On The Sly

Foxy, I only get to read these great blogs of yours when I get some time and this one about John is great! I had the honor to coach his sons at Moriah Central in the 1980's and actually had John as a Babe Ruth League coach for a summer in 1968 before he went to San Diego to help Bavasi start that franchise. What a great person and ballplayer he was! To all of us in upstate NY and especially in Mineville, Port Henry, & Moriah, he will always be our hero! Great blog, Foxy, and thank you for all that you do for the North Country!

Dale Sprague
Football Coach
Springfield (Illinois) HS
You just can't hide that Senator Pride!

Hello again,
I went to school with Kenny Hagood and used to play a lot of basketball on the old LC&MRR concrete court we made behind Kennedy Row. Pop was there as well as Norm Gates. Alll great Americans from Kennedy Row. Coach Hausner had some of the best teams heavily populated with the Gilbo boys.
Great times in sports.

jjb

(Foxy's note: Thanks for the great memories, Jim.)

Hi,
I was born in Port Henry, NY and used to watch Johnny Podres pitch at the high school games. You could tell he had special class on the mound.
I believe he graduated from Mineville high school.
When he came home after winning the World Series he brought Billy Loes with him and they put on a pitching exhibition with the town team in Mineville, NY (Linney Field). I was there. He also sported a new Chevy corvette.
Cheers!

Foxy; I have always been a Yankee fan! In the1955 world series ,I found myself rooting for a young man with a Big heart from a small town. Johnny Podres showed every kid from small town America that anything is possible in sports and life! I remember MAI was playing Mineville in football and the corvette Johnny won was on display at the field! I think Sport magazine gave it to him for being MVP of the series! I lived about 20 minutes from Dodger Town in Vero Beach and many former Dodger teammates of Johnny who lived in Vero Beach have written many great articles about him. Foxy you may know or want to know that the Dodgers are moving out of Vero Beach and Heading to Arizona next year! Vero Beach is trying to get the Baltimore O's to train at the facility!
It's going to be in the seventies today ! Mets open soon! I live 5 minutes away! (Tradition Field)
in Port St Lucie. Going on a cruise on Monday!
I will miss reading the blog and look forward on my return to catch up!

The Brooklyn Dodgers was the 1st team I was a fan of - I even had a hat with that B on it from A.H. Marshall's. But when they moved to LaLaLand I was so pi$$ed off I dropped them forever. Johnny Podres, however, remained as my idol. I lived in Southern California for 4 seasons and Never went to Chavez Ravine. I did enjoy Kirk Gibson leading the Dodgers to victory in the 1988 World Series over the favored Athletics though - 1 at bat with a home run and a gimp around the bases.

When I was a kid in the Mohawk Valley in the 1940s, locals claimed that the original name of Johnny Podres' family was Poderis. Can you confirm? The reason I ask is that I am writing a family history and the Poderis clan is part of my family tree. Thanks

(Foxy's note: Ben, I don't know about this, but maybe someone close to the family can comment.)

Hey Foxy,

I thought it was a terrific story about Johnny Podres. I remember my dad telling us about him and how good he was. I was thinking the other day about athletes from our area and if any of them had successful professional careers. I know there have been so many athletes in the north country over the last 30 years and i would love to see your list of the top 50 or so. I know it would take some time, but i would love to see it. A couple of people that i have had the luck to play with and against might be on that list. Steve Peryer, Gus Terry, Jason Miller were perhaps the three that stick in mind from when i was growing up and playing in the Plattsburgh. I'd like to know some of the people you would have on your list. Hope all is well.

(Foxy's note: The Burdo boys, Gerald & Karen's sons, were all great athletes. Chris, your idea of a top 50 is a great idea. I'll start working on it.)

This was an outstanding post about the Town of Moriah's most famous citizen. Growing up we all heard the stories of Johnny and his legend. Keep in mind he was also a great hitter and a man who showed us small town guys, anything is possible. This photo of Podres, Zimmermen, and Hodges from last summer showed, "The Boys of Summer," had grown old.
When discussing the best Moriah athletes of that era remember Norm Gates, Pop Bulluck and Ken Hagood. All super stars!!

As a long time Dodger fan I am sorry to hear we have lost Johnny Podres. A toast to Johnny from those of us that remember 1955 and still bleed Dodger Blue. Thank you John!

But I am happy to discover Foxy a fellow Dodger fan who I worked with @ PMS and attended Dodger games in Montreal with back in the 70's and 80's. Foxy drop me a line.
Jz

(Foxy's note: John Zaborek, alias John Stanley, was a great friend of mine during our younger days! So happy to hear from him after all these years. I'll be in touch via e-mail.)

I was saddened to hear about Johnny Podres passing. My mother Paula 'Chickie' Johnpeer Webb grew up in Mineville. She used to tell me, my sisters and brother all about Johnnny Podres being a hometown hero when she and my father would bring us to Mineville on a joy ride to see what her hometown was like. He became a hero to us, brought alive by my mother. We will miss you Johnny! God Bless.

Johnny is a hero to many of us who were baseball fans, and lived in the North Country. It's many a young man's dream to make it to the big leagues, and only a slim percentage ever have made it past the minors. Foxy, thank you for bringing us a litttle closer to finding out more about the man, instead of just the ball player. He will be missed not only by his family and friends, but anyone who knows how he changed the game, by winning that game 7 of the world series, the real fans of baseball.

Podres was a member of baseball's greatest generation - approachable, lacking of hubris, and an authentic athlete. Try and find that combination of qualities in a high-profile major league ballplayer, today - and good luck !!

Would you have to call him the greatest north country athlete of the 20th century, given his accomplishments?

(Foxy's note: John, you bring up a good point. I would vote YES. Maybe some other Blogoteers can give their opinions.)

Foxy,
The world is a lesser place today than it was yesterday, before the death of Johnny Podres.
I was about 16 in 1949-50 when I first met Johnny Podres, who was pitching high school baseball for his school, MINEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, not Port Henry High School, which he did not attend. He was really something to watch out on the mound. Later, he played for a town team at Linney Field, and again, the crowds filled the bleachers and if you could find standing room only you could consider yourself lucky. Johnny Podres was called "Honey" in those days. The crowd would cheer "Honey, go git 'em" and "Honey, you can do it" to him, and then cheer wildly when he struck the batter out.
He was a truly nice kid, a nice man, and a legend from our area in our own time.
Sincerely,
Mary (Cheney) DeGroff

(Foxy's note: Thanks for your memories of Johnny and thanks for correcting me on Johnny's high school. The baseball field at Moriah Central is named after Johnny Podres, so I got mixed up about the high school he attended. Good correction!)

If people only knew what johnny podres did for the city of ny in 1955. he put brooklyn on the map. the millions of fans that rocked ny on that day when the bums did it, they finally beat the yanks. i'm heartbroken and sad. johhny never forgot the north country or his friends. i recently sat down with johnny and my dad pat salerno sr and listened to them talk about when alex isabell signed them guys right out of high school to contracts to play for the brooklyn dodgers. the excitement in their voices over 50 years later brought so much joy to me listening to these guys stories of old times. johnny never forgot about the local great athletes he played with and against in the north country. listening to these two great athletes that came from our little rinky dink town of moriah and made it to another level that most of us dream about. they spoke of high school buddies, games against each other, mineville vs port henry. it was a heated battle every game with mineville and port henry. but when it was over they all remained good friends. 50 years later these guys remembered it all. johhny never forgot his friends in the north country, the smile on my dads and johnnys faces said it all. talking about their old times as players for the brooklyn dodgers it was a dream come true. these guys played for the love of the game not the money the love of baseball. thanks johnny for all the memories - this community is gonna miss you and what you did for baseball. you got it done in 1955 and for many years after. god bless you.
TIM SALERNO

I met Mr. Podres in Cooperstown in 2006. He grew up with my uncle Roy Brown. Mr.Podres was very kind to me when I asked him for his autograph and he told me when I saw my uncle to say hello, so I can say that he never fogot where he came from or any of the people he grew up with. I truly was taken by his kindness.

Paul Hurlburt.
Formerly of Ticonderoga

It's a sad day that Johnny has passed away to thousands of baseball fans. I had the honor to know Johnny and his wife Joan, young Johnny and Joey while growing up in Moriah. Having my father playing ball with John through High School and with the Dodger organization was an unbelievable inspiration not only to me but the baseball community. Every time John came out west he would get me tickets for the games, seeing the smile on his face and upbeat personality was incredible. Foxy, you could not have put it any better. John was a real life super-hero and his script could not be written better. My condolences to Joan, Joe and John Jr. Thank you "Pod"