Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Warren Spahn (1921-2003)
The death of the great southpaw Warren Spahn shall give us time to reflect on what being a pitcher used to be. He completed well over half of his 665 starts and once threw 201 pitches in a game, that in the classic 16-inning duel between he and the Giants' Juan Marichal in 1963. Every year he was good for 35-40 starts and even five relief appearances too. His 363 wins were the most ever by a lefty and were all compiled after his 25th birthday. He pitched seven shutouts when he was 42 years old. And that leg kick. He pitched until he was 46. I would have loved being a Giants fan in 1965 when they picked him up for half of a season. I would have loved to see him throw. Sure would be nice if pitchers were expected to go the distance every time these days.
It would be nice if Boston and Milwaukee saw two days of rain this week.
Smash, please: That's the kind of football I liked seeing. Last night's hit on Amani Toomer by Tampa Bay's Dwight Smith was simply a great moment of football. Not only was it a spectacular hit, knocking Toomer's helmet off, but it also broke up a touchdown, which the Giants could not complete in that possession. Great stuff.
