EDog's Friends
- Member Since:
- Apr '08
- WYG? Ranking:
- 100th place
- Favorite Jersey Number:
- 21
- Hometown:
- Bayamon, Puerto Rico
- Current Town:
- Atlanta
- Favorite Teams:
- Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Hawks, North Carolina (NCAAB), Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Cleveland Cavaliers, Notre Dame (NCAAF), Georgia (NCAAF)
- Favorite Sports Quotes/Cliches:
- Dizzy Dean stated, "If Satch (Paige) and I were pitching on the same team, we would clinch the pennant by July fourth and go fishing until World Series time."
Dizzy Dean's image as a not-too-bright country boy, as a way of entertaining fans: "The Good Lord was good to me. He gave me a strong right arm, a good body, and a weak mind." He once saw Browns outfielder Al Zarilla slide into base, and said, "Zarilla slud into third!" Later, doing a game on CBS, he said, over the open mike, "I don't know why they're calling this the Game of the Week. There's a much better game, Dodgers and Giants, over on NBC." Every so often, he would sign off by saying, "Don't fail to miss tomorrow's game!" These manglings of the language only endeared him to fans, precursing such beloved ballplayers-turned-broadcasters as Ralph Kiner, Herb Score and Jerry Coleman.
An English teacher once wrote to him, complaining that he shouldn't use the word "ain't" on the air, as it was a bad example to children. On the air, Dean said, "A lot of folks who ain't sayin' 'ain't,' ain't eatin'. So, Teach, you learn 'em English, and I'll learn 'em baseball."
Dean is often blamed for sportscasters' fond misuse of the word, "nonchalant". Once describing a player who had struck out, Dean reportedly said, "he nonchalantly walks back to the dugout in disgust."
While broadcasting Dizzy said, "I can't tell you why there's a delay, but stick your head out of the window and you'll know why."
Roberto Clemente:
“I will hit .450 if you give me Ralph Garr's legs, Johnny Bench's age and cut the travel schedule.� - Favorite Sports Movies:
- Bull Durham, Major Leagues, A League of Their Own, The Longest Yard Burt Reynolds, Rudy
- Favorite Sports Moment:
- Much like later sports legends Joe Namath and Reggie Jackson, Dizzy liked to brag about his prowess and make public predictions. Dizzy predicted, "Me an' Paul are gonna win 45 games." On September 21, Diz pitched no-hit ball for eight innings against the Brooklyn Dodgers, finishing with a three-hit shutout in the first game of a doubleheader, his 27th win of the season. Paul then threw a no-hitter in the nightcap, to win his 18th, to match the 45 that Diz had predicted. "Gee, Paul," Diz was heard to say in the locker room afterward, "if I'd a-known you was gonna throw a no-hitter, I'd a-thrown one too!" He also bet he could strike out Vince DiMaggio four times in one game. He struck him out his first three at bats, but when he hit a popup behind the plate at his fourth, Dean screamed at his catcher, "Drop it!, Drop it!" The catcher did and Dean fanned DiMaggio, winning the bet. Few in the press now doubted Diz's boast, as he was also fond of saying, "It ain't braggin' if you can do it." Diz finished with 30 wins, the only NL pitcher to do so in the post-1920 live-ball era, and Paul finished with 19, for a total of 49. The Cards needed them all to edge the Giants for the pennant, setting up a matchup with the American League champion Detroit Tigers. After the season, Dizzy Dean was awarded with the National League's Most Valuable Player Award.
During a game while pitching for the Cardinals, Dizzy yelled to the batter, "Son, what kind of pitch would you like to miss." - Favorite Athletes:
- Roberto Clemente, Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Carlos Delgado, Lawrence Taylor, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Hershell Walker, Bo Jackson.
