Happy 80th birthday, Sandy Koufax
what an ace -- few better in their 'prime'
he was 111-34 with a 1.95 ERA in 176 starts with the Dodgers from 1962 to 1966, a five-season stretch that closed out his major league career. During that stretch, he led the NL in ERA every season and pitched four no-hitters.

[Edited on 12/30/2015 by Stephen]

Happy Birthday to "The Left Arm of God." One of the most honorable men to every play the game - and for 5 years he belonged to The Jedi

[Edited on 12/31/2015 by emr]

"Winter Classic"??
There's not much classic about state of B's & Habs nowadays
One end of the rink will be where patrolled one of our best 3Bs -- Frank Malzone -- who passed away yesterday at 85

to see these two reeling squads trying to make plays -- on the same spot where Malzie ate up ground balls -- then grabbed a bat and belted 'em all over the park -- they should put bags over their heads when skating into the third base area -- let's go Bruins -- keep Malzie in mind

RIP Frank Malzone

Youngest player ever.

Nellie Fox

I don't know shit -- thought it was at Fenway, like before 😮

RIP Howard Davis Jr. -- on a team w/Ray Leonard, Michael & Leon Spinks, Leo Randolph etc., was voted the top boxer in 1976 Olympics -- never did much as a pro but had the blazing hand speed/footwork in the Olympics -- gone too soon at age 59

I don't know shit -- thought it was at Fenway, like before 😮

Nothing good happens at Fenway. 😉

Take the Celtics and the points.

Frank Malzone & Willie Mays

great one Lee of Frank tagging out the Say Hey Kid at Yankee Stadium at one of the 2 1960 All-Star Games -- they played 2 midsummer classics back then

it made little sense to anyone -- Frank Malzone, by all rights a career BoSox -- but played one last half-season in Calif. in 1966 -- then watched as his team the next season, w/Joe Foy playing his third base position, made their memorable run to the WS -- couldn't''ve been easy, he still had game, but he never should've ended up riding the pine in Calif........

[Edited on 1/7/2016 by Stephen]

....TC, same thing -- had his best year in 1970 w/36HR, I think 115 RBI -- not a great average, .255, but still a real good year
....then traded to Calif., where like his 1964-65 Sox teammate Malzone, his career ended after a half season -- no sense to it

today would have been Tony's 70th birthday -- the game of baseball lost one of its all time potential greats on that terrible Aug. 1967 night at Fenway -- the fastest to 100 career HR of anyone who ever played

Carl Yastrzemski was quoted on the cover of a biography about Tony from some 5-10 years ago -- paraphrasing, the quote was that, Given a full career in his native city of Boston, where his swing was tailor-made for Fenway, "Tony would have hit 500 home runs in his sleep"

[Edited on 1/7/2016 by Stephen]

Would have been 68 today. 🙁

Elston Howard

Thurman Munson & Carlton Fisk

Bill Dickey

And of course...

What the heck, one more. Looks like Jorge in addition to his finger, is pointing a cigarette at a dugout. 😉

"Forever Blue"

Happy 80th birthday, Jim Brown
like Sandy Koufax retired in his prime in mid-1960s
& what a start to his movie career -- w/Raquel Welch (don't recall title) -- but all those early ones, like The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra etc
favorite early one, tick...tick...tick -- showed he could really act
favorite of all time, the must-have for all retro grouches -- Jim Brown teams up with:
(wah-wah guitar please) Richard Roundtree (Shaft);
Ron O'Neal (Superfly, he'll get ya bye & bye);
Fred Williamson, another NFL-turned actor;
a still foxy-looking Pam Grier (Foxy Brown)
& other greats
who get together to try to take back their former home town of Gary Indiana, now a run-down shell of its former self as it's become overrun by the warring Crips and Bloods gangs

well just wait till the old timers get to town (hehe)
it'd be no contender for an Oscah, but it's still a great one (from mid-1990s or so)

It wasn't just football -- he excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse. As a Syracuse sophomore, he was the second leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg), and earned a letter on the track team. His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball, and was named a second-team All-American in lacrosse. His senior year, he was named a first-team All-American in lacrosse (43 goals in 10 games to rank second in scoring nationally).[7]

[Edited on 2/18/2016 by Stephen]

He was from my hometown of Northborough, MA and I was in Little League when he made it to the show. He got a heroes welcome when he came home after winning RoY in '76. Moved back to town and ran the family farm after his playing days, used to see him around a lot. He died in a nasty farming accident in 2009.

40 years ago: Fidrych opened eyes at spring training on his way to becoming “The Bird”

He was from my hometown of Northborough, MA and I was in Little League when he made it to the show. He got a heroes welcome when he came home after winning RoY in '76. Moved back to town and ran the family farm after his playing days, used to see him around a lot. He died in a nasty farming accident in 2009.

40 years ago: Fidrych opened eyes at spring training on his way to becoming “The Bird”

What a magic summer that was; only rookie excitement to match was Vida Blue in 1971. And If you go by WAR the Bird should have bested Palmer for the Cy Young award

Mark Fidrych. He started the very first MLB game I saw live which was at Tiger Stadium when my T-Ball team went. Saturday, August 21st, 1976 vs. the Twins. Fidrych pitched the entire 10 innings and lost 7-3. I had to look up some of the details but I do remember him giving up all seven runs and us losing.

My mom gave me all of $1.25 to spend as I wished. That was it. Even in 1976 that didn't go far. Had to learn budgeting/financial skills at an early age! 😉

That was a remarkable summer to grow up living in the Detroit area and as bad as the Tigers were, every time Fidrych pitched, it was a major deal. The town was abuzz even in the midst of a lousy season. He started 29 games that year and finished 24 of them. Wonder why his career was so short? 🙁 Never forgave Ralph Houk for throwing a 21-year old kid 250 innings but of course Houk was old school.

At any rate, he was one of my earliest influences and reasons on why I fell in love with baseball. I was very saddened when he passed.

I went to a Indians game in the old Cleveland Stadium vs the Tigers, also as a kid.

I can't remember if The Bird pitched, I don't think he did, but afterwards I did get his autograph on a baseball.

Somehow I was near the bus, I saw him in his seat with a window open, I reached up and dropped the ball in, he returned it, signed.

I have no idea where that ball is today.

Love the stories about The Bird, thanks fellas. I think he still has his name one some of the pitching records at my high school.

In the mid 90s I went to a celebrity golf tournament fundraiser for The Jimmy Fund (Boston-based non-profit supporting pediatric cancer research and treatment) and Fidrych and '67 Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg were there. The evening before the tournament, they both put on their major leage unis and for a $20 donation you could take some batting practice swings against them. What such a huge thrill for me to stand in against The Bird. I told him I was from Northborough and wanted the whole treatment, so he made a couple of dirt piles on the mound, told the ball what to so, and threw a bunch of nice easy fast aka straight balls and let me get some confidence. Then he threw the hook, even told me it was coming to make sure I was ready for it, and I still couldn't get my bat within a foot of the ball, made me look stoopid...it was awesome. 😛

Even through he was a working class guy after playing, it wasn't because he needed money, it's just who he was. A friend of mine who's older brother was a classmate and friend of Fidrych's told me that the Tigers took very good care of him in retirement, sounded like they went above and beyond.

Somewhere out there, there is an interview with Bill Lee and Fidrych together...unfortunately I can't seem to find it but those two together, as you might imagine, was hilarious.

[Edited on 2/26/2016 by gondicar]

Jack Morris' 1984 no hitter against The White Sux 1984.

Would have been 68 today. 🙁

Never seen this picture before...Great shot!

98 years of age tomorrow, March 5
Milton Conrad Schmidt