RIP Whitey Ford.

[Elwood P Dowd]

One of my favorite players when I was growing up playing Little League, Babe Ruth League, and American Legion baseball. The best pitcher on some great Yankee teams that featured Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, and many more.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30078282/hall-famer-whitey-ford-new-york-yankees-all-wins-leader-dies-age-91

[mobeau69]

1. Roger Maris

[Elwood P Dowd]

4. Yes.

Hit 61 in '61. That was an incredible Yankee team. I got to see him play in person at the end of his career when he was playing for the Cardinals (1967).

[oswaldactedalone]

5. That's three of the greats

from the ‘67 Cardinals World Series Champs team to pass in the last few weeks. First, Lou Brock, then Bob Gibson, now Maris. Loved that team.

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. They were loaded.

They did choke away the 1968 World Series though against Detroit.

[oswaldactedalone]

14. Don't remind me.

Mickey Lolich, where’d that guy come from?

[jcgoldie]

13. Im confused

Roger Maris died in 1985.

[mobeau69]

20. Meant Ford.

[obamanut2012]

2. He was my grandfather's (RIP) favorite baseball player of all time

[efhmc]

3. He was indeed great.

[mobeau69]

7. I saw him pitch in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium many years ago.

My dad took me and a neighbor kid on a train. We stayed overnight at a war buddy’s house in Cleveland. My first MLB game. Never saw grass that green! Remember Mantle racing down first base line!

[BeerBarrelPolka]

10. Mickey

Mantle was unbelievably fast.

[mobeau69]

15. Yep. Remember Dad excitedly saying to me "Look at him go!

My old man was great and he would’ve hated the con as much or more than anyone on DU.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

16. I

I got to know Moose Skowron who played on that team. He adored Mantle.

[mobeau69]

18. Cool! What a team! When baseball was baseball.

[Elwood P Dowd]

22. Moose was the first baseman on those teams.

He was a good player they flew under the radar most of the time as Mantle, Berra, Ford, Maris, and others got all the attention.

[RussellCattle]

25. I loved Moose Skowron even though, as a Cleveland Indian fan, I hated the Yankees. I loved how....

....the fans would yell "Moooooose" when he came up to bat and the announcer would explain, yet again, that they were not booing.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

30. Yeah

The fans did the same thing to Boog Powell. Good times.

[llmart]

26. I spent many a summer's day and evening at Cleveland Stadium back in the day.

I had three brothers, all pitchers in little league. One of them went on to play sandlot ball for the Indians at old League Park. Another played AAA ball pitching up until his 30's. I have a picture of my paternal grandfather attending a game at old league park. We were a baseball family.

My father had a favorite bar he used to go to occasionally and I vaguely remember that one day he came home from there and told us the story of how he sat next to Whitey Ford. My father asked him for an autographed baseball and he gave it to him. I'm going to take a wild guess that this was sometime in the mid to late 60's when this happened. I have no idea what happened to that baseball but if anybody in the family has it, it would be my youngest brother who was still living at home when this incident occurred.

[KPN]

8. I hated Whitey Ford! But I was a dyed-in-the-wool Red Sox fan, growing up just 25 miles

or so from Fenway Park. So not really. The Yankees broke my heart many a time, many a year back then. But they were a great, great team. And Whitey Ford was definitely one of the best. Nevertheless, I still hate them ... Yankees Suck!

RIP Whitey!

[yellowcanine]

9. Used to listen to Red Barber broadcasting Yankee games when

Whitey was pitching. He would regularly strike out 10 batters a game. One of the greats.

[Elwood P Dowd]

11. Don't forget the great Mel Allen. (nt)

[Bradshaw3]

12. I wore number 16 because of Whitey Ford

He was blonde and a lefty like me so as a Yankee fan I wanted 16 on my little league uni. Such a class guy. Reading Mantle's biography he said that while he and Billy Martin got into trouble, Whitey would just let everything roll off his back.

[vapor2]

17. Met him in 90 or 91

Worked at Caesars Palace in LV at the time and an engineer approached me and told me that Whitey Ford was staying there. I said, "who"? I accompanied an engineer to his room to drop off some tape and Whitey Ford was sitting at a table signing posters and Mickey Mantle was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Mickey handed me a picture of Bo Jackson which I thought he was giving to me but then he took it back and Whitey said, "give it to her". Yeah, I could have been fired for going up to their room but worth every minute.

[mobeau69]

19. Awesome story. One of the times of your life.

[Renew Deal]

21. Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, and Tom Seaver died within a few weeks of eachother

[maveric]

23. Three great arms.

[Javaman]

24. I had the very great pleasure of meeting

Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Pee Wee Reese all at once when I worked at cablevision. This was back in the mid 80’s. They had just left an interview at sports channel and I just happed to turn down the same hallway walking toward them. I was in awe. I could help myself and said, “you guys are the greatest!” They all smiled at me and Mantle said, “thanks, man!” I was thrilled. My boss later told me to never do that again, I said, “no problem, I’ll probably never meet them again”. My boss didn’t like my response lol

[Tommy_Carcetti]

27. Bad year for baseball legends. nt

[NewJeffCT]

29. bad year for a lot of famous people

RBG
John Lewis
Kobe Bryant
Eddie Van Halen
Chadwick Boseman
Olivia De Haviland
Kirk Douglas
Little Richard
Max Von Sydow
Neil Peart
Kenny Rogers

[aggiesal]

35. List of recent athletes ...

Tom Seaver
Bob Gibson
Gale Sayers
Whitey Ford

2020 Sucks

[George II]

28. It's like my whole childhood is passing away the last month or two.

[CanonRay]

31. Saw him pitch in Comiskey Park

[SeattleVet]

32. I got to see him pitch several times at Yankee Stadium.

I wore #16 for 2 years in Minor League when I was growing up just north of NYC. My grandfather used to take me to Yankee Stadium from time to time, so I got to see all the greats of the time play...Ford, Mantle, Berra, (early) Pepitone, Maris...

Nothing like seeing a Sunday double-header against the White Sox at the old Yankee Stadium!

The kid next door and I were best buddies and, at the time, baseball nuts. We'd play baseball in our driveway almost every day, or went down to the park and used the big field. His family moved away when I was around 11 or so, and many years later I found that he had been the director of the Jackie Robinson Foundation for several years.

[NoMoreRepugs]

33. Nearly 20 years ago when I was in the sports memorabilia business had the opportunity to have an

extended meal with Whitey a number of times. A genteel man with a great sense of humor and a WEALTH of stories about Mantle, Billy Martin, Yogi and more. Rest in peace.

[wryter2000]

34. I saw him pitch

at the old Yankee Stadium. RIP Whitey Ford

[Behind the Aegis]

36. I only know him from "Whitey Whackers".

It's a Simpsons reference. I wasn't familiar with him until then as I am not a sports person, especially not baseball.

That said, RIP.

[dameatball]

37. I grew up the only Yankee fan in a house full of red sox fans. Dad always claimed Whitey ford would

not have been that good without Luis Arroyo. Ha! Sour grapes.

[gratuitous]

38. Tom Waits with the eulogy