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Written by Bob on March 3rd, 2010

“Fastpitch is still the greatest game in the world.” – Herb Wisdom

TUMACACORI, ARIZ – Herb Wisdom had a choice, straddle the saddle or don the catcher’s gear.

He chose the later and has no regrets. But back in 1957, the 18-year-old Arizona cowboy was on his way to following in his dad’s footsteps as a rodeo cowboy.

Fastpitch softball? Not on Wisdom’s radar. That is until he enlisted in the Navy. And from 1958 to 1962, during his stint, he played with and against some of the greatest pitchers and players the Armed Forces had to offer.

“There were some great, great pitchers,” said the 69-year-old Wisdom. “I remember Buck Brown and Jim Hines as two of the great ones. The competition was tough.”

While stationed in Long Beach, Wisdom happened across Red Meairs, who managed the famed Long Beach Nitehawks, winners of 10 International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournament championships.

He started playing with the Nitehawks in 1965, embarking on a Nitehawks career that lasted until 1976. During that time he watched, listened, and learned from Meairs, who was inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame in 1988. And he got valuable schooling from Stan White, the team’s catcher.

“Red was a great, great manager,” Wisdom said. “He told me something I never forgot. He said, ‘stay in shape, come ready to play, and be on time. See that guy up in the stands? He wants to be a Nitehawk, so you’d better hustle.’”

Wisdom followed Meairs direction. And as for White, he watched how the ISC Hall of Fame catcher, who was selected as an ISC All-World player 11 times (1951-1963), went about his business.

“I learned a lot from him,” Wisdom said.

After his Navy tour, Wisdom joined the Long Beach Police Department. But after a 20-year career, he retired and moved back home to (more…)

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The Cats have also announced that Bob Flanagan has been named director of sales and marketing. Bob has been in minor league baseball since 1994, when he started his baseball career with the Visalia Oaks, a Class A ballclub in the California League and Colorado Rockies affiliate. Bob left Visalia after the 1997 season and has spent nine of the last twelve years working for teams in Texas- Lubbock, Edinburg, and Robstown(Coastal Bend). After a year and a half in Wichita, Kansas, he is happy to be back in Texas and back in baseball. Bob is married to Dawn, a West Texas native, and they have two children- eight-year old son Riley, and daughter Delaney, who is six years old.

Editor’s note: A shameless plug for my brother, Bob. Younger and better-looking, or so he tells me.