Buffalo's Best Male Athlete (hint: he was a Brave)

[Knucksie]

It is with great pride that the greatest LH pitcher in Braves history comes from my hometown. Nope, not Glavine. Warren Spahn, deservedly considered the greatest male athlete to come from Western New York.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/buffalos-best-mens-no-1-warren-spahn-20160228

Career overview: They have been playing major-league baseball for 140 years, and no left-handed pitcher has more victories than the 363 earned by Buffalo’s Spahn. He’s the sixth-winningest pitcher overall. He’s the winningest pitcher, righty or lefty, since 1930. We’re just getting started. Spahn had 20 or more wins in 13 seasons. Only Cy Young had more. Spahn had 63 shutouts, the sixth most ever. Few baseball players ever have had Spahn’s staying power. He didn’t win his first game until age 25 in 1946, but he was effective almost to his final year, 1965. From age 36 to 40, five straight seasons, he led or tied for the National League lead in wins, with 20 or more in each. He threw a no-hitter at age 39, then threw another at age 40. At age 42, he went 23-7 with a 2.60 earned run average. He led the NL in complete games seven straight years, from ages 36 to 42. He was a pretty good hitter, too. He holds the record for career home runs by a pitcher (35). He won one Cy Young Award, pitched in three World Series and made the All-Star Game in 14 seasons. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

 

[DaneHill]

Interesting, and almost inconceivable in today's game to rack up those kinds of stats for a pitcher. Surprised he's not more celebrated. And shocked that he didn't appear to be a first ballot HOFer?? Unless the wait period was longer than 5 years back then.

 

[clvclv]

Interesting, and almost inconceivable in today's game to rack up those kinds of stats for a pitcher. Surprised he's not more celebrated. And shocked that he didn't appear to be a first ballot HOFer?? Unless the wait period was longer than 5 years back then.

He's actually quite celebrated - you just have to be around "old-timers" to notice it. And I mean quite old - I'm a young almost 47 compared to the ones I'm talking about. I can remember being taught what "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" meant by my Grandfather and former All-Star Smoky Burgess when I was like 6 years old. I've got a friend who happens to be big buddies with Gaylord Perry, and the few times I've been lucky enough to talk to Gaylord he's told me that Spahnie's name and exploits come up all the time when he's at HOF functions.

 

[rico43]

Favorite Spahn story is this:

It seems Donald Davidson, the Braves' legendary traveling secretary, had the Braves staying in a Cincinnati hotel that had offices on lower floors, rooms up higher. Davidson, Spahn and Burdette were on an elevator together fairly late one night. The players punched No. 17, and the 4-foot-1 Davidson, who couldn't reach that high said, "Punch 26 for me." Not ones to miss that kind of opportunity to pull off a practical joke, they said, "Punch it yourself, you little ---," and exited laughing.

Apparently, the elevator made numerous ups and downs before finally getting to the lobby, where the irate Davidson got a bellman to rescue him. The Braves were in another hotel the next time they played in Cincinnati.

 

[JohnAdcox]

He's actually quite celebrated - you just have to be around "old-timers" to notice it. And I mean quite old - I'm a young almost 47 compared to the ones I'm talking about. I can remember being taught what "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" meant by my Grandfather and former All-Star Smoky Burgess when I was like 6 years old. I've got a friend who happens to be big buddies with Gaylord Perry, and the few times I've been lucky enough to talk to Gaylord he's told me that Spahnie's name and exploits come up all the time when he's at HOF functions.

This. My late father used to talk about him all the time, and went down to see the statue unveiled. I was too stupid to take a few hours off to go with him, a mistake I still regret. (I honestly can't remember the reason ... something must have seemed important at the time. Life lesson there.)