Tri-Cities ballplayer who inspired ‘Bull Durham’ character dies of COVID-19

While searching the internet this past week, I stumbled on a story in which Steve Dalkowski passed away at the age of 80.

And, in part, the Tri-Cities lost a little part of its professional baseball history.

Dalkowski had lived in a nursing home in New Britain, Conn., the past 26 years, suffering from alcohol-related dementia. The New York Times said he passed away from complications of COVID-19 on April 19.

Dalkowski’s name is well known among baseball fans.

He is generally proclaimed to have been the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball history.

Back in the late 1950s, early 1960s, Dalkowski pitched in the Baltimore Orioles organization, including parts of two seasons for the then Tri-City Atoms in 1961 and 1965.

He is said to have thrown at least 100 mph. Some say his fastball once reached 110 mph.

Now, as full disclosure, there were no radar guns back then. So all we have to go on is the words of players and coaches then.

Former managing great Earl Weaver — who coached Dalkowski in the minor league before the Hall of Fame manager moved up to Baltimore — had said Dalkowski threw faster than Nolan Ryan.

Bull Durham movie

Ron Shelton played in the Orioles’ system. He also wrote and directed the move “Bull Durham.”

Shelton once said Dalkowski pitched to the great Ted Williams in a spring training game. After the left-handed Dalkowski fired a pitch, Williams stepped out of the box, saying, “He’s the fastest ever, and I never want to see him again.”

It was Dalkowski whom Shelton modeled the character Nuke LaLoosh after in the movie, with the role played by actor Tim Robbins.

But while Dalkowski could throw hard, he had a tough time controlling where the pitch went.

I once asked the late Billy Harris — the former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodger who played and coached for some of those Tri-City teams, owned Billy’s Bullpen Tavern and lived in Kennewick — if it was true about the story of Dalkowski throwing a pitch over the backstop out of Sanders Field and onto Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick.

“Yes,” Harris said.

I countered “No way.”

“I saw it,” Harris said.

Dalkowski’s numbers in nine minor-league seasons included 956 innings pitched, with 1,324 strikeouts … And 1,236 walks. He had games where he struck out 21. He had games where he walked 21.

In 1961 with the Atoms, at the age of 22, Dalkowski pitched 103 innings, fanning 150 batters and walking 196. He had a 3-12 record.

In 1965 with the Atoms, he pitched 84 innings, going 6-5, striking out 62 and walking 52.

By 1966, he was out of baseball.

Harris said it was amazing to watch Dalkowski pitch with that fastball. Sadly, he could just never get that amazing fastball under control.

Braves hat

Last month, Ebbetts Field Flannels — a Seattle company that makes and sells jerseys, hats and sweatshirts of old minor-league baseball teams — released a version of the 1954 Tri-City Braves hat.

I was excited about it, and immediately purchased one.

The team played at Sanders Field — located in Kennewick where Arby’s is on Morain.

The first Tri-City team played there in 1950, in what was then the old Western International League. The 1954 Braves played in the last year of the WIL, which was renamed the Northwest League after that.

My family lived nearby, and I started going to games in 1968, when the team was called the Tri-City Atoms and former Dodgers great Duke Snyder was the team’s manager.

I also never understood why there was a tavern inside the ballpark. As soon as you entered the gate on the first base side, behind the grandstands, there sat a tavern with tables and chairs at a bar.

The game was broadcast on the radio. Never understood it until my uncle, Bob Ackley, explained it recently.

“I peeked in there as a kid as the bar door was always open,” said Ackley, who was the visiting team’s bat boy for a few seasons as a younger kid.

“At that time state law would not allow you to take beer out of the tavern, so if you wanted a beer as my dad did — into the bar for a quick beer and back to the game. However, as many Tri-City fans recall, they didn’t win too often so lots of beer consumption took place.”

History is great.

Sports Council notes

The Tri-Cities Sports Council had its first Zoom meeting on Thursday, and there are some notes … The Tri-Cities is bidding on hosting the WIAA state 3A and 4A volleyball tournaments for 2020 and 2021. They would be held in the Toyota Center. … A number of youth baseball and softball tournaments have been postponed this spring. But it looks like many of them are being rescheduled for the July through October time frame. … The Columbia Basin Classic Pickleball tournament is set for Aug. 28-30. Registration starts Friday. … The State Special Olympics Fall Games are set for mid-November in the Tri-Cities.

Notes

• Just a few days after Alan Hoshida left his job as sports director for KEPR television, his work partner, Myck Miller, announced that he signed a contract to take that same position at the CBS affiliate.

Hoshida begins a new sports job in Honolulu at KHON2.

• Hermiston High School has a new softball coach. Rebecca Pridmore was promoted from her JV coaching position to run the Bulldogs’ varsity program beginning in 2021.

• The Richland Regatta is the latest victim of COVID-19.

The event scheduled for late June, was canceled for 2020.

The race’s Facebook post explained “The city of Richland worked diligently to keep the race on the schedule, but as they must comply with the Governor’s extended mandate, it’s just not possible for 2020. Despite this outcome, we are very appreciative of our partnership with the City of Richland, and we thank them for their efforts on our behalf.”

The 2021 Richland Regatta is scheduled tentatively for June 25-27.

• Congratulations to the Pasco High Dance team, who finish the school year on an up note.

The WIAA state dance finals were canceled with the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Pasco entered the COVID-19 Virtual Dance Nationals.

Schools could submit taped dance routines teams performed during the 2019-20 school year, and judges would score them in this virtual contest.

The result? The Bulldogs placed first in both Pom and Show categories, and took second in Hip Hop.

Kamiakin’s dance team placed fourth in the small-school Hip Hop category.

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 3:29 PM.