Posted on 12/26/2013 10:18:28 PM PST by ConservativeStatement
BALTIMORE -- Paul Blair, the eight-time Gold Glove center fielder who helped the Baltimore Orioles win World Series titles in 1966 and '70, has died. He was 69.
Blair died Thursday night at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Blair's wife, Gloria, told The Baltimore Sun that Blair played a round of golf with friends Thursday morning and later lost consciousness at a celebrity bowling tournament in Pikesville.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
He was my drafted CF on Strat O Matic baseball team
May he Rest In Peace and our prayers are with his loved ones.
A genuine Gold Glove guy.
His nickname was Motor Mouth.
Blair also spent his waning baseball days as mostly an observer in the Bronx Zoo (aka the New York Yankees clubhouse during the Steinbrenner-Martin-Jackson era).
Never got the credit he was probably due.
RIP Paul. Tough year for Oriole alumni.
July,1976..old Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Mark Fidrych was pitching for the Tigers against the Orioles that night. Place is jammed packed with 51,000 plus...me and a group of friends were sitting in those great center field bleachers, directly above Paul Blair playing center field. Were right on the railing, and a few of the guys started chanting ‘BLAIR..YOU SUCK”. just havin fun with him. He was so cool about it...he’d turn and look up at us, smiling..then he’d hold his glove kind of in front of him, put his throwing hand in his glove, and flip us off...everyone laughed like hell...R.I.P Mr Blair.
Shagging flies in Heaven.
RIP Paul Blair.
Old is seeing the Baseball players from our youth passing away.
Those were real players. No Steriods,just skill and hard work.
Coaching HS baseball, best gig of my life. Doesn’t pay squat but the satisfaction ranks it above so much else.
‘Seen one who could’ve gone pro, but alas he dropped out. What a waste. Though onward for the love of the game.
‘Saw Paul Blair once, when Baltimore used to Spring train at the old Miami Stadium before the Marlins ever had a glimmer in their then Single-A eye.
You’re right. Those were...but even these are still the days, on the diamond.
RIP.
Willie Mays, to name one: hit 600+ homers, 6'1", usually weighed 190-200.
Blair was a helluva CF.
I still remember watching him play. Rest in peace Paul, you were one of the greatest!
Great story. Though a Reds fan, I used to enjoy watching him patrol center field. He spent a year with the Reds toward the end of his career and he could still go get em in the field, though he was shot as a hitter.
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