After he lost his pinky toe in a hunting accident, several teams gave up on the race to sign North Carolina high school pitcher Jim Hunter. The Kansas City Athletics, however, signed Hunter for $75,000 on June 8, 1964. Club owner Charlie O. Finley gave him the nickname “Catfish” because he felt the nineteen-year-old needed a flashy nickname. He went on to become a member of five World Series championship teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
by the way, there’s what i think is a great Bob Dylan song. It’s dedicated to Catfish Hunter and has that summer heavy heat dragging through the song; brings the swamps to the baseball game. It’s always exciting when music and poetry holds hands with baseball.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyhj22_catfish-bob-dylan-rare_music
This is great! I feel like I should be sitting on a porch by the bayou, drinking a beer as I listen to this.
You’ve given me a great idea for later today! It will have to be a back porch overlooking a shopping mall parking lot, but there’s a clothes line and a big tree and the wind so with a few tilts of my head and eye squints and that song, the Bayou it will be.
Sounds like a wonderful way to spend an afternoon/evening. Hope it was as relaxing as it sounds!
There were some moments. I think I’ll do it again.