Rachel Balkovec-led Tampa Tarpons fall despite valiant effort in 2023 season finale

Above: Tampa Tarpons pitcher delivers a pitch on 8 September 2023. John T. Stemple photo.

10 September 2023 | Lakeland, Florida, USA. The moniker ‘Tarpon’ can refer to a legendary Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aeroplane of the 1940s and 1950s, a fish, or a baseball team located in Tampa. The winged ‘Tarpons‘ (also known by the American name of ‘Avenger‘) were versatile flying machines and indispensable to the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

These American-built, British-crewed aircraft battled Nazi Germany’s submarines (‘U-boats’ or ‘Unterseebooten’ in German) that were attacking and sinking shipping, in part, off the Florida coasts and elsewhere. Notably, Tarpons and Avengers are credited with the sinking of at least 35 U-boats during the war, and thereby saving many Allied seamen’s lives and protecting foodstuffs and war matériel required by the Allies in their fight against the military forces of Nazism, Italian fascism, and Japanese imperialism.

Above: A Grumman ‘Tarpon‘ circa 1943. Source: Uncertain.

Earlier today, Tarpons, in this case the Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League, took the field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida beneath a brilliant blue sky. Soon thereafter the Rolling Stones’ iconic 1965 recording “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” the lyrics of which were penned at the Jack Tar Hotel in Clearwater, Florida, blared from the public address speakers inside the venue. This Sunday matchup with the Detroit Tigers’ Class A (a level of minor league baseball that is also referred to as Single-A or Low-A) affiliate Lakeland Flying Tigers would provide satisfaction.

Above: Rachel Balkovec, Manager of the Tampa Tarpons. John T. Stemple photo.

The afternoon would be Rachel Balkovec’s final coaching appearance on the 2023 Tarpons schedule. Balkovec possessed impressive experiential credentials even before joining the New York Yankees organization in 2019 and now has two seasons under her belt as the manager of the Tampa Tarpons. According to the Minor League Baseball website, Rachel’s 2023 Tarpons finished the season having achieved the league-leading number of home runs (122), placing third in On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) with a percentage of .727, and they were solidly in the mix regarding many other statistics.

Above: Rachel Balkovec watches pregame warmups. John T. Stemple photo.

Although stats are undeniably important, a sub-theme in the 2012 Clint Eastwood film ‘Trouble with the Curve‘ points out that naked numbers seldom tell the entire story. One must remember that the minor leagues exist to identify, develop, and promote talent; these are primary goals for coaches and managers. Players must be encouraged and improved so a deserving few can to move up to High-A, Double-A, Triple-AAA in the particular major league team’s farm system — not necessarily to win division titles.

Above: Rachel Balkovec during the playing of the national anthem. John T. Stemple photo.

In the factually-based and inspirational 2023 baseball film, released under the title ‘The Hill,’ nearly everyone told a young, physically challenged lover of baseball named Rickey Hill that he could never achieve his dreams of playing professionally. Hill proved them wrong by repeatedly demonstrating his capabilities and skills until signed after high school by the Montreal Expos in 1975. Rickey Hill subsequently played four years in the minor leagues.

Above: Rachel Balkovec holding the game roster. John T. Stemple photo.

Somewhat similarly, Rachel Balkovec was repeatedly told that a woman could never coach in a professional men’s league, a remarkable viewpoint considering the biblical Deborah, other historic female leaders, and that in a 2020 American Psychological Association article titled ‘Once more: The rise of female leaders’ the following facts were cited: “Overall, women constitute 40% of managers and 28% of chief executives when all organizations are considered (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020).” Rachel Balkovec likewise proved her naysayers wrong, as she became the first female manager of a professional male baseball, the Tampa Tarpons, team in 2022.

Above: Rachel Balkovec providing direction. John T. Stemple photo.

On her website, Rachel indicates that, “By trade I’m a hitting coach, but in reality, I’m a student, athlete, minimalist, feminist and nomad.” A phrase once heard frequently in feminism promotion is quite apropos. First used in the 1940s, and adopted by the movement for employment during the 1960s and 1970s, was the following quotation: “Behind every great man there’s a great woman.”

Above: Rachel Balkovec confers with the umpires. John T. Stemple photo.

Even more precise and germane is a two-sentence axiom located on the ‘Quotes I Like‘ website: “Behind every successful man, there is a woman who pushes him to be the best he can be. Behind every successful man there is a woman who uses her skills to support his success.” This latter version is very much appropriate if used in reference to Rachel Balkovec.

Above: Rachel Balkovec heads out to coach. John T. Stemple photo.

On Friday, 8 September 2023, the Tarpons defeated the Flying Tigers 2 to 1. However, two days later, on Sunday, the Flying Tigers would not be caught on the hook in front of their home crowd.

Above: 3rd Squadron, Hell’s Angels, ‘Flying Tigers‘ over China on 28 May 1942.

(The Lakeland Flying Tigers are named after these famous aviators.)

AVG pilot Robert T. Smith photo.

Lakeland took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning, but the Tarpons tied the score in the top of the 8th. Prior to the Flying Tigers next turn at bat, a coach on the Flying Tigers staff either remembered the iconic Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb (whose name is prominently displayed in right field) and his teachings, or Mr. Cobb somehow made a supernatural visit to the Tiger lair and somehow communicated a needed methodology for a victory.

Above: Rachel Balkovec coaching at first base on 8 September 2023. John T. Stemple photo.

Ty Cobb formulated his style of baseball during the ‘dead-ball’ or ‘deadball‘ era (roughly 1900 to 1920) of the sport, and one of Ty’s strategies is that he bunted ball is the primary offensive weapon for hitters to employ. To quote from a published 1928 interview (Which was greatest — Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth?) conducted by the late Detroit News sportswriter H.G. Salsinger, “He [Cobb] always believed that the bunt was the most effective weapon of attack. It upsets pitchers and fielders.” Furthermore, Cobb reportedly said, “Many batting rallies have been started by a bunted ball. . . .”

Above: The Ty Cobb plate in right field. John T. Stemple photo.

What is old is new again! As fate (or Ty Cobb) would have it, several perfectly executed bunts in the bottom of the 8th inning set up the two winning scores for the Flying Tigers. With bases loaded, the fourth Tiger batter connected and powered a grounder up through an undefended infield area near second base. Two Flying Tigers runners came around and stepped uncontested onto home plate. After viewing the unexpected and rather unusual sequence, a few fans in the stands did look as if they had seen a ghost; there were certainly expressions of disbelief, amazement, and shock and awe upon many faces.

Above: Flying Tigers base runner about to score. John T. Stemple photo.

To their credit and despite falling behind 3 to 1 late in the game, the Tarpons did not surrender. The competitive spirit of the Balkovec-led players came to the forefront. In fact, through a combination of hitting and base running they nearly tied the score in the top of the 9th inning, but a pair of pinpoint throws, coming only minutes apart, to the plate resulted in two Tarpon runners being tagged out in front of the home plate umpire.

Marine scientists tell us that Tarpons of the oceanic variety are members of the ladyfish family. And just as the character “Ladyfish” influenced Henry Limpet in the adorable partially animated 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Rachel Balkovec motivates and teaches her charges. Actively coaching at first base, at one point she met a Tarpon hitter in the infield, who had just sent a long fly ball to the warning track in center field which was unfortunately for the Tarpons caught for the third out by a Flying Tigers outfielder. As the duo walked to the dugout, Rachel discussed the batted ball and offered advice.

Above: Rachel Balkovec escorts batter into dugout. John T. Stemple photo.

Upon the conclusion of the matchup, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction‘ was again heard as spectators made their way out of Publix Field. The Flying Tigers undoubtedly got satisfaction, and, despite suffering a defeat, Rachel Balkovec had to have felt some deserved contentment as her team played well. Thus one suspects that Balkovec would agree that there can be gain even in a loss, as players often learn more as a result of making mistakes and coming up short than by scoring an easy victory.

Above: Rachel Balkovec busy in the dugout. John T. Stemple photo.

Fictional New York Mets player Chico Escuela, portrayed by comedian Garret Morris, became an iconic character by saying the following on classic Saturday Night Live shows: “Beisbol been bery, bery good to me!” Baseball should continue to be very, very good to Rachel Balkovec, and the New York Yankees and the fans of the Florida State League are the current prime beneficiaries. Rachel Balkovec is, to co-opt a fishing term, a ‘keeper.’ One can easily envision seeing her attired in a Yankees uniform on a regular basis. It would be a thrill to see her jog onto the field and take up coaching duties at Yankee Stadium and in all of the American League ballparks during away games.

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Notes: Military Aviation Chronicles‘ editor, John T. Stemple, as a result of a fortuitous happenstance was able to sit adjacent to the Tampa Tarpons dugout during their final game of the 2023 season. This provided a unique opportunity to observe Rachel Balkovec’s managerial style. John Stemple is a member of the Vintage Base Ball Association. John believes he inherited his personal love of the game from a grandfather, George Benjamin Stemple, who was offered a contract by the Dayton Aviators semi-pro team at some point between 1928 and 1930.

Sources and Suggested Readings

#Shortstops: Ty Cobb and the science of the game

https://baseballhall.org/discover/-shortstops/the-science-of-ty-cobb

15 Ty Cobb facts baseball fans should know

https://www.mlb.com/news/ty-cobb-amazing-facts-and-stats

20 Amazing Women in the Bible to Learn From and Admire

https://www.womansday.com/life/g26484834/women-in-the-bible/

“Baseball been berry, berry good to me!” – the famous SNL catchphrase of Garrett Morris as Chico Escuela…

https://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2009/12/baseball-been-berry-berry-good-to-me.html

British Grumman Tarpon Mk I

British Grumman Tarpon Mk I

Charles Leerhsen. Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015, pages 59, 60, 147.

Chico Escuela

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Chico_Escuela

Class A (baseball)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_A_(baseball)

Dead-ball era

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead-ball_era

Deborah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah

Facebook: Rachel Balkovec

https://www.facebook.com/damselinthedugout/

Fictional Mets Infielder Chico Escuela ( of SNL) Visits Mets Spring Training (1979)

http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2020/02/fictional-mets-infielder-chico-escuela.html

Florida State League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_State_League

Flying Tigers/First American Volunteer Group (AVG)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers

Grumman Avenger

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/ebay-grumman-avenger.42332/page-7

Grumman Avenger in British Service

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_grumman_avenger_UK.html#google_vignette

Grumman Tarpon

Grumman Tarpon

Grumman TBF Avenger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_TBF_Avenger

Grumman Tarpon I (TBF-1 Avenger)

https://www.si.edu/object/grumman-tarpon-i-tbf-1-avenger%3Anasm_A19610117000

Grumman Tarpon I (TBF-1 Avenger)

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/grumman-tarpon-i-tbf-1-avenger/nasm_A19610117000

Grumman Tarpon Mk I code 4L of No 846 Squadron FAA

Grumman Tarpon Mk I code 4L of No 846 Squadron FAA

Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger

http://www.airvectors.net/avtbm.html

H.G. Salsinger. (Edited by William R. Cobb.) ‘Ty Cobb Two Biographies: Our Ty: Cobb’e Life Story’ (1924) and ‘Which was the Greatest: Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth?’ (1951). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 236.

Keith Richards. Life. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010, 176.

Lakeland Flying Tigers

https://www.milb.com/lakeland/

Letting Go of Errors and Mistakes