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Post by Jason Giambi on Feb 6, 2007 20:02:32 GMT -5
Was just going to post that.... RIP Lew
from the deathpool.com:
Lew Burdette (02/06) He pitched 158 complete games, and had 203 wins in his 18-year career. He was voted Most Valuable Player of the 1957 World Series with three complete game victories, two of them shutouts. He had outstanding control, averaging just 1.84 walks per nine innings pitched, and he pitched over 3,000 of them. Anyway, he's dead.
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$heriff Tom
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Post by $heriff Tom on Feb 10, 2007 2:00:43 GMT -5
credit MLB.COM RIP Hank Bauer, I raise a glass to you. NEW YORK -- Hank Bauer, a key component of seven New York Yankees World Series championship clubs, died Friday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 84. Bauer played 14 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1948-61, his first 12 with the Yankees. A three-time All-Star outfielder, he batted .277 with 164 home runs and 703 RBIs in 1,544 games, and helped the Yankees to nine American League pennants. "Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country," Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend." A strong runner and fielder with a powerful arm, Bauer became an accomplished Major League manager after his playing career. He earned Manager of the Year honors at the helm of the Baltimore Orioles in 1964 and 1966, including one World Series title. Bauer was traded to the Kansas City Athletics as part of a deal that brought Roger Maris to the Yankees prior to the 1960 season. While Bauer's association with the club ended, his friendships with many Yankees teammates endured for decades. "I am truly heartbroken," Yogi Berra said. "Hank was a wonderful teammate and friend for so long. Nobody was more dedicated and proud to be a Yankee, he gave you everything he had." Bauer guided the Kansas City Athletics in 1962 and 1963, then moved on to spend five years with the Orioles before finishing his managerial career with Oakland in 1969. In eight seasons as a big-league manager, Bauer compiled a record of 594-534. The youngest of nine children, Bauer was born to a blue-collar background in East St. Louis, Ill., and went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. Battling malaria in the South Pacific, Bauer earned 11 campaign ribbons, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts in 32 months of combat. His gruff military background translated to his playing career, which delivered him to the Yankees for a 1948 debut. As a tough presence in the clubhouse, Bauer is said to have chastised a young Mickey Mantle for not running out a ground ball, yelling, "Don't fool with my money" -- a reference to the regularity with which Bauer cashed Yankees World Series checks. Indeed, many of Bauer's most memorable moments with the Yankees came in October. Bauer contributed a game-saving catch to rob the Giants' Sal Yvars in the 1951 Fall Classic, and set a World Series record with a 17-game hitting streak from 1956-58. "Maybe I bore down a lot more in the Series," Bauer told the Kansas City Star. "I had my luck. I had my good days and bad ones. I played for the right organization."
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Post by Jason Giambi on Feb 10, 2007 7:17:47 GMT -5
RIP Hank Bauer, the man of the hour. He's from East St. Louis, that made him a baaaaaad man.
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$heriff Tom
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Post by $heriff Tom on Mar 8, 2007 20:37:35 GMT -5
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Post by thecaptain15 on Mar 8, 2007 21:10:00 GMT -5
Yeah too bad but I hear he was sick for a while..THey were talking about it during the game today saying how close him and Bowa were....
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$heriff Tom
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Post by $heriff Tom on Apr 29, 2007 11:20:52 GMT -5
Sad stuff here... Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock killed in car crash April 29, 2007ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Josh Hancock, a key member of the bullpen that helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series last season, was killed in a car crash early Sunday. The Cardinals said they were told of the 29-year-old reliever's death by the St. Louis Police Department. The team's home game against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night was postponed. The team said the accident happened in St. Louis, but no other details were disclosed. The Cardinals and police are expected to make a statement this afternoon at Busch Stadium. Hancock has pitched for four major league clubs. He went 3-3 in 62 regular-season appearances for the Cardinals last season and pitched in three postseason games. He was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight games this season. Hancock joined the Cardinals before the 2006 season. He has pitched for Boston, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. BASEBALL REFERENCE PAGEwww.baseball-reference.com/h/hancojo01.shtml
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MSBNYY
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 29, 2007 18:55:21 GMT -5
His career really came to a crashing halt.
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$heriff Tom
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Post by $heriff Tom on Apr 30, 2007 7:37:52 GMT -5
I really wish you could leave it well enough alone sometimes. There is no humor in a 29 year old in his career prime losing his life.
I hope karma does not come back to bite you in the ass someday, only to have some other idiot out there making jokes about it.
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 7:52:58 GMT -5
He used to idolize Darryl Kile. And maybe his wife can throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.
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Post by IronHorse4 on Apr 30, 2007 13:23:10 GMT -5
That makes no sense. He never played for the Yankees.
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 13:24:36 GMT -5
Maybe, but Lidle was only played in 10 games. That made no sense either.
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Post by IronHorse4 on Apr 30, 2007 14:22:38 GMT -5
He died as a Yankee. Not sure why that is so difficult to understand. Such a minor nod to Lidle, and you have a problem with it. I mean, my goodness...how could they bestow an honor like that upon Lidle that is normally saved for someone of such stature and significance to Yankee lore as the Vice President of North American operations for FujiFilm or something.
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 14:37:07 GMT -5
He died about to be a free agent. What happened with Lidle was overkill. He didn't deserve a black arm band, a plaque or the opening day. They spent more time on the tribute video than he spent in pinstripes. It was ridiculous. He contributed nothing to pinstripes, and died like an idiot. The most he should have got was a moment of silence. No more.
I just hate overkill. It's dumber than retiring Jackie Robinson's number.
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$heriff Tom
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Post by $heriff Tom on Apr 30, 2007 15:30:43 GMT -5
It's dumber than retiring Jackie Robinson's number. Yay racism!
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 15:58:53 GMT -5
No. Overkill does not mean racism. Why not put his face on Mt. Rushmore? Support it, or you're a racist.
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Post by jwmcc on Apr 30, 2007 16:02:28 GMT -5
I don't see the big deal in this either. It's one number out of 99 that is retired by every club. And it was grandfathered in, so legends like Butch Huskey and Mariano didn't have it stripped away while they were playing. Jw
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 16:07:22 GMT -5
It's a big honor that shouldn't be given to anyone. There are quite a few players that meant more to the game. Had Jackie Robinson not existed, baseball would still be integrated. Babe Ruth meant far more to the game. Hell, he practically MADE it the national pasttime and saved it from the ultimate disgrace.
If anyone deserves that honor, he does.
But the Robinson thing was a stupid overkill that was yet another lame politically correct malarky move. He's been honored more than enough. We get it. Every team shouldn't be forced to retire his number. That's just dumb.
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Post by grover on Apr 30, 2007 16:18:59 GMT -5
It's Had Jackie Robinson not existed, baseball would still be integrated. And then we'd retire the number of the first black ballplayer regardless. Good to see you value a HR over the civil rights movement, and that you're in mid-season form.
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Post by grover on Apr 30, 2007 16:19:48 GMT -5
Oh, and name all these "Quite a few" ballplayers who meant more. I'd like to see some names other than Ruth.
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Post by elliejay21 on Apr 30, 2007 18:05:14 GMT -5
Ya know, if a guy is an important enough footnote in history that he gets a New York State highway renamed after him (even if it only does take you from Brooklyn to Queens), there is no reason that a baseball fan should begrudge the symbolic honor of retiring his number throughout MLB.
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 20:26:26 GMT -5
Again, retiring the first black guy's number is overkill. And NO ONE meant more to the game than Ruth.
The civil rights movement is nice, but that still doesn't make retiring Jackie Robinson's number a proper honor.
Joe DiMaggio has a highway named after him too. Why isn't #5 retired throughout baseball?
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Post by grover on Apr 30, 2007 20:40:57 GMT -5
Why is it overkill?
Are you telling me that Ruth and DiMaggio went through the exact same ordeal as Robinson?
Sorry, but a fan of a team who retires any fucking number to get a sell out crowd should not be talking about a nice gesture by MLB. The every 5 years coverage of Jackie Robinson's life is much, sure, but the retiring of #42 is a nice gesture for someone who meant more to the nation than Ruth and DiMaggio combined. Maybe if you watched sports other than baseball you'd notice his impact. What the fuck did Ruth do for football? Nothing. What did DiMaggio do for Basketball? Nothing. What did Robinson do for both? Change it entirely. And that's just touching sports. Must we bring up his impact on the nation?
Dude are you living in a bottle? You are like the only person in the nation not named Jebediah or whistling Dixie who is arguing his impact. One day I hope they retire the Yankees name and name it the "New Boston French Red Mets Sox".
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Post by MSBNYY on Apr 30, 2007 20:47:31 GMT -5
It's overkill because the man has been honored and honored and honored.
Babe Ruth meant more to this country and to the game of baseball than 1000 Jackie Robinsons. He saved the game. And again, he WAS America to the rest of the world. Anyone could have been Jackie Robinson. Babe Ruth was a one of a kind.
The man accomplished a big thing. No one's denying it. But let's not overdo it. It was inevitable whether he existed or not.
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Post by grover on Apr 30, 2007 21:35:54 GMT -5
So you're saying that Ruth's stats are more important than Robinson's impact?
Explain, how? EXPLAIN it, don't just say it was. Explain to me in GREAT detail how Babe Ruth meant more to the nation than Jackie Robinson.
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Post by elliejay21 on Apr 30, 2007 21:52:58 GMT -5
Balls, sometimes I really wonder about you... without Jackie Robinson, Canadians like Donald Brashear and Kevin Weekes never would have gotten their chance in the NHL.
Babe Ruth proved that a slow, fat drunk with no class could excel in an athletic pasttime by changing the rules and the strategy, and becoming a hero and a role model for guys like David Wells, who is a slow, fat drunk with no class.
DiMaggio proved that the son of a WOP fishmonger could drop out of high school, but if he was good at playing ball he could become quite the celeb, bang several hot actresses and stay stateside during wartime... wait a minute, maybe he did pave the way for many in the NBA... in any case, he only got a piece of the West Side Highway named after him, and that's not a real highway anyway, like the Interboro Parkway.
Ted Williams was more of a role model as well as being a war hero, as he was arguably a better hitter, he actually graduated from high school and he served overseas twice as a marine pilot. He may have lost his head after he was dead, but the Red Sox would not trade him for DiMaggio unless the Yankees agreed to throw Yogi into the deal. Ted Williams got a whole tunnel under the Boston Harbour named after him, and besides, everyone knows that players named after Theodore Roosevelt are the shit.
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Post by MSBNYY on May 1, 2007 5:50:04 GMT -5
Some people actually know that Babe Ruth was not John Goodman. He was not as fat as legend has it. The man redefined the game, and saved it from a massive scandal.
Ruth was more than just stats. And yes, his impact on the game was far greater than Robinson's. Ruth was a one of a kind. There would have been someone else if Robinson didn't exist.
You really think that the NHL would not be integrated if Robinson didn't exist? Come on. You really think that there would be no black people in the NBA? That's laughable.
Baseball was going to be integrated. You really think the negro leagues would still exist?
We all know how well Robinson handled everything. But he's not Jesus, Moses, or the Messiah rolled into one. He does not deserve to have his number retired by every team. That's a stupid honor.
Ted Williams was NOT a better hitter than Babe Ruth. War hero? Absolutely. So was DiMaggio by the way. As for that trade, it was never that close to happening. You get tall tales and legends about it, but it wasn't going to happen. Of course let's not forget that DiMaggio was 3 years older than Williams and would only play another 4 years when Berra was a rookie.
Either way, I'm not seriously arguing that DiMaggio should have his number retired by all of baseball. I only brought him up because of your silly argument that naming a highway after someone is grounds to have your number retired by baseball.
Here's a concept--they honored Robinson by naming a HIGHWAY after him.
If you only view Ruth as a fat drunk with no class, you really should stay out of the baseball discussion.
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Post by Jason Giambi on May 1, 2007 7:04:26 GMT -5
why you argue with this guy is beyond me.
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Post by MSBNYY on May 1, 2007 7:28:55 GMT -5
True, you lose every time.
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Post by grover on May 1, 2007 8:35:39 GMT -5
And if you really think that Babe Ruth had a bigger impact on sports and America than Jackie Robinson, chances are you can't really back it up.
Oh hey look, you didn't back it up! How convenient.
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Post by MSBNYY on May 1, 2007 8:49:59 GMT -5
Really? In WWII, "to hell with Babe Ruth" was a Japanese battle cry. Babe Ruth is synomymous with greatness. When someone is great in another sport, he's called the Babe Ruth of that sport. That analogy even extends beyond sports. espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016451.html Ruth was the ultimate ambassador of the game. He wasn't just there to represent one group. He made the game popular for everyone. Everyone wanted to play the game to be like Babe Ruth. No one is saying Robinson didn't impact the game, but he was not even close to Babe Ruth. You think Robinson had a bigger impact on America? Babe Ruth WAS America in his day. Jackie Robinson did impact the game. He faced his issues by doing his job and being a solid player. But he was no Babe Ruth, and while Robinson's life SHOULD be honored, to retire his number for every team is just overkill. He did not deserve that. What's next, naming every stadium after him? Or writing his name on every baseball? How about a National Holiday for his birthday? Support it, or you're a racist.
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