Two Great Baseball People Die

Last week was a tough one for me.  Four people that I knew well died.  Two of them, Dan Carey 61, and Glenn Gostick 83, were great baseball people. 

Dan Carey had a car accident a year ago. That accident led to an examination which revealed a malignant brain tumor.  He battled the tumer and returned to his University of St. Thomas job.  Recently, he was back at the hospital with pneumonia and an infection.  At that time a CAT SCAN revealed that the tumor had enlarged and was active.  Dan died Saturday morning March 19. 

The first time I saw Dan pitch was at the high school State Tournament in 1966.  Hastings beat Albert Lea and Dan was the winning pitcher.  Dan ended up being drafted by the New York Mets and was in their system for six years.  He played for the Miesville Mudhens for many years.  He was the MVP of the State Tournament is 1978 when Miesville won it all in Faribault.  He was a feared pitcher and also an excellent hitter. 

But that wasn't what I remembered him for (I try to forget all of the guys that hit numerous HRs off of me).  What I remember was that he always seemed a little shy and he had a wonderful smile.  And what a sense of humor.  Just when you thought you were home free he would throw in a zinger that would make the whole group laugh--not demeaning but just enough to entertain everyone. 

Whenever I saw Dan at a ballgame I knew that he was a person that would be fun to hang with.  He knew the game, knew people and had a human side that invited being around.  We will all miss him. 

A funeral Mass for Carey will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas on the university’s St. Paul campus. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Willwerscheid Funeral Home, 1167 Grand Ave., St. Paul, and also at St. Thomas one hour before the funeral.  Click here for Dan's Obituary.

If you were a member of the Minnesota baseball scene you would recognize Glenn Gostick.  He was at all kinds of games.  He started as a player moved on to coach and umpire.  He also was a trainer and worked with many different organizations including hockey teams.  Glenn also worked for the Minnesota Twins for a time.  

I saw him at numerous games and always tried to make a point to talk to him because I knew he would be doing something interesting.  One time in the Dome, I sat down by him and asked him what he was researching at that time.  He told me that he was checiking all the major league records for players that were from North Dakota.  Another time he told me how the Twins would have won a World Series if they had batted Earl Battey in the two hole.  

According to his obit he was "a walking encyclopedia of baseball trivia."  One time he told me about the advantages of having a left-handed catcher and how statistically speaking the lefty had an advantage.  He told Jay Olson, one of the Dundas Dukes that he was a statistical oddity because he threw left and batted right.  Glenn pointed out that there were a lot more throw right, bat left players.  Of course he quoted Jay the exact percentages.  

My favorite memory of Glenn was one Sunday in Eagan.  The Dukes all pulled into Goathill Park after a Friday and Saturday of baseball in Milroy and Marshall.  We had played hard and socialized extremely hard and really weren't in any kind of shape for a baseball game.  Anyway, we pulled in, decided to take a little five minute nap in the car to ready ourselves for the game, and wouldn't you know it, here, right in front of us, was Glenn doing one-arm push-ups to get ready to umpire our game.  We decided we couldn't sit in the car while he was doing that.  Click here for Glenn's Obituary.