August 2001
London, Ontario

2001 marks the 35th anniversary of the publication of The Glory of Their Times, an oral history of baseball by Lawrence Ritter which many critics consider the best baseball book of all time. Ritter's book contains fascinating, first-person accounts of baseball in the first two decades of the 20^th century. Critics especially extolled Ritter's editing of the interviews into coherent chapters dedicated to each individual. Recently, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) honoured Professor Ritter's acheivement at a banquet in Cooperstown, New York. A University of Western Ontario journalist student (and friend of the Emily Chesley Society) attended the festivities and later that night, tape recorder running, approached Professor Ritter about his great achievement. He discovered that references to the divine Miss Chesley pop up at the most unexpected junctures.

(JS) The way you edit the players' interviews, it seems as though they tell a seamless story. Was every interview that straightforward?

(R) "Hell no. Some of those old coots were so far gone by the time I found them that it was all they could do not to wet themselves. Incontinent old bastards. Hey, some service here, buddy!"

(JS) "Are there any great stories that didn't find their way into the book."?

(R) "Oh yeah. Well, not great ones. More like ones that didn't fit. It was bourbon, sonny."

(JS) So what type of story wouldn't fit, Mr. Ritter?"

(R) Ah, ya know. Some guy getting the clap or who screwed around in what city or whose dick was bigger than whose and who liked to watch their pals fuck Norwegian girls. Typical locker room stuff. Just some ice, thanks. Or just some weird stories, like one from George Gibson - you know, the Canadian guy with the Pirates.

(JS) "I'm Canadian myself."

(R) "Yeah, that's right. Well Gibson came from this little place St. Thomas in Ontario. Ah, Jesus that hits the spot. He had this nickname, Moon or Moonie, and I asked him about it. How'd he get it, ya know, is there a good baseball story there. Make it a double this time, sport."

(JS) "Was there a good baseball story?"

(R) Naaa, it was something about some big boat disaster when he was small. Turns out his pa was one of the rescuers and came home raving about this woman's bum. 'Curvaceous buttocks' I remember Gibson kept saying. And I guess she was wearing thong underwear. Pretty risque for the time and everyone made a big to do out of it. She was a local author or a celebrity of some sort. Gibson had these apple cheeks when he was small and his dad thought they looked like this woman's butt, so he called the kid Moonie. So it turns out he was dubbed Moon Gibson after some woman's ass. Well I can't use that type of story. Had a hell of a time getting him back on topic, ya know. Get some story about Honus Wagner or something like that - something I could use, not about some female writer's ass. And get one for my friend, here, I think it was Scotch.

(JS) "Thanks. There was a great Canadian speculative writer living in London, Ontario at the time named Emily Chesley. Could she be the one George Gibson's father spoke of?"

(R) "Sounds about right. Chestley, Cheesley, something like that. He mentioned the name. Said his father kept some of her books locked away in his desk. Must have been some ass on that gal, but I couldn't get into it, though I remember the story well enough. I'm a tit man myself. Christ this tastes good. Anyway, gotta get back to my table, see ya."

-- "Scholarship" by The Member Formely Known as Panties

Note:
George "Moon" Gibson (1880 - 1967) played with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1905 to 1916. He later managed and coached the club during the 1920s, 30s and 40s before returning to southern Ontario. The origin of his nickname has never been adequately explained.