Lefty Campbell another local hidden gem
Memory Lane has chronicled the rich baseball history in western Pennsylvania. Uncovered from days gone by is another hidden baseball gem. Left-handed hurler Wayne Campbell played his high school baseball at California High School in the early 1950无毛视频檚.
Campbell was part of two Section 19 baseball championship squads with the Trojans in 1952 and 1953.
无毛视频淲e had some talented players on those teams,无毛视频� Campbell recalled. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e talking about Don LeJohn, Larry Papini, those are the guys you would think about. We had some other guys like Tom Selep, Ray Huffman, Mike Digon and Albie Litko, some pretty good athletes.无毛视频�
In 1952 California won the Section 19 baseball championship after a strange series of events.
The Trojans bowed to Charleroi, 3-2, in the regular season final, and were headed for a second-place finish.
But coach Don Cornell protested the game because of a controversial call. The WPIAL upheld the protest and ordered the game to be replayed. The second time around 无毛视频� at West Field in Munhall 无毛视频� California won, 3-2, to clinch the section title.
无毛视频淲e were down by a run and I got a hit down the first base line knocking in a run,无毛视频� Campbell remembered. 无毛视频淭hey threw it in trying to get (Tom) Selep, and he bowled over the catcher and scored, and we won the game.无毛视频�
In the playoffs the Trojans ran into Redstone and a pitcher named Bobby Locke. They were ousted in a 5-1 defeat, as Locke struck out 13 and limited California to two hits.
无毛视频淟ocke was tough, he was good,无毛视频� Campbell said. 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 get to play in that game because I had just pitched and we played Redstone about a day or two later. Locke was very good, he could throw a baseball.无毛视频�
In 1953 California won the Section 19 title again and faced Brownsville in the playoffs. It was Brownsville无毛视频檚 first section title since 1941. California eliminated the Falcons from the playoffs. Brownsville无毛视频檚 Ron Forsythe went 12 innings in a duel against Campbell. The Trojans notched a 4-2 victory.
无毛视频淲e were very familiar with the Brownsville players,无毛视频� Campbell offered. 无毛视频淲e used to play against them in the old Brownsville Telegraph League.无毛视频�
The Trojans dropped a 5-2 decision to eventual WPIAL champion McKeesport, and their ace, Tom Qualters.
无毛视频淢y high school coach Don Cornell was a very good coach,无毛视频� Campbell said. 无毛视频淗e was very calm fellow and he was our wood shop teacher. He was a very good man, I really liked him.无毛视频�
Campbell was on the radar of several major league scouts who were coming to see him pitch.
无毛视频淲e had a lot of scouts coming,无毛视频� Campbell stated. 无毛视频淭he Baltimore scouts were there, the Pirates were there because I was down in Pittsburgh, the Red Sox were there. The Phillies were scouting me since my sophomore year in high school.无毛视频�
Campbell also was a part of the outstanding California American Legion baseball squad.
无毛视频淲e won the two straight Mon Valley Section Championships,无毛视频� Campbell stated. 无毛视频淲e beat Washington to win the 25th district championship. We then lost to Mount Pleasant in the American Legion tournament. We had a heck of a team.无毛视频�
Five players from the 1952 California team in the Mon Valley section of the Washington County Junior Legion League signed minor league contracts.
The others were Forsythe, Bill Whiteko, LeJohn, Papini and Campbell.
无毛视频淲hen I was pitching Legion ball in 1954, I threw a no-hitter,无毛视频� Campbell explained. 无毛视频淚 no-hit Fredericktown, 2-0, and had 15 strikeouts. That was on a Wednesday night. On Friday morning, Pittsburgh had me down at Forbes Field and I threw about seven or eight pitches and I remember the bullpen coach said, 无毛视频楲et me see your fastball,无毛视频� and when I let loose, I felt something tear up in the top of my arm.
无毛视频淚t took me a year to get it fixed. The rest of that year the Phillies were still after and I went to the All-Star game in Washington, Pennsylvania, and I could hardly break a pane of glass. The Orioles took me to York, and I still couldn无毛视频檛 break a pane of glass and that was the end of it.
无毛视频淢y arm was shot and I moved to Dayton, Ohio, and I went to Wright Patterson Air Force base to work as a civilian because my brother worked there. That winter, I worked on my arm and pitched a little and I didn无毛视频檛 get my arm better for about a year or so. Then in 1956, I was pitching in a league in Dayton and some of the scouts started coming around and finally at the end of that summer I signed with the Reds.无毛视频�
Campbell wound up pitching for Gainesville in the Class D Florida State League in 1957. He went 7-13 with a 4.05 ERA. He appeared in 30 games, 23 were starting assignments.
无毛视频淎t one time I was 7-3,无毛视频� Campbell stated. 无毛视频淭he manager started using me a lot and they had me coming in some in relief and we were still fighting for first place. Then I strained the back of my arm where I was hurt before and after that I kept pitching and I also played some outfield.
无毛视频淚 stayed out in 1958,无毛视频� Campbell recalled. 无毛视频淚 went to the NBC Tournament in Wichita, Kansas, and in 1959 I went back to the Reds and they had me and Jack Baldschun in Tampa. We were there three days and they sent us to Plant City at minor league camp.
无毛视频淚 was there until the end of spring training and they sent me to Savannah and I never got to play there. They told me I needed to take a 25 percent pay cut. The next day I flew home and that was the end of me with the Reds. I got a release later, they held my contract for awhile so I missed some chances with other teams.无毛视频�
Campbell pitched in a league in Cincinnati in 1960. Campbell played there two years and the the Dayton League opened up to former professional players. He pitched for Dayton Blatz and Dayton Parkmore. He pitched in the Dayton League for 14 years. In 1967 and 1968 he pitched in the NABF national tournament and his team won the tournament both years in Buffalo, New York. In 1975 he played in the Stan Musial World Series in Battle Creek, Michigan, with the Dayton Dodgers. He quit pitching in 1976.
He was pitching coach for the University of Dayton in 1977 and 1978. Campbell got into computer programmer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and he worked starting 1964, he retired in 1989.
Campbell started playing softball and senior softball and played for Joseph Chevrolet. He won several national tournaments. He also used to pitch batting practice for the New York Mets when they came to Cincinnati in 1969-70. He still plays senior softball.
In 1978 Campbell was inducted into the Dayton Amateur Baseball Commission Hall of Fame in 1978. He was elected to the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Campbell, 79, resides in Fairborn, Ohio. He is divorced and he has a daughter and a son residing in Dayton.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Monday editions of the Herald-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.