Monday, August 3, 2015

no. 437 - danny murtaugh


Who is the man: Danny Murtaugh was entering what would be his second World Championship season when this card was issued. As an appetizer, he had led the Pirates to the NL East title in 1970.

Can ya dig it: I like how managers can just stand there in the dugout and that's good enough for a photo for a baseball card.

Right on: This photo was used again on Murtaugh's 1974 Topps card.

You see that cat Murtaugh is a bad mother: Murtaugh managed the Pirates to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971.

Shut your mouth: After Bill Mazeroski blasted the Pirates to the Series with his Game 7 walk-off home run in 1960, Murtaugh's wife, Kate, said he had never seen his husband so happy. Murtaugh said to her, "If you had been standing on one side of me and Bill Mazeroski on the other side and somebody said I had to kiss one or the other, it wouldn't have been you."

No one understands him but his woman: Murtaugh left the Pirates managing job only to return again three times.


(A word about the back): I may have mentioned this before, but "first game in majors" here applies to his managing career. Murtaugh played nine years in the big leagues, starting in 1941 and ending in 1951.

1 comment: