Vintage Baseball

[Back Alley Gator]

At Key West HS he was all-state OT with a full scholarship to UF. He decided to play that unmentionable sport for 17 years. He's a really good guy. His dad was like a father to me and taught me how to drive a stick shift!

KWHS...the fighting sea slugs! I graduated from there.

 

[Loogis]

KWHS...the fighting sea slugs! I graduated from there.

I thought they were the Fighting Conchs? They played Suwannee County High in the state championship game back in the early ‘90s.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

I thought they were the Fighting Conchs? They played Suwannee County High in the state championship game back in the early ‘90s.

They are. Conchs are essentially sea slugs with a shell. ;) I didnt have much school spirit growing up down there.

 

[Bullag8r]

Im more fond of Ozzie Smith than those two Baltimore short stops. Of course, he played for my Cards.

We lived in St Louis from 86-90 and got to take the wife and kids to see Ozzie play at Busch several times. I loved listening to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon call games on KMOX. Every now and then Bob Gibson sat in for Shannon. Gibson was one very serious guy with no noticeable sense of humor whatsoever. Many grown men feared him on the mound.

 

[Bullag8r]

KWHS...the fighting sea slugs! I graduated from there.

Ben Harrison was from Key West and played outfield for the Gators from 01 - 04. He was a very good player drafted in the 7th round I believe. Did you watch him play for the Conchs?

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Ben Harrison was from Key West and played outfield for the Gators from 01 - 04. He was a very good player drafted in the 7th round I believe. Did you watch him play for the Conchs?

Nope...I only watched sports on TV back then. I wasn't much into any of the sports in HS. In fact was pretty much a degenerate. HS didn't challenge me at all so....Starting when I turned 16 and could drive, I hung out at various strip clubs and bars that my graduated friends worked as DJs and bouncers. I had also discovered I could pay bums on Stock Island to buy me rum on the rare occasions I couldn't get it myself. So...I spent a good amount of my high school drinking with like minded degenerates near the end of the runway just outside Boca Chica.

Then I went to UF and learned from the professionals. :)

 

[LoyalGatorFan]

Im more fond of Ozzie Smith than those two Baltimore short stops. Of course, he played for my Cards.

Mom is a big Cards fan growing up on the Illinois/Indiana border...she went to many a games at Busch 1 and Wrigley....hates the Cubs....we go to St Louis every summer for a weekend series....this past year we got to see my world champion Braves sweep them....sorry!

 

[Spurffelbow833]

Caught a Boog Powell HR over the right field fence at Municipal Stadium in WPB in a 1969 spring training game. Same day Hank Aaron and Rico Carty gave us a couple of broken bats. Took them home…drove some nails in them and used them in pickup sandlot games for a couple of years.

Ever notice kids don’t play sandlot games anymore? We played from sun up to sun down all summer.

It took that long to get a game in with all the arguing.

 

[Spurffelbow833]

We lived in St Louis from 86-90 and got to take the wife and kids to see Ozzie play at Busch several times. I loved listening to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon call games on KMOX. Every now and then Bob Gibson sat in for Shannon. Gibson was one very serious guy with no noticeable sense of humor whatsoever. Many grown men feared him on the mound.

And yet, Gibson once played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He obviously didn't investigate that opportunity much on the front end.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Orioles manager Earl Weaver “The Earl of Baltimore” was a little bantam rooster who could really give them umpires hell. An Orioles game highlight was to see the umpire eject Earl from the game afterEarl pointed his finger in the umpire’s face one too many times.

 

[Brooks]

Brooks Robinson was "The Human Vacuum Cleaner". Back when they used to nickname players. One of the best 3rd baseman ever.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Before Boog Powell at first base for the Orioles was Diamond Jim Gentile. He had a monster year in 1961 with 46 home runs and 141 RBIs. That was the year the M&M Boys, Mantle and Maris chased Babe Ruth's home run record for a single season which was the iconic number 60. Maris hit 61, Mantle 54 and Jim Gentile came in tied for third with Harmon "the Killer" Killebrew at 46. I think he was called Diamond Jim because he was noted for hitting grand slam home runs. Gentile was with the Orioles for only a few years. He was a journey man who played for several teams but his most memorable years were with the O's. Jim Gentile is a name not much recalled today but in his prime he was a slugger.

 

[Marine1]

Before Boog Powell at first base for the Orioles was Diamond Jim Gentile. He had a monster year in 1961 with 46 home runs and 141 RBIs. That was the year the M&M Boys, Mantle and Maris chased Babe Ruth's home run record for a single season which was the iconic number 60. Maris hit 61, Mantle 54 and Jim Gentile came in tied for third with Harmon "the Killer" Killebrew at 46. I think he was called Diamond Jim because he was noted for hitting grand slam home runs. Gentile was with the Orioles for only a few years. He was a journey man who played for several teams but his most memorable years were with the O's. Jim Gentile is a name not much recalled today but in his prime he was a slugger.

The only time I liked and followed the Twins was when they had Killebrew, Tony Olivia and Rod Carew.

 

[Gatordiddy]

I went to see a game at Camden not long after it opened (great place) and I got some Boog Powell BBQ.
When I went to pay... the man himself was manning the cash register.
I told him I enjoyed watching him play growing up and shook his hand.
His hand was the size of a small European import.
What a nice guy

And - I think (I may need to double check me here..) that Earl Weaver was the only manager to get tossed in two games in one day.

 

[AlexDaGator]

This whole thread smells like old man.

Alex.

 

[Joegator96]

Before Boog Powell at first base for the Orioles was Diamond Jim Gentile. He had a monster year in 1961 with 46 home runs and 141 RBIs. That was the year the M&M Boys, Mantle and Maris chased Babe Ruth's home run record for a single season which was the iconic number 60. Maris hit 61, Mantle 54 and Jim Gentile came in tied for third with Harmon "the Killer" Killebrew at 46. I think he was called Diamond Jim because he was noted for hitting grand slam home runs. Gentile was with the Orioles for only a few years. He was a journey man who played for several teams but his most memorable years were with the O's. Jim Gentile is a name not much recalled today but in his prime he was a slugger.

Gentile was a good 1st baseman and solid hitter during his time with the O's. His presence forced the O's to play Boog in LF as the DH was not a part of the game then. After they traded Jim to the Royals Boog controlled 1st base and the outfield defense improved, LOL.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

How old of a man @Alex? Anyone else old enough to remember the Old Scotsman?

 

[Bullag8r]

How old of a man @Alex? Anyone else old enough to remember the Old Scotsman?

I am not old enough to have seen him play. I was only 5 when he retired in 1957, but I have read about him and heard old timers talk about him.

 

[NVGator]

Old Farts thread is for Old Farts.

 

[rogdochar]

My sluggers = Furillo, Hodges, the Duke, Campanella