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It was just announced that the great Don Newcombe died today. He was the first ever Cy Young Award winner, he was a great Dodger and a great, classy man.
As a Giants fan I was supposed to hate Tommy Lasorda, and I did in all respects save enjoying him as a storyteller. One of his stories featured Don Newcombe. When Lasorda was trying to make it into the show as a pitcher, he struggled with control problems. Don Newcombe pulled him aside.
Newcombe: Tommy, if a batter hits a single off you and drops dead halfway to first, what happens?
Lasorda: They throw the ball to first and he is out.
Newcombe: Yes, but if you walk a batter and he drops dead halfway to first, what happens?
Lasorda: They put in a pinch runner for the dead guy.
Newcombe: And the moral of the story?
Lasorda: Don't nibble, throw strikes.
Lasorda never did learn to throw strikes consistently, and never made it as a ML pitcher, but he did recall Necombe's advice and decided to use it when he was a manager. When he was running one of the Dodger's farm clubs, he had a young pitcher (not identified in the story) who was having the same sort of control problems. So Tommy pulled him aside.
Lasorda: If a batter hits a single off you and drops dead halfway to first, what happens?
Young pitcher: The ball goes to first and he is out.
Lasorda: That's right. But if you walk a batter and he drops dead halfway to first, what then?
YP: They can bring in a pinch runner for the guy.
Lasorda: Right again....and the moral of the story?"
YP: If you're dead they have to replace you?
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All 'dem bums' were my childhood heroes, I was a Brooklyn fan back then. Such a different era, I remember Newcombe owning a liquor store in Newark NJ, back then even stars didn't earn enough playing sports and needed other income sources.
A lot of people don't know this but he left for 2 years of military service during Korean War. This was in the best years of his career. First year back looks like he struggled a little bit but not surprising since he was getting back.
I'm not sure it would've mattered but if he hadn't missed those 2 years which ultimately might have caused him to have 3 missing dominant type years. How close would he have been to the HOF.
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As our innocence and enthusiasm for the National Pastime changes as we advance in years, so must our take on individuals with "feet of clay" caught up n the sometimes-harsh glare of the media's spotlight, My respect for Mr. Newcombe increased tremendously when, along with the late Ryne Duren, he turned up at Mickey Mantle's funeral. Both men struggled with off-the-field problems, but they never gave up; Rest easy, Mr. Newcombe; hope you'll find an appropriate place in Cooperstown someday soon.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 02-20-2019 at 05:01 PM..
Like quite a few of the pitchers of my childhood, Don Newcombe was not averse to putting one in the batter's ear. And the batters knew it. Del Ennis, Phillies' resident bad ass, strode up to the plate. Meanwhile, his teammates were giving Newk the racial business. Ennis went back to his guys and said, "If he throws at me and I survive, I'm coming back here and wrapping this bat around all of your heads."
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Don Newcombe
