As spring training gets closer again, this is the best baseball story I have read from ...

(from Diamond Dreams- Boswell/ Iooss.)

Even in black sillhoette, without any clue to his identity, Sandy Koufax is so recognizable that you practically gasp when you first see his photograph; instantly you know you're gazing at the greatest pitcher of all time at the split second when his bow is most fully taught. This moment and the rest are the ones the rest of us will never know.

...In 1966 Sandy Koufax retired, at the age of 30, after going 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA & 317 Strikeouts.....
(for the next 5 years he did some TV work-then dissapeared from the radar for 8 years just to do what he felt like doing... )

In 1979 he returned as a Dodger pitching coach........

Two years later (1981) , before a World Series game in Chavez Ravine...there is a gap between the reporters and the players around the batting cage. There framed on the mound, "as you would always see the sillhoette.." , but now aged 45, was Sandy Koufax- pitching batting practice.

Steve Garvey, Dusty Baker, and Ron Cey were taking turns in the cage. As they swung and missed, Koufax's pitched smashed into the tarp at the back of the cage.....

Pitching off the rubber, Koufax threw nothing but fastballs. Garvey swung five times. Baker swung three times, Cey too. Nobody got the ball out of the cage. Glances were being exchanged at the cage. Next round Garvey four swings, Baker five, Cey four. Still nothing but misses and fouls.
Next time up Garvey gives the universal "flip-off- the - wrist" signal for a curve ball. It must have dropped two feet. Garvey couldn't even swing.

Suddenly a Dodger coach raced to the mound and whispered in Koufax's ear.
Immediately Koufax seemed to come out of a trance, nodding "Yes, yes." Quickly he walked off the mound and the other coach pitched the rest of batting practice.

A World Series game was about to begin in about 45 minutes, and Sandy Koufax retired for 15 years, wason the verge of destroying the confidence of the heart of the Dodger batting order. Somebody had to get him off that mound, before he could throw a dozen more of those synapse- tangling curves.


..........................

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

That's a good story. A trance indeed. He was back in his glory.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Nice... thanks for posting.





Oh yeah... GO CUBBIES!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Another great story I heard was during an old Saturday afternoon Game of the Week.
One of the anouncers was Tony Keubek; the NY Yankees shortstop during the 60's - and the other play by play announcer asked Keubek about playing with Mickey Mantle and his power & HR's.

Keubek said that while Mantle was playing his whole career in the "old" Yankee stadium , dimensions, with the infamous 463' left center field ( Death Valley, when the monuments were still in the field of play 'cause they were so far away....)

That every season while Mantle was hitting 30-40 & 50 HR's ; he would routinely hit about 60 doubles or fly outs to left center that with out question would be long HR's in ANY other ballpark in the majors.

Do the math. that means MM would have been hitting 90 + HR's every year anyplace else.
Take that; Ruth - Aaron- Mays & Bonds!






.....

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Mickey Mantle was the most gifted baseball player ever, IMHO. Injuries and hard living took a toll, but he was a monster player. No doubt.

A while back I read a book called The Glory of their Times. It was written in the 60s. The author went around the country and interviewed several players from early part of the 20th Century. Might be the best baseball book out there, although I really liked Money Ball. The main point I got from The Glory of their Times was that Honus Wagner was an incredible baseball player. I think he played every position except pitcher and catcher. Whatever position he played, he was the best in the league. Seems like a nice humble guy, too.

Amazon link for The Glory of their Timeshttp://www.amazon.com/Glory-Their-Times-Baseball-Played/dp/0688112730

Heh... they lowered the mound because of Sandy I hear.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

He and Bob Gibson. Of those 27 wins I am pretty sure most of them were all complete games.



**cool aklim quote!!

..........

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Ah, the good old days. Pitchers must be made of porcelain now.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

A quick google search for Koufax's 1966 stats show:

He started 41 games, completed 27 and had the 27-9 record as stated.

Interestingly, that was the year Baltimore swept them 4 zip. Koufax started only one game - game 2 and was the losing pitcher. He gave up 4 runs in six innings in a 6-0 loss at Chavez. Jim Palmer pitched a 4 hitter to beat him.

Wasn't there an adjustment the Dodgers had to make to their pitching rotation in that Series to accomodate Koufax not pitching on a Jewish holiday. I have a vague recollection of something like that.

Koufax was a great pitcher. The best? Well, that's subjective imo . Like Jim Brown, he was great and gifted, but his early retirement, and lesser stastistical accomplishment tend to push him off the stage somewhat.

But at his best, in the last 4 or 5 years of his career..one word says it all: Unhittable.

Hey Austin- thanks a bunch I love baseball. Roger Clemens, Andy Petitt, David Wells...

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

...Joe Pepitone...

Another Dodger great!

http://www.veotag.com/player/?tid=47cfb7f4-55c9-41cb-8139-b41710faadab&pid=6c9b4a08-137f-4789-b012-e53f0c211e19

Sorry, but I couldn't pass up sharing it with those who don't know about it.

Koufax couldn't pitch on Yom Kippur, which was the day of the first game.

Don Drysdale took his place and got shelled. When Walt Alston came to the mound to pull Drysdale, Drysdale said "I bet you're wishing I was Jewish."

Funny. That sounds like Drysdale!

Drysdale, Koufax and Claude Osteen. How the heck did they get swept?

Babe Ruth broke the career home run record 576 times and held it for 53 years.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831799&postcount=13
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831807&postcount=14