He was my favorite player growing up. A California boy who found fame in the borough of Brooklyn. He was a graceful outfielder, and a power hitting threat on the great Brooklyn teams of the late 40’s and 50’s. He was the only lefty threat in the lineup that featured Jackie, Gil, Campy, Pee Wee, and Scoonj. And in Brooklyn he was simply “The Dook”.
I got that part from the foreword to Duke’s story in the book, ” The Duke of Flatbush”, by Bill Gilbert, with Duke as his story teller. The forward came his best friend, Carl Erskine, and was in reference to the way Brooklynites pronounced Duke.
Born Edwin Donald Snider on Sept 19, 1926 in Los Angeles, he was nicknamed Duke by his dad when he was 5. His dad’s name was Ward, and his mother was Florence. Duke was an only child. He got the nickname from his swagger as a child. He was raised in Compton, which was a ethnically diverse neighborhood then.
Duke reached 6 feet tall by the time he entered high school. He played baseball, football, basketball, and ran track for Compton. Blessed with a powerful arm, he once threw a 63 yard touchdown pass. He was also the high scorer on a basketball team that also featured future NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle. On the baseball team he pitched and batted fourth.
Snider performed well at a tryout camp in Long Beach and was offered a contract calling for a 750$ bonus and 250$ a month. Not long after that the Pirates offered him a 15,000 bonus, but Duke honored his commitment to the Dodgers He was invited to spring training in 1944 at Bear Mountain New York. Duke moped, and refused to run laps. He was cold and homesick, and he had not brought a coat.
Following an apology for his bad behavior, he was inserted into a game against West Point and hit a long homer. Rickey praised his arm, his power, and the steel springs in his legs. He was sent to Newport News and played 131 games, hitting .294, with 34 doubles and 9 homers. He also had 25 outfield assists.
Duke’s potential forced the Dodgers to overlook some of his growing pains. He would get frustrated when he did not make contact. Something that would dog him much of his career. He fretted about those strikeouts. Even so, he did spend 2 games with AAA Montreal that year.
After the season, Duke enlisted in the Navy and spent 18 months in the service. In 1946 he played 68 games at Ft Worth, only hitting .250. But Rickey felt Duke was the jewel of the organization.
Duke made the team out of spring as a backup outfielder in 1947 and got his first MLB hit, a single off of Si Johnson of the Braves on April 17th. He was sent down on the 4th of July and hit .316 with 12 home runs in 66 games at St Paul. He was a spectator during their loss to the Yanks in the series and was awarded a quarter share. He then went home to Compton and married his childhood sweetheart, Beverly Null.
In 48, Rickey decided to teach Snider the strike zone in a unique way. Rickey and his hitting coach, HOFer George Sisler, worked incessantly with Duke to cure his tendency to lunge at the plate. He would also have Snider stand in the batter’s box and call out if a pitch was a strike or a ball, and he was not allowed to swing.
Sent to Montreal, he hit 17 homers, and hit .327 in 77 games. He still was insolent and on one occasion refused to bunt and hit a home run. After that episode he apologized to manager Clay Hopper, and was fined and chastised for being insolent. On the 6th of August, Duke was recalled to the Dodgers. He hit the first 5 homers of his career, and hit .244. At the beginning of the next season, Dodger manager Burt Shotton told him he was the starting Center fielder, and # 3 hitter until he proved he could not do the job. For the next 10 years he held that job.
His confidence boosted; Snider began to be an important part of the Dodgers offense. Ebbets was tailor made for Duke. Right field was 297 feet away, and even with the high wall, Duke would regularly deposit the ball onto Flatbush Ave. His first World Series was a disappointment for Snider as he went 3-21 without an RBI. He promised himself he would do better. And he made good on the promise.
His HR totals for the Dodgers from 49 on were 23, 31, 29, 21, 42, 40, 42, 43, and 40. In LA he totaled, 15, 23, 14, 16 and 5. Naturally the totals dropped off drastically when they moved to LA partially because of injuries, and the fact the RF fence at the coliseum was 400 feet away. In fact the first time the Giants faced the Dodgers there in 1958, Willie Mays came up to Duke and said,” You’re dead man” Look how far away that fence is.
Duke also made up for his bad performance in the 49 series by hitting well over .300 in his next 4 series appearances. He is the only player to hit 4 HR’s in a World Series twice. And he hit the most HR’s in the decade of the 50’s. 326. More than Mantle, Mays, or Williams. Gil Hodges added 310. He ended up with 11 World Series homers. Which to this day is 4th on the list, and ahead of players like Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio, and Frank Robinson. Duke did that in 149 PA’s .
Duke is the all-time Dodger HR leader at 389. He had 1271 RBI’s and finished with a .300 average in Dodger Blue. He played in 6 World Series as a Dodger. They won 2.
In 1955 Duke had an MVP worthy season, hitting .309 with 42 Homers and 136 RBI’s. He lost the vote by 5 points to team mate Campanella. But there was a controversy as a Philadelphia writer who was sick and, in the hospital, voted for Campanella twice, once as the #5 and once as the #1. Many felt the ballot should have been tossed out. But it was allowed to stand, and Campy won his 3rd MVP award.
Duke was named player of the year by the Sporting News. Duke had injured his knee the same way Mickey Mantle had done while running in the outfield at Yankee Stadium when he stepped on one of the sprinklers during warmups before game 6 of the 55 Series. He had to leave after 3 innings. He went 0-3 in game 7, but Podres shut down the Yanks and the Bums finally were World Champs.
Duke, despite being a California boy, was sad to see the Dodgers leave Brooklyn. It was indeed a second home to him. He, Erskine, Reese, and Rube Walker all lived on the same street during the season, and they had a lot of friends in the neighborhood.
And he was probably even more depressed when he saw the cavern of a ball park they were going to play in. On a bet, he tried to throw a ball out of the coliseum. On the third try he heard something pop in his elbow. He told Bavasi he could not play, and Buzzie fined him 200$. Not wanting to have to pay the fine again, he told Alston he could play, but he could not throw, so Walt put him in left, and he actually threw a runner out at 3rd.
He told Roebuck to keep the bets until he felt better and he would try again. At the end of a really bad season, he managed to throw a ball out of the coliseum and collected his half of the pot……200$. And in a fit of conscience, Buzzie gave him back his 200$.
Duke was getting older, and playing less. He finally decided to dedicate himself to a winter of change, and after the 60 season, he lost 20 pounds and was in the best shape he had been in in years. Duke got off to a great start, and on April 17th he hit his 370th HR of his career to pass Ralph Kiner on the all time list. His next time up, the pitcher, Bob Gibson, hit him in the elbow breaking it.
In 1962 Duke, Roseboro and Gilliam were the only position players left from the Brooklyn days. He was named Captain by Bavasi. Duke got the first Dodger hit at Dodger Stadium. He did not play much, but still took his duties as Captain seriously. When the Dodgers made their first trip to the Polo Grounds to play the new Mets, he was given a standing ovation when he hit a BP homer. They had not forgotten.
A couple of things happened during the last playoff game that probably added to the fact that 62 was Duke’s last as a Dodger. Unlike most of the team, Duke had been in the 51 playoffs, and the way game 3 was playing out, Duke had seen this act before. He told Drysdale to go tell Alston he wanted to warm up in case he was needed. Drysdale said he had already done that. Duke said what did he say? Big D answered, he said I am pitching tomorrow. The opening day of the World Series. Tomorrow? We gotta get there first. Snider was not happy, and the staff was pretty worn out from the previous week. If they had won just one of those games, there would have been no playoff.
Roebuck was tiring, and Snider told Big D to talk to Alston again. Same response. Well Alston finally pulled Roebuck and replaced him with Williams and the score at 4-2. Most of us remember what happened next. Williams was wild, and the Giants scored 4 to win 6-4 and go on to meet the Yanks in the series.
Alston also made a move in that inning that had Snider miffed. He moved Wills and Burright towards the RF side thinking Harvey Kuenn would not pull the ball, but punch it to the right side. Duke thought this was a mistake, and sure enough, Kuenn hit the ball right to the spot Wills had vacated.
Duke was sold just before the start of the 63 season to the Mets. His manager was the immortal Casey Stengel. Casey was a real baseball character. A couple of the stories Duke told about his time with Casey bear repeating. Once when they were in Cincinnati, Casey told Duke he was going to take a nap and he was the manager. The score was 3-1. When Casey woke up, Duke told him, Sorry Case, but it is now 9-1. Stengel looked at him and said, don’t worry about it kid. Look at that dugout over there…..Mahogany….look in this dugout….driftwood.
Another time as Duke was coming into the hotel and heading to a room to get some sleep, he heard Casey yell at him from the bar. Hey kid…..so Duke went in, and Casey wanted him to stay and have a drink with him. Duke tried to beg off saying they had a day game and he needed his rest. Casey said, don’t worry, you aren’t playing tomorrow anyway.
So they closed the bar at 2, and Casey said I know a joint that stays open. Then they closed that one at 4 am. So, when Duke got to the ballpark, dragging his heinie that afternoon, he was surprised to see Stengel bright eyed and full of energy. Stengel said, come on, sit next to me and we will talk about the 52 series. Stengel loved talking about his glory years with the Yanks. So Snider went over sat down and said, what about let’s talk about 55. Stengel never did talk about 55 with Duke.
The Mets lost 111 games that year. Duke felt he could not go through that again, and asked the Mets management if they would try to trade him closer to home and to a team that at least had a shot at winning. They obliged and sold him to the Giants.
Although Duke was glad to be heading west, Bavasi was mad. He had told the Mets when he sold Snider to them to keep him for 2 years, but if they decided to sell him, to let Bavasi have the first shot. So he was pretty angry.
Duke was issued #28. His number 4 was retired for some guy named Ott. Duke was in 91 games for the Giants, mostly as a PH. He hit only .210 with 4 homers. The first of those coming at Dodger Stadium off of Joe Moeller. Who was an alumnus of my high school, Mira Costa in Manhattan Beach.
After the season he retired and was hired by Bavasi as a roving hitting coach. When Pete Reiser had a heart attack, Duke became the manager at Spokane. One of the players he was managing was Moeller. His team went 57-90. The next year he was managing Tri City in the Northwest league. They won the league championship. He then went to manage Albuquerque which was in the Texas league and won again. He worked for the Padres as a broadcaster and then went back on the field again to manage in 72 at Albuquerque which was now a Padres farm team, and won another title. After quitting after what he saw as front office meddling, he was unemployed. Then he got a call from Montreal, and he joined their English broadcasting team.
Duke was elected to the Hall of fame in 1980 along with Detroit legend, Al Kaline. He retired from the Expos in 1986. His health was not good. During the 81 strike, the Terry Cashman tune, Willie, Mickey and the Duke came out. It was a hit, and kept Snider in the public mind. He had a heart attack in 87. He lost 25 pounds and had to have valve replacement surgery.
In the 80’s and 90’s the memorabilia market was exploding and allowed retired players to make money from card shows and autograph signings. Since he was a member of the Hall of Fame, he was much in demand. Duke took some of his fees in cash. And he failed to report those earnings on his tax returns. In 97, he and Willie McCovey were indicted for tax evasion. Both pleaded guilty and Snider cooperated with law enforcement to avoid jail time. He admitted to not claiming 100,000 $ between 1984 and 1993. He was given 2 year probation, fined 5,000$ and ordered to pay 57,000 in back taxes, fines and penalties. After the trial, Duke told the press he had made some bad decisions.
Duke lived out his retirement in Escondido California, and had many malady’s over the last years of his life. He and his wife Bev raised 4 children. Duke died on February 27th 2011 in Escondido. His career stats included 407 homers, 2,116 hits, 1333 RBI’s, and a .295 career average. He is in the top 10 in many career hitting categories as a Dodger. He was indeed, The Dook of Flatbush. His number 4 was retired in 1980.
So Bear, did you play Little League at Torrdondo? Cool story. Seems I’m unable to even read myself to sleep tonight. At least I can sleep till the crack o dawn if I do.
Actually by the time I moved to Redondo and started going to Mira Costa, I was 14. I played my little league in the Arroyo Seco league.
There’s not a better Dodgers blog on the internet for learning the history of this organization. At least, from what I’ve come across. Helps when it’s told by folks that lived thru it vs millennials citing 2nd hand sources. I found this one particularly interesting if for nothing more than Duke Snider’s cool name and it’s origin. Looking forward to Ron Cey and Don Sutton – unless I’ve already missed them. I grew up associating them with other teams, only later learning they were Dodgers first and vastly greater than the tail end versions I saw. Some mystery there, similar to the guy from the 50’s with the cool name.
A lot of folks were looking forward to this four series run against quality opponents to hone up for the playoffs and maybe get some guys on track. I think we have to like how they’ve responded so far. If Taylor, Smith, and Pollack can continue their solid hitting into the playoffs, I don’t think we’ll need MVP Bellinger or the good versions of Pederson/Muncy. And maybe Bellinger is starting to come around? He has at least a hit in 9 of the last 10 games.
Dook was my favorite as a kid in Brooklyn too. I think the story was that one writer left him off the ballot entirely for MVP that year. As the DOOK had a bad relationship with the press. As for being sold, he pissed off Alston with his opinions in the 1962 playoffs. Andre Ethier reminded me a lot of him and was my favorite Dodger in those years. He also had a bad temper when striking out. And had bad luck with injuries that ended his career.
I remember reading about the MVP vote (1955 I think). Writer wrote Campy for no. 1 and then again for no. 6. Write was seriously ill in the hospital and Baseball Writers did not want to ask him about the discrepancy, assuming that he meant to include Snider in one of those spots. Ultimately they decided to count the ballot, but leaving no. 6 blank. If Snider had been no. 6 he and Campy would have shared that season’s MVP. Statistically, there was no comparison – Snider was by far the best. But as you point out, the Duke did not have a great relationship with the baseball writers.
It was in 55, and you are correct. The Philly journalist was in the hospital and very sick. And they did exactly what you said. They allowed the first place vote, and voided the other. As for the writers, Duke sometimes would say things before thinking. And some of those words came back to haunt him. I was pretty surprised when I read the book that Duke was not a huge Roger Kahn fan. As a matter of fact, he called him out for numerous errors in the book, The Boys of Summer. Especially when he wrote about the Erskine’s and their son. He made it look like they were struggling to deal with his medical condition, and in fact Duke said it was totally the opposite. Then he claimed Duke was forced to sell his avocado farm because it was failing, like his bowling alley. Duke explained he sold the farm because he did not have the time to devote to running it. He also said that the bowling alley sale almost broke even, so he did not lose a bunch of money.
He was quoted as saying once that the people of Brooklyn did not deserve the Dodgers. Pee Wee tried to stop him, but he kept on going. That caused a firestorm in Brooklyn. And he said it out of frustration because he was getting booed and in a slump. He appologized, but the next game he was booed again. He struck out the first at bat, and was soundly booed. But then he singled the next time up. And the boo’s were not as loud. In his third at bat he singled again, and the boos were almost down 3/4. His last at bat he hit a homer, and there was nothing but cheers. The incident died down pretty fast. The other thing he said, and this one was a quote to Kahn, was that he was playing the game to make money to support his family. Well, Kahn turned it into a story that said, Duke only plays for money. Making it look like he did not like what he was doing. But when they moved, Duke was very sad at leaving Brooklyn.
Duke was/is my all-time favorite Dodger. I had a bit of a personal relationship with him having met him in person and talked with him on the phone. I have over 100 of his cards.
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane Bear. Made my day already.
Here is my Duke story.
https://www.thinkbluela.com/2013/02/i-miss-duke/
I was not even into baseball blogs back then Harold. But I always enjoy reading your stuff, and your post on the Duke of Flatbush was excellent. I wish I could have seen him play at Ebbets in person. You just could not really tell how good he was on those old TV’s. Duke would be a ESPN web gem a lot.
Can’t say that Snider was my favorite Brooklyn Dodger as Hodges, Reese, Furillo, Campanella, et al made it impossible for me to pick just one. To me, they were my baseball heroes, men who played the game the way I thought it should be played. I remember how Willie Mays campaigned for him to be in the HOF, calling him a great player, and a very good friend. I remember when Joc Pederson was a rookie, playing centerfield — after making a terrific play in CF Vinny compared his defense to the Duke. I was shocked by Scully’s comparison of a rookie to one of the best defensive centerfielders to play for Dodgers. Later, Scully said that his comparison was a little too early.
Scully was right later.
Speaking of Joc, any update on what happened?
Muncy, Rios and Lux all 0 for 4. Of the three, only Rios is hitting over .200.
The 8 seed could be any of 4 different teams
I remember a Snider home run at the Coliseum that looked like it was hit into a lake. It went over the right field fence into the darkness out there and just disappeared.
I have not read anything about Joc — very concerning. Yes, the three amigos went 0 fer, but I thought they swung the bats well — although I was furious with Rios went he looked at 3 strikes in his first at-bat. I do not know what the Dodgers were thinking when they laid out the field dimensions at the Coliseum for 1958. There was no need to have RF fence so far away. I think they brought fences in for the 1959 season.
Nice work, Bear – I also enjoyed Harold’s rendition. I am just a young whippersnapper, so in 1963 when I became a Dodger fan, Duke was no longer in the house.
Maybe you have heard the story, but at 9 years old in the winter of 1962, my father had a mimeograph machine in his office (this was before copiers). You could put a copy of the drum and make as many copies as you wanted. I know a lot of you old-timers have to remember them.
At any rate, my father had bought me a 1963 Baseball Almanac and a subscription to The Sporting News and I got the bright idea (since the Baseball Almanac had the addresses of all 24 teams), to write them all a letter, so I wrote one letter and copied it 23 times on the mimeograph machine.
I am not sure what I wrote, but it was something like “I am your biggest fan – send me stuff!”
Well, they all sent me stuff, but the Dodgers sent me a huge box, with a yearbook, Dodger cap, Dodger Pennant, Media Guide, and (get this) a Baseball Autographed by the 1963 Dodger team. Of course, a couple of years later, that baseball got used in a pick-up game. I wonder what that ball would be worth now?
Anyway, the year I became a fan (I admit it – I was “bought”) the Dodgers won the World Series and I envisioned that’s how it would be every year. Of course, I was wrong about that, but it has been a great run!
In 1963, my favorite players were Tommy Davis, Junior Gilliam, Ron Fairly, and the two power pitchers (you know, that lefty and righty).;)
I will say this: In all my years of following Dodger Baseball, this is the best team I have ever seen and there has never been a better time to be a Dodger fan. They may have not won it all … YET! But they will!
Also from those dinosaur years, things were a lot easier to follow. Not many stats. batting average and home runs, strike outs were bad. For pitchers. wins, era, complete games. No doubt Dook benefitted from an all righty lineup, and playing half his games in Ebbetts field. less than 300 feet to fence in right field. I think in his best years 1953-1957,
Maybe 10-15% of starts against them were by lefty pitchers. (Maybe not as many lefties in general, but still) . And he had very few ab s against lefties. Also a lot more of manipulating of pitchers who would start on shorter rest or move around in rotation to match up against teams. No such thing as ‘routines’ You did what the manager said. So for instance one of the best left handed starters in 1953-1957. Was Braves starter Warren Spahn. You know 20+ wins every year. So I see that from 1954-1957 he started against Brooklyn 2 times!!!! Not 2 times per year, but two times in 4 years. total about 4 innings. But who cares now. The Dook was the Dook
Duke actually had 1170 at bats against lefty’s. Over all he hit .257 with 33 HR’s and 163 RBI’s He walked 99 times, but his K ratio was about 2.5 to 1 as he struck out 249 times against lefty’s. His OBP vs lefty’s was .322 and his OPS was .743. His best BA at a park other than Ebbets was at Crosley Field in Cincy where he hit .329 with 35 HR’s and 109 RBI’s. Duke hit over .300 at 6 of the MLB parks he played in. The Polo Grounds and Busch Stadium were the only two where his avg was sub .300. The newer parks later do not really factor in since he did not play a lot of games in Shea, Seals or Candlestick. County Stadium, where the Braves moved when they left Boston, he did not hit well there either. Even though he struck out 1237 times, when you average it out over his 18 year career it is only 94 times a year. Some players today reach that point before the all start break.
Babe Ruth hit 40 or more HR’s 7 times in a row. Alex Rodriguez did it 6 times, and Ken Griffey JR. did it 5. Only Kiner and Snider in the NL have done it 5. Not Mays, Mantle, Musial, or any of today’s sluggers.
The mimeograph was the thing. We used it in schools to make copies for handouts and tests. If the teacher let you do it you got to smell that great alcohol/ink smell.
Also tough for a Brooklyn kid to be a Dodger fan after the move. Games no longer on TV. Had to wait 2 days to see the box scores. And you couldn’t get to know the new guys. I don’t know how long it took for me to learn that Lopes was a one syllable name. Not Like Lopez
The last word on Joc was that Doc expected him back by Tuesday. Something is going on and the possibility exists that he could not be on the playoff roster.
Good News and Bad News on Max Muncy:
Bad News: He was 0-4
Good News: He did not strike out. All three of four of the times he hit the ball were on the LH side of the diamond and one was to CF.
Progress?
How many ground balls to right side have seen from him this year?
With a guy like him progress will be when he starts hitting the ball with backspin.
Great article in The Athletic:
Meet Brusdar Graterol, the Dodgers’ most popular player in the clubhouse
https://theathletic.com/2069343/2020/09/18/meet-brusdar-graterol-the-dodgers-most-popular-player-in-the-clubhouse/
Very nice, Bear. As a young girl in Canada, Duke Snider was my first favorite Dodger, along with Sandy Koufax who still is. I loved his story and you put it in a very enjoyable reading. Thanks, Bear for what you and others do to keep the Dodger’s memories alive.
All I have left! Smile……I appreciate it. I have really enjoyed this. I will enjoy it more when they finally bring a title back to LA>
Thank you Bear,
Your childhood experiences with Baseball and all things Dodgers mirror those of my own. A while back you wrote about falling in love with Baseball when you first experienced the fun of making solid contact with a hardball. I can recall that exact moment going with some friends to play over the line at Franklin High School in Highland Park . The memory of hitting a line drive to left field is still clear in my mind and I have been in love with the game ever since. And the Duke was also my favorite player.
It was New Year’s Day in 1960 and in those years the lack of Baseball from the end of the World Series to spring training was the worst part of the year. So I decided I was going to call Duke and wish him a Happy New Year. I got his number from “information “ in Fallbrook and gave him a call. Bev answered and then put Duke on the phone. He was very nice to me and asked me if I was watching the Rose Bowl game like he was. I told him I only cared about Baseball but I got the hint and wished him to have a great year and we said goodbye. It was quite the thrill to have gotten to talk with him.
To this day I use Duke, Sandy, Big D and their respective numbers in various combinations for the numerous passwords required today. Anyone else do that?
I appreciate your writing of the Dodgers in the 50’s and 60’s . I will always be thankful to have grown up in that time period which I view as the golden age of Baseball.
I have been enjoying LADT since it started and it has evolved into a treasure trove of great writers and stories. Thank you Mark and everyone who contributes here.
I met him at his restaurant/bar in Fallbrook. He was having a bad day, but he was cordial.
The Dook? What’s with that?
I share that memory of first hitting a baseball. It was in Raytown Missouri. I was younger, just than many of the other guys in the neighborhood, just turned 7, so they let me play because they needed players. My first time up the fielders all closed in a bit, pitcher underhanded one and to my own surprise I hit it over the left fielder’s head. I had a knack and from that day forward I was on that field sunup to sundown. As I’ve mentioned a a few times here, I didn’t stop playing competitively until I was 56. 50 years I played and coached this game. If I could I’d still be playing. There is an over 70 League here, it’s up the road in Huntington Beach, but they of course aren’t playing this year. May not play next year, who knows. By then my knees probably won’t allow it. I’ve considered knee replacement just to be able to give it another go, but, I don’t think that’s a good reason. There comes a time for all things to end.
Badger,
What was the name of the cranky therapeutics guy?
The long-winded guy who had a knee-jerk distaste for Friedman?
He’s not on this masthead nor the one at the old community.
Sigmund Blue?
Don’t recall Bluto. There have been a quite a few disagreeable dimwits over the years.
The Dook came from the way that it was pronounced by the Brooklyn fans. I found that out when I read the book. And it was in Carl Erskine’s introduction for the book. Hey, they called Erskine, “Oisk” and Dixie Walker was the “peeples cheerce.” They had their own language and it does not resemble the Queens English.
Never seen it written like that. The Duke sounds the same. And you should know this;
Urban Dictionary:
dook
short for dookie; poop; waste; stool
“I really have to take a dook, lets go home.”
I totally understand. Watch the video, and see what Erskine says
I watched it. Back then dook doesn’t mean what it does today.
No biggie. I’m apparently the only one that has a problem with it.
Ha, I went to Luther Burbank Jr High in Highland Park! I met Duke at a card show in Anaheim in 1980. I got his autograph on a 8X10 that is framed and hanging on my wall. I got to talk with him for a few minutes and he was really nice to all of us there. I had gotten his autograph earlier when I met Wes Parker, and Wes went up to Duke’s hotel room and got that for me. You should have come on over to Ave 66. Larry and Norm Sherry lived right next to the home I was living at. We were playing softball at Luther Burbank, damn playground was blacktop. Some fool had laid out the softball field so that RF was right in front of the windows of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. I got a hold of one while we were playing at lunch and broke a window on the second floor. The next year when we came back, the softball field was at the other end. I use ballplayers on some of my accounts. I even use Furillo, who I think was vastly under rated as a hitter. He and Tommy Davis are the only two Dodgers to win a batting title Since the 50’s.
We always wonder how a player would translate into today’s game? I think that duke Snider, if he played today would have been even better. He was quite an athlete and I think that a better diet, better training and coaching would have helped him be even better now than he was then.
I think Snider would be right up there with all of them. I also think he would love hitting in some of these parks. You look at the batters eye and such. That was not the way they were laid out when he played. It took Branch Rickey pulling him aside and training him to learn the strike zone for his talent to blossom. He was coach able, but he also had a stubborn streak .
Not to mention better surgery techniques
Especially since that knee injury he had in 55 had to affect his leaping ability. And his elbow was a problem in 58.
UPDATE ABOVE
Bear wanted to add a Youtube video on a Duke Snider. See Duke Snider career film above.
Thank you Jeff…Doesn’t Zimmer look like an over fed chipmunk?
See the difference from his playing days:
I saw Zimmer play shortstop for the Dodgers and he was actually good defensively.
He wasn’t a bad hitter either. But that slump he went into in 59, pretty much ended his Dodger career. He came back in 63 for 22 games. He hit double figure HR’s 6 times in a 12 year career. His high was 17 in 1958. That was pretty much his high water mark for everything. He gets somewhat of a pass having been beaned severely twice, resulting in there being a plate in his skull. His biggest contribution to the Dodgers was when he was traded, they got Ron Perranoski.
Per Doc:
Corey back in today, Mookie and CT3 out.
Walker had a 90 pitch sim game. First 75 pitches the finger was uncovered and the last 15 the finger was covered. Joc was taking BP against Walker, and Joc will be back on Tuesday. Walker came thru the session fine. He is scheduled to start on Thursday that will put him in line for one of the 3 game Wild Card series games. (My editorial) It looks like they are setting up a Buehler/Kershaw/Gonsolin rotation. There is enough rest time that Kershaw could get Game 1.
Doc does scoreboard watch, but it is strictly for being a fan…not for strategy. If Dodgers win, and SD loses, the Dodgers will be in the air on their way home, so there might be a celebration for 8th consecutive NL West, but it will be muted. As a fan he is interested in who the Dodgers may be facing in the Wild Card series, but he is not looking at any potential match-ups. He is only concerned with what they have some control over; their own game.
He is NOT paying attention to any of the MVP talk. He just knows that one of his players is in the discussion, and rightfully so. (My editorial) With Fernando Tatis, Jr. slumping, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado look to be the closest competitors. If Washington was in the race at all, Juan Soto would definitely be in the discussion as well. He is having a spectacular year. Trea Turner would also be in the discussion.
Short presser on getaway day.
Just to echo Spokane Bobs comments above.
The stuff I learn everyday from you guys every day on here is amazing.
When I read your stories and memories, it takes me to a better time and place – and that is exactly what is currently needed.
This place goes from strength to strength.
A week on Wednesday we will be enjoying (if that’s the right terminology), our 8th consecutive Post Season.
The Dodgers must be doing something right.
Has anyone ever won the West 8 times in a row before?
Gonna have conflicting loyalties later.
Dodgers or US Open Golf?
Think I’ll send the Missus upstairs and do both.
Watford, the Braves won 14 in a row in the east. No other team has ever won the west at least 3 years in a row. With their 8th, the Dodgers will have done it 4 times better than any other team.
Ah Bear,
I first dawned the green and gold of the Luther Burbank gym shorts in September of 1959. Played softball on that blacktop too. You always got good bounces on blacktop. When were you there?
I started there in 61 when I was 13. I used to hate in gym class when you had to take social dancing. I was pretty shy, and one time when they told us to go ask a girl to dance, about 6 of us flat refused. Soooo, our coach made us go wait in his office. He came down about 15 minutes later and gave us a choice. Dance or get a swat. Me and one other guy still refused. So he brought out what had to be a size 14 tennis shoe. And we bent over and got the swat. Only one, because two would have been cruel and unusual punishment. And that sucker stung. But then he told us to get our gym clothes on and go find something to keep us occupied until the class was over. Win-win. We went out and found a basketball game going on. Funny you should mention the school colors. He is something weird. All of the schools I went to after grammar school, the school colors were green and gold. Mira Costa and Narbonne both wore that color. My homeroom teacher at Burbank was Mr Lingua. Worked out great for me since he was a pro ballplayer in the Red Sox system before he became a teacher. He went to spring with them twice in the 40’s. He used to tell me about watching Ted Williams take BP. He also gave me his Sporting News each week when he was done with it.
Good story Bear. Watching Teddy Ballgame take BP would have been something. I was in pro ball playing against a Cardinals minor league team and their traveling hitting instructor was Ducky Medwick. He was 60 at the time and he’d take a round of BP everyday. We would all leave the clubhouse to watch a career .324 HOF’er take BP. He’d hit 3 line drives over 3rd, then 3 up the middle than 3 to right. then he’d hit 3 long gappers. 12 to 15 hacks, all barrel exactly where he wanted to hit em. A thing of beauty for us youngsters to see. He past away just a few years later of a heart attach. I wish I had the bat control at 21 that he had at 60.
I remember as a freshman trying to hit Joe Moeller’s fast ball in BP. Looked like a pea to me.
Not that it really matters at all but something struck me as being odd this year. In the past we had a higher winning % at home vs away.
his year it’s completely opposite:
Home: 16-8= 667%
Away: 22-7 = 759%
Today’s sweep lineup:
Pollock (LF)
Seager
JT (DH)
Muncy
Belly
Smith
Rios
Lux
McKinstry (RF)
I am really sick of seeing Muncy in the 4 hole. If he has not figured it out yet, the chances are he won’t get it anytime soon. Move him down in the order DAVE!@@#$%^&*()_
Doc is doing everything possible to get him going. Hope it works.
It ain’t working. Ofer two so far
Bear, I love the articles on the past stars. Great post on the Duke and a great video on him. Very sentimental. When Willie Mays says you were great; you were great. I used to see Duke playing golf with the locals at my neighborhood coarse in 1966. He was managing, as Bear mentioned, the Tri-Cities team in the NW League at the time. I was 15 at the time and very into that team and baseball in general. It was cool to meet a star.
Some thoughts on last night:
* Geez, Bud Black has to be pulling his hair out watching the Rockies kick the ball around, throw to the wrong bases and generally look uninspired. They were credited with 1 error but how many plays weren’t made? If they are teaching fundamental baseball in that organization, the players aren’t listening.
* About the highest compliment from baseball people is “he’s a baseball player”. Well Mookie Betts is a baseball player. How about his scoring on the bad pick off attempt at 2nd? Who does that? He is a joy to watch.
* I love McGee and his approach to pitching (with a 5 run lead last night). Here comes my best fastball. Try and hit it. He’s going to pound the zone and not give up walks to hurt himself. He’s going to get 3 outs before you can score enough runs so lets GO. He came in, gave up a double, and went good morning, good afternoon and good night. Than there’s Joe Kelly who can also throw 97 but he has no command with his FB so he’s gonna trick em with sliders. I’ll take McGee anytime.
* KJ had a clean, 9 pitch inning.
* I watched the Reds and Trevor Bauer yesterday. He’s a different cat but he can give up homers but his stuff is nasty. How good was UCLA’s staff with he and Garrett Cole back to back? I think it was Bobby who mentioned the Red’s rotation of Bauer, Gray and Castillo being a real threat from the 8th seed. No kidding. I think we all dislike this 3 game format to start. At least it’s at home for what it’s worth. But the Reds can’t hit. Our pitching should dominate their hitters. I’m good with a pitcher’s duel. So we need to forget about the flawed playoff set up and be what we are; the best team in baseball, eager for the chance to face quality guys.
* I thought of yet another way K-Zone technology has changed the game. Remember when striking out was a sin and you were told from a young age “hit anything close” with 2 strikes. If it was close enough to be called a strike, it was close enough to swing at. I haven’t heard that advice in years.
Striking out is no longer a sin. Running up a pitch count can now be more stressed than actually getting on base. Players now can look at every pitch with the K-Zone showing whether the pitch was in the zone or not. The mentality is “see that pitch was a ball outside”. So, it becomes okay to take the pitch because the umpire missed it. So that justifies the called out looking instead of ” you’re swing at anything close”. Big mental difference in approach.
Your last comment is my biggest beef with the 3 outcome philosophy. Ok, swing for the fences, I get it. The fences are shorter than the parks I played in high school and the average Major League player is 6’2”, 207 pounds and works out for hours at a time. Those short fences are just fly balls to guys that size. But I still say there should be a 2 strike approach. You got strikes 1 and 2 to reach the seats. After that you’re protecting and putting anything close in play.
The playoffs will be a challenge. Whoever makes it will have had to work hard to get there. We’ve been on cruise control most of the year. That’s what worries me most about how the post season starts.
CT3 is becoming “Mr. Dependable” or already is. Cody looks like he is improving with two hits. Barnes although no hits, had some impressive base running last night on stealing a base and coming home on a wild pitch. Kershaw very good as usual. Go for the sweep today. Go Blue!
I was hoping we would see a cycle. He got the 2 hardest out of the way with a triple and a homer in his first 2 AB’s, I have seen two, Orlando Hudson’s and Cody’s.
Great article Bear! Willie, Mickie and the Duke! They were something! Duke Snider was the first superstar player I became aware of as a young Dodger fan. By 1959 he was past his prime, but still seemed larger than life to this 8 year old!
I may have shared this before, but In 1969 Spent a couple of weekends at Snider’s avocado ranch in Fallbrook. The property had been purchased by my friend’s father. It was a really cool place. All the door and cabinet handles were bats and the ceiling was all Duke Snider bats. Of course, we just went there to party and have avocado wars. Fun times!
Did anyone else here get to Duke’s Night at the colosseum. A double header with The Reds.
Duke didn’t play the first game and they had the ceremony between games. Duke gave a little speech and then said he hoped he could get a knock or two in the second game. After he homered and tripled he came up with men on base and they walked him intentionally.
I was too young back then. Bu there is another story. Duke also got a night when he was with the Mets at the Polo Grounds. That one no doubt generated by the former Dodger fans. Some of his team mates were there, and others sent telegrams. The one from Zimmer was classic. Bet you never thought they would throw you a night at the Polo Grounds!
A couple of thing I forgot to add to the post. Erskine was Duke’s roomie until he retired in 59. Duke’s next roomie was Ron Fairly. He really loved both of those guys. Duke had the utmost respect for Robinson, and Reese. He had watched Jackie play football at UCLA. As for Reese, he was always in Duke’s ear, trying to get him to not fret about the strikeouts so much. And when Duke was relaxed, he was much more dangerous as a hitter. There was a flaw in his game. He did not like to charge ground balls to the outfield. He just was not very good in that department. This caused Reese no small amount of consternation. So as a result of him not charging the ball, there were a lot of close calls at second on the throws in. Pee Wee would chastise Duke for the late throws because those runners were bearing down on him, and the no collision rules were a long ways away from becoming reality. One play, Reese barely got the tag on the guy for the out before he was upended. He turned to Snider and yelled, are you trying to get me killed? Duke just jogged back to his spot in CF. Erskine was his lifelong friend. They socialized during the season, and drove in the same direction home together after the season was over. One time, and Mark will appreciate this, they were stopped for speeding in Indiana by a state trooper. They told him who they were, and he said, I lost money on you guys again. Duke replied, well we won this time, and the trooper said, yeah I know, but I bet on you to win so many times and lost, and this time I bet on the Yanks! He ended up just giving them a warning.
I agree Bear but I don’t see it happening as long as we keep winning. He does walk a lot so his OBP is ok but I much rather see someone else that far up in the lineup like Smith, Taylor or Pollock
And Muncy with yet another ground ball into the shift.
Nice slide Cody. Learn that falling off a bar stool?
Just wanted to echo the comments of the others. We are really lucky to have you guys to bring these old stories to life. Now to today’s game. Gonsolin starts by striking out the side. This young man has arrived! Muncy, as usual, looked tentative, lacking confidence. He used to be one of the best at knowing the strike zone. Now, he doesn’t seem to trust his own judgement about when to swing and when to lay off. On the other hand, Belli looks like he’s finally coming back to life. And you have to love his aggressiveness on the basepaths, even if it didn’t work out. That’s the attitude we’re looking for! And Gonsolin just did it twice!
Everyone knows the position player that I’m high on that is Will Smith and then the pitcher that I’m high on is Tony Gonsolin.
Gonsolin 6 strikeouts in 2 innings.
Is it possible to run for the Cy Young without having regulated innings? Of course not. It is a shame for Gansolin
Nope, he won’t even get a vote. He has 8 K’s so far, but the Rockies got the drop on him and lead 2-0.
I have read the comments of some of the younger posters on here enjoying the history. I myself have always loved history as a subject, especially US history and baseball history. And the best stories come from those who have lived it. My dad did not talk much about Pearl Harbor other than to say what a disaster it was and how many friends he lost that day. But one of the most interesting conversations, and the most informative I might add, was after I saw Saving Private Ryan at a theater in Dallas when I was driving cross country. There was a D-Day vet in the audience watching the movie with us. He was sitting maybe 4 seats from me. During the first 10 minutes of the film, it was obvious he was crying, and at some points covering his eyes. After the movie, I had a chance to chat with him for about 20 minutes. Although advanced in age, he told me that the film, though fiction, had the most realistic version of D-Day he had ever seen. He was covering his eyes because the sounds and views were a little to realistic. He said he felt like the bullets were coming at him again, and the explosions were very scary. He was in the second wave. He remembered all of it like it was yesterday. I have talked to a lot of other vets who were reluctant to speak about anything they might have done, but always praised their friends who did not come home, and had stories to tell about their valor. I had a house father when I lived at the home who lived in Connecticut, but traveled to Brooklyn many times to watch the Dodgers. He had been to Vero when it first became the spring home, and he had seen guys like Ruth, Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx play. He told me of the many times they would just marvel when Babe was taking batting practice. His favorite Dodger? Pete Reiser.
Congrats to McKinstry getting his first big league knock, a double.
Dodgers have not been shut out all year. Does it happen today?
What is up with the Rams? 2 wins in 2 games. Crushed the Eagles today. Lakers on later.
Padres and Seatle both are without hit
Pads up 3-1 in the top of the 6th. Has Alex Wood pitched himself off of the roster yet please!
McKinstry has his second hit which is 2 more than Muncy has today. Bellinger with a chance to really do something struck out in the 8th with the bases loaded. You have to wonder where his head is. At least he is not taking his batting woes out into the field with him. What a great catch to end the 8th. How in the world did Pollock avoid getting beaned by that thing? Smith matches Barnes with 2 HBP today. Barnes did that yesterday. Pollock 2 RBI single. 6-3. Make em sweat! Gotta love 2 out rally’s. Lets go, a bloop, and a blast and we are right back in this thing. The ump has been inconsistent all game. Bard is all over the place. Hottest hitter on the team, Taylor, is coming up. All of us who were hoping AF would sign LeMahieu, he is leading the AL in hitting at .361. He also has 10 HR’s. Taylor grounds out. Game over. They head home with right now, a 4.5 game lead. With SD winning so far in the 7th, it would drop to 4. Magic number is 3.
Well we did not sweep today, But, it was a valiant effort in the end. Kudos to the team for not giving up. Regarding Barnes and Smith getting hit twice in one game? Are our catchers a target now or a big threat to the other team? So glad neither were badly hurt, I think. They are strong kids, especially in the tough catching position.
Neither was hurt. And if memory serves Barnes was actually hit on Friday too. Yep, I just checked, he was. Looks like the Pads are going to win their game, and clinch a playoff spot. Currently, the Reds, Brewers and Giants are all tied for the 8 spot in the playoffs. These last few games are going to be interesting. Dodgers next game, Tuesday vs the A’s at home. Montas against May, then Manaea vs Urias, and Fiers against Buehler.
Old Friend Montas!
Makes me long for Rich Hill.
Very annoying the team doesn’t win every game.
If they won every game nobody would come out and play us
It sure is.
Padres clinched a playoff spot.
Willie, Mickey & the Duke were the star centerfielders in NY in the 50’s, but there was a contemporary CFer a few miles south in Philadelphia. Richie Ashburn didn’t have the power of those three, but he hit for average & was a great fielder.