What single Starting Pitcher, does Rod Carew say; "he changed the entire way I held my bat. I held my bat high before (_______) appeared on the scene". "I lowered my bat, which I used to hold high at the shoulders; so I lowered my arms, layed my bat backwards, and bent my knees more, to make contact off of that high heater"..... Name that Pitcher.......... (saw a great documentary last night on Carew) Winner gets a your choice of green st. patty's cheetos, or (swingers of both ways) .... a rainbow bag of Cheetos courtesy of Totus.
bump.... what no one wants Cheetos.....here I'll give ya' a hint, he was a Pitcher, a HOF'r too. LOL...enough of a hint? Ok, here's another he was taller than 6 feet, and wore cleats......
bump Last Chance Texaco........ 2nd clue: (and maybe t/last clue) This SP was well known for throwing exceptional high heat (as previously stated), which Carew could not get around on, to hit. Pitched for 4 MLB Teams, (2 NL and 2 AL Teams) ...... was known for throwing "chin music", one of the last of his breed. Not Drysdale, (after Don), not Bob Gibson, (tho' this SP did pitch during Gibson's last half tenure, tho' Bob's Career was more than 2/3rd complete); by the time this mystery SP began his. Threw one hellacious huge curve-ball, as well as a change up from hell.....both off speed pitches buckled the best of hitters knees. Got one game on VHS, in which this SP, had Ryne Sandberg backing out of the batters box, knees buckled, and bailing out, while that huge looping curve fell right across the plate, the epitome of deception..... Known for blowing smoke by most batters.....amongst league leaders for K to 9IP ratios.....in his day. Had a Home Plate and Pitching mound, installed in his yard, to pitch off of, during t/ off season. His Son pitched for the Texas Longhorns. His Son pitched an exhibition game against his Dad, (the Q-SP).....who was still throwing flames in MLB. Last call for alcohol, take a guess....if nothing else, take the shot....
OUTSTANDING RICK........Bingo, you win the jackpot, however thieves stole all the money in the jack pot....will Cheetos do, or would you like that vacation to the Ozarks, Arky Ozarks, Deliverance Ozarks.....? did a clue give Ryan away, or was this as obvious to you, as I found it to be.???
I pretty much knew who it was but when you mentioned "HIGH HEAT" it confirmed it. as far as the cheetos, pass them right over to Ron, I owe him a bag.
Von Ryan Express Awesome athlete.....tremendous strength and stamina. Very nasty curveball to go along with the laser.
I've got quit a few old games, from the days of the VCR....transferred to CD: Ryan vs a rookie Greg Maddux, (Maddux lost big time, Ryan slammed the door with double digits K's), the best part, watching Ryne Sandberg's knees buckle, as he bailed out of the batters box, as the ball high and in, looped over right into the heart of the plate......Ssstttrrrriiiikkkkeeee 3......!!! Did it 3 times to Ryno that game.
I thought at first it might be Randy Johnson but when you said his son pitched I knew he was the one as I stayed in the same hotel in Stillwater OK when they and Carlton Fisk were attending the college world series years ago. He gave me an autograph for grandson. He is a great human being and super family man. Note how the rangers went down when he departed.
Ryan I agree was a very gracious human being and ball player. Got his autograph twice, a great man, and noooope, those Rangers will never be the same without Nolan. Never shied away from a Fan....!
Great article, and I didn 't know Duren passed....RIP the King of the Brushback rather the "Fall Out". I remember Duren as a kid, burying one in the backstop during warm ups as he took the mound. I'd not want to be a batter, one glance at those coke bottle glasses, and I'd maybe ask for a pinch hitter, came down with a flu all the sudden...... Xlnt article, Thanx........! Duren had one of the league’s most potent fastballs, paired with one of the league’s worst senses of where his pitches were going. (He twice finished among the American League’s top 10 in hit batsmen, despite starting only one game each season.) That, combined with Duren’s poor eyesight—his eyeglass lenses might have been the thickest in major-league history—was enough to keep batters perpetually ill at ease. The right-hander knew this, and did what he could to perpetuate their discomfort. Duren would often hit the backstop with at least one of his warm-up pitches, buttressing the perception of his wildness. In “Ball Four,” teammate Jim Bouton wrote that “Ryne Duren was a one-pitch pitcher. His one pitch was a wild warm-up.”
I was wondering why I never heard of this guy, then I checked him out on Baseball reference & now I understand why I never heard of him.....He sucked.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/durenry01.shtml
