Stewart makes Geneva a family affair

By Paul Gotham

GENEVA, N.Y. — It was a simple gesture. Luke Stewart used a pen and signed his name on a baseball. Ink to rawhide, it’s been done so many times. Fans wait in lines with money in hand to receive an autograph from professional athletes.

Stewart, though, accepted no compensation, and he didn’t make anyone wait in line.

But a walk of 375 feet or so was required. At least that’s how far John Oughterson had to go during a New York Collegiate Baseball League game earlier this season to get the ball from Stewart’s first home run hit in a Geneva uniform.

Later, without being asked, Stewart autographed and returned it to Oughterson, Geneva’s Executive General Manager. In doing so, Stewart created a bridge to Geneva baseball past, from decades of professional ball to the current amateur status.

Oughterson, or “Johnny O.” as he is affectionately known, set the memento in a case on his desk next to another ball signed 30 thirty years ago by Stewart’s dad, Chuck.

“He actually went and retrieved it during the game,” the younger Stewart said of the home run ball. “He handed it to me. It was a good idea to put it in his office next my dad’s.

Side by side, father and son autographed baseballs – Chuck Stewart 1982, Luke Stewart 2012.

The Chicago Cubs selected the elder Stewart in the 25^th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft.  Then 21-years old, Chuck Stewart left his home in Wayne, NJ and came north to play for the Cubs Class A affiliate, Geneva Cubs of the New York-Penn League.

“Almost thirty years to the day,” Chuck Stewart said when comparing his arrival in Geneva to Luke’s.

“It was pretty much my first time away from home,” Chuck Stewart recalled. “I went to college at William Patterson. I stayed at college, but it was only a half hour away.”

Stewart’s professional career started well as he connected for two home runs within his first two weeks with the Geneva Cubs. Like father, like son, Luke connected in his first game with Geneva. He hit another round-tripper in his seventh game.

Chuck Stewart played 32 games behind the plate for the Geneva Cubs. His season was cut short as the result of an injury suffered when he was hit by a pitch. He played three more years of professional baseball making stops in Salinas, Lodi, Miami and the Quad Cities.

His memories of McDonough Park and Geneva remain intact.

“It was a great summer of pro ball. I lived with a family on Lyceum Street. I used to get them tickets to go to the game. I remember playing the Yankees in Oneonta. The White Sox played in Niagara Falls.”

When Luke got a chance to come to Geneva for the summer, he didn’t hesitate.

“Once we found out, he was all for it,” Luke explained of the decision to play in the NYCBL. “He played there of course and wanted me to kind of experience the same thing in the city and all. There was a local college league in Florida, but I figured it would be good to go to New York and experience this.”

Luke was encouraged to come to New York by his brother’s former college teammate. Ollie Bertrand and Charlie Stewart played together at Flagler College. Bertrand, a four-year veteran of the NYCBL and current coach of the Geneva Twins, sold the idea of playing in the NYCBL to Luke.

“Once he told us about the league,” Luke said of Ollie. “I was all over it.”

With that the younger Stewart planned to leave  his home in Port Lucie, FL for the summer and head to Upstate New York.

Luke started the season with the Geneva Red Wings.  When injuries occurred, he was able to make the switch to the Geneva Twins and reunite with Bertrand.

Luke also got a pleasant surprise after making a switch to the Twins. When handed his uniform, Johnny O. showed a flair for the nostalgic.

“I didn’t even remember my number,” the elder Stewart admitted. “I looked it up and sure enough.”

Two was already Luke’s favorite number because his favorite player is Derek Jeter. Now, Luke honors his dad and wears the number of his favorite player.

Luke has 13 RBI and five extra base hits this summer. His Geneva Twins recently clinched a spot in the NYCBL playoffs which begin this weekend.

“Everything has been going good,” Luke said of the summer. “I am meeting a bunch of guys from all over the country while playing baseball. I can’t complain.”

Luke has earned a reputation as a contact hitter. He did not strike for two full seasons during his time in little league.

“We had a batting cage in the side yard,” Stewart explained. “It was a lot of practice. And then my brothers (Charlie and Mark) and I would play wiffle ball. That would get very competitive. Striking out was not something you wanted to do.”

Luke and the Geneva Twins open the 2012 NYCBL playoffs on the road. They will play at Hornell, Friday night before returning to McDonough Park for game two on Saturday.

Starting in 1958 and running until 1993, Geneva was the farm team for six different Major League franchises. The Cincinnati Reds sent their farm hands, including Tony Perez and Pete Rose, to McDonough Park from 1958-1962. The Washington Senators took over from 1963-68. Pittsburgh’s Pirates spent the summer of 1969 near the shores of Seneca Lake. The Senators returned in ’70 and ’71 before giving way to the Texas Rangers in ’72, and the Minnesota Twins sent their draft picks in 1973. After three dormant summers, baseball returned with the Cubs through 1993.

Dave Herbst, owner and manager of the Geneva Red Wings, brought baseball back to the “Big Mac” with the NYCBL.

The New York Collegiate Baseball League, founded in 1978, is a summer wood bat development league for professional baseball. Major League Baseball funds a small portion of the league’s annual budget. The league gives college players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats and be evaluated by scouts. Current major leaguers Brad Lidge, Tim Hudson, Dallas Braden along withHunter Pence have all spent time in the NYCBL.

The NYCBL. Sending players to the pros since 1978.