Mailbox: Reader's baseball Hall of Fame story takes a twist, featuring Al Oliver

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com . Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On the baseball Hall of Fame

To Mr. White : At a baseball clinic at Youngstown's Pemberton Park in 1971, I witnessed Al Oliver taking what was supposed to be batting practice against a Youngstown State freshman southpaw. We all sat in silence as Oliver flailed away at pitch after pitch. Once in awhile, he would foul off a pitch, but we kids wanted to see Al hit a ball out. Finally, Joe Castiglione (longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster), a sports reporter for WFMJ television, took the hill. Joe looked like a circus performer in his red, white and blue slow-pitch softball uniform sans cap. After a few warmups, he lobbed balls plateward until Oliver smoked a line drive down the right-field line that just cleared the fence, 325 feet away. That was the end of batting practice.Afterward, Oliver spoke to the crowd. The first thing he said was that he didn't know who that young pitcher was (Jeff Maley), but that that was the best stuff he had seen from a left-hander all year and that the kid reminded him of Steve Carlton. Al told us to look for great things from the young man. In all fairness Oliver was somewhat platooned and did not see that many tough lefties, and Mr. Maley was clearly amped up about pitching to an established major leaguer.

Al gave us hitting, fielding, and base-running tips, told us to study hard and to pay attention in school, and he really emphasized that we should avoid drugs. He told us that ability and hard work only take you so far. He gave us the example of a boyhood peer who had some early big-league success but was struggling in the minors as Al spoke. His Portsmouth pal was more talented than he (in his estimation), but Al pinpointed "confidence" as to why he was in the majors, but his buddy had been demoted and was floundering at the time. Mr. Oliver predicted that his friend would overcome his lack of confidence and become a star. You know the gentleman as Larry Hisle. Check him out on baseball-reference.com .

Messrs. Castiglione and Oliver were both 24 years old on that fateful day. One of them would be enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame in the future. My money would have been on Oliver, who went on to consistently put up strong hitting numbers including a .303 lifetime batting average along with 2,743 hits, and a career OPS+ of 121 with a 43.7 WAR.

The envelope please ... The Hall of Famer is Joe Castiglione, who was honored with the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award, which is presented annually by the Hall of Fame for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Congratulations, Joe!

Richard Zaborsky, Dublin

On The Dispatch's coverage of the Columbus Crew

To the editor : Thanks for the continued Crew coverage from Brianna Mac Kay and Mr. Michael Arace. Keep it up. Crew coverage is the reason I subscribe.

Matt

To Matt : Thanks for the rare compliment. Mac Kay has done a wonderful job, and Arace brings a wealth of knowledge, insight and wit. And don't forget the great contributions of our Colin Gay.

On Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians

To Brian : The Reds and Guardians play for the Ohio Cup, and playing an even number of games as they now do means the trophy stays where it has been, which has helped Cleveland keep the trophy since 2015. They have tied the last three years and are 1-1 this year with two games remaining. I see they have expanded the series to three games in each city next year. But in an interleague trophy series like this, they need to play five games, alternating homefield advantage to restore the trophy's relevance.

Dennis Singleton, Dayton

To Dennis : To be honest, I didn't know the trophy ever had relevance, and I grew up in Cincinnati. Would be cool if it did. I also know that very few of the Reds or Guardians fans I know are aware it exists.

On Ohio State football

To the editor : The great Archie Griffin famously says it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog, and this year I hope OSU football players are the meanest, baddest dogs in the football fight to be the best damned football team in the land. This year there can't be any excuses. All coaches and players are paid top dollar, and the Buckeye fans lucky enough to see a game at the Shoe pay premium for tickets. If the Buckeyes fail in their quest to be the best this year, heads should roll, including the head coach.

Michael N. Oser, Columbus

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailbox: Reader's baseball Hall of Fame story takes a twist, featuring Al Oliver