What players did you grow up idolizing?

[Umpire in Chief]

What players did you grow up idolizing?

My earliest memories were of wanting to be Johnny Bench, then Dale Murphy, and next Cal Ripken Jr.

[BrianC14]

Only one:

Edited July 22, 2009 by BrianC14

[dawg-man]

One of my idols was Pete Rose and he was until I went to see a Reds- Braves game. It was in those years that the Braves were really bad and you could go and sit anywhere. We sat behind the Reds dugout and Pete had made a great catch. When he came towards the dugout I called out " way to go Pete Rose". His comment was " sit down you stupid son of a bitch. Crushed me at the time. I also liked Roberto Clemente, Yaz, Ernie Banks, those kinds of players.

[carolinablue]

Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench. I used to have a ton of baseball cards from that era. Don't know what happened to them.

[moblue]

Showing my age here... Mark McGwire. No steriod discussion please.

[BrianC14]

Showing my age here... Mark McGwire. No steriod discussion please.

No steroid discussion... OK.

I may have mentioned this before on this forum, but I was in St. Looooeee last month, and nearly lost control of the car when I saw a sign along I-70 in the downtown area:

MARK MCGWIRE HIGHWAY

:agasp_:

[carolinablue]

Showing my age here... Mark McGwire. No steriod discussion please.

Mark Mcgwire ? What about us folks that said Pete Rose or Johnny Bench. And Brians picture is in black and white.:agasp_:

[BrianC14]

Mark Mcgwire ? What about us folks that said Pete Rose or Johnny Bench. And Brians picture is in black and white.:)

You mean they have color photos these days? :agasp_:

[MCLEOD36]

Hank Aaron lived down the street from us when I was a kid in WI, so that was an easy one. But, I watched mostly the American League Brewers and loved Molitor and Yount, two of the classiest guys still...

[semperfiguy]

Bosox fan- Freddie Lynn, Jim Rice (Cooperstown this weekend), Yaz, Pudge Fisk!!!! Enough said!!!!!!

[poppyfor3]

Grew up with 50's Yankees--Berra, Mantle, Skowron, Richardson, Rizzuto, Boyer, Bauer (even Enos Slaughter). I was home sick the Day Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the World Series. My Dad got home in time for the last few innings. We didn't talk at all. Couldn't chance jinxing him.

This was back in the day of black and white and day games. Still the greatest baseball memory in my life--especially sharing with my dad.

No need to mention how DXXn old I am. I have my wife for that!!:shrug:

[BrianC14]

Grew up with 50's Yankees--Berra, Mantle, Skowron, Richardson, Rizzuto, Boyer, Bauer (even Enos Slaughter). I was home sick the Day Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the World Series. My Dad got home in time for the last few innings. We didn't talk at all. Couldn't chance jinxing him.

This was back in the day of black and white and day games. Still the greatest baseball memory in my life--especially sharing with my dad.

No need to mention how DXXn old I am. I have my wife for that!!

Moose Skowron!

Now I'm not a Yankees fan (see my first post in this thread) but I had a great thrill meeting Moose Skowron at his bar/restaurant in Cicero some years' back. As it happened, I'd been channel surfing the night before, and happened to catch a few minutes of "Mister Ed" on TV... well, guess who's in that episode, but ol' Moose himself, along with several Dodgers players and Leo Durocher.

I asked him about it over lunch... you should have seen his face light up ! That was probably 35+ years earlier, but for him it was yesterday, and he regaled us all about how smart that horse really was... LOL Oh, yeah, and he told some "Mickey & Whitey" stories as well. :)

[mstaylor]

I liked the whole Orioles infield in the sixties but particularly Brooks and Boog. I worked with Boog's son who was a program director for the local rock and roll station. I have met several of the era guys.

[theedeuce]

I grew up in Tampa Florida during the 70's. At that time, Tampa was the spring training camp for the Cinci Reds at the AL Lopez field. My Dad would take us there on occasions and we could sit just about anywhere. One game, Pete Rose and Ed Sprague stepped out and walked right towards me about to warm up and out of the blue Pete reached over and grabbed my ball and signed it and tossed it over the Ed Sprague and he signed it, gave it back to me and sprinted in the outfield to warm up. The coolest thing that ever happened to me as a young boy. I still have that ball today (some 35 years later).

Because of that... Pete Rose has always be my all time favorite...

[kwiggie]

I watched mostly the American League Brewers and loved Molitor and Yount, two of the classiest guys still...

I have to second this (bigg surprise right!), but I would have to add Rollie "Fingers", and "Storm'n" Gorman Thomas to the list of my idols during the "Harvey's Wall-Bangers" era.

As far as non-Brewers, Rickey Henderson! Even after the whole "Today I am the greatest of all time" comment.

[okump96]

always been a fan of pete rose, johnny bench, and carlton fisk.

[LMSANS]

Munson, Berra, Elston Howard...My brother has an autographed picture of Elston. Funny story (sign of the times)...

My mom was a reception at a liquor distributorship in the early 60s in Jersey City. One day this big black guy walks in and she immediately says to him " oh, for the warehouse jobs, you need to go through the other door." Elston just smiled and said he had an appoinment with the VP (doing some PR work). Of course she soon found out who he was and was apologizing all over the place. Elston was very gracious and gave her the picture and signed it right there for her.

[blue32]

I was born and raised in the Bay Area in CA. We lived in the east bay until I was 11. My first MLB game was an A's-White Sox game that was called at 1:30 AM ( I think) because of the American League curfew that was in place at the time. Not sure if it still is. Here were my favorite players:

Ray Fosse

Gene Tenace

Dick Green

Bert "Campy" Campanaris

Sal Bando

Joe Rudi

Reggie Jackson

Billy North

Vida Blue

Catfish Hunter

Rollie Fingers

Damn you, Charlie Finley!! They probably could have won another series or three if he hadn't have sold them all off.

My mom and brother went to the 73 World Series (He got to go because he was older, dammit!) So, I grew up an A's fan, but by high school, I became more of a Giants fan, because I liked the NL style of ball better.

Through the years, there have been teams I have really liked, like the 79 "We are family" Pirates, the 86 Mets, and the 93 Phillies. The Pirates because I was 12 and thought they had cool uniforms, the Mets because of Dwight Gooden, and Lenny Dykstra, and the Phillies because they were a bunch of characters, with Dykstra, Darren Dalton and his Hooters wife, John Kruk, and the Wild Thing.

Edited July 28, 2009 by blue32

[BrianC14]

....

Damn you, Charlie Finley!! They probably could have won another series or three if he hadn't have sold them all off.

....

Don't blame Charlie O - he was a victim of the dreaded monster known as

FREE AGENCY.

Salaries haven't been the same since.

The other day I was reading about a former pitcher from the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" year of 1967... Gary Waslewski. He wasn't a star on the team, to be sure, but he had fair success in the Series that year.

His salary that year: $7,000.

Of course, a grandstand ticket to the 1967 Series would set you back ... $8.00.

By the way, you Ellie Howard fans: Mr. Howard played for the BoSox that year and in '68 before retiring.

Edited July 28, 2009 by BrianC14

[scobes7]

I grew up idolizing Buddy Bell the 3rd baseman for the Indians....could pick it, hit and was a tough man...:kissass:

[Umpire in Chief]

Catfish Hunter

From my neck of the woods in Hertford. When you enter Hertford there is a huge highway sign telling about Catfish Hunter.

[blindumpire99]

When I stood tall on the hill in the neighborhood wiffleball league, in my single digit aged years, I was Bob Gibson just ready to mow 'em down...In my later years, I would usually be Catfish Hunter. I always liked his motion.

When I dug in at the plate, goin' yard, I was usually Hank Aaron or Willie Mays on most days. I might announce myself as "now batting.....Carl Yaztremski!" or "....Mickey Mantle" occasionally....

If I was on defense, I was Brooks Robinson or Orlando Cepada or maybe Roger Maris when I chased 'em down in the outfield...

I "faced down" such pitchers such as Juan Marichall or one kid was ALWAYS Rod Carew no matter what position in the game the kid had, or Don Drysdale. I tried stealing on Johnny Bench or Yogi Berra depending on which kid was who that day....

Fond memories.....sighsssss

[BrianC14]

When I stood tall on the hill in the neighborhood wiffleball league, in my single digit aged years, I was Bob Gibson just ready to mow 'em down...In my later years, I would usually be Catfish Hunter. I always liked his motion.

When I dug in at the plate, goin' yard, I was usually Hank Aaron or Willie Mays on most days. I might announce myself as "now batting.....Carl Yaztremski!" or "....Mickey Mantle" occasionally....

If I was on defense, I was Brooks Robinson or Orlando Cepada or maybe Roger Maris when I chased 'em down in the outfield...

I "faced down" such pitchers such as Juan Marichall or one kid was ALWAYS Rod Carew no matter what position in the game the kid had, or Don Drysdale. I tried stealing on Johnny Bench or Yogi Berra depending on which kid was who that day....

Fond memories.....sighsssss

LOL... good one re: the announcers. We did that as well, trying real hard to mimic the Fenway PA announcer, Sherm Feller.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please... now batting for the Red Sox.... the left fielder... #8.... Carl..... Yastrzemski......... ..... .... Yastrzemski.... left field."

And of course, it was only accurate if you used as much of a deep baritone voice as a 9 year old could muster. And the pauses, too, had to be there, because in a real game, the PA announcer was waiting for the echo to subside.

Like you said, fond memories. :kissass:

Edited July 28, 2009 by BrianC14

[blue32]

Don't blame Charlie O - he was a victim of the dreaded monster known as

FREE AGENCY.

Salaries haven't been the same since.

The other day I was reading about a former pitcher from the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" year of 1967... Gary Waslewski. He wasn't a star on the team, to be sure, but he had fair success in the Series that year.

His salary that year: $7,000.

Of course, a grandstand ticket to the 1967 Series would set you back ... $8.00.

By the way, you Ellie Howard fans: Mr. Howard played for the BoSox that year and in '68 before retiring.

Ok, I'll blame Curt Flood then.....and Charlie O. I have to say, we have had our share of characters in the ownership department in the Bay Area. Charlie, Al Davis, and Franklin Meuli, who owned the Warriors. He was a strange duck too.

[blue32]

From my neck of the woods in Hertford. When you enter Hertford there is a huge highway sign telling about Catfish Hunter.

Nice! I remember looking at an old sports page from like 1971 once that was used as packing in an old record player. It had current batting averages at that time of the A's pitchers. Catfish hit .350 that year.