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Thread: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overnight

  1. #121
    Posting in Dynarama M2's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    I wish I had gotten to see him play. Wasn't an option as he retired before I was born, but I get the feeling he'd have been a fun pitcher to watch, someone who brought intelligence and determination to the mound.
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  3. #122
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    Quote Originally Posted by M2 View Post
    I wish I had gotten to see him play. Wasn't an option as he retired before I was born, but I get the feeling he'd have been a fun pitcher to watch, someone who brought intelligence and determination to the mound.
    Joe is number nine in Reds team history in wins, mostly with bad clubs too, strong lefty with a steady fastball and slider approach.

  4. #123
    Rock n Roll HOF! KittyDuran's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    Quote Originally Posted by westofyou View Post
    Joe is number nine in Reds team history in wins, mostly with bad clubs too, strong lefty with a steady fastball and slider approach.
    IIRC he's first with number of HRs by a Reds pitcher...and I believe he rewarded the Reds pitcher with the most hits with dinner after the season was over. "You swing the bat, you're dangerous."
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  5. #124
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    From when Joe retired in 2004:

    An open letter from Marty to Joe

    Dear Joe:

    Thirty-one years. Where has it all gone? Here today, gone tomorrow. It's over in the blink of an eye. But, boy, what memories and times we've had together.

    How about the time in San Francisco, when our engineer, Mike Marquard, popped the rather exclusive video up on the TV monitor and it locked you up while you did the play-by-play?

    Or the time in Montreal when you said on the air I was reading a book. I really wasn't, but I saw my career flash before my eyes.

    Or when Randy "Macho Man" Savage came to our booth for the afternoon game at Riverfront Stadium, and the stir that that created.

    Or the game in Montreal at old Jarry Park when a torrential downpour caused our little radio booth to flood, requiring our exit from the waves immediately.

    Or the night Jonathan Winters showed up at our radio booth at Riverfront and regaled us and our listeners with his portrayal of retired pitcher Wimp Willis and his used chicken farm that went bankrupt.

    I could go on and on, but there's neither time nor space. They're just examples of the great ride we've had together.

    Of all the places I could have ended up as a major-league baseball broadcaster, and all the people I could have teamed with, well, I've been blessed. Every young announcer should have someone like you to show them the way and display the patience and guidance you've extended to me over all these years.

    Thanks for all you've done. I could never repay you for what you've meant to me professionally and what you've meant to me personally. Remember, there's still a lot of golf to be played and a lot of laughs to be had. Hopefully, some of both will be with me.

    Your friend,

    Marty

  6. #125
    Redsmetz redsmetz's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    From the Hamilton Journal News

    Reds broadcaster and player Joe Nuxhall dead at 79
    Staff Report

    Friday, November 16, 2007

    FAIRFIELD — Butler County residents have spent most of the morning today remembering their personal experiences of Joe Nuxhall, who passed away late last night at Mercy Hospital in Fairfield.

    Suzy, of Middletown, who declined to give her last name, had been homeless for two years when her path crossed the Ol' Lefthander's.

    She had been staying at Chosen, a shelter in Hamilton, in 2004 when Nuxhall — in one of his many volunteering roles — stopped by to drop off donated clothes. He stayed and helped the kitchen staff serve food to those who were staying at the shelter that night.

    "Your mashed potatoes just tasted better when he was the one serving them to you," Suzy said. "He was like a grandfather to people there. You would have never known he was famous."

    Nuxhall was prounounced dead at Mercy Fairfield Hospital at 10:55 p.m. Thursday.

    The 79-year-old had been in the hospital since Monday for treatment of pneumonia, a low pulse rate and low white blood count. He was also undergoing treatment for his fourth bout with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Nuxhall was scheduled to undergo surgery for a pacemaker today.

    Nuxhall, known popularly as "The Ol' Left-hander" and "Hamilton Joe," was born in Hamilton on July 30, 1928, graduated from Hamilton High, and later he and his wife, Donzetta, resided for more than 45 years in Fairfield.

    Nuxhall made an immediate impact in American sports when he became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to appear in a game when he pitched for the Reds at the age of 15 years, 10 months and 11 days on June 14, 1944, in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

    Although he retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning, it was not a successful debut for Nuxhall, who then allowed five walks and two hits before being pulled by Reds manager Bill McKechnie in what was an 18-0 loss.

    Many years later, Nuxhall remembered that it wasn't such big news event at first. "The writers had left," Nuxhall said. "They had deadlines to meet. The photographers were gone. Hell, I didn't even get a picture."

    It was to be another seven years before Nuxhall returned to the big leagues, where he became one of the more successful, and ultimately beloved, members of the Reds organization, first as an All-Star pitcher and later as a broadcaster.

    Nuxhall was a multi-sports star for the Hamilton Big Blue and during baseball season he toiled in the minor leagues until he got another chance with the Reds 1952, and this time he was in for the long haul.

    He pitched in a total of 16 seasons, including 15 with the Reds. In 526 games, he compiled a 135-117 record with a 3.90 earned run average. In 2,302.2 innings, he recorded 1,372 strikeouts.

    Nuxhall's best year was 1955, when he won a career-high 17 games, led the National League with five shutouts and pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in the All-Star Game.

    Nuxhall also was considered one of the better hitting pitchers in the majors. He finished his career with 15 home runs.

    He was traded to the Kansas City Athletics prior to the 1961 season for pitchers John Tsitouris and John Briggs. Unfortunately for Nuxhall, 1961 was the only season during his pitching career that the Reds played in the World Series (where they lost in five games to the New York Yankees of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle).

    Meanwhile, Nuxhall played one season with Kansas City and was released. Then he pitched part of another season with the Los Angeles Angels and was released. Finally, he returned to the Reds in the middle of the 1962 season when they purchased his contract from San Diego of the Pacific Coast League.

    Nuxhall's third stint with the Reds also was a success. He compiled a 15-8 record in 1963, and in 1965 he went 11-4 and pitched a one-hit shutout at the Houston Astrodome, losing his no-hit bid in the eighth inning on a single by the Astros' Bob Lillis.

    Nuxhall announced his retirement as an active player prior to the 1967 season and spent the next 38 years as a full-time color commentator in the Reds radio booth, where he won thousands of loyal fans with his calm storytelling and his emotional home run calls.

    Nuxhall spent 31 of those seasons with Marty Brennaman, who became one of the more well-known broadcast teams in baseball. They also made many memorable TV commercials.

    In his later years, Nuxhall was deeply involved with the Joe Nuxhall Scholarship Fund, which awarded scholarships to student-athletes of every high school in Butler County, and with the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund, which was started in 2003 by his son, Kim Nuxhall, to underwrite character development programs and projects for children.

    In 2004 Nuxhall announced his semi-retirement, though he continued to broadcast games on a limited basis. On Sept. 19 of that year, he was honored at Great American Ball Park on Joe Nuxhall Night, where he was greeted with ovations from the 40,000 fans and tributes from many former teammates and Reds greats.

    A statue of Nuxhall in his pitching pose stands near the entrance to GABP and a display of his famous radio phrase, "... Rounding third and heading for home," lights the outside of the park.

    Nuxhall was named to the Reds Hall of Fame in 1968 and became a charter member of the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.
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  7. #126
    Moderator RedlegJake's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    A sad, sad day for me. I watched Nuxhall pitch in 1962 and again in '65. He was a plugger - not a great pitcher but a reliable left-handed veteran who knew how to battle. When he retired in 1967 and went into the booth it was a natural thing - he was always really popular with Reds fans. I was 13 then and as I grew up I always preferred listening to the radio. Da would turn on TV when the Reds were on (by then we had moved away from Cincy) but turn the volume off and listen to Joe and Al, or Joe and Marty when we could get the signal. Joe always reminds me of a summer rain for that reason - we could get the signal pretty clearly whenever the weather was wet for some reason. There are a lot of people wanting you to say hi to folks "over there" Joe, but you always were one to talk to everybody so say hi to Da for me, will ya? Love ya Joe. Goodbye.

  8. #127
    I hate the Cubs LoganBuck's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    I listened to the Reds press conference at 10am, and while I was listening to that, memories of sitting with my departed Grandparents on summer nights listening baseball, and drinking lemonade came back to me. I actually started to cry. Joe was part of the fabric of growing up in Ohio.

    Strangely he dies almost a year to the day that Bo Schembechler died, another thread in the fabric of growing up in Ohio.
    Hugs, smiling, and interactive Twitter accounts, don't mean winning baseball. Until this community understands that we are cursed to relive the madness.

  9. #128
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    I've been reading through all of these remembrances and they are just great. It shows what a great man Joe was. Not one single bad or remotely bad thing has been said by any poster,newspaper or radio person. That says a lot about Joe.
    One thing I remembered was back in the early days of Marty and Joe they used to each pick a pitcher they thought would have the most hits during the season. They placed some side bet on it but I don't remember exactly what that would be. They had a lot of fun with that and it was fun for the listener to keep up with. One year Joe took Jack Billingham who was a very poor hitter. He worked with him during the season and dag gone made him into a repectable hitter at least for pitcher that is. BTW,IIRC Joe won that year with Billingham. They had to make Don Gullet off limits because he was such a good hitting pitcher. I think they quit doing this after the BRM years because the pitching became such a revolving door.
    I just ordered the biography of Joe from Amazon that was written by Greg Hoard. I'm sure it's good and will enjoy it.
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    Wow. I welled up at the end. Joe was us.

  11. #130
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    Quote Originally Posted by Caseyfan21 View Post
    And this slide show is unbelievable. A bunch of pictures of Joe from throughout his life along with his greatest calls....

    http://opera.cincinnati.com/Netcasts...EO02/71116005/

    If you don't get a little misty eyed watching that you probably aren't human.

    Thanks for posting that. You are right if you don't get a little misty eyed you aren't human.
    Reds Fan Since 1971

  12. #131
    Rally Onion! Chip R's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    The Reds held a press conference today about Joe's passing.


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  13. #132
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2007...ol-lefthander/

    The Ol’ Lefthander …

    When I got to Cincinnati to become a sports columnist — this would have been 1994, a few months before baseball went on strike — Tim Sullivan passed down some advice he had received years before. Sully was the columnist at rival Cincinnati Enquirer then, and also one of the fine people in the business. I was 27 and looking for help.

    He said: “When I became a columnist, they told me that the first thing any columnist should do is crap in the hat of the biggest man in town. Prove you’re not afraid of anybody.”

    “So, does that mean I’m supposed to rip Pete Rose in my first column?” I asked.

    “Not Pete,” he said. He smiled. “The biggest man in this town is Joe Nuxhuall.”

    He was right. Not about ripping Joe Nuxhall, of course. That would have been criminal (and suicidal). The man wasn’t just the biggest man in town. He was the Pope. One thing you find out pretty quickly about Cincinnati is that it is really two towns. There’s the West side of Cincinnati and the East side. On the West side — in the grandest generalization sweep I can manage — you in large part have blue collar, Reds-loving, flannel-wearing, truck-driving, flag-waving, double-decker eating, brick and mortar Cincinnati folk. And on the East side — again generalizing beyond reason — you have plenty of white collar, Bengals-loving, suit-wearing, Lexus-driving, Starbucks-drinking mall-walking, upwardly-mobile Cincinnati folk.

    It’s never that simple, of course, never that red and blue, the two sides were always more alike than people imagined. But perception is a part of reality, and in Cincinnati it is considered a local fact that there are two places — two countries, even — and that East siders would get lost on the West side of town and vice versa, I remember the brilliant editorial cartoonist Jim Borgman drawing a cartoon where he had a Berlin Type Wall separating the two sides of Cincinnati. That summed things up. There wasn’t much that crossed between the two sides. In fact, only three things come to mind:

    1. Skyline Chili.
    2. Graeter’s Ice Cream.
    3. Joe Nuxhall.

    Nuxie had been a Cincinnati icon from the day — June 10, 1944 — when as a 15-year-old, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds. He had been signed as something of a publicity stunt while the best players were at war. Nuxhall was a hard-throwing high school pitcher whose father Orville was a pretty well known player around town (they actually scouted Orville, that’s how they found young Joe). Joe only made it 2/3 of an inning in his one Major League start, but it still made him the youngest player to play in the Major Leagues. He was then sent to the minor leagues — a major league footnote — and I suspect no one expected to see him in the big leagues again.

    Eight years later, at 23, he re-emerged with the Reds. Nuxie pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues, almost all of them with Cincinnati. He won 10 or more games seven times. He had an amazing ability to reinvent himself as a pitcher. He would talk about it, if you asked him. As a kid, he said, he had no idea where the ball was going, but he threw hard. As a middle-aged pitcher, he gave up hits and home runs, but managed to tough it out and win more than his share on guts. He made a couple of All-Star teams. He led the league in shutouts in 1955. “But,” he would say, “I was still learning how to pitch.”

    And then, in 1961, after a dismal year in relief, he was traded to Kansas City. Nuxie was soon released. He signed with Baltimore. Released before the 1962 season. He signed with the Los Angeles Angeles. Released again. It all seemed over.

    In June of 1962, he came back to Cincinnati. And it was like magic. Everything came together. Nuxhall went 5-0 with a 2.45 ERA the rest of the way. Ol’ Nuxie was back. There’s just something about Cincinnati. In 1963, he had his best season. He went 15-8, had a 2.61 ERA, struck out a career high 169, walked only 39 (he had found his control). He was home. He never left.

    Nuxie would have become a Cincinnati icon after his playing career no matter what because he was that kind of man — kind, decent, great story teller, certain of his convictions, a real Cincinnati guy. But in 1967, just after he finished playing, he became a radio voice for the team. He would be an announcer — mostly with Marty Brennaman — for the next 37 years. And he would become even more beloved.

    I’ve written here before about how, to me, the hometown baseball announcer on your radio dial is like the weather. He simply is. He becomes part of your life. Herb Score was like that in Cleveland, Jack Buck in St. Louis, Vin Scully in LA, Denny Matthews in Kansas City, Dave Niehaus in Seattle, John Sterling in New York and so on. (I use Sterling here not because I think of him as a legend but I think of him as inescapable — as Mark points out the true New York broadcast legends are Bob Murphy and Phil Rizutto).

    Nuxie was even more than that in Cincinnati. Together with Marty, they did not just call Reds games. They defined Cincinnati. There was Marty telling you the umpire was off that night or that someone did not run out a ground ball. There was Nuxie telling everyone that “If you swing the bat, you’re dangerous.” They always seemed to be talking about something a little bit more than baseball. People have all sorts of opinions about how a sporting event should be announced, and I will admit being more susceptible than most to those opinions. But Nuxie’s broadcasting wasn’t about style or form or any of that. He made his mistakes, mispronounced some names, whatever. His humanity always came through. At the end of any broadcast, you would think: “Wow, that’s a great guy. I’d love to have a beer with him and just talk baseball.”

    I had that chance a time or two during my Cincinnati columnist days. And if you’ve ever heard Joe Nuxhall call a baseball game, you already know what it was like. Everybody loved Nuxie.

    Joe Nuxhall retired in 2004, but he would pop back into the booth every now and again. He had a lot of health problems in his final days, — he was in and out of hospitals — but he still made his way around town, working the endless number of charities that wanted his name connected to their causes. He died late Thursday night. He was 79.

    Nuxie used to end every broadcast the same way — he used to say, “This is the ol’ lefthander rounding third and heading for home.” When you heard that, I don’t know, it just made you feel like you were home too. Sully was right. He was the biggest man in town.

  14. #133
    Beer is good!! George Anderson's Avatar
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    I had the thrill of meeting Joe when he came to Indy to do a card show back around 1980. Not a lot of people were there to get his autograph at the time I was there so as a 12 year old kid I was able to have free access to him for quite some time. He was incredibly nice and friendly and even was quite patient as I gave him 40 -50 trade proposals the Reds could use for the upcoming year. :

    BTW If you haven't read his recent autobiography that was published about his life and career then make it a point to do so. It will really make you appreciate and admire the person he was if you didnt already.
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  15. #134
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    I just have too many thoughts and memories from meeting him personally when I was a kid at Wilson Junior High, he wasn't a kid then ;-). A signed ball, handshakes, a card and lot's of listening time. Just can't say it all. It would be nice if he was honored at the hall of fame or the stadium.

  16. #135
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    Re: Sad day for Reds Fans- Joe has Rounded 3rd and headed home!Joe passed away overni

    Funeral will likely be on Tuesday according to Pete Rose who was just on WLW.


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