Hey! You kids get off my lawn!
Posted on 11/14/2017 2:08:26 PM PST by DFG
Bobby Doerr, legendary Boston Red Sox second baseman and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, died on Monday at age 99. Doerr was the oldest living major leaguer and the only Hall of Famer to live to 99.
Doerr played in the majors for 14 seasons, from 1937-51, and spent all of it with the Red Sox. Doerr was the last living major leaguer to have not just debuted in the 1930s, but to have played in the 1930s at all. He was on teams with baseball greats like Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Jimmie Foxx and Dom DiMaggio, but among them Doerr was known as the “silent captain,” a title coined by Williams.
Out of a 14-year career, Doerr was an All-Star nine times. He had a career .288/.362/.461 triple slash, along with 381 doubles and 223 home runs. He also hit for the cycle twice in his career, and in 1948 had a span of 73 games with no errors, which was an AL record at the time. He was an elite defenseman, and according to the Associated Press, Doerr credited his skills to a childhood spent bouncing a rubber ball on the steps outside his house in Los Angeles.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Did the same thing in Missouri as a kid. Lived on a farm with no one around to practice with. I had several methods of playing make believe games.
Baseball has been wired into my soul since before I attended school (at 32). LOL
Wonder how much he earned during his career? He certainly didn’t make enough to have retired at 33. I wonder how much a hamburger will cost when today’s players reach 99?
Doerr was on some of the most talented laden Red Sox teams. Pitch Mel Parnell and then pray for rain.
Thanks, and that was funny.
(Pitch Mel Parnell and then pray for rain.)
Hey! You kids get off my lawn!
I got to learn a little about Bobby when watching the HBO movie “When It Was A Game”. Lovely treasure of a documentary with colour home movie footage of baseball from the 1930s thru the early to mid 1950s.
A great book to read is called “The Teammates” by David Halberstam. It chronicles the careers of Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams, Johnny Peaky and Dom DiMaggio who were teammates and life-long friends. I read it years ago and really learned a lot about each of the players and the great friendship they all shared. A good book if you are a baseball fan.
RIP Mr. Doerr.
Ruth was traded to the Yankees the Season following that championship. That was the last World Series won by Boston in the 20th century.
When the order of the numbers was pointed out as a reminder of ‘The Curse of the Bambino’ the nbrs were rearranged. I recall thinking that it was a hoot when the story became part of the lore of Boston.
Sorry that I cannot recall all of the details of the retired shirts but the nbrs belonged to Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Ted Williams, and Carl Yastrzemski.
Big EDD Roush lived into mid 90’s
Was member of Cincinnati Reds - played in 1919 World Series
against Chicago White (Black) Sox
Used 48 oz bat, one of the heaviest ever swung
IIRC the 2B for the team that beat Doerr in 1946 WS is now the eldest major league and hall of fame player, Red Schoendienst. Red was a rookie that year.
Evidently, then, these four were not among the BoSox who so famously took individual taxis? Thanks for the referral.
RIP Bobby.
>>Pitch Mel Parnell and then pray for rain<<
The correct reference is to the OTHER Boston team, the Braves. Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn were the pitching staff aces, combining for 39 wins. The refrain went “Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain.”
RIP.
Okay great. Thanks for the mention.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.