Red Sox public address announcer Carl Beane probably won't be confused with Shirley MacLaine anytime soon. But Author Dan Gordon says you'd never know it by some the stories Beane tells of the strange happenings that have occurred at Fenway Park since he took over the announcing duties there.
"He thinks that (the late) Sherm Feller, the former P.A. announcer, is in his booth," Gordon said. "He talks about strange things happening during games, how the headsets fly off the desk and announcements wind up missing."
Gordon has co-documented this and many more "other-worldly" chestnuts in Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends and Eerie Events. The national best seller is in its fourth printing by Lyons Press, and was a true labor of love for the Rhode Island native and long-time Red Sox fan.
"I love the game and the history of it," Gordon said. "I actually wrote a book a while back about ghost stories on Cape Cod, and it led me to wonder if there weren't some similar stories in baseball."
Gordon's theorem would seem to make sense because pro athletes are, by and large, the most superstitious human units on the planet, and baseball players are believed to be among the worst of that breed. From Wade Boggs needing to eat chicken before every game to Curt Schilling's refusal to step on the baseline when walking from the mound to the dugout, the men who make a living in our national pastime can be a little bit daft when it comes to ensuring that the gods are on their side when that first pitch is thrown.
But Gordon says even he was surprised by the number of bizarre stories that have occurred all across the Major League circuit.
"There's apparently a haunted hotel in San Francisco," Gordon said. "This was back when Coco Crisp (now with the Red Sox) was with the Cleveland Indians and he and C.C. Sabathia believed that there was a ghost in the elevator with them. In fact, C.C. is convinced that the ghost actually pressed the elevator button, and he hasn't stayed in that hotel since."
And what baseball ghost book would be complete without a couple of chestnuts about the Bambino himself, Babe Ruth?
"A lot of stadium workers talk about the Babe still being around," Gordon said. "A lot of them report hearing the crack of a bat late at night, or hear strange noises in the press booth area. &Some even report hearing the screaming of the crowd coming from the grandstands."
Gordon says he interviewed over 800 players and encountered some fascinating tales, including New York Yankee Johnny Damon's allegedly being pinned down in his home by a ghost until Damon acknowledged the ghost's presence. Former Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee tells a tale of multiple encounters with late Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey (of Yawkey Way fame), and there are multiple stories from New York Yankee players who swear that the home team has an "extra" advantage when playing at the soon-to-be-demolished Yankee Stadium.
"A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) told us that the ghosts give the Yankees the best home field advantage in the game," Gordon said. "And Derek Jeter is one of the big believers, too. He actually thinks that the ghosts help the ball travel a little further, but there are other guys that feel that way."
Gordon says Chipper Jones (of the Atlanta Braves) is one who believes the ghosts played a major role in helping the Yankees win the 1996 World Series. And there are others whose beliefs in outside forces run deeper, to the point where they actually think that if they don't take batting practice in a certain rotation or even tie their shoes the correct way, they'll have an off night.
"Everybody seems to have a ritual, and older players look at it as a way to focus in, but younger players believe these superstitions give them an edge," Gordon said. "Baseball's such a strange game, there's so many bizarre plays, that a lot of them turn to the paranormal for some type of explanation for the things that happen."
More information on Gordon's book and other tales of baseball's "other world" can be found on line at www.hauntedbaseball.com.
