good talk

Sympathies to Aroldis Chapman who was struck in the face yesterday by a batted ball.  I saw Aroldis close for the Reds 2 years ago, going 103.  In 1975 long-time Major League announcers were considering who was the fastest they had ever seen and most said that it was Herb Score.  Herb Score (1933 to 2008) was a left-handed pitcher who came up to the loaded Cleveland Indians in 1955 and went 16-10 getting his picture on the cover of S.I.  Herb had and Aroldis has the weakness of a power-pitcher in that in putting so much "on the ball" they leave themselves open defensively.  On May 7, 1957 the Indians were playing the Yankees in a night-game and in the 1st Inning Gil McDougald lined a pitch into the wide-open Herb Score with Herb falling to the mound with blood coming from every orifice in his head.  Gil McDougald instead of running to 1st Base ran to the stricken Herb Score.  Herb missed the rest of the season, he pitched for the Indians and the White Sox until 1962 but was never a great pitcher again.  Mickey Mantle said the best left-handed pitcher he ever faced in the American League was Herb Score before his injury (not one to freely give compliments Mickey said of Pete Rose ....If I hit that many singles I'd wear a dress...).  Herb went on to a very-long and illustrious career as the Indians TV and Radio broadcaster, I listened to him often.  When I was in High School, my father, younger brother and I went to a super-packed Holy Name Society breakfast after Mass one Spring Sunday where Herb was the speaker, Herb spoke well and then was giving away autographed balls and other good things, there were guys there who went to the same public high school I attended who I hadn't known were Catholic.