Who is the man: Claude Osteen was a consistent, reliable member of the Dodgers' starting rotation in 1971. He really piled up the numbers. Any number you wanted: wins, losses, hits (oh, boy, lots and lots of hits), innings pitched, games, complete games. You name it. Except strikeouts. Didn't strike out a whole lot of batters.
Can ya dig it: It looks like the players in the background are telling the guy on the left that he stepped in something.
Right on: Osteen's nickname was "Gomer" because of his resemblance to Gomer Pyle.
You see this cat Osteen is a bad mother: Osteen was known for his durability and rarely suffered injuries. He credited it to growing up on a farm and hauling hay bales. He said it gave him strong hands and arms. "There wasn't a nut or bolt that I couldn't loosen," he said ... Hey, being able to loosen bolts is pretty bad-ass.
Shut your mouth: When the Dodgers acquired Osteen in a trade that sent popular slugger Frank Howard to Washington, L.A. columnist Jim Murray asked Dodger GM Buzzie Bavasi who else they got for Howard besides Osteen. Bavasi said they got (infielder) John Kennedy. Murray said: "Now we're talking. We got the president on our side."
No one understands him but his woman: Osteen made his major league debut as a 17-year-old, pitching in three games for the Reds in 1957.
(A word about the back): A player really looks elite if their first year in pro ball and their first game in the majors is the same year. Whether that's true or not is up to some research.
According to baseball-almanac.com, he pitched in 3 games in 1957 (at the age of 18) for the Redlegs. They also have this funny quote:
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure which is more insulting, being offered in a trade or having it turned down." - Claude Osteen (1973)