Sunday, February 27, 2011

R.I.P. Duke Snider

Duke Snider played in a baseball era before I was born. However, there were baseball greats long before I was born. Part of being a sports fan is not only to appreciate the current game but to appreciate the legends who came before. Heck, with the recent tarnished image of some modern day players, the past might be a place to find true heroes of the game.

So, no I don't have any first person memories of Duke Snider. I know he is a hall of fame player who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. I know Duke is considered one of the greatest center fielders. He batted .295 for his career which is worthy of the Hall of Fame. He belted 407 career home runs, which by today's standards might be border line. His best season might have been 1955 when he hit .309 with 42 homers and 136 runs batted in. That year he helped the Dodgers beat their cross town rivals the Yankees for the World Series. He hit 40 home runs in five straight years showing a time span of power dominance worthy of the Hall of Fame. His resume also included being an eight time all-star. He won two World Series and appeared in six world championships.

Fans of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers are feeling a little sad today as they certainly have the Blues with the passing of Duke Snider. Duke lived a long live reaching the age of 84 and died of natural causes. Snider was able to live a long live.

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