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Baseball mourns Warren Edward Spahn 1921-2003
Although I wasn’t old enough to actually
see him play, he was well know to myself and my friends as kids
growing up in the 60’s.
What I remember of Warren Spahn, not to mention the first 9 years
of my life, is sparse. But the legacy he left in the record books of
Major League Baseball will never be forgotten. In a career that
spanned 25 plus years, Spahns famous high-kick-screwball became his
trademark and opened up the mechanics of pitching to a whole new
generation of hurlers.
Warren Edward Spahn, who made his pitching debut as an amateur free
agent in 1940 with the Boston Bees, died Monday at his home in Broken
arrow, Oklahoma. He was 82.
The winning-est left-handed pitcher of the last 70 years with 363
wins, put him at the number 6 spot on the all time pitchers list and
cemented his spot, not only in the Hall-of-Fame, but also in the
hearts of millions of baseball fans.
Not an overly intimidating pitcher, like Roger Clemons or Randy
Johnson, Warren did what he was paid to do. Get people out and win
games. Game after game after game. He was an unstoppable workhorse,
pitching well into his forties and finishing more than half of the
games that he started.
In 1943, he left baseball to join the army. He felt he needed to do
his part to support the war effort of World War II. He emerged from
the war in 1946 with a Bronzed Star, as well as a Purple Heart for
injuries he sustained while in service. Thank God his injuries did not
affect his ability to pitch. Imagine the loss. Spahn said of his tour
of duty, " After what I went through overseas, I never thought of
anything I was told to do in baseball as hard work. You get over
feeling that when you spend days on end, sleeping in frozen tank
tracks in threatened enemy territory. The army taught me something
about challenges and what’s important and what’s not. Everything I
tackle in baseball and in life, I take as a challenge and not work."
After the war, he returned to play for 6 years with the Boston
Braves, (1946-52) before moving to Milwaukee with those same braves,
for the 1953 season. From there he went on to pitch 363 winning games
after his 25th birthday, with 177 of those victories coming
after his 35th birthday. Spahn helped pitch the Braves to a
1957 World Series title and the National League Pennant in 1948 and
1958.
He was an All-Star 14 times and won 20 games 13 times, which still
stands as a National League record as is shared by Christy Mattehwson.
At the age of 39, he pitched a no-hitter against Philadelphia on
September 15, 1960. The following April 28th of 1961, he
pitched another no hitter, against the San Francisco Giants. This was
1 week after his 40th birthday. He pitched a National
League record 5.243 2/3 innings and hit 35 homeruns. Another major
league record for pitchers. In his two best seasons, Spahn went 23-7
and led the league with a 2.10 E.R.A. in 1953 and matched it 10 years
later at the age of 42 with a 2.60 E.R.A. In 1965, (I was 2 years old)
he won 7 games combined for both the Mets and the Giants. The next
year or so, he played a stint in the minors as well as some time in
Mexico, where he decided on retirement at the age of 46. For 24 years
he pitched professionally, leading the National League in victories 8
times, including 5 seasons in a row, while leading the league in
strikeouts from 1949-1952.
Current New York Yankees manager, Joe Torre, (a former Braves
Teammate in Milwaukee) described Spahn as, " a fighter and a winner."
Spahns granddaughter, Niki Spahn said, "He was the strongest man I
ever met. A hard-headed, hard-nosed, hard-loving man."
His teammates remembered him as a comedian in the clubhouse and a
friend and mentor to other players. His logic to baseball was simple
and direct. " Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."
This past August, the Braves outside Turner Field in Atlanta
honored Spahn, with a 9 foot-high bronze statue of his likeness. It
was only fitting that it came complete with the high leg kick. During
the dedication, Spahn sat quietly in his wheelchair with his family
alongside. I swear I saw a singular tear fall down his face.
Today we all shed a tear. Thanks Warren. We’ll miss you. Sorry I
never knew ya.
I.S.
Steroids in Baseball. Say it isn’t so!
A 2003 testing survey, done by Major League Baseball, has shown
that a shocking 5-7% of their players tested positive for steroid use
this year. These findings have forced team owners, as well as the
players union, to agree that random testing is necessary to police the
use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball. Particularly, a new
designer steroid called THG. This steroid does not appear on any
banned substance list, was not included in this set of tests, and is
illegal in this country without a prescription. I trust it will be on
the next set of test.
Well. I say it’s about time. What some players will do for the
fame, and more importantly I’m sure to the individual, the fortune
that is available to the best of them, has finally been brought to
light. To gain that extra edge in the heat of competition, players
will subject their bodies to all types of exercise regimen, high
protein and carbohydrate diets, and even meditation to stay at the top
of their game.
But, there a select few, that’s the 5-7 %, who, for fear of not
being able to compete at the level expected of them, because of either
diminished skills, age or injury, feel the need to put the health at
risk by taking more than just vitamins. And, since the 1,438 players
that were tested this year were given 15 days to prepare, one would
think that the 5-7% would pale in comparison if the entire league were
tested without warning.
The rumor mill concerning steroid use in the Major Leagues and even
some minor league systems, (who by the way have been testing
contracted players since 2001) has been running full tilt for some
time. Its no secret that steroid use has been running rampant in
professional sports for some time. Former Yankee, Devil Ray, Athletic
and MVP Jose Canseco confessed to steroid use from his south Florida
jail cell. He balked at the publishing of a book, stating that steroid
use was almost commonplace in most clubhouses across the league.
One player was quoted as saying, "It does surprise me a bit. But
the tests don’t lie." DuhYuhh! You think!
Ex-Dodger catcher and hall of famer, Joe Garagiola, (now general
manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks) says this. " It’s a significant
number of players. Everybody recognized that this was a problem.
That’s the reason the players union agreed to the random testing. It’s
a serious issue, requiring serious solutions. In the short term, it’s
about performance. Long term its about the players health."
Other pro sports, such as football and basketball, have taken the
right road by making testing for such substances mandatory to get into
training camp. Collegiate sports, (the NCAA) have mandatory testing
for banned substances with major penalties for violations.
So, beginning next year, players in violation of the leagues banned
substances policy will be subject to fines and suspensions.
The first violation will result in treatment. Such as counseling.
The second infraction would mean 15 days on the bench and a $10,000
fine. The length of suspensions and the amount of the fines will
increase with the number of violations.
The major league owners, as well as the players union, will
continue to ask for random testing until the total number of positive
tests, over a two year period, drops below 2 ½ percent.
Maybe these pro athletes should take a page out of the Olympic
athletes handbook. They are tested whether in competition or not. And
a wider range of substances is tested for.
So you cant hide it anymore. The jig is up. You’re busted! Barry.
They’re coming for you. Maybe you should retire before that happens.
Sammy. I think you stopped before anyone noticed. (Snicker.) Good for
you.
I.S.
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