A Memory of Bo Belinsky ("Pretend it's Mamie..")

Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky and actress Mamie van Doren in the 1960s


Growing up in Los Angeles in the early 1960s was a treat if you were a baseball fan. In addition to the Dodgers, who drew large crowds, we also had the LA Angels (prior to their move to Anaheim). After playing their inaugural season in 1961 in old Wrigley Field (yes, a facsimile of Chicago's Wrigley field since the old Pacific Coast League LA Angels were the top farm club of the Cubs), they then shared Dodger Stadium with the Dodgers-calling it Chavez Ravine after the neighborhood where the stadium was built. Unlike the Dodgers, the Angels generally drew anywhere from 5-10,000 fans a game (except, of course, when the Yankees came to town). Thus, it was a convenient way to see a major league game. In 1962, a brash young pitcher burst on the Angels scene who quickly became the toast of the town. His name was Bo Belinsky.

Belinsky was good-looking and had a reputation as a night-owl even in the minor leagues. With the Angels, he won his first 4 starts including a no-hitter over the Baltimore Orioles. That win catapulted him into stardom in LA as the public quickly became aware of his night-time proclivities, which he did little to hide. He began dating movie stars including sex-symbol starlet Mamie van Doren, with whom he carried an on-again-off-again relationship from 1962-1964.

Eventually, Bo's star faded into mediocrity as his 1962 record ended at 10-11. He spent much of 1963 in the minor leagues and his time with the Angels ended in 1964 when he was dealt to Philadelphia after being involved in a fight with a sportswriter. After stints with a few other teams, Bo disappeared from baseball. He died in 2001.

It was probably in 1964 that a buddy and I happened to go to an Angels game in which Bo was pitching. By this point, Bo's pitching career had come back down to earth and he was struggling. Since Angels' tickets were easy to come by, we wound up sitting in the second or third row directly behind the Angels' dugout. Shortly before the game began two rather meek looking gentlemen probably in their 40s, sat in front of us and sat quietly until the game began.

Once the Angels took the field and Belinsky came out of the dugout, the show began. These two characters got to their feet and began razzing Bo unmercifully. They never let up, and they could be heard all over the stadium. (In empty stadiums, you can hear anybody who is shouting at the players.) When Bo came back to the dugout, these guys would literally stand on their seats as they taunted the pitcher, who, by the way, was not pitching well. (He only lasted a few innings.) Meanwhile, my friend Bob and I, as well as the fans around us were in constant stitches. These guys could have been professional comedians (maybe they were).

Most of the razzing was not too objectionable in terms of language, but there is only one line that I vividly recall. At one point, Belinsky started having trouble finding the strike zone. After several balls without a strike, one of our entertainers stood up and shouted,

"Hey Bo, pretend it's Mamie and put 'er in there!"

Soon after, Bo was in the showers.