R.I.P. Wes Covington

[Writehooks]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, but here it is ...

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By Murray Greig
Edmonton Sun
EDMONTON ‹ Wes Covington, a minor league call-up who sparked the 1957
Milwaukee Braves down the stretch and helped them win the World Series, died
of cancer in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday.
He was 79.
A left fielder from Laurinburg, N.C., Covington belted 21 homers and drove
in 65 runs in 96 games over the second half of the ¹57 season.
His inspired play continued in the Series against the Yankees, highlighted
by two defensive gems that helped preserve wins for Lew Burdette.
In Game 2, Covington pulled off an improbable backhanded stab to take an
extra-base hit away from Bobby Shantz, and in Game 5 he crashed into the
fence to steal a homer from Gil McDougald.
From 1956-61, Covington averaged .280 for the Braves, with 62 homers and 235
RBI.
After brief American League stops in Chicago and Kansas City, he returned to
the senior circuit with Philadelphia, becoming one of the Phils¹ most
dangerous hitters (.303 in Œ63), before finishing his career with the 1966
L.A. Dodgers.
After wrapping up his baseball career, Covington moved to Western Canada and
operated a sporting goods business. He later became an advertising manager
for the Edmonton Sun newspaper, a position he held for nearly 20 years.
When the Edmonton Trappers joined the Pacific Coast League in the early
1980s, Covington returned to baseball as a promotions consultant and special
ambassador for the club.
In addition to his duties with the Sun, he was involved in youth charity
work in the Alberta capital.
In 2003, at the invitation of the Braves Historical Association, Covington
returned to Milwaukee for the first time in 40 years. The good-natured but
reclusive 72-year-old thanked the fans who showed up for a testimonial
dinner, and took a stab at explaining his reticence.
³People ask me ŒWhy haven¹t you gone back to Milwaukee?¹ and ŒWhy haven¹t
you done more in the game?,¹ but it¹s nothing against the city or the great
fans,² he said.
³I just had other things I wanted to do with my life. My playing career is
in the past; I always try to focus on the future. In order to do that, I had
to be away from a major league city, away from the hype.
³I didn¹t want to be a baseball bum, living in the past.²
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