Dolph Camilli, MVP
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Raymond Krasnick [letters, Oct. 24], pleading with Washington Redskins fans to support their team through thick and thin, suggested that Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Dolph Camilli was among baseball players who "couldn't bend low enough to reach a grounder to first base."
As a distant relative of Camilli, I cannot allow this negative assessment to go unchallenged.
Dolph Camilli had an outstanding career with the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. In 1941 he was the National League's Most Valuable Player, leading the league in home runs and runs batted in as the Dodgers won their first pennant since 1920. He held Dodger home run records until the 1950s.
While not a great fielder early in his career, Camilli improved enough to lead the league in assists and fielding percentage. He recorded the last out of Babe Ruth's career.
He lived to be 90 and had good genes -- his son, Doug, was a catcher who played for the Sandy Koufax-era Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1960s.
Michael DeFrancesco, Reston
