Stan Coveleski interview
Date1981 August 22-23
DescriptionThree audio cassettes featuring an interview with Stan Coveleski conducted by Rod Roberts on the behalf of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on August 22, 1981 in South Bend, Indiana.
Object numberHF-1994-0001-025
Interviewer
Roberts, Rod
Interviewee
Coveleski, Stan, 1889-1984
Subject
Coveleski, Stan, 1889-1984
Classificationsaudio/visual materials
Library Call NumberCTA 791
Library Call NumberCTA 792
Collection NumberBA RMA 001 Rod Roberts oral history collection
Library Call NumberCTA 790
Dimensions3 audio cassettes
TrannscriptionCassette 1 Side One Track 1 - Setting levels; on being born in 1889 in Shamokin, PA, family had five boys and three girls, Coveleski was next to last child; parents born in Poland and father came to America in his 20s; went to work in the coal mines; Coveleski went to work in the mines as a "breaker boy" at age 12, picked slate out of the coal; only had one year of school, went to a Polish school, taught by nuns; worked from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $3.75 a week; miners were paid by the ton; no work for his sisters; everybody was poor, but always had enough to eat, raised cows and hogs for food; enjoyed pierogis, sauerkraut and spareribs (00:00:00 to 00:08:54) Track 2 - On getting into baseball; used to throw stones at tin cans, where he learned control; oldest brother Jacob died in Spanish American War, was a good pitcher; brothers Frank and John also played baseball, John tried out for Connie Mack but didn't make it; brother Harry "the Giant Killer" was a Major League player; only could play baseball on Sundays with other mining kids and family; made their own baseballs out of string and canvas (00:08:54 to 00:11:20) Track 3 - Started playing organized baseball at age 18 with the Tri-State League; threw a fastball, curveball, knuckleball; in 1912 Connie Mack picked him up and sent him to Spokane, WA, then to Portland OR; Cleveland Indians picked him up from Portland; Ira Thomas scouted him; Coveleski went to work in Atlantic City for $150; money helped the family; parents never saw him play in the Major Leagues; father didn't really know baseball; Coveleski loved baseball, used everyday shoes to play in (00:11:20 to 00:15:44) Track 4 - On practicing during leisure time (00:15:44 to 00:17:02) Track 5 - On learning the spitball in Spokane; used slippery elm, a piece of bark; it was a legal pitch then; learned emery ball; knuckleball like a spitball; had good control (00:17:02 to 00:19:52) Track 6 - On Connie Mack being the best manager; never called players out on the bench, waited until after the game (00:19:52 to 00:21:30) Track 7 - On toughest outs (Lou) Gehrig and (Babe) Ruth; kept ball outside on Ruth, couldn't throw a fastball past him; Gehrig hit in the infield mostly; Ruth was a swell guy, not a hell raiser, Ruth was a big man and a good pitcher; didn't know too much about Gehrig, a better hitter than Ruth (00:21:30 to 00:24:03) Track 8 - On bench riders calling names to try and rattle pitchers (00:24:03 to 00:25:26) Track 9 - On Bill Wambsganss, unassisted triple play (00:25:26 to 00:26:32) Track 10 - On nickname "the Silent Pole," didn't have much to say (00:26:32 to 00:27:05) Track 11 - On baseball not interfering with religion, going to church every Sunday morning (00:27:05 to 00:28:00) Track 12 - On being the only family member still living (00:28:00 to 00:28:10) Track 13 - On moving to South Bend to manage a team; running a filling station for 4-5 years; had to quit when he had a heart attack (00:28:10 to 00:29:16) Track 14 - Taking a break, gap in tape; wife Frances Stivetts talking to interviewer about Polish friends, prices going up, Coveleski eating, looking at pictures; getting a lot of mail; people signing autographs; early days in Shamokin; Coveleski liking to cook and fish (00:29:16 to 00:41:06) Track 15 - On fishing, giving it up because of bad eyesight, giving up the car; ice fishing and falling through the ice and having a hard time getting out; having his own fish pond; good fishing in Florida; good fishing in South Bend; didn't fish when he was a child (tape runs out) (00:41:06 to 00:46:18) Cassette 1 Side Two Track 1 - On Walter Johnson, throwing hard and fastest pitcher, only threw fastballs; Coveleski hit a double off him once; not a great hitter but a good bunter; today's players have no control; every batter has a weak spot, (Ty) Cobb always hit inside, pushed the ball; Cobb being a tough man; didn't steal off Coveleski (00:00:00 to 00:04:33) Track 2 - Wife on not watching games, raising two sons; Coveleski on sons not playing baseball; more comments from wife; Cobb not putting much spit on the ball; having dust in the glove; nobody throwing spitballs anymore, Gaylord Perry not throwing spitballs; pitchers knowing how to grab and throw the ball, fingers are what make it break; having good control, throwing a spitball through a knot hole; pitching 7 ½ innings once in Cleveland without throwing a single ball; playing a game in St. Louis in less than an hour because they had to catch a train; pitching to a batter's weak spot (00:04:33 to 00:11:02) Track 3 - On knowing all of the hitters, what they could hit, and couldn't hit; best catcher Steve O'Neill (00:11:02 to 00:11:55) Track 4 - On pitching a 19-inning game, giving up only two three runs; pitching many extra inning games; being a strong pitcher and arm never sore; warming up until arm felt like a piece of rubber; never threw the ball unless his arm was in shape; never had a four-day rest, pitched every third day, sometimes every two days; being a relief pitcher and a regular pitcher; today's relief pitchers only doing a couple of innings (00:11:55 to 00:15:28) Track 5 - On winning 27 games in a season for Cleveland (00:15:28 to 00:16:08) Track 6 - On being finished as a pitcher, arm giving out and losing control; on not being afraid; on throwing inside to Cobb; Cobb having good power and being fast (00:16:08 to 00:17:56) Track 7 - On (Babe) Ruth bunting when situation called for it; knowing a batter's weak spots (00:17:56 to 00:18:45) Track 8 - Modern owners are crazy for paying huge salaries; biggest contract $10,000; more comments from wife; Coveleski getting mad at modern baseball (00:18:45 to 00:20:27.5) Track 9 - Didn't like coaching, didn't have a good team; hard to manage without talented players; comments from wife about ticket prices, state of movies and TV; wife talking about working and giving money to mother; Coveleski sending his early salary to mother, getting a quarter for spending money and saving the quarters for seven years to buy a shotgun for $7, first time he shot it, it blew up; tried to return it but they wouldn't take it back; hunted all his life, deer, bear, hunting with Joe Wood, being only five feet away from the bear when he shot it, had a rug made from the bear (00:20:27.5 to 00:29:04) Track 10 - Brother Harry running a bar in Shamokin; playing for about four years in the Major Leagues with Detroit and Philadelphia (00:29:04 to 00:30:15) Track 11 - On not thinking much of modern players; not having a good memory; seeing a lot of bad plays in modern baseball; no one taught him anything so he learned the way he wanted (00:30:15 to 00:32:08) Track 12 - Never thought he would be a pitcher until Connie Mack picked him up in 1912; played a couple games but sold him, Coveleski joking he couldn't hold a job; Mack having good pitchers, (Jack) Coombs, Joe Bush, (Eddie) Plank, (Chief) Bender; on seeing Bender pitch; on Mack having a good ball club; more comments from wife (00:32:08 to 00:35:10) Track 13 - On changing the spelling of his name; older brother doing it first; originally the Polish spelling was Kowalewski; other people changing names, Al Simmons; Al Lopez; wife on cooking Polish foods, Coveleski's appetite not what it used to be; very few Polish people in the area; liking their home; nearby Catholic Church; interviewer Roberts talking about being a folklorist; wife talking about purse-snatching in front of church; on fighting with black kids in the neighborhood (contains profanity) (00:35:10 to 00:46:27) Cassette 2 Side One Track 1 - Interviewer Roberts and wife talking about neighborhood; on Coal Trophy from nephews; on Coveleski's brothers; Coveleski on one of his nephews playing baseball but getting rheumatism, took Epsom salts and cured it; wife and Roberts discussing home remedies and chewing tobacco; wife talking about Mitch Maley at the Hall of Fame; Roberts talking about Johnny Meise and Bob Gibson inductions; Ford Frick calling to congratulate Coveleski; wife talking about the induction; on the Hall of Fame being a great honor and Coveleski's induction being "about time," enjoying seeing his old friends, Frankie Frisch, Lefty Grove, Goose Goslin (Tape pauses until next day) (00:00:00 to 00:20:34) Track 2 - On sleeping well (00:20:34 to 00:21:05) Track 3 - On Tris Speaker, one of the best, great outfielder, moved position with every batter (00:21:05 to 00:22:24) Track 4 - Not remembering Braggo Roth, knew a Bob Roth (00:22:24 to 00:22:56) Track 5 - On good friend "Smoky" Joe Wood, owning a hunting cabin together (00:22:56 to 00:23:50) Track 6 - On Ray Chapman, Coveleski pitching in the game when Chapman was killed; (Carl) Mays did not mean to hurt him; no one realized Chapman was seriously hurt, only man to die from being (00:23:50 to 00:25:24) Track 7 - On Elmer Smith's first grand slam in the World Series (00:25:24 to 00:25:58) Track 8 - On Jim Bagby, good fade-away pitch; Coveleski not throwing a slider, screwball, a ball that sinks; Roberts fiddling with equipment; Coveleski on knuckle ball, curveball (00:25:58 to 00:28:23) Track 9 - On players sticking with standard pitches; Coveleski's curve ball breaking 2-3 feet; a lot of differences in curve balls; a pitcher picks a spot to hit and hits it; on picking off Ty Cobb at first (00:28:23 to 00:30:40) Track 10 - On Steve O'Neill being a good catcher, good arm; Muddy Ruel being a good catcher; catchers help pitchers by giving a spot to throw; learning hitters by sitting on the bench and watching (00:30:40 to 00:32:15) Track 11 - On learning a lot in the Minor Leagues; didn't mind the West Coast; never getting homesick; Spokane had a lot of Indians; moved to South Bend for a job; visiting his home town of Shamokin, town surrounded by mountains (00:32:15 to 00:35:28) Track 12 - Father worked in the mines for 40 years, hurt his back and died at home; mother died after father; brother Harry died young, after he left Detroit; Harry ran a bar, never had money to throw away; everyone in the family was very quiet (00:35:28 to 00:37:32) Track 13 - On not encountering prejudice growing up; having a lot of Irish in the area; sometimes having stones thrown in smaller towns after baseball games (00:37:32 to 00:38:44) Track 14 - On umpiring in small-town games; people chasing the team after the game (00:38:44 to 00:39:40) Track 15 - On being away from home the first time in Lancaster; there for 2-3 years; starting in Shamokin in 1908; moved to Tri-State League, playing in Trenton, Reading, Lancaster, Williamsport, Youngstown, Altoona (00:39:40 to 00:41:10) Track 16 - On transferring to Atlantic City; Connie Mack hiring him in 1912; sold him for a basket of apples; on Connie Mack's sons not playing baseball, not knowing Jimmy Dykes (00:41:10 to 00:43:10) Track 17 - On liking Portland, nice town; seeing Mt. Shasta; not doing much sightseeing; stuck around the hotel; players playing cards to pass the time; always talking about baseball (tape runs out) (00:43:10 to 00:45:35) Cassette 3 Side One Track 1 - On ballplayers tricks and jokes; people putting fish in the bathtub; more on saving seven years for a shotgun, getting a quarter a month to spend; not hunting as a child, but becoming a hunter later on; commentary on deer trophies and photographs; enjoyed eating venison, hunting pheasant (00:00:00 to 00:05:48) Track 2 - On visiting Cooperstown; signing baseballs and autographs; not having a good signature; not expecting to live long enough to get back to Cooperstown; needing to use a cane, getting dizzy spells, losing weight, chewing tobacco keeps him going, hard to break the habit; never smoked; used to have a dog that kept him in shape for spring training; ran every day all winter long; problem with a lot of pitchers is they try too hard in spring training (00:05:48 to 00:11:30) Track 3 - On leading the league in strikeouts in 1920, 133 strikeouts; had good speed and controlled his curveball; 1920 World Series, he only allowed three runs and five hits in three ball games, three walks and eight strikeouts; didn't give up many walks (00:11:30 to 00:14:20) Track 4 - Someone hitting a home run off his pitch never bothered him; didn't worry about strikeouts, nine other players out there; never threw wild pitches; can't be afraid to throw or lose control (00:14:20 to 00:16:30) Track 5 - On always being a pitcher; only playing on Sundays as a child; brother Harry two years older than him so not on the same team; home town games drew crowds; never wanted to be anything other than a ball player, didn't have an education (00:16:30 to 00:18:28) Track 6 - On having no regrets about baseball, not ever playing other sports; football players pretty rough; never knew Jim Thorpe (00:18:28 to 00:19:52) Track 7 - On playing against the Cuban Giants in amateur exhibition game, the batters getting seven home runs off him; not playing against black players in the Major Leagues; no black people in Shamokin; wife comes in; discussion about tomatoes and gardens; Coveleski saying he always has a garden; discussion of photo of President Coolidge with Washington baseball team at the White House, 1925; Coveleski having pictures from when he started, sending photos to Cooperstown; on photo of Jim Dunn; people sending Coveleski things to autograph, on never refusing to give an autograph (00:19:52 to 00:29:24) Track 8 - Brother Harry going away to play baseball first; going from a small town to the big city; having to take care of yourself; being very bashful; going down to the alley to eat hotdogs; if a girl looked at him, he would turn his head; got over his shyness (00:29:24 to 00:31:46) Track 9 - On not having education, not having time; picked up reading and writing himself; worked hard to earn things in life; father didn't like him tearing up his shoes, shoes cost $2-$3; not doing any traveling as a child; towns having streetcars; met up with his friends for excursions around town (00:31:46 to 00:34:36) Track 10 - Enjoyed taking his dogs into the mountains, enjoyed hunting; didn't go to dances, "most bashful kid who ever lived;" enjoyed meeting people; spending time in hotel; taking a walk (00:34:36 to 00:36:19) Track 11 - Son works for Sears; had twins but they died at birth, so no grandchildren; son takes care of himself; nephews played amateur baseball, a couple were good pitchers (00:36:19 to 00:38:16) Track 12 - On scouts; Ira Thomas picking him out; met a lot of people in his life, (Chief) Bender an Indian and a good pitcher (00:38:16 to 00:40:10) Track 13 - No jokers on the Cleveland team; no time to joke around; Al Schacht and Nick Altrock were funny (00:40:10 to 00:41:22) Track 14 - On giving up hunting and fishing, getting dizzy spells; giving his son the car; still enjoy a couple of highballs every day; drinking never hurt him; used to drink a lot of beer while he was a ballplayer; people knowing what they should and shouldn't do; chewing tobacco since he was a kid; wished he could eat more but no appetite (tape runs out) (00:41:22 to 00:46:13) Cassette 3 Side Two Track 1 - Wife on the Pope getting shot and recuperating; Coveleski saying the Pope is a nice man; world getting crazy, too much greed; can't understand why people want millions of dollars; Coveleski wanting a highball, used to drink 5-8, but not anymore, only drink 1-2; sleeping pretty good, takes a while to fall asleep but he thinks about when he was a kid; sometimes pain in his legs and shoulders bothers him; wife brings him a highball, Coveleski says it good be a little stronger; wife talks about father sending her to buy liquor; Coveleski on whiskey being good for you; interviewer Roberts talking about his dog, and giving her whiskey for arthritis; Coveleski talking about his Irish setter; importance of training dogs and keeping them under control; taking dog to hunt pheasant and tangling with a porcupine, having to pull out the quills; buried the dog under their tree; being able to talk to a dog like a person; can't abuse them (00:00:00 to 00:20:39) Track 2 - Not being able to have a dog on the road; loved to watch a bird dog work, hunting grouse; all about training, modern kids not being trained to do anything; crazy world (00:20:39 to 00:22:55) Track 3 - Wrapping up; airlines being on strike; what drives people to strike; people in the Major Leagues getting good salaries; million-dollar salaries out of the question, blame it on the owners; players not being worth it (00:22:55 to 00:26:12) Track 4 - On always being satisfied with contracts, never getting a pay cut; modern players making too much money, going to have trouble because the public is paying for it and eventually will say "hell with you" (contains profanity) (00:26:12 to 00:28:59)" Public Access NotePlease note that not all works are on view at all times - their availability is subject to change per the discretion of the Museum staff. 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