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Post by Xmassader on May 1, 2023 22:31:37 GMT -5
Mike Shannon-R.I.P.
Long-time Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon has passed away. I spent several years living in St Louis and, like everyone from ST L came to love the guy. His was an amazing life that I don't think has been duplicated many times. He grew up in St. Louis, the son of a policeman, as a huge multi-sport star in high school, played QB at the University of Missouri, played for the Cardinals for 9 years winning three World Series, then spent 50 years in the broadcast booth including 30 years with the great Jack Buck. So, other than a year or two in college and some years in the minors, his entire life was in St Louis. I never met him, but by all accounts he was a great guy. RIP Mike Shannon. Slight correction: Played in three World Series but was on the winning team twice ( in ‘64 vs. Yankees and ‘67 vs. Red Sox). On losing team in ‘68 vs. Tigers. Hit a HR in the 9th inning of Game 7 of ‘68 for the Cards only run vs. Mickey Lolich (who was the winning pitcher in 3 complete games including Game 7 on 2 days rest…a feat that may never be duplicated).
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Post by timholycross on May 2, 2023 8:35:32 GMT -5
Retired from playing due to kidney disease- his second career sure turned out well.
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Post by alum on May 7, 2023 12:31:26 GMT -5
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Post by timholycross on May 7, 2023 13:01:08 GMT -5
My only trip to Candlestick featured 7 or 8 innings of no hit ball by Mr. Blue, then a Giant.
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Post by CHC8485 on May 7, 2023 13:16:03 GMT -5
I remember Vida Blue in the 1971 All-Star game. While the game is probably best remembered for Reggie Jackson’s monstrous home run off the light tower in old Tiger Stadium, I remember all the pre-game buzz around a young Vida Blue starting the game for the AL. For the younger set here, yes there used to be real buzz around the MLB All Star game. So I looked up the game recap and noted this paragraph in the game recap and it shows how different the game is played today. Not commenting on good or bad here just very different:
17 & 14 wins at the All Star break! That’s a good season total today.
Both Blue and Jenkins finished the season with 39 starts and 24 wins.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 7, 2023 16:40:44 GMT -5
Vida Blue is also an answer to a classic trivia question: Name the switch-hitters who have won an MVP award. Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose come easily to mind but few people think of pitchers and very few think of pitchers being switch hitters
Vida Blue R.I.P.
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Post by HC92 on May 7, 2023 20:00:01 GMT -5
I was an avid baseball card collector as a young boy. Was very happy then that I had a Vida Blue (and probably still do somewhere around here). RIP.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 7, 2023 20:21:24 GMT -5
I remember Charlie Finley buying Vida a baby blue Cadillac that first great season with the license plate “BLUE”. I think Charlie may also have ripped up his contract and given him a raise mid-season
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Post by hchoops on May 7, 2023 21:29:07 GMT -5
/photo/1
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Post by Non Alum Dave on May 8, 2023 6:19:31 GMT -5
I remember Charlie Finley buying Vida a baby blue Cadillac that first great season with the license plate “BLUE”. I think Charlie may also have ripped up his contract and given him a raise mid-season I might be mis-remembering, but I feel like at one point Finley also supposedly tried to get Vida to change his first name to "True". Definitely a major buzz that season. Besides the All-Star game, I also remember an early season matchup against the Red Sox and their ace that year, Sonny Siebert. The Red Sox dealt Blue his first loss of the season (think it was sometime in May) 4-3, with Rico Petrocelli taking Blue deep twice. RIP
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Post by hchoops on May 8, 2023 7:30:04 GMT -5
Rico was also a star basketball player at Sheepshead Bay HS in Brooklyn.
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Post by timholycross on May 8, 2023 9:12:15 GMT -5
Rico was also a star basketball player at Sheepshead Bay HS in Brooklyn. Rico was playing when the Sox had one (of several over the years) donnybrooks with the Bronx Bombers. One of the policemen that came on the field was Rico's brother.
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Post by Tom on May 8, 2023 10:47:27 GMT -5
Probably the best teams I remember. One could make an argument for the Red Machine, but the A's beat them head to head in 1972 even without an injured Reggie Jackson
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on May 8, 2023 10:48:48 GMT -5
I remember Charlie Finley buying Vida a baby blue Cadillac that first great season with the license plate “BLUE”. I think Charlie may also have ripped up his contract and given him a raise mid-season I might be mis-remembering, but I feel like at one point Finley also supposedly tried to get Vida to change his first name to "True". Definitely a major buzz that season. Besides the All-Star game, I also remember an early season matchup against the Red Sox and their ace that year, Sonny Siebert. The Red Sox dealt Blue his first loss of the season (think it was sometime in May) 4-3, with Rico Petrocelli taking Blue deep twice. RIP I was there and you are correct.
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Post by Tom on May 8, 2023 10:57:53 GMT -5
I remember Vida Blue in the 1971 All-Star game. While the game is probably best remembered for Reggie Jackson’s monstrous home run off the light tower in old Tiger Stadium, I remember all the pre-game buzz around a young Vida Blue starting the game for the AL. For the younger set here, yes there used to be real buzz around the MLB All Star game. So I looked up the game recap and noted this paragraph in the game recap and it shows how different the game is played today. Not commenting on good or bad here just very different: 17 & 14 wins at the All Star break! That’s a good season total today. Both Blue and Jenkins finished the season with 39 starts and 24 wins. Four man rotations vs 5 man rotations got pitchers more starts Pitchers were expected to go deeper into ball games. If your team goes ahead for good in the 6th or 7th inning, in '72 you probably get a win - today you probably get a no decision 1971 Blue pitched 312 innings over those 39 starts (average 8 innings per start) Last year Sandy Alcantara of Miami let the majors with 228 innings over 32 starts (7 innings per start). Nick Pavetta who led the Red Sox in IP last year averaged 5.5 innings per start
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 6, 2023 15:25:37 GMT -5
We haven’t had a trivia challenge in a while so I’ll offer one. Can you name the three pitchers in MLB history who won an MLB game as a teenager and also after turning 40? This is a tough one. I got one of the three very easily but the other two were tough. One I would never have gotten correct and I got the other guy after getting a hint.
My experience is that these challenges are more fun if you don’t just look up the answer. I do think it is okay to look at lists of players. I’ll provide hints if you all get stymied.
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Post by hchoops on Jun 6, 2023 17:08:42 GMT -5
Bob Feller If correct, probably the easy one
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Post by alum on Jun 6, 2023 17:43:43 GMT -5
Yeah, this is way hard. I accepted KY’s invitation and looked at a list of pitchers in the HOF. On the basis of that research, I will guess Steve Carlton who started 709 games.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jun 6, 2023 17:45:04 GMT -5
Jim Palmer Gregg Maddux Warren Spahn Jim Kaat Dennis Eckersley
Thinking one of these guys has to be one.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 6, 2023 17:53:33 GMT -5
Bob Feller If correct, probably the east one Feller was a vaunted teenager coming up from Van Meter, Iowa if I recall correctly but he did not play beyond his mid 30’s.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 6, 2023 17:54:48 GMT -5
Jim Palmer Gregg Maddux Warren Spahn Jim Kaat Dennis Eckersley Thinking one of these guys has to be one. These guessed are not correct although I guessed all of them after getting what I believe to be the easiest of the three.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 6, 2023 18:06:28 GMT -5
The easiest one, or at least the one that I was lucky enough to get right off the bat, is a foreign-born hall of famer.
The second one that I got is a HOFer who got there because he has an outstanding W-L record thanks to playing on some of the greatest teams in history. No one on this board ever saw him play
The third guy , the one I never would have guessed, had a losing career W-L record. I believe he played for a dozen teams
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Post by hchoops on Jun 6, 2023 19:06:47 GMT -5
For Bison Christy Mathewson
Red Ruffing Eddie Lopat Grover Cleveland Alexander Cy Young
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jun 6, 2023 19:20:59 GMT -5
We might be overthinking this. Maybe these guys are relievers?
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 6, 2023 19:30:05 GMT -5
For Bison Christy Mathewson Red Ruffing Eddie Lopat Grover Cleveland Alexander Cy Young Re Mathewson— He had a chance but went 0-3 as a 19YO with the giants
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