First, all
honor to Mickey Lolich, who died two days ago and is fondly
remembered—especially by Detroit Tigers fans—for his three gutsy complete-game
victories in the 1968 Fall Classic against the formidable St. Louis Cardinals.
The
lefthander’s wry comment on how uncharitable—heck, merciless—some fans could be
about his weight reminded me of an incident I witnessed with another baseball
player. In 15 seasons in the big
leagues, John Mayberry clubbed 255 homers and drove in 879 RBIs,
reaching a peak of 34 HRs in 1975 and another 30 as late as 1980.
By 1982, however, the slugging first baseman’s glory days were behind him. Midway through the season, the Toronto Blue Jays shipped him off to the New York Yankees.
Any hope that the short right-field fence at Yankee Stadium would
revive his power proved short-lived, as he hit only eight HRs and, worse,
recorded a miserable .209 batting average with the Bronx Bombers.
Why did
his numbers decline? Was it the natural consequence of nagging injuries over
the years, the slower bat speed that players often encounter with
age, or something elsw?
Some had a
simple, nasty explanation: his weight. Lolich claimed that during his
career, he carried 220 pounds on a 6-ft.-1-in. frame, though some believe that
weight was an underestimate.
As for
Mayberry: the Baseball Almanac lists his measurements as 6-ft.-3-in., 215
pounds. Other sources note that he’d added five pounds by the time he got to
the Yankees, and Blue Jays fan Tom Dakers in a 2016 post on the “Blue Birds Banter” blog claimed that he’d reached 230 pounds north of the border.
That
summer with the Yankees—Mayberry’s last in professional baseball—I attended a Yankee
game in the mezzanine section with a close relative. Mayberry was in the middle
of his prolonged offensive struggle. Each time he flailed and floundered at the
plate, we could hear a voice behind us raining down insults, each a variation
on “You stink!”
At last, late
in the game, with Mayberry striking out again, that voice reached a crescendo
in vituperation: “HEY MAYBERRY, IF YOU COULD ONLY BAT YOUR WEIGHT, YOU’D BE THE
BIGGEST THING SINCE TY COBB!” (Ty Cobb, be it noted, had a lifetime batting
average of .367.)
“I’ve got to see who this guy is!” my relative said. Turning around, we were surprised to see, several rows behind us, a fellow graduate of our high school.
He laughed
when he noticed us, and we agreed that it was lucky for him that he was so high
up in the stands, rather than closer to the field where Mayberry might have
taken serious exception to the abuse.
An ideal “five-tool”
player is blessed with a consistent ability to hit for average, bang home runs,
run the bases with speed, play elite defense, and possess a strong, accurate
arm. Notice that “rabbit ears” is not part of this skill set, particularly when
it comes to weight.
I have no
idea how Mayberry felt about such taunts, but fortunately, Lolich took it all
in stride. I hope that he is enjoying as many delicious donuts as he likes in
Heaven now—and not gaining an ounce.
