Rich Hill

[bosoxmal]

This giuy is 8-3 with a 2.25 ERA. He is the ace of the Oakland staff. No other Oakland pitcher is in the top fifty! One wa on the other board said I was *******because I wanted to pay this guy 6mil for two years, he, and others, were willing to go 1 mil. for one year. I wonder why these other guys don't know a pitcher when they see one. My ow son (who is 63 and has seen a lot of baseball, emailed me, "By the end of May he'll be 5 and 2 and on the DL." I think that may have been the consensus.

[Spudboy]

So?

[bosoxmal]

So, the rant is over. I suppose you were one of those who said, "he's too old", and that being the best pitcher in baseball during the month of September of last year didn't mean very much. Of course, I had a little advantage. I saw Lewfty Grove go from being a 100 mile an hour fas ball to a guy to the DL to developing the best curve ball in the game. All when he was 35 years old. He went 15-4 when he was 39! Like Grove, RH has learned how to pitch.

[a700hitter]

So, the rant is over. I suppose you were one of those who said, "he's too old", and that being the best pitcher in baseball during the month of September of last year didn't mean very much. Of course, I had a little advantage. I saw Lewfty Grove go from being a 100 mile an hour fas ball to a guy to the DL to developing the best curve ball in the game. All when he was 35 years old. He went 15-4 when he was 39! Like Grove, RH has learned how to pitch.

You saw Lefty Grove? Cool

[Spudboy]

So, the rant is over. I suppose you were one of those who said, "he's too old", and that being the best pitcher in baseball during the month of September of last year didn't mean very much. Of course, I had a little advantage. I saw Lewfty Grove go from being a 100 mile an hour fas ball to a guy to the DL to developing the best curve ball in the game. All when he was 35 years old. He went 15-4 when he was 39! Like Grove, RH has learned how to pitch.

 

No, I would have made an effort to snag him as a reserve starter for fair money ( not unlike what Oakland got him for ).

 

The Sox put their eggs in some different baskets, instead.

[User Name]

Wasn't part of the problem that he had a track record of poor durability, and he's actually injured right now?

[bosoxmal]

I saw Grove pitch several times, I was 8 years old when we moved from NH to Somerville. That was in 1933. Got on a bus on the corner of Medford and Sycamore, changed at Lechmere, and got off in Kenmore Sq. Sometimes, for school kids, it was a nickel. sometimes free. Every time my older brother (he was born in 1918) or my father went (which was about every other Sunday), I got to tag along. MY teams, at the time were Groove, Foxx, Cronin, Doerr, Cramer, etc. I was there with my dad the day Grove beat Feller in a one run game (I thin k, 1-0 but it could have been 2-1). I also remember a famous A's catcher (who used to catch Lefty) quoted in the morning paper, that "Grove had no fast ball any more and was not the pitcher he once was.) Grove struck him out 3 or 4 times that Sunday. Bill Cunningham, in the Post, said Grove through 10 fastballs all day, and they went sailing by (Hayes?) Funny. I sometimes wonder where I parked my car, but I can remember who played left field for the Boston Braves in the 1930's!

[Kimmi]

I saw Grove pitch several times, I was 8 years old when we moved from NH to Somerville. That was in 1933. Got on a bus on the corner of Medford and Sycamore, changed at Lechmere, and got off in Kenmore Sq. Sometimes, for school kids, it was a nickel. sometimes free. Every time my older brother (he was born in 1918) or my father went (which was about every other Sunday), I got to tag along. MY teams, at the time were Groove, Foxx, Cronin, Doerr, Cramer, etc. I was there with my dad the day Grove beat Feller in a one run game (I thin k, 1-0 but it could have been 2-1). I also remember a famous A's catcher (who used to catch Lefty) quoted in the morning paper, that "Grove had no fast ball any more and was not the pitcher he once was.) Grove struck him out 3 or 4 times that Sunday. Bill Cunningham, in the Post, said Grove through 10 fastballs all day, and they went sailing by (Hayes?) Funny. I sometimes wonder where I parked my car, but I can remember who played left field for the Boston Braves in the 1930's!

 

You are awesome bosoxmal! You go on!

 

I'm impressed that you can remember those details.

[cp176]

I saw Grove pitch several times, I was 8 years old when we moved from NH to Somerville. That was in 1933. Got on a bus on the corner of Medford and Sycamore, changed at Lechmere, and got off in Kenmore Sq. Sometimes, for school kids, it was a nickel. sometimes free. Every time my older brother (he was born in 1918) or my father went (which was about every other Sunday), I got to tag along. MY teams, at the time were Groove, Foxx, Cronin, Doerr, Cramer, etc. I was there with my dad the day Grove beat Feller in a one run game (I thin k, 1-0 but it could have been 2-1). I also remember a famous A's catcher (who used to catch Lefty) quoted in the morning paper, that "Grove had no fast ball any more and was not the pitcher he once was.) Grove struck him out 3 or 4 times that Sunday. Bill Cunningham, in the Post, said Grove through 10 fastballs all day, and they went sailing by (Hayes?) Funny. I sometimes wonder where I parked my car, but I can remember who played left field for the Boston Braves in the 1930's!

 

This is a great post. thanks for sharing.

[bosoxmal]

Thank you for the nice comments. I have to watch that memory like a hawk. The older I get, the taller Lefty Grove gets, the bigger Jimmie Foxx gets and the harder Ernie Lombardi could hit a line drive. I wish I could remember more unimportant details. Like how far it was from where we got off the street car at the Braves Field stop to the park. And why we kids had to wait three or four innings before they let us swarm into the left field seats (benches). The Knot Hole Gang started in St. Louis and the Braves version was a little different. But so were the Braves. They really stunk! Nevertheless, they were my favorite team until Cronin came up from Washington, and Yawkey bought half the A's team! The 193? Fenway fire didn't help much. The place was a mess until the Cronin-Williams crowd took over. I couldn't believe it when the Braves moved to Milwaukee (Milwaukee? C'mon, man!)

[Jack Flap]

Let me echo what Kimmi and cp said: these are some amazing memories, mal. Thanks for sharing with us.

[bosoxmal]

Since coming off the DL, this man has pitched 12 innings, given up 7 hits, 3 walks and has 16 K's. And given up 3 earned runs. The rumors have it that the Red Sox could have him back for very little. Will DD move and not worry about his mistake of letting him go in the first place? It's beginning to look that way. If Baltimore or Toronto grabs him, we can guess this year's AL East title good bye.

[User Name]

What part of "they wanted to sign him but couldn't assure him of a rotation spot" don't you understand bro? They wanted him back, but they (thought) we had seven viable starters.