Page 14 June 18, 2015 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Bob Flynn from page 5 found a section of scoreboard that could be placed on top of the scoreboard to identify the field. Chrisman said, “Bob took on the task of having the name “Stevenson Field” silkscreened on to the front.” Bob Flynn, so large and full of life, battled a disease harder and longer than anyone could have imagined. Harrelson said that even the doctors were amazed at how long his friend had survived. “Doctors told him nobody had survived as long as he did and he just grinned at them.” The stories and the legend of Bob Flynn will live on and the dash between his birth and death admired for what he meant to so many people. painting TKO PAINTING CO. INC. Knocking Out The Competition Bob Flynn is introduced and honored at the El Segundo Little League’s Sixtieth Anniversary last year. Perhaps the best way to describe Bob Flynn is something that his friend, Steve Wennerstrom said. “On the #833537 sidewalk next to the senior parking Satisfaction Guaranteed Great Competitive Prices FOR A FREE ESTIMATE Call Troy at 310-663-1672 lot at the corner of Mariposa and Main rests a commemorative oval plate that reads, “Bob Flynn class of 1960. A legend in his own time.” For anyone 24 who grew up in that era or Hour was a friend Service of Flynn’s would not argue that point and that Since statement 1990 • Lic # 770059 rings • true C-42 C-even 36 C-34 today.C20 A • Harrelson said that Mickey Mantle was an incredible hitter but insisted Flynn was better. Once they faced each other during a spring training game and they had a good laugh at each other’s expense. “In an intra-squad spring training game I came to bat and faced Bob and I told him ‘don’t throw me your semipro fastball.’ Wouldn’t you know it he threw one about 100 mph and I got lucky and hit it out. While I was rounding third we both just started laughing.” Harrelson summed up Flynn’s minor league career impressively, “Bob Flynn was the best ball player I ever saw, ever, who didn’t make it to the big leagues.” Flynn’s 7-year career in the minor leagues was spent primarily as a pitcher. His best year was in 1963 with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. Flynn posted a 9-5 record striking out 105 batters in 126 innings. As fate would have it that year, Flynn was hit on his pitching elbow while batting. The injury never healed properly and marked the beginning of the end to his major league aspirations. “The injury altered my delivery,” recalls Flynn years later. “At that point I became a suspect rather than a prospect.” The country beckoned him to enlist. So he and longtime friend Tim Chrisman, who was a pitcher in the Dodgers organization, took their induction physicals together. Chrisman passed his physical but Flynn’s elbow prevented painting him from passing. A number of years ago a violent storm damaged PAINTERS PLUS one of the large trees in front of the high school and it was cut down for safety reasons. Flynn couldn’t bear seeing the tree just cut up and discarded. He commissioned and paid a friend to carve a section of the tree into a large Eagle, the mascot of El Segundo high school. That Eagle sculpture was then placed on display in the main building’s hallway; it’s currently near the school’s Hall of Fame. The baseball field at Rec Park was named after legendary coach John Stevenson. Flynn got involved and brought in Chrisman. Chrisman INTERIOR • EXTERIOR PLUS IMPROVEMENTS • REPAIRS FREE ESTIMATES LOWEST PRICES • GUARANTEED QUALITY 5 YEAR FREE MAINTENANCE SERVING THE BEACH CITIES FOR OVER 20 YEARS Jackson, Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando and the list goes on. His hitting coaches were some of Bob Flynn poses for his baseball card in 1963. the best of all time including Hall of Famers Johnny Mize and Paul Waner. Ken Harrelson, who is currently the Chicago White Sox broadcaster, was candid about Bob Flynn and how close they remained after Flynn was out of baseball. He said he had two emotions after hearing of Flynn’s passing. “The first was happiness because I know how long and hard he had battled cancer and the extreme pain he had gone through for years. Then I was sad because he was a dear friend that I’ll miss; we talked regularly.” Harrelson played nine years in the Big Leagues in the 1960s and 70s and he saw some of the best hitters and pitchers of his era. He said that Flynn was as good a hitter and pitcher as anyone. “There were two guys who standout as the strongest guys I’ve ever seen hit a baseball, Frank Howard and Bobby Flynn.” handyman BILL’S HOME & APARTMENT MAINTENANCE CONTRACTOR QUALITY at Handyman Prices. We cover everything from A-Z. Bill Henrichon Cell: 310-890-7531 Office: 310-542-3470 Billshomeandaptmain@yahoo.com CA ST LIS# 786081 / Bonded & Insured 2011 2012 2013 In the 1950’s they did howeverhave the softball throw as an official event in meets. In 1957, when Flynn was a freshman, he set the school record with a throw of 365-feet that’s still in the ESHS Track & Field record books. Think about it a freshman in high school, maybe 15 years old, throwing a softball 365 feet! Imagine standing at home plate at Dodger Stadium and throwing a softball into the left field pavilion. As a senior he threw back-to-back no-hitters against St. John Vianney and Santa Monica high schools in his senior year. He struck out 20 of 21 batters he faced against St. John Vianney. A teammate of Flynn’s that day was infielder Bobby Floyd. Floyd went on to play seven years in the Major Leagues with the Orioles and Royals and said, “ Flynn was so dominant against St. John’s their coach had to literally push his batters out of the dugout to get in the batter’s box.” In 1959 and ‘60 Flynn was selected as the Eagle’s Most Valuable Player as well as being named an All-Pioneer league first team pitcher both years. The Eagles went 23-4 in 1960 and won the Pioneer League; it was John Stevenson’s first year as the head coach. Flynn was someone that youngsters in the community, like Bobby Brett and others, looked up to growing up. Brett said, “I always looked up to Bob as a “bigger than life” person and personality…. he will be missed!” Flynn was one of the first El Segundo high school athletes concrete to sign a professional baseball contract. Since there was no Major League Baseball Need A Driveway Lindahl draft in those days or Patio? teams would sign players based on ability and for what the market would bear. Flynn Concrete,signed Inc. a lucrative $90,000 (or Specializing $725,000 in WWW.LINDAHLCONCRETE.in all Residential today’s dollars)Concrete COM contract as a pitcher/outfielder Call For with Estimate the Kansas City Athletics. It was the 310-largest 326-bonus 6626 the Athletics had ever offered a rookie Lic#player 531387 at the time. There’s no question Bob Flynn would have been a first round pick and maybe even the first pick had there been a draft. Flynn’s teammates in the minors included future Major League baseball players Ken Harrelson, Fred Norman, Lew Krause, Reggie electric Wise Electric Contracting Service Commercial/Industrial/Residential License No: 785853 Serving El Segundo since 1945 Keith R. 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