This blog features entries from the HSMSE Sports Journalism Class. They do not reflect the opinions of the HSMSE Staff, Administration or the New York City Department of Education.
Edwin Donald Snider nicknamed "Duke" was the pride of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Snider had pride in winning his game, that’s why his father nicknamed him Duke. Snider hit 40 or more home runs each season from 1953 to 1957 and led Brooklyn to their only World Series in 1955. Snider was an exceptional player until 1960 when his ability diminished due to the team moving to Los Angeles and a bad knee. Snider’s impressive home run ability was not apparent as he hit only 15 home runs in 1958. Playing in the Los Angeles stadium was a big obstacle for the left handed slugger Snider because the right field fence was 440 feet away from the home plate. After playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers for five seasons and winning one World Series, he was sold to the New York Mets on April 1, 1963.
Snider was past his prime when he was playing for the Mets. He batted .243 with 14 home runs in 415 plate appearances. Due to Snider's request to play for a winning team he was sold to the San Francisco Giants in 1964 after playing for the Mets for one season. In San Francisco, Snider wore the number 28 uniform because his usual number 4 uniform was worn by Mel Ott and retired by the Giants. The Giants and Dodgers were always intense rivals of each other. It affected the Dodgers fans deeply when Snider played for the Giants. Their rivalry started when both teams were playing in New York and continued when both team moved to California. To Snider it was an honor for him to be compared to Willie Mays of the Giants and explains, "so we had a rivalry as a team, that was it." Snider was well liked and his fans will always consider him a part of the Dodgers. To his fans no one can dethrone the "Duke" and will always upheld him as number one in their hearts.
On February 27th, Duke Snider, the Hall of Fame center fielder, died at the age of 84. Although he is no longer with us, his accomplishments and memories still remain. Duke is the only player to hit four home runs or more in two different World Series. In a recent ESPN.com interview, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy remembers Snider as, “a god, a baseball hero for all of us.” Even Snider’s rival and Hall of Fame center fielder, Willie Mays recalls Snider as, “a fine man, a terrific hitter and a great friend, even though he was a Dodger."
According to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, “He was the true Dodger and represented the Dodgers to the highest degree of class, dignity and character.” Fellow Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda praised him as, “one of my idols. I almost fainted.” Unlike Mays and Mantle, “Duke never got the credit of being the outfielder that Mays and Mantle were,” said former teammate Don Zimmer.
It seems baseball lost another idol. "His name will always be with me because of what he told me about what he was taught as a rookie of how to become a better hitter. ... He said he used to swing and miss a lot. He used to go out to the bullpen and stand in there while the guys were warming up so he could learn the strike zone better. And he did. He became one of the best players in the game,” said by Mets manager Terry Collins in a ESPN blog. Duke is gone, but the memories of Duke Snider are everlasting.
After Willie Mays’ dominant 1965 season where he won his second MVP, his production began to decline. Nonetheless Mays still was a very effective player in this stage of his career. Mays won three more Gold Gloves from 1966-69 giving him twelve for his career which is tied for most all time among outfielders. Despite being in the latter stage of his career he remained a perennial All-Star.
As one would expect, Mays lost much of his power and speed with age. This resulted in a steep decline his home run and stolen base totals. To cope with his deteriorating natural ability he worked on his plate discipline. Mays averaged more walks per 162 games after 1965 than prior to it and was able to set career highs in walks and OBP in 1971 with 112 and .425 respectively. Both of these numbers led the league.
In the twilight of his career Mays was traded to the Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams. Although he was just a part time player with the Mets, the fans were thrilled to see him back in New York. Mays hit a game winning home run in his first game with the Mets and had the opportunity to play in the 1973 World Series in which he drove in the game winning RBI in the twelfth inning of game two. The Mets went on to lose the series in what would be the last season of Mays’ historic career.
Mays retired with an unparalleled resume which includes his 20 All-Star game appearances, 12 Gold Gloves, 2 MVP's and more home runs then any other center fielder in history. Many people consider Mays the greatest player of all time including former San Francisco Giants manager Charlie Fox who claimed, "This man dominates a game like no other player in the history of the game. I don't think there is any play he can't make." Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax agrees with Fox stating, "I can't believe that Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays. Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf. He got the game moving. But I can't believe he could run as well as Mays, and I can't believe he was any better an outfielder."
Willie Mays / 1955 Topps via Virtual Card Collection
Willie Mays is arguably one of the best players ever in the game of baseball. The right-handed centerfielder born on May 6th in Westfield, Alabama, stood 5’10” and weighed 170 pounds. After a prolific 22 season career, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
Surprisingly, this Hall of Famer had a very disappointing start in the majors in 1951 playing for the New York Giants. He was hitless in his first twelve at-bats. This was a shock to everyone, as he had a batting average of .477, along with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 35 games played in Triple-A Minneapolis. Even before the minors he had a solid reputation, as he led the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the championships and helped them win it all in 1948 at the young age of 17.
His first hit was a homer in 1951 over the left field fence of the Polo Grounds off pitcher Warren Spahn of the Braves. Spahn remembered the moment, "He was something like zero for twenty-one the first time I saw him. His first major league hit was a home run off me and I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out." Other than that, his first two years were relatively quiet with 121 games played and 60 strikeouts and .409 slugging.
Then in 1952 Mays was drafted by the Army and served 22 months in the Korean War. His time overseas really sparked his bat, as he had a complete turnaround and led the league in numerous statistical categories. In 1954 he led the league in slugging with .667 and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging) with a total of 1.078.
Later that season he went on to make one of the greatest catches ever seen in baseball history. It occurred in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indians in the Polo Grounds in New York. The score was 2-2 and it was the top of the 8th inning, with nobody out and runners on 1st and 2nd base. Known simply as "The Catch", Mays was able to make a catch on-the-run over his shoulder while facing the bleachers to record the out. What made this catch possible was the unusually deep center field at the Polo Grounds, which was 483 feet away from home plate. This catch is one of the most memorable ones because in addition to it's degree of difficulty, it is also remembered because of its importance. Immediately after he had the ball, Mays spun and threw the ball with a mighty heave to the infield, losing his hat in the process. This prevented the runners on base from scoring. The Giants then went on to win the game, and later to sweep the Indians in four games, arguably because "The Catch" prevented the Indians from winning the first game.
He later went on to make 24 All-Star Game appearances in 20 seasons and win Gold Gloves every year from 1957-1968. His superstar career proved to be amazing, and its start definitely deceived everyone immersed in the world of baseball.
