A Baseball Life, Don Noboru.

[RebelArmy]

His neighbours hadn't seen him for around 2 days which was unusual for the elderly gentleman, the police had to break down the door after they got no reply.

On entering the house on N 16th Street they searched the ground floor rooms and found nobody, on searching the rooms upstairs they found Mr Noboru unresponsive in bed with the tv on. A police officer at the scene later said that the occupant had been watching baseball as the station was set to the BBAtv channel. The officer also stated that the gentleman's next of kin were being contacted by the Buffalo police department.

His obituary in the Buffalo Tribune was a short one.

'Widower Donald Noboru passed away in his sleep on Tuesday, he is proceeded by his daughter, grandson and grand-daughter.

If the reporter who wrote the obituary had taken his time to look through the archives he'd have learned that Donald 'Iron Man' Noboru was one of the most decorated baseball players to ever step foot on a ball field.

Early Days..

His baseball path started with the usual little league and high school teams, his father had left them when he was five so he relied on his mother to not only ferry him to games but to play catch.

"My mother knew how much I loved baseball so she read every book out of the library on baseball she could find, she was the best coach I ever had*.

With his father not in the picture and his mother picking up all the work she could and with money tight Don knew he had to leave school as soon as he could, finding a job was easy. Most of the big companies had a ball team, most were as professional as you could get so he signed up with the Lincoln Power Company.

The work was easy, you didn't do any if you were on the ball team, during the off season they had you do as little as possible after all they didn't want you injuring yourself.

In his four years prior to the BBA the Lincoln Power won 3 city championships and two state titles to boot, Don himself won two MVP titles. Heavily scouted it was just a matter of when a BBA team signed him.

Minor League Years.

1995 [URL=https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... _1995.html]Pahrump Ranchers. 60-60.

It was the Las Vegas Hustlers who persuaded him to play in the BBA, he could earn more money with the power company but he also knew the contracts would improve as time went on, so of to Pahrump he went.

The Pahrump Ranchers were the single A ball club of the Las Vegas Hustlers. It was the Ranchers inaugural season and it was a lower level than Don had been accustomed to in Lincoln.

*I'd have learned more staying in Lincoln, my mother was a better coach, I'd certainly have earned more although food and lodgings were thrown in. One thing for certain the games were easier than playing for Lincoln*.

He played only a few games for Pahrump, 26 to be precise. He never hit for power in his career, Noboru's game was all about getting on base and a .412 on base % showed the powers that be in Vegas knew he could get on base.

1996 Reno Tracks. 81-39.

He didn't stick around long with the Ranchers before he took the short journey to Reno, and the Reno Tracks the Lad Vegas AA team. The previous season Pahrump had finished an unimpressive 60-60, the Reno Tracks were different they finished 81-38 and went to the championship game were they faced the Parker Praying Mantis who were the Mexico City Aztecs AA ball club or as they were known then the Omaha Barnstormers.

*The Mantis didn't look tough, they didn't even win their league but they could play play off baseball".

1997 Marquette Suns. 72-58.

His final step in the minors before the bigs was with the AAA Marquette Suns, just like the Reno Tracks it was another 1st place finish and just like Reno it was a play off defeat to a 2nd place team the Syracuse Chiefs. The Chiefs were the AAA ball team of the Buffalo Bison a team that would appear in the young Noboru's eyes when he was much older and wiser.

2011 Anderson Joes. 60-60.

Father Time waits for no man, Don had come to the end of the road as far as his playing days went, it was time for a new journey.

Rubén Vargas, Anderson Joes.

"We sat next to each other in the locker room, we shared a room on road trips. He would talk about the bigs, I was taking playing time away from him but he was making me a better player with the experience within him, that was the kind of man Iron Man was".

Las Vegas Years.

1997 Las Vegas Hustlers. 106-56.

He came up at the end of the season, the Hustlers had reached the Play Offs after a 106 game win season. They went out in the Double Day Series to the Austin Riverbats.

" I was like a deer in the headlights, I didn't help the team at all. The papers said they'd brought me up too early, I never blamed them, it was all on me".

1998 Las Vegas Hustlers. 86-76

His second season in the bigs was an about turn from the short stint the previous season. He played in over 100 games and put up a .323 avg along with a .366 obp, however the Hustlers had won only 86 games just 10 above .500 and not even a play off spot.

"I know it was a disappointing season but I felt things were clicking into gear, we were better than our 86 wins gave us credit for".

1999 Las Vegas Hustlers. 91-71

A top finish in the Pacific League all be it by the slenderest of 1 game margins over the Calgary Marauders, another play off appearance was in store for the Hustlers and Noboru. With a star line to rival anyone on the Hustlers, Noboru was no longer a 24 year old youngster he was becoming a 24 year old veteran.

"Took me three seasons to feel part of the team, to feel I was earning my place".

2000 Las Vegas Hustlers. 85-77

Many say the Las Vegas Hustlers Dynasty started in 2001, those in the know say it started the previous year.

The Las Vegas Herald wrote, they aren't good enough to wear the uniform. That was three weeks into the season, the narrative never changed.

"The season had finished, we'd won 85 games not even good enough for a play off spot. The clubhouse was silent when Jimmy Slizz walked in, now Jimmy was a quiet man, a God fearing man but he let rip that day. Nobody tried to stop him, Nobody said a word, we hadn't played well enough, we hadn't tried enough, we'd thought we only had to turn up, it never happened again not while I played there and not when Jimmy played there".

2001 Las Vegas Hustlers. 96-66

With the words of Jimmy Slizz still ringing in their ears the Hustlers took to the field in 2001, Nobody not even the players knew what was on the horizon.

It was a tough season against the Calgary Marauders but the Hustlers finally overcame them by two games with a 96 win season. They easily overcame the Buffalo Bison in the Doubleday then moved into a 7 game thriller in the Cartwright against the Marquee Suns before finishing the season in a tight Landis against the Madison Wolves, it wouldn't be the last time they went seven games with the Wolves.

"I think it was spirit rather than skill that got us the Landis in 2001, once we got that first ring we started to believe in ourselves".

2002 Las Vegas Hustlers. 93-70

They were in the play offs again, another 90+ win season. They struggled against the Marquette Suns in the Doubleday Series in seven games, then came upon the Seattle Storm who they defeated in the league standings by 1 game. In the Cartwright it was all Seattle as the Storm only needed 4 games to dispatch the Hustlers 4-0.

" We relied upon team work but the icing on top of the cake was our pitching, Davey Acheson, Christopher 'Trooper' Stoller and Lorenzo Morales were arms that every BBA team were jealous of. The Storm had our number though, plain and simple.

2003 Las Vegas Hustlers. 94-68

They were 10 games back of the Seattle Storm in the league standings, however the Hustlers had learned how to win and they knew how to win play off baseball. They played Carolina in the Doubleday and best them 4-2, they faced Seattle in the Cartwright and took them in 6 games taking the series 4-2, they finished California 4-2 in yet another championship winning season, whispers were abound the BBA of a Dynasty.

"Baseball can throw you curveballs, I felt we were a better team in 2002 than 2003, yet we won a ring in 03 but didn't in 02, go figure".

2004 Las Vegas Hustlers. 97-65

They may have not won a championship in 2004 but they'd appeared in the play offs yet again, they'd won nearly 100 games (97). They took care of the Buffalo Bison in the Doubleday 4-2 but fell to New Orleans in the Cartwright 4-3, they could hold their head high though as the Crawdads had won 100 games that season.

Christopher 'Trooper' Stoller won 22 games in 2004 for the Hustlers. "I think it was many years later I realised, other Hustlers realised, the media realised and fans did as well how good Las Vegas was in that 10 year period".

2005 Las Vegas Hustlers. 97-65.

They'd won 97 games the previous season but fell short in the play offs, there would be no falling short on the back off 97 wins this season. They easily took care of Des Moines in the Doubleday 4-1, a nervous series in the Cartwright saw them dispatch Long Beach 4-3 before an easier 4-1 Landis win against Baltimore saw them claim another championship.

John Catron played in 160 games in 2004 although he only joined them in 2003, many say he was the cherry on top of the cake winning 3 championship out of the four seasons he was there.

" We were pretty much unbeatable, we got to the stage at the start of the season who were we going to beat in the Landis".

2006 Las Vegas Hustlers. 115-47

Four play off appearences and two championships in the bag brought the Hustlers into the 2006 season with a confidence, with a swagger. Some said they even looked too confident, 115 wins later and a third championship ring changed the Hustlers from a ball club into a Dynasty. It would take the Yellow Springs 9, thirty four years to break the 115 wins record the Hustlers put up that season

" We played Long Beach in the Cartwright then Vancouver in the Landis, winning both series 4-3 but never once did anyone in an Hustlers uniform think or say we could lose the series, we were confident, we were invincible".

2007 Las Vegas Hustlers. 90-72

It was there seventh play off appearance in a row, there 8th in 9 years. By the time the streak was over it was 10 Play off appearances in 11 years with 5 Championships adorning the Dynasty tree..

"We were 2nd to Long Beach in the standings, we'd won less games than Buffalo, we had no complaints in 2007" .

2008 Las Vegas Hustlers. 103-59.

All season it was win one for the thumb, after every sim the players and fans would raise their thumbs them plunge them down to acknowledge another win. It was like the Roman colostrum when the emperor would plunge his thumb down to end a gladiators life, everyone be it owner, players, coaches and fans wanted that fifth championship ring.

The Long Beach Surfers pushed them close in the league standings with an 100 game season, with the Hustlers prevailing with 103 win season. People thought it would be a bare knuckle fight in the Cartwright Cup but the Des Moines Kernels overcame the Surfers in the Doubleday to set up a Hustlers and Kernels tussle that went to seven games were Lad Vegas prevailed.

The Landis Series against the Vancouver Mounties was a let down, a let down for the baseball world but not for the Hustlers faithfull, a 4-1 series win brought the thumb ring to Vegas.

2009 Las Vegas Hustlers. 101-61

Two heavyweights had got to the championship game the Las Vegas Hustlers had finished the season 101-61 the Madison Wolves were 102-60, they couldn't separate them although Madison had seen of the 103-59 Vancouver Mounties so they had a slight edge.

It was a series for the ages, decades later they still talk about it seven games of two heavyweights going toe to toe. If it had been a boxing match it would have gone to the judges.

"I'd have loved to have been a fan watching that last series, it was great to play in but to sit in the bleachers for all seven games. I shook hands with Jaiden France at the end of game seven he said to me he was running on fumes, I told him that's why they'd won, i was running on empty along with a few other Hustlers".

2010 Las Vegas Hustlers. 83-79

They were paying the price, five champioships, nine years of play off baseball all within ten years, ten years of glory. It was this glory that took a strain on the Hustlers, it takes a strain on any dynasty and the Las Vegas Hustlers were no exception. Players were getting old, players they were drafting weren't as good as the players they were replacing. It was time for a rebuild and Don knew he would be one of those to pay the price.

" I have five rings, I have memories that will last till I pass but I love this game. The Hustlers aren't throwing me out but I won't play as much and Buffalo want me so this is it, but boy did we have some fun".

Buffalo Bison Years.

2011 Buffalo Bison. 68-94.

Remarkably his 24th season playing baseball was his first taste of defeat, in his diary Don wrote "I knew what I was getting into, Buffalo had only won 59 games the previous year". He was 36 and scouting reports said he'd slowed down, Bobby Hines contradicted those claims "He'd not actually slowed down, you look at his stats and they compare to his years in Vegas, just he didn't have the stamina to play 162 games. He used to joke with us, saying his nickname was "Iron Man" maybe he was getting rusty and his joints weren't moving as before".

2012 Buffalo Bison. 69-93.

In his final season in the BBA, Don only played in 35 games it was the lowest total since his rookie season. .326 avg and a .439 obp showed that he could still swing the bat, however he knew it was time "Came off the field today, for the first time I hit the locker room and it felt like Father Time was hitting my knees with a baseball bat".

Scouting Years. 37-60

He'd walked off the field the previous year, his final year as a professional ball player. Wondering what he was going to do with his life, an opportunity fell into his lap with the Buffalo Bison, his journey didn't end in Buffalo though as the team moved to Havana as the Sugar Kings then to San Fernando as the Bears.

Clubhouse Years. 60-65

Although his job title was Home Clubhouse Manager it was more than that, he was more than that. For the younger players he was a wide head, for the veterans he was the go between them and the manager of the time.

" The biggest thing you miss when you retire is the crack, the laugh you have with your teammates, I loved working in the clubhouse".

Ambassador Years. 65-70

It seemed as though baseball and the Bears hadn't finished with Don Noboru just yet. Not wanting to travel anymore he retired from being a scout to being the meet and greet face of the Bears, Chief Ambassador was his title his job description was talk to the fans over a pre game meal and tell stories between innings. He loved it, "I loved playing baseball, scouting was good but it wasn't the same, being an ambassador have me so much enjoyment, not as good as playing but it was mighty close".

Don's diary, memorabilia have been handed over to the baseball Hall of Fame, all bar two baseball gloves that were given to his grandson Jeff named after best friend and fellow Hustler Jeff Washington, the other went to Carla who was named after his wife.

My Uncle taught me about writing stories within OOTP, he said it's not about real life it's what's in your mind and what the stats say. You have artistic licence (Early Days, and other parts of this story), so use it.

[recte44]

Oh my. This was awesome

[cheekimonk]

Echo Matt's words. Don't know that I've seen something like this on the board before. Caleca may have been locked up early this year.

[RebelArmy]

Thank you both, I had an idea what I wanted to do and Noboru and the Hustlers fell into place.

[recte44]

Here was his actual post-playing coaching career:

https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... _2674.html

[jiminyhopkins]

Worth WAY more than 3 points. Awesome job.

Feel free to break up big articles into Part 1, Part 2, etc. in order to get the credit you deserve!

[RebelArmy]

Here was his actual post-playing coaching career:

https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... _2674.html

I never thought of statsplus, to be honest never being in a league, I'd heard of it in passing but didn't know much about it. In a way in glad with the info I'd still be writing.

[RebelArmy]

Worth WAY more than 3 points. Awesome job.

Feel free to break up big articles into Part 1, Part 2, etc. in order to get the credit you deserve!

Thank you, I wasn't sure what to do to be honest.