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Post by pippsheadache on Sept 30, 2021 15:04:22 GMT -5
The knock on Bob Meusel -- who purportedly had the best LF arm of his day -- was that he had a tendency to not go all out if the mood struck him. An undeniable talent for sure, and a frequent barnstorming partner of Babe Ruth. Like The Babe, he was hit with heavy penalties for flouting restrictions on such tours. He had some remarkably similar stats to his older brother Emil "Irish" Meusel, an OFer who mainly played for the Giants and Phillies. Each played eleven seasons. Bob had a career BA of .309, Irish .310. Bob's OBP was .354, Irish was .348. Bob had a career OPS+ of 118, Irish 119. Bob Meusel was definitely a key member of the Ruth/Gehrig supporting cast. With his HOF OF partners Ruth and Combes, it was clearly one of the elite outfields ever put together. I noted with some mild degree of sadness that Meusel was sold to Cincinnati for the 1930 season. In my imagination, Meusel felt talented enough to continue and the Yankees thought he was finished, or simply had no room for him in the outfield that year. The Yankees have a total of 25 legacy players that played at least 20 years with them. I think the Cardinals are second with 17 such players. Yogi, Elston, Bob Meusel. At least three more legacy stars we could have had. Somehow, once a player is a Yankee from the beginning and for so many years, if just seems wrong to have them wear another uniform… I checked the records and saw that Meusel fell off a cliff in his final season with the Yankees in 1929. His OPS+ of 79 was 35 points down from his previous low of 114, which he set the year before. So he was into his decline phase when the Yankees sold him to the Reds. He was replaced by Ben Chapman, who could most definitely be a subject for this thread. His stats for the Yankees were outstanding. I know from talking with the old timers that Bob Meusel made an impression. He was long and lean and played with a flair when the spirit moved him. I guess that's why Ruth liked him for barnstorming tours. |
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Post by inger on Oct 24, 2021 12:41:51 GMT -5
In 1954, 24 year old Yankee rookie Bob Grim contributed to the Yankees with a 20-6 record, despite making only 20 starts. Grim also relieved in 17 games. He would never come close to 20 victories again.
Arm problems would curtail his early career and eventually push him into full time bullpen work.
A nephew, also named Bob Grim, was a member of the front office staff of the White Sox for a period of time…
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Post by pippsheadache on Oct 24, 2021 17:19:21 GMT -5
Pre-Ryne Duren, Casey Stengel used to use Grim when there was a late-inning mess. But they usually weren't clean innings, he would be brought in with runners on second and third, nobody out. He was Rookie of the Year in 1954 and the first pitcher to ever win 20 games pitching fewer than 200 innings. It has subsequently been done a handful of times, including this year by Julio Urias. It's also been done by Jered Weaver, Pedro Martinez, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw and maybe a few others.
Grim hurt his arm throwing sliders, which became the hip pitch right after World War II. He died in 1996 at age 66 when he suffered a heart attack throwing snowballs with neighborhood kids.
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Post by inger on Oct 24, 2021 20:00:16 GMT -5
Pre-Ryne Duren, Casey Stengel used to use Grim when there was a late-inning mess. But they usually weren't clean innings, he would be brought in with runners on second and third, nobody out. He was Rookie of the Year in 1954 and the first pitcher to ever win 20 games pitching fewer than 200 innings. It has subsequently been done a handful of times, including this year by Julio Urias. It's also been done by Jered Weaver, Pedro Martinez, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw and maybe a few others. Grim hurt his arm throwing sliders, which became the hip pitch right after World War II. He died in 1996 at age 66 when he suffered a heart attack throwing snowballs with neighborhood kids. Snowball fight fatality. That’s some snowball fight right there!… |
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Post by inger on Nov 15, 2021 21:51:11 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? …
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Post by kaybli on Nov 15, 2021 22:30:56 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? … How can I forget. Same with Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Mark Belhorn, etc etc. |
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Post by inger on Nov 15, 2021 22:40:41 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? … How can I forget. Same with Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Mark Belhorn, etc etc. Ahem. You forgot Tony Womack… |
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Post by kaybli on Nov 15, 2021 22:51:20 GMT -5
How can I forget. Same with Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Mark Belhorn, etc etc. Ahem. You forgot Tony Womack…  |
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Post by chiyankee on Nov 15, 2021 22:51:44 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? … I remember him trying to make his way down the first base line when he put a ball in play. It was ugly. |
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Post by kaybli on Nov 15, 2021 22:52:19 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? … I remember him trying to make his way down the first base line when he put a ball in play. It was ugly. Him and Pujols should have a race. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Nov 16, 2021 6:29:57 GMT -5
Neither unsung nor under rated as a Yankee, but does anyone still remember Kendra Morales was a Yankee? … How can I forget. Same with Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Mark Belhorn, etc etc. I wouldn't have come up with his name on my own, but when you mentioned Morales I did recall his brief lead-footed tenure with the Yankees. Some more to add to Kaybli's list of veterans who were forgettable Yankees for a moment-- Lance Johnson, Travis Lee, Scott Ericson, CJ Nitkowski, Eric Hinske, Kevin Cash. |
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Post by kaybli on Nov 16, 2021 6:46:43 GMT -5
How can I forget. Same with Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Mark Belhorn, etc etc. I wouldn't have come up with his name on my own, but when you mentioned Morales I did recall his brief lead-footed tenure with the Yankees. Some more to add to Kaybli's list of veterans who were forgettable Yankees for a moment-- Lance Johnson, Travis Lee, Scott Ericson, CJ Nitkowski, Eric Hinske, Kevin Cash. Eric Chavez, Andruw Jones, Ichiro, Martin Prado, Chase Headley, Stephen Drew, Brian Roberts, Jose Canseco, Billy Butler, Chris Carter.
Bad memories.  |
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Post by pippsheadache on Nov 16, 2021 7:30:10 GMT -5
I wouldn't have come up with his name on my own, but when you mentioned Morales I did recall his brief lead-footed tenure with the Yankees. Some more to add to Kaybli's list of veterans who were forgettable Yankees for a moment-- Lance Johnson, Travis Lee, Scott Ericson, CJ Nitkowski, Eric Hinske, Kevin Cash. Eric Chavez, Andruw Jones, Ichiro, Martin Prado, Chase Headley, Stephen Drew, Brian Roberts, Jose Canseco, Billy Butler, Chris Carter.
Bad memories. Good list. I do recall Chavez giving the Yankees some serviceable play, but he was so fragile that he had to be paced like a 25-year-old thoroughbred. I know we don't need to name every one of them, but a few more would include Xavier Nady, Mark Reynolds, Richie Sexson, Chris Widger and Sal Fasano. Even Dale Sveum saw action on the great 1998 team. In a few years we'll be harking back to Troy Tulowitzki and Jay Bruce and Andrew Heaney. |
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Post by inger on Nov 16, 2021 10:18:52 GMT -5
I remember him trying to make his way down the first base line when he put a ball in play. It was ugly. Him and Pujols should have a race. A race without all of the old Molina brothers would not be a race at all. Maybe dig up Ernie Lombardi or Gus Triandos and see how they fare. I tend to always recall the plodding Willie Mays Aiken at times like this, especially since he didn’t seem to age into slowness. Slow right out of the gate as a rookie… Like he was running in water… Harold Baines got really slow in his later years… But, alas… not all were Yankees… |
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Post by inger on Nov 21, 2021 1:08:09 GMT -5
Clifford Johnson rates higher on my list of favorite shote time yanks that perhaps he deserves. In about 3 series with the Yanks, Clifford only hit .239, but he clubbed 20 HR . He hit home runs as a catcher, a first baseman, from each corner out field, Johnson, hr’d as a DH, a pinch hitter pinch hitter. An amazingly tough and strong player with a versatile hr bat…
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