Splittorff ill

[Liut]

Per media reports in Kansas City, Paul Splittorff hospitalized with oral cancer and melanoma.

God's speed, Paul. He's battled much adversity over the years.

 

[YankeeFan]

Jesus, Wikipedia says he's been read his last rights and isn't expected to make it through the night.

Hope that's not true.

Those Royals teams of the late '70's were big rivals of the Yankees, but damn if I wasn't a fan of most of their players.

 

[nmmetsfan]

Split is one helluva nice guy. Damn.

 

[exmediahack]

For those of us of a certain age and who grew up in Kansas City, those men were like deities to us.

Dan Quisenberry... gone to soon.

Darrell Porter.... the demons finally got him.

Al Cowens... died way too young.

Now possibly Split, who was the rock of that staff for many years. He didn't always win the most games but the guy was absolutely steady on the hill.

I was, especially, impressed with his TV work after he retired. He was strong on baseball but also transitioned well into other sports. I hope his suffering isn't prolonged.

EDIT: (Yes, YF, definitely **** Howser - I was going through the positions in my mind and #10 slipped my mind). Watch the '85 World Series. Steady in the dugout, helping motivate and will that team to the 1984 and 1985 playoffs, winning it all.

 

[YankeeFan]

For those of us of a certain age and who grew up in Kansas City, those men were like deities to us.

Dan Quisenberry... gone to soon.

Darrell Porter.... the demons finally got him.

Al Cowens... died way too young.

Now Split, who was the rock of that staff for many years. He didn't always win the most games but the guy was absolutely steady on the hill.

I was, especially, impressed with his TV work after he retired. He was strong on baseball but also transitioned well into other sports. I hope his suffering isn't prolonged.

Don't forget **** Howser. A little bit later, but still an important part of the Royals.

 

[Chef2]

Godspeed Split.

 

[D-3 Fan]

I saw this on the KC Confidential website tonight. Split worked hard to be one of the best analyst in the game after ending his playing career.

May God comfort you Split and your family. Kansas City is blessed to have a class act and great man.

 

[Knighthawk]

I never covered Paul as a baseball player - he was before my time - so the first time I met him was while he was doing some UMKC basketball games. My seat was next to his, and not only he is one of the all-time good guys, but he was one heck of a color commentator. The Summit is the lowest of the non-majors, and he could have easily skated by, but he did his homework on every team and had obviously worked hard at the craft.

The reason I found out that things had gotten so dire was that I happened to be sitting next to JoePos at a baseball game today, and he mentioned it. I wish all of the best to Paul and his family.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

After Dennis Leonard couldn't make it out of the first inning in Game 5 of the '76 ALCS, Splittorff came in and held the Yankees down for a few innings — enough for the Royals to ultimately tie the game in the eighth inning before Chambliss' home run.

Never forgot those big glasses and how he squinted in to get the signs.

Man, do I miss that era of baseball.

 

[Tarheel316]

I miss that era too. I'm from Oakland originally and the A's had a pretty good rivalry with the Royals, too. I'll never forget at the Coliseum when Dennis Leonard beaned Don Baylor, who charged the mound like a bull. Leonard tried to get away and was absolutely speared by Claudell Washington, who had run out from the dugout. That was just the beginning of a wild brawl.

 

[Liut]

Corky, I had forgotten that was Splitt in Game 5. Will never, ever, forget the conclusion of the game and on-field mayhem.

 

[exmediahack]

Crafty is how I would describe Split, on the hill.

Along with 1976, he also outduelled Guidry in 1977 in Game 5, handing a lead over to the pre-Quisenberry bullpen. That bullpen made the '01 Diamondbacks look like Bruce Sutter and Rollie Fingers.

EDIT ADD: Looking over the box score of that 1977 ALCS Game 5. Split had 'em up 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th before handing it over to Doug Bird and that creepy beard of his. Ugh...

I think that experience explained why Whitey Herzog insisted on getting Bruce Sutter for 1982. No more bullpen by committee whenever possible.

 

[93Devil]

A Royal on the cover of The Sporting News...

The good old days.

 

[kingcreole]

What I loved about Splitt doing Royals games is he told it like it was. He once hammered the players for laughing in the dugout during a rout against Texas, and I remember that. He slammed the players left and right. But nobody loves the Royals more than Splitt.

Also, some love for his college basketball broadcasting. Solid analyst during Big 12 games.

 

[Chef2]

What I loved about Splitt doing Royals games is he told it like it was. He once hammered the players for laughing in the dugout during a rout against Texas, and I remember that. He slammed the players left and right. But nobody loves the Royals more than Splitt.

Also, some love for his college basketball broadcasting. Solid analyst during Big 12 games.

Him and Armstrong were very good together.

 

[doubledown68]

He's had voice issues for the past few years, but I always read it was some sort of virus. Never met the man, but he was always easy to listen to. Sort of a television verson of Denny Matthews.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Sam Mellinger:

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/16/2880591_splittorff-never-one-to-draw-attention.html?storylink=omni_popular

Nice passage here:

He took a remarkable intelligence to his sport, former coaches and teammates still marveling at an advanced ability to attack hitters’ weaknesses.

They say Splitt could tell how to pitch a guy by watching only an at-bat or two, and that he’d remember exactly what he threw each guy and how it worked and then use the information next time in the era before video and intricate scouting reports.

It all made Splitt amazingly consistent. He pitched more than 200 innings every season but two from 1972 to 1980, and never had an ERA above 4.36 in a full season. He won 20 games in 1973, pitched on four playoff teams and was inducted to the team’s Hall of Fame.

That’s the career that made Splitt famous, and he ended it early to work on the one that would keep him famous.

I didn't get to see many American League games growing up in the early 80s, so I don't remember Splittorff as anything more than a picture on a baseball card. By I admired those Royals teams greatly, and he was one of their stalwarts.

 

[Chef2]

He's had voice issues for the past few years, but I always read it was some sort of virus. Never met the man, but he was always easy to listen to. Sort of a television verson of Denny Matthews.

There are only a handful of people in the world I would listen to read the dictionary.

Denny Matthews is one of them.

 

[Armchair_QB]

He's had voice issues for the past few years, but I always read it was some sort of virus. Never met the man, but he was always easy to listen to. Sort of a television verson of Denny Matthews.

There are only a handful of people in the world I would listen to read the dictionary.

Denny Matthews is one of them.

Have we reached the point where only Scully has worked longer than him?

 

[HanSenSE]

He's had voice issues for the past few years, but I always read it was some sort of virus. Never met the man, but he was always easy to listen to. Sort of a television verson of Denny Matthews.

There are only a handful of people in the world I would listen to read the dictionary.

Denny Matthews is one of them.

Have we reached the point where only Scully has worked longer than him?

Just throwing out names off the top of my head (none topping Scully): Milo Hamilton? Marty Brenneman? Joe Gordon? Dave Van Horne?