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RIP Don Larsen

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Regan MacNeil, Jan 1, 2020.

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  1. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member


     
    Regan MacNeil, Jan 1, 2020
    #1
  2. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Bill Millsaps, the former sports editor turned executive editor in Richmond, tells a great Don Larsen story.

    Millsaps was the son of a school principal growing up in Tennesee and a stern principal at that. Dad made it clear he was Dad at home but at school, his kids were like all the others.

    So one day there's a knock on the classroom door and Mr. Millsaps says, "Mrs. (Smith), I need to see Billy in my office."

    Millsaps is scared out of his mind. What did I do? How much trouble am I in? Why am I being called out of class?

    They get to the office and Mr. Millsaps closes the door. The TV is on. He says, "Sit down Billy, Don Larsen is pitching a perfect game!"

    RIP Don Larsen.
     
    Moderator1, Jan 1, 2020
    #2
    Liut, UNCGrad, Jesus_Muscatel and 10 others like this.
  3. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    2020 is less than a day old and already we’ve had two huge deaths. This is gonna be a rough year.
     
    Twirling Time, Jan 1, 2020
    #3
  4. Deskgrunt50

    Deskgrunt50 Well-Known Member

    A Yankee icon. RIP.

    Stern obviously a national story. Larsen obviously huge in New York area.

    In sports, not sure I remember two bigger names passing on the same day.
     
    Deskgrunt50, Jan 1, 2020
    #4
  5. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Jose Fernandez and Arnold Palmer? Not even sure that matches
     
    Moderator1, Jan 1, 2020
    #5
  6. Spartan Squad

    Spartan Squad Well-Known Member

    You think Berra jumped into his arms when Larson walked through the Pearly Gates?

    RIP
     
    Spartan Squad, Jan 1, 2020
    #6
    Baron Scicluna, Chef2 and HanSenSE like this.
  7. Deskgrunt50

    Deskgrunt50 Well-Known Member

    Forgot those were the same day. Palmer for sure. Fernandez was sudden and shocking. So young.
     
    Deskgrunt50, Jan 1, 2020
    #7
  8. goalmouth

    goalmouth Well-Known Member

    Met Larsen about 2000 in our town, was a great moment when he posed for pictures. A relative as a teenager saw his perfect game.
     
    goalmouth, Jan 2, 2020
    #8
  9. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Shirley Povich’s lede for his perfect game is one of my all-time favorite ledes.

    Looking up his career, he actually went 3-21 for the Orioles in their first year after moving from St. Louis, and then the Yankees got him in a 17 (!) player trade.

    He ended up becoming a pretty good reliever in the 1960s, which is often forgotten about.

    RIP
     
    Baron Scicluna, Jan 2, 2020
    #9
    cyclingwriter2 likes this.
  10. Neutral Corner

    Neutral Corner Well-Known Member

    A Hall of Famer who won eleven games in his best season of fourteen in the majors. He sat down 27 straight batters on just 97 pitches. One glorious day of absolute perfection.

    Rest.
     
    Neutral Corner, Jan 3, 2020
    #10
  11. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    Don Larsen isn't in the Hall of Fame.
     
    Regan MacNeil, Jan 3, 2020
    #11
  12. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    For those with The Athletic, Joe Posnanski wrote a great piece about Larsen.

    I really enjoyed his lead

    In the end, yes, of course, all of us are so much more than our best day, more than our worst day, more than the first sentence in our obituaries. We are not metaphors. We are not parables. We are flesh and blood, triumph and failure, joy and sorrow and rage and boredom. We are all the years, all the habits, all the quirks, all the jokes, all the wins, all the mistakes, all the late nights, all the family, all the friends.

    Don Larsen lived more than 90 of those years.

    And yet, he seemingly never tired of people asking him about one perfect day.

    Posnanski: Don Larsen understood what one perfect day meant...
     
    MTM, Jan 3, 2020
    #12
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