THE LATEST ON CAMPBELL BASEBALL HERITAGE WEEKEND

 The banquet to announce and induct the first members of the Campbell Baseball Hall of Fame is set for Saturday evening, April 10, at the Sonoma Chicken Coop, 200 E. Campbell Ave. in downtown Campbell. Only 200 tickets will be sold, so please let me know ASAP if you are interested in attending.

 I will be putting in motion the Hall of Fame selection process over the next month. The first step will be organizing a committee to determine the criteria that will be used, and then to choose the first honorees.

 During the reunion picnic on April 10 at John D. Morgan Park, a Bay Area Vintage Base Ball contest will be played on the Pony League diamond, in keeping with the weekend’s theme as a celebration of 100 years of Campbell youth baseball.

 The BAVBB is part of the national Vintage Base Ball organization, which was created as a bridge between the baseball that fans know today and the version that existed during the sport’s formative years. (Prior to 1900, baseball usually was referenced as Base Ball in most contemporary literature and news reports.) The BAVBB consists of six teams, including two in San Jose, that play a regular league schedule using the same rules that existed in major league baseball during the 1886 season. The uniforms and equipment are made to 1886 specifications, and the contests are real games, played to win, and not re-enactments or exhibitions.

 Steve Gazay, a former president of Quito Little League, is the founder and president of BAVBB, and we thank him for his part in bringing Base Ball to the Campbell Baseball Heritage celebration. For more information on BAVBB, visit its website, http://www.eteamz.com/BAVBB/

 We may also be staging challenge softball games between Campbell’s championship teams of the 1960s and 1970s; any of those games will be played either before or after the BAVBB game. Some individuals are trying to organize teams; if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll provide you with the contact information I have.

 We have tentatively reached agreement with the Courtyard Marriott in Campbell to serve as host hotel for the Campbell Baseball Heritage Weekend. The hotel, which is currently in the final phases of construction and is scheduled to open January 20, is at 655 Creekside Way, near the intersection of Highway 17 and Hamilton Avenue. It is located at the Hamilton stop on the Valley Transit Authority’s light-rail line, which provides direct service to and from San Jose International Airport.

 A no-host cocktail reception to begin the weekend is set for Friday, April 9, at the Courtyard Marriott; the exact time will be announced later. The current room rate at the Courtyard Marriott is $89 per night for April 9-10; if enough reservation commitments are made, the rate will be lowered. Please let me know ASAP if you would like reservations; hotel management will quote me a firm rate on January 25 based on how many commitments we have.

 Also depending on the demand, the Courtyard Marriott management has indicated that shuttle service between the hotel and John D. Morgan Park (where parking is extremely limited) may be available on April 10. The shuttle service, along with the light-rail link to and from the airport, will enable those of you coming in from out of town to avoid having to rent a car for the weekend; the Sonoma Chicken Coop is walking distance from the Downtown Campbell stop on the VTA light-rail line.

 At least at this point, it doesn’t appear as if the City of Campbell or any of the area youth baseball leagues will be directly involved in the Campbell Baseball Heritage Weekend. Although the event is being privately organized and financed, I am hopeful that the city, and perhaps the area baseball leagues, will be interested in working with us to broaden the celebration.

 If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at charles_hildebrand@att.net.

JOHN WHITTEN DIES; PLAYED FOR MORELAND’S ‘62 LLWS TITLE TEAM

Sad news to report: John Whitten, a player on the 1962 Moreland Little League All-Star team that remains the only Northern California squad ever to win the Little League World Series, died on Nov. 8 in Washington state at the age of 60.

 John, a Washington resident since 1978, retired as a Medical Service Technician for E & V Services. He worked for Washington State Parks, as a Park Ranger and YACC Work Coordinator. He graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies from Huxley College in Bellingham, Wash., in 1972. John is survived by his wife, Holly Whitten; daughters, Viki Clasper and Suzanne Richard; grandchildren, Candice, Taylor, Laura, and Josie; and great-granddaughter, Kalea; brother, Roy Whitten, of Nevada City; and sister, Sarah Boss, of Port Orchard, Wash.

"THE LAST BASEBALL TOWN" NOW ON SALE

"The Last Baseball Town," which chronicles the history of the Campbell youth baseball program that reached 14 World Series from 1960-87, is now on sale on Amazon.com; the direct link ishttp://www.amazon.com/Last-Baseball-Town-unprecedented-unduplicated/dp/1439234442/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242687223&sr=8-3, The book also can be purchased on www.booksurge.com, and at Recycle Bookstore West. 275 E. Campbell Avenue in downtown Campbell. We are grateful to Recycle Bookstore West for carrying the book. Please check them out next time you're in downtown Campbell. The phone number there is (408) 370-3514.charles_hildebrand@att.net 

The Last Baseball Town” is the story of an otherwise-ordinary middle-class suburban California community that became the youth baseball capital of America without any of the trappings usually associated with a sports dynasty. From 1960-87, the Campbell youth baseball system sent 14 teams to World Series play, including four Little League World Series, winning six and finishing second in five. Yet there was no master plan, and Campbell never intended to become what it became in youth baseball. It happened because of qualities beyond talent, facilities, money and obsession – personal qualities and altruism that were translated into baseball excellence. This book chronicles the history of youth baseball in Campbell from its origins before World War I through the late 1970s when it won four national championships in four years. It examines in detail Campbell’s greatest teams and achievements, and the individuals whose accomplishments and personalities shaped Campbell baseball. It also details some of the reasons that the magic dissipated, and offers insights about the nature of youth baseball that will resonate with anyone who has children involved in the sport.

Author Chuck Hildebrand grew up in Campbell and was involved with the youth baseball program there in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and later coached youth baseball in several communities during his career as a sports journalist. A native of Palo Alto, Hildebrand worked for the now-defunct Peninsula Times Tribune in Palo Alto from 1979-92 before moving to Nevada in 1997 and establishing NevadaPrep.com, a pioneering on-line publication that covered high school sports throughout Nevada. Hildebrand also is the author of “Bronco Sundays,” a book about the history of Santa Clara University’s football program; and “Dick Davey: A Basketball Life Richly Led, a biography of the former Santa Clara basketball coach.” He sold NevadaPrep.com and returned to Campbell in 2008, and works as a free-lance writer.