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Dropped Popups


Jim Fainter

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Sometime way back in the 50's Nellie Fox dropped a routine popup in the ninth inning as the tying and winning runs scored.  His best buddy, Billy Pierce, was the pitcher.

so are we to take from that that jimenez is headed to the hall of fame :o

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No, but I was in shock as I listened to it on the radio.  Never did see it.  Nellie really felt terrible.  Pierce took it like a man.  I would love to ask Billy about it if I knew how to email him.  They were two of my all time favorite Sox.

Billy Pierce was and is my all time favorite Sox player. I finally got a chance to meet him in 1999 at Comiskey. The guy is a complete class act, intelligent and a very dry wit. We talked briefly about 59 and how he got his chance to shine in the post season in 62 with the Giants. His all time record is very good, but would have been great if he had gotten Yankee like run support. I always thought Al Lopez was the best Sox manager ever, but he could be stubborn with a mean streak. His refusal to start Pierce in 59 cost the Sox any chance to win the 59 WS.

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When I was a kid (my wife thinks I still am) and playing little league ball Nellie Fox was my hero. I bought my first baseball glove and it was the Nellie Fox model and had his signature on it. I can remember seeing him on TV with a big wad in his mouth and the cheeks puffed out. Once he reached out and smacked a high outside pitch into left field with the bases loaded and to win the game and I remember the announcers saying he was the best bad pitch hitter they ever saw. Rarely struck out too. I think one year it was less than 15-20 times in over 600 at bats. Fox and Aparicio those were the days.

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To SI1020: You are correct in your comment about Pierce not playing in the 1959 World Series. It probably hurt Pierce more than he let on to you, although I can't say for sure, because I wasn't there. But starting Early Wynn in Game 6 with 2 days rest and not playing Pierce AT ALL in the entire series was poor judgment. Of course, Early got hit hard in game 6 and we lost by a huge number. If Pierce pitches and wins Game 6, it would have set up a Koufax/Wynn game 7. We were the best team in baseball that year and played like s*** in the Series.

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Nellie felt bad, Jimenez could care less.  The more I see him the more I dislike him.

A baseball coach of mine told me this line....and it's beautiful, even if you're in the major leagues.

 

"If you still get upset over an error, you haven't made enough of them."

 

Nellie wasn't upset that he dropped the ball...he was upset the team lost. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Besides...according to KW(and it's nothing against you, but I'll take his word over your's), DJ was hurt deeply in dropping the ball. He said something like he was crushed. He just doesn't show it on the field. Showing deep anger on the field like he would have is terrible...and I'm very glad he didn't do it. He may have waited until he got to the dugout to do it anyways...and they just didn't show it. That's fine with me. Take it out on the home team's s***, not your's.

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