I was delighted to find this little 1961 biography of Warren Spahn on Amazon for I am adamant in saying that Warren Spahn was the greatest pitcher of all-time, not just the greatest left-hander of all-time. The man won 363 games. He won 20 or more 13 times. He won 23 games in 1963 at the age of 42 with a 2.60 ERA. His longevity and durability was amazing. Had he not served in the military from 1943 to 1945 he might gone over 400 wins.
"You can never prove yourself in baseball," Spahn said not long ago. "You do it one year and then you have to start all over again. You prove yourself and you have to do it again, over and over again. That's why I always stay in shape. That's why I work so hard." P. 62
The author was a sportswriter. The text is light and breezy. I like it very much.
Spahn grew up in Buffalo but died in Oklahoma after he married an Oklahoma girl. He was successful in business, plain-spoken, and a practical joker off the field.
Warren Spahn went the distance, and I like people who go the distance.
1 comment:
Sounds like a winner.
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