of photocopied note from George W. Bush to Herm Krabbenhoft (undated).

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

J. IMAGE of NOTE from GEORGE H.W. BUSH to NORMAN MACHT (May 8, 1989).

(Click image to enlarge.)