SMSBL Hall of Fame

A native Sacramentan, Steve was introduced to baseball playing sandlot style at his local park. He played Minor and Major divisions at Parkway Little League, making the Major division all star team his last 2 years. Played Babe Ruth for 2 years, then joined Land Park Pony league and was coached by the legendary “Doc” Oliver. Steve attended Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, playing Jr. Varsity, and Varsity ball. He also was a member of Southside American

Legion for 2 years. Steve finished off the first phase of his baseball career playing 2 years of Jr. College ball at Cosumnes River College. After almost a decade of inactivity, Steve was recruited to play in the SMSBL on the 30/over Orioles, whose teammates included future HOF’s Gary Stonebrook and Jeff Malm. Many memories were made playing at ballparks like Zupo (great field!) and Kofu (no outfield fence) fields in Lodi, and Harry Renfree off Auburn Blvd (ducking and dodging skunks in the outfield!). But the best memories of that time were the annual trips to Phoenix for the World Series tournament when he didn’t realize for years that the Orioles as a team was going against what was essentially other leagues all-star teams in the most competitive division of the age group. Steve joined the Giants 40/over team where he had the privilege of catching former major league pitcher Jim Barr for many games. The best thing about that experience was he almost never called for a specific pitch, he only called for the location, and Barr would throw either a fastball or a slider and he’d hit the target 95% of the time. The best part of his time (still) with the Giants was after the game, where the team

would sit in the parking lot, drinking a cold beverage and listening to Jim Barr regale us with stories from his time in the big leagues, and then teammates conducting “Kangaroo Court”. On the field Steve’s best abilities were his speed, defensive versatility, and ability to make a pitcher throw strikes. Steve has been a member of multiple league and regional tournament champions over the years. As a member of hall of famer Mike Baker’s Auburn Braves Steve accomplished the ultimate winning the ring and two MSBL World Series Championships. After 30+ years with SMSBL, his love of the game, respect for his teammates and competitors remain as strong as ever.