Happy 65th Birthday Yaz

[Fenway]

Carl Yazstrmski
Born August 22, 1939

that makes him 65 :?:

Sunday, August 22, marks the birthday of one of the greatest left fielders in the history of baseball. Carl Yastrzemski was born on this date in 1939, playing his entire 23-year career (1961-'83) with the Boston Red Sox. He earned election to the Hall of Fame in 1989.
"I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning. I think about it all day and I dream about it at night. The only time I don't think about it is when I'm playing it," Yastrzemski once said. That attitude and love for the game exemplified a career that produced 3,308 games, 11,988 at-bats, 3,419 hits and 1,845 walks, along with 1,844 RBI.

Yastrzemski had his best season in 1967 when he achieved the Triple Crown with a .326 batting average, 44 home runs and 121 RBI. Yastrzemski also led the American League in hits (189), runs (112), total bases (360), and slugging average (.622) and won his only MVP award. No player has won the Triple Crown since.

Also an outstanding defensive player, Yastrzemski won seven Gold Gloves for his play in left field at Fenway Park. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe stated, "There can be little doubt that Carl Yastrzemski was the master of Wall-ball defense." Yastrzemski became an expert at playing the tricky bounces off of the Green Monster and led the league in assists seven times.

Former teammate Joe Lahoud summed up Yastrzemski's career by saying, "He lived, breathed, ate, and slept baseball. If he went 0-for-4, he couldn't live with it. He could live with himself if he went 1-for-3. He was happy if he went 2-for-4. That's the way the man suffered."


http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/inside_pitch/images/yaz_jersey_bat_258299.jpghttp://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/plaques/images/Yastrzemski_Carl.jpghttp://www.2neatmagazines.com/covers/1967cover/1967-Sept-8.jpg


http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/sarantakes/photo9.jpg
Nixon and Yaz: The Most Valuable Player of the game was Carl Yastrzemski, an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. Yastrzemski was an admirer of the President, and decided to give him his MVP trophy. A meeting between the two was arranged on April 13, 1971, and the athlete presented the award to Nixon

[idseer]

i always thought of yaz's triple crown as tainted in that he tied for homeruns with killebrew and in fact had a lower total per ab.

[Fenway]

i always thought of yaz's triple crown as tainted in that he tied for homeruns with killebrew and in fact had a lower total per ab.
On the other hand nobody has done it since

[flo-B-flo]

Seen him live at Sox park the year of the triple crown. A natural ballplayer with lots of class. My Uncles and other sox fans ridiculed him mercilessly. And I remembered that he would just smile and laugh at some of the things the fans were saying. Through the years he just killed us.:rolleyes:

[mike squires]

I was fortunate to be able to see Carls last at bat at Comiskey park. a ground out to second base. Everyone gave him a standing ovation. I asked my Dad what was going on and he explained it to me.

[Brian26]

:hawk

"You're dadgum right Yaz was one of the best ever! And you talk about a guy with the right MINDSET? Mercy. I'll never forget the time Yaz and some of us were down in the clubhouse talking baseball for hours after the game...just talking about THE GAME of baseball, then we went out in our long underwear and paced the Monster from homeplate. To this day, I know the Monster is only 287-ft from the plate at Fenway, because Yaz paced it off. There may be some guys who are *as good* at pacing as Yaz, but none will ever be better."

[JDP]

I know I'll get kicked in the junk for this, but none-the-less ...


What *is* the fascination with Yaz? The guy had two great seasons in 23 seasons.