RIP Dick Groat.

JCRedbird · #1 04-27-2023, 02:36 PM

Lifelong Cardinals fan and Groat brought the punch they needed to win the pennant and the series in 1964. Great trade by the Cards as they gave up Julio Gotay and journeyman Don Cardwell for Groat. Gotay was supposed to be "all that" but never panned out. We went up to Cincy in Sept of 1963 as Musial had announced his retirement and Cincy was the closest NL stadium to our hometown. I was 8 years old and looking for autographs. Groat is signing my scorecard and the usher yells at me telling me to leave the players alone. Scared me to death!! Groat told the usher to not worry about the players, just help people with their seats. Forever my hero. Signed it right on Mr. Red's crotch. Cards lost 5-2 and Musial went 0 for 2

timn1 · #2 04-27-2023, 04:01 PM

As a fellow Dukie I've always enjoyed Dick Groat's career and cards.

I notice he was only inducted into the Pirates HOF this year! - that seems strange to me, given how important he was to the team in the postwar years.

rats60 · #3 04-27-2023, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timn1

As a fellow Dukie I've always enjoyed Dick Groat's career and cards.

I notice he was only inducted into the Pirates HOF this year! - that seems strange to me, given how important he was to the team in the postwar years.

The Pirates just established their Hall of Fame last year. So, Groat is part of their second class. Most of the members of the inaugural class are in the BBHOF. Only 3 Danny Murtaugh, Dave Parker and Steve Blass are not.

icollectDCsports · #4 04-27-2023, 05:12 PM

RIP, Dick Groat.

FrankWakefield · #5 04-27-2023, 06:53 PM

Condolences to his family and friends,

Nice memories, Richard.

I saw him play on the 1964 team. And I listened to a bunch of those games in 1964. #24 was a reliable, surehanded shortstop out there. Stable. And watching him doing the hit and run was like a clinic. Brock, or Flood, or Javier would break, Groat is watching the middle infielders, and he'd hit the ball through the hole, it was like Groat was willing the fielder out of the way...

An intelligent, skilled, surehanded, reliable, good ball player. I thought of him as about the best short stop I'd seen, until I saw the then Padres' Ozzie Smith get to a hot shot that then Cardinal Gary Templeton had drilled into the hole for a certain hit, until a diving Ozzie snagged it.

Chris-Counts · #6 04-27-2023, 07:05 PM

Dick Groat was a seriously underrated player. He was at least as good as Pee Wee Reese or Phil Rizzuto, and he was better than Hall of Fame shortstops Dave Bancroft, Rabbit Maraville and Bobby Wallace. His .286 batting average doesn't look special, but compare it against every other shortstop he played against. Plus he was an MVP and leader of two different championship teams.

Bigdaddy · #7 04-27-2023, 07:15 PM

A couple of photos from his days at Duke.

JollyElm · #8 04-27-2023, 07:19 PM

My long-gone father was a tremendous basketball player who always spoke so highly of Dick Groat. They faced off against each other stateside in Army/Navy games during the Korean 'conflict,' and said what a ridiculously talented man on the court he was, but also what a tremendous person he was.

Rest in peace.

timn1 · #9 04-28-2023, 05:14 PM

I just assumed the Pirates had had a HOF for a long time, given the franchise's rich history.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rats60

The Pirates just established their Hall of Fame last year. So, Groat is part of their second class. Most of the members of the inaugural class are in the BBHOF. Only 3 Danny Murtaugh, Dave Parker and Steve Blass are not.

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