Shopper Blog: 'Big Bill' Sherman radiated joy during Smokies baseball days

BEARDEN

'Big Bill' Sherman radiated joy during Smokies baseball days

John Shearer, Shopper News

It has been said that a smile gives a look into one’s soul, just as the eyes do. If so, former Knoxville Smokies pitcher William H. “Bill” Sherman appeared to be happy with his lot in life in 1950.

At least he did in his picture. His photograph from that year is among those posted recently at knoxnews.com in a photo gallery of the Knoxville Smokies when they played at Caswell Park. The almost-baby-faced player seems to be enjoying getting paid and receiving some likely attention as a young adult for playing a fun game of his youth.

In connection with the new Smokies stadium by downtown scheduled to open in 2025, the Shopper News takes the first of a two-part look at pro baseball in Knoxville. We decided to take a more detailed look at his life beyond his smile.

While some research shows that he ended up having a mid-level career in the minors and did not reach the major leagues, an obituary found online after his death in 2015 is full of other personal and family accomplishments that likely brought him more smiles.

Efforts to reach any surviving family members for this story were unsuccessful, but other information found online fills in plenty of gaps before and after 1950. Born on Nov. 18, 1927, in St. Paul, Minnesota, he went on to be a pitcher for Notre Dame and was drafted by the New York Giants, with whom the Knoxville Smokies were then affiliated.

He first played for smaller pro teams St. Cloud and Duluth in Minnesota in 1948, showing some skill with a bat. He then joined Knoxville in 1949 and enjoyed a 12-11 record. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, he earned the nickname “Big Bill.”

So, when the 1950 season rolled around under manager Jack Aragon, he was likely a fan favorite and in a smiling mood. The players and teams in the Giants’ system trained that year in Sanford, Florida, and on April 16 as the season was getting underway, Sherman pitched against the top Giants’ farm team, the Minneapolis Millers, in an exhibition at Caswell Park’s Smithson Stadium. (Smithson Stadium was demolished by fire in 1953, and Municipal Stadium was rebuilt and opened in 1954 and was later called Bill Meyer Stadium.)

Despite press reports that he pitched well, some teammate errors and a tough opponent resulted in a 13-0 Millers win. Pitching for the Millers in that game were future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm and Dave “Impo” Barnhill, who was likely one of the first Black players to participate in an interracial pro game in Knoxville history.

Another article from early in the year said Sherman was fitted with eyeglasses to help him see the catcher better and help his pitching.

And another reference said he and fellow Smokies player and Dartmouth alumnus Hal Swanson recalled a 1945 Dartmouth-Notre Dame football game won by the Irish. Swanson would later head the Knoxville FBI office before retiring here. He died in 2008.

Although the Smokies would win the Tri-State League that year, Sherman evidently played the latter part of the 1950 season for a Vicksburg, Mississippi, team. He then took a couple of years off from pro baseball. If he served in the military at that time of the Korean War, his obituary did not say.

He returned in 1953 with Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania and after not playing in 1954, finished his career in 1955 with teams in Mobile, Alabama; Albany, New York; and Shreveport, Louisiana. He had a career record of 32-37 and an ERA of 4.41.

While he enjoyed an adventurous young life for someone in his 20s, he was just getting started and would climb other mounds besides baseball ones. His obituary said he had a couple of successful businesses, including one that worked in the golf course realty and appraisal realm.

He also married former Illinois resident Judith Ann Smythe in San Francisco in 1959, and they would raise six children and settle in the nearby Marin County area of California. He also coached Little League baseball and served as a pitching mentor.

And his upbeat and grinning manner apparently never left him. As his obituary said after his death on Feb. 27, 2015, at the age of 87, “With a gentle hand and a generous smile that would warm all the horizon, he was always there to listen with care and provide wise counsel.”

POWELL

As NASCAR official, Powell resident was a big wheel on Pit Road

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Chuck Hylton was having dinner with his wife at the Wild Boar Tavern in Powell recently when a phone call gave him validation.

For 12 years, the 59-year-old Hylton was an official with NASCAR. He was a technical inspector handling pre-race and post-race weights and measures. During the race, he’d observe Pit Road.

As a seasoned official, he would train the next generation to handle the grind that comes with the job.

“With any job I’ve ever had, my goal was to leave it better than when I found it,” Hylton said. “That shows I made a positive impact.

“I got a call at the Wild Boar from a group of the ‘kids’ I trained (as officials). I was on speaker phone. I recognized all the voices. They told me they missed me. It wasn’t the same. They said, ‘We’re using the things you taught us every day.’

“Then they said, ‘We want to leave this better than we found it.’ That made me feel so good. They had gotten what I tried to teach them.”

Life of a NASCAR official is a grind

Hylton grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, admiring his uncle James Hylton, a legendary NASCAR driver who pioneered the sport. James Hylton was Rookie of the Year in 1966 and a two-time winner with 301 Top-10 finishes in 602 races.

“When I was 10, I’d do any menial job (with the car) just to be near my uncle,” Hylton said. “That was my name on the car.”

James Hylton died in a car crash with his son after they attended a NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama, in 2018.

As he got older, Chuck got behind the wheel. He competed in the lower levels of racing in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. When his career didn’t take off, he walked away from the sport.

“The saying was, ‘Eat beans, wear jeans and work all night,’” Hylton said. “If I could talk to a younger me, I would tell him to stick with it. When I got back into NASCAR as an official (in 2010), I saw guys I ran with much higher up the NASCAR food chain.”

The life of an official was a grind. From February to November, he would spend eight days a month at home. The rest of the time he was traveling from track to track with late nights and early mornings.

“The important part of the job was earning respect with all the crews,” Hylton said. “You had to give respect to earn it back. You see those people more than you see your family.”

Falling in love with East Tennessee

In addition to knowing every inch of a race car, common sense was a big part of Hylton’s job as an official.

He said the expression, ‘If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’’’ has some validity.

“I’ve had to make decisions that have changed the outcome of a race,” Hylton said. “I’ve seen parts be engineered to break during a race so the car ends up lower to the ground. If we see that in the post-race inspection, it’s a disqualification.

“I’ve been called everything under the sun. The next day, that same person will apologize. You can’t take it personally.”

Hylton got exposed to East Tennessee by racing in Bristol. He fell in love with the area and began gravitating toward Knoxville. He spent time in Gatlinburg, Knoxville and Farragut before settling in Powell four years ago.

“While I was with NASCAR, I met a lot of celebrity chefs,” Hylton said. “I learned how to cook. I like cooking. I do that a lot now for family and friends.”

KARNS

Karns Fair stays true to the classics

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

It is the longest running fair in Tennessee, and for good reason. The Karns Fair Board knocked it out of the park at the 71st annual Karns Fair at Karns High School on July 20.

While the fair gets bigger and better every year, Julie Muse, Charlie Austin and the rest of the Fair Board stay true to the classics everyone loves.

“We want to continue to grow the fair, but we can’t change the classics. There are events and vendors that are community favorites like Bishop’s tea. We must have that delicious tea. Tractors are a staple of the community; we will always feature them as well,” Austin said.

The Karns High School Air Force JROTC opened the fair with a flag raising ceremony, and the national anthem was performed by Daniel Michael Crane.

Bishop Butler and his tea are favorites at the fair, yet he remains humble with a smile on his face no matter how busy he gets.

The rib eating contest, sponsored by Texas Roadhouse, was won by William Cooper, who ate an entire slab of ribs in mere minutes. There was laughter all around at the table with a friendly sense of competition.

Texas Roadhouse wasn’t the only game in town when it came to foods of all kinds. There were food trucks aplenty. Fair guests could choose from hotdogs, hamburgers and other food. From CJ’s Tacos to Knox Dough, there was something delectable to eat for everyone.

New to the fair this year and extremely popular was Rocky Top Hot Dogs. Rob and Niki Daniels, a couple from Karns, offered up Kirkland Signature all beef hotdogs covered in chili and cheese.

Vendors were back in full force with 120 booths featuring homemade sourdough bread, politicians, homecoming candidates selling T-shirts and candy. Home crafters offered up their wares, and of course, Beaver Creek Kayak Club raffled away a kayak.

The kayak was won by Sheena Fowlkes, a literacy teacher with Karns Elementary School and mother to four active kids. Fowlkes won the kayak two years ago as well.

“We love to go kayaking when we have time. My son and his best friend go fishing in them every chance they get when they aren’t playing baseball,” said Fowlkes.

Live entertainment was the backdrop to good food, good fun, and seeing the neighbors and long-lost friends.

The Urban Engineering Stage under the courtyard tent was busy all day with music of all kinds from gospel to legends to light rock. Entertainers included Daniel Michael Crane, Tommy Spencer, Breakthrough Worship, and Tyler Dean.

The day closed with Karns High School principal Laicee Hatfield taking a seat in the dunking booth to the delight of the crowd.

As Austin would say, “It was a great day for community.”

Info: Find Karns Fair on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper Blog: 'Big Bill' Sherman radiated joy during Smokies baseball days