Today’s profile is former Dodger first baseman Norm Larker. Norman Howard John Larker was born on December 27, 1930, in Beaver Meadows Pennsylvania. A small mining community. His father, Lewis Larker, worked in the mines. His mom was Susan Zalaznock. He was of Slovak-German descent. His dad played second base and pitched in the county semi-pro leagues. His brother, Melvin, was a year older than he, and Lewis was born in 1936. Larker’s dad, like many miners of the era, would die in a mining accident in 1954.
Their house bordered the right field foul line of a local baseball field. Many of the boys Larker played with were as much as three years older than he was. He played RF and 1st base because he was one of the few with his own glove. One of the rules was that a ball hit over the fence was an automatic out since the boys did not want to lose the one ball they had to play with. Accordingly, the lefty-hitting Larker became a line-drive hitter.
An athlete at Hazelton High School, he graduated in 1948 and went on to play for the Hazelton Mountaineers, an unaffiliated team in Class D North Atlantic League. He had a good year at the plate, hitting .300 in 109 games. He was voted the most popular Hazelton player by the local fans. But towards the end of the season, he was struck in the kidney area of his left side. The kidney became infected and he had to be removed.
At the start of the 1950 season, Larker was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers and assigned to the Class C, Greenwood Dodgers of the Cotton State League. Each year he moved up a class until 1954 when he started the season with the AAA Montreal Royals. Despite going 5-15 he would not be with the team past the first two weeks. After losing 6 pounds on a trip to Buffalo at the end of April, he was diagnosed with mumps. When he was healthy he was optioned back to AA Mobile, but his father’s death delayed his reporting to the team.
Larker finished the season at Mobile with a .326 avg, he slugged .556. He led the team in both categories, but also had 24 HRs and 29 doubles. His level of play continued to improve over the next 3 seasons with the St. Paul Saints hitting .300 or more each season with double-digit HRs and 30 or more doubles each year.
So strong was his determination to make it to the major leagues that he played winter ball over those years in Columbia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. In 1955 with last place Margallanes, he hit .346 to lead the Venezuelan league.
In 1957 he had a great year at St. Paul hitting .323 with 12 HRs, 12 triples, 33 doubles, and a .901 OPS. He finished second to Norm Siebern for the batting title. He was ready for the show. The aging Gil Hodges was the Dodgers starting 1st baseman, but Larker was not deterred. The team was now in LA and Norm made his major league debut by appearing in 99 games. 43 of those games he was playing the outfield. He put up a decent season hitting .277. 25 of his 70 hits went for extra bases.
In 1959 he appeared in 109 games. His batting average improved to .289. He had 8 HRs and 49 RBIs. He only struck out 25 times in more than 300 at-bats. His good hitting did not carry over to the World Series, but he had a key single in game one of the playoffs against the Braves and another in the 9th inning of game 2 with the Dodgers down to the Braves 5-2 at the time. In game 4 of the World Series, he had a key hit off of Early Wynn leading to the Dodgers’ first run and scored the second on a hit by Hodges.
In 1960 he became the starting first baseman. He had an outstanding year. He would play in 133 games getting over 400 at-bats. He struck out only 24 times all year. As a matter of fact, he struck out more than 26 times only once in his career. He finished .002 points behind the Pirates Dick Groat for the batting title. He lost the title with a slump in September. Larker was never a power hitter. He hit only 22 in his parts of 4 seasons with the Dodgers. If Larker had a weak point, it was his temper. He was known as a hothead on and off of the field.
In 1961, the now 30-year-old Larker played in only 97 games and his stats dipped accordingly. With Ron Fairly showing exceptional skills at age 22, Larker was expendable and was exposed to the draft along with Dodger great, Gil Hodges. Larker was drafted by the Houston Colt 45’s on the 10th of October. Hodges went to the Mets. He played in 147 games for the 45’s. Getting over 500 at-bats for the only time in his career. He hit .263 and struck out 47 times.
On November 30, 1962, he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves for Jim Bolger, Connie Grob, and Don Nottebart. He appeared in 64 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, and was sold to the Giants on August 8, 1963. At the same time, the Giants purchased pitcher Frank Linzy and sent Gaylord Perry and Matty Alou to AAA to make room. Larker got only 14 at-bats with the Giants and at the end of the season, he was sent to their AA team at El Paso. He played at AAA Tacoma in 1964, then went to Japan for two years and played with the Toei Flyers.
Overall Larker had a solid baseball career. Sometimes starting but serving primarily as a foot soldier, maintaining steady employment, and making a little money. Barely beneath the surface though lay a smoldering Mr. Hyde. Larker had two nicknames, either of which could have served as a catalyst: “Dumbo” and “Mad Dog,” and he hated both of them. Dumbo came from his large ears. Mad Dog originated in the minors when a teammate noted that Larker grunted when he swung at a ball.
Nicknames aside, Larker’s temper was his most formidable obstacle. Anything it seemed, could set him off. He got a three-day breather and a 25 dollar fine in 1952 during a playoff game when he was called out by the umpire. After tossing his bat to the ground, he argued the call vehemently and had to be guided back to the dugout after being ejected by his manager.
He and Leo Durocher got into it with Jocko Conlan on a foul ball call. Larker was on first at the time and reportedly got the Dodger bench in on the protest. In 1961, he and Maury Wills had a fight in the clubhouse. Gil Hodges got punched in the nose trying to break it up. In 63 while with the Braves, he and teammate Bob Shaw got into it because Shaw thought Larker was blocking his view of Bob Gibson during the 4th inning of a game. Shaw threw several punches, but Larker bobbed and weaved and covered up.
He destroyed a fan in the Houston dugout one night after grounding out. Teammate and roomie, Bob Lillis asked him why he did it. Norm replied, “I had to kick something“. Lillis sat on the bench sweating and fuming the rest of the game. Larker did buy a new fan. Larker held a lot of anger inside, and as a result, he developed an ulcer. And when the ulcer would flare up, he would go bonkers in the dugout.
Norm had married Evelyn Louise Hanks of Mobile in September of 1954. They had met while he was playing ball there. Once his baseball career ended, Larker calmed down and even may have found some peace. He and his wife raised four sons, Damian, Lewis, Duane, and Collin. He would be remembered as a family man who enjoyed hunting and fly fishing, especially with family members.
He worked for Johns Manville, which manufactured asbestos. He underwent lung surgery in 2002. He and his family lived in Long Beach, and he passed away on March 17, 2007, after a reappearance of cancer. He is buried in All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach.
His ears weren’t THAT big!
It was revealed by Tony Gonsolin that he evidently needs to do shoulder strengthening exercises the rest of his career to prevent what happened last season. In fact, he says he feels great and is looking forward to a successful season. Makes sense!
It’s very encouraging to hear that he identified the issue and have a resolution in place to move forward with. Health has been his only concern. When he’s right, he’s a very good to elite pitcher. I hope this fixes him. I love the Catman!
It looks like the rotation to start the season might just be good enough (by Dodgers standards) if all these guys are healthy. Urias looks to be in great shape, so I’m looking forward to see him pitch today. Bueller, Kershaw, Urias, Gonsolin and ? Heaney, Anderson, Price, Jackson. Surely one of these guys is a legitimate 5th starter. Pepiot and Miller need some more time to cook. I’m also looking forward to seeing Grove get into a game. He seems to be the forgotten man, but has shown some flashes. Backend bullpen potential.
Pitching is going to be trickier for the Dodgers than it has been in recent years. The Dodgers routinely had more than the allotted 13 pitchers last year. Many times having a short rotation and short bench in order to stack the bullpen. This won’t be the case this year when teams are limited to 13 pitchers (except during the first month of the season). Sorry OldBear, but there was no such rule to limit pitchers last season.
During the first month of the season, rosters will be set at 28 players. One suggested that might open the door for Lamb and Rios on the same roster. Here’s the thing. The Dodgers love to bring their pitchers along slowly, so there’s zero change that they’ll use one of those two extra roster spots for Jake Lamb. Forget about the part where they would have to clear a spot of the 40 to do so. Then, once called up he can’t be optioned.
Jake Lamb, no doubt has some exit clause in his contract that says he become a free agent if he isn’t on the 40 man at some point. I would expect the Dodgers to stash him in the minors and let him prove himself until someone is injured or they give up on / trade away a current roster spot like Amaya or McKinstry before Lamb is added if everyone remains healthy.
This team is stacked. There’s a lot of competition for the few roster spots available on the roster. Fifth starter and bullpen are the only positions that aren’t nailed down. The lineup and the bench seems to be etched in Titanium barring injury.
My biggest concern is what they’re going to do with the extra starting pitchers. There’s only so many left handed bullpen spots available and you aren’t going to be able to send Price, Anderson and Heaney to the minors. Do we really think there’s room for two of them in the same bullpen? Sure, someone will have a fake injury, but that’s just kicking the can down the road since they can’t stay on the IL forever.
Well, with the 28 man roster it looks like they’ll have a spot for at least a month.
Well you know how easy it is to get tagged with a nickname in baseball. And they are a little larger than normal.
Interesting stuff, Bear.
I remember the batting title chase and that was pretty much the highlight of the year for the Dodgers. The other drama I didn’t know about.
Got that right. Was a disappointing season after the Championship year. But understandable with the team getting older and bringing in new players. Things would be much better by 1962 and Koufax started to blossom in 1961.
Great write up Bear. A lot I didn’t know about Norm.
Thank You
Thanks Bob, more are coming. Rube Walker up next.
I’m honestly a bit bummed we won’t get to see Miguel Vargas hit again this spring. Dude has a big time bat.
He is only assigned to minor league camp. But he still can get into spring games. Happens every year.
I’m with you. Busch and Vargas look like the real deal with the bat and better than advertised on defense. Both make some good plays, but booted at least a play or two.
I think we will see him again this year.
I predict the Dodgers will be looking for starting pitch help by the AS break. This is the thinnest I have seen the staff in years.
Has Bobby Miller gotten into a game yet?
Miller has not appeared in a game this Spring.
A couple of weeks ago, I called and left a message on the President of the Baseball Hall-of-Fame’s Cell Phone. He used to be with the Dodgers for 15 years. I did not get a callback, so I figured he just blew me off. But NO! He called back today (he was traveling) and LA Dodger Talk is going to have some really cool stuff from the Baseball Hall in the future, including interviews and other amazing stuff. That made my day!
That is awesome.
Wow, that’s awesome. Good for you! Good for us! Thanks Mark.
I for one hope they trade Beaty to a team where he gets a chance. He was one of the players I always pulled for. His legacy as a Dodger is secured for me since he was a part of one of the most amazing things I have ever seen happen. He, Verdugo and Smith combined to beat the Rockies three straight games with walk-off homers. Beaty on Friday, Verdugo on Saturday and Smith with a 3 run shot on a Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. I had been in attendance for Smith’s first career walk-off against the Phillies in May of 2019. Probably the only time in MLB history that three rookies hit walk-off homers in consecutive games. I wish Beaty good luck where ever he winds up. So long # 45. Alberto issued Kelly’s # 17. As most of you know there has always been a push by many fans to retire # 34 for Fernando. As many also know, the number has never been issued to another player since he left. Most likely, and I sincerely hope so, they will retire Hodges # 14 the night they give away his Hall of Fame bobblehead. Although I think Fernando’s numbers are not Hall worthy, his impact on the game might eventually land him in the Hall. Or he could go in the same way Jarrin did as an announcer. I think in any case, when Fernando finally retires from the booth, the Dodgers will retire # 34. Gilliam is the only non Hall of Famer who has gotten that honor.
Roberts extended to three more years. Urias going against the Padres tonight. Gonzaga and Arizona knocked out of the NCAA tourney. Wow. Both were 1 seeds. UCLA plays North Carolina tonight. Actually Roberts got 3 years tacked on to this year, so he is signed through 2025. He also put a HUGE TARGET on the Dodgers with his declaration that the Dodgers would win the World Series this year.
I’m pretty sure the target was already there. I was amused by Robert’s quote. I’m glad he said it. Less opportunities to screw up a game with the DH in the NL. No more unnecessary double switches. Nice of MLB to dumb down the game with the 3 hitter rule and the DH to make the game more manageable for Doc.
Tonight’s lineup could be the Opening Day Lineup:
I like it!
It would be pretty crazy if Lux started over CT3 on Opening Day.
Muncy says “I like Second Base”, the Dodgers say “Go play third!”.
I’d like to see the one with Rios at 3B and Muncy at 2B.
You could put all their names in a hat and pick the lineup each day. It will be tough on the days you draw CT3, Lux, Rios, Alberto and Barnes, but still better than most lineups.
MLB hope (SIC) is to have a decision on Trevor Bauer’s possible discipline by about April 16, the date his administrative leave expires. MLB is hoping to interview Bauer but no evidence they have done so as of yet.
Why MLB would have to take until April 16 to decide on Bauer, is a bad joke. Some have indicated the Doc and AF have knowledge of what’s going to happen? Then what’s the delay. Why the clandestine operation? It just seems like Manfred has the Dodgers and Bauer over a barrel and loves it, having little use for the Dodgers and less use for Bauer.
So while the Dodger’s are constructing a roster and dealing with $40 million to the CBT, Manfred is smiling and scratching his ass. A little urgency here Rob, would be a professional thing to do.
It would be unwise and take too long but I wish MLB could be sued, somehow, into making a decision. Than they can be sued by Bauer if he’s suspended.
I’m with you PhilJones. MLB is to have a decision by about April 16? What a big fat joke! Duh, a little urgency might be in order don’t you think? After the Pasadena Police concluded their investigation, there was nothing more to investigate. Do you really think we hold MLB’s investigative committee to a higher standard than real law enforcement? Maybe they can conduct an investigation of 911 and election interference while their at it.
Self importance on full display when you have too much Bureaucracy.
Just fire Manfred already.
Why clandestine, delay? It takes time for both parties to agree on the appropriate wording on his public apology. Maybe they sent out an RFP and the bidding process for the public relations contract is being negotiated. Maybe they’re just finalizing the list of assess he needs to kiss and in what order.
I’ll tell you what. The rotation looks a whole lot better with him in it!
They probably just want to make sure people already lost interest in the Opening Week excitement and want to sneak him out there for a mid-week start against the Marlins, or Pirates where no one is watching.
PR management might be as good an explanation as any. Don’t let Bauer take up any oxygen from Opening Day. Or, could be they do have independent investigators who are now doing over the evidence.
I want to see more contact from Bellinger. Muncy has been making contact, but not the way he normally does. Smith hitting in some bad luck as he has scorched some balls. Barnes having a really good spring. Freeman, ho-hum.
Did anyone else listen to Rick Monday last night talk about Bellinger movinging head and eyes from his upright stance? I have talked about that for about the last year – just sayin.
Yep – he stole your material.
Bellinger looks lost at the plate. He is swinging from his ass to pull every pitch rather than go with the pitch the other way. He is late on every pitch and under the ball with his upright stance. He should go back to his stance at the end of last season and playoffs. He is one stubborn dude.
The lineup for today’s game is very likely to be the starter in most games, just swapped positions to Muncy and JT, we also know that CT3 will have a lot of AB and DR will find a way to get him in the lineup, his ability of playing multiple positions is invaluable to the team:
RF Mookie
1B FF
SS TT
3B Muncy
C W. Smith
DH JT
CF Bellinger
LF Pollock
2B Lux
Freeman with his first spring homer. Mann crushes one too. Urias not particularly sharp, but Pepiot was much better. UCLA is going to lose to N.C.