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Thursday, June 18, 2009

NY Daily News: Dusty Rhodes, hero for Giants of 1954 World Series vs. Indians, dies

After Willie’s catch, the reason the Giants won their last Series…

Rhodes, whose lefthanded stroke was tailor-made for the short right field porch at the old Polo Grounds, won the first game with a pinch-hit, 10th-inning three-run homer off future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon just inside the right field foul pole, about 296 feet away. The next day, he delivered a pinch single in the fifth and a home run in the seventh against another future Hall of Famer, Early Wynn, to highlight a 3-1 Giants win. Finally, in Game 3, he hit a two-run pinch single off the Indians’ Mike Garcia to spark a 6-2 Giants win.

AndrewJ Posted: June 18, 2009 at 12:38 PM | 19 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. Weeks T. Olive Posted: June 18, 2009 at 01:23 PM (#3223344)

I'll miss his Bionic Elbow.

2. Flynn Posted: June 18, 2009 at 01:38 PM (#3223368)

Rough year for New York Giants fans - Whitey Lockman and now this.

3. SouthSideRyan Posted: June 18, 2009 at 01:49 PM (#3223379)

He'll finally be reunited with Sapphire.

4. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: June 18, 2009 at 01:53 PM (#3223384)

Rough year for New York Giants fans - Whitey Lockman and now this.

Jack Lohrke too.

5. Flynn Posted: June 18, 2009 at 01:58 PM (#3223391)

Yep and I forgot Les Keiter and Herman Franks as well.

6. PreservedFish Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:00 PM (#3223393)

My father's favorite baseball player - I would think it's a sort of mortality wakeup when your first favorite player dies.

7. TerpNats Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:02 PM (#3223398)

Don't you wish one of the newer MLB ballparks had been shaped to have dimensions resembling the Polo Grounds, albeit in a modified manner (say, 335-400-325 instead of 279-483-257)? We would see a different type of baseball in that park, with lots of doubles and triples to the corners in addition to the down-the-line home runs. (It probably explains how Bobby Thomson once led the NL in triples.)

The Marlins should do something like that, to both provide a link for the many New York emigres in south Florida and to evoke the footprint of the Orange Bowl on which the park will stand.

8. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:03 PM (#3223400)

PF:

I think I am up to 11th favorite.....

9. Flynn Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:04 PM (#3223402)

Don't you wish one of the newer MLB ballparks had been shaped to have dimensions resembling the Polo Grounds, albeit in a modified manner (say, 335-400-325 instead of 279-483-257)? We would see a different type of baseball in that park, with lots of doubles and triples to the corners in addition to the down-the-line home runs.

It has been said the 306-420 right field at AT&T;Park is partially inspired by the Polo Grounds, although it's also plain old geography too.

10. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:17 PM (#3223414)

My father's favorite baseball player - I would think it's a sort of mortality wakeup when your first favorite player dies.

My favorite player's son was drafted this year, so that's something.

11. Steve Treder Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:24 PM (#3223423)

Rhodes, whose lefthanded stroke was tailor-made for the short right field porch at the old Polo Grounds, won the first game with a pinch-hit, 10th-inning three-run homer off future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon just inside the right field foul pole, about 296 feet away.

Try 257 feet, not 296.

12. Steve Treder Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:27 PM (#3223431)

We would see a different type of baseball in that park, with lots of doubles and triples to the corners in addition to the down-the-line home runs. (It probably explains how Bobby Thomson once led the NL in triples.)

Well, in the Polo Grounds, nobody was hitting doubles or triples to the corners; down the line was either a home run or a single. The triples in the Polo Grounds were hit into the vast center field area.

Compared to the average park, the Polo Grounds depressed doubles, increased triples, and of course vastly increased home runs. But its huge foul territory depressed batting average, rendering it a neutral-to-slightly-above-average scoring environment.

13. Bob Dernier Cri

Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:30 PM (#3223438)

I would think it's a sort of mortality wakeup when your first favorite player dies

As long as Ernie Banks is alive, I'm immortal.

14. Steve Treder Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:35 PM (#3223447)

Cap Peterson died in 1980. THAT was a kick in the groin.

15. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot

Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:36 PM (#3223448)

Talk about bad timing. My 5th grade class got to watch that World Series game on TV, but the school day ended just before the Indians' half of the 8th. I ran home as fast as I could, but I missed the Mays catch.

The most amazing thing about that home run is the sight of the second baseman standing just a few feet away from the right field wall as that glorified popup dropped into the seats.

And what's even funnier is Retrosheet's description of Rhodes' home run:

Home Run (Deep RF)

16. Steve Treder Posted: June 18, 2009 at 02:42 PM (#3223460)

And what's even funnier is Retrosheet's description of Rhodes' home run:

Home Run (Deep RF)

As Horace Stoneham described that home run: "Real Chinese."

But Retrosheet always describes home runs as "deep" to whatever field. Ya don't say.

17. DCW3 Posted: June 19, 2009 at 03:41 AM (#3224536)

My father's favorite baseball player - I would think it's a sort of mortality wakeup when your first favorite player dies.

I have only seen true sadness on my father's face twice in my life. The second time was at his father's funeral. The first time was when Mickey Mantle died.

18. Frank McCourt's Gold Stars are in bankruptcy court Posted: June 19, 2009 at 03:45 AM (#3224540)

Speaking of mortality, there are reports Walter Cronkite is gravely ill.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

NY Daily News: Dusty Rhodes, hero for Giants of 1954 World Series vs. Indians, dies

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