GaryMrMets
01-14-2003, 03:04 AM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20021219&content_id=187661&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
12/19/2002 6:00 pm ET
Remembering those who passed on
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
Baseball, it seems, was hit harder than usual by the reality of life this year. The sport lost friends and legends in 2002, people who will be truly missed and people who seemed in their own ways to be invincible.
We lost Ted Williams, the "greatest hitter who ever lived," and Jack Buck, whose voice personified baseball to so many fans for so many years. We lost 33- year-old Darryl Kile, a father of three and a rock of a teammate, and 25-year- old Mike Darr, whose career was still very much in front of him.
With both Buck and Williams, it was difficult to believe that they could die. These men were legends, larger than life in their own ways. No one did what they did better than they did. They had seemingly always been with us. Even as they fell ill, they seemed too great, too enduring to leave us.
Neither can be replaced. Of course they can't be replaced to the people who were close to them. But in the baseball world, who is left in the wake of Jack Buck? He was one of the last of the great radio legends. And who is the greatest living hitter? There was no doubt it was the "Splendid Splinter." It may seem trifling, but these two men were such central parts of baseball as so many of us viewed it.
Kile and Darr, on the other hand... It was simply impossible to conceive that they could die so young. Kile was a workhorse and an anchor in his clubhouse. He seemed as indestructible as a pitcher could be. Darr had yet to establish himself as even a full-time Major Leaguer. He was a kid on a young and promising San Diego team. He never saw his 26th birthday.
Kile in particular shook so many of us because his loss was so difficult to explain. He was in excellent health, strong and fit, and he died not of any kind of accident, but of artery blockage. He was a veteran ballplayer but a young man. And that sort of thing simply is not supposed to happen to young men. Especially young men with young families.
Darr was a young ballplayer, though he had two sons of his own. When he passed away in a car accident over the winter, it was a shock to his teammates, many of whom knew him in the minor leagues. And it was just the kind of reminder about baseball no one wants in the offseason. Rather than celebrating the game as Spring Training was about to start, we were mourning a young person who never got the chance to fulfill his potential.
We lost many more, too. Enos Slaughter, who played the game as hard as anyone ever played it; Dave McNally, who changed the game off the field as one of the first free agents; Hoyt Wilhelm, the Hall of Fame knuckleballer, and World Series hero Darrell Porter.
Here is a rundown of some of the prominent baseball people who died in 2002:
Joe Black, pitcher, Feb. 8, 1924-May 17, 2002. Black had a brief but influential Major League career, pitching for the Dodgers, Reds and Senators from 1952-57. He went 30-12 for his career, and was named the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1952. That season he became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game.
Jack Buck, broadcaster; Aug. 21, 1924-June 18, 2002. Buck was the voice of baseball to an entire region. He spent nearly 50 years as the radio voice of the Cardinals on KMOX, with a signal that reached hundreds of miles from St. Louis. He worked with only two main partners, the equally legendary Harry Caray and former St. Louis player Mike Shannon. Buck received the Ford Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting from the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Frank Crosetti, shortstop, coach; Oct. 4, 1910-Feb. 11, 2002. As a player, Crosetti was a two-time All-Star and played for eight world championship teams. He also coached third base for the Yankees for 20 years, and all told, participated in a staggering 24 World Series.
Mike Darr, outfielder; March 21, 1976-Feb. 15, 2002. Darr was one piece in a potential Padres revival, a talented young outfielder with speed and a little pop. He spent the better part of seven seasons working his way up through the minors before earning a part-time job, and had a chance to be a regular in 2002.
Mel Harder, pitcher, coach; Oct. 15, 1909-Oct. 20, 2002. Harder was one of the finest pitchers in the Indians' long history, spending his entire career with Cleveland and winning 223 games. He was the winning pitcher in the 1934 All-Star Game, though Carl Hubbell's consecutive strikeout string is the more famous event from that game. He also spent 22 years as a coach.
Willis Hudlin, pitcher, May 23, 1906-Aug. 13, 2002. Hudlin spent 16 years in the Majors, winning at least 15 games in five different seasons. He still ranks among Cleveland's all-time leaders in wins, starts, complete games and innings. Hudlin gave up Babe Ruth's 500th home run.
Darryl Kile, pitcher, Dec. 2, 1968-June 22, 2002. A tough competitor with a wicked 12-to-6 curveball, Kile was best known among his teammates for his dedication to the game and his incredible unselfishness. After enduring a miserable time in Colorado, a trade to St. Louis restored him to his earlier fine form, and "DK" won 20 games and finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2000. He was never on the disabled list and never missed a start.
Dave McNally, pitcher, Oct. 31, 1942-Dec. 1, 2002. McNally's most famous impact on the game is that he was one of the first free agents, as an arbitrator eliminated the reserve clause, which bound players to their teams for life, as a result of a grievance filed by McNally and Andy Messersmith in 1975. But McNally was memorable on the field as well, forming one-fourth of the formidable Orioles rotations of the late 1960s and early '70s. McNally posted four straight 20-win seasons and pitched for two world champion teams. In 1971, he joined Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson and Jim Palmer to give the O's four 20-game winners.
Darrell Porter, catcher, Jan. 17, 1952-Aug. 5, 2002. Porter starred with the Royals in the late '70s and Cardinals in the early '80s. He will forever be remembered by St. Louis fans for his brilliant 1982 postseason, when he was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series and the World Series.
Ken Raffensberger, pitcher, Aug. 18, 1917-Nov. 10, 2002. Raffensberger was the winning pitcher in the 1944 All-Star Game. Hall of Famer Stan Musial once called Raffensberger the toughest pitcher he ever faced. The left-hander led the NL in shutouts twice.
Bobby Robinson, third baseman, Oct. 25, 1903-May 17, 2002. Robinson, nicknamed the "Human Vacuum Cleaner," was known for his stellar defense at the hot corner. He played in the Negro Leagues from 1925-42.
John Roseboro, catcher, May, 13, 1933-Aug. 19, 2002. Roseboro was a four-time All-Star and played on three world championship teams with the Dodgers. He also earned two Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate. Roseboro is also known for an incident in a 1965 game when Juan Marichal rapped him on the head with a baseball bat when Marichal thought Roseboro was "buzzing" him with his return throws to the mound.
Enos Slaughter, outfielder, April 27, 1916-Aug. 12, 2002. "Country" was a ballplayer's ballplayer, famous for his hustle. But that shouldn't diminish that he was also a great player, not just a scrappy one. He was a 10-time All-Star who twice led the NL in triples. Slaughter played for four World Series champions, and is famous for his "mad dash" from first base to score in the 1946 Series against Boston.
Dick Stuart, first baseman, Nov. 7, 1932-Dec. 18, 2002. Stuart was best known for his nickname, "Dr. Strangeglove" -- bestowed upon him for his legendary poor defensive play. Truth was, though, that Stuart was among the game's best hitters in the early 1960s. He hit 27 or more home runs five times and drove in 114 or more runs three times. His best season was 1963, when he hit 42 homers with 118 RBIs for the Red Sox. He was on-deck when Bill Mazeroski hit his walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series to give the Pirates the championship over the Yankees.
Hoyt Wilhelm, pitcher; July 26, 1923 - Aug. 23, 2002. Best known for his knuckleball, Wilhelm was the first reliever elected to the Hall of Fame. He pitched until he was 48 after not getting his big league career started until he was 28. Wilhelm went 143-122 and racked up 227 saves in his 21-year career. He held the all-time appearances record until Dennis Eckersley broke it in 1998.
Ted Williams, outfielder; Aug. 30, 1918 - July 5, 2002. Williams said he wanted to be known as the "greatest hitter who ever lived," and to many, he was. He won two MVP awards, two Triple Crowns and was the last man to hit .400, having hit .406 in 1941. Williams, the all-time leader in on-base percentage, is credited with helping to open the doors of the Hall of Fame to players from the Negro Leagues. A decorated war hero, he missed all or part of five seasons due to service in World War II and the Korean War.
12/19/2002 6:00 pm ET
Remembering those who passed on
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
Baseball, it seems, was hit harder than usual by the reality of life this year. The sport lost friends and legends in 2002, people who will be truly missed and people who seemed in their own ways to be invincible.
We lost Ted Williams, the "greatest hitter who ever lived," and Jack Buck, whose voice personified baseball to so many fans for so many years. We lost 33- year-old Darryl Kile, a father of three and a rock of a teammate, and 25-year- old Mike Darr, whose career was still very much in front of him.
With both Buck and Williams, it was difficult to believe that they could die. These men were legends, larger than life in their own ways. No one did what they did better than they did. They had seemingly always been with us. Even as they fell ill, they seemed too great, too enduring to leave us.
Neither can be replaced. Of course they can't be replaced to the people who were close to them. But in the baseball world, who is left in the wake of Jack Buck? He was one of the last of the great radio legends. And who is the greatest living hitter? There was no doubt it was the "Splendid Splinter." It may seem trifling, but these two men were such central parts of baseball as so many of us viewed it.
Kile and Darr, on the other hand... It was simply impossible to conceive that they could die so young. Kile was a workhorse and an anchor in his clubhouse. He seemed as indestructible as a pitcher could be. Darr had yet to establish himself as even a full-time Major Leaguer. He was a kid on a young and promising San Diego team. He never saw his 26th birthday.
Kile in particular shook so many of us because his loss was so difficult to explain. He was in excellent health, strong and fit, and he died not of any kind of accident, but of artery blockage. He was a veteran ballplayer but a young man. And that sort of thing simply is not supposed to happen to young men. Especially young men with young families.
Darr was a young ballplayer, though he had two sons of his own. When he passed away in a car accident over the winter, it was a shock to his teammates, many of whom knew him in the minor leagues. And it was just the kind of reminder about baseball no one wants in the offseason. Rather than celebrating the game as Spring Training was about to start, we were mourning a young person who never got the chance to fulfill his potential.
We lost many more, too. Enos Slaughter, who played the game as hard as anyone ever played it; Dave McNally, who changed the game off the field as one of the first free agents; Hoyt Wilhelm, the Hall of Fame knuckleballer, and World Series hero Darrell Porter.
Here is a rundown of some of the prominent baseball people who died in 2002:
Joe Black, pitcher, Feb. 8, 1924-May 17, 2002. Black had a brief but influential Major League career, pitching for the Dodgers, Reds and Senators from 1952-57. He went 30-12 for his career, and was named the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1952. That season he became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game.
Jack Buck, broadcaster; Aug. 21, 1924-June 18, 2002. Buck was the voice of baseball to an entire region. He spent nearly 50 years as the radio voice of the Cardinals on KMOX, with a signal that reached hundreds of miles from St. Louis. He worked with only two main partners, the equally legendary Harry Caray and former St. Louis player Mike Shannon. Buck received the Ford Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting from the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Frank Crosetti, shortstop, coach; Oct. 4, 1910-Feb. 11, 2002. As a player, Crosetti was a two-time All-Star and played for eight world championship teams. He also coached third base for the Yankees for 20 years, and all told, participated in a staggering 24 World Series.
Mike Darr, outfielder; March 21, 1976-Feb. 15, 2002. Darr was one piece in a potential Padres revival, a talented young outfielder with speed and a little pop. He spent the better part of seven seasons working his way up through the minors before earning a part-time job, and had a chance to be a regular in 2002.
Mel Harder, pitcher, coach; Oct. 15, 1909-Oct. 20, 2002. Harder was one of the finest pitchers in the Indians' long history, spending his entire career with Cleveland and winning 223 games. He was the winning pitcher in the 1934 All-Star Game, though Carl Hubbell's consecutive strikeout string is the more famous event from that game. He also spent 22 years as a coach.
Willis Hudlin, pitcher, May 23, 1906-Aug. 13, 2002. Hudlin spent 16 years in the Majors, winning at least 15 games in five different seasons. He still ranks among Cleveland's all-time leaders in wins, starts, complete games and innings. Hudlin gave up Babe Ruth's 500th home run.
Darryl Kile, pitcher, Dec. 2, 1968-June 22, 2002. A tough competitor with a wicked 12-to-6 curveball, Kile was best known among his teammates for his dedication to the game and his incredible unselfishness. After enduring a miserable time in Colorado, a trade to St. Louis restored him to his earlier fine form, and "DK" won 20 games and finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2000. He was never on the disabled list and never missed a start.
Dave McNally, pitcher, Oct. 31, 1942-Dec. 1, 2002. McNally's most famous impact on the game is that he was one of the first free agents, as an arbitrator eliminated the reserve clause, which bound players to their teams for life, as a result of a grievance filed by McNally and Andy Messersmith in 1975. But McNally was memorable on the field as well, forming one-fourth of the formidable Orioles rotations of the late 1960s and early '70s. McNally posted four straight 20-win seasons and pitched for two world champion teams. In 1971, he joined Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson and Jim Palmer to give the O's four 20-game winners.
Darrell Porter, catcher, Jan. 17, 1952-Aug. 5, 2002. Porter starred with the Royals in the late '70s and Cardinals in the early '80s. He will forever be remembered by St. Louis fans for his brilliant 1982 postseason, when he was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series and the World Series.
Ken Raffensberger, pitcher, Aug. 18, 1917-Nov. 10, 2002. Raffensberger was the winning pitcher in the 1944 All-Star Game. Hall of Famer Stan Musial once called Raffensberger the toughest pitcher he ever faced. The left-hander led the NL in shutouts twice.
Bobby Robinson, third baseman, Oct. 25, 1903-May 17, 2002. Robinson, nicknamed the "Human Vacuum Cleaner," was known for his stellar defense at the hot corner. He played in the Negro Leagues from 1925-42.
John Roseboro, catcher, May, 13, 1933-Aug. 19, 2002. Roseboro was a four-time All-Star and played on three world championship teams with the Dodgers. He also earned two Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate. Roseboro is also known for an incident in a 1965 game when Juan Marichal rapped him on the head with a baseball bat when Marichal thought Roseboro was "buzzing" him with his return throws to the mound.
Enos Slaughter, outfielder, April 27, 1916-Aug. 12, 2002. "Country" was a ballplayer's ballplayer, famous for his hustle. But that shouldn't diminish that he was also a great player, not just a scrappy one. He was a 10-time All-Star who twice led the NL in triples. Slaughter played for four World Series champions, and is famous for his "mad dash" from first base to score in the 1946 Series against Boston.
Dick Stuart, first baseman, Nov. 7, 1932-Dec. 18, 2002. Stuart was best known for his nickname, "Dr. Strangeglove" -- bestowed upon him for his legendary poor defensive play. Truth was, though, that Stuart was among the game's best hitters in the early 1960s. He hit 27 or more home runs five times and drove in 114 or more runs three times. His best season was 1963, when he hit 42 homers with 118 RBIs for the Red Sox. He was on-deck when Bill Mazeroski hit his walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series to give the Pirates the championship over the Yankees.
Hoyt Wilhelm, pitcher; July 26, 1923 - Aug. 23, 2002. Best known for his knuckleball, Wilhelm was the first reliever elected to the Hall of Fame. He pitched until he was 48 after not getting his big league career started until he was 28. Wilhelm went 143-122 and racked up 227 saves in his 21-year career. He held the all-time appearances record until Dennis Eckersley broke it in 1998.
Ted Williams, outfielder; Aug. 30, 1918 - July 5, 2002. Williams said he wanted to be known as the "greatest hitter who ever lived," and to many, he was. He won two MVP awards, two Triple Crowns and was the last man to hit .400, having hit .406 in 1941. Williams, the all-time leader in on-base percentage, is credited with helping to open the doors of the Hall of Fame to players from the Negro Leagues. A decorated war hero, he missed all or part of five seasons due to service in World War II and the Korean War.