Posted on 08/24/2020 4:14:18 PM PDT by Shark24
He put G-d before the game.
The left-arm of God.
Muhamed Ali ended the era of real sports heroes.
So I think you will appreciate this.
My favorite baseball player. I was a kid and a teen in L.A. when he played with the Dodgers.
My mother was born and raised in Brooklyn and I grew up outside the city on the CT side. We could not be Yankee’s fans, had to be Dodger fans. I was a lefty and could pitch some. Sandy was and still is a hero to me (an I say that as a military vet).
I was a kid and a teen in L.A. when he played with the Dodgers.
When men knew how to pitch, could pitch, and faced some devastating hitters. He climbed the hill and did his job. Now we got soy boys taking knees. It was a great game with good men. Sad where it’s gone now. I miss it.
Just the mind set is why todays players are so messed up with $$$ and social BS.
I have his autograph on his MLB Hall of Fame postcard.
My father had great respect for his decision.
I have no respect for today’s MLB.
I saw him pitch at the LA Coliseum when I was 8 or 9 years old. He walked two guys had two wild pitches and did not last the first inning.
I said the guy was bum. Mu Uncle was sitting next to me and said: “That is Sandy Koufax and some day I will remind you that you called him a bum.”
Sure enough, he did remind me of that story and did so many times over the years!
IMO, unlike Koufax, Ali fought too long.
Thanks, Shark. I was a Red Sox fan, but something about Sandy Koufax got me idolizing him as a pitcher.
I had never seen him without a uniform before seeing your video. Pleased that Koufax measured up in his character with his play on the ballfield.
It’s called role-model. Kind of the antithesis of many modern atheletes who are only in it for the money and to pump up their own egos.
[wikipedia] World Series and Yom Kippur
Koufax garnered headlines by declining to pitch Game 1 of the World Series because of his observance of the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. This decision garnered national attention as an example of conflict between professional pressures and personal religious beliefs. Don Drysdale pitched the opener, but was hit hard by the Minnesota Twins.
In Game 2, Koufax pitched six innings, giving up two runs, and the Twins won the Game 5–1 and took an early 2–0 lead in the series. The Dodgers fought back in Games 3 and 4, with wins by Claude Osteen and Drysdale. With the Series tied at 2–2, Koufax pitched a complete game shutout in Game 5 for a 3–2 Dodgers lead as the Series returned to Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium for Game 6. The Twins won Game 6 to force a seventh game. Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Despite giving up on his curveball early in the game after failing to throw strikes with it in the first two innings and pitching the rest of the game relying almost entirely on fastballs, Koufax threw a three-hit shutout to clinch the Series. The performance earned him his second World Series MVP award. Koufax also won the Hickok Belt a second time, the first time anyone had won the belt more than once. He was awarded Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award.
Koufax won game 5 and was put in for game 7. I remember reading that the manager had the other pitcher in, said,"I'm pitchin' Sandy".
My aunt and uncle lived right across from Ebbet’s Field. Good memories.
Sandy was my Uncle’s, brother in law’s best friend.
Dick Tracewski was Sandy’s roommate and one of his best teammates for the Dodgers .
Dick was the 2nd baseman during Koufax s perfect game
My only connection to baseball fame!
Dodgers won both games, Koufax pitched one game, another left hander Danny McDevitt pitched the other.
Made two predictions to my dad on the way home:
1. Koufax would become one the greatest pitcher ever to play the game.
2.. Tommy Davis would some day win the batting title.
Me too. My first major league game was 1959 World Series against the Chisox at the Coliseum. Was also there when he struck out 18 Giants. Everyone knew how hard he threw but when he learned to control the fastball and added a “fall off the table” curveball he became basically unhittable. Never pitched on the sabbath. Reverred to this day in LA org and fans alike.
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