RIP Del Crandall
 

https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrit...waukee-braves/

Wonderful catcher and the last surviving Boston Braves player.

RIP. It's sad, and a bit strange, to think that everyone from the Boston Braves is gone now. I wrote to Mr. Crandall back in 2014 for my project, and he replied in about a week.

https://net54baseball.com/picture.ph...ictureid=30539

Fun-Loving Guy
 

My company transferred me to Chicago in 1988. I became a White Sox fan back then and remain so to this day. Anyway, I remember listening on the radio to Crandall broadcast Sox games. It was his last year with the Sox, as it turned out. He came across as a fun-loving guy, having a good time at the ballpark. He made me laugh at some of the crazy things he said during broadcasts. RIP, Mr. Crandall.

My grandfather, who was a Milwaukee Braves season ticket holder, gave this ball to me when I was a kid.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1620505717

56 Crandall . . . and Pope.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1620505996

He caught nearly half of Spahn's 665 career starts.

When I was a teenager I used to attend a lot of Evansville Triplet games. AAA team of the Brewers at the time. Del was manager in '71 and '72. Halfway through the '72 season he was promoted to manage the Brewers. He didn't have much to work with either place, but I remember him as a guy with a great rep for baseball smarts. Somewhere I have a Triplet program signed by Crandall and the whole team. I just realized that is 50 years ago. Damn I'm old.