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R.I.P. Elrod Hendricks


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Elrod Hendricks of the Baltimore Orioles drives into left for a double in the fifth inning of a World Series game against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 11, 1970. Reds pitcher Milt Wilcox, right, and catcher Johnny Bench and umpire John Flaherty are also seen. Hendricks, who spent more than four decades as a player and coach with the Orioles, died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005, a spokeswoman said. He was 64. (AP Photo)



Longtime Orioles player and coach Elrod Hendricks dead at 64

(by DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer)

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Elrod Hendricks, who spent nearly four decades as a player and coach with the Baltimore Orioles, died Wednesday. He was 64.

Hendricks died at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, hospital spokeswoman Allison Eatough said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Acting Lt. Will Bethea of the Anne Arundel County fire department said the department received a call at 8:17 p.m. that Hendricks was unconscious at a hotel near Baltimore-Washington International Airport. A fire department ambulance took him to the hospital.

Hendricks got most of the playing time at catcher for the Orioles on teams that went to three consecutive World Series from 1969-71, sharing duties with Andy Etchebarren.

Hendricks also played briefly for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees during a 12-year major league career that lasted from 1968-79. He went 4-for-11 (.364) with a home run and four RBIs to help Baltimore defeat the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970 World Series.

He also appeared in the 1976 World Series for the Yankees against Cincinnati.

Hendricks broke into professional Baseball in 1959 and made his Major League debut with the Orioles in 1968. He played in 711 games -- including 658 with the Orioles -- before retiring in 1979. He batted .220 with 62 career homers and 230 RBIs.

He was made the bullpen coach following the 1977 season and was a player-coach in 1978-79. Hendricks became a fixture in Baltimore by holding the position as bullpen coach for 28 years, the longest coaching tenure in Orioles history.

Hendricks was relieved of that position in October, in part because he had a mild stroke in April. He was to be reassigned to another position within the organization, one that would enable him to take advantage of his popularity within the Baltimore community.

But Hendricks was hurt by the demotion.

"Definitely, the hardest part will be not being on the field," he said at the time. "That's what I know, that's what I've done for the past 44 years, and I did a good job while I was here."

Hendricks would have turned 65 on Thursday.

The 2005 season marked the 37th that Hendricks served in a Baltimore uniform as a player or coach, another club record. He also had the longest active coaching tenure with one club in the big leagues.

Hendricks lost 20 pounds while recovering from the stroke he had in April. He returned in May and was relieved of much of his workload, but then-manager Lee Mazzilli wanted to have him with the team because of his popularity in the locker room.

"It's good to have him back. I think the guys in the clubhouse and the staff were really glad to see him," Mazzilli said at the time.

Hendricks was delighted to be back, because the ballpark was home to him.

"I know one thing, I missed it," he said. "I don't know what it's going to be like in retirement, but I know I don't like it. I watched the games every night."

Weeks later, after he settled in, Hendricks said, "The journey back was pretty smooth. I think coming to the ballpark really helped."

Hendricks had a reputation for showing up at all sorts of community events. On Monday, he played Santa Claus at a charity event in downtown Baltimore. About 100 children climbed onto his lap to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

"It's a joy to watch the faces, the smiles, watching them open the gifts," he said afterward. "It's a warm feeling. It's easy for me to be involved. It takes me back to being a kid, too. I hear some funny things and have to hold back my laughter."

He was saddened, though, at the prospect of going through the upcoming season without a uniform.

"It's definitely very difficult," he said, "because I've been on the field for so long."


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Personal note: Hendricks was one of the first autographs I ever acquired at a Major League stadium .......... he signed his 1970 Topps card for me @ Arlington Stadium in 1983.

R.I.P. Ellie
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Saint Strawberry, who are you to say..........:sweat: !!

 

What is your lifetime batting average in the show, same as mine I believe. And as Billy Preston would say, "Nuthin from nuthin.......leaves nuthin", right ?

Originally posted by cheaptrick77

I'm the scheduled starting pitcher on September 29, 2053

.........can't wait to bat against you, Cheapy !! I'll hit em where they ain't....... and you either !! Small potatoes, enjoy your cake !!

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Originally posted by cheaptrick77

EVERYONE is welcome to play in The Field Of Dreams :thumbsup:

 

I'm the scheduled starting pitcher on September 29, 2053 :whistle:

 

Cant wait to see you pitch against Pete Rose and Barry Bonds since all are welcome.:whome:

Originally posted by shoelessjoelives

Saint Strawberry, who are you to say..........:sweat: !!

 

What is your lifetime batting average in the show, same as mine I believe. And as Billy Preston would say, "Nuthin from nuthin.......leaves nuthin", right ?

 

I'll bring my Devil's Diamond Dog's to play your sissy Field of Reamers anyday.:w00t:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thousands pay tribute to Orioles' Elrod Hendricks

 

(by DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer)

 

 

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Elrod Hendricks was remembered as a "kind, wonderful person" Thursday (12.29.05) at a funeral attended by thousands in honor of the man who spent nearly four decades as a player and coach with the Baltimore Orioles.

 

Baseball stars Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken and Lee May were among those filling The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in tribute to Hendricks, who died Dec. 21 of a heart attack at 64.

 

"Ellie was a kind, wonderful person," said May, who played first base for the Orioles from 1975-80. "He never met a stranger. I don't have enough words, I don't have enough time, to explain the greatness of this guy."

 

Former Orioles managers Earl Weaver and Mike Hargrove, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, Orioles owner Peter Angelos and former Baltimore pitching coach Ray Miller also were on hand. An official from Hendricks' native St. Thomas delivered a message from the Caribbean island's governor.

 

Although he was a lifetime .220 hitter, Hendricks' warm smile and community involvement made him one of the most beloved and important players to wear an Orioles uniform. Son Ian Hendricks called him the "soul" of the organization.

 

Elrod Hendricks spent the final 28 years of his career as a bullpen coach, but he did much more for the team during that time than merely warm up relievers and pick up the phone beyond the outfield wall. He signed countless autographs before games, dressed up as Santa Claus for charity events, ran a Baseball camp for 23 years and left a lasting impression on anyone who considered him a friend.

 

"What a man," Murray told the gathering. "This man has taught me so much. He was just special. Elrod was a super person, and I am glad that I've known him."

 

Miller said Hendricks' kindheartedness made a lasting impression on more than those who knew him in Baltimore.

 

"I guarantee people are grieving in every American League city," Miller said. "Myself, I just want to thank God for the 35 years I had with him."

 

Almost everyone who knew Hendricks considered him family, but two of his sons spoke fondly about the privilege of having him as a father.

 

"He taught me right from wrong, the real Oriole Way, before it became a catch phrase and lost all its meaning," Ryan Hendricks said.

 

"It's hard to think about my dad without seeing him in uniform, but baseball didn't define my dad," Ian Hendricks said. "I wonder if my dad realized the fans loved him as much as he loved them. ... My dad was more than the face of the organization -- he was its soul."

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