ZIM A BASEBALL LIFE pot

[...]... Dodgers' other Class-D team in Hazard, Kentucky, in the Mountain States League, managed by a fellow named Max Macon Macon had played about 200 games in the major leagues as an outfielder and pitcher in the '40s for the Dodgers and Braves before embarking on a minor league managing career The word among most of the Dodger farmhands was that he wasn't a particularly good guy to play for and not many of them... four-year scholarships I told him I was only interested in playing baseball, and he understood Years later, when I was managing Knoxville in the Southern Association, Bryant's son was the general manager of the Birmingham team in the league On our first trip to Birmingham, the visiting clubhouse man came to me and said, "There's a guy outside with a hat who wants to see you." It was Bryant A few years after... leagues That's quite a legacy The summer before my senior year at Western Hills, my American Legion team won the national championship The finals were held at Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles and we got to meet Babe Ruth, who was at the game doing some promotional work for American Legion baseball Ruth gave a speech after the final game — I'll never forget how hoarse his voice was; he died a year later... Letterman, for providing additional anecdotal material obtained from Mr Zimmer from his appearances on the program Art Berke, a cherished friend who provided the author the vast resources of Sports Illustrated, which were invaluable in filling in details of Mr Zimmer's life Moss Klein, Marty Appel, and Bob Raissman for assisting in the research for this book Jeff Idelson and the Baseball Hall of Fame for... them liked him In addition, Macon was an icon in Hazard (if there is such a thing as an icon in Hazard), having won the Mountain States League batting title the year before with a 392 average It was obvious Macon, who was only a couple of years removed from the major leagues, was a man playing among children in this Class-D league comprised mostly of teenagers fresh off the high school sandlots Nevertheless,... to a fine career with the Indians, White Sox, and Orioles, for the American Association home run title We were finishing up a homestand against the Yankees' Kansas City farm team and I hit three homers against a lefthander named Bob Wiesler That put me up by five over Post and Smith as we went on the road The first stop was Columbus where we had a twinight doubleheader against the Cardinals' top farm... who was 21–3 at Hazard and led the league in strikeouts (228 in 200 innings) and ERA (1.67) For 1952, the Dodgers moved Podres all the way up to Triple A at Montreal and, sure enough, by the end of the season he was in Brooklyn To stay, I might add I had another good season at Elmira, the highlight being getting married to Jean Bauerle, my high school sweetheart, at home plate It was a real baseball. .. a whim Patti was quoted in the papers Who Am I and How Did I Get Here? 19 a couple of days later as saying he was a huge Yankee fan who hated me when I was manager of the Red Sox, but now that I was with the Yankees he'd come to like me As much attention as all this got, I'd like to think I've been involved in a lot more significant events in my baseball career For instance, if it wasn't for me departing... Who Am I and How Did I Get Here? 3 They told me my wife, Jean, who I have always affectionately called Soot, was out in the hallway, and they led her into the clubhouse I told her, "Have someone take you back to your seat in the stands, grab yourself a hotdog and enjoy the rest of the game." After she left, all I could think was, This would have been a helluva way to end my career in baseball, especially... Don Zimmer in the dugout, you would understand why I've come to love this man Four World Series in five years — I'd say we're a pretty good daily double Also, the friendship that my wife Ali and I share with both Don and Soot is terrific Zim: A Baseball Life is a warm, funny, sentimental journey through seven decades of baseball Zim has seen it all, and now he tells it all as our personal historian of . baseball friends have said she is a saint, and that's an understatement for having to put up with me for half a century. They say I've had a baseball life. This woman is my life. — D.Z. For. seats at the World Series five decades later. And all the while, he could maintain the pixyish smile of a man who knew that the real meaning of the baseball life was fun. As Petroskey and the Hall. could talk. He said he had traveled all over the country watching American Who Am I and How Did I Get Here? 3 4 ZIM Legion baseball and the best team won. You can imagine how that made us all feel.