« Sign of the Times | Main | Milagro 51, Ciencia 49 »

October 14, 2010

Comments

Otis Jefferson Brown

Let’s not forget pitchers Ralph Branca and Donnie Moore, both of whom gave up dramatic homeruns that cost their teams the pennant. A study in contrasts:

“In the public perception, Moore became indelibly associated with the Angels' loss of the pennant, in much the same manner that Bill Buckner became associated with the Red Sox' subsequent loss of the World Series later that year. For the next 2 years, every time Moore walked onto the field, the Angels fans booed him. They were relentless, and it wore on Moore.”

“Branca did not express bitterness over the gopher ball, but began a friendship with [Bobby] Thomson that lasted into each man's old age, including many joint television appearances. Branca's experience is in stark contrast to that of Donnie Moore of the California Angels, who gave up a dramatic home run to Boston's Dave Henderson in the 1986 American League Championship Series, and committed suicide three years later in the midst of severe career and marital problems.”
[Wikipedia articles]

Then there’s Scott Norwood, the placekicker who missed an easy field-goal attempt thus costing the Buffalo Bills a Super Bowl. When Bills’ fans cheered Norwood heartily and waved American flags during the almost-victory parade in Buffalo, Toronto sportswriters – displaying their typically pissy attitude toward all things American – derided the fans as suckers and losers. It reminded me that when Gil Hodges started the 1953 season with the worst batting slump of his career - following his 0-for-21 in the 1952 World Series - he was never booed; instead he got a standing ovation from the Brooklyn fans every time he stepped up to the plate.

Some fans have class, some don’t.

Spike Cohen

What about Donnie Moore?

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Blogs I Read

Archives