Baseball's Dusty Rhodes RIP

[mpcincal]

The 1954 World Series is know for Willie Mays' catch, but Dusty Rhodes was the one who had some clutch hits in the Giants' sweep.

He died in Las Vegas on Wednesday:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/06/18/2009-06-18_dusty_rhodes_hero_of_1954_series_dies.html

 

[buckweaver]

Aww, that sucks. Knew it had to be soon, though.

I remember Smasher or somebody posting this great NYDN story from December: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2008/12/20/2008-12-20_dusty_rhodes_hero_of_giants_1954_world_s.html

Good timing for Madden to write that then. RIP to the original Dusty Rhodes.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Reading the story, wasn't the Polo Grounds' right field foul pole only something like 258 feet or something like that?

Yankee Stadium's was 296.

 

[buckweaver]

Reading the story, wasn't the Polo Grounds' right field foul pole only something like 258 feet or something like that?

Yankee Stadium's was 296.

Correct. ~258 to right, ~279 to left.

483, of course, to dead center.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Reading the story, wasn't the Polo Grounds' right field foul pole only something like 258 feet or something like that?

Yankee Stadium's was 296.

Correct. ~258 to right, ~279 to left.

483, of course, to dead center.

Looks like the Daily News needs a copy editor, then.

Those Polo Grounds games must have been fun to watch. Hit a 260 foot fly ball to right, home run. Hit a 475 foot shot to center, watch the CF try to avoid the Eddie Grant Memorial to catch the fly.

 

[crimsonace]

And one of the two (not sure which, I think it was LF) had the upper deck hanging something like 23 feet out onto the field, so if you hit a 255-foot shot to left and got it into the air enough, it would drop into the stands.

The Polo Grounds were the epitome of the strangely-designed classic ballpark. The power alleys were pretty deep, too.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Yeah, I remember reading about how some the Brooklyn Dodgers were saying that Bobby Thompson's homer in '51 would have been an out at Ebbets Field.

Too bad I haven't been able to find any old tapes of Polo Grounds games.

 

[buckweaver]

Too bad I haven't been able to find any old tapes of Polo Grounds games.

Other than some sustained clips (such as The Catch), I don't think any exist. Earliest known full broadcast that I know of is the 1967 Red Sox season opener (that NESN has shown in recent years). There's also the 1968 WS opener and a 1970 Expos-Pirates game from Jarry Park.

MLB Network was able to piece together an "original" broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect game, but it was missing the first inning (still pretty spectacular to watch it, of course.)

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I once got to see the first five innings of Game 7 of the 1952 World Series at the Museum of TV and Radio. You were allowed two programs to watch. I ended up choosing an old pro wrestling show instead of the other four innings (this is Pre-Youtube era, when those shows were rarely available).

It was strange watching a game without instant replay, and the only graphic was each batter's last name.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Right field upper deck hung out over the field. Supposedly the Indians' right fielder (Davy Pope?) was camped and ready to catch Rhodes' ball before it landed in the upper deck.

Brooklyn fans are full of crap. Thompson hit a shot, it cleared at the 315-foot mark, the left-field wall at the Polo Grounds was pretty tall and the ball lands well back of the fence, as this photo shows.

There was a ton of film on the PG in the last couple chapters of the Burns' "Baseball" series on MLB Network.

 

[Steak Snabler]

258 to right

And based on some of the pictures I've seen, Rhodes' pinch-hit homer in Game 1 went about 258 feet, 1.5 inches.

Made your typical Morgan Ensberg shot into the Crawford boxes look like Reggie Jackson in the 1971 All-Star Game.

Still, RIP to a key player on a memorable team ...

 

[Double J]

Right field upper deck hung out over the field. Supposedly the Indians' right fielder (Davy Pope?) was camped and ready to catch Rhodes' ball before it landed in the upper deck.

Brooklyn fans are full of crap. Thompson hit a shot, it cleared at the 315-foot mark, the left-field wall at the Polo Grounds was pretty tall and the ball lands well back of the fence, as this photo shows.

There was a ton of film on the PG in the last couple chapters of the Burns' "Baseball" series on MLB Network.

It's a mark of the desperation of Dodgers left-fielder Andy Pafko that he's right up against the wall in that picture instead of hoping for a carom that, while it would have meant extra bases and would have tied the game, wouldn't by itself have lost the game.

 

[Double J]

258 to right

And based on some of the pictures I've seen, Rhodes' pinch-hit homer in Game 1 went about 258 feet, 1.5 inches.

Made your typical Morgan Ensberg shot into the Crawford boxes look like Reggie Jackson in the 1971 All-Star Game.

Still, RIP to a key player on a memorable team ...

It's just one of those quirks, just like it's fun to guess how many home runs Babe Ruth lost in the Polo Grounds because he only hit it 480 or so feet to dead centre - and believe me, he hit a ****load of balls to dead centre that would have been long gone in pretty much every other MLB park of the time.

 

[buckweaver]

It's just one of those quirks, just like it's fun to guess how many home runs Babe Ruth lost in the Polo Grounds because he only hit it 480 or so feet to dead centre - and believe me, he hit a ****load of balls to dead centre that would have been long gone in pretty much every other MLB park of the time.

A well-researched take on that, despite the sensationalistic title:

 

[Walter_Sobchak]

RIP.

Oh, sorry, the other Dusty Rhodes.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

The other Dusty Rhodes ... who thankfully for my alma mater is not yet another baseball's Dusty Rhodes.

Don't scare me like that, dammit!

 

[Double J]

It's just one of those quirks, just like it's fun to guess how many home runs Babe Ruth lost in the Polo Grounds because he only hit it 480 or so feet to dead centre - and believe me, he hit a ****load of balls to dead centre that would have been long gone in pretty much every other MLB park of the time.

A well-researched take on that, despite the sensationalistic title:

I know, it's an awesome book, and the basis for my post on the issue. :)

 

[Steak Snabler]

Too bad I haven't been able to find any old tapes of Polo Grounds games.

Other than some sustained clips (such as The Catch), I don't think any exist. Earliest known full broadcast that I know of is the 1967 Red Sox season opener (that NESN has shown in recent years). There's also the 1968 WS opener and a 1970 Expos-Pirates game from Jarry Park.

MLB Network was able to piece together an "original" broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect game, but it was missing the first inning (still pretty spectacular to watch it, of course.)

I know I've seen Game 7 of the 1965 World Series on ESPN Classic before, but I can't remember if it was the entire game ...

 

[lantaur]

FYI: Bobby Thomson not Thompson.

And RIP, Dusty. The guy had 186 PAs in 1954 - and finished 26th in the MVP voting.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Right field upper deck hung out over the field. Supposedly the Indians' right fielder (Davy Pope?) was camped and ready to catch Rhodes' ball before it landed in the upper deck.

Brooklyn fans are full of crap. Thompson hit a shot, it cleared at the 315-foot mark, the left-field wall at the Polo Grounds was pretty tall and the ball lands well back of the fence, as this photo shows.

There was a ton of film on the PG in the last couple chapters of the Burns' "Baseball" series on MLB Network.

It's a mark of the desperation of Dodgers left-fielder Andy Pafko that he's right up against the wall in that picture instead of hoping for a carom that, while it would have meant extra bases and would have tied the game, wouldn't by itself have lost the game.

The wall is between 16-18 feet high, depending on the spot.

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/pologr.htm

That fan is only in the first couple of rows. So, figure it took about a 340 foot shot.

Ebbets Field dimensions were 348 down the line, 351 to left center and 393 to center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbets_Field

So yeah, Pafko would have had a chance at it.