Vida Blue Passes Away

[50PoundHead]

A staple of the early-1970s A's dynasty and one of the more exciting players to hit the scene in that era. Game was a lot diffrerent then, but Blue was truly something. His 1971 Cy Young/MVP season ranks among one of the best by a pitcher in the modern era and he would have been ROY if not for a smattering of innings over the two previous seasons. High-effort delivery that led to some arm problems and there were days one couldn't tell where the ball was going when it came out of his hand, but he was fun to watch.

 

[GovClintonTyree]

Mostly he was just great, especially when he was young. The 1971 season was one for the ages. One of the things I liked best was that he got all messed up with cocaine but found his way out and had a few good seasons with the Giants before he hung ‘‘em up. RIP Vida, and I’m glad when Charlie tried to hang “True” on you it didn’t take.

 

[50PoundHead]

Great article on Blue from today's NY Times. In an oblique way, it really does point out the differences in the game from then to now.

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/...2455&user_id=86508395a37c008d414605b99c2984fb