Page 12 - CAA-2026-FullBook-withCover

THROUGH DECADES WITH THE A’S ED BAIRD

CRAFTS AN UNPARALLELED LEGACY IN CHATHAM

MAGINE A WORLD where Ed Baird was never a Chatham Since 2011 Ed can be found at the Veterans Field merchandise
Angler. Just picture a universe where the man affectionately booth, handling his game day and Treasurer duties. Baird’s
Idubbed “Big Ed” never found his way to Chatham, turning 80 after this upcoming summer, and he’ll be the first to
Massachusetts. Never toed the Veterans Field rubber. Never tell you he’s not as young and spry as he once was when he first
found himself sitting in the Anglers merchandise booth, the earned the moniker “Big Ed.” But no matter how hard he tries, he
very one that he’s managed for just can’t pull himself away from the A’s.
the past 15 summers. It seems so
farfetched, you wouldn’t believe Baird said, “the three summers I spent
how close it was to reality. playing in Chatham were the best
three summers of my life on and off
Here’s how George Greer remembers the baseball field”. He goes on to say
it. Back in 1965, he and Baird were “Chatham is a great place to spend
playing on UConn’s freshman squad. the summer, I’ve been very lucky”. Ed
Baird suffered a knee injury, and continues to be close friends with several
during his rehab he went home to of his former teammates and he enjoys
Greenwich, Connecticut where he getting together with them when they
wasn’t really thinking about summer visit Chatham.
ball. However Greer was thinking
about summer ball, and he accepted And Chatham is a place that, in all
an invite to play in Chatham from likelihood, Ed may have not discovered
manager Joe “Skippy” Lewis. without that call from Greer. Once Baird
agreed to come to Chatham in 1965, he
At some point over the course of the summer, a pitcher on the took a bus from Greenwich, CT to Chatham. In 1966 Ed took
Chatham roster got hurt, and the A’s were looking for pitching. a train from his home to Greer’s hometown of Westerly, Rhode
Greer knows a guy, so he calls Baird. No dice. He calls him again. Island, and from there, Greer picked him up to take him to
Still no. He calls him a third time, but Baird was not certain Chatham. In 1967 Baird made his way to Chatham in his own
his knee was strong enough to play, so for the third time, no. car.
Alright, fine. Maybe the fourth call’s the charm.
His arrival was highly anticipated. Before Baird had even gotten
“I called Ed: ‘No.’ I called Ed: ‘No.’ I called Ed: ‘No.’ The fourth call Ed to Chatham, Billy Cheslock — the A’s first baseman back in 1965
said ‘Yes,’” Greer said. “You have to talk Ed into doing something, — remembers Greer telling the team that there was a new kid
and you can’t take no for an answer.” coming to town, one that threw “flames,” as he described it.

The Angler organization was thankful that Baird finally changed That assessment wasn’t all that inaccurate.
his mind, because you’d be hard-pressed to find a man who is
more important to the Anglers than Ed. After that fateful fourth “He threw a fastball that — it was a heavy ball, you know what
call, Baird relented and finally decided to head to the Cape, I mean?” Cheslock said. “It’s like having an 80, 90 mile-an-hour
kickstarting an illustrious three-year playing career in Chatham. brick thrown at you. That’s the way all the hitters described it.”
He was arguably the best pitcher on the 1967 A’s squad that
claimed the club’s first Cape Cod Baseball League championship. Despite his late arrival, Baird blew the league away in that first
Future New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson was Ed’s year, holding batters to a miniscule average of just 4.05 hits per
battery mate on that championship team. nine innings — which was a league record for 11 years — and a
0.45 earned run average which is still the A’s team record today.
After three years of stardom, Baird moved on from the A’s, As Cheslock stood at first with Ed on the mound, hitters would
trying his hand at minor league baseball for two years before often get on base and ask him the same questions.
moving on to work in the financial world until he retired. But
something about Chatham just kept him coming back. At first “Who is this guy? Where did he come from?”
sporadically, the occasional visit here and there, until former
A’s manager John Schiffner convinced him to join the Chatham Cheslock wasn’t there to witness Baird’s following two years
Athletic Association as its treasurer in 2011. John and Martha in Chatham, but it’s not like he missed anything novel. They
Shiffner have graciously hosted Ed in their home since Ed were simply a continuation of the success Baird displayed in his
rejoined the organization. Ed considers them family and the debut campaign.
feeling is mutual.
10 2026 CHATHAM ANGLERS YEARBOOK