Keith's dad?

[Frayed Knot]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hernan001joh

As discussed during the game tonight, Keith's father - who I remember from his book is named John - played with the Houston Buffs in 1947.
The birth date would be about right. The death date seems a bit early to me but maybe not and California is the likely spot.
It lists him as a righty hitter and 'unknown' thrower. I know he threw lefty and the righty hitting would seem unusual.
The team roster shows him playing 1B
The John [u:4jajnfyj]Jr,[/u:4jajnfyj] indicates that English names for a Spanish family goes back at least 3 generations now. At some point you'd expect to find a Juan mixed in.

[Guest Edgy DC]

His brother did the lefty/lefty thing.

Maybe his dad forced them both to develop the skill that he thought denied him his career.

[Frayed Knot]

I think both Keith & Gary are simply left-handed people.
I assumed dad was also if that's the hand he threw with but hitting is less a hand-specific thing. The data there could also be wrong.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yes, I was being absurdical.