I have one positive memory of Jimmy. I grew up a Tigers fan and Detroit management did something very nice back in the 1950s. They gave 10,000 free tickets to Little Leaguers for Saturday mainees. So, here it is a Saturday game at Briggs Stadium in 1959 against the Indians and kids are chatting away- with Piersall. Every time, Jimmy would shag a ball in fielding practice, he'd toss the ball to a kid. The kids loved him.
I lived in LA as a kid and my dad bought partial season ticket packages for both the Dodgers and Angels in '64 when the Angels shared Dodger Stadium for their home games. Jimmy played center field for the Angels replacing Albie Pearson most of the time. The same colorful guy; the characteristic excellent defense in center, and he hit over .300 for the season near the end of his on field career.
when i was about 10 years old we met jimmy piersall at a local super market in bedford, massachusetts where he made a personal appearance as a spokesperson sponser for cain food products. jim was in his full uniform and gave out 8x10 signed glossy photos. he seemed like a nice man and took the time to talk with us. i remember my dad invited him over for lunch. i had the picture for many years but gone now.
I was at the game when Jimmy hit his 100th home run at the Polo Grounds against the Mets. Almost caught his home run in the right field stands. He ran around the bases running backwards.
I was at a game in Cleveland as a kid, when Piersall came to bat and as he stepped up to the plate he took out a squirt gun and sprayed water on home plate. The crowd went wild. Jimmy was one of a kind..
I read the book "Fear Strikes Out." I watched the movie, and, and, I still have his baseball card. Years later, Jimmy Piersall ended up broadcasting Iowa Cubs baseball on WHO Radio. Sadly, he lost his job because he said something inappropriate. He truly had a difficult life.
With Harry carry with Sox in 78? Sox management told players that wife's were no longer to go on road trips cause they were wanting to go shop and hobnob. It was hurting some players play. So when Carrey said it on air Peirsol replied' well their all honey broads". Honey. Falstaff was Sox big moneymaker and they would show Harry singing Take me out to ballgame .these guys stacked their empty and it was 8 10 high. Harry sang it on Southside. Comiskey was like Old Tiger Stadium. Great park. Only NY and Chicago were you lucky to be able to see both leagues play. DC. Bolt is 25 miles. LA teams 45. From train stations it was 3 to south. 3.5 to Wrigley. Saw 3 4 Sox games a year. Red Sox, royals, angels, Yankee teams of mid late 70s.
Fear Strikes Out is a gripping movie on multiple levels..yes it was about a young man's desire to become a big league ballplayer and overcoming many obstacles along his journey most notably his boutique with mental illness. Also it was above story of a young man falling in love, marrying and starting a family. The cinematics to the movie were moving. Anyone who has played ball knew Anthony Perkins never played baseball but that was easily overlooked because the content was so strong. I asked Jim about the infamous scene of him climbing the backstop. He just shrugged it off to Hollywood's version of spicing the movie up..yet replied " if I had thought of that, I would of done it!" Yes he was a showman but he knew that his antics grew legendary stories to his playing status which also drew crowds wherever he played. Little known fact about baseball players in the earlier days is many worked in the off season to help support their families. Jim started his own corporation in the 50s selling and endorsing many related products besides a couple of patented products such as his "Pro Batter" or "Pro Ball ". Invented before batting tee's and nerf balls. Jim's 2nd book came out in the 80s entitled "The Truth Hurts". Clearing up many myths and correcting facts. Jim also had another publication in the 90s from Dark Horse comics. Vol #1 issued #1, "The Jim Piersall Story". These were produced exemplifying notable player greats of the era. With trading cards! Jim was a decent man and not nearly as nuts as what was perceived of him. Jim may have been the first player to wear a batting helmet. Coincidentally he may have been thrown at more than most.... Miss you Jim, thanks for the memories !
I recall Jimmy working for the Cubs. Before a game he was hitting balls to the infielders, and as they wrapped up, Shawon Dunstan tosses ihe ball to Jimmy and he hits it back at Dunston, who wasn't expecting it. Jimmy had this wide-eyed look on his face, and Dunston was like, "What the...". RIP Jimmy.
I was at a game in Cleveland as a young boy when Piersall threw his glove all the way from center field to home plate! My father told me then that he was a good player who did crazy things!
In the mid sixties jimmy was a doing a post game interview with a player at Comiskey park behind home plate. My friend and I were about 10 years old. We told Jimmy that we saw him in a movie and he said with annoyance, “ hey, go duck a lemon.” I’ll never forget it. -- 57 years later 😂
@@retrosportsvision5873 on You Tube, you will find some of the game’s, With Jimmy Piersall and Harry Carey calling the Chicago White Sox games, from the early 80s.
I saw him in pre game batting practice let a number of balls drop in his area in the outfield. He eventually goes over picks them up and start throwing at a drunk in left field seats.
When they discuss that Tony larussa was very angry with Jimmy piersall it was out of jealousy when Jimmy Leland was very angry with Jimmy piersall it was out of jealousy the reason I stayed this is Jimmy Leyland never made it to the major leagues and totally larussa had a cup of coffee a couple of years Jimmy piersall was a fantastic center fielder even said once in an interview he was the best defensive center fielder in the history of baseball
Must of been hyper having tons of energy, because I was too and loved running and was a very good outfielder too .Very honest man , misunderstood because it took him years becoming more mature. A kid for a long time , but many of us were. Honest , brutally sometimes , guess he never learned the soft glove technique . He became the Chicago White Sox color commentator with Harry Carey 1977-81or2 , and got on mngrTony Larussa's nerve. Larussa , his , coach Jim Leyland , ganged up on him after a game , plus he said baseball wives were horny . WOW . Well he said both were apart many times a year and..... well he got hospitalized, was fired.. No Matter he still had fans , I sent him a letter and he sent me a reply , hand written . That's the kind of man he was. 34:05
Jim Coates, Yankee pitcher and interviewed here, according to Jimmy used to throw at him all the time. So Jimmy to get his revenge, while running out a ground ball spiked the foot of first baseman Moose Skowron, putting him on the DL.
In some ballparks, people in the stands [I won't call them "fans"] threw batteries at him ... as a reference to his mental health, because it suggested what were then known as "shock treatments".
That was still going on into the late 1970's to Reggie Jackson. Other team fans hated him because he produced against them and had a big ego. Look his nickname was Mr October plus he said he was the straw that turned the drink. His own teammates hated him
Well I remember the time he threw out all the bat's from the opposing team on to the field. Another time he got a base hit and stopped at first and pulled the 1st basemans pants down.
But it is true that he was a great defensive player. He would play pretty shallow at times and at the crack of the bat he would run back and make some fantastic catches.
7:25 “And when I got back, the sportswriters asked me, ‘What do you think?’ “I told them, ‘You can read what I think when my book comes out. Do your own research, you lazy saps.’”😂
I was at a Tigers game in Detroit against the Red Sox. Jim was playing center field and I guess the fans were really giving it to him because he turned to face the center field bleachers and made a big bow.
I wonder what Piersall had against Bill Veeck's wife. That seems to be an odd target for a broadcaster. I've heard plenty of anti-Veeck stuff, but never anything negative about Mrs. Veeck. In the case of Stengel, Stengel thought Piersall was a great outfielder from his American League days when Stengel was managing the Yankees and Piersall was playing for the Red Sox, which is probably why the Mets picked up Piersall, but once Stengel had to manage Piersall he got tired of him pretty quickly.
Sounds like a bad case of bipolar which was not a diagnosed medical issue back then. So they went with he's nuts. I did see a movie of his life and probably the worse sports movie I ever seen. Anthony Perkins played him and was not very athletic. Swung and ran like a giraffe.
A sad indictment of professional baseball. Piersall should have been given a lobotomy and put in a rocker on a porch to play with the dust specks in a sunbeam. Instead, baseball continued to use him in spite of craziness. He was used by a team until they could no longer function as a team and then traded. Teams didn’t want to lose their investment so they sold his contract. His assaultive and abusive conduct was never curbed. His assaults on others were passed over lightly in this presentation. He fought others on and off the field all the time. He was a bully and just plain nuts as personified in the incident where he assaulted the club house man over candy bars. The former major leaguers who appeared on this video should be ashamed of participating in a good ol’ boy cover up. What else can we expect though. Most, like Piersall were one dimension people. When their baseball talent was used up they weren’t good for anything else. I wonder what will happen when Tiger Woods eventually loses his value as a paid performer.
As a 15 y/o in 1959, i didn't really know who he was, but as the Indians were signing my batting practice HR ball, after the game, Mudcat Grant said "Oh jimmy don't do that"as he signed the ball with a phony name. I still have the ball
