Jim Bouton (80), Dick Allen (77),and Jim Rice (66) have a birthday today !!!!

[handsomebrady65]

As I topicked above, three of my favourite former MLBers are blowing out birthday candles today. Former Yankees right-hander and "Ball Four" author Jim Bouton is 80 .Normally a starter (he won 20 games for the '63 Yanks ),Bouton was the winning pitcher June 24,1962,pitching seven innings of three-hit,six-strikeout relief when Jackie Reed's long big-league round-tripper beat my Tigers,9-7 in 22 innings and seven hours.
In 1969 as a Houston Astro wrote the then-controversial book "Ball Four," which exploded the myth of MLBers as exemplars Bouton has suffered a stroke,but seems to be recovering well.
Dick Allen,77,played for 15 seasons in which he amassed 351 HR,1,119 RBI,and a .292 BA, stats horribly deflated by his extreme pitchers' era .Allen,however,was such a dominant batter (though a poor fielder at third,adequate at first,where he was moved) that many,myself included,believe he should be in the Hall Of Fame,where he'd join his 1963 Arkansas Travellers roommate (and my cousin),Ferguson Jenkins,the lone Canadian lad so far honoured,though British Columbia's Larry Walker also merits a Cooperstown plaque.

[handsomebrady65]

Allen's HOF candidacy was damaged by Bill James (a Brady Breaker candidate should we ever meet ),who lied that Allen was a clubhouse cancer,a falsehood refuted by his ex-managers Gene Mauch and Chuck Tanner and many of Allen's ex-teammates,who termed him a delightful presence who just brooked none of the racist garbage players of colour were supposed to cheerfully swallow a half-century ago.
As for Red Sox Hall-Of-Famer Jim Rice,66-four months older than Yours Truly-his stats (382 HR,1,451 RBI,.298 BA ) were inflated by the right-handed hitting Rice's 15-year career (1975-1989) of capitalizing on Fenway Park's "Green Monster," a chummy place for starboard swingers .Likely were Rice a Yankee or A, his stats would have been much less gaudy and along with his early thirties fade after a terrific career start, Cooperstown would have ignored him as what he actually was; a good to VERY good BUT NOT GREAT player.

[VicNocal]

I agree, Rice is not HOF material.

[frankinhouston]

loved dick allen in my youth. dude shoved back on all of the racist shit he had to put up with.

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[Steve in HTown]

oh man, frank and brady are gonna be BFF's.

[handsomebrady65]

Frank,I read my cousin Fergie Jenkins' autobiography,"Like Nobody Else," where he details the appalling racism (slurs from "fans," and opposing players ,separate,cruddy "accomodations" for black players in Little Rock when he and roommate Dick Allen played for the Arkansas Travellers,the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in North Little Rock,Ark .,as well as when Fergie pitched for their Miami,Fla.,Single-A farm club) which black and Latinx players had to quietly absorb in the early and mid-60's or risk being called "Uppity" by the racist crackers who misruled baseball and other sports in that era .

[frankinhouston]

Frank,I read my cousin Fergie Jenkins' autobiography,"Like Nobody Else," where he details the appalling racism (slurs from "fans," and opposing players ,separate,cruddy "accomodations" for black players in Little Rock when he and roommate Dick Allen played for the Arkansas Travellers,the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in North Little Rock,Ark .,as well as when Fergie pitched for their Miami,Fla.,Single-A farm club) which black and Latinx players had to quietly absorb in the early and mid-60's or risk being called "Uppity" by the racist crackers who misruled baseball and other sports in that era .

so true brady. glad things are better for players today and people's mindsets have matured.
saw a game back in the 70's at spring training in florida and reggie smith was hounded by a bunch of drunken "fans." he jumped into the stands (easier in those days) and gave them what's worth before he was pulled away. many people cheered. I LOVED IT.

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[JungleSlayer]

[frankinhouston]

ok JS. now post something pertinent.

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[handsomebrady65]

Frank,Jungle Slayer's whole being is wrapped up in getting blotto ala most dull-normal (and I'm being generous in my assessment of his intelligence ) dudes !!!!

[Stab]

loved dick allen in my mouth.

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ftfy

[frankinhouston]

ftfy

sweet. can i get access to editing other peoples quotes? thanks.

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[Stab]

sweet. can i get access to editing other peoples quotes? thanks.

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We'll have to have a vote on that.

Early polling doesn't look good fpr you though.

[frankinhouston]

We'll have to have a vote on that.

Early polling doesn't look good fpr you though.

thanks for trying stab.

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