I recently posted about my historic meeting ( historic for me) with “Stan the Man” Musial in 1961. One person I failed to mention was another first baseman who I met prior to a playoff game in in Williamsport. I was fortunate to meet an elderly gentleman seated in the stands behind home plate. He was my number two all time favorite player since he was also a first baseman. It was the great George Harold Sisler. Todays post will be a short bio on Mr. Sisler which will stun you. I still treasure meeting him and getting his autograph to this day. Lets do a little time traveling and learn about a true baseball legend.
In 1915 Sisler was pitching for the Saint Louis Browns when his manager approached him and convinced him to give up pitching and become their first baseman. He was hesitant but went along. He was a self-effacing player and took to his new job immediately. In his first eight seasons he compiled an incredible batting average of .367! In 1920 he hit .407 and two seasons later he batted .420. In 1920 he had 257 hits. In his 16 years as a first baseman he hit safely 2812 times, stole 375 bases, and wound up with a lifetime batting average of .340.
His career was shortened when he was stricken with a disease that effected his optic nerve causing double vision. He still starred in the league for an additional eight years and was able to bat over .340 twice even with his bad eyes. In three of his last eight years he collected 200 hits and in his last season he still batted over .300.
I decided this post needed to be put out there because so many of the early Hall of Famers who helped make the sport so great are slowing being forgotten. But not by me!
I’ve been a lover of baseball for my entire life beginning at the age of four. When I get obsessed with something I really do it right. I played three years of Little League, then two seasons of Senior Little League, then Pony League, 3 years of High School baseball, and finally two seasons of American Legion baseball. I tell you this not to brag but to convince you just how nuts I am about baseball. Throughout all of those years I had one major league ball player who was my idol. That was “Stan the Man” Musial. He was a lefthander from Pennsylvania who played both first base and the outfield. I was a lefty from Pennsylvania too and played first base and I pitched as well. His batting stance was my batting stance.
My biggest day occurred at the old Forbes Field stadium in Pittsburgh in 1961. Our team was invited to appear in a ceremony prior to the game. The pirates were playing St. Louis and guess who had his picture taken with Stan . . . that would be me. I also got to meet all of the players from the 1960 Pittsburgh World Series Champions, Roberto Clemente, Bill Virdon, Al McBean, Bill Mazeroski, just to name a few. Now you know why I love baseball. I have quite a collection of books on baseball and baseball trivia. Here are a few facts you may not have heard before and I hope you enjoy them.
THE MAN
Babe Ruth named his bat “Black Beauty”.
Hall of Famer outfielder, Edd Roush used a 48-ounce bat- the heaviest ever used in the major leagues.
On September 15, 1946 the Dodgers beat the Cubs 2-0 in five innings. The game was called because of gnats, who became a problem for the players, the umpires, and the fans.
On August 2, 1938 the Dodgers and the Cardinals used a yellow baseball as an experiment in the first game of the double header. The Dodgers won the game, 6-2, and the yellow ball was never used again.
“Wee Willie” Keeler, at five feet and one-half inch and weighing in at 142 pounds, was the smallest player in the Hall of Fame.
Bert Campanaris of the Kansas City A’s played all nine positions in a single game on September 8, 1965.
First baseman Ted Kluszewski of the Reds has such muscular arms that he had to cut the sleeves of his uniform to get into it.
And “last but least” another fact about the Pirates.
1960 World Champs
In 1988 former Yankee pitcher Art Ditmar, lost his lawsuit against a beer company and an ad agency that had mistakenly identified him as the pitcher who had given up Pirate Bill Mazeroski’s home run that won the 1960 World Series. Actually, it was Ralph Terry, but the judge ruled that Ditmar failed to provide more than speculation that the commercial had caused him any financial harm.
I spend a moderate amount of my time reading, listening, and even watching some sports on TV or online. For me baseball is the absolute best. I fell in love with it at age 8 and that love affair continues to this day. I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area but when it comes to baseball I favor no particular teams. It’s the skill of exceptional players that keeps me coming back. I thought today a short quiz of baseball trivia might interest some of you. Here are ten questions with the answers listed below. Have fun with it.
How man times did the “Father of Baseball” Abner Doubleday, mention the sport in his 67 diaries?
What baseball team introduced the sacrifice bunt, the squeeze play, the hit-and-run play, and the double steal?
Why did baseball manager Hal Lanier order all TV sets removed from the Houston Astro clubhouse in 1986?
What was the greatest number of homeruns hit in a single season by Ty Cobb, the Georgia Peach?
What famous sports commentator announced his first major league baseball game without ever having seen a game before?
FRED LYNN
What was baseball great, Stan Musial’s, advice to players trying to hit the spit ball?
What baseball playing brothers came in first and second in the race for the National League batting title in 1966?
What other two brothers hit home runs in the same World Series game?
Who was the only rookie in baseball history to be honored as rookie of the year and most valuable player in the same season?
What is the maximum length and thickness permitted for a major league baseball bat?
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Answers
Not once, The Baltimore Orioles, Player missed some practice because of watching the Wheel of Fortune, 12, Red Barber in 1934 for The Cincinnati Reds, “Hit it on the dry side.”, Matty .342 & Felipe Alou .327, Ken & Clete Boyers, Fred Lynn 1975, Length 43″ & Thickness 2 1/4″.
I’m what most of you crazy avid sports fans would call a “fair weather fan”. I confess to that description to a certain degree. Only one sport has ever been all-consuming for me and that is baseball. I spent the better part of my youth playing baseball in Little League, high school teams, American Legion teams, and one local semi-pro team. Playing baseball was my life. Being on the field and playing was heaven for me but it has made watching modern baseball absolute torture. I was never bored while I was playing but watching it now is painful.
Todays blog will return me to those early years of baseball and will test those of you super-fans who have knowledge of the history of the sport. Here are some nicknames of well-known players from the past. Lets see how you do! As always the answers will be listed below.
WHO?
High Pockets
The Iron Horse
Goose
Little Poison
Three Fingered
Gabby
Bucky
Rube
The Trojan
Lippy
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Answers
George Kelly, Lou Gehrig, Leon Goslin, Lloyd James Warner, Mordecai Peter Brown, Charles Leo Hartnett, Stanley Raymond Harris, George Edward Waddell, John Joseph Evers, and Leo Durocher.
