Yankee4Life

Updated to 1-20 ....My God it's freezing out. Right now it's 10 degrees out there and I don't want to know what the wind chill is. And it's like this all over the east coast right now. I only have to go out once, and it is right after I get done here when I go and get coffee. ...Here's a nice extended middle finger at the New York State Thruway department for raising the tolls again and one more for talking about raising them again very soon. ...I went to Best Buy on Friday to get a DVD set and they didn't have it. Yeah, it is my fault I didn't check to see if they had it first because I drove 20 minutes out of my way, but how can you be out of the Quantum Leap series and yet have an overflow of others? ...At least when I was there I got a good look at the quality of Blu Ray DVD's. What a picture! ...I've had gift cards for Christmas for Best Buy (like I got this past Christmas) and in previous years at Circuit City. And every time I have a gift card for one store, it is the other store that has what I want. This time, Circuit City had some DVD sets I wanted. ...I know New England is favored in today's AFC Championship game but I can't root for a New England team in anything, so I got to go with the Chargers. And in the NFC, I think the Giants and Packers game will be very close, might be too tough to call. ...I don't know how any of you feel but I am already tired of this political coverage. Did it really matter that the networks had to interrupt the shows last night to tell us that John McCain won the South Carolina Primary? ...Here is hoping the Twins do not budge at all in their demands for the young players the Yankees have for Johan Santana. In fact, ask for more. Pile on the demands so the Yankees finally and once and for all tell you to go *&*^ yourself. I have as much respect for the state of Minnesota as I do Massachusetts. ...I won't be around much after Monday night on the website because on Tuesday morning I will be having my surgery on my right knee. It's arthroscopic surgery and I'll be an outpatient. I won't be able to walk around a few days after that so I won't be able to check mail or do anything like that, so I will see you all later on. ...Finally, I don't want to forget to mention my father-in-law, who died very unexpectedly on Monday the 14th at his home. He was a good man and I thank him for accepting me, a non-Nascar fan like myself, into his home. R.I.P. sir. ...Maybe this is why I was so touchy about you guys thinking it is no problem to crack jokes and make light of what a wake or a funeral is about. I just had the sad duty of going to one this past week and all you had to do is have seen the grief on some of those people's faces that were there and none of you would have considered telling jokes.

Updated to 1-13 ....I got a house full of relatives in from out of town here for the weekend and we only have one bathroom in the house. That's when you find out who takes a long time in there. ...At least none of these houseguests like Boston because if they did they'd be in a hotel and not asleep in the bedrooms as they are right now. :wink: ...Nice to see Seattle get the boot from the playoffs. The Packers played great after they stopped fumbling the ball. ...It's hard to read about any baseball news right now because all that is talked about is the damn steroids. ...I got to go for my pre-admission appointment for my knee surgery on Tuesday, with my knee surgery set for January 22nd. ...I'm glad I've never smoked or purchased cigarettes in my life. I don't need the additional health problems that go with that and I don't have the money to buy the cigarettes either. ...Nice to see compmaniac make an appearance here last night. That means pretty soon we'll see 150 new threads for 150 new questions. ...I never miss reading the shoutblock in here because some of the comments on there are pretty good. ...I don't think I will go and see that Cloverfield movie until I read something in here about it from the Mvpmods movie reviewers. ...Which kind of gives me an idea for a thread. If someone wants to make one we can have a thread for new movies where we can post why we liked going to see it or why it was a complete waste of your money.

Updated to 1-6 ...I always have that nice, calming feeling right around this time of year because the holidays are over and we have a year before this all gets going again. ...So, Clemens and Pettitte are being asked to speak before Congress? After thinking long and hard about this I have decided I could care less. ...Speaking of Clemens, is anyone going to watch him on 60 Minutes tonight? ...I love our new site layout and I want to thank Trues for all the hard work in getting this in place and working right. And I love that Spring Training countdown applet. ...Bye-bye Steelers, have a nice off season. ...I kind of miss having Dunkin Donuts coffee because SeanO ruined it for me by telling me that company was from Boston. I haven't been there since. ...Welcome back to Mvpmods timay. He's a modder also and some of his work can still be found in the download section here. ...Well, my Norton's AV is going to expire soon and I think I might go with AVG Professional or Kaspersky. I still got a few weeks to decide. ...What the hell is going on with Britney Spears now? You'd almost feel bad for her if she wasn't so damn stupid. She's not an entertainer anymore, she's weekly front page news on the National Enquirer. ...I am all for people working and making a living, but the only guy I don't want to see work is the snowplow guy. I agree. Those American team don't belong in that league and there is no reason for it. I think the Mexican League is just fine the way it is now.

Updated to 12-30 ...Cover your ears because the most entitled and better-than-you-are fans in America have another thing to cheer about. New England must have sold their soul to Hades to have all this good fortune. The trouble is, there's always the bill to pay. That's what I want to witness. ...There should be no doubt after this as to how much I hate that part of the country. ...No matter what, we all have a much better chance of starting the New Year in a lot better position than Jim Leyritz will. ...Roger Clemens is planning on issuing his own report through his attorneys to detail his innocence in the steroid scandal that had his name associated with it. Clemens said he wants the report to be 410 pages long, or just one page longer than the Mitchell report. That'll show 'em. ...Again, I don't care what these players did. They did this to themselves. I just want spring training to get here! ...I saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets the other day and it was well worth it for anyone to go and see. I won't spoil it by saying what happened, but if you are a fan of these movies like I've become, you will be happy to find out that they left it open for a third installment. ...I love Total Classics version 8. Please download this! ...I got some gift certificates to Best Buy that are burning a hole in my pocket. I like going there all by myself so that I am not rushed. You can always find something good at Best Buy. ...There's also another store that's usually located in the malls called FYE. Has anyone ever heard of that one? That's a pretty good one for games, DVDs, music, etc. ...Everyone, take it easy tomorrow night. There's some good things planned for 2008 around the Mvp gaming community (like Mvp 08) that no one needs to miss out on. Stay safe and have fun.

Here's hoping you don't have to piss.

Updated to 12-23 ...Up early today. Got to wrap gifts while Mrs Y4L is still sleeping. I don't wrap that good, but that's ok. It's what's in the box that matters. I wonder if she'll let me use the Ipod I got her? ...This is my favorite part of the Christmas season by the way. When it's almost over. :w00t: ...I might go see National Treasure today. I've read no reviews about it and I don't want to know what happened. ...Yesterday was the first day of winter. So does this mean the previous three weeks were free preview weeks with all the terrible weather we've had around here? ...Want to make a Canadian cry? Tell them there's no snow predicted in the forecast. ...It's nice to check out the Yankees home page and not read about any trade talks but at the same time this steroid stuff is a bit too much. I don't even bother reading about it anymore. ...This is one busy off season here on this site. Soon, TC 8 is coming out. That's always a red letter day for me. And of course Kraw's got the 08 mod in works and now a group of ambitious modders are very close to changing the announcer audio in the game. This has always been a sore spot of the game for many people because the two announcers are not that good and if these gifted modders can pull this off, it will be a major addition to this great game. ...I know it's a longshot, but Go Dolphins! I am fed up with that rotten part of the country being on top of the sports world. And to make matters worse, now the Celtics are doing well. :soap: ...Needless to say my holiday spirit will never extend to the New England states. If I ran the country the first thing I'd do was throw them out of the union. ...Anyone that's got to drive to Christmas parties tomorrow night, stay safe and take care.

Addendum to my original random thoughts for today: ...Looks like I won't be leaving the house after all. I just went outside to shovel a few paths in the front and back yards for the dogs and the snow is still coming. I couldn't tell from the inside, but this snow is a combination of hail and sleet, and it is still coming down. Looks like I am in for the day. ...Welcome back Friedman, hope you can hang around for a bit.

Updated to 12-16 ...Wheew!! That's what I said this morning when I looked out the window. The forecast called for 8 to 12 inches but just by looking at what is out there now, we did not get a foot of snow last night. Thank you God. ...My niece was worried about the snow because tonight she is supposed to go to a Hannah Montana concert. Now she will be able to go. But it does bring up one question. Who the hell is Hannah Montana? ...If my snowplow guy gets here and the roads are halfway decent, I am going to go and see "I am Legend" today. And then next week the National Treasure Book of Secrets movie is on my list. ...I like Christmas songs probably as much as anyone, but the song I hate the most is "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I can not listen to this song in its entirety. ...My favorite? Adeste Fideles, hands down. (That's O Come all Ye Faithful sung in Latin. When I was in school we had to learn and sing it that way.) ...Well, the Mitchell report has come and gone and we lived through it. ...Is anyone here going to read all 409 pages of that thing? Mark me down as no. ...And I give Andy Pettitte credit, he admitted what he did. But this still does not phase me one bit. He did it to himself, he didn't hurt you or me. I just want him to have a good year next year for the Yankees, that's all I care about. ...Of course it did not go unnoticed by me that some Red Sox fans had to just point out how many Yankee names were on this list and at the same time ignoring all the Red Sox names on that very same list. Never underestimate a Boston fan's ability to sink to a new low. ...Come on Cleveland Browns. Knock the Bills out of playoff contention.

Updated to 12-9 ....I don't like trade talks with any team in baseball because they always seem to demand the world when they deal with the Yankees. ... I hope this Santana stuff bites Minnesota in the *&* at the end and this guy ends up a free agent. ...I wonder how Barry Bonds is going to get away with no jail time? I just have a feeling he will. ...Good news! At least for me, that is. My knee surgery is scheduled for January 22nd. I am getting a "right knee arthroscopy, Possible Meniscectomy" done that day. All that means is that I won't be able to walk around after that for awhile. ...I am not really sure that trading Hideki Matsui is a good idea. He's productive, although he was like everyone else in the post season in that he left his bat in the dugout. ...Being forced to watch "White Christmas" and "Miracle on 34th Street" last night has not put me in a good mood today. Nothing against those movies, but I've seen them so many times. ... I like watching baseball games on DVD, but it is no substitute for watching a live one. ...Bill Simmons and Jim Caple over at ESPN are probably my two most hated writers. They're Boston guys and that means that they have to throw in some kind of Yankee insult in almost every article they write. ...Speaking of classless, here's looking at you New England. ...Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Jim Morrison of the Doors. These guys were way before my time, but they were the best during their time period.

Time to resurrect an old thread from last year. It's now 66 years since the attack on Pearl and all federal agencies have their flags at half staff today. I guess maybe why I pay attention to this certain event every year is that for awhile I actually lived right there in Hawaii. The respect given on this day in Oahu is genuine and touching. When I was there, many veterans made the pilgrimage out to the site to pay respect. I went there, but I stayed in the background because then I could only relate to the history of what happened. Those people were actually there. Here's some more photos of Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, around 1940 View of the Harbor looking southward. In the distance is Hickam Field. The next two photos shows the Arizona burning after being hit R.I.P.

No, I never did live in New York City ron. From what I heard it is a very fun place to be.

I do not live near Buffalo. No sir. Buffalo is a toilet. You only go to Buffalo when you have to go. No one wants to go to Buffalo. I know that stretch of road. I avoid it in the winter at all costs. Basically when I go to Webster it's to go to BJ's Wholesale club or the new set of stores further down the road where the new Target is. I was just there Thanksgiving week doing Christmas shopping. I got there 8 am in the morning, did what I had to do and got out before 8:30. I loved it. I also go to Webster in the summer every so often to the batting cages that have an ice cream stand too. I don't get ice cream because I don't care for ice cream that much, but I love those cages. That's all I do in Webster.

I don't live in the vicinity of New York City. I live in upstate New York in a town called Irondequoit. I am closer to Canada than I am to New York. The closest person to me in this forum is YankeexDev, who lives in another town called Webster. Webster is one of the best places to live around here.

Updated to 12-2 ...What I most want for Christmas is for Johan Santana to not change teams. ...As I woke up this morning and let the dogs out, I saw we had our first snowfall here, a good few inches of the white *&%$. And it just gets worse. ...You want a good Christmas gift idea for someone that won't cost a lot? Get them one of those ice scrapers for your car with the extended handle. I don't go anywhere without it. ...And yet people whine about the summer!? Give me the heat any day as compared to the white stuff. ...Watched my first Christmas movie of the season last night with the wife, "It's a Wonderful Life." At least I got that one out of the way. Nothing against it, I've just seen it too many times. ...I wonder if there is an actual pole up at the North Pole? ...I hate the jewelry commercials for Christmas most of all because those are the ones women like the best and I don't have the money to buy that stuff. ...The four men being detained in the Sean Taylor murder case are between the ages of 17 and 20. That's too young of an age to throw your life away to be involved in something like this. I'm glad when I was that age I never thought of doing things like this. I have no sympathy for them. ...I think why the NFL aired that Packers-Cowboys game on their NFL Network is because they knew a lot of the country didn't get it and that would make them put pressure on their cable companies to get that channel. The NFL is sneaky like that. I have DirecTV and it is included on that but I hardly watch it. ...I'm pulling for the Cleveland Browns to win the AFC North because if I had a second favorite NFL team, it would be them.

Updated to 11-25 ...Thank you HFLR for starting off this week's random thoughts. I was driving home right around the time you were posting. ...I think the less said about my Thanksgiving "vacation" down to the in-laws, the better. ...Ok, just one thing. I always seem to make better time driving home from there then I do driving there. ...Did any of you get one of those laptops Circuit City had on sale on Black Friday for $299? I was just wondering if any of you were lucky enough to grab one. ...Heck, I got to tell this to everyone too because I thought it was kind of funny. Best Buy had some ads on TV about the stuff they were selling on Black Friday and some of the stuff is what my sister-in-law and my wife wanted. They were all set to go until I asked one question: "Is there a Best-Buy in Binghamton (NY)?" The answer to that was no, and that ended the plans on going to Best buy. They could have went, but the closest one is in Syracuse. ...Some people made the news by sleeping in tents in front of the stores on the morning of Black Friday. Not me! I was nice and warm in my uncomfortable bed. ..If anything happened with the Yankees over the weekend, I had no way of knowing. The newspaper down there is a little behind the times. Yesterday's headlines in the sports blurted out "Red Sox win World Series." ...Thanksgiving day I watched football. All three games because again, there's nothing to do. I guess I am done with football until the playoffs or if the remote possibility that the Raiders will be televised in my area. ...My God, the Raiders won today in Kansas City, 20-17. This is great news! ...R.I.P. to pitcher Joe Kennedy, 28 years old is way to young to go. Terrible, terrible thing to read about. ...Happy birthday to Joe Dimaggio and Bernie Kosar, two of my favorite sports figures.

Updated to 11-18 ...I am on vacation again for this Thanksgiving week although it won't be as fun as the one I had a few weeks ago. This time I got to go out of town for the holiday and that is going to suck. When I tell you guys there is nothing to do in my wife's hometown, I mean it. I'll be bringing some books and I won't be going shopping on Black Friday. ...There's three games on Thanksgiving day, and there's no way I am going to watch all three. Green Bay is going to be at Detroit for the early game, then the Jets go to Dallas for the 4:00 game (I'll be asleep by then) and then in the evening on the NFL Network, the Colts go to Atlanta. And while all this is going on I will be wishing I was online right here interacting with everyone here. ...What was bigger news last week, A-Rod's about-face with the Yankees or finding out Bonds got indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice? ...And where are all these guys who were so insistent on defending him in all the Bonds threads that we have had on this forum? Not one of them have said a thing. ...Someone asked me (not in here) about what I thought about Derek Jeter being in trouble with the state of New York concerning where he actually lives and that he might have to pay millions in taxes. My response was I could care less. That's his problem. ...But what has been forgotten I think with most Yankee fans is because of all this high profile A-Rod talk and the attempts to re-sign Posada and Rivera, we still need pitching. And I hope we do not overpay for Santana - or anyone else. ...You know who I'd like to have on the Yankees? Eric Bedard of Baltimore. ...Ok Raiders, how are you going to screw it up this week? ...I think after this I'll be running out to breakfast. No more Dunkin Donuts of course. I'm done with them. My favorite breakfast places are the ones with the best orange juice. I love that stuff. ...I was watching the USA network last night and I saw the one of my favorite shows, Psych, will be having a holiday show to be aired on December 7th. And there's also one for Monk that will be aired on the same night! ...Next week's random thoughts will be late. I will be driving home on Sunday after being randomly bored.

Updated to 11-11 ...I salute the Yankees and the other GM's around baseball for not wanting to give a certain someone a 300 million dollar contract just because his agent says so. ...This is the worst time of the year for me when the only baseball news I get to read is the free agent signings, and I could care less where some of these guys go. ...Rumor has it that Clemens may actually retire this time. Funny how no one believes this. ...Pumpkin spice latte. Give it a try. ...Yep, right on schedule. I'm seeing a ton of Red Sox hats and coats all over town. I wonder why? ...The most ignored rule I notice when I am driving is the rule that says you can't talk on your cell phone when operating a motor vehicle. ...There's really nothing in ESPN insider that I really need to see, but I'd still like to have access to it. ...I hate Christmas commercials. ...My wife is worried that we can't go to her family's house next week for Thanksgiving because gas here has gone up to $3.35 a gallon. So am I. Her family lives 180 miles away. That's going to be one chunk of change. ...Happy Veterans Day tomorrow to all you Veterans, including yours truly.

I hate New England.

Updated to 11-4 ...Oh man what a vacation. I loved it. I got one more too, Thanksgiving week although it won't be as good because I got to go out of town for Thanksgiving. That's as fun as watching paint dry. ...This random thought actually hit me when I woke up on Thursday morning and I saw the calendar say "November 1st." I said to myself, damn, next month is Christmas already. ...Isn't this the month also that Michael Vick learns his fate from the federal judge? ...I never did get around to congratulating the Boston Red Sox and something tells me that I never will. ...But I'll tell you one thing, John Lester showed more heart on that ball field in game four than A-Rod has ever shown in his career. Check out this quote from Mike Lupica from the Daily News this morning. "How come anybody swinging a bat for the Red Sox this October did more to help Boston win than the iconic player who is supposed to be worth $400 million over the next 12 years? I have no answers for that. ...Now that baseball's done that's when I really miss it. It's always a long and cold off season. Sure I like football, but it's not anywhere close as to how much I love baseball. ...I think the choice of Joe Girardi as Yankee manager was a good one. ...I wonder what Scott Proctor was actually thinking when it was announced Joe Torre became Dodger manager? :laff: ...Who has not played Mvp Caribe yet and what is your excuse? It's like you've been given a brand new game. ...East coast residents, turn your clock back one hour today.

I got my eye on you.

Tom Seaver Pitcher Batted: Right Threw: Right 300 game winner. Hall of Fame 1982 Teams: Mostly New York Mets (also Reds and White Sox and Red Sox) An intelligent, hard-working perfectionist and the quintessential professional, Seaver was the first true star for the Mets and led them to their miracle World Championship in 1969. In his 10 years in New York from 1967 to 1977, he won 25% of the Mets' games. The 17th 300-game winner in major league history, Seaver set a major league record by striking out 200 or more hitters in 10 seasons, nine in a row from 1968 to 1976. Seaver came to the Mets via a strange lottery: In 1966, the Braves offered him $40,000, but the NCAA and baseball commissioner William Eckert voided the offer and made Seaver, still at USC, available to any team willing to match the Braves' offer. The Phillies, Indians, and Mets were willing and, in a drawing held in the commissioner's office, the Mets were picked out of a hat. Seaver was an immediate star, picked to the All-Star team in his first season when he won 16 games for a Met team that won just 61 games, and captured Rookie of the Year honors. In 1969 he won his first of three Cy Young Awards with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 ERA and led the NL in wins and winning percentage. On July 9, Seaver lost a perfect game when rookie Jimmy Qualls of the Cubs singled with one out in the ninth. The game was more important, however, since the Mets won 4-0, and began to make their move on the Cubs on their way to the World Championship. In Game One of the LCS against the Braves, Seaver was pinch hit for in the eighth inning, down 5-4, and emerged the winner over Phil Niekro as the Mets rallied for five runs. Seaver had less luck in Game One of the World Series, as he surrendered a homer to the Orioles' first batter, Don Buford, and lost 4-1. He came back to win a 2-1 ten-inning thriller in Game Four, helped by Ron Swoboda's game-saving catch in the ninth inning. Seaver picked up where he left off the next season. On April 22, 1970, he struck out 19 Padres, including a record 10 in a row to end the game, to tie the then-ML record for a nine-inning game, set by Steve Carlton. Although he didn't duplicate his 20-win season, he led the league in strikeouts (283) and ERA (2.81). Seaver himself felt that 1971 was his best season; he compiled a 20-10 record and led the league for the second year in a row in with a 1.76 ERA and 289 strikeouts. Overshadowed by Steve Carlton in 1972, in 1973 Seaver became the first non-20-game winner to win the Cy Young Award when he led the NL in ERA (2.08) and strikeouts (251) and tied for the lead in complete games (18) while leading the Mets to another improbable pennant. In Game One of the LCS, Seaver drove in the Mets' only run and almost made it stand for the victory, walking none and striking out 13, but he gave up solo homers to Pete Rose and Johnny Bench in the eighth and ninth innings to take the loss. The Mets' chronically weak offense often let him down during his career, but never so glaringly. He did come back in Game Five to win the clincher 7-2, giving up only one earned run. He took a no-decision in the Mets' 11-inning 3-2 loss in Game Three of the World Series, striking out 12 in eight innings. He pitched another strong game in the sixth contest, surrendering two runs in seven innings, but once again lost a tough one 3-1. A sore hip caused Seaver's worst season in 1974 with an 11-11 record and his first ERA over 3.00 (3.20). He bounced back in 1975 with his last great season for the Mets, going 22-9 and leading the league in strikeouts, wins, and winning percentage to capture another Cy Young trophy. In September, Seaver put together a seven-game winning streak, including another near no-hitter against the Cubs, broken up by Joe Wallis. By 1976, Seaver was having trouble with Met general manager M. Donald Grant over Seaver's salary and how the team was being run, and the two traded private and public taunts. On April 17, 1977, Seaver pitched his third one-hitter against the Cubs, a single in the fifth by Steve Ontiveros keeping him from the elusive no-hitter. Two months later, on June 15, the bomb dropped. Seaver was unceremoniously dealt to Cincinnati for four players, Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman, a trade that ripped out the hearts of New York fans. Seaver completed his last 20-win season with the Reds, finishing with a combined 21-6 mark and leading the NL with seven shutouts. Almost exactly a year from the trade, on June 16, 1978, Seaver finally got his no-hitter, blanking the Cardinals 4-0. Seaver had four winning years with the Reds, including 1979, when he went 16-6 and led the NL in winning percentage and shutouts (5). He took another tough no-decision in the LCS when he left Game One after eight innings tied 2-2 with the Pirates' John Candelaria; Pittsburgh won in the 11th inning. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Seaver went 14-2 and led the majors in victories but lost a controversial Cy Young vote to rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela. After Seaver slumped to 5-13 in 1982, the Reds completed the circle by trading The Franchise back to the Mets for three players. Although compiling only a 9-14 record (due mostly to the Mets' usual poor offense; his ERA was a better-than-average 3.55), fans were outraged when he was claimed by the White Sox after he was mysteriously left unprotected in the free agent compensation pool. He won 15 games for the White Sox in 1984, and 16 in 1985 when he set several career standards. On August 4 in Yankee Stadium, he won his 300th game, a 4-1 complete game on a six-hitter. On October 4, he moved past Walter Johnson into third place on the all-time strikeout list. After getting off to a slow start the following season, he was dealt to Boston (closer to his Greenwich, CT home), where he finished his career. An ankle injury prevented him from appearing against the Mets in the World Series, and the Red Sox released him following the season. Seaver tried to latch on with the Mets in 1987, but called it quits when he wasn't satisfied with his performance while getting into shape. After sitting out the 1988 season, Seaver was named to replace newly named National League president Bill White in the Yankee broadcast booth, and replaced Joe Garagiola for NBC Saturday telecasts with Vin Scully.

Wow, I didn't think there was any interest in this thread anymore.

Leo Durocher Hall of Fame, 1994 (posthumously) Durocher had many adjectives applied to him during his colorful career, both kind and unkind. He was a brash, abrasive, hustling, light-hitting, slick-fielding, umpire-baiting bench jockey who was in baseball for nearly five decades as a player, manager, coach, and commentator. Durocher spent his first full major league season with the 1928 World Champion Yankees, and became New York's starting shortstop in 1929. He moved on to the Reds in 1930, and the Cardinals in 1933, becoming captain of the "Gashouse Gang" in 1934. His last season as a first-stringer came with the 1939 Dodgers. Never much of a hitter, he topped .260 only five times in 17 years, with a high of .286 in 1936. He became an All-Star mostly on the strength of his glovework; a flashy, acrobatic SS, he led the NL in fielding in '36 and 1938. Durocher went on to a long, distinguished, and tumultuous career as a manager. He was player-manager of the Dodgers in 1939-41, 1943, and 1945, though he played only a few games in the latter three years. He guided the Dodgers to the NL pennant in 1941, and to second-place finishes in 1940, 1942, and 1946. Perhaps his finest moment as Dodger manager came in spring training of 1947 when he personally quashed a rebellion by players who were protesting the presence of Jackie Robinson. Durocher's tenure in Brooklyn was marked by - among other things - feuds with GM Branch Rickey, who could not always tolerate Durocher's antics and managing style. Durocher lived life in the fast lane. He was a pro at the card table, and favored the horse track. Stories emerged that he was friendly with such characters as Bugsy Siegel. In 1945, he was indicted for assaulting a fan under the stands. His problems reached a peak in 1947, when he was suspended for the season for reputed association with gamblers. The Dodgers won the pennant with Burt Shotton at the helm instead. Durocher returned in 1948, gave rookie Roy Campanella the catching job, and moved young Gil Hodges to first base. But the Dodgers fell to last place on July 7. Eight days later, Rickey fired Durocher and rehired Shotton, as the rival Giants fired their manager, Mel Ott, and hired Durocher. Durocher guided the Giants to a pennant in 1951, overtaking the Dodgers in a spectacular race and defeating them in the subsequent playoff, thanks to Bobby Thomson. In 1954, Durocher led New York to his only WS victory. After the 1955 season, he became a TV commentator. Durocher returned to manage the Cubs from 1966 until late in 1972, and the Astros through 1973, finishing second several times. Toward the end, his players were aware that he was becoming senile; some were with Durocher for weeks before the manager knew who they were. He retired among the all-times leaders in games managed (3740), wins (2010), and losses (1710). His life story was told in his autobiography, Nice Guys Finish Last, co-written with Ed Linn. The phrase (or something to that effect) was one that had been attributed to Durocher in '47, referring to Ott, whose Giants had been losing.

Van Lingle Mungo Real name: Van Lingle Mungo 1931-41 Brooklyn 1942-45 New York Giants W 120 L 115 ERA 3.4 In the mid-1930s, Mungo was considered to have the talent of contemporaries Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell, but he pitched for losing Dodger clubs and made matters worse by being easily upset by his teammates' ineptitude. Accused of wasting his strength by compiling strikeouts early in his games, he believed the only sure way to retire batters was to fan them. He was the 1936 National League strikeout leader, with 238. He also led the NL in walks three times. In an era when starters were expected to go the distance, Mungo, who led the NL in games started in 1934 and 1936, only finished 47% of his career starts. But between 1932 and 1936, he averaged 16 wins a year. Mungo was wild and mean, a high-kicking fireballer with a fierce temper. He was known as a drinker, and was involved in some bizarre off-the-field incidents. He once had to be smuggled out of Cuba to escape the machete-wielding husband of a nightclub dancer with whom he'd been caught in bed. His career went downhill after he injured his arm in the 1937 All-Star Game. He won only 13 ML games over his next six seasons. Becoming a junkballer, he went 14-7 in 1945. The lifetime .221 hitter sometimes pinch-hit. In 1970 his colorful name was prominently used in a nostalgic bossa nova ballad. *** ***Song included here in this post. It is a jazz song that was written over 35 years ago. Van Lingle Mungo.mp3