Greats honored at Legends of Crysler ceremony

Rick Sutcliffe, the Van Horn High School grad and former Cy Young Award winner, had to leave the minute his presentation was over at Crysler Stadium Saturday morning, where 10 Eastern Jackson County high school and American Legion baseball players who went on to play in the major leagues were honored at the first Legends of Crysler Stadium ceremony.

Sutcliffe, who will broadcast tonight’s All-Star Game from Kauffman Stadium, had to rush off to an ESPN production meeting, but before he left he said, “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. This is where it all started for me, and I think it’s great that the city of Independence is honoring the players who got their start at Crysler and the other stadiums.”

Joining Sutcliffe were brothers Mort and Walker Cooper, William Chrisman graduates who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and were the starting battery in the 1942 All-Star Game; Don Buschhorn, a Truman graduate who pitched for the Kansas City A’s; David Haas, another Patriot who pitched for the Detroit Tigers; Russ Morman, a Chrisman grad and one of the greatest all-around athletes in Independence history who played a brief time for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox; Albert Pujols, a future Hall of Famer who led Fort Osage to a state championship and the St. Louis Cardinals to two world championships; Dusty Wathan, a Blue Springs High School grad who played for the Rod’s Sports A’s and in three games for the Royals before enjoying a successful managerial career in the Philadelphia Phillies organization; Brad Ziegler, an Odessa High School grad and Oak Grove Post 379 player who started his big league career with the Oakland A’s; and Brian McRae, who played football at Blue Springs High School, high school baseball at Bradenton, Fla., (where his family moved after the baseball season as his father, Hal, was the Royals designated hitter) and American Legion ball for Fike.

Every player will have his high school or American Legion number displayed on the Crysler Stadium center field wall. The Cooper brothers, who did not play baseball at Chrisman because the sport was not offered in the 1930s, are honored by their initials.

“I remember pitching a Kiwanis League game at Chrisman,” Buschhorn said, “where I had 15 strikeouts and 10 walks. We won 2-0 and all I can say is thank goodness they didn’t have a pitch count or I’d have never lasted the entire game.”

Haas and his family members made the trip from Wichita, Kan., where he works in the construction field.

“I’ll never forget my first game at Crysler,” Haas said. “I was called up to an older team after my Kiwanis season ended and I was used as a pinch runner. The bases looked so long – and I was on second base. The sacrifice bunt sign was on and the batter got the bunt down.

“The field was perfect, and the dirt was so smooth and soft – and I take off. I’m running and running and running and I slide into third base and stick in the dirt. I never reached the bag, and I was tagged out.”

Morman’s son Sam, who played for Fike and is now a redshirt sophomore at William Jewell College, had the line of the day when he said, “For those of you who don’t remember my dad, just look at me and add 100 pounds.”

When he talked about one of his dad’s home runs over the left field railroad tracks, a train whistle could be heard in the distance.

“It took a lot of work to make sure I was talking when that train came by,” the younger Morman said.

Dusty Wathan was represented by his father John, who was a player, coach, manager, scout and announcer for the Royals.

Wathan thanked his wife, Nancy, for always being there for his children because he spent so much time on the road.

“She played a lot more catch with Dusty than I ever did,” Wathan said.

Ziegler was represented by his father, Greg Ziegler, who recalled an incident at Crysler involving his son and Pujols.

“Brad had an 0-2 count on Albert when he was playing for Hi Boy and Brad threw a fastball up and in,” Ziegler said. “Albert took a swing and the ball hit off the rubber grip of the bat and went out of the park in deep center field.”

McRae, who starred for the Royals and Chicago Cubs, had hoped to attend the event but a late plane flight allowed his Fike coach Jim Moran to pinch hit for one of the best players in Fike history.

“In 1985, we were playing in the championship game of a tournament in Bellevue, Neb., and Brian had just committed to the Royals – he was their No. 1 draft pick – but he had not signed his contract,” Moran said. “I got a call from (Royals scout) Art Stewart. The Royals didn’t want Brian to play in the game because they were afraid he might get hurt.

“I asked Brian what he wanted to do and he said, ‘I don’t belong to them yet. I’m playing the game, then I’ll sign my contract.’”