chicoruiz
06-15-2012, 08:19 AM
Reds:
Dusty Baker (63) -Dusty was on deck when Hank Aaron hit #714. He followed Aaron's blast with what he called "the least-noticed double in baseball history"... Some consider Dusty to be the inventor, along with teammate Glenn Burke, of the high five.
Champ Summers (66) -His mother was a professional bowler and his father was an ex-boxer who nicknamed him "Champ" as a baby because "He looks like he just went ten rounds with Joe Louis". As a high schooler, he was such a good athlete that he was hired by tennis mom Gloria Connors to play tennis against her young son Jimmy, hoping that Champ might be able to challenge the prodigy a bit (he couldn't)...After high school he served in Vietnam, then was discovered playing slow-pitch softball by a scout. He didn't play a game of professional baseball till he was 25, but he still carved out a nice little career for himself, mostly with the Reds and Tigers.
Ty Cline (73) -Spare OF of the early BRM...Scored the winning run in the 1970 NLCS (he'd also scored the winning run in game 1).
Pid Purdy -OF-pinch-hitter in the late 1920s; the only Red I know of who also played for the Green Bay Packers.
Others:
Wade Boggs (54) -Known for his superstitions; when the P.A. announcer forgot to announce his number and he got a hit, breaking a slump, he requested that his number never be announced...During the celebration after the Yankees won the 1996 World Series, Boggs was so happy he jumped onto a policeman's horse and rode around with his finger in the air, even though he normally was afraid of horses.
Brett Butler (55) -Prototype leadoff hitter; if he were half his age he'd be exactly what the 2012 Reds need...Like Eric Davis, he has successfully battled cancer.
Billy Williams (74) -"Sweet-swinging Billy" from Whistler Alabama...As a young player, he encountered institutionalized racism for the first time playing in San Antonio. He was so discouraged that he quit and went home. The Cubs sent the legendary Buck O'Neil to Whistler, and Buck was able to persuade him to resume his career.
Babe Dahlgren -Known best for replacing Lou Gehrig as Yankee 1B after Lou's streak ended...First player ever to take a drug test; he did it after there were persistent rumors that he smoked marijuana. His son later wrote a book claiming that the rumors were started by Yankee manager Joe McCarthy, who had a personal grudge against Babe.
Dusty Baker (63) -Dusty was on deck when Hank Aaron hit #714. He followed Aaron's blast with what he called "the least-noticed double in baseball history"... Some consider Dusty to be the inventor, along with teammate Glenn Burke, of the high five.
Champ Summers (66) -His mother was a professional bowler and his father was an ex-boxer who nicknamed him "Champ" as a baby because "He looks like he just went ten rounds with Joe Louis". As a high schooler, he was such a good athlete that he was hired by tennis mom Gloria Connors to play tennis against her young son Jimmy, hoping that Champ might be able to challenge the prodigy a bit (he couldn't)...After high school he served in Vietnam, then was discovered playing slow-pitch softball by a scout. He didn't play a game of professional baseball till he was 25, but he still carved out a nice little career for himself, mostly with the Reds and Tigers.
Ty Cline (73) -Spare OF of the early BRM...Scored the winning run in the 1970 NLCS (he'd also scored the winning run in game 1).
Pid Purdy -OF-pinch-hitter in the late 1920s; the only Red I know of who also played for the Green Bay Packers.
Others:
Wade Boggs (54) -Known for his superstitions; when the P.A. announcer forgot to announce his number and he got a hit, breaking a slump, he requested that his number never be announced...During the celebration after the Yankees won the 1996 World Series, Boggs was so happy he jumped onto a policeman's horse and rode around with his finger in the air, even though he normally was afraid of horses.
Brett Butler (55) -Prototype leadoff hitter; if he were half his age he'd be exactly what the 2012 Reds need...Like Eric Davis, he has successfully battled cancer.
Billy Williams (74) -"Sweet-swinging Billy" from Whistler Alabama...As a young player, he encountered institutionalized racism for the first time playing in San Antonio. He was so discouraged that he quit and went home. The Cubs sent the legendary Buck O'Neil to Whistler, and Buck was able to persuade him to resume his career.
Babe Dahlgren -Known best for replacing Lou Gehrig as Yankee 1B after Lou's streak ended...First player ever to take a drug test; he did it after there were persistent rumors that he smoked marijuana. His son later wrote a book claiming that the rumors were started by Yankee manager Joe McCarthy, who had a personal grudge against Babe.