I’ve been remiss.
Bob Newhart passed away July 18 at the age of 94.
I don’t know how this comes across, but when a celebrity dies, I look for baseball connections. Actors who portrayed athletes in films or on stage; writers of other topics who had a fondness for the game; musicians who palled around with ballplayers.
The Chicago-born Newhart was a Cubs fan. He was able to mix business with pleasure on an episode of The Bob Newhart Show on which he played psychologist Bob Hartley. In “You Can’t Win Them All” (Season One, Episode 22), he helped a struggling Cubs pitcher to become a consistent winner. In a post-game interview following a brilliant victory, the hurler admitted he had what were probably anxiety issues and publicly thanked Dr. Hartley. That was pretty progressive thinking for baseball (and the public) in 1973, a time when people didn’t openly talk about mental health issues.
The success with the pitcher prompted a third-string catcher to seek out the doc’s advise. Unfortunately, well, you can’t win them all and the bench player wound up being traded to an expansion team in Japan (a few jokes that would be considered un-PC today are offered).
Early on, Newhart did a stand-up bit about the origins of baseball.
There are a number of actors who participated in an annual ritual in Los Angeles. Making its debut in 1967, the Hollywood Stars (not to be confused with the minor league team in the Pacific Coast League), it pitted show business luminaries against major leaguers in a charity softball game. Joe Siegman, a producer and writer, among other titles (he also founded the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame) published Bats, Balls, & Hollywood Stars: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Baseball in 2014.
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