Gibson had the same rep. Bob Uker tells a story about catching Gibby. He's going out to the mound and as he's about half way, Gibby yells, what the hell you doing out here. You don't know **** about baseball. Don't ever come to my ****** mound. Uker just kept on walking and had a conversation with the second baseman.
Yeh, I heard that story!!! LOL!
God, Gibson was great and nasty....... a very great athlete too!
And Ueker is one of the funniest people in the world!
**** For instance:
"I have found that the best way too catch a knuckleballer is too wait for it to stop rolling and pick it up."~ Bob Ueker
p.s. I was a senior in college playing in a high level baseball program in 1968 when Gibson had an ERA of 1.18........ for the year! The dead ball era! YOI!
;-)
"Anybody with ability can play in the big leagues. But to be able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much greater feat."
"If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter."
"In 1962 I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the Bigs."
"I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough. But he eventually scraped it up."
"People don't know this but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it."
"The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud."
"I had slumps that lasted into the winter."
*****
LOL!