they should. There are many fans like me that are sick of the politics that has infested mlb/nba/nfl. Something normal and wholesome like this would be good for the game.
Koufax appears to have been having fun rather than trying to show up anyone. I was blown away by Killibrew's swing. Man he looked like he could still be a DH in '84.
@@spcooper94 Yes, I believe that's true. He started out on the basketball team and played first base. I think he started pitching on an outside league. Unfortunately, my dad is no longer alive to gather any information or stories from him.
That high legkick of Koufax' is so etched in my mind. Unmistakably his...and that calm, articulate voice in his interviews. Koufax in his prime was the definition of a hall of famer. This coming from a diehard Yankee fan in my youth.
Etchebarren was the last batter Koufax faced in his MLB career. He hit into an inning ending double play in game 2 of the ‘66 World Series. Koufax was betrayed by his outfield in that game - Tommy Davis committed three errors in one inning, and then he and Ron Fairly let a routine fly ball drop for a weird Frank Robinson triple. The Orioles completed their sweep before Koufax had a chance to pitch again.
Love that swing from Harmon Killibrew ! You can tell he's older and heavier and kinda walks and runs like a heavier older man, but that swing was still awesome, like he was still in the majors !!
That horrible feeling you get when you realize you now reached the age Sandy Koufax was in 1984 (about 47-49) in the "old timer classic". I was in elementary school when this aired, and I thought Koufax must have played with Babe Ruth or something, I legit thought he was that old.
What a pleasure to watch. Sandy on the hill, Killebrew takes him deep. Hammerin' Hank in left. I'd like to see this resurrected, though no oldtimers could have the appeal of those of my childhood.
Lookit that smile on Sandy's face. He was enjoying every pitch and was glad for the batters who clobbered homers. This brought back the 1800s spirit of Baseball as a gentleman's game.
The people who played baseball in the 1800s were often about as far removed from gentlemen as can be. It’s similar to the fiction that “back in the good old days, players played for love of the game. Now it’s all about money.” People who were pros always played for love of the game but more so for money. Just like today. Back in the good old days were the 1919 White Sox. Their love of the game was so intense that they took money to blow the World Series. They didn’t earn much? Entirely because the owners owned them. Now they don’t, so they have to pay people who bring in millions and millions dollars in revenue their fair share of those millions. The guys of the past would have done the exact same thing. Shoeless Joe Jackson couldn’t sign his own name. He played great but still took the gamblers’ money. Ty Cobb was a notorious non- gentleman. Babe Ruth too. And they were the greatest.
@@haroldsteinblatt2567 Look up people who play by 1860s rules. You'll find videos here on RU-vid. No overhand pitching. No gloves. No leagues, baseball was played on the local level. And no owners.
God bless Sandy Koufax. I consider myself blessed to have seen Sandy in his prime. The greatest pitcher I've ever seen and I'll never forget when he and the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the 1963 World Series. Sandy set the World Series record at that time with 15ks in one game.
I believe it was Yogi Berra who made that comment about Koufax. What Mantle said, after Koufax fanned him, was: "Yeah, like anybody can hit that shit."@@joebarr725
So sweet to watch this. A couple years before this I had 3rd baseline seats right next to the Dodger bullpen looking down. There he was as big as life, pitching coach Sandy Koufax. Dusty was in left field that game. Seeing Koufax was by far the highlight for me that day.
I remember watching those and they were great. I read about one in which Bob Gibson faced Reggie Jackson. Jackson had hit a HR, I believe, in an All Star game off of Gibson so when he came up to face for the first time since that game in an Old Timers game, Gibson threw him a brush back just to let Reggie know he wasn’t going to do that again off of him. They both laughed about it.
U should read the acct bout Koufax throwin real batting practice to Dodgers before Game 1 of 77 WS. They said they had to get him out of there cause Dodger hitters weren’t hittin jack!
Koufax would watch the Dodgers in spring training all the time. One day long after his retirement, he was asked if he'd pitch to some players. Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker. He struck out Garvey, then Baker, then Cey. Then did it again. Garvey asked for a curve ball. Koufax complied. The ball dropped two feet and Garvey just looked at it. Couldn't even swing. A coach ran out to Koufax and asked him to stop. Said he was hurting the players' confidence. True story. I forget the year, though. Someone here will know.
Wow, what sweet memories I have of watching these guy’s play in their prime. These guys could PLAY; pitchers hit and usually pitched into the 8th inning, many time pitch the whole game. No showmanship on or off the field by many position players either. They were very good role models.
Went to the one on July 18, 1983 - I just took out the scorebook to take a look - wow - Don Drysdale pitched that year. The left field fence was only about 250 feet because the Senators had been gone since 1971 and they cemented the stands into the football configuration (so they could not remove them for baseball as they used to. Just can't get over who was there - Hank Aaron, Stan Musial!
There was a story posted in sports illustrated around this same year, Koufax was at spring training and they convinced him to pitch batting practice. They told him not to hold anything back. He went down, warmed up, and took the mound. He struck out the side on 9 pitches and walked back into the dugout.... What a legend.
They need to bring this back. And now they have to ability to mic up the players, the bases, the pitching mound and the plate. Can you imagine the conversations that took place during this game!!
Still had that great pitching form. I wonder how his arm was feeling in the game.. considering how he left. Tommy John had the first UCL surgery when Koufax was 38 in 1974. If Koufax had had the surgery at the same time he could have been ready for the 1976 season at age 40! Fun fact.. Etchebarren was the last hitter to bat against Koufax in the 1966 world series. Here he decides not to repeat the distinction by hitting a home run.
Koufax was diagnosed with Traumatic Arthritis as you probably know when he retired. It's just a theory that TJ Surgery might've helped him but it's never been proven that he tore his UCL in later studies.
Sandy still looks in playing shape here. I remember reading there was talks of the Yankees asking to him to come out of retirement around this time to pitch for them.
Harmon Killebrew never played at RFK stadium with the Senators. The Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season, DC Stadium/RFK didn’t open until 1961.
@@jnolette1030 Definitely. He was not throwing lollipops up there like most of the old timers do. I think he got up into the mid-eighties on a few of those.
It's so obvious. Sandy let them hit a few. If he wanted to, he would have struck them all out. He would blown that fast ball right by them with absolutely no problem at all. The greatest pitcher ever! :)
Another Dodger could have had that honor: If Kershaw weren’t absolute poison in the postseason I would say that he is. But Sandy was always clutch in the postseason. So I agree with you.
Koufax was working for the Dodgers...1977 WS against the Yankees. They ask Sandy to throw some BP before the game...he trots out to the mound...they can't hit him...they can't get the ball out of the batting cage!!! He's striking out the Dodgers! Someone from the Dodgers goes out to the mound and gets him off the field! They're having a batting slump against a guy who hadn't pitched since the 1966 WS!!! I will take a PRIME Koufax...(1961-1966) over anyone!!!
@@jnolette1030 Sax didn't debut until 1981. But I guess its possible that he faced Koufax in Spring Training in '80 while he was a minor leaguer. Either that or you're slightly off on the year it took place.
@@beatlejim64 that is a very true story! Also Koufax was always at Dodgertown in Vero Beach in Spring…I saw him uniform once when I went there He was an incredible pitcher, the Count Dracula of pitching
