Talk:John Bateman

"Chick" was our neighbour in Pointe Claire, a Montreal suburb, from the inception of the Expos until he was traded to the Phillies in 1972. He and a few other players such as Gary Sutherland and Steve Renko, rented townhouses next door. A big, garrulous Texan, he and his wife, Freda, became good friends of our family. They enjoyed their time in Montreal immensely, even remaining in the city one offseason to experience a true Quebec winter. One of the great memories I have of Big John was watching his attempt to ice skate on the outdoor rink across the street with a few Jack Daniels to ward off the cold. They had three children, one from a previous marriage and brought them to our cottage in the Eastern Townships on occasion. Chick's hero was Lance Rentzel of the Dallas Cowboys and actually named his son after him. Always friendly and warm, he actually taught me to throw my first off-speed pitch, the classic "Circle Change". One day, he presented me with a large outfielder's glove inscribed with "Jimmy Wynn", a relic from his days in Houston when he was a teammate of "The Toy Cannon". We kept in touch with the family through Freda even after the couple separated. Few people knew that John played his entire career with only one functioning kidney as a result of an old football injury and he eventually died from kidney disease some time after retiring as catcher for Eddie Feigner in "The King and his Court".

Birthplace?

1969 Expos Media Guide Jeff (talk) 19:54, 21 May 2019 (UTC)