Phil Linz passed away this week at the age of 81. He was mostly used as a utility fielder during the seven seasons he spent in the Major Leagues playing for three different teams. Phil had a pretty unremarkable career, racking up only 11 home runs and an unimpressive lifetime batting average of .235. But it was during his time with the New York Yankees that Phil’s name became a part of dubious baseball history.

On August 20, 1964, Phil was traveling on the team’s bus with his Yankees team mates. They were leaving Comiskey Park where they were soundly swept in a four-game series against American League pennant rival The Chicago White Sox. The team was feeling awful, fearing their poor performance would greatly damage their chances in the race to the post-season. Phil, who had no field time at all in the four-game stretch, began playing a harmonica that he had recently purchased. Phil was just a beginner and the only tune he could play was a barely-recognizable version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” As he puffed out the melody, Yankee manager Yogi Berra fumed at the front of the bus. Out of frustration, he yelled for the music to stop. Phil didn’t hear the order and asked team mate Mickey Mantle to repeat what Berra said. Mantle, a notorious clubhouse prankster, smiled and said, “He wants you to play louder.” So, Phil played louder.

Berra was incensed. He stomped to the rear of the bus and knocked the harmonica out of Phil’s hand. (Some accounts claim Phil threw the instrument at Berra.) Phil and Berra shouted at each other until they were finally both calmed by their fellow Yankees. The next day, Phil went in to Berra’s office to apologize. The two were far more civil to each other than the day before, but Berra informed Phil that he would still be fined $250 for the incident. Phil consented. However, a few days later, after the incident made the sports section of every major newspaper across the country, Hohner Harmonicas offered Phil $10,000 to endorse its brand. He gladly accepted.

As the 1964 season came to a close, the Yankees ended up in the World Series after all – playing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Due to injuries, regular shortstop Tony Kubek was unable to play. Phil started at short for every game of the World Series. He even hit two home runs, including one off of Cardinals domineering pitcher Bob Gibson. Despite their best efforts, the Yankees lost the series in seven games. And Yogi Berra was fired the next day.

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David L. Lander teamed up with his college pal Michael McKean to form the irreverent comedy troupe The Credibility Gap. The ensemble also included LA radio personality Richard Beebe and comedian Harry Shearer. David and Harry Shearer performed an updated twist on the classic Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First?” bit substituting rock band names for ball players.

David later appeared in small roles in sitcoms and did cartoon voices, including a dead-on imitation of Jerry Lewis for the 1970 animated series Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down? David and Michael also performed as two dimwitted pals in a musical revue. They released a musical comedy album in 1979 that featured their friend Christopher Guest on guitar. Guest was credited as “Nigel Tufnel,” a name he would reuse in the rock-doc spoof This is Spinal Tap.

David was cast in small parts in several high-profile films, including an announcer in A League of Their Own and lending his voice to a villainous weasel in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He reprised the role for on-ride dialogue used in the Roger Rabbit attraction in Disneyland.

David was a life-long baseball fan and, for a time, served as a talent scout for the Anaheim Angels and the Seattle Mariners. He was also a part owner of a minor league team, nervously witnessing a no-hitter pitched by future great Luis Tiant from the dugout.

In 1984, David was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He didn’t make it public for another 15 years. In 2002, he released his autobiography chronicling his varied career and the effect the disease had on his life. He sadly lost his battle with MS in December 2020 at the age of 73. By all accounts, David was praised as “one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet.”

Oh…. and he was Squiggy.

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James Harris was born into hard times in 1950s Mississippi. His father was shot to death during a back alley craps game. Young James became a sharecropper to help support his family. Soon, he turned to petty burglary. Local police told him to leave town before big trouble came his way. James understood that when police told you “leave town,” you had better obey or you’ll wind up dead.

James moved to Florida where he picked fruit and drove trucks. His truck driving brought him to Michigan and a chance meeting with popular professional wrestler Bobo Brazil. James began training with Brazil’s friend “Tiny” Tim Hampton. The two continued their training sessions after a move to Arkansas to avoid the snowy Michigan weather.

James made his professional wrestling debut in 1978 as “Sugar Bear Harris.” He used several different pseudonyms before adopting the persona of a wildman from Africa named “Kamala,” complete with body painting (inspired by a Frank Frazetta illustration) and a backstory of being a bodyguard for the president of Uganda. As Kamala, James was encouraged to employ an unorthodox “brawling” style of wresting. He grew to become a popular character in the ring – the guy fans “loved to hate.” He eventually signed with the mighty WWE at the insistence of colleague Andre the Giant. Kamala stayed with the WWE for a short time, defeated in the ring by Andre the Giant in November 1984. He made sporadic reappearances with the organization over the next several years.

In 2011, James had his left leg amputated due to the effects of diabetes and hypertension. Less than six months later, his right leg was amputated, as well. He collected a small disability check and sold handmade furniture to make ends meet. In 2016, he was part of a class action suit filed against the WWE claiming that the company concealed the risks of brain injuries from wrestlers. The case was eventually dismissed with no liability placed on the WWE.

In 2017, James underwent life-saving surgery to remove fluid from his heart and lungs. He was placed on life-support and slowly recovered. However, in 2020, still in poor health, James succumbed to complications related to COVID-19. He was 70 years old.

Coincidentally, one day after James Harris’s passing, presidential candidate Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 Presidential election. A “Google Search” for “Kamala Harris” would yield mixed and somewhat surprising results.

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My annual Christmas music compilation is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD at ge.tt for a limited time. This year, it’s a whopping 91 minutes of pure Christmas cacophony sure to ruin your holiday before your relatives do. Why not take the risk? After all, it’s free, so what have you got to lose? Hey, there may even be a song or two that you can actually tolerate. (No guarantees.)

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