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RIP Champ Summers: Gone at 66

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Riptide, Oct 11, 2012.

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  1. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Champ Summers, 66, died Thursday after a long battle with kidney cancer. He had lived at Spruce Creek Preserve [in Florida] since 1999, when he and his wife moved from La Jolla, Calif.

    Summers was a Vietnam veteran who played 10 MLB seasons for six different teams. His longest stay with one team was a three-year run with the Detroit Tigers starting in 1979, when he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds mid-season. Summers had arguably his finest season with the Tigers that partial year, when legendary manager Sparky Anderson sought him out to be his designated hitter. Summers batted .313 with 20 home runs, 51 RBIs and seven stolen bases in just 246 at-bats over the remainder of that season.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/20121011/ARTICLES/121019947/1005/sports01?Title=Champ-Summers-10-year-major-leaguer-who-retired-to-Ocala-dies-at-66
     
    Riptide, Oct 11, 2012
    #1
  2. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    RIP to a former Cub.

    [​IMG]
     
    Armchair_QB, Oct 11, 2012
    #2
  3. Norrin Radd

    Norrin Radd New Member

    Weird that a guy who played for the Cubs was named "Champ."

    RIP.
     
    Norrin Radd, Oct 11, 2012
    #3
  4. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    It hurts because its true.
     
    Armchair_QB, Oct 11, 2012
    #4
  5. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Was at the center of the great Padres-Braves brawl in 1984. It seemed for a moment like Summers was literally going to kill Pascual Perez.

    http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5955859
     
    Steak Snabler, Oct 11, 2012
    #5
  6. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Got my only MLB foul ball off the bat of Champ Summers during his 1980 season. Sad to see he suffered from cancer.

    [​IMG]

    RIP.
     
    Bubbler, Oct 11, 2012
    #6
  7. Matt1735

    Matt1735 Well-Known Member

    Fuck Cancer.
     
    Matt1735, Oct 11, 2012
    #7
  8. Drip

    Drip Active Member

    RIP. He was a cool dude.
     
    Drip, Oct 12, 2012
    #8
  9. cyclingwriter

    cyclingwriter Active Member

    I went to summer camp with a kid named champ one summer. I remember being pissed that he had never heard of champ summers.

    RIP
     
    cyclingwriter, Oct 12, 2012
    #9
  10. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Best known to me as the guy from the 1979 or 1980 Topps set whose card I got 10,000 times from opening packs. I can't remember the cards I never got a sniff of, in my attempt to complete my set, but I could always count on a Champ Summers card buried in the middle of the pack. I probably still have enough of them to heat my home this winter, in a box somewhere.
     
    The Big Ragu, Oct 12, 2012
    #10
  11. WolvEagle

    WolvEagle Well-Known Member

    Damn. Cancer claims another. That is so wrong.

    Well, that completes the rule of three on the Detroit sports scene - Champ, Alex Karras and Budd Lynch.

    RIP, Champ.
     
    WolvEagle, Oct 12, 2012
    #11
  12. Colton

    Colton Active Member

    Agreed, Matt.

    RIP.
     
    Colton, Oct 12, 2012
    #12
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