Muscatine

Dizzy, wherever you are.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008
DIZZY DAY


He wasn?’t given the name, Dizzy, at his birth on this day in 1910; but was named Jay Hanna Dean. Jay gained the reputation of being dizzy because of his malapropisms, used frequently in his later years.
Dizzy Dean also had a reputation for being a champion baseball pitcher. In fact he was one of baseball?’s greatest pitchers, learning the game in the Army. Upon his discharge in 1930, he signed on professionally with the St. Louis Cardinals.

He played only one game in his first year with the Cards. By 1932 he led the league in strikeouts [191], in shutouts [4] and in innings pitched [286]. The following year he was strikeout leader again [199]; setting a one-game record of striking out 17 players in nine innings. 1934 was Dean?’s greatest year as he was named the league?’s MVP and the AP Male Athlete of the Year. Then, for the fourth year in a row, Dean led the league in strikeouts and added number of wins, games completed and innings pitched to his record book.

America?’s baseball hero seemed unstoppable. Unfortunately, during the 1937 All-Star game, a line drive broke the big toe on Dean?’s left foot. He returned to the Cards?’ Gas House Gang before he was completely healed, and compensating with his arm, seriously damaged it and was never able to pitch as well again.

Dizzy Dean then became a broadcaster for the St. Louis Browns and went on to national broadcast fame on the Mutual Radio net, and the ABC/CBS Game of the Week. His malapropisms became widely heard: ?“The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing.?” ?“He slud into third.?” Some objected to his misuse of the English language, especially his frequent ?‘ain?’ts?’. Dean?’s response was a Will Rogers quote: ?“A lot of people who don?’t say ain?’t, ain?’t eatin?’.?”

Dizzy Dean earned his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame and earned the applause of millions of baseball fans worldwide ... and we ain?’t kiddin?’.

Great memories

Ned, I'm sure you remember back when we only had 2 or 3 television stations to choose from, and tv baseball consisted of only the ''Game of the Week''. Ol' Diz was truly the best ''color'' man ever, and his partnership with Pee Wee Reese was magical to the true baseball fan.

Nigel-

Yeah, I remember the old black and white 2-3 channel days. My gramps was a big baseball fan. He got the St. Louis Sporting News in the mail and seldom ever missed a ball game on TV. I can still see him sitting there with his ever present bottle of Blackhawk beer, rolling a cigarette, only kind he would smoke.

''Tailor mades''

is what gramps called packaged cigarettes. The one time he tried to smoke them, my cousin and I played a trick on him that ended ''tailor mades'' for him.
Gramps was watching a ball game on TV. He went to the kitchen for another ''Blackhawk''. While he was out there, cousin and I slipped a chocolate cigarette into his part empty pack. We had the kind that were wrapped in paper just like real cigarettes. At some point during the game he tried to light that cigarette. Flame from his match melted the chocolate which dripped out the end all over his shirt.
Cousin and I had to stay out of his way for the rest of the day.