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Dewey2007
08-08-2008, 12:19 PM
What happened to Gates Brown during a game in 1968 always makes me laugh. It's this kind of stuff that makes baseball great. Wouldn't this be a great game used jersey to own!

On August 7, 1968, Brown made history. He wasn't in the starting lineup, so he decided to grab two hot dogs from the clubhouse. He was ordered by manager Mayo Smith to pinch hit. He stuffed the hot dogs in his jersey to hide them from his manager.

"I always wanted to get a hit every time I went to the plate. But this was one time I didn't want to get a hit. I'll be damned if I didn't smack one in the gap and I had to slide into second—head first, no less. I was safe with a double. But when I stoop up, I had mustard and ketchup and smashed hot dogs and buns all over me.

"The fielders took one look at me, turned their backs and damned near busted a gut laughing at me. My teammates in the dugout went crazy." After fining Brown $100, Smith said, "What the hell were you doing eating on the bench in the first place?" Brown: "I decided to tell him the truth. I said, 'I was hungry. Besides, where else can you eat a hot dog and have the best seat in the house?'"

scottanservitz
08-08-2008, 08:55 PM
Dewey,
You are kidding me? I can actually add another Gates Brown story. As a kid I used to go to old Municipal Stadium to watch the Indians. Well, I went to a Tigers game there. During the game or right before I went to get an ice cream cone. When I got there the guy in front of me had a Tigers uniform on with Brown on the back. You guessed it, Gates Brown was getting a cone. Now I really can't remember if the game had actually started yet or not. I asked someone who he was and they told me Gates Brown and he was a coach for the Tigers. I just couldn't believe my eyes that a guy in uniform was getting a snack. I can tell you this, Tribe games back in the 70's and 80's were a unique experience! The stadium held like 72,000 seats for baseball games. With the exception of opening day when we weren't in last place, the place was full. After a week or two you can go and sit anyplace you wanted to because there were about 2,000 people there. Pretty funny as you look around that cavernous place. But the Gates Brown story is 100% true and a nice follow-up to your story.

Scott

Nathan
08-08-2008, 09:48 PM
A few years ago, the team I was coaching for was up huge in the third quarter of a playoff game, so we started pulling the starters in anticipation of the bloodbath in the next week's game. Now, our playoff games after the first round are held at neutral sites, and everyone had said that the place we were playing had the best concession stand in Ohio.

When my last lineman came off to be relieved, I stuck my hand out to him and said, "Hell of a game, and you've earned a break. But take these $4 I'm giving you and go get me two hot dogs from the concession stand." Of course I got a bewildered look in return, but he took the cash and started to head over that way. Our defensive coordinator stopped him and asked, "Did he really tell you to go get him two hot dogs? Okay, here's $5; go get me a dog with no mustard and a burger". He got about 20 more feet before another coach stopped him, and so on.

He came back by the start of the 4th quarter with armfuls of hot dogs, burgers, pretzels, etc so the starters could have their dinner. The younger guys would finish a series and come off, and they'd come up and go "Hey, can I have a hot dog?" And I'd tell them, "When you're a starter on a playoff team that gets a 35-point lead in the 3rd quarter, you can have a hot dog on the sidelines during the game too."

Nathan
08-08-2008, 09:51 PM
The other story involves one of those giant ball dryers that goes on the sidelines. Even if it wasn't raining, we'd usually stash two balls in there just to keep them a bit sticky. Well, our equipment guy decided that was the best place to put his two dogs and a burger.

In the second quarter, our QB fumbled two straight snaps. Our head coach went charging over to the ball dryer, opened it, and yanked out....two hot dogs and a burger. I think he was more stunned, but still mad, so he lifted his arm over his head and spiked all of it into the ground, then went around to the other side to get a ball.

I didn't know a man could literally vanish into thin air, but I didn't see our equipment guy for another two hours...and I was looking for him too.

ryan4fregosi
08-09-2008, 01:47 PM
Tim Raines reportedly would slide headfirst so as not to break the crack vials in his back pocket. Changing times, y'know...