Keefer Retires
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Al
Keefer Retires |
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A gut punch. That’s the best way I can describe reaction to Al’s announcement
that he has left active TCBA participation immediately. I tried to process the
news but failed. I took a day or so to let it all sink in. The internal
discomfort has not dissipated. Yes, we tell ourselves that the day will eventually
come for each of us, but no matter. When it happens, we are still not prepared.
An original TCBA member is leaving the collective, and it hurts. 17,555 That’s how many regular season TCBA games Al has played, the 3rd
most in our 48-year history. 8763 That’s how many games Al’s TCBA teams have won - a rock-solid .499 winning
percentage, 7th best all-time. 1945 That was the year Al’s Mexicali Mallards won a TCBA league title. In
total, the Mallards won 13 division pennants. The Evanston Bees claimed 5 Central
Division titles and 9 wildcard appearances. But those are just numbers. I don’t want our friendship to be reduced to
just some numbers on a page. They fail miserably to describe the contributions
Al has made to the TCBA body. I can clearly hear his voice…
Rock Solid I first met Al in the 2nd year of TCBA existence, at the APBA 1976
convention in Philadelphia, a brief introduction as he and fellow Hall of
Famer Gerry Hobbs were dashing from one seminar to another. In 1981, I visited the Chicago area with my family. On one
particular afternoon, while stopped at a traffic
light and wondering where in the world I might be, I looked across the
intersection and saw a very satisfying sight. There on the corner was
Keefer’s Pharmacy! I happened to have some instructions for a series to be
played against the Bees, so I strolled into the joint, demanded to see the
owner (or the owner’s son), and spent some pleasant minutes just chatting with
Al in his store. Some years later, Al and I ended up on the 35th
floor of the Chicago Marriott Hotel, rolling dice and reading boards. Al’s
Bees kicked our butts then, too. His teams have always had a knack of beating
us. And I’ve never really minded that. When the TCBA Declaration of Independence was issued in 1988,
Al was one of the first members to rally to the cause. Rock solid. “Float Like a
Butterfly…” Al credits Mohammed Ali for his
team’s nickname. “We may not look tough,” says Al, “but look out!”
And there is a lot of truth to that statement. Only a few of us know that Al
was an all-state football player in high school. Rock solid. And… Al appeared
with the Wisconsin Badgers in the 1960 Rose Bowl… as the team manager. The
Badgers lost to Washington 44-8, but no matter. Our Al was there. Trades Al admits that trading was not one of his oft-used tools. “It’s well known the Bees don’t trade often,” he said. “One
of the best was trading Butch Wynegar for enough cash to let us get Tim Raines and Fernando Valenzuela in the same rookie
draft.” Al’s last trade was in 2018 when he acquired Ben Zobrist from Scranton
for Ande Ethier and a 3rd
round FA selection. Evanston finished 2nd at 81-81 that season. Al’s very first draft selection in 1975 was Buzz Capra, followed by Tom
House and Jorge Orta. His last pick in 2023 was
Matt Duffy. Carry On So, I’m staring at the smiling face in the pictures. I see a friend of 47
years; a bit of all of us in that happy face. I feel the ache of inevitable loss.
I hold tight to the memories. I want it to continue forever; I don’t want to
say goodbye. How do we express gratitude for the shared friendship during the past
nearly-50 years? Perhaps by continuing to experience the joy of friendship that
TCBA has provided us all these years. Perhaps to carry on in the same dependable
way that Al Keefer demonstrated throughout his time with us. Perhaps to live our TCBA lives in testimony to the kind of friend Al has
always been. Thank you, Al, for all that you have given us. We will miss you, friend, but will always remember our Hall of Fame brother. Rock solid. 66 |
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