Results tagged “Lou Gehrig” from The Southpaw

It's tough to be the greatest Yankee of all time when you have to compete against these two.

For the past few days, The Southpaw has tried to find a reason to defend Chris Rose, the host of Fox's pregame show during the World Series.
You see, Rose made a mistake of monumental proportions and we here at The Southpaw can't figure out why.
Maybe Rose got caught up in the moment.
Maybe a producer fed him the line and he didn't think about it before speaking aloud.
Maybe he was dropped down a flight of stairs at birth.
Even if all three of those things happened, there's no excuse for what he asked during the Game 5 telecast: Is Derek Jeter the greatest Yankee of all time?
Even if Rose hadn't heard of Lou Gehrig or Joe DiMaggio, the question still wasn't defensible.
He has to have heard of Babe Ruth. Right? Otherwise, would he be qualified to even be on the set?
Asking the Jeter question is like asking if the Earth rotates around Venus.
So, this Top 10 list is dedicated to Chris Rose.
It is the 10 greatest Yankees of all time.

Historically, if you grew up a Philadelphia Phillies fan, you developed an inferiority complex along the way.
You looked to the north and saw the Yankees perennially winning pennants and the Mets occasionally pulling off the trick. You looked to the west and saw that the Pirates, until recently, were always in contention. Down south, the Orioles were always the class of the American League off the field and often on it.
You were surrounded by success. Just not a part of it.
The Braves, whether in Boston, Milwaukee or Atlanta, had plenty of reasons to cheer. They had Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, Dale Murphy, The Four Aces and division crowns in 14 straight seasons. Below them were the Marlins. They came around in 1993 and won it all four years later. It took your Phils 97 years to do that.
Then the Fish rubbed it in your face and won it all again in 2002. They'd done in 10 years what you hadn't been able to pull of in more than a century.
And let's not talk about the Cardinals or the Dodgers. But I guess we have to, at least to give the kiddos a lesson. In 64, the Cardinals did to the Phillies what the Phillies did to the Mets two years ago. The Dodgers beat the Phils in the playoffs twice in the 70s, giving Black Friday a totally different meaning in the City of Liberty.
The Phillies were't lovable losers like the Cubs or tragically cursed like the Red Sox.
Your team just lost in unlovable ways that meant they didn't even need a curse.
That's not the case now.

Of course, everyone remembers the out.
Vic Wertz did everything he could to beat the Giants that September day. Nobody remembers that he had four hits and drove in each of his team's 3-2 runs in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
Nobody remembers any of that.
When baseball fans hear the name Vic Wertz the thought they develop is not that he absolutely clobbered the ball all day, but that his furthest hit was chased down with a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch by Willie Mays.
It was the center fielder's signature moment and has been immortalized with statues, pictures and the video of him spinning like a top, his arm unfurling at the right moment as he launches the ball toward the infield to keep the runners from scoring.
When the play is over and being described as an "optical illusion" Mays looks like he's screwed himself into the ground.
Wertz of course is nowhere in the picture.
Like the other York and Adams countians who've made it to baseball's biggest stage, he never shines in the spotlight. Sometimes it wasn't a lack of effort or even production that kept the local boys from being the star. Sometimes there's a connection to a teammate or opponent's glory. Usually, though, their playoff experience is lost to the dusty shelves and box scores of history.
And Wertz is the prime example.
Come to think of it, nobody seems to remember that Wertz had one of the most dominant performances in series history that year. He batted a robust .500. That's right, with a "5." Not .400 or .300.
He also hit a home run, a triple and two doubles.
But he's remembered for the out.
The problem for Wertz is that his teammates never seemed to get on base in that series. So he only drove in three runs.
Again, the circumstances just weren't right.
Which seems to be the theme for area players who've made appearances in the playoffs.

Comparing the Iron Horse and The Captain.
Being amazed by Ichiro.
And it's the ninth inning, do you know where your closer is?

Colby Rasmus tosses his helmet as he races home after walking off a win for the St. Louis Cardinals.
We've got a more believable story about Brett Myers' black eye.
Ryan Howard's heating up.
We hope David Wright is healing.

Washington has the worst record, by far, in Major League Baseball. So why was firing the Nationals manager a bad move?
Breaking down the first half.

So, Joel Hanrahan was the winning pitcher for the Nationals yesterday. Thing is, he pitches for the Pirates. Go figure.

The All-Star game has given us many memorable moments. Pete Rose barreling over Ray Fosse, Pete Rose getting ambushed by Jim Grey in the 1999 All-Star game. OK, not every memory surrounds Charlie Hustle.
Reggie Jackson hammered a ball out of Tiger Stadium. Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio shared the outfield. As did Aaron and Mays.
So with all that history, what are the greatest performances in All-Star history?
Well, The Southpaw's done some work and here they are.

The Southpaw is sick and tired of King Felix. He's barely a duke. Barely.
The Phillies opened up a can Monday.
And yes, we actually defend Derek Jeter.

Seventy years ago, Lou Gehrig stepped to a microphone and became the Pride of The Yankees.

Don't forget to check out The Southpaw's Player Appreciation of Lou Gehrig.

The Orioles completed a sweep of the Phillies.
John Gonzalez takes on The Herd.
And CC says Seeya in the second.

Yer out! Casey Blake nips Ryan Roberts to get an out in Tuesday's Dodgers-Diamondbacks game. Joe Torre's squad rallied with a 5-run eighth to win.
Can a saint get demoted? In Washington they can.
Was it really six years ago that Sammy Sosa's bat shattered and cork flew out.
Happy birthday, Raul.

The Mariners had a tough Hill to climb.
The Nationals have some good news.

Today is the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Lou Gehrig's 2,131 consecutive games.
Speaking of the Yankees, they did something they haven't done in almost three weeks.
Oh, and how about that Jamie Moyer?

Normally, I try to avoid Colin Cowherd, ESPN Radio's nasally voiced, asinine radio host. But today he was on the radio while I drove to lunch. Before I could turn the channel I was hooked. It was like watching a friend put a fork in the microwave. I needed to see what happened.
First, let me get this out of the way: Trying to get a knowledgeable thought out of Cowherd is like attempting to get your daily nutritional needs fulfilled with Juicy Fruit.
Two years ago, I decided to listen to Sporting News Radio during the time Cowherd is on the air.

You wouldn't think being a legend could minimize someone's impact on the game.
That being one of the most treasured icons in Major League Baseball history could keep people from understanding how great you are.