When former major league pitcher Wayne Twitchell would tell his version of how he met his wife of 39 years, the story involved her seeking
directions and him providing help.

In truth, both were out with friends when they met at a Southwest Portland pub.

"He was trying to protect my reputation," Barbara Twitchell said with a laugh. "It was 1970."

That chance meeting produced a marriage that stretched well beyond the 10-year major league career of the former Wilson High School star, who
died of cancer Thursday at 62.

Along the way, Twitchell, who was
inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, touched many other lives as a coach and friend, always willing to lend a helping hand and teach those who wanted to learn.

At the time Wayne met Barbara, he was pitching for the Portland Beavers, then the Triple A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Twitchell, the third-overall pick by Houston in the 1966 draft, spent four years in the Astros' organization before being traded to the Brewers. He appeared in two major league games that season and had an ERA of 10.80.

The following year, Wayne and Barbara were married before spring training.

"On Valentine's Day," she said with another laugh. "That way he would have to remember."

There was a lot of laughter in their lives. It offered levity to the uncertain world of pro baseball.

Twitchell thought he would make the Brewers out of spring training in 1971 but ended up traded to Philadelphia. He began the season with its Triple A affiliate, Eugene, and was called up for six games late in the season, allowing no earned runs in 16 innings.

Twitchell never pitched in minors again.

In seven years with Philadelphia, the 6-foot-6 right-hander went 33-43 with a 3.57 ERA. He was an NL All-Star in 1973 when he went 13-9 with a 2.50 ERA for the last-place Phillies.

In Philadelphia, the Twitchells lived the life of a major league couple. But they returned to Portland each offseason to remain grounded, Barbara Twitchell said. And, it was home.
Twitchellkick.jpegView full sizeCourtesy of Twitchell FamilyIn 1993, Wayne Twitchell went 13-9 with a 2.50 ERA for the last-place Philadelphia Phillies and was named to the National League All-Star team.

Wayne Twitchell took classes at Portland Community College and delved into his other passion, steelhead fishing.

"Every night I came home there would be a fish in the sink," Barbara Twitchell said.

In 1976, their first son, Matthew, was born. In 1977, Twitchell had been traded to Montreal where he spent two seasons. Then, in 1979, he was
sent to the New York Mets and finally to Seattle.

That year the moves stopped when Twitchell appeared in only four games with the Mariners and was forced to retire because of knee injuries.

"It was hard to make the transition in respect that he loved the game so much," Barbara Twitchell said, remembering the way her ultra-competitive
husband used to dissect his performances late into the night after games. "But he was happy enough to quit playing while he could still walk easily."

The family returned to Portland for good. Patrick, the couple's youngest son, was born in 1980. Twitchell got into the real estate business, but baseball never out of mind.

Both boys played the game as kids, but never at the urging of their father.

"He was a very loving father," Patrick said. "When it came to sports he was really open to kind of let us choose what we wanted to do."
twitchellbeavers.jpegView full sizeCourtesy of Twitchell FamilyWayne Twitchell spent the 1970 season with the Portland Beavers while a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization. That was the same year he met Barbara, his wife of 39 years.

Matthew, who grew to be 6-foot-5, was a star pitcher at Wilson in 1993 and 1994. But his father never showed favoritism.

"He treated me the same as anybody else," Matthew said.

It was at Wilson that Wayne Twitchell began to have an influence on another promising young pitcher, Joey Mahalic, who is now in the Cleveland organization.

Mahalic said having a former big leaguer like Twitchell, who once walked the same high school halls as he did, coaching him made all the difference for his development

Twitchell passed on advice not only about the fundamentals of pitching, but about the mental combat between pitchers and hitters. Also, about the toll of being on the road.

Mahalic, a 32nd-round draft pick by Cleveland in 2007, kept in touch with Twitchell after graduation. They went to lunch in February before Mahalic reported to spring training.

"Just to hear someone like him give advice and know that he had done it was great," Mahalic said. "The lunches that we had made a big mark on my life and my career."

Twitchell remained a full-time volunteer coach at Wilson for 10 years after Matthew had graduated. His final full season was 2004. But he would show up for 6 a.m. practices during the preseason to help pitchers prepare for the upcoming year.

“He was a great story teller,” Wilson coach Mike Clopton said. “Very quiet and unassuming for a guy that had achieved what most kids wanted to. Giving instead of taking. He made the game real simple so the kids would understand it. He was very calming for the pitchers.”

Matthew can't recall his father's playing days. Patrick hadn't been born. Their father, who often took his boys fishing and hunting, rarely recounted his glory days unless someone
asked.

"He was always modest," Matthew said.

But it's still nice to hear about their dad's exploits on the mound and that people remember him.

When Matthew's oldest son was born three years ago in Newberg, it turned out
that the doctor had lived in Philadelphia and remembered Twitchell.

"He asked me one day if I by any chance was related to him," Matthew said.

"And I said, 'Yes, that's my father."

'Hud' scribe Irving Raveth dies
Oscar-nominated screenwriter also wrote 'Norma Rae'
By SHALINI DORE


"Hud" and "Norma Rae" scribe Irving Ravetch died Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. He was 89 and had been ailing for some time. Ravetch and his wife, Harriet Frank Jr., were Oscar-nommed for adapted screenplay on both pics.

Together they penned 18 other films between the 1960s and 1980s. Beginning in 1957, the couple collaborated on critically acclaimed screenplays for pics including Paul Newman starrers "Hombre," and "The Long, Hot Summer" besides adapting 1963's "Hud."

Other films the two co-wrote include "Conrack," "The Reivers," "The Sound and the Fury," "Home From the Hill," "The Cowboys," "Murphy's Romance" and "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs."

They were jointly given the Writers Guild of America's Laurel Award for their screenplays.

After graduating from UCLA, Ravetch joined MGM's young writers training program, where he met Frank, whom he married the following year in 1946.

For nearly a decade he mostly penned oaters such as "Vengeance Valley" until he and Frank pitched "The Long, Hot Summer," an adaptation of William Faulkner's "The Hamlet," to producer Jerry Wald.

When Wald asked Ravetch to suggest a director he proposed Martin Ritt, beginning a relationship that led to eight films, kicking off with 1958's "Summer" and including "Hud," "Norma Rae," "The Sound and the Fury," "Murphy's Romance" and "Stanley and Iris."

In an introduction to a New American Library book reprinting three Ravetch/Frank Jr. screenplays, Ritt wrote: "Our whole lives are intertwined in this work, from 'The Long, Hot Summer,' back in the '50s, on. I am proud of the movies we've made together and consider several among them the finest of my career."

Ravetch is survived by his wife, Frank; a sister and a brother.

Actor Keiju Kobayashi dies at 86
Sunday 19th September, 02:19 AM JST

TOKYO —
Japanese actor Keiju Kobayashi, whose earnest performances endeared him to viewers throughout a nearly seven-decade long career, died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital Thursday, his agency said Saturday. He was 86.

A Gunma Prefecture native, Kobayashi made his movie debut in 1942 and gained popularity in the 1950s by starring in a series of comedy films featuring salaried workers with ordinary man-next-door personalities. Appearing in about 260 movies and TV dramas with his roles ranging from prime minister to police detective, Kobayashi received medals of honor from the government for his longtime achievements and cultural contributions.