Baseball, books keep Minder happy

Costa Mesa resident Howard Minder doesn’t get around like he used to,

but that doesn’t prevent the 89-year-old Anaheim Angels fan from

frequenting a public library only blocks away.

In a twist of fate that only the American League West baseball

gods could conceive, Minder reads up religiously on his favorite

sports team at Mariners Public Library, though the branch isn’t named

for the division rival Seattle Mariners. Minder, born in Anaheim, has

followed the Angels team since its 1961 inception in Los Angeles.

Several librarians said they got used to seeing his wife,

Laurabelle, bring him to the library every day so he could check the

standings and read the latest Angels news.

Now, his lack of mobility prevents him from making his daily

rounds to the library, but he still comes in two or three days each

week. And he finds the library useful in other ways, too. He browses

the fiction racks about every other day to unearth hidden literary

treasures. Books authored by Mark Twain and John Grisham are usually

checked out quickly, he said, but sometimes Minder gets lucky by

locating “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” or “The Pelican Brief.”

The Daily Pilot’s Jeff Benson sat down with Minder to talk some

baseball and to discuss his life and times as a 58-year Costa Mesa

resident.

Where did you grow up?

I can’t even remember parts of my life about growing up. I lived

in Anaheim for many years before I bought a house in Costa Mesa. I’ve

been there ever since.

I went back to the Worlds Fair on Lake Michigan in 1933. I only

spent a dollar-and-a-half on a train ride. A lot of people were

riding the train back then. In 1934, I went to the University of

Chicago for a couple years, and I graduated in 1936 with a Bachelor

of Arts degree in Business.

My dad had an orange grove out west of Anaheim, and after I left

for Chicago, I found out he’d died of cancer. My mom sold the land,

and they later put apartments on it. She didn’t have a whole lot of

money, so she’s very, very lucky she sold it.

What did you do after that happened?

Well, I served in the U.S. Navy out of Okinawa. I got there right

in the middle of a typhoon -- now that’s something to experience.

I was there when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. That settled

the war. But we were more scared about what our own troops were

doing. Americans were shooting off rifles all over in celebration. We

were more of a danger to ourselves [laughs].

I was in an outfit that took care of photographs. We had to

develop them, print them and send them to the other various outfits

where they were going. Some of it was confidential, but I never got

to see what those looked like.

After your time in the service, what did you do for a living?

I was a real estate appraiser for Bank of America for 20 years. I

worked for about 12 years in Laguna Beach, and it’s really expensive

down there.

I bought my place down the street [in Costa Mesa] for about

$9,000, and it’s worth about $500,000 now. That was a pretty

expensive property back then, but it was one of the first tract homes

in Costa Mesa. So it had to comply with certain government

restrictions, so they could be able to offer it at that price. People

in those houses got good deals, but couldn’t afford really expensive

houses.

What do you like to do for fun?

I used to come down [to the Mariners Public Library] about every

day, but I don’t anymore. Now I’m here about three times a week. My

wife has to drive me over, because I can’t get around so well

anymore. Her name’s Laurabelle, but I call her “B.B.” mostly.

I’ll also look through the fiction books, and if there’s anything

good, I’ll take it out. I don’t know the authors very well. I don’t

even read them all the way through when I take them home because I

don’t read that fast. My wife’s the reader in the family and

sometimes I’ll get her some books, too.

What did you like the most about the library?

They had a gal here, and I think her name was Andi. Oh, what a

character! She always had a smart crack to make when I walked in.

Then I’d had a fall, and I was here with a cane. I was going to

walk home, and she walked me all the way down the street. She was a

wonderful lady, and she retired not too long ago. But I get to [know]

most people at the library real well.

You still carry a cane, but few people your age are such avid

readers. You must be in really good health.

Well, these help too (points to his glasses). I’d consider myself

in pretty good health. I go to a lot of doctors, though.

I had bypass surgery in 1997, where a special team of doctors at

Hoag hospital performed six bypasses on me, but I haven’t had any

problems since then.

You mentioned before that you’re an Angels fan. Do you still go to

any games?

I’d go to a few Angels games, but not too much anymore. I liked to

root for them, but a lot of times, there wasn’t too much to root for.

Now, I come to the library and read the L.A. Times sports page.

The Angels are a good team, but they need a little pitching help. A

few years ago, Mike Scioscia came over, and he’s a great manager.