Remembering Bob Gibson
Power Line,
by
Paul Mirengoff
Original Article
Posted By: Pluperfect,
10/4/2020 4:33:55 AM
Bob Gibson died this week at the age of 84. Major League baseball’s website has posted a fine tribute to this great pitcher, one of the 20 best starters of all time for my money.
With his seven World Series game wins across three Series, his record-breaking performances in 1968 (after which the pitchers’ mound was lowered), and his unforgettable intimidating presence, Gibson was arguably the most important major leaguer of the 1960s.
(Sandy Koufax was a better pitcher, but he was done after 1966. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron were the dominant hitters, but collectively they played in only one World Series during the 1960s.)
Reply 1 - Posted by:
nina584 10/4/2020 6:45:12 AM (No. 561369)
When I was a kid I was a big Cardinals fan. What a fantastic pitcher !!!
9 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 10/4/2020 7:18:36 AM (No. 561394)
What a fastball. He was devastating in his day. One of the last guys I'd want to bat against. RIP Bob, you provided the fans a lot of great games.
10 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
spacer 10/4/2020 8:11:10 AM (No. 561429)
Saw Mr. Gibson pitch in '59 at the old Rosenblatt for the Omaha cardinals. We were a bunch of little leaguer sand lot kids. The guy looked like a giant. It seemed he was half way to the plate when the ball left his hand. The fifties. Never be anything like em.
12 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Hazymac 10/4/2020 8:22:34 AM (No. 561438)
Gibson, one of the greatest starting pitchers in MLB, was among the fiercest competitors we ever saw. The final vignette about how Gibson may have dealt with a bunter, is a beauty of a story, even if apocryphal. Along the same lines, a man in the on deck circle had somehow incurred the wrath of Gibson, and he got a brush back pitch, too--in the on deck circle. RIP, Mr. Gibson, master competitor. We won't forget you. You did it right.
8 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Cardsfan 10/4/2020 8:57:16 AM (No. 561470)
I’ve been a Cardinals fan since the mid-1950’s. There have been long stretches of lean years but listening to Harry, Joe, and Jack on KMOX describe Bob Gibson’s talents is one of the highlights over the years.
4 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Mizz Fixxit 10/4/2020 9:19:08 AM (No. 561496)
Bob Gibson was a graduate of Creighton University where he starred in baseball and basketball. He career scoring average in basketball was over 20 points.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Philipsonh 10/4/2020 11:07:42 AM (No. 561621)
That is a bygone era. A pitcher that throws at a batter's head today is suspended.
1 person likes this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
czechlist 10/4/2020 11:41:10 AM (No. 561648)
"7 exactly right I laugh when people argue over " the greatest of all time". You can't compare eras with all of the rules, equipment changes and physical training. However, IMO baseball is still the purest, most consistent, truest to the origin sport.
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
snakeoil 10/4/2020 12:04:52 PM (No. 561670)
Was hit with a line drive off his leg in an All Star Game and continued to pitch for an inning. Loved Gibson and Curt Flood. When I was young back when gay was a adjective we had no cable, satellite, internet, etc. Used to listen at night to the Cardinals on AM radio. Strange how addicting something could be when you had no video but the announcers made you feel like you were there sitting next to them. RIP.
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
DVC 10/4/2020 12:05:50 PM (No. 561671)
I was never a huge baseball fan, but I have been to a few games with friends. When I was a kid, it was the "All American Game".
It seems to this (very) non-expert that players from Central America and other countries outside the USA are the dominant force now, and can barely speak English. Not so "All American", it would seem.
Perhaps that is a misperception, but the little bit of MLB news I hear accidentally always seems to be talking about a player with a latin name. Even Garrett Norris, on the old SNL in the 70s had his baseball player Chico Escuela routine...."Baas-a-baall bean berry, berry goot to me!" showed this change.
Harder to relate to a game seemingly populated by foreigners who can barely speak English.
2 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 10/4/2020 2:33:11 PM (No. 561840)
The most intimidating pitcher I ever saw and one of the best. Every batter that faced him knew he would throw at your head if you crowded the plate. I am too lazy to look it up but I think his World Series ERA is the record low.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
BigGeorgeTX 10/5/2020 7:14:22 PM (No. 563029)
The best control of any pitcher I ever saw. His 17-strikeout game against Baltimore in the 1968 World Series will never be matched. Most of his games were over in under 2 hours. He wasted no time, unlike today's pitchers.
1 person likes this.
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