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Post by pippsheadache on Jul 4, 2024 11:13:00 GMT -5
Bill White is still among the living at age 90. Excellent player, excellent broadcaster, excellent executive. He used to broadcast Big Five college basketball in Philly in the early 70s, and he was outstanding at that too. A great gentleman and Renaissance Man. White was my favorite broadcaster growing up as a kid. He and Frank Messer blended perfectly with Phil Rizzuto. I appreciated White's more spare approach to broadcasting -- no trademark calls, no histrionics or contrived drama. His call on the Bucky Dent home run was a perfect example -- "Deep to left -- Yastrzemski will not get it -- it's a home run..." I can just imagine what John Sterling would have done with that one. Bill White was a pre-med student at Hiram College in Ohio when he signed with the Giants. He had no previous broadcasting experience when the Yankees hired him. He figured it out pretty quickly. |
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 4, 2024 14:39:37 GMT -5
While the Scooter was driving poor Bill White crazy with usual his antics, Frank M. kept his cool kept covering the game without missing a step. It's a shame what the Yankees Front Office did to him, he deserve better treatment.
My favorite Yankees broadcasting team was Mel Allen and Red Barber, with the Scooter and Jerry Coleman on radio.
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Post by inger on Jul 4, 2024 15:31:10 GMT -5
ORLANDO CEPEDA <in memoriam>
Cepeda was the second player to win a unanimous ROY in 1958, and then later win MVP award (1967). Frank Robinson was the 1st: 1956 & 1966. [Only Robinson received more NL MVP votes than Cepeda in 1961.]
Cepeda’s father was a huge baseball star in Puerto Rico. Sadly, Cepeda’ drool or signing bonus went toward his dad’s funeral.
Orlando was the first position player in NL history to win the MVP unanimously. Only NL pitcher Carl Hubbell in 1936 had been a unanimous NL MVP earlier. Seven others have done it since.
11 times Cepeda was an All-Star in 1959(1)*, 1959(2), 1960(1), 1960(2), 1961(1)*, 1961(2)*, 1962(1)*, 1962(2)*, 1963, 1964* & 1967*. *Starter
He appeared on all 8 all-star rosters between 1959 and 1962. The additional players who can make that claim are Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle & Hank Aaron.
Comeback player of the year (1966 the season before he won the MVP. He had a serious knee injury in 1965 and was traded to STL 08-May-1966, just as he was healing. His 2nd-half performance with the Cards secured the award for him.
The second player ever to DH. Oh In the G on 06-Apr-1973, Cepeda came to bat in the 2nd inning as DH for BOS, but NYY’s DH, Ron Blomberg was up in the 1st inning & got a run-scoring BB.
He was traded for a former MVP. In 1969 before the season got underway, he was traded from STL to ATL for future MVP & HOF Joe Torre. In midseason in 1972, he was traded for a former CYA, from ATL to OAK for 2 X CYA, 30-G winner, Denny McLain.
Cepeda’s last team was the 1975 Royals…
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 12:03:37 GMT -5
Mariano Rivera allowed a career BABIP of .273…
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 12:08:06 GMT -5
Since 1901, there have been seven position players who appeared in only a single major league game, struck out three or more times, and never appeared in another MLB game:
Ed Cermak, September 9, 1901, Cleveland
Jim Callahan, May 25, 1902, New York Giants
Ed Watkins, September 6, 1902, Philadelphia Phillies
Bill Leinhauser, May 12, 1912, Detroit
Jim McGarr, May 18, 1912, Detroit
Chris Haughey, October 3, 1943, Brooklyn
Joe Campbell, May 3, 1967, Chicago Cubs…
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 12:18:30 GMT -5
May 21, 1952, Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers.
Dodgers’ first inning, leadoff man Billy Cox grounded out, and the next nineteen Dodger batters reached base. During that streak, there was one out on the basepaths, as Andy Pafko was caught stealing for the second out of the inning, but fourteen more Dodgers reached base before Duke Snider finally struck out to end the inning. The Dodgers sent 21 men to the plate and scored 15 runs on 10 hits.
Brooklyn went on to win 19-1…
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 12:27:50 GMT -5
Dante Bichette was so bad in the field that in 1999 his WAR was an alarmingly low -1.8 despite a batting line of
.298/104/34/133…
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 5, 2024 13:19:05 GMT -5
June 30, 1957- Baltimore Orioles' Starter George Zuverink and Catcher Frank Zupo form the 1st “Z” battery in MLB history as the New York Yankees still beat the Birds by a score of 3-2.
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 13:25:21 GMT -5
June 30, 1957- Baltimore Orioles' Starter George Zuverink and Catcher Frank Zupo form the 1st “Z” battery in MLB history as the New York Yankees still beat the Birds by a score of 3-2. g Zzzzzzz. Just kidding, of course… |
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 16:14:55 GMT -5
Babe Ruth and the bounced home run…NOT!
The modern rule that a ball that clears an outfield fence on the bounce is a double, not a home run, started in 1929 (AL) and 1931 (NL) so it would still have been possible for Ruth to hit “bounce home runs” in 1927, the year that he hit 60 home runs.
Bill Jenkinson is the leading authority on Ruth’s home runs, having painstakingly documented them over the years and decades, piecing together newspaper accounts of games, etc. He claims that Ruth never hit a “bounce home run” in any season (1914–28) where it would have been possible to do so.
One of Ruth’s 60 home runs in 1927 was inside-the-park; it came at Tiger Stadium (or Navin Field as it was called back then) in Detroit. That ballpark wasn’t fully enclosed until ~1938 and there was a section where, if you hit the ball over the center fielder’s head, you could just keep on truckin’.
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Post by inger on Jul 5, 2024 23:20:11 GMT -5
When Hank Greenberg drove in 184 runs in 1937, he drove a run in 99 separate games, the MLB record. Hack Wilson was second with 94 games with at least one RBI in his record 1930 season…
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Post by inger on Jul 6, 2024 16:24:12 GMT -5
Babe Ruth was the first player to hit three home runs in game at least once both leagues, once with the New York Yankees in 1930, and once in the National League, with the Boston Braves in 1935...
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Post by inger on Jul 6, 2024 16:26:56 GMT -5
Merv Connors had eight career home runs, the fewest career home runs by any player with a 3-homer game on their resume. Until today of course, when Ben Rice hit three homers with only 4 on his resume. We hope that he loses this particular record by having a long and successful career…
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Post by inger on Jul 6, 2024 16:27:48 GMT -5
Rafael Palmeiro (569 HRs), David Ortiz (541 HRs), and Gary Sheffield (509 HRs) are the only 500 Home Runs Club members without a 3-homer game...
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Post by inger on Jul 6, 2024 16:28:46 GMT -5
Stan Musial had his second career 3-homer game when he was 41 years 229 days old, the oldest player in Major League history with a 3-homer game...
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