In this second column, we are reading a 1956 newspaper that my neighbor found in his basement. The paper had been used to insulate his pipes. The sports page brought back memories from another era. The headlines sparked my interest: “Lopata beats Cardinals 4-2; Simmons goes all the way.”

I doubt if many of my younger readers remember Curt Simmons from the town of Egypt. Simmons pitched for Whitehall High School in 1947 and helped the team win three Lehigh Valley League championships.

On a warm spring afternoon in 1947, a large crowd gathered at Wolf Field in Northampton to watch the Whitehall-Northampton baseball game. Simmons was the starting pitcher for Whitehall. He faced a good Northampton hurler, Steve “Deets” Guttman. Guttman was also a great hitter and a three-sport athlete for the Konkrete Kids.

In the game, Simmons struck out 11 batters, and Guttman struck out 10. Whitehall beat Northampton 4-1 in a hard-fought game. Guttman and Simmons would later play for the Coplay American Legion baseball team. They would win two state baseball championships. The team was coached by the legendary Sammy Balliet.

Guttman died in 2021 and Simmons, the following year. Before their passing, I spoke to both men. Guttman remembered Simmons as a lean left-handed-throwing pitcher. He also recalled when Coca-Cola had a speed gun, and they clocked Simmons’ fastball at 100 miles per hour.

“When we played for the state American Legion Championship, one batter was so frightened about Curt’s speed, his legs shook,” Guttman said. “In the batter’s box, he took strike one, strike two and walked away. The umpire called the boy back. He replied, saying he saw enough of Simmons!”

Simmons also played for Egypt AA in the Lehigh Valley Twilight League before being drafted by the Phillies. He was given a $65,000 signing bonus, a tidy sum in the late 1940s. Simmons had a successful debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 1950, the Phillies won the National League Championship. In that year, Simmons won 17 games.

The Phillies would later play the New York Yankees for the World Series. Unfortunately, Simmons could not pitch in the 1950 World Series as he was called to active duty at the outbreak of the Korean War. While in the service, he would again meet Guttman, who was also serving in the U.S. Army. After his tour of duty, Simmons returned to pitch for the Phillies.

Simmons and his close friend Richie Ashburn made a surprise visit to the sixth-grade class at Whitehall Elementary School in Hokendauqua. One of the students at the school was this writer’s good friend Mike Bednar. The school was a short distance from his home in the unique village of Darktown.

“We were thrilled to see Curt and Richie. They were heroes to our students,” Bednar said. “Simmons spoke about his career and how important it was to study and do your best in school.”

Bednar’s father also saw Simmons develop into a great pitcher when he worked part time maintaining the athletic fields in Hokendauqua. He remembers when his father said Simmons was a hard worker, team player and a fine young man.

In 1960, Simmons was released by the Phillies and signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals. There, he won 33 games, appearing in the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees. Simmons ended his Major League career playing for the California Angels in 1967.

A few years ago, Simmons returned to his home in Egypt. A street and a baseball field at Egypt Memorial Park were named in his honor.

Curtis Thomas Simmons passed away Dec. 13, 2022, at the age of 93. He won 193 games in his career and pitched an amazing 163 complete games and 36 shut outs in his career.

Simmons’ baseball journey started in his hometown of Egypt and on the baseball fields of Whitehall High School and Coplay American Legion, reaching his dream by becoming a major league baseball player.