Catfish Hunter

by Frank M. Roberts

January 2017

Note: I had an advantage on writing about one of baseball's greatest pitchers. He was born and raised in Hertford, N. C. which became my hometown after marrying a local girl. Since my pro life was involved with writing, broadcasting, and tv news, I was in the middle of everything and, I'd known Jimmy since 'kidhood'. Also, I broadcast his high school baseball AND football games. There are references, of course, to his sports career but, this story is mostly about Jimmy 'Catfish' Hunter - the man, as well as his museum, plus information on him to be found nowhere else. That said - off we go. FR.

Gene Autry never had much trouble fighting the bad guys, but he lost one fight involving a good guy. In 1974, after Jim 'Catfish' Hunter left the Oakland Athletics to become a free agent, representatives of many major league baseball teams flocked to the Ahoskie, N. C. law offices of Cherry, Cherry & Flythe.

That firm represented the star pitcher when he left California, becoming a free agent, eventually becoming the highest paid ballplayer in major league baseball history up to that time - those figures dwarfed by many current salaries.

The singin' cowboy sang the praises of his L. A. team, but that song did not become a hit. As Hunter's Hertford friends know, he always wanted to wear a Yankee uniform.

Once donning that prestigious outfit, he continued his winning ways, racking up many impressive statistics. There are lots of facts, figures, memorabilia, etc. in the museum bearing his name in the Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce which opened in his N. C. hometown in 2009, a decade after his death.

It began in a closet-sized room - a very small closet. It expanded in 2013 thanks in large part to donations and physical work courtesy of a national group of baseball enthusiasts, The No Bats Club. They raised $15,000 for materials. A friend described the reason for their efforts: "Jimmy deserved better than to be in a closet."

One of its most prestigious members is Hunter's neighbor and long-time friend, Tommy Harrell. "He often travels with us," said Ted Simendinger who included a chapter on the famed pitcher in his book, "Critters, Fish & Other Troublemakers."

Club member Richard Bellis of Indiana explains the interest: "We read an article about Jimmy's struggle and saw that he still took time to found the local chapter of the ALS Foundation. Sadly, the No Bats members came down to play ball with their hero-friend, but arrived after Hunter had passed away from what became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is described as, "a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord - eventually leading to death." (Jimmy's demise came from a fall on a concrete walk in his backyard).

The brain cannot initiate and control muscle movement - resulting, at first, in total paralysis.

"Jimmy wrote that he was looking forward to meeting us," Bellis said, "and he asked us what kind of beer he should buy." Among the items on display in the Hunter edifice is a uniform representing the pitcher's high school days, and a warm-up jacket given to Hunter's dad, Abbott, by Athletics owner, Charles Finley who, in his bio, had the highest of praise for Jimmy - not a common occurence with the ball magnate.

A similar jacket came from the day the Yankees played an exhibition game in Chapel Hill; There is a baseball autographed by Joe DiMaggio when he was batting coach for the Oakland A's. Another baseball is autographed by other famous Yanks including Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford.

There are signed meal checks and paychecks from the New York days and, interestingly, an RC can and a 7-11 cup featuring Hunter's famous and handsome face.

Handsome? Affirmative! His Perquimans County High School yearbook shows that star baseball and football player James Augustus Hunter was voted, "the best looking guy in his class," rather than the star athlete for his baseball and football prowess.

Said handsome young man was on the cover of Sports Illustrated - twice. Blown-up replicas are displayed at the museum which includes many magazine and newspaper stories including several by this writer. Also displayed in a glass case is my notebook featuring scratchy notes for one of the stories.

An emphasis at the museum is information about the ALS Foundation. The Jim 'Catfish' Hunter chapter is headquartered in Raleigh. Much of the work is done by Harrell and Hunter's widow, Helen - a cheerleader during his high school days. She explains, "our mission is leading the fight to treat and cure, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig's Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support."

(Recently, it has been discovered that lead poisoning is a contributing factor to the disease, according to the National Institutes Of Health).

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Man, museum, memories: He was humble, honest, and led a decent life to which Helen and their three children will attest. The baseball career spanned 15 years. He was a five-time World Series champion, earned all-star recognition eight times, won the prestigious Cy Young Award in 1974, and pitched a perfect game vs. the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968. Hunter was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1987, a story which I had the pleasure of covering.

He loved his family, his hometown, and his career. He was a regular visitor to Ahoskie after his playing days were over, coming back to where he was discovered by a major league baseball scout while playing for American Legion Post 102.

About a thousand people attended his funeral in Hertford's Cedarwood Cemetery, just behind his high school. Many of his teammates were there including Reggie Jackson who, since he was late getting into nearby Norfolk, took a cab from there to Hertford. He had this to say about Jimmy: "He was a fabulous human being. He was a man of honor. He was a man of loyalty."

Harrell remembers the last days of his friend, saying, "he was doing good, but manager Billy Harrell had one of his fits and took him out. After he was diagnosed with ALS, my wife and I walked with Jimmy and Helen several mornings a week. We had long talks. He was as good a friend as anyone could have."

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Allied notes: Another famous Perquimans County resident was Bob Smith, best known as rock 'n roll personality, Wolfman Jack. His home is directly across the street from that of Hugh Copeland, founder and director of Norfolk's Hurrah Players, the most famous childrens' theater group on the east coast.

Final notes: In 1975, Bob Dylan sang about 'Catfish' but the song was not released until 1991. Both Joe Cocker and Kinky Friedman And the Texas Jewboys performed the same tribute. Hunter was mentioned in the movie about, "The Bad News Bears." Major league pitcher James Kosow portrayed him in the ESPN mini-series, "The Bronx Is Burning."

A catfish caught by the stars of "Grumpier Old Men," was referred to as - what else? Catfish Hunter. For museum information call (252) 426-5657. The e-mail address is [email protected].