Former Cub, Joe Niekro dies at 61.

[Mephistopheles]

Former major-league pitcher and Plant City resident Joe Niekro died Friday, according to the Tampa Tribune.

 

He was 61.

 

Niekro suffered an aneurysm and was taken to South Florida Baptist Hospital, the Tribune reported. He was transported on Thursday to a Tampa-area hospital.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4293468.html

 

RIP.

[CuseCubFan69]

Wow....a friend of mine just played ball with him a couple of weeks ago in Copperstown. 61, that's just too young.

[RynoRules]

Caught the end of Joe and Phil's careers when I was a young man. That was back when we had a half dozen or more 40-somethings still pitching: the Niekro boys, Ryan, Hough, Tommy John, Don Sutton...a bygone era.

[TarzanJoeWallis]

One of the strangest nights of my life happened with Joe Niekro. My dad was a well-known newspaper man in the city where I grew up in central Indiana. One night during the winter he got a call at home and was told by someone that Joe Niekro was at their house and that he was invited to come over and interview him.

 

My dad took me with him and we went over to the house. Joe was a very friendly guy, and he had a gorgeous blonde girlfriend with him, and a heavy, obnoxious male friend. I'm guessing the girlfriend was about 30 or so.

 

After a while, the obnoxious guy says to the girlfriend while pointing at me, "Sit on his lap and let him feel what a great Texas a-- feels like." So, she comes over and sits on my lap--and stays there for the next hour or so. She would keep kissing me on the cheek and moving her nose up near my ear.

 

All the while, Joe just kept talking to my dad. We were all sitting around the same kitchen table, and while I was digging the attention from this gorgeous woman, I was also a little uneasy. I could tell my dad was a little uneasy about it too.

 

After they finished talking, we were getting ready to leave when they wanted to take a group photo. The woman got behind me in the picture and rubbed my butt the whole time.

 

As we were heading home, Dad talked about what an odd night it was, and said how much he disliked how the woman was acting around me. At the time--as a 15-year-old--I thought it was great. Now, as a 40-year-old, I wonder what the hell was wrong with her.

 

Ironically, my dad also died of an aneurysm. His death came eight years ago at the age of 64.

[A New Era]

One of the strangest nights of my life happened with Joe Niekro. My dad was a well-known newspaper man in the city where I grew up in central Indiana. One night during the winter he got a call at home and was told by someone that Joe Niekro was at their house and that he was invited to come over and interview him.

 

My dad took me with him and we went over to the house. Joe was a very friendly guy, and he had a gorgeous blonde girlfriend with him, and a heavy, obnoxious male friend. I'm guessing the girlfriend was about 30 or so.

 

After a while, the obnoxious guy says to the girlfriend while pointing at me, "Sit on his lap and let him feel what a great Texas a-- feels like." So, she comes over and sits on my lap--and stays there for the next hour or so. She would keep kissing me on the cheek and moving her nose up near my ear.

 

All the while, Joe just kept talking to my dad. We were all sitting around the same kitchen table, and while I was digging the attention from this gorgeous woman, I was also a little uneasy. I could tell my dad was a little uneasy about it too.

 

After they finished talking, we were getting ready to leave when they wanted to take a group photo. The woman got behind me in the picture and rubbed my butt the whole time.

 

As we were heading home, Dad talked about what an odd night it was, and said how much he disliked how the woman was acting around me. At the time--as a 15-year-old--I thought it was great. Now, as a 40-year-old, I wonder what the hell was wrong with her.

 

Ironically, my dad also died of an aneurysm. His death came eight years ago at the age of 64.

 

So you were 15ish, she was 30ish. And she was all over you. Must of had a young kid fetish. Too bad she didn't go to jail for what she did. .

[LeftCoastCubFan]

All ex-Cubs go to heaven. RIP Joe.