Dave Debusschere

[Jim Fainter]

I was sorry to hear of his passing yesterday. I have a couple of memories of him. For some unknown reason, I have a vivid memory of Dave coming off the mound after shutting out KC on either 3 or 4 hits. I was sitting behind the Sox dugout, so I had a perfect view of him. It looked then as if he had the baseball world by the horns. Happiest guy on Earth. He could really throw hard, and he had all the pitches.

 

Then, another memory occured because of the stupid Bonus Baby rule that baseball had in those days. You could only "protect" two players that were signed to a bonus of over some arbitrary figure. The two guys the Sox had that fit that category were Dave and another hard throwing righthander named Denny McClain. Then the Sox signed a third bonus baby, which meant that they had to get rid of one of the other two, and, of course, they put McClain on waivers, and he was claimed by Detroit for $ 8,000. I always felt that one reason they kept Debusschere over McClain was that one great game he pitched against KC.

 

This probably ranked as one of the dumbest personnel decisions ever made by the Sox, not necessarily for keeping Debusschere over McClain, but for signing the third guy, who never made it. McClain went on to win 31 games in one year and 24 in another. Still, I always pulled for Debusschere whenever I saw him play basketball.

[SI1020]

I remember watching him pitch for the Sox too. He was destined for basketball and with his passing I feel old.

[Soxfest]

I was sorry to hear of his passing yesterday.  I have a couple of memories of him.  For some unknown reason, I have a vivid memory of Dave coming off the mound after shutting out KC on either 3 or 4 hits.  I was sitting behind the Sox dugout, so I had a perfect view of him.  It looked then as if he had the baseball world by the horns.  Happiest guy on Earth.  He could really throw hard, and he had all the pitches.

 

Then, another memory occured because of the stupid Bonus Baby rule that baseball had in those days.  You could only "protect" two players that were signed to a bonus of over some arbitrary figure.  The two guys the Sox had that fit that category were Dave and another hard throwing righthander named Denny McClain.  Then the Sox signed a third bonus baby, which meant that they had to get rid of one of the other two, and, of course, they put McClain on waivers, and he was claimed by Detroit for $ 8,000.  I always felt that one reason they kept Debusschere over McClain was that one great game he pitched against KC.

 

This probably ranked as one of the dumbest personnel decisions ever made by the Sox, not necessarily for keeping Debusschere over McClain, but for signing the third guy, who never made it.  McClain went on to win 31 games in one year and 24 in another.  Still, I always pulled for Debusschere whenever I saw him play basketball.

Sox do the same s*** today, nothing has changed.........KW

[Guest wsc425]

RIP buddy, I never knew ya.