Origin
At the beginning of 1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers were poised to become the premier team in baseball’s National League, just as their forebears in Brooklyn had been in the years between the end of World War II and the team’s move to California (1946-57). Having shed of most of the stars from their glory days in Brooklyn, and ensconced themselves in Dodger Stadium, a brand-new ballpark that favored pitching over slugging, the Dodger squads of the early 1960s seemed ideally suited to their news environment.
Indeed, over the next five years, led by the pitching duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale (who won four Cy Young Awards between them from 1962-65) and speedster Maury Wills (who captured six straight stolen base titles from 1960-65), the Dodgers captured three National League pennants, missed a fourth title by a single game, and brought home two World Series championships.
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Norm Sherry, a backup catcher who played four seasons for the Dodgers and spent decades as a coach in the majors and minors, died on Monday at age 89.
Nine years after signing with the Dodgers, Norm Sherry made his major league debut in 1959, a team that featured his brother Larry Sherry, a relief pitcher who would win World Series MVP that season. In four seasons with Los Angeles, Sherry the catcher hit .249/.311/.414 with 16 home runs, and started 96 games behind the plate from 1959-62.
In spring training in 1961, a mound conversation with a 25-year-old Sandy Koufax, who at that point had a 4.10 career ERA and an exactly average 100 ERA+. Sherry recalled the encounter in an interview with the Jewish Baseball Museum in 2016:
Jan 23, 2021 7:02 AM
There have been dozens of MLB players that have worn the number 44. Great playersâ¦Hall of Famersâ¦not so great playersâ¦and absolute stiffs.But for me, and those of my generation the #44 will always be associated first with Henry Aaron. Aaron died this week and another piece of my childhood died with him. One of my first vivid memories is of being in the backyard of my house on Turner St and trying to hit whiffle balls over the roofâ¦like Aaron and Matthews and Carty and the other Brave greats that I could hear on the transistor radio. Described by Earl Gillespie, Blaine Walsh and later Merle Harmon. I must have been only six or seven when the bug hit and Aaron was a big reason why. He came from Alabama and dealt with the racism of the day in a stoic way that covered up the churning emotions he was feeling inside. When he chased and eclipsed Babe Ruthâs hallowed home run record in 1973 he was dealing with virulent hate and racist death thre
Cubs historical sleuthing: Ivan De Jesus edition
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Getty Images’ supplied caption with this photo says:
Ivan DeJesus #11 of the Chicago Cubs rounds third during an MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers circa 1979 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.
All right, there are some useful clues in the caption and the photo, though I should add that the “circa” dates on some of these photos have turned out to be wrong.
What do we see here in addition to De Jesus?
That’s Joe Amalfitano coaching third base, and Dodger (and future Cub) third baseman Ron Cey. De Jesus is rounding third base and the play appears to be coming from right field, as that’s where Amalfitano’s attention is focused. Cey is looking toward right field and the center fielder is not part of the play.
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