RIP Rusty Staub

[playthrough]

Me and a friend were just talking the other day about Le Grand Orange and that great MLB Network documentary on the Expos. RIP.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Staub was near the end of his career with the Mets when I first started following baseball. I remember looking on the back of his baseball card and seeing that he'd been playing since 1963, which seemed like ancient history, even then.

 

[Songbird]

One of the moments that sticks in my mind was Staub's last home game as a Met on WOR.

I think he hit a pinch-hit homer to win it though I may be misremembering that. Maybe he just homered.

Yep, found it: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets Box Score, September 25, 1984 | Baseball-Reference.com

I remember the announcers going nuts because it was his last home game ever.

I also just found the pinch-hit RBI-double against the Dodgers that year, which I was watching.

Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets Box Score, August 29, 1984 | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[Steak Snabler]

Staub played for the Mets in 1985, too.

 

[Songbird]

Correct, I made a mistake and thought those links were from '85. The 2 hits were in '84.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

As a pudgy, slow little leaguer, my coach often compared my running ability to rusty staub. I didn’t realize he wasn’t complementing me, but I still wear that like a badge of honor.

That being said, staubs career was exactly what it should been. He lost a lot of hits and home runs playing in Houston and Montreal, but played for so long that his career totals made his overall numbers look close to be HOF.

As for his return to the Mets, looking at his stat line shows he played somewhat regularly in 1981 and played very well, but fell apart in 1982, which sent him to the bench.

 

[swingline]

I'm pretty sure I have a Rusty Staub baseball card from the 1970s. I didn't know **** about him, but I liked the name Rusty, which just sounded like a baseball player.

 

[albert777]

His first team was the brand new Houston Astros. Great player from a bygone era.

This one truly makes me feel old. He was one of my very first baseball heroes when he started out with Houston. He and Jim Wynn were the first home-grown stars for the then-Colt 45s.

 

[da man]

His first team was the brand new Houston Astros. Great player from a bygone era.

Weren't they still the Colt .45s when he started?

 

[The Big Ragu]

I'm pretty sure I have a Rusty Staub baseball card from the 1970s. I didn't know **** about him, but I liked the name Rusty, which just sounded like a baseball player.

You must have gone orgasmic over Rusty Kuntz.

 

[CD Boogie]

You must have gone orgasmic over Rusty Kuntz.

I got a good buddy whose grandmother's last name was Kuntz. Unfortunately her first name was rather pedestrian.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Weren't they still the Colt .45s when he started?

Yes.

 

[CD Boogie]

Yes.

The good ole days. Now we have lame-ass schools like Holy Cross dropping the Knights nickname because knights might have done bad things like 800 years ago. The Vikings are on the clock.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Staub was near the end of his career with the Mets when I first started following baseball. I remember looking on the back of his baseball card and seeing that he'd been playing since 1963, which seemed like ancient history, even then.

On a similar note, I thought it was ancient history that it was the Houston Colt 45s.

I also seem to recall for a while that he was a player-coach with the Mets, which as a kid, I thought was unique

 

[micropolitan guy]

The good ole days. Now we have lame-ass schools like Holy Cross dropping the Knights nickname because knights might have done bad things like 800 years ago. The Vikings are on the clock.

Holy Cross is still the Crusaders.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Holy Cross is still the Crusaders.

They kept the nickname, but the student newspaper changed its name from "The Crusader," which is apparently also the name of the KKK newsletter.

 

[CD Boogie]

Holy Cross is still the Crusaders.

My mistake; they’re keeping the name but phasing out the knight mascot. Which is even lamer.