Memoir - Remembering Hampton Crabber Danny Mitchell

Randy Becker was pitching a no-hitter for Bethel that May afternoon in 1971. The Bruins led 6-0 against Hampton and Becker was having no trouble with the Hampton batters. My story said he set down 15 of the first 16 batters he faced.

That lone Crabber who reached base was Danny Mitchell, the catcher. How he wound up on base, I don’t remember, but as Daily Press reporters were the official scorers in the Peninsula District back then, I do remember that I initially called the play an error on one of the fielders.

Once back on the bench, it didn’t take Danny long to question my decision. He begged, he pleaded, he stated his case.

I was sort of amused by this big guy clamoring so passionately for a hit. I did tell him that I wasn’t going to end someone’s no-hitter on a call that questionable, but if somebody got a clean hit for Hampton, I would give him that hit.

Two innings later, in the sixth, Chet Hart came through with a clean single to break up the no-hitter. Guess who came to visit me in the bleachers? Yep, Danny Mitchell. Guess what he wanted? Yep, that hit.

If you look in the newspaper archives, it says Becker allowed three hits that day in a 7-1 victory, including a fourth-inning single by Danny Mitchell. Yep, I gave in to this big, burly, friendly, fellow.

In most cases, something like that would be quickly forgotten, but it became a running joke between us for 48 years. Almost every time I would see him, he would remind me that it was unquestionably a hit, that my judgement was, well, a bit lacking. Over the years, I suspect that hit morphed from a “maybe-it-was or maybe-it-wasn’t” ball to a clean single that I was trying to take away from him.

One Saturday afternoon many years later, I was leaving a football game at Todd Stadium at halftime, heading to the office to get the paper out that night. As I walked through the parking lot, I heard this booming voice from the top of the bleachers. “It was a hit, it was a hit.”

I looked up to see Danny, Mike Smith, Alvis Mann and the rest of Hampton’s coaching staff looking down at me having a good laugh. I laughed, too. Of course, I really didn’t need to look up. I knew immediately who it was.

While we mourn the loss of Danny Mitchell today, we cherish the memories. And his passion.

His passion for coaching the hundreds, if not thousands, of young men over the years. His passion for his wife Sindi, his children and grandchildren. His passion for his baseball team’s Crabberween fundraising for the food bank. And, of course, his passion for Hampton High School. I don’t think I ever saw him wear anything that didn’t have some red in it.

The tributes on Facebook, all over social media in fact, are endless and heartfelt.

Ken Stadlin, a Crabber and University of Virginia football player, said “Danny has been a mentor, a leader and really a Crabber institution for over four decades.”

Shavon Earp, a standout basketball player at Hampton and now a college coach in North Carolina, wrote “From the time I stepped foot into the halls of HHS as a 14-year-old, you held me accountable for all of my actions. You encouraged me, coached me, were tough on me and made me laugh. I appreciated it all.”

Dwight Vick, a former Hampton and Virginia Tech football player, recalled “I met you when I was 13 years old and you taught me so many Life Lessons that went beyond the football field. You challenged me to be a better person every day and helped me become a man.”

And, of course, there was the day a couple of springs ago when the City of Hampton and Hampton High School named the baseball field at Hampton the Danny Mitchell Field. It was a fitting tribute to a man who poured his heart and soul into that field and into Hampton High School.

One of the last times I saw Danny before I retired in 2015 was during the preseason. On a hot morning in August, I ventured down to the school to do the preview story on the Crabbers. As I walked up to the practice field, Danny was running his linemen through a drill. Then he spotted me.

In a voice that could only be described as booming and thunderous, he bellowed: “Look at that. The Daily Press thinks so little of us they send the worst reporter they’ve ever had down here to write about us. You’ve got to work harder so next time they might send a real reporter out here.”

That said, he walked over to me, gave me a hug and said “How you doing brother. Good to see you.”

It was always good to see Danny Mitchell.

For the record, Danny hit .340 that spring of 1971, highest on his team.

Uh, if I hadn’t changed that error to a hit, it would have been .320 . . . and I really never would have heard the end of it.

RIP Danny.

Lynn Burke served as a sports reporter for the Daily Press from 1971-2015, covering everything from High Schools, the University of Virginia, ACC Basketball and helped the launching of HRVarsity.com. He's been a frequent contributor and even guest co-host on ESPN Radio 94.1, and from time to time is called upon for his knowledge as a historian for us at VirginiaPreps.com. To reach Lynn, e-mail lburke53@gmail.com.