THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION ALMANAC INTERVIEWS

RALPH HOUK

Born: Ralph George Houk on August 9, 1919 at Lawrence, Kansas

DATE OF INTERVIEW: JULY 13, 2005
MAIN TOPIC: BLUES STADIUM IN KANSAS CITY

INTRODUCTION

Ralph Houk (pronounced HOWK) is an affable, articulate and pleasant subject for an interview who retains his perspective and sense of humor, and is able to provide considerable details about his early career in professional baseball. His stature as a major league manager is legendary, but he doesn't put himself on a pedestal despite his hugely successful managerial career with the New York Yankees (1961-63; 1966-73), Detroit Tigers (1974-78), and Boston Red Sox (1981-84). In this interview Houk travels down the path from his boyhood where he grew up an ardent fan of the Kansas City Blues American Association team in the 1930's to playing for the Blues as a catcher (1946; 1948-49) on his way to the major leagues.

AAA: What do you recall from your initial visit to Blues Stadium?

RH: Well, to me, Blues Stadium was a very big stadium in those days, and I remember the parking lot and then going into the stadium, and then it had the big hill behind right field with houses beyond that and, of course, very few balls were hit over the fence in right field. And of course, the other thing I remember is that is was very hot there (chuckle) and it was a great place to play baseball, being that I was born in Lawrence, Kansas, not too far from Blues Stadium, and as a real young kid I was sorta dreamin' about playing there, and it turned out to be a great place for me to play for awhile.

AAA: So you were actually there watching the Blues as a boy?

RH: No, I never did watch them, I was just a kid livin' on a farm and it was far-fetched for me to do that, but I knew all about the Kansas City Blues and that the Yankees owned them, so I was a real fan of the Blues as a kid.

AAA: I knew you were from Kansas but I had no idea you were interested in the Blues growing up. That's pretty interesting to me.

RH: Well, it was, and I definitely was a Blues fan, but I never did get to see 'em because I was raised on a farm and never left that farm too often.

RH: After I finally got into baseball, I'll never forget going back to Kansas City, as a player, as the Yankees shipped me to Kansas City. That's where my real life started, that's where I married my wife Betty, and Hank Bauer was my best man at the wedding, and so I have quite a history with Blues Stadium!

AAA: Just out of curiosity, what type of farm did your family have?

RH: We were sort of a diversified farm. We raised wheat, we had cattle, we had hogs, we had the whole works. I was on the farm until I left there to play professional ball right out of high school, and I started out with Neosho. Actually, I started out with Joplin and they sent me to Neosho and then the next year I went to Joplin, and the next year they put me on the Kansas City (A.A.) roster but they sent me to Binghamton, I guess it was, and from there I went to Augusta, Georgia and then, of course, from then on I went into the Army for four years.

AAA: Now is that where you earned your nickname "Major" ?

RH: I came out of the Army and from that day on some of the players stuck the name "Major" on me and that's the way it went from then on.

AAA: As a young catcher, you dealt with some of the young pitchers for Kansas City in the late forties...

RH: Yes, I made the All-Star team, I believe, that year (in 1948) and had a good year, hit over .300...yeah, I was a real power hitter, hit all them home runs (he says fecitiously) ...

AAA: Well, when you play in a stadium as cavernous as old Blues Stadium...

RH: It wouldn't have made much difference, I was never a long-ball hitter, if you look at my record, but I enjoyed playing there, great fans, and of course we travelled most of the time by train and I had a lot of enjoyment in the league there.

AAA: Well, I'm sure that as a farm boy you were used to hot weather so was it much different putting on all that catching gear and playing in that hot, steamy place?

RH: No, the heat never did bother me, I was used to the heat in Kansas, and the fact is I enjoyed the hot weather, and it didn't bother me as a catcher.

AAA: Was the reason it could get especially warm in that park because of the fact that it was sunk a little bit lower?

RH: It was, it was very low, and then in right field, it was kind of a really big hill up to the highway, or the road up there, it was a real hot ball park, no question about it.

AAA: Would you classify it as a pitcher's park?

RH: I think probably you would.

AAA: Now when a left-handed batter would come up, you wouldn't be quite as concerned about him hitting a long ball, is that right?

RH: Yes, it was deeper, and you really had to hit the ball high to get it over the hill out there as far as it was, so that was the big difference.

AAA: Was there a time when that hill was actually in play?

RH: I think it was in play, and you did have to hit the ball out of the park (for a home run).

AAA: What players do you recall?

RH: Frank Hiller was there. My wife was good friends with his wife. I remember Lucadello was the second baseman, Johnny Lucadello, and Al Rosen was there, I remember him at third-base, but I don't think Mapes was there that year...that's a long time ago...

AAA: Was there a lot of foul room at Blues Stadium?

RH: Yes, there was quite a bit of space. It was a bigger park then most of the other parks, without a doubt. The playing field was bigger, and at that time some parks weren't very big, to be honest with ya. Minneapolis had a real short fence in right field (at Nicollet Park) and most of 'em were that way.

AAA: What was the best day you had at Blues Stadium?

RH: The best day I had at Blues Stadium was the day my wife said she'd marry me. I had known here before that, of course, but we decided we couldn't wait any longer, and Hank was the best man, and everything went real well.

AAA: The wedding wasn't at the ballpark, though, was it?

RH: No, no, but I've seen in the paper where some of 'em get married at the ballpark but that didn't happen.

AAA: Did you ever have a close encounter with an umpire at Blues Stadium?

RH: Oh, many, many, many...but I can't remember their names anymore. That's only natural if you're a catcher, you're bound to have problems with umpires.

AAA: From the stand point of a catcher, aren't you pretty much a defensive captain of sorts? And with the large size of the playing field, did this ever lead to complications?

RH: No, no, you'd have your meetings and everything with the manager, and you know where you're going to play the fielders and you also know how you're going to play the field against certain kinds of pitchers. So then, as a catcher you're right there in front of it and you do have to remind players where they should move to if they forget to. But it is one of your jobs, to make sure the infielders are playing according to the pitcher.

AAA: Did the fact that the field was in a bowl affect the noise level at all?

RH: It was mostly like all ballparks, on big days they'd have an enthusiastic crowd in Kansas City. It was a great place to play baseball. When I later on went to manage Denver in the Association I was supposed to come to Kansas City and manage that ball club, but then Kansas City went to the big leagues. Do you remember the year? (1955) And instead of managing there, they sent me to Denver to manage and that's where I started my manager's career. I managed there for '55, '56, '57 and left there in '58 to go be a coach with the Yankees.

SUMMARY

Ralph Houk and his wife reside in Winter Haven, Florida.