~ Malden Musings ~ The Baseball Season According to John O’Brien

By Peter Levine

Play ball! With another (potentially) disappointing Red Sox season in process, time to revisit John O’Brien’s famous take on the national pastime. More musings from the inimitable pen of the late, great John O’Brien whose wit and wisdom endeared him to generations of students at Malden High School, Maldonians and peers at M.H.S. These baseball-related Musings from April 18, 1974, are truly priceless. I usually don’t attempt to explain John’s work, but I am making an exception this time, just in case you weren’t around in ’74:

• “I’d trade the nylons of Greta Garbo for one good sock by Bernie Carbo.” My note: Garbo was a Swedish American movie star of the 1930s and 1940s regarded as one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the silver screen. In 1974, Carbo was one year away from immortality as a member in good standing of the “Buffalo Heads” – hitting his most memorable home run in the 1975 World Series for the Sox, a three-run pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 6 off the Reds’ Rawly Eastwick, tying the score at 6. The contest would end in the 12th when (Carlton) Fisk famously clouted a walk-off homer. My childhood bestie, the late Jimmy Damiano, always said that Carbo’s dinger was more important in Sox history than Fisk’s. As always, Jimmy was right.
• “Goodbye, Ken Brett, hello, Roger Moret.” My note: This was just a little play on words by O’B. Brett, who at 18 had been the youngest player to ever pitch in a World Series game (1967 Sox against the Cards), was traded by 1971 and was long gone when this was written in 1974. Moret’s star shown bright for the early 1970s Sox, culminating with World Series appearances in 1975 – gone to the Braves the next year.
• “Louisville Slugger labels feature Babe in the wood.”
• “Don’t sell Bob Short.” My note: Bob Short was the (reviled by most) owner of the old Washington Senators baseball team and an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota.
• “Is the National Pastime past its time?”
• “If the Museum of Fine Arts merged with Suffolk Downs, we’d have the mummies and the mudders.”
• “Do you give a darn about the Sox?”
• “Don Buddin, Don Buddin, nobody misses you.” My note: Sox bonus baby of whom at the time Tom Yawkey boasted, “Buddin can become one of the top ball players of his time.” Out of baseball in six years with a .241 average. Just one more reason to dislike the Yawkey legacy.
• “How can a fork ball miss the plate?”
• “Aaron may have passed Ruth in the record book, but Henry will never pass aardvark in the dictionary.”
• “Baseball is the national pastime. Hockey is the national present time.”
• “Pesky would be great as a public address announcer at a funeral parlor.” My note: (Johnny) Pesky may have gone on to be a Red Sox icon but his in-booth work left a lot to be desired.
• “Juan Beniquez plus Juan Marichal equals two good ballplayers.”
• “What’s so great about [Carlton] Fisk? I turned on my set and caught a whole game.”
• “Is this the era of the E.R.A.?”
• “Just think of the bonus they’d give to Honus if Wagner were alive today.”
• “Cepeda was a centipede when he hit a fly.” My note: Future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda played the 1973 season as the Sox very first Designated Hitter. The Baby Bull had a fine season, but hampered by injuries made him a liability on the bases. Hence John’s snarky remark about Cepeda not running out every at bat.

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• We are still putting together our hockey GOAT list, but let me throw this out there really quick; Malden’s own parking enforcer by day and (former) legendary bench boss by night, Daryl Smith – a man so commanding he could intimidate the white off rice who was a towering figure in the city’s hockey scene for decades – mentioned to me recently that although Kevin McGlinchy made his bones in baseball with the Atlanta Braves he insisted that Kevin excelled at hockey and could have easily advanced if a pro baseball career didn’t come calling.
• As we all know, Kevin was a once-in-a-lifetime pitcher! Pure heat and ice in his veins. But the kid could also light it up with the timber. Nothing sticks in my mind like the moonshot he launched at age 12 on Bruce Field at Devir Park. That ball must’ve traveled 350 feet (well past Paula Angelo’s house) – no exaggeration. I can still see Mike McCarthy, Tommy Denehy and (the late) Joe Croken diving for cover in the Irish American parking lot as the ball ricocheted like a firecracker in a pinball machine, lighting up the early evening and their nerves. Yeah, it’s part myth, part miracle – but all Kevin McGlinchy.
• “Malden Musings,” ears to the ground, has learned that young Danny Gilligan is just killing it as one of the Malden’s newest employees at Macdonald Stadium on Pearl Street. It has been told from Eddy’s Diner on Beech Street in Linden to China Garden on Highland Avenue in Edgeworth that Recreation Director Joseph E. Levine and Admin. Assistant Laura Perez have made yet another boffo hire!
• Thank the deity of your choice and count your blessings that we live in a city with such an outstanding fire department! Next time you wonder where your taxpayer dollar is spent, remember these awesome professionals! Dedicated specialists, each and every one, exemplified by the seasoned and skilled call to action a few weeks back to the fire on Albion Street. I’d shout out a couple of individuals by name who went above and beyond the call of duty, but I was told they would prefer to remain in the shadows, so to speak. Thank you, Malden Fire Department! We are always proud of you!
• Speaking of India Bazaar (?), has anybody ever tried the “Jamun Juice,” which according to the label “is prepared from only the finest high-altitude berries”? Let me know.
• I am getting closer and closer to confirming a rumor that has been circulating throughout Maldonia for decades now. Seems City Controller Chuck Ranaghan beat Forestdale School Maintenance Engineer Dave “Buckets” Bouley in the free throw competition at the Devir Park 4th of July celebration of many, many years ago. Still a point of pride with both participants, but who exactly won is still being researched/debated. Both are declaring victory. Stay tuned.
• I always forget Joey and Bobby DiMeco when I talk about Maldonia hockey’s best. Throw Ray Porter and Buddy Lawler in there also.
• See Click Fix can be good for what ails you once in a while when you happen across a more humorous complaint/response, such as the following. In the “Houston, we have a problem” department…seems there is a rat problem (four-legged as opposed to two-legged) in Malden – with one resident filing a SCF about said rats running buck wild on a United Properties property. The answer back from SCF admins wasn’t quite what Joe Citizen wanted to hear – JC’s response back: “Three days, now… the rats and other vermin don’t care that United Properties was notified.” Roasted!
• Speaking of Joe Croken, I ran into young Joe just last week while walking into Stop & Splurge. Always a pleasure to bump into one of Malden’s best! Stay well, Joe.
• Keeping with my baseball theme this week; separated at birth – one of Malden’s finest – Jason Munroe and actor Robert “The Natural” Redford. Great seeing you, Jason, keep it gangsta!

Speaking of the baseball season…I know Washington Street’s Mike and Carmella Picillo are smiling down upon us as we look forward to another season with high aspirations for our beloved local nine, the Boston Red Sox. Mike and “Lal” were huge Sox supporters, which doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship with the “Olde Towne Team.” Mike worked on the first-base dugout side at Fenway as an usher from the early ’50s right on through to the ’80s – but he was much more than just an employee.

The Fenway Park that Mike knew was a world apart from the gleaming, corporate Fenway of today. Back then, it wasn’t a business – it was a family. And Mike, along with his wife Carmela, were truly part of the Red Sox family in every sense of the word. Over the years, Mike built friendships throughout the organization, back when a handshake meant more than a contract. He and his brother-in-law, Pete Cerrone, were such trusted insiders that Ted Williams himself would call on them to throw him batting practice. Meanwhile, Lal became a legend in her own right, cooking up homemade Italian feasts for players desperate for a real taste of home during spring training trips to far-flung places like Arizona and Florida – places where good Italian food was about as rare as a snowstorm.

The bonds forged in those days weren’t just friendships – they were lifelong loyalties, deep as blood.

When Bill Nowlin’s book “Fenway Lives” came out in 2004, celebrating the unsung heroes who made the ballpark special, Mike’s story naturally became part of the narrative. I still remember asking him if he’d like to take part. Mike fixed me with that steady gaze of his and said, “I will, Peter, but one rule – no dirt!” Mike had seen all the triumphs, the heartbreaks, the backroom drama, and the dirt – but he wasn’t about to betray the trust that defined his life around the team.

Each time a former Sox player came through town for an autograph signing, I’d bring my copy of “Fenway Lives” to get it signed on Mike’s page. It never failed to stir deep emotion. Tears welled in Johnny Pesky’s eyes when I told him Mike was my father-in-law. Mike Lepcio gripped my hand hard and said, simply, that he missed him. And Rico Petrocelli – well, couldn’t even find the words. He just said he loved Mike and missed him more than he could ever say.

Mike’s and Lal’s devotion to the Red Sox didn’t end with them. It lived on through their three daughters: former Malden High School teacher and union president, Margaurite; Pam, my wife, the heart and soul of Malden’s postal service for too many years; and the late Sandy, whose spirit still cheers from above. And now, a new generation carries the torch – their great-grandchildren: Jayden, Christian, Lola, Jack, Lana and Milo.

This one is for you, Mike and Lal. May you be smiling down from your seats behind the dugout from above, watching over your beloved 2025 Sox – and rooting right alongside all of us, your family.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – the City of Malden’s very own Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Ron Hogan, and his wife, Susan, are overjoyed to announce a brand-new title in their lives: Grandparents! With hearts full and smiles wide, they want to proudly introduce their very first grandchild to the world – the radiant (and cute as a button) Nora Lin Hogan. Born to proud parents Brendan and Stephanie, this 7.1 lb. bundle of wonder has already stolen the spotlight (and a few hearts) as she rests comfortably at home. Little Nora may be new to the world, but with her sparkle, spirit and the strength of generations behind her, there’s no doubt she’ll chase – and catch – every dream her heart can imagine.

Welcome to the world, Nora. It’s a brighter place with you in it!

Postscript: Rose Girone, oldest Holocaust survivor, died at 113 (1912-2025). May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.