"Every detail at Yankee Stadium receives attention. Here at the 'Home of Champions,' considered by many the finest sports stadium in America, fans and players alike receiver the best possible attention. The physical welfare of the Yankees as well as that of the future prospects being developed on Yankee-operated farm clubs comes under the scrutiny of management. The maintenance of player uniforms, bats and other equipment is a must for good operation."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
"Handling the important training chores for the Yankees are two veterans of the Yankee organization, Gus Mauch and Joe Soares. Mauch has trained 10 Yankee pennant winners and previously served as a trainer for other sports. Soares has been in the Yankee organization for nine years and moved up from the Richmond farm club during the early-season illness of Mauch."
-1960 World Series Official Souvenir Program
GUS MAUCH (Trainer)
Guarding the health and physical well-being of each player is the responsibility of trainer Gus Mauch, a Yankee longer than any player he serves. He has been the trainer for nine Yankee championship teams, and before that served as trainer for college and pro football teams and in other sports. In the off-season he conducts a school for trainers in Kissimmee, Florida."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
"Handling the important training chores for the Yankees are two veterans of the organization, Gus Mauch and Joe Soares. Mauch has trained 10 Yankee pennant winners and previously served as a trainer in other sports. Soares has been in the Yankee organization for nine years and moved up from the Richmond farm club during Mauch's early-season illness."
-1960 World Series Official Souvenir Program
PETE SHEEHY AND PETE PREVITE (Clubhouse Men)
"Caring for the famed Yankee Pinstripe in spring training as well as at the Stadium during the season are two veterans of the Yankee clubhouse, Pete Sheehy, who has been a Yankee since 1927, and his assistant Pete Previte, who has been a Yankee since 1942. They make the Yankee clubhouse a model of attractiveness and cleanliness."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
HENRY MUNDINGER (Scoreboard Operator)
A REAL PUSH-BUTTON MANAGER!
Yankee Scoreboard Operator Handles 5,000 Keys
"There are push-button managers, push-button executives and push-button launch pads.
At Yankee Stadium, the Paderewski of the Scorecard is a genial button-pusher named Henry Mundinger. When Henry caresses buttons, he touches all the bases- 5,000 of them to be exact.
Mundinger is the electrician in charge of baseball's most elaborate scoreboard, an electronic pinball machine that never tilts, always runs true to form. It should. It costs $300,000.
'There are 5,000 buttons we are responsible for,' says Mundinger. 'It keeps us busy. No coffee breaks up here during a ball game.'
Mundinger, who hasn't missed a Yankee home game since 1947, plies his wizardry with the help of only one assistant.
'We go full speed during the game,' said Mundinger during a guided tour around his home away from home. 'Some ball games can wear you out. Like a double-header last August with Kansas City- 14 innings in the first game and 11 in the second.'
Having conducted his guest along the catwalks and ladders of the eight-story structure behind the right field bleachers, Mundinger then led the way to the 'nerve center.'
This is where the 5,000 buttons are located which control the main scoreboard and the two auxiliary boards in right and left field.
'There's really nothing to it once you know how,' said Mundinger as he caressed a row of buttons. 'I've got now so I can work these things while looking out the rear window. I guess people who work typewriters call it the system.
'We have plenty to do even before the game starts,' said Mundinger. 'We have to know the whereabouts of 1,000 buttons which control the lineups, umpires, outside-game information and the message unit in the middle of the board.'
Once the game starts, Mundinger and his aide skip from button to button with little time for small talk.
'That alpha-gram we have for messages has seven rows for 320 buttons for each row,' our guide explained. 'There are 40 buttons for each letter.
'Sometimes during a game, we change that maybe eight or nine times. As you can see, that doesn't leave us much time for the hunt-and-peck system of locating the right buttons. You have to be fast and right the first time.
'I get my information from the pressbox,' Mundinger revealed. 'Bill Hogan, one of our crew, has an open wire which leads to the control room here. The ball is pitched and Hogan will say 'ball one.' Then I press my buttons while at the same time keeping an eye on the field.
'Let's say the hitter then chops a dribbler down toward third and beats the play. I wait for the official scorer to relay the hit or error sign to Hogan, then he shoots the information out to me and I punch more buttons.' "
-Til Ferdenzi, New York Journal-American (Baseball Digest, December 1959-January 1960)
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