Quote:
Originally Posted by Exhibitman
I had a lunch with Don Newcombe some years ago (I did a write-up of what he told me here) and one thing that stuck with me was that he was adamant that being locked out of the majors cost him a shot at the HOF. He was stuck in the minors for what he felt was two unnecessary seasons because the Dodgers flat out told him that they were bringing up black ballplayers one at a time and he had to wait for the other guys they brought up first. He thought that had he been allowed to go to 'organized' baseball without the racism he'd have won over 200 games and had probably another 1-2 20 game winning seasons. That said, he also would admit that he drank himself out of the majors by age 34.
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Don Newcombe was a star. Being a Dodgers fan, I saw him pitch on 2 occasions. He was overpowering on the mound, a hulking presence which must have been terrifying for the batters. And he was a great hitter to boot. The Dodgers sometimes you used him as a pinch hitter.