By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, waiting for Auburn or Duke or even Southern University to win the NCAA basketball tournament, because then it is time for baseball.
—THE STYLISH SHIRTS: Where have all the sleeveless vest MLB uniforms gone? To me, they were the classiest, but teams no longer wear them regularly.
The Colorado Rockies wear them for Thursday home games and the Arizona Diamondbacks wear them as throwbacks.
At different periods they were worn by the Cubs, Reds, Indians, A’s, Royals, Orioles, Pirates, Rangers, Twins, Mariners and Marlins.
And why did I list the Cubs first? Contrary to what most believe, the Cincinnati Reds were not the first. They were second. The Cubs introduced them in 1940, but gave ‘em to the Salvation Army after the 1942 season.
The Reds began wearing them in 1956. First baseman Ted Kluszewki cut off the sleeves of his jersey to show off his massive biceps that restricted his swing
Big Klu led the National League in 1954 with 49 home runs and 141 RBI. And he hit 46 the year before and 47 the year after.
Did you know that Henry Aaron never hit 49 home runs in a year en route to 755 career home runs? The most he hit was 47 in 1951 and his most RBI was 132.
Amazingly, he wore jersey number 44 and hit 44 home runs four times.
Is Kluszewski a Hall of Famer? No. Should he be? His career average for 15 seasons wa .298 with 279 home runs and 290 doubles.
There are guys in Cooperstown with lesser numbers.
—QUOTE: From Ted Kluszewki, “I’m not sure what the hell charisma is, but I get the feeling it’s Willie Mays.”
—FASTBALLS, PLEASE: Chris Sabo still sports his signature flat-top haircut, but his RecSpec goggles are in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
In 1988, Sabo won the National League Rookie of the Year award and manager Pete Rose dubbed him Spuds McKenzie after the dog in the Budweiser commercials.
Sabo tells the story of his first encounter with Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“All I heard about him was 100 miles an hour fastball, 100 miles an hour fastball, 100 miles an hour fastball,” said Sabo. “Now I can hit a fastball.
“So I go to the plate and he throws me changeup, slider, changeup and strikess me out on three pitches. As I head for the dugout, I yell at him, ‘Fastball, where’s the fastball?”
“Pete calls me aside and says, ‘You shouldn’t have done that. He doesn’t like that.’ So my next at bat, he knocks me down with the first pitch, moves me away from the plate with the second pitch. . .then strikes me out on three fastballs. I look at him as I walk to the dugout with my head down and he is giving me a sly grin.”
Ya don’t mess around with Nolie.
And if you wonder what happened to the goggles Sabo wore, “I gave ‘em all away and I think some are in the Reds Hall of Fame,” he said.
—QUOTE: From Chris Sabo during a speech on Cincinnati’s Fountain Square after the 1990 Reds swept the Oakland A’s four straight in the World Series: “We’ve got the rings, we’ve got the money, we’ve got everything.”
—LIKE FATHER. . .: When Chad Bowden was a pre-teenager, he would follow his dad, Clincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden, carrying a brief case just like his dad.
Clearly, at seven or eight, he wanted to be just like his dad. . .an athletic administrator.
Mission accomplished.
Chad Bowden, just 30, has been hired to be general manager of the University of Southern California’s athletic department. . .for $1 million a year.
The Trojans hired him away from Notre Dame, where he reportedly was paid $300,000 a year. Bowden started as an intern at the University of Cincinnati under football coach Luke Fickell.
Wonder if Chad ever wore leaather pants? And it is guaranteed that dad never made $1 million as GM for Marge Schott. One of Bowden’s chores was to take Mrs. Schott’s St. Bernard, Schottzie, for walks on a leash.
—FINGER THAT OUT: Throughout his career, the shy and reserved Lou Gehrig was overshadowed by the gregarious and life-loving Babe Ruth.
Gehrig’s numbers, though, always nearly matched the Bambino’s, especially in the World Series.
Gehrig played in seven World Series, 37 games, and hit .361. He hit 10 home runs and drove in 35 runs. In those 37 games, he drove in a winning run seven times.
And here’s the kicker. After he was diagnosed with ALS and had played in 2,130 consecutive games, X-rays revealed that he had broken every finger on both hands. . .and still played in 2,130 straight games.
No player in MLB ever hit five home run in one game. Gehrig came within a great catch of doing it. He hit four in 1932 against the Philadelphia Athletics and Al Simmons robbed him of a fifth with an over-the-fence catch. Only 18 players have hit four in a game and five are Hall of Famers, including Gehrig.
The last time it was done was in 2017. . .twice. First it was Cincinnati’s Scooter Gennett and then it was Arizona’s J.D. Martinez. Gennett hit 87 home runs in nine seasons.
—TRIVIA TIDBITS: Joe DiMaggio, the Yankee Clipper, hit almost as many home runs during his career as the times he struck out. He hit 361 home runs and struck out 367 times over a 13-year career.
Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz struck out 218 times last season, the most in MLB.
***Who has the most five-hit games in MLB history? Thata would be Peter Edward Rose with 10, including one when he was 45.
Tony Gwynn is second with nine, while Ichiro and Roberto Clemente did it seven times. Both Gwynn and Ichiro had five hits in a game four times in one season.
***Remember when Pete Rose fought and fought the Reds to raise his salary to $100,000? Well, this coming season there are 68 players who will make more than $20 million this year.
—ANOTHER UECKER-ISM: “I was 3 for 4 against Don Drysdale and before he was to face us again, and here’s the thing that bothered me, when the Dodgers went over our hitters in a pre-game meeting, when it came to my name, Drysdale asked, ‘Who’s that guy?’”
—WHAT’S IN A NAME?: My favorite college basketball nicknames.
Furman Paladins, Chattanooga Moccasins, Presbyterian Blue Hose, Campbell Fighting Camels, Delaware Blue Hens, Akron Zips, Wichita State Shockers, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Georgetown Hoyas, Indiana-Fort Wayne Mastadons, Purdue Boilermakers, Saint Louis Billikens.
San Diego Toreros, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Virginia Tech Hokies, UC Irvine Anteaters, TCU Horned Frogs, Southern Illinois Salukis, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Vermont Catamounts, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Dakota Jackrabbits, Saint Peter’s Peacocks, Long Beach State Beach, New Mexico State Lobos.
—WAIT FOR IT: With personal experience, I know what a friend meant when he said he knows what Delta Airlines stands for: “Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive.”
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 152: As Korean songwriter Psy put it, “The world’s most famous and popular language is music.”
—Real Love (Doobie Brothers), Happy Together (Turtles), You Can’t Hurry Love (Phil Collins), Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You (Frankie Valli), Never My Love (The Association), Bernadette (Four Tops), Turn, Turn, Turn (The Byrds), Give Peace A Chance (John Lennon), We Are Young (Fun).
—Have You Seen Her? (Chi-Lites), Come See About Me (The Supremes), Angie (Rolling Stones), Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder), What’s Going On? (Marvin Gaye), Temptation Eyes (Grass Roots), Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Elvis Presley), Just You And Me (Chicago).
I wish Gehrig had gotten that 5 homer game crown!