Don Zimmer Passed Away

[CaliforniaRaisin]

He was 83.

[Andy]

'89 Cubs manager, '84 Cubs third-base coach. RIP.

[jersey cubs fan]

Bummer

[NOLA]

Loved Zimmer. We are starting to get to the point where all the old timers in baseball will be gone. Lasorda, Ernie and Berra are about the last ones left.

[Guest]

Morgan and McCarver are still around to annoy the hell out of us.

[imb]

why the hell is lasorda still alive

[Guest]

First Cubs manager I knew.

[kujay]

First Cubs manager I knew.

 

Same here for the most part. RIP.

[Guest]

First Cubs manager I knew.

 

Same here for the most part. RIP.

 

And Zim brings us Cubs/BHawks peace.

 

Go Rangers?!?

[NOLA]

Morgan and McCarver are still around to annoy the hell out of us.

Ha. No doubt, but I guess I was thinking more old timerish, like a guy who played around integration.

[Guest]

Early in his career Zim was hit in the head and had a plate put in his noggin. He used to make fun of all the time. I loved him when I was a kid. I use to chew Red Man and put a big plug of it my cheek when I played summer pick up games in high school.

[Sammy Sofa]

Much like Sparky Anderson, I assumed Zimmer was pushing 100 a good 25 years before he actually passed away.

[jersey cubs fan]

Much like Sparky Anderson, I assumed Zimmer was pushing 100 a good 25 years before he actually passed away.

He looked 70 while managing the cubs

[Coach C]

First Cubs manager I knew.

 

Same here for the most part. RIP.

 

Ditto here. I liked him, and I always thought of him (this was when I was a kid of course) as a angry grandpa with a big chunk of chaw on his mouth.

[Felix Leiter]

Early in his career Zim was hit in the head and had a plate put in his noggin. He used to make fun of all the time. I loved him when I was a kid. I use to chew Red Man and put a big plug of it my cheek when I played summer pick up games in high school.

 

Actually the plate in the head story is pure fiction. Zimmer got beaned in the minors and doctors placed six metal plugs(3 on each side) in his head. His beanings led to mandatory batting helmets. In the late 50's many players opted to wear a protective insert for their hats, not the full helmet. The full helmet with ear guard came much later.

 

Tasted Red Man once and thought I was gonna die. Did you ever swallow it? Blah! Switched to a mouthful of Bazooka and achieved the same look.

[CuseCubFan69]

What an amazing career Zimmer had in baseball. Truly blessed by the baseball gods and baseball lost a heck of an ambassador. Loved the bases loaded 3-2 count runners running with 0-1 outs, how fun was that?

[OleMissCub]

So he was in his FIFTIES when he was coaching the Cubs? How the F

[Soul]

I remember a few great arguments he had with umps as a Cubbie. He was fun to watch storm out of the dugout.

[champaignchris]

I'm not a big fan of the Frey/Zimmer regime of '88-'91. I think they did a lot to tear down what Dallas Green built up.

 

That said, Zimmer's firing was pretty bizarre. Less than a quarter of the way into the season with the team favored to win the division only a game under .500.

[RynoRules]

I loved the 89' team and Zim. Not as much as I did the 84' team, but watching Walton, Smith, Dunston, Gracie, Ryno, Hawk, Berryhill, McLendon, Wilkerson, Red Baron, Bilecki, and Maddux was a joy that year.

[SouthSideRyan]

I had one of those full roster listing sweatshirts for the 89 team that said Boys of Zimmer they I wore every [expletive] day that winter I also played with the 89 stats patch for like 5 years on earl weaver baseball. We had to go to my cub hating uncles house to try to get playoff tickets because our phone didn't have a redial button

[Crack Wilson]

Loved Zimmer. We are starting to get to the point where all the old timers in baseball will be gone. Lasorda, Ernie and Berra are about the last ones left.

From the '55 Dodgers, along with Lasorda, Don Newcombe and Sandy Koufax are still above ground, and '57/'58 Braves' pennant winners' Red Sheondienst is still around, hitting fungo's for the Cardinals at 92

 

There's probably some more, but that's all I can think of.

[Omar]

something something obligatory Pedro Martinez post.

 

http://planbsports.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/tumblr_mc0b3ehixw1rp7k5oo6_250.gif

[kujay]

First Cubs manager I knew.

 

Same here for the most part. RIP.

 

And Zim brings us Cubs/BHawks peace.

 

Go Rangers?!?

 

Yes.

[Sammy Sofa]

something something obligatory Pedro Martinez post.

 

http://planbsports.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/tumblr_mc0b3ehixw1rp7k5oo6_250.gif

 

Great moment; everyone should remember that's how you deal with a charging old man who doesn't know his place.