John Vukovich dead at 59

[shotglass]

What's the definition of a gamer? Somebody who hits .161 in his major-league career ... and lasts 10 seasons.

RIP, Vuk. You'll be missed.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBN_OBIT_VUKOVICH?SITE=PACHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

[alleyallen]

Sad story. I remember him from the days when the Astros and Phillies used to do battle.

 

[Football_Bat]

Damn. He was almost as Philly as Lasorda was Dodger.

I was a fan of Pete Vuckovich as a youngster and I wondered whether he and John were related. (They weren't.)

RIP.

 

[alleyallen]

Damn. He was almost as Philly as Lasorda was Dodger.

I was a fan of Pete Vuckovich as a youngster and I wondered whether he and John were related. (They weren't.)

RIP.

They weren't? Did not know that.

 

[Football_Bat]

Damn. He was almost as Philly as Lasorda was Dodger.

I was a fan of Pete Vuckovich as a youngster and I wondered whether he and John were related. (They weren't.)

RIP.

They weren't? Did not know that.

Pete was of a different spelling. And in fact, John and George were teammates on the '80 Phillies and were of no relation.

 

[hondo]

You gotta know where the bodies are buried or have dirty pictures of someone's sister to last 10 seasons as a career .161 hitter.

 

[Armchair_QB]

He was the Manager in Waiting for several years on the Northside under Dallas Green.

The day Green resigned in '87 the reporters who showed up for the press conference thought they were there for the announcement of Vukovich as the Cubs' new manager.

 

[shotglass]

You gotta know where the bodies are buried or have dirty pictures of someone's sister to last 10 seasons as a career .161 hitter.

Well, to be fair, five of those 10 seasons, he played 11 games or fewer. And he never had more than 211 ABs in a season.

Obviously the type of guy you wanted to have around your ballclub, though.

 

[steveu]

Nice Jericho avatar, Football.

This sucks. I remember watching Vukovich when he played... not the best hitter, but a great team player. RIP.

 

[casty33]

One of the nicest human beings it was my pleasure to know. RIP, Vuke

And Hondo, I've got to say that for you to make the kind of comment you did on this thread, then you obviously didn't know Vuke and what he brought to a ballclub. He was a leader and a coach in the clubhouse and every manager who dealt with him just loved having him on the team.

This one really hurts.

 

[shotglass]

casty, a good point indeed. Yet I have to wonder if anyone would last 10 years with a .161 average today. Too much media glare, even for 24th or 25th man on the roster.

 

[Jones]

One of the nicest human beings it was my pleasure to know. RIP, Vuke

And Hondo, I've got to say that for you to make the kind of comment you did on this thread, then you obviously didn't know Vuke and what he brought to a ballclub. He was a leader and a coach in the clubhouse and every manager who dealt with him just loved having him on the team.

This one really hurts.

The truth.

And the way he fought lately made him even more of a man.

 

[buckweaver]

casty, a good point indeed. Yet I have to wonder if anyone would last 10 years with a .161 average today. Too much media glare, even for 24th or 25th man on the roster.

For most of baseball history, a "character" guy or a defensive stalwart could find a spot at the end of any team's bench.

Rabbit Maranville begat Leo Durocher begat Ray Oyler begat Tom Lawless begat Rafael Belliard begat Brad Ausmus.

In the last 10 years, that has changed drastically, and not just in the American League. Light-hitting catchers or middle infielders are rarely tolerated for very long anymore.

A Soriano is a much more valuable commodity than an Ausmus, even though Alfonso hurts his team in the field arguably more than Brad hurts his team at the plate. Soriano's value (offensive) is quantifiable, Ausmus's isn't.

Too bad so many teams get seduced by the big, pretty numbers, when a guy like Vukovich can often make a team better, even if it doesn't show up on the back of a baseball card.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

A Soriano is a much more valuable commodity than an Ausmus, even though Alfonso hurts his team in the field arguably more than Brad hurts his team at the plate.

I guess anything is arguable, but it would be a pretty lousy argument.

 

[BYH]

Good to see Hondo is his usual idiotic senseless even on a thread like this. Measuring a deceased man by his batting average. You stay classy, Hondo.

He died of an inoperable brain tumor. I presume it was a second tumor and not related to the first one a few years ago?

Terrible news either way, obviously. RIP.

 

[Zeemer]

Vuke could stare a hole through you and then, just as quickly, crack a wide smile that made you completely at ease. He was baseball, through and through -- a tough man who cared deeply that the game was played the right way. He was a vital part of the chemistry of the 1980 Phillies championship team, even though he didn't play all that much, and just as important, as a coach, to the 1993 NL championship team. Godspeed, pal.

 

[jagtrader]

Vukovich didn't really play 10 seasons. Five of those included 15 at-bats or fewer in the big leagues.

That said, I've followed the Phillies my entire life and I can't remember Vuke not being part of the team. This is a sad day.

 

[joe]

casty, a good point indeed. Yet I have to wonder if anyone would last 10 years with a .161 average today. Too much media glare, even for 24th or 25th man on the roster.

For most of baseball history, a "character" guy or a defensive stalwart could find a spot at the end of any team's bench.

Rabbit Maranville begat Leo Durocher begat Ray Oyler begat Tom Lawless begat Rafael Belliard begat Brad Ausmus.

In the last 10 years, that has changed drastically, and not just in the American League. Light-hitting catchers or middle infielders are rarely tolerated for very long anymore.

A Soriano is a much more valuable commodity than an Ausmus, even though Alfonso hurts his team in the field arguably more than Brad hurts his team at the plate. Soriano's value (offensive) is quantifiable, Ausmus's isn't.

Too bad so many teams get seduced by the big, pretty numbers, when a guy like Vukovich can often make a team better, even if it doesn't show up on the back of a baseball card.

Say what you will about La Russa, but Molina was never in danger of losing his job -- or being benched in the playoffs -- despite hitting .216 for the year. There's more room for "character" guys in baseball, and probabably basketball, than there is in the NFL.
And 59 is too damn young.

 

[XXXX]

r.i.p. Vukovich

 

[silvershadow1981]

it's going to be strange as hell to not see Vuke playing hilarious gags on Chris Wheeler during Phils broadcasts. I started watching Phillies games in 1989 (I'm 25 for those wondering), and Vuke had always been a part of that organization from that time until now. He fought well, and hopefully he'll get the rest he deserves on the other side.