Couldn't find an obituary but I saw where Whammy Douglas died on Nov. 16 in North Carolina. Whammy was traded to the Reds by the Pirates in 1958 as part of the deal that sent Smoky Burgess, Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak packing to Pittsburgh. Of course, all of those guys contributed to the Bucs winning the World Series in 1960. Meanwhile, Douglas never pitched in a game for the Reds, only toiling down on the farm, and we only kept the centerpiece player we received in the trade, left fielder Frank Thomas, for one season before shipping him off to the Cubs.
Even so, I still saved Whammy's 1959 Topps baseball card not only because I liked the sharp design but also because Whammy sounded like the coolest name any baseball player could possibly have.
Later, I came to admire Douglas even more upon discovering he had lost his right eye in a childhood accident. Only a handful of men ever reached the majors though being partially blind. A tale is told, perhaps a legend, that Whammy once pretended that his glass eye popped out after throwing a strike to Hank Aaron. As Whammy went combing through the grass, Hammerin' Hank asked the catcher what was afoot, and when informed, the slugger got all jittery, one of the rare occasions where he lost his steely concentration and composure.
Originally Posted by redsmetz
