Nov. 27, 2008
Hall of Famer Burgess made baseball his life
Courtesy of London Free Press
Tom Burgess liked to say there wasn't a baseball park in North America that he hadn't either played or managed in.
The pride of Lambeth spent almost 30 years in professional baseball, playing in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels and coaching with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.
He was also a coach and manager in the minors with various organizations, including the Detroit Tigers, and recently spent his "retirement" years as a hitting instructor for Baseball Canada and its national teams.
He also did coaching clinics for Baseball Ontario.
Burgess, also known in this area as Tim, died at his home in Lambeth yesterday after a battle with cancer. He was 81.
"Baseball was certainly his life," said family friend Steve Boom of London.
"I remember one day we were at his house and he was showing us a picture on the wall from an oldtimers' game at Tiger Stadium. He said, 'There are four Hall of Famers in that picture -- can you name them?'
"I said to him, 'I know (pitcher) Bob Feller, (catcher) Yogi Berra and (umpire) Augie Donatelli are in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., but who's the fourth?'
"He said, 'It's me.' We'd forgotten he'd gone into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (in St. Marys)."
Burgess is also in the London Sports Hall of Fame.
He played with and against stars such as Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Hank Aaron, Whitey Ford, Ernie Banks, Warren Spahn, Carl Yastrzemski and Brooks Robinson.
