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Walter
Youse dead at 88 'guru of amateur baseball' Success spanned 60 years for
city coaching legend
Walter Youse
used to say that "publicity is the backbone of amateur baseball," but to
many, Walter Youse was the backbone of amateur baseball for more than 60
years in Baltimore.
Youse, longtime
baseball scout and amateur coach of the nationally known Leone's, Johnny's
and Corrigan's teams that produced scores of major-leaguers, including Hall
of Famers Al Kaline and Reggie Jackson, died of congestive heart failure
at St. Agnes Hospital early yesterday morning. He was 88.
Born and raised
in Baltimore, Youse "was like the Babe Ruth of amateur baseball," said Bobby
Ullman, a former Youse assistant coach. George Henderson, the coach at CCBC-Essex
who has known Youse for nearly 60 years, called him "a baseball legend and
Baltimore icon."
Youse's run
of success as coach of 20-and-under summer teams starting with Leone's in
1956 and ending with the Maryland Orioles in 2001 is unmatched. He was the
winningest amateur baseball coach in Maryland history.
"Walter was
a tough, old geezer on the field, and you had to do it his way," said Jim
Foit, who coached and scouted with Youse for more than 20 years with Leone's
and Johnny's.
Youse-run
teams won 46 consecutive Baltimore City titles, a record 20 All-American
Amateur Baseball Association national titles in Johnstown, Pa., and a World
Port title in the Netherlands in 1991. Overall, Youse's teams won more than
3,000 games and lost fewer than 500.
"Walter will
be remembered as somebody who raised the bar for everybody else and made
everybody get better," said Bill "Lefty" Corrigan, who pitched for Youse
in 1955 before signing with the Kansas City Athletics and sponsored Youse's
team for six years after Johnny Wilbanks' Used Cars dropped its sponsorship
in 1990.
"Walter taught
those around him to be mentally tough and how to handle adversity on and
off the field."
Hundreds of
Youse-tutored players from Maryland and outside the state have gone on to
college ball, the minors and/or the majors. Jackson, then enrolled at Arizona
State, was the first black player to play for Youse, coming down from Philadelphia
to live in Baltimore and play for Leone's in 1965.
"Walter was
capable of managing in the majors, but he was dedicated to the amateur players
and helping them to play in college or professionally," said Norm Gilden,
who spent more than 20 years as a Youse assistant, including on the 1991
team that won overseas against several Olympic squads.
Bernie Walter,
the winningest coach in Maryland public high school history, played shortstop
for Leone's in the 1960s and at the University of Maryland.
"Walter was
the guru of amateur baseball in Baltimore, without a doubt," Walter said.
"While he was a fierce competitor, Walter was always fun to play for and
coach with. It's a devastating loss. He was truly a friend of his players."
In poor health
the past few years, Youse was suffering from kidney failure and was on dialysis
at St. Agnes. He was confined to a wheelchair in recent years but was able
to drive himself around.
Youse still
coached his summer team, and he continued last year after the death of his
wife, Dorothy, in May 2000.
"Walter was
out there nearly every day last summer and just a couple days ago was telling
me how sorry he was that he might only be able to get out to the ballpark
two days a week this summer," said Baltimore Orioles scout Dean Albany.
"It really bothered him that he couldn't get out to watch high school and
college games this spring."
Youse coached
his first amateur team, Bloomingdale, in 1941 after playing at City College
and with several sandlot clubs, including B&O Railroad American Legion.
He then spent time in the Navy during World War II.
After being
discharged in 1946, Youse managed minor-league teams at Seaford, Del., and
Welch of the Appalachian League in the Philadelphia Athletics system. He
also managed an Orioles affiliate in Bluefield, W.Va., before briefly leaving
pro baseball.
Working in
the restaurant business for nearly five years, Youse also coached Westport
American Legion Post 23 and Wildwood, and took over at Calvert Hall in 1953,
winning three Maryland Scholastic Association titles before resigning in
1959 to become a full-time scout with the Orioles.
Youse became
an Orioles scouting supervisor in the East and Mid-Atlantic area, and he
later held the same position with the California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.
Youse is survived
by his daughter, Darlene Paul.
Visitation
at Witzke Funeral Home on Edmondson Avenue in Catonsville will be held tomorrow
and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day. A funeral
will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Loudon Park Cemetery. The Baltimore Sun, April 16th, 2002 |