Rocky Colavito statue dedication in Cleveland

[JCM2009]

Rocky Colavito statue dedicated in Little Italy Cleveland Ohio yesterday. Well deserved!

https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021...nd-photos.html

[Leon]

Indeed warranted from all I have read.
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[jingram058]

Nice article on one of my personal all-time favorite ballplayers. He hit the last home run ever hit at Russwood Park in Memphis (Indians vs White Sox exhibition game, and the ball park burned down spectacularly later that same night).

[Volod]

Thanks for posting that, Joe. Although I live in NE Ohio, I missed that news byte somehow. Great to see Rocky honored in that way in the town that was his favorite stop during his career. His old pal, former teammate Herb Score would have enjoyed being there, if he were still around. But, I don't imagine any statues dedicated to Frank Lane are in the planning stage.

[AustinMike]

As many have stated, very much deserved.

The very first baseball game I saw in person was on August 18, 1968 at Oakland Coliseum. We lived about 3 hours north of Oakland at the time and my dad took my brother and me because the Yankees were in town and I was/am a big Yankee/Mantle fan. Unfortunately, as shown in the attached box score, Mick didn't play. However, the Yanks did win and I got to see the best throw ever from the outfield. In about the 7th or 8th inning, with the score tied and Campy Campaneris (for you youngsters - a very fast runner) on second, Danny Cater hit a single to left field. What I remember (keep in mind this happened 53 years ago so my memory may not be completely accurate) is Rocco throwing a bullet from deep in left field on the fly to the catcher to get Campy out at home. What a throw!! To me, that throw more than made up for Mick not playing. I've always wanted to get an autographed photo of Rocky and Mick together in Yankee uniforms. The attached is the only autographed photo I've seen with them together. Even though Rocky isn't in a Yankee's uniform, it is still a very cherished reminder to me of "The Throw."

[Volod]

Wow, great shot of an old sportspage box-score, Mike. I can remember reading a whole page full of those back in my youth. These days, I would need a microscope if they still existed. No autos, but I do prefer these pics because Rocky is in the correct uniform.

[flkersn]

Rocky was my very favorite ballplayer when I was growing up. Loved his hitting, his arm in right, and even his occasional relief pitching! Lots of good memories.

One of my closest friend in the late 50s was a Detroit fan who idolized Kaline. We would incessantly argue about who was the better player. (Hindsight has given me a better perspective).

When I heard that Trader Lane had dealt Colavito to Detroit, I was sure it was for Kaline. I was shocked when all he could get was a punch-and-judy hitter (no real disrespect intended to Kuenn). To have Colavito AND Kaiine in Detroit was too much to bear and turned me off to Lane FOREVER!

I also remember reading an article about how upset Colavito was when Score took that shot off his face off the bat of Gil McDougal on May 5, 1957. I was listening to that game live in my bedroom and was stunned when I saw a "post-injury" picture of Score in the Sporting News the next week.

Speaking of the Sporting News, one more memory to share: After Colavito hit his four home runs, the newspaper had a picture with the outfielders superimposed in the grandstands to "catch" his homers.