What Mets fans talk about when not talking about the actual games.
George Steinbrenner, the longtime owner of the Yankees, has died after suffering a massive heart attack in his home in Tampa, FL
Details on his life will be printed elsewhere. Say what you want about the man, he was a force in baseball. There were times where I both hated him and wished that he owned the Mets.
Regardless of what you think, condolences to his family.
Taking a break from 70’s week for just a moment – news reports from WABC and other sources are coming in now that George Steinbrenner has suffered a massive heart attack and has been rushed to a Tampa area hospital.
UPDATE – CNN reporting the 80 year old Yankee owner is now in critical condition
Sometimes I point out that on paper, if you had to trade Seaver, getting Pat Zachry back looked pretty good.
One day he was 10-3 and on his way to the All-Star Game. Â The Wall Street Journal’s really cool sports section takes it form here.
Mr. Zachry, angry at himself, saw a helmet on the ground and tried to kick it. “It was just frustration,” he said.
He missed the helmet and instead kicked a concrete step, crushing a bone in his foot.
Since it’s 70’s week here on Mets Police, let’s get an early jump on the 35th anniversary of this one with this loaner post originally posted on the great Centerfield Maz (a great blog probably off your radar.)
1975- Joe Torre Grounds Into A Record Four Double Plays
July 21, 1975: On this day in 1975 the Mets lost 6-2 to the Astros at Shea Stadium. Houston knocked out George Stone by the 3rd inning, knocking him around for 5 runs & 8 hits. Stone was coming back from rotator cuff surgery, and after some success was set back after this outing.
On this night Joe Torre would set a record by grounding into four double plays. Each time after Felix Millan had reached base ahead of him. In the 1st inning Millan singled, Torre followed up grounding out to the pitcher Ken Forsch who turned two. In the 3rd inning, Del Unser & Millan both singled, Torre killed that inning by hitting a double play ball to the short stop. In the sixth Millan got his 3rd hit of the night but was erased when Torre grounded out to second baseman Larry Milbourne who turned the double play.
20 other players in history had grounded into three double plays in a game, the Mets own Teddy Martinez was had done it the previous year. In the bottom of the 8th Del Unser singled again & Felix Millan got his fourth hit of the night. Torre came to bat and made MLB history as he grounded to short stop Roger Metzger 6-4-3 becoming the 1st player to hit into four double plays in one game. After the game Torre joked “I’d like to thank Felix Millan for making this all possible, I’ll just tell the kids they were all bulletsâ€.
In reading the various reports about the passing of Bob Sheppard a few stated that “The Voice of Yankee Stadium” had died.
And that moniker for him was very true. Mr. Sheppard (I would never call him Bob) was the Voice of Yankee Stadium – the ORIGINAL Yankee Stadium. The place where Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Berra, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, and Mattingly, among many others, spent their entire careers. All of them had left the game long before the walls of the cathedral were torn down.
And somewhat fittingly as it turned out, so had Mr. Sheppard.
Mr. Sheppard never had the opportunity to visit the new ballpark in the Bronx. Sure, Derek Jeter uses a recording of him at games, but it’s not the same. We all know it’s just a recording.
For 85 years Yankee Stadium hosted baseball games (ok, technically 83 years if you take away the 2 years of renovation work in the 70’s). Mr. Sheppard was the Voice of Yankee Stadium for 56 of those years – that’s 2/3 of the stadiums life! When you went to Yankee Stadium you expected to hear his voice. You didn’t even think about it – the sun rises, the sun sets, and Bob Sheppard announces. It was both expected and conforting. You knew you were at Yankee Stadium.
Last year when the new stadium opened it really was jarring – at least for me – to hear a completely different voice making the stadium announcements. Yes I know they had a sub in for Mr. Sheppard in 2008 but the man sounded similar. This new voice – it wasn’t Mr. Sheppard, nor was it someone trying to duplicate Mr. Sheppard’s style. This was a new stadium and a new way of doing things.
Bob Sheppard belonged to the stadium across the street. The stadium that was home to 26 World Series titles, 34 Hall of Fame players, and the Voice of God.
I find it almost poignant that the last remnants of that historic building were pulled down without much fanfare earlier this year. Mr. Sheppard was the last Yankee great to retire in that building and now he joins it, and the other Yankee immortals that once called it home.