Nolan Ryan, Big Ed Walsh, John McGraw, Gene Monahan, Steve Donohue, and “Baseball’s Balladeer” Terry Cashman Will Be Inducted into The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame in New York on June 14, 2011
Hall Recognizes Players, Executives, Journalists and Entertainers of Irish Descent
New York, NY (June 1, 2011) – The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame (www.irishbaseballhall.com) today announced the names of its 2011 inductees: Nolan Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout king, Big Ed Walsh, baseball’s all-time ERA leader, legendary New York Giants manager John McGraw, New York Yankees trainers Gene Monahan and Steve Donohue, and “Baseball’s Balladeer” Terry Cashman. The induction ceremonies will take place at Noon on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant (18 W. 33rd St.), which houses the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I am honored to go into The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame along with the game’s all-time ERA leader Ed Walsh and to join my 1969 Mets teammate Tug McGraw,” said Nolan Ryan, president of the Texas Rangers and baseball’s all-time strikeout king.
“I have been to Ireland many times and am honored to be inducted into The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Terry Cashman, whose hit song, Talkin’ Baseball, marks its 30th anniversary in 2011.
1. Nolan Ryan (Current Living Ex-Players)
Among the most dominating right handers in Major League history and known as the “Ryan Express,” Nolan Ryan is baseball’s all-time strikeout king (5,714). He holds numerous records including seasons played (27), no hitters (7), and strikeouts in a season (383). During his storied career, Ryan recorded 324 wins for the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1999 and was a member of MLB’s “All-Century Team.” Ryan played a key role for the 1969 New York Mets by recording a 2 1/3 inning save in Game 3 of the World Series. He is currently part owner and team president of the Texas Rangers.
2. Big Ed Walsh (Hall of Famers and Legends)
One of the top pitchers of the early 20th century, Big Ed Walsh is baseball’s all-time ERA leader (1.82). In 1908, he had one of the greatest seasons in history, winning 40 games and posting an ERA of 1.42. Born in Plains Township, PA, Walsh had four 20-win seasons, six sub-2.00 ERA seasons, and was a World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox in 1906. He owns the second-best WHIP (1.00) in Major League history, compiled a win–loss record of 195–126, and recorded 1,735 strikeouts primarily for the White Sox. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1946. A meteoric star of the “Dead Ball” era, Big Ed Walsh is the quintessential great but overlooked Irish American in the game of baseball.
3. John McGraw (Hall of Famers and Legends)
With his 2,763 managerial victories, John McGraw ranks second only to the legendary Connie Mack in Major League history. A dominant figure in early baseball, he led the New York Giants for 31 years, winning 10 pennants and three World Series. McGraw managed in both the first World Series and the inaugural All Star Game in 1933. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1947. John McGraw was also an exceptional player who hit .334 lifetime and stole 436 bases.
4. Gene Monahan/Steve Donohue (Trainers)
Long time New York Yankee trainers Gene Monahan and Steve Donohue have attended to numerous World Series teams. They were named MLB’s best trainers by the Professional Athletic Trainer Society in 2010. Monahan, who is proud of his Irish roots, is a throat cancer survivor and is one of three employees to span the entire length of George Steinbrenner’s ownership. Earlier this year, he announced his retirement at the end of the 2011 baseball season. Donohue, whose ancestors hailed from Cork and Wexford, has been part of Yankees’ training staff since 1986.
5. Terry Cashman (Entertainers)
Terry Cashman is best known for his hit song Talkin’ Baseball, which was inspired by a photograph he saw of 1950s icons Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider. The song struck a chord with fans during the 1981 baseball strike and has grown in popularity ever since. Over the years, Cashman has revised the lyrics of Talkin’ Baseball to accommodate every Major League team’s history. Now widely known as “The Balladeer of Baseball,” Cashman played for the Detroit Tiger organization during the early 1960s. Born Dennis Minogue in New York City, Terry Cashman’s Irish roots are in Co. Clare.
“We have a diverse group of inductees, including baseball’s all-time strikeout king and its all-time ERA leader, the game’s second winningest manager, two highly regarded trainers, and the man known as Baseball’s Balladeer.’” said Shaun Clancy, owner of Foley’s, which features one of the country’s most extensive public displays of baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown.
With the blessing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Foley’s, a popular destination among baseball players, executives, umpires and fans, created the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize players, managers, executives, journalists, and entertainers of Irish descent. Inductees are chosen based on a combination of factors, including impact on the game, popularity on and off the field, contributions to society, connections to the Irish community, and, of course, ancestry. Voters include past inductees and a panel of baseball historians.
The game of baseball has welcomed immigrants from its earliest days, when an estimated 30 percent of players claimed Irish heritage. Many of the game’s biggest stars at the turn of the 20th century were Irish immigrants or their descendants, including Michael “King” Kelly, Roger Connor (the home run king before Babe Ruth), Eddie Collins, Big Ed Walsh and managers Connie Mack and John McGraw. Today, major league teams regularly sign players born in Latin America, Japan, Canada, and elsewhere.
Shaun Clancy, an amateur baseball historian, created the Hall after learning about the rich heritage of Irish Americans in the sport dating from its infancy – a legacy overshadowed in recent years by other ethnicities. He decided to celebrate his own roots and those who helped make the game great by creating a shrine to Irish Americans in baseball in 2008.
“Starting Nine” and Subsequent Inductees
The “Starting Nine” inductees in 2008 were: the late Mets and Phillies reliever Tug McGraw, NY Yankee announcer John Flaherty, sportswriter Jeff Horrigan, NY Mets groundskeeper Pete Flynn, retired sluggers Mark McGwire and Sean “The Mayor” Casey, Kevin Costner, star of Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, legendary owner-manager Connie Mack, and longtime official scorer and sports columnist Red Foley.
2009 inductees were: Walter O’Malley, longtime Brooklyn and LA Dodgers owner (Executive category); sluggers Steve Garvey and Paul O’Neill (Players category), Jim Joyce (Umpire); veteran sportscaster Vin Scully, and Ed Lucas, a blind reporter who has covered the Yankees and Mets for four decades.
2010 inductees were: Tim McCarver, veteran TV analyst and former player; Bob Murphy, longtime Mets announcer (Media category); Michael “King” Kelly, the game’s first superstar (Hall of Famers and Legends category); Yankees GM Brian Cashman (Executives category); Bill James, famed statistician and an advisor for the Boston Red Sox (Executives category).
About Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant
Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant (18 W. 33rd St.) is home of the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. A popular destination among baseball players, executives, umpires, media, and fans, Foley’s is located across from the Empire State Building. The “Irish Bar with a Baseball Attitude” features walls adorned with 2,500 autographed balls, hundreds of bobbleheads, game-worn jerseys, stadium seats and other artifacts that make it the premier baseball bar in New York and one of the best sports bars in America. For more information, call (212) 290-0080 or visit www.foleysny.com or www.facebook.com/FoleysNYPub.
