Baseball Trivia Poem - A "Toughie"

[Teach]

A TAR HEEL LAD...IF YOU PLEASE;
HIS TWO EIGHTY-THREE WAS NUTHIN’ TO SNEEZE.

AT THE FLAG, HE COULD MAKE THE PLAYS;
IN THOSE EARLY DAYS OF (WILLIE) MAYS.

THE HARVEY-BOY SAID "PROF" WAS THROUGH;
WHAT THE TEAM NEEDED WAS SOMEONE NEW.

THIS SINGLES HITTER WOULD FILL THE VOID;
WHAT AN EYE!...HEAVENS TO MER-GA-TROID!

LATER PLAYED NEAR HARMON FOR BUCKY‘S CREW;
TWO MORE YEARS WAS ALL HE WAS DUE.

HE WOULD LATER SPEND TIME WITH THE MILLERS;
ALLEGEDLY THREATENED BY CUBAN KILLERS.

HIS EARLY PROMISE; IT FADED FAST;
IN THE "BIGS"... HE WOULD NOT LAST.

[Teach]

Answer: Tommy Umphlett

Born in Scotland Neck; one of the only places in North Carolina without traffic lights.

"At the flag" refers to left-center in Fenway Park. After Fred Lynn was injured in the World Series, they moved "Old Glory" off the playing field.

The "Harvey Boy" was Lou Boudreau, then player-manager for the Red Sox. He took "The Prof" ("Little Professor"), Dom DiMaggio out of the line-up in what Boudreau would refer to as a youth movement.

"Bucky's Crew" is Washington Senators; Harmon is Harmon Killebrew

The Millers are the Minneapolis Millers of the International League. The Havana Sugar Kings were their Triple-A, "Little World Series" opponents. There was talk that Millers' players were threatened by Cuban thugs. An attempt to intimidate.

[cj's dad]

Tom Umphlett

[cj's dad]

I missed your post #2