Earlier this month I was in Arizona for my annual Spring Training get-away (I prefer AZ as all the teams are close together. Five games in 3 days is not something you can really do in Florida.)
One of the things I really love about Spring Training is how so many former ballplayers come out. This trip was no exception as I met Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry and Willie Wilson. The 2 guys I was most happy to meet though were Dave Kingman (at a Giants game) and George Foster (at a Reds game).
Both men were very friendly and I spoke to each briefly about their times with the Mets. Kingman (who was sitting next to Perry at a signing) chuckled when I spoke about THE trade, turned to Gaylord and said “You know they still refer to that as Black Tuesday.” Foster, who was by himself, laughed when I reminded him of his statement upon signing with the Mets, that the planes at LaGuardia would have to adjust their flight pattern because of his homeruns.
What struck me about both players though were their respective sizes. First, Kingman is a BIG man. Standing next to him I felt like I was a child again. He’s not just tall though – his hands are big as well.
Foster on the other hand is not nearly as tall (Kong is listed at 6’6″, Foster at 6’1”), but George’s forearms (and he is 61) were still mighty impressive. I can only imagine what they were like 25 years ago in his prime.
Combined the 2 men hit almost 800 homeruns – all of them without a hint of anything unnatural.
