12/21/24
February 04, 2015
“I got a big charge out of seeing Ted Williams hit. Once in a while they let me try to field some of them, which sort of dimmed my enthusiasm.”: A Futility Infielder tribute to Rocky Bridges (1927-2015), one of the game's most colorful characters - When Don Zimmer passed away last June after 66 years in baseball, I called him the ultimate futility infielder. Allow me to amend that, for Rocky Bridges, who died last week at the age of 87, was every bit as worthy of that title, and every bit as much an inspiration for this site. The secret of futility infielders is their ability to thrive despite their shortcomings in talent, thanks to persistence, flexibility and a command of fundamentals that go well beyond the playing field. They’re the laces that hold the leather together, the very soul of baseball.
posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 10:50 AM - 2 comments
The Rocky Bridges intro from " The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book" is a thing of beauty. Thanks for sharing this, it's wonderful.
posted by dfleming at 11:45 AM on February 04, 2015
Admittedly, if I had heard of Bridges before reading this, I'd completely forgotten about him, but this is a very entertaining read for anyone looking to scratch their baseball itch.
Further reading for those that want more: here's the Sports Illustrated piece on Bridges from 1964.