I had heard so little about Duke Snider in recent years that I thought he had already passed. The media had little interest in him even though he played in New York. Of course since the great Stan Musial is also ignored it's no surprise Snider was in his last years too. RIP
Brooklyn Honors Baseball Legend Duke Snider
The flag of Brooklyn flew at half mast Monday to commemorate the death of Brooklyn Dodgers legend Duke Snider, who died Sunday. He was 84.
Brooklyn borough President Marty Markowitz, who ordered the flag lowered, said in a statement that Snider was "one of the greatest baseball players ever."
<DIV =article-deion>
He said even though the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Snider's birthplace, Los Angeles â€" or "La-La Land" as Markowitz called it â€" Snider will always be an "honorary Brooklynite."
Snider, one of the "Boys of Summer," retired in 1964 and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980
Speaking on the Leonard Lopate Show after the publication of his autobiography "The Duke of Flatbush" in 2002, he described what went through his head while standing at the plate: "The game dictates your approach. Very seldom have I ever gone to the plate and thought about hitting a homerun and hit one," he said. "I swung hard in case they threw where I was swinging. And sometimes the pitchers threw right where I was swinging and I hit the ball hard."
He went on to discuss his transition from player to manager in the minor leagues and a rookie league.
(Full audio from that interview at the top page)
<DIV =article-bottom-tags>http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/feb/28/brooklyn-honors-baseball-legend-duke-snider/
Brooklyn Honors Baseball Legend Duke Snider
The flag of Brooklyn flew at half mast Monday to commemorate the death of Brooklyn Dodgers legend Duke Snider, who died Sunday. He was 84.
Brooklyn borough President Marty Markowitz, who ordered the flag lowered, said in a statement that Snider was "one of the greatest baseball players ever."
<DIV =article-deion>
He said even though the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Snider's birthplace, Los Angeles â€" or "La-La Land" as Markowitz called it â€" Snider will always be an "honorary Brooklynite."
Snider, one of the "Boys of Summer," retired in 1964 and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980
Speaking on the Leonard Lopate Show after the publication of his autobiography "The Duke of Flatbush" in 2002, he described what went through his head while standing at the plate: "The game dictates your approach. Very seldom have I ever gone to the plate and thought about hitting a homerun and hit one," he said. "I swung hard in case they threw where I was swinging. And sometimes the pitchers threw right where I was swinging and I hit the ball hard."
He went on to discuss his transition from player to manager in the minor leagues and a rookie league.
(Full audio from that interview at the top page)
<DIV =article-bottom-tags>http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/feb/28/brooklyn-honors-baseball-legend-duke-snider/