Baseball Deaths: Danny Ozark and Dom DiMaggio

[Benjamin Grimm]

Former Phillies manager Danny Ozark was 85.

The Red Sox Clipper was 92.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Dom DiMaggio? That was a guy I would never had guessed was still alive. On second thought he was in that Halberstam book.

Uszeless info dept: The 1973 Danny Ozark baseball card is one of the first cards I have distict memories of.

[HahnSolo]

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":1yr752cp] Uszeless info dept: The 1973 Danny Ozark baseball card is one of the first cards I have distict memories of.[/quote:1yr752cp] Good lord this is scary. That is the first thought I had when I heard about his death, though I couldn't remember the exact year.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2009 07:54 AM

Bad week for guys named Dom, as we lose both DeLuise and DiMaggio within days of each other.

Edgy DC May 08 2009 07:56 AM

Drink a glass of Dom Perignon to both of 'em. There will never be a set like 1973, will there? OE: Ray Ripplemeyer is still out there coaching.

metirish May 08 2009 08:02 AM

How good was Dom DiMaggio? , did he play in his brothers shadow? EDIT - I guess he was pretty darn good.... Dom DiMaggio of the Boston Red Sox, left, and his brother Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees are shown, in this July 12, 1949 file photo. Dom DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history died at the age of 92.

Edgy DC May 08 2009 08:06 AM

The 1974 set coolly gives brief bios of the coaches on the back. But then commit the cardinal art designer sin of cutting everybody's head off at the neck. Ugh.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2009 08:09 AM

I wonder how many people who see those cards are confused by the reference to number of years in "O.B."? I know that it means "organized ball" but would that have been general knowledge? Would it have been more comprehensible then than now?

HahnSolo May 08 2009 08:13 AM

Looking at that '74 Ozark card, would anybody have guessed that guy had 35 years left in him? And nice shot of Ebbets Field in that Dimaggio photo.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 08 2009 08:15 AM

I was gonna remark on that. O.B. was a Sporting News abbreviation, and obviously TSN had greater power back then.

metsguyinmichigan May 08 2009 08:19 AM

Topps had an amazing run from 1971 to 1974. I love it when you guys create modern versions of those cards for the player of the month threads.

Edgy DC May 08 2009 08:21 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 08 2009 08:49 AM

The funny thing is that Ozark gives Topps the same exact pose at the same exact angle in both years. The background is different, and he's got a turtleneck undershirt in one, but they're otherwise the same right down to the baby blue uniform and the shadow of his bill across the forehead.

Frayed Knot May 08 2009 08:42 AM

]How good was Dom DiMaggio? , did he play in his brothers shadow? Quite good - particularly defensively from what I hear. But, yes, he obviously was eclipsed on the field to a large extent by Joe (although he was a much better person from all accounts). On the other hand, Dom had it all over brother Vince. Plus there was at least one more DiMaggio brother who never played.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2009 08:47 AM

You mean, Gummo?

G-Fafif May 08 2009 08:48 AM

Strangely, first thing that occurred to me (after his '73 card) was "one of Walter Alston's coaches." I wonder if Ozark had hung in there a little longer in L.A. if he would have gotten the big job over Lasorda. Probably not as I get the sense Lasorda would shiv anybody who gets in his way. I seem to recall him being let go in Philly despite a fine track record because the clubhouse was considered that of a country club. Dallas Green was uberjerk and that was what you needed to win in Philly. Charlie Manuel must have more of that going than we realize. The definitive sports blog for people who root for teams that play in South Philadelphia explained Ozark to its younger readers as such: imagine Andy Reid being replaced and the Eagles winning the Super Bowl -- that was Ozark's role with the Phillies. How adorable they had to spell it out with football.

Edgy DC May 08 2009 08:54 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 08 2009 09:06 AM

Phillies and their fans misinterpret 1980 all the time. Even Mike Schmidt would say stuff like "Pete Rose taught us how to be winners." You were winning for five years. You were on the way to becoming the best thirdbaseman ever. You had the best sophomore season after the worst rookie year of any great player. A singles-hitting firstbaseman did not put you over the top.

Centerfield May 08 2009 08:58 AM

="metsguyinmichigan":32cwmem1]Topps had an amazing run from 1971 to 1974. I love it when you guys create modern versions of those cards for the player of the month threads.[/quote:32cwmem1] I'm convinced that this phenomenon is a direct result of the age you are when these cards come out. I have an illogical love for Topps cards years 84-86. G-Fafif May 08 2009 09:01 AM Rose came over in '79 and they went into the toilet (not to be confused with the septic tank where the Mets were then). Funny how Pete kept that winning formula under wraps for a year.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Bad week for guys named Dom, as we lose both DeLuise and DiMaggio within days of each other.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Drink a glass of Dom Perignon to both of 'em.

There will never be a set like 1973, will there?




OE: Ray Ripplemeyer is still out there coaching.

[metirish]

How good was Dom DiMaggio? , did he play in his brothers shadow?




EDIT - I guess he was pretty darn good....

Dom DiMaggio of the Boston Red Sox, left, and his brother Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees are shown, in this July 12, 1949 file photo. Dom DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history died at the age of 92.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The 1974 set coolly gives brief bios of the coaches on the back.



But then commit the cardinal art designer sin of cutting everybody's head off at the neck. Ugh.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I wonder how many people who see those cards are confused by the reference to number of years in "O.B."?

I know that it means "organized ball" but would that have been general knowledge? Would it have been more comprehensible then than now?

[HahnSolo]

Looking at that '74 Ozark card, would anybody have guessed that guy had 35 years left in him?

And nice shot of Ebbets Field in that Dimaggio photo.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I was gonna remark on that. O.B. was a Sporting News abbreviation, and obviously TSN had greater power back then.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Topps had an amazing run from 1971 to 1974.

I love it when you guys create modern versions of those cards for the player of the month threads.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The funny thing is that Ozark gives Topps the same exact pose at the same exact angle in both years. The background is different, and he's got a turtleneck undershirt in one, but they're otherwise the same right down to the baby blue uniform and the shadow of his bill across the forehead.

[Frayed Knot]

]How good was Dom DiMaggio? , did he play in his brothers shadow?

Quite good - particularly defensively from what I hear.
But, yes, he obviously was eclipsed on the field to a large extent by Joe (although he was a much better person from all accounts).

On the other hand, Dom had it all over brother Vince. Plus there was at least one more DiMaggio brother who never played.

[Benjamin Grimm]

You mean, Gummo?

[G-Fafif]

Strangely, first thing that occurred to me (after his '73 card) was "one of Walter Alston's coaches." I wonder if Ozark had hung in there a little longer in L.A. if he would have gotten the big job over Lasorda. Probably not as I get the sense Lasorda would shiv anybody who gets in his way.

I seem to recall him being let go in Philly despite a fine track record because the clubhouse was considered that of a country club. Dallas Green was uberjerk and that was what you needed to win in Philly. Charlie Manuel must have more of that going than we realize.

The definitive sports blog for people who root for teams that play in South Philadelphia explained Ozark to its younger readers as such: imagine Andy Reid being replaced and the Eagles winning the Super Bowl -- that was Ozark's role with the Phillies. How adorable they had to spell it out with football.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Phillies and their fans misinterpret 1980 all the time. Even Mike Schmidt would say stuff like "Pete Rose taught us how to be winners."

You were winning for five years. You were on the way to becoming the best thirdbaseman ever. You had the best sophomore season after the worst rookie year of any great player. A singles-hitting firstbaseman did not put you over the top.

[Centerfield]

="metsguyinmichigan":32cwmem1]Topps had an amazing run from 1971 to 1974. I love it when you guys create modern versions of those cards for the player of the month threads.[/quote:32cwmem1] I'm convinced that this phenomenon is a direct result of the age you are when these cards come out. I have an illogical love for Topps cards years 84-86.

G-Fafif May 08 2009 09:01 AM

Rose came over in '79 and they went into the toilet (not to be confused with the septic tank where the Mets were then). Funny how Pete kept that winning formula under wraps for a year.

[G-Fafif]

Rose came over in '79 and they went into the toilet (not to be confused with the septic tank where the Mets were then). Funny how Pete kept that winning formula under wraps for a year.