Len Herzstein — among the Giants’ original balldudes
Len Herzstein, a skinny-legged klutz who developed a great following as one of the original balldudes for the San Francisco Giants, has died at 93.
Mr. Herzstein was a retired retailer and college math instructor before he spent 18 seasons happily clodhopping after foul balls. He worked as many as 28 games a year, and when the action was slow, he would show off his ballroom dance moves in hopes that the camera would find him. It always did, to the delight of TV broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, who gave Mr. Herzstein enough airtime to populate a highlights reel on YouTube.
“He loved it when Kuiper mentioned him. It didn’t matter if it was positive or negative,” said Mr. Herzstein’s son, Dave Herzstein, who confirmed his father’s death. Mr. Herzstein had just returned from a cruise to Alaska when he became ill. He was briefly hospitalized and died Friday. The cause of death was heart failure, his son said.
Leonard Eugene Herzstein was born Dec. 3, 1923, in Philadelphia, where he grew up. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and rose to the rank of ensign. While still in the service he was enrolled at the University of Notre Dame and then transferred to Stanford University where he earned his bachelor of science in electrical engineering in 1948. He was discharged, and returned to Stanford to earn his master’s, in 1949.
While at Stanford, he met a fellow student, Ruth Allan, and they married while still undergraduates. They settled in Redwood City, where they raised three children, Dave, Leonard Jr., and Sue. For 20 years, Mr. Herzstein commuted by train to San Francisco, where he was a vice president at Macy’s.
After the children were raised, Mr. Herzstein was divorced and moved to the hills of San Bruno to be near Skyline College, where he became an instructor of mathematics and business. He also served on the academic senate, and in his spare time worked as a dance host on a cruise ship, which is where he discovered his love for performance.
“He’s got a lot of Steve Martin in him,” said Kuiper while watching Mr. Herzstein do a box step on TV.
Every member of the volunteer foul ball shag team wears a jersey with the word “Balldude” stitched on the back, but Mr. Herzstein customized his by having his name added to it. It was not a home sewing machine job either. He tracked down the team supplier and got the job professionally done. He accessorized that with team-issue game pants that were invariably too short, drawing attention to his legs.
Mr. Herzstein first gained the notice of Kruk and Kuip when a sharp grounder he was attempting to field caught him on the toe. He sat down on his stool, took off his shoe and rubbed his foot. The cameras caught him and a legend was born. He became known as “Len ‘I hurt my Foot’zstein” and never failed to put on a show when a foul ball came his way.
“Len is built like Ichabod Crane, with huge feet that are like ball magnets,” Krukow told The Chronicle in 2011. He then predicted that in this particular game, as at any game Mr. Herzstein worked, “there will be something weird that happens where the ball will find him. It will hit his feet and rattle off of both knees or his chin or something like that.”
He considered himself part of the team. After a World Series victory in 2010, Mr. Herzstein slapped manager Bruce Bochy a high five and somehow lost his glove in the process. He was 87 at the time and unsure if he had it in him to break in another glove. But he was out there the following season for as many games as the team would allow. He always taped the games he worked, and after the game he’d race home to track his TV camera time and critique his performance.
“I am the Jewish ham,” he told The Chronicle.
During the 2012 season, the original group of balldudes, who started at Candlestick in 1993, were retired in a home-plate ceremony.
Giants President Larry Baer wrote a letter to Mr. Herzstein on his 90th birthday stating he “served as a model and inspiration for many others who longed to be ‘just like Len.’ We’re truly pleased to say that you’re part of our team’s history.”
In retirement, Mr. Herzstein served on the San Mateo Community College District Foundation Board, and the California High School Certification Board. A scholarship fund in his name is endowed at Skyline College. A memorial service will be held there at 1 p.m. Aug. 13. In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made to the Len Herzstein Scholarship Fund at Skyline College.
Survivors include sons Leonard of Winston, Ore., and Dave of Newark, daughter Sue Lloyd of Ben Lomond (Santa Cruz County), four grandchildren and one great-grandson.