|
Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges (August 7, 1927 – January 27, 2015) was a middle infielder and third baseman with an 11-year career in American Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961. Bridges played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, and the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels of the American League. He also appeared occasionally in the outfield.〔Schudel, Matt (February 8, 2015) "A career bench warmer with a flair for repartee" ''The Washington Post'', page C8 ()〕 ==Playing career== Bridges was native Texan who attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California. He became a journeyman ball player who made his big-league debut in 1951 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. As a utility infielder, he backed up two future Hall of Famers, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson and as a result, saw little playing time.〔 Subsequently, he was traded to Cincinnati Reds and then eventually to the last place Washington Senators, where he obtained a starting position as a shortstop. In 1958, his first full season with the Senators, he was selected by New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel to the 1958 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, one of the few highlights of his career.〔 Bridges career continued until 1961, playing for several American League teams. His final career batting average was .247 with 16 home runs.〔 Despite his unimpressive career statistics, Bridges became a well known and respected ball player because of his hard work, hustle, spirit, and sense of humor. In 1964, Sports Illustrated described him as "...one of the best stand up comics in the history of baseball." 〔 Among his most famous quotes: "It took me that long to learn how to spell it." ''-- after being traded from the Cincinnati Reds, where he played for four years.'' 〔 "That surprised everybody. They were close to launching an investigation." ''-- after being selected to the 1958 All-Star Team.'' 〔 "I'm in the twilight of a mediocre career ....I've had more numbers on my back than a bingo board." -''-- after being traded to the Detroit Tigers.'' 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rocky Bridges」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|