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A Sad Day In Cincinnati

Joe Nuxhall, the most beloved sports figure in Cincinnati, passed away last night. He was a pitcher for the Reds from 1944 (becoming the youngest player in MLB history at 15 years old) until 1960, and was one of our radio broadcasters since 1967. Since 1973 he's been partnered with hall-of-famer Marty Brennaman in the radio booth, and it's been a wonderful partnership. He will be sorely missed.

His catch phase that he ended his broadcasts with was "It's the old left-hander rounding third and heading for home."

He's home now.

For a wonderful column that really gives you a feel for the guy, see Paul Daugherty's column:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /311160011
Never too late for coffee, never too early for beer.
Sad indeed! That would be like Eranie Harwell dying here in Detroit. Great sports figure with a marvelous history in the game.
"If you look to me for illumination, you better have a flashlight!"
Baseball is a game I don't get. Granted, I haven't watched it too much, but... must be an acquired taste, I guess.

-Fred
Pirates, vampires, zombies, ninjas, ghouls, aliens, goblins, monsters, robots, sorcerers, undead, werewolves, demons, mutated dinosaur-cyborgs and those pesky phone salesmen! The shotgun is a one-size-fits-all solution!
Fred Buer wrote:Baseball is a game I don't get. Granted, I haven't watched it too much, but... must be an acquired taste, I guess.

-Fred
Being a Norwegian it's understandably difficult for you to understand the cultural significance of baseball to America. It's part of the fabric that makes up this crazy quilt of ours. Other sports may be more popular, but none of them are as part of our spirit as baseball. It speaks of lazy summers, easy leisure, a more relaxed pace. As Alexis de Tocqueville once observed,in order to understand America, you must understand baseball.

But that's a minor point here. Baseball was the vehicle that allowed us Cincinnatians to know and love a wonderful gentleman. He truly epitomized what we all should aspire to become: honest, charitable, gentle, warm, slow to anger, never a bad word about anyone. He became the kind father and grandfather to us all.

We haven't lost a baseball celebrity. We've lost a member of the family.
Never too late for coffee, never too early for beer.
You make an interesting point, Fred. During WWII the USA forces would ask any suspicious person (perhapd a German posing as an American) a baseball related question. In most cases the spy would be unable to answer it correctly and thus reveal themselves.

Now, take soccer. Please! No, just kidding. I find soccer both boring and exciting, if that is possible. Yet it is far and away the most popular sport in the world. I don't spend much time watching it except when it comes to the World Cup.
"If you look to me for illumination, you better have a flashlight!"