Group Boos Naming of Field for Herman

Glendale is proud of Floyd Daves (Babe) Herman.

It has been ever since the hometown baseball slugger wielded his mighty bat in 1920 to lead his high school team into the first playoff competition for the Glendale Nitros.

Local citizens continued to cheer their Babe’s exploits when he turned professional and, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, set team batting records that still stand. And the city was behind Herman in 1977, helping to mount a campaign for his election to baseball’s Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. The mighty Babe, alas, struck out. Several other attempts to get him elected to the Hall of Fame also have failed.

So it seemed only fitting that the city chose to honor the 82-year-old baseball star by naming a Little League diamond after him--fitting, that is, to everyone but the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Little League Assn.

The league protested the City Council’s decision two weeks ago to rechristen the Verdugo Little League Field on Canada Boulevard after Herman.

The association’s executive board favored recognizing Herman but wanted it done someplace else, William Bugbey, league general chairman, told the council.

“That is the Little League’s pride and joy,” Bugbey said of Verdugo Field, which was built in 1953 on city property with money and labor supplied by the league. The field was named in honor of the Verdugo family, Glendale’s original settlers, Bugbey said.

Bugbey’s remarks drew only criticism from the council, which proceeded to vote unanimously to rename the diamond Babe Herman Little League Field.

“I really am so annoyed by your selfish attitude,” Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg said, chastising Bugbey and the league. “As far as I’m concerned, it could be named Babe Herman Field and leave out the Little League.”

Herman, whose activities have been curtailed by a stroke he suffered last year, was unaware of the brouhaha.

Nevertheless, Herman is pleased to have a ball field bear his name.