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Baseball History

67RedSox

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Silas is right...it's time for a little baseball history and since the Rockies' pitching staff (other than Wilton Lopez) is throwing like HOFers I thought it appropriate to mention a couple of Hall of Famers today. It was on this date in 1921 that one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all-time was born, Warren Spahn. Unfortunately, he was just ahead of my time...at least his good years were. Some say he's the greatest LHer of all-time although I'm sure you'll get an argument from some that maybe it was Lefty Grove or Sandy Koufax (the best pitcher I ever saw) or Whitey Ford, Steve Carlton or Randy Johnson. You might be surprised what Spahn considered made him as good a ML pitcher as he was. It was something that he shared in common with another HOF pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm, who on this date in 1952 hits a HR in his first time to the plate in the Majors. In his second plate appearance he triples and, you know, he never hit another HR or triple in the rest of his 21 year ML career.
Besides being HOF pitchers Spahn and Wilhelm shared something else in common...they were decorated WWII soldiers. I can't use the term 'hero' because Spahn would never allow himself to be called a hero...he reserved that distinction for the soldiers who died on the battle field.
Spahn was a Sergeant with the 9th Armored Division and fought in the snowy, frozen Battle of the Bulge, getting nicked by bullets in the abdomen and back of the head. Crossing France and Belgium, his division arrived at the Rhine River and the Ludendorff railroad bridge at Remagen on March 7, 1945. While retreating, the Nazis had destroyed every intact bridge but the one at Remagen. The demolitions were in place, but for some reason they had never pushed the plunger. The bridge’s defense was crucial to the Allies for delivering men, vehicles and equipment to the German heartland. On March 9, Sergeant Spahn and his 276th combat battalion were ordered to the bridge to remove the demolitions, repair the bridge, maintain it, and construct a second span for two-way traffic. Working furiously to maintain the girders, Spahn and Co. were bombarded by V-2 rockets while troops, tanks, and trucks crossed above them. Spahn received an assignment at a meeting over the center of the bridge and walked off to explain to his platoon that they’d be taking over the bridge’s security at 4 p.m. At 3:56 the bridge, possibly overloaded, certainly bombarded, slipped into the river, leaving 28 soldiers dead, 93 injured, and Sergeant Spahn with shrapnel in his left foot. Having crossed the Rhine, however, the Americans were able to protect a second bridge and other smaller pontoon bridges they built. Surgeons removed Spahn’s shrapnel.
Like Spahn, Wilhelm also saw action Overseas, a lot of it. He spent three years in the service, seeing a lot of combat in Europe and receiving the Purple Heart for wounds he received at the Battle of the Bulge. Spahn and Wilhelm both earned Purple Hearts, but Spahn alone received the Bronze Star and on June 1, 1945, he was the only ballplayer given a battlefield promotion, from staff sergeant to second lieutenant. In all, he earned a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a battlefield promotion, and a Presidential citation. That made him the most decorated ballplayer in World War II.
It was those experiences as soldiers that matured Spahn and Wilhelm and helped make them the ball players they became and made playing the game anything but work.
 

Silas

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Wow, I didn't realize Spahn and Wilhelm had such impressive military records. They were certainly heroes even if they didn't see themselves as such.

I agree that Koufax is the best LH ever, at least, like you 67Rs, the best I ever saw. I saw Spahn, too, though not in his glory years. Steve Carlton was another great LH and Clayton Kershaw has shades of Koufax, but has a long way to go to ever draw an equal comparision.

Of course, in the earlier days of the game you had Babe Ruth, who was a great LH pitcher before lauchning all those HR's. Perhaps the best LH of that early ERA was Smokey Joe Wood. Many at that time considered him the best LH pitcher ever, though his career as a pitcher was prematurely cut short due to arm troubles. He did continue as a pretty fair hitting OF'er for a few years.

I guess Wilhelm, after hitting that HR and Triple decided once was enough!!
 

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Spahn and Wilhelm what a couple of slackers.

Colorado just inducted local boy and ex Dodgers pitcher Stan Williams into the Colo Sports HOF. Apparently he was a teammate of Koufax and Drysdale and he said that Koufax was just lucky. That Koufax always happened to pitch on the day the other team wasn't going to score any runs. lol
 

67RedSox

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I remember Stan Williams well...but more as a Yankee than as a Dodger although most of his fame came as a Dodger including a WS Ring. Silas might remember him as well especially from the '62 Dodger-Giant playoff series. He was, for his time, a pretty big guy and that intimidated a few batters I'm sure.
 

smf52

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I only saw Koufax on TV during the WS because it predated my infatuation with baseball but I still think he was the best lefty I ever saw.

It's nice to have our history lesson back.
 

67RedSox

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His (Koufax) last season at age 30 was, arguably, his best. At least he's managed to enjoy over 40 years as a HOFer and there's precious few of those guys...I bet Ron Santo would have died fulfilled had he even 1 year to enjoy the recognition. smf52, at least you got to see him at his best even if it was briefly in the WS. Despite his 4-3 record in the Series his ERA was 0.95. At least you keyed into Baseball and the Cubs (as I did) at just the right time...late 60s and early 70s when there were 5 guys in uniform who would go to the HOF (albeit one of those 5 not necessarily being one of your favourite Baseball people...Leo the Lip)
 

smf52

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I don't really consider Durocher a Cub after the way he treated Santo and dear Ernie
 

Silas

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Yes, I do remember Stan Williams. When Koufax pitched we always expected him to toss a no-hitter. He did it four times and was just simply amazing.

I do remember one game, though........Koufax v. Marichal at Dodger Stadium. They both got knocked out of the box in the 1st inning and each gave up 5 runs. Even the great ones get tagged once in awhile.
 

Silas

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The first player ever walked intentionally with the bases loaded was Nap Lajoie, Philadelphia A's, on May 23, 1901.
 

67RedSox

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Great tidbit of info, Silas. I didn't know it but will use it in the future as a trivia question. Incidently, 1901 was when Lajoie jumped to the upstart American League Athletics from the crosstown NL Phillies. He gave creedence to the AL and it never looked back. He won the first Post 1900 Triple Crown that year. He ended up in Cleveland the following year because of all the legal crap that followed his defection and began a new era in the Game that is richly interesting. I've never really given those years the time it deserves and should. Thanks for the mention.
 

Silas

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The player with the most career inside-the-park homeruns was Sam Crawford with...........51!!! :clap:
 

67RedSox

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...and you thought April 26th was just another day but did you know it was on this date in 1900 that one of the most accomplished power hitters in the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s, Hack Wilson, was born. He stood all of 5'6" tall but weighed 210 lbs and played the Outfield for the Cubs. In 1930 he slammed a NL record 56 HRs that stood for 68 years until the juicers topped it. His 191 RBIs that season set the ML record that no one has come even close to topping since. One thing Hack could do almost as well as hit was consume alcohol and he played more than one game hung over. One blistering hot afternoon the Cubs pitcher was getting hit hard and the Cubs Manager, HOFer Joe McCarthy (who would later manage the Yankees to 7 WS Crowns ) became very irritated with him and had to do something he never liked to do and that was go out to the mound. The pitcher was just as irritated with McCarthy for coming out and a heated discussion began. Wilson saw this break in the action as an opportunity to take a break so he laid down in the OF grass while they were having it out. McCarthy takes the pitcher out of the game and as he was walking off the mound the pitcher heaved the ball into the outfield. The ball banged against a metal sign on the OF wall with a clang. The noise startled Hank as he lay on the grass, eyes closed. Thinking a batter had hit the ball up against the wall, he sprang to his feet, chased down the ball and rifled a throw into the infield. Hack received a round of applause from some fans and the players from both teams.
It was on this date in 1904 that some guy by the name of Cobb, Ty Cobb, made his pro baseball debut playing for the Augusta (Georgia) Tourists in the old "Sally" League which then was a Class C league.
Something happened on this date in 1905 that had never happened before or since in a ML game...Jack McCarthy a Cubs OFer becomes the first and only ML outfielder to start three double plays in a single game when he throws out three runners trying to score in one game. The 36-year old flychaser's assists help the Cubs to beat Pittsburgh, 2-1.
On this date in 1941 Wrigley Field becomes the first ML ballpark to employ an organ to entertain fans. No, smf52 was not in attendance at that game...it was almost 30 years before her time but she might have been at the a game that took place on this date in 1995...Coors Field makes it debut as the Rockies defeat the Mets in 14 innings, 11-9. The length of the game ties the National League record for the number of innings played in a season opener. Joe Girardi bangs out 4 Hits in the game and Larry Walker wins it in the 14th with a walk-off 3 Run shot. The game started at 5:38 PM and took almost 5 hours to play. Game time temperature was 42 F so it probably wasn't the most comfortable of games to either play in or watch from the stands.
Finally, on this date in 2002 not wanting to assign blame for the worst start in the team's history, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd dismisses manager Buddy Bell. The 6-16 club will now be piloted by Clint Hurdle, the Rockies' Hitting Coach of six years.
 

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Coors Field makes it debut as the Rockies defeat the Mets in 14 innings, 11-9. The length of the game ties the National League record for the number of innings played in a season opener. Joe Girardi bangs out 4 Hits in the game and Larry Walker wins it in the 14th with a walk-off 3 Run shot. The game started at 5:38 PM and took almost 5 hours to play. Game time temperature was 42 F so it probably wasn't the most comfortable of games to either play in or watch from the stands.

I went to that game and i have a few memories to share..

A. As I was walking up to Coors Field a car full of black guys drove by and yelled fuck you, you white motherfucker! I just stood there in shock and another guy who heard them came up to me and looked at me and we both just burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

B. Got to my seats and the guy next to me had brought his young son, maybe 4 or 5. The game hadn't even started and the kid was asking when they were leaving. I consider that a waste of a ticket but I guess the guy will have memories of taking his son to the game, even if the son was wishing he was somewhere else.

C. I thought Dante Bichette hit that 14th inninng walk-off?
 

Denver&Gators

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I enjoy the history lessons especially about players I have never heard about or the great ones I never got to see play.... But I guess in 30 years I'll be the guy with the memories.

Yeah it was Dante Bichette who hit that homer run. I distinctly remember his fist pump after he hit that ball.
 

smf52

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Thank you 67RS for noting that I was not in attendance for the 1941 debut of the Wrigley Field organ. Almost 30 years later I was there very often and still think to this day that organ music is what sounds best in a ballpark.

Unfortunately I did not get to go to the Coors Field debut in 1995 but I was there many times that summer and do think it is one of the greatest places on earth which is a slogan, maybe not verbatim, that the Rockies used to put on the Jumbotron during their fun introductory video prior to the game. I watched and listened to the game however and agree with Denver & Gators that Dante was the one who hit the walkoff HR in the 14th inning. Bichette says that HR is one of his fondest memories as a player.

My first game at Coors Field happened to be the first time Bret Saberhagen pitched after his acquisition. That trade was announced when the team was en route back to Denver and the entire plane erupted in a cheer as they felt that move showed that management believed in that team and was going to do what they could to get to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the game I saw with Saberhagen pitching was probably his best one as a Rockie as he developed almost immediate shoulder soreness.
 

smf52

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I doubt that this front office would do very much to solidify the pitching staff if it looked like the Rockies had a chance to get to the playoffs.
 

67RedSox

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It had to happen sooner or later in the Major Leagues…a pitcher hitting a HR on the very first pitch he saw in his very first plate appearance…and it finally happened on this date in 1929 when Clise Dudley of the Brooklyn Dodgers hits the first ever pitch he sees for a HR at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Dudley was a relief pitcher at that. There have been 22 players hit a HR on the first pitch they saw in the Majors including one in a Rockies’ uniform...1B Jay Gainer in 1993. Incidentally, the Baker Bowl was one of baseball’s most unique ballparks. When it opened in 1887 it was considered the finest ballpark in the country and by the time the last game was played there in 1938 it had been a joke for years. The RF wall was a mere 280’ from home plate but there was a 60’ high wall and screen to get over…imagine the Green Monster and then add 23’ to it but move it about 30’ closer to home plate.
Yes, this did really happen…though hard to imagine. Bud Clancy played 1B for the White Sox and on this date in 1930 he played an entire 9 inning game without once touching the ball when it was in play. Now that has to extremely rare… even rarer than the Monforts having a thought that a Baseball team is anything more than a business venture.
Another one of those…yes, this did really happen. Cardinal Manager, Gabby Street, was fined on this date in 1932 for…are you ready…talking to a spectator. Yes, the NL had a rule then that prohibited talking to spectators. Of course, someone with the name, Gabby, was going to break that rule.
It was on this date in 1961 that the Los Angeles Angels played their first ML home game at Wrigley Field (West). Guess who threw out the first pitch…Ty Cobb who was battling prostate cancer and just a few months away from death. Here, in Cobb’s own words, is how he summed up his life…”I had to fight all my life to survive. They all were against me, tried every dirty trick to cut me down. But I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch.”…He stayed in character right to the end.
On this date in 1981 we were at the height of Fernandomania when rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 4th shutout in 5 starts when he beats the Giants 5-0 at Chavez Ravine. The 20 year old lowers his ERA to 0.20.
On this date one year ago today the Rockies are flying pretty high. They are above.500 as they clobber the Mets 18-9 at Coors Field behind a 19 hit attack. Despite the number of runs the Rockies score in only 3 different innings but do see 11 runners cross the plate in the 5th inning alone. The wheels would soon come off the Rockies wagon though and they would never be above .500 again until this season.
 

Silas

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At Baker Bowl there was an advertisement on the RF wall that said...."The Phillies Use Lifebuoy". Someone snuck into the park and added the following to the bottom of the sign......"And The Phillies Still Stink". :rollseyes:
 

67RedSox

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Silas, as we're talking about baseball stadiums if you see this note I'd appreciate your thoughts. I've always thought Dodger Stadium is a classic when it comes to baseball stadium designs. Very clean and simple lines and built purely for baseball. I have never seen a game there but it's near the top of my list of ballparks I would like to see. I know you've watched games there in the earliest version of it and likely since various renovations have been carried out...maybe even since the newest renovations were completed. Two questions...on a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate it as a place to watch a ball game then and now... have the renovations enhanced or distracted from your enjoyment.
 

Silas

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Dodger Stadium, like a lot of parks, truly is a terrific place to experience a ball game. The view is good from all over the park and there is a terrific view of distant mountains and the weather is usually pleasant. From my experience I'd say the Stadium pre-renovation was a 7-8.

The renovations were indeed needed, as one would expect with a structure that has reached the 50+ year old mark. The experience of watching a game is enhanced by aisles and walkways being expanded and the larger scoreboards.

It's just a gorgeous setting and, even though it's old compared to more recent structures, it stands out by itself and isn't swallowed up by City buildings.

Today I would give it a 8-9, but I do miss those early years when life was simpler and the cast of characters playing the game had so much more to offer.
 
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