Posted on 06/18/2024 6:14:23 PM PDT by mkmensinger
Willie Mays, the spirited center fielder whose brilliance at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths for the Giants led many to call him the greatest all-around player in baseball history, died on Tuesday. He was 93.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"If he had only given his regulars more rest," he often laments. But the truth of the matter is that Leo didn't have a good third outfielder or backup catcher. The Mets had a stronger bench and got lucky in August and September.
Yawkey was an arse. As you probably know, his was the last team to sign a black player, and one who spent most of his time on the bench at that.
“Leo the Lip was a smart man and a good manager...”
Leo was old school and believed in the stolen bse, the sacrafice, and the squeeze.
You mentioning Leo brings me to one of my favorite stories as told by Leo himself. In the latter part of his career, Leo was managing the Astros and they were playing a game at home and it was tight. Al Barlick, a long time umpire was at first base and had just blown a call. In those days, Houston used the third base dugout at home and when Barlick made the call, Leo came flying out of the dugout with the air just blue behind him coming all the way across the infield. Leo said when he got there, Barlick had his hat in his hands shaking his head. Barlicke looked up at Leo and said, “Oh, hi Leo. You know, that’s the worst call I ever saw.” Leo said he didn’t have anything else to say at that point so he just trotted back across to the dugout. What else is there?
wy69
Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t heard that one. In the days before replay review, the best Barlick could do is exactly what he did and owe Leo the next close call.
“...could do is exactly what he did and owe Leo the next close call.”
As for myself being an umpire for both baseball and softball at a number of different levels, I can understand that Barlick would owe Leo the best call he could make at the next one. He can only do the best to get position and within the scope of the rules and his judgement, give it his best. But as there is a show and getting the fans their dollars worth, Leo would be out there anyway. And possibly to get ejected for one reason or another in some cases having nothing to do with that call anyway. There has been occassions when managers have been ejected when taking the lineup card up from a previous call maybe a year before. A magic word was said, and the rest of the game the manager spent in the runway shouting out orders to his subordiates.
I can remember one time Bobby Valentine was tossed and went to the clubhouse, smeared some pine tar under his nose and returned to the dugout in the same uniform to continue managing. That cost him a two game suspension and a $5K fine (which the club paid). His team, the Mets, won the game in the 14th.
I often wished the public could get an idea of what actually happens on the field. Some of it is hilarious. And if the people could get by the language, they’d laugh but also they’d be disillusioned. It would bring the game closer to acting and away from pure sport. It would be far more show and a lot less competition.
wy69
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