My evening with Sandy Koufax

World Net Daily ^ | December 21, 2006 | Larry Elder

[karnage]

I loved Marichal's high kick, but you're right - beating Roseboro over the head with a bat... not very sporting.

As good as Drysdale, Gibson and Marichal were, Koufax was the best of that very impressive era.

Hm. All National Leaguers...

[upchuck]

Games now take forever ... EVERY batter steps out of the box after EVERY pitch ... drives me crazy.

Agreed.

IMHO, baseball needs a shot clock like basketball and football. I think 30 seconds would be generous.

Baseball also needs a defined number of time outs.

[riverdawg]

"... Koufax and Drysdale ... were pitching magnificently and batting respectably as well!"

Koufax wasn't a very good hitter, even for a pitcher. He worked at it, though, and got better over time. Drysdale, on the other hand, was an excellent hitter (especially for a pitcher) and was occasionally used as a pinch hitter. He hit 7 HRs one season - '65, I think.

In the Leavy biography of Koufax, it's revealed that baseball wasn't even Koufax's best sport in high school - basketball was. He got a college scholarship in basketball, but after one or two years quit and signed a bonus contract to play professional baseball.

[pepsionice]

There are lots of great players in baseball...from Kirk Gibson to Lou Gehrig...from Yogi Berra to Babe Ruth. But when you come down to wanting to watch a person play...inning after inning...there is only Sandy Koufax. For whatever length of career that he appeared...he probably made each single inning count more than any baseball player that ever breathed. Koufax demonstrates the preciseness of his professionalism and was an absolute gentleman on and off the field. We can give alot to Yogi....we can dream of the youthful Ty Cobb on the bases...we can see Reggie Jackson in October as Mr. Baseball...but for greatness...there is only Koufax.

[bboop]

I wonder if the Museum of TV & Radio in NYC might have it. They seem to have EVERYTHING.

[ravensandricks]

Koufax was retired before I was *born* and he's still one of my favorite players of all time. The tapes I've seen of his curveball are absolutely breathtaking - there's nothing else I've ever seen that comes close.

Incidentally, my all-time favorite, Jim Palmer, beat Koufax in Koufax's last game.

[RetiredArmy]

Oh, by the way, former Vice President Al Gore gave the keynote speech. I barely remember a word he said.

A great article till I read that line. I hate Algore so bad that the mere mention of his name drives my stomach upset.

[saminfl]

I lived in Tucson during those days. I always had KTUC (I think that was it) on my radio. That was the Dodger's station. I listened all the time. Koufax was great. I also remember when they batted Drydale seventh.

Free agency ran me away from the game.

[Jeff Chandler]

here were seasons when both of them were pitching magnificently and batting respectably as well!

LOL! Koufax never batted well. I recall a game when he got a triple and the entire Dodger team was rolling on the field laughing, it was such an odd event.

[zarf]

IMHO, baseball needs a shot clock like basketball and football. I think 30 seconds would be generous.

Nonsense. Baseball is perfect. Pure symmetry.

What baseball is missing are teams. Teams with players that fans can attach their loyalties to before they blow to another city.

[EveningStar]

Pictures from the banquet:

Sandy Koufax, Larry Elder, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt

Vin Scully, Larry Elder

[DeweyCA]

I was in high school in MN in 1965, so I was a Twins fan. Koufax is the ONLY reason that the Dodgers beat the Twins in the 1965 World Series, but Koufax was still my favorite pitcher. Just unhittable when he "was on," which was most of the time during those years.

[Jhensy]

How about we speed up football too. The commercials are just unbearable, and if it isn't my Giants, I just start channel surfing. Me and millions others I'm sure.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for the links.

Good article.

[Tarnsman]

Koufax is one of the reasons I became a lifelong Dodger fan. I still remember the day it happened. 1965. Fifth grade. Listening on a small transitor radio during recess to a Dodger/Cardinals game and Koufax was on the mound.

[janetgreen]

Great picture of Sandy Koufax! We saw him pitch several times at Dodger Stadium, and he never failed to impress the fans. Definitely one of the greats in baseball history.

[Tribune7]

You know baseball used to be fun to watch, now I can't go more than a couple on innings.

Ditto that

[kellynch]

The National League. Where REAL baseball lives.

My favorite player of all time, Tug McGraw (yes, his son is a liberal, but I will always love Tug) once said he'd rather retire than go to the American League because the DH was an abomination. One of the many reasons I loved this man and cried bitterly when he died. I met him at Shea when I was about 10 or 11, and he was very nice to me. That was over 35 years ago, and I still remember it.

[riverdawg]

"... my all-time favorite, Jim Palmer, beat Koufax in Koufax's last game."

Palmer was a favorite of mine, as well. In the 1970's, I used to drive up to Baltimore from the DC area if there was a Sunday afternoon game with Palmer on the mound. I would get a seat on the third-base side, where Brooks Robinson still patrolled, eat a crab cake sandwich, and drink a couple of National Bo's. For a baseball fan, it doesn't get much better than that.

[Tribune7]

That was '63.