Dick Radatz passes away

....Newspaper reports say Mr. Radatz faced Mantle, a Hall of Famer, 63 times, and struck him out 47 times. (Gordon Edes, Boston Globe)

If you don't live in Boston, you probably never heard of Dick Radatz. The only reason I know about him was he was on sports radio a lot, and he was one of my favorite personalities to listen to. He loved baseball, but wasn't afraid to challenge the way the game is played today. He especially hated pitch counts. Hearing former players like Radatz talk about baseball is one reason why I'm such a big fan of the game.

People over the age of fifty probably remember him more for being a great pitcher on a bad Red Sox team.

Here's a nice article about him

Excerpts for lazy readers:

''He was the best," said former Sox teammate Bill Monbouquette, reached last night by phone in Lakeland, Fla., where he is a minor league pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers. ''How would I say the best? When you compare him to other guys, they couldn't do what he did. Three innings one day, maybe four the next, one the next day, and three more the next. 'Relievers today throw one inning. Dick almost never pitched just an inning."

''The Monster" nickname was born in 1963, after a game against the Yankees in Fenway Park in which Mr. Radatz entered with the bases loaded and struck out Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Elston Howard -- all American League MVPs at one time -- on a total of 10 pitches."