1-Man’s Opinion on Sports–Friday. “Tom Terrific–Something Special”
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“Tom Terrific–Something Special”
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The New York Mets, once the laughingtock of baseball, when they went (40-120) under Casey Stengel in their first year, a decade later became celebrities.
The Amazing Mets of 1969 changed the history of the franchise.
New York fans will remember Tug McGraw’s dynamic work out of the bullpen. They will recall the fabulous Ron Swoboda catch in the World Series. They always talked about Tommy Agee and Cleon Jones, but never about the guys who pitched them that far.
But for some reason, the conversation never turned to the starting rotation, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry.
Dominance doesn’t describe how good that rotation was.
They’re now talking about that pitching staff, because the leader of that mound corps has passed away.
Tom Seaver’s life on the mound was all about power, dominance, all done in quick fashion. He won (311) games in a Hall of Fame career.
The passing of the bulldog of a righthander was equally quick, a year after his family announced Seaver was entering private life with advanced dementia. He went fast, just like he worked on the mound fast.
He was an ultimate power pitcher, though maybe never getting the credit tht say a Bob Gibson got. But you go (25-7) against the hitters from the Golden Age of baseball, that’s pretty dominant.
You gave him the ball and he gave it back to you after they won. A career (2.86-ERA)……over 3600-strikeouts…and 61-shutouts.
They remembered him better when he was gone. First traded to Cincinnati, then in retired, a near dominant ballot for the Hall of Fame, where he got 425-votes on the 430-ballots.
They now remember him with the 1st statue ever erecged on behalf of the Mets history of baseball, at Shea Stadium, then at Citi Field.
He was thinking man’s pitcher. He was an intellect. His interests off the mound were diverse.
He was ‘Tom Terrific’ and he will be remembered and honored by baseball purists as a supreme human being and a superstar pitcher.
“Tom Terrific”…was something special.
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