Willie Lives
February 27, 2011 8:35 PM Subscribe
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, also known as "The Silver Fox," has passed away at the age of 84. Snider played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for the bulk of his career, in which he hit 40 or more home runs in 5 consecutive seasons and hit the last home run in Ebbets Field. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, Snider was the least-known of the famed trio of New York center fielders from the 1950s, but enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after his induction and the release of "Willie, Mickey, & the Duke" in 1981. Mickey Mantle died in 1995, but Willie Mays is still going strong.
I got a call from my father today. He rarely calls. He was a Dodger fan from Brooklyn. My mother's mother was a huge Dodger fan. Fuck the Dodgers, I am a Yankee fan. But, I will miss the Duke.
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posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:21 PM on February 27, 2011
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posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:21 PM on February 27, 2011
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If you haven't, read Roger Kahn's Boys of Summer. Incredible book detailing and incredible story.
posted by xmutex at 9:30 PM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you haven't, read Roger Kahn's Boys of Summer. Incredible book detailing and incredible story.
posted by xmutex at 9:30 PM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by mattbucher at 9:39 PM on February 27, 2011
posted by mattbucher at 9:39 PM on February 27, 2011
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posted by trip and a half at 10:31 PM on February 27, 2011
posted by trip and a half at 10:31 PM on February 27, 2011
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posted by Smart Dalek at 4:34 AM on February 28, 2011
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:34 AM on February 28, 2011
My father was a Brooklyn Dodger fan, and Duke was one of his childhood heroes.
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posted by steambadger at 5:14 AM on February 28, 2011
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posted by steambadger at 5:14 AM on February 28, 2011
I read the Boys of Summer nearly every Spring. Hmmm About time to dust it off again.
posted by Gungho at 6:13 AM on February 28, 2011
posted by Gungho at 6:13 AM on February 28, 2011
My first glove was a Duke Snyder model, too big for my 9 year old hand so a crease developed across the pocket. I always wondered if my rate of holding on to a linedrive would have improved if I had a smooth pocket. Thanks, Duke.
posted by Hobgoblin at 7:17 AM on February 28, 2011
posted by Hobgoblin at 7:17 AM on February 28, 2011
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My condolences to the Dodger community, particularly those fans of the Brooklyn teams.
Brooklyn Dodgers fans are among my favorite people. I know one, a professor who's office was covered in Brooklyn Dodger memorabilia, who has recently retired and moved to LA to be closer to his grandkids. He now lives only a couple blocks from Dodger Stadium, but hasn't been to a game because he hasn't forgiven them yet. Another favorite is a man who studies politics for a living, and insists (at least half-seriously) that the three worst people of the 20th century were Hitler, Stalin, and O'Malley.
posted by .kobayashi. at 12:21 PM on February 28, 2011
My condolences to the Dodger community, particularly those fans of the Brooklyn teams.
Brooklyn Dodgers fans are among my favorite people. I know one, a professor who's office was covered in Brooklyn Dodger memorabilia, who has recently retired and moved to LA to be closer to his grandkids. He now lives only a couple blocks from Dodger Stadium, but hasn't been to a game because he hasn't forgiven them yet. Another favorite is a man who studies politics for a living, and insists (at least half-seriously) that the three worst people of the 20th century were Hitler, Stalin, and O'Malley.
posted by .kobayashi. at 12:21 PM on February 28, 2011
Joe Posnanski wrote a great obituary of Duke and then followed up with a really interesting investigation of how he got screwed out of the 1955 MVP.
posted by Copronymus at 9:02 AM on March 4, 2011
posted by Copronymus at 9:02 AM on March 4, 2011
Peter Vecsey the basketball writer for the NY Post wrote an interesting article today about the Duke.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:04 AM on March 4, 2011
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:04 AM on March 4, 2011
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He was also the play by play/colour guy for the Montreal Expos from 1973-1986, which is what I remember him most for.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 8:46 PM on February 27, 2011