|
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 49 OF 914 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
May-14-09
 | | Phony Benoni: You must have seen the <Peanuts> cartoor where Charlie Brown and Linus are just sitting on a step through the first three panels. Then Charlie Brown stands up and screams, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?!?!?" |
|
May-14-09
| | Phony Benoni: With the managers, Connie Mack is the easy one, with seven decades (1894-1950). Stengel had just four (1934-1965). |
|
| May-14-09 | | Jim Bartle: I not only didn't get three, but was wrong on one I guessed? OK, I'll change to John McGraw. No, I'd never seen that Peanuts cartoon, but it reflects the thoughts of everybody in the Bay Area in 1962. However three feet really wouldn't have done it, as his line drive with two on and two out was right at Richardson's face, so it would have to be five feet higher or five feet to either side. It was smoked, so Richardson would have had no time to move. |
|
May-14-09
| | Phony Benoni: Yes, McGraw had 5 (1899-1932). The third one, whom I would never have guessed, was Leo Durocher (1939-1973). Of course. he was inactive quite a few of those years. We were rooting for McCovey around here as well. In Detroit in the 50x and 60, any loss by the Yankees was treated as a victory for Detroit, no matter who was playing. The 50s and 60s seemed to be a good time for good-hitting, weak-fielding utility players. Besides Andre Rodgers (and Eddie Bressoud for that matter), Felix Mantilla, Woodie Held, Bobby Avila, Chico Salmon. smf Cookie Rojas spring to mind. There must have been many more, of course. |
|
| May-15-09 | | Jim Bartle: If we're including first basemen, there's Dick Stuart. Jim Ray Hart was no magician at third, but could hit. I've never read about that McCovey WS game, except that line drive with Mays and Pagan on base. Games were played during the day then, so we didn't watch them during the week. I heard a teacher say Giants had lost 1-0, and I never even looked at the newspaper stories. |
|
May-15-09
| | Phony Benoni: The key to the 9th inning was a great defensive play by Roger Maris. With Matty Alou on first base (accoriding to the box score at http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...), Willie Mays doubled into the right field corner. Maris was able to grab the ball and throw it back in so quickly that Alou, even running with two out, was unable to score. By the way, I have to admit something. Being geographically-challenged like most Americans, I had assumed that Peru was directly south of California. Wrong coast. |
|
| May-15-09 | | Jim Bartle: Yes, I read that in Whitey Herzog's book. Herzog just loved Maris, writing that he spent the winter after his 61 helping Herzog build his house. Also, you're right, it was Matty Alou, not Pagan who was on base. No, South America overall is well to the east of North America. |
|
| May-15-09 | | technical draw: <Jim Bartle> is right. But don't worry <Phony> it's a common mistake to place South America due south of North America. Here is a map: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/amer... |
|
| May-15-09 | | Jim Bartle: San Francisco Chronicle writers are paying a lot of attention to Oakland native Dontrelle Willis' comeback, rooting for him. I had not realized he suffered from "anxiety disorder," meaning basically that he suffers from panic attacks and can't perform, prepare or concentrate. That may sound silly, but I suffered from that for years (still do, sometimes), and it's a real obstacle. You get to thinking too much, feel lightheaded and nauseous, and can't produce. I hope Willis does well. Honestly, with the pressure top athletes are under, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. |
|
May-15-09
| | Phony Benoni: There are undoubtedly a lot of athletes with anxiety disorders, but it may not be the sort of thing they are willing to acknowledge. Still, remember remember Jackie Jensen? AL MVP in 1958, out of baseball a few years later due to a fear of flying. Willis started on Wednesday, but was not particularly impressive: 4+ innings, 4 runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts. Looks like his control was better, but he wasn't overpowering anybody. |
|
| May-15-09 | | Jim Bartle: I'd forgotten that, though fear of flying is different than fear of performing in your sport. Jensen was another Bay Area hero, a football star at Cal. This led to the Red Sox playing an exhibition game against the SF Seals in 1957, the first time I ever saw a major league team play. My grandmother had taught Jensen's wife-to-be (a competitive diver, I think) in high school, and followed his career closely. Steve Blass and Rick Ankiel are two others who just lost control overnight, though I'm not sure of the causes. There was a top golfer from England, Ian Baker-Finch, whose nerves got the better of him and wrecked his career. A guy who shot 68 in practice and 80 in competition. |
|
May-15-09
| | Phony Benoni: Was it Steve Sax or Chuck Knoblauch (or both?) who suddenly couldn't throw the ball from second base to first? And I think Mike Ivie was the catcher who couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher. Throwing runners out at second was no problem, but tossing back to the mound was an adventure. In fact, I've often wondered whether performance anxiety might have been one reason behind Fischer's retirement. Even before he won the tile, his behavior away from the board was much more erratic than his demeanor while playing. Several world champions have lost their edge after winning the crown; could the thought of such a slump have scared him? It's not silly at all, and I'm glad to hear you've been able to exert some control over it. |
|
| May-15-09 | | Jim Bartle: It was both, but only Knoblauch nailed Keith Olbermann's mother with an errant throw. Both guys could make tough throws with little time, no problem, but when they had time to think... Speaking of champions who lost their edge, after years of struggle Mats Wilander took three of the four majors in 1988, was clear #1 over Lendl and Becker, and basically never won a tournament, and hardly a match, afterward. And of course Bjorn Borg, another Swede, just quit when McEnroe showed he was ready to challenge him seriously. |
|
| May-16-09 | | Deus Ex Alekhina: Mats Wilander's names reminds me of Jim Walewander who was a big fan of a band called the Dead Milkmen. Walewander could have been on an All Animal team, consisting of Goose Gossage, Moose Skowron, Mark "the bird" Fidrych, uh, who else? |
|
May-16-09
| | Phony Benoni: Just off the top of my head: Rabbit Maranville, Goose Goslin, Mule Haas, Old Hoss Radbourne, Coot Veal. If you want to include given names as well as nicknames, the list becomes almost limitless: Rob Deer, Pete Fox, Robin Roberts, Steve Lyons, Dizzy & Steve Trout, Chico Salmon, a whole lot of Bass, and the ever popular Minnie Moore. For an all-time team based on skill, start with Jimmie Foxx, more aptly nicknamed Beast. (One day, Foxx comes up to face Lefty Gomez, who simply stands there shaking off signs. Finally, the catcher goes to the mound. Cather: "What do you want to do?"
Gomez: "Maybe if I just stand here, he'll get tired and go away.") |
|
| May-16-09 | | Jim Bartle: Orlando Cepeda, the Baby Bull; Phil Regan, the Vulture; what was Greg Luzinski, anothe Bull? |
|
May-16-09
| | Phony Benoni: Yeah, Luzinski was a Bull too, though our firend <Travis Bickle> might not know what we're talking about.. Next thing would be to find out if he were born under the sign of Taurus. Johnny Mize and Andres Galarraga were both Big Cats. Harvey Haddix was known as the Kitten. Johnny Evers was the Crab. This could go on all day. |
|
| May-16-09 | | A.G. Argent: <JB> Don't forget Ducky Medwick. Also Jerry Grote, catcher for the '69 Mets was called "The Cat" because of his blurringly quick jump out his crouch to scoop up a bunt and often whip a peg to second to nail the runner to negate the sacrifice. |
|
| May-16-09 | | Jim Bartle: The Kitten! I remember everyone used to call Jim Kaat "Kitty." Plus of course, there was Catfish Hunter. And Harry the Cat Brecheen.And if we stretch the definition of animal to include humans, we've got Stan "The Man" Musial. Lou Gehrig was of course "The Iron Horse." Tony Perez was called "Big Dog" or just "Doggie." Orel Hershise "Bulldog." Fred McGriff "The Crime Dog." Fred "Chicken" Stanley. Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock. Ken Harrelson "The Hawk." Ralph Garr "The Road Runner." One of the most appropriate ever, Ron Cey "The Penguin." This can be unending. |
|
May-16-09
| | Phony Benoni: Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock!
It's not that of an animal, but I was reminded of Hugh Mulcahy's nickname. Pitching for the Phillies from 1937-1940, Mulcahy compiled a record of 40-76 and became known as "Losing Pitcher Mulcahy". In those days of the reserve clause, about the only ways to escape such a fate were death or retirement. Mulcahy found a third: he was the first major league player to be drafted for service in World War II. He probably didn't mind. |
|
May-17-09
 | | playground player: Don't forget Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hippo Vaughn! I've forgotten what his real name was, but probably a lot of people did that. Tito "Parakeet" Fuentes, Doug "Rooster" Rader... and who was that Dodgers pitcher from the Tommy Lasorda era that they used to call "The Grey Flamingo?" Talk about a man overshadowed by his nickname... |
|
May-17-09
| | Phony Benoni: I knew Jim "Hippo" Vaughn, but had to look up The Grey Flamingo. Turns out to have been Tom Brennan. Here's his proudest moment: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/... Other birds: Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, Frankie "Crow" Crosetti, Tris "The Gray Eagle" Speaker. |
|
| May-17-09 | | Jim Bartle: Tito Fuentes was the Parakeet? I was a big Giants fan at the time (not a huge Tito fan, though--a 0 at the plate), and never heard it. Rader, though, yes, the Rooster, a real character. I was thinking there was another rooster, but I think it was just Jerry Royster. What was the nickname of that relief pitcher for the Pirates late 70s, the guy who sort of leaned over horizontal as he threw? The Stork? |
|
| May-17-09 | | A.G. Argent: <JB> You mean Tekulve, the Rubber Band Man? Speaking of Pirates; Big Dave Parker, the Cobra. |
|
| May-17-09 | | Jim Bartle: Right, Kent Tekulve. |
|
 |
|
|
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 49 OF 914 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
|
|
|
Kibitzing
