Spahn And Sain And Pray For Rain

[BobC]

Originally Posted by gonefishin

Glad to a post that contains Spahn. You talk about No Hobby Love - this is one of the best examples out there. Here is a fact -

WARREN SPAHN IS THE WINNINGEST LEFT HANDER PITCHER ALL TIME!

Yes he is, and number 5 all time regardless of how you throw the ball.

Others argue, Koufax etc., but this is undeniable - if the GOAT is by wins - Warren Spahn is the best left handed pitcher ever!

Maybe it was his personality, maybe it was because he was from Oklahoma (although Mantle was), who knows. If you don't own his 1948 Bowman, purchase it now as he will remain the winningest left handed pitcher to ever play the game.

Here is an autographed orginal score card from his 300th win. Enjoy!

So true. And that is after Spahn missing probably over three years of his career at his prime because of WW II. Just think if he had those 3+ years back and didn't lose them to war service. Pretty easily talking 400+ wins, and now he's in the stratosphere with only Wajo and Cy. Here's a guy who pitched primarily after integration, and before expansion, so you can't readily throw those arguments against him either.

[Volod]

Originally Posted by BobC

So true. And that is after Spahn missing probably over three years of his career at his prime because of WW II. Just think if he had those 3+ years back and didn't lose them to war service. Pretty easily talking 400+ wins, and now he's in the stratosphere with only Wajo and Cy. Here's a guy who pitched primarily after integration, and before expansion, so you can't readily throw those arguments against him either.

Spahn reached the major leagues in 1942 at the age of 20.[1] He clashed with Braves manager Casey Stengel, who sent him to the minors after Spahn refused to throw at Brooklyn Dodger batter Pee Wee Reese in an exhibition game.[8] Spahn had pitched in only 4 games, allowing 15 runs (10 earned) in 15+2⁄3 innings.

Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made: I said "no guts" to a kid who went on to become a war hero and one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers you ever saw. You can't say I don't miss 'em when I miss 'em. The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. Spahn was reunited with his first manager 23 years later, for the even more woeful last-place New York Mets, and—referring to Stengel's success with the 1949–60 New York Yankees—later quipped, "I'm probably the only guy who played for Casey before and after he was a genius."[9]

Spahn finished the 1942 season with a 17–12 record for the Hartford Bees of the Class-A Eastern League

World War II
Along with many other major leaguers, Spahn chose to enlist in the United States Army, after finishing the 1942 season in the minors. He served with distinction, and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.[10][2][9] He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Ludendorff Bridge as a combat engineer, and was awarded a battlefield commission.[2][9]

[Pat R]

Pulled this back in 2003 from a pack of Topps fan favorites.

img250.jpg

[mortimer brewster]

Warren Spahn is the greatest athlete to come out of my home town, Buffalo New York.

There was a poll a few years back in the local media, who is the greatest athlete to come out of the Buffalo area and the winner was Patrick Kane the hockey player.

Sadly many sports fans don't have an appreciation for history. Local sports talk only care what happened in the 21st century. They stay focused on the here and now. Fantasy and gambling.....

Spahn was also handicapped by not playing on a high profile team for most of his career and being somewhat overshadowed by a teammate that became an all-time great.

Could you imagine if he played the bulk of his career with the Yankees or Dodgers.

I purchased this card in the late 1970's. I always meant to upgrade it. It hurts my eyes when I look at it.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

This isn't mine but I've seen them In auctions before. Super cool rain gauge. I'm sure some members have one! Watch out though I think many are not original.

That is a cool piece.

Here is the full quote:

Boston Post (09-14-1948)
First we’ll use Spahn
then we’ll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.
https://thisdayinbaseball.com/spahn-...pray-for-rain/

"Fun Facts"
Warren Spahn once commented, "Guys who were kids forty years ago learned it as a nursery rhyme. Now they meet me and say, 'Oh, you're that Spahn.'"

Why did Gerald Hern write the poem? He had heard Billy Southworth, manager of the Boston Braves, say, "From here on I will rotate my pitching staff. Spahn one day, Sain the next."

Did you know that while the two immortalized teammates were on the team together they combined to win two-hundred twelve games?

[gonefishin]

The front cover of Sport Magazine 1964 which contained an article: Is Warren Spahn the best ever?

Seems he is still in the discussion!

[JollyElm]

It's strange, because the adage "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" is easily misconstrued if you don't know the background of it. In a vacuum, it seems it's the competition bemoaning the Braves staff. In other words, with Spahn and Sain being so great, they pray for rain so they don't have to face yet another unbeatable Boston hurler. The fact the quote refers to the team basically saying THEY themselves have nothing but Spahn and Sain, has always struck me as odd. Kind of a backhanded compliment?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by BobC

So true. And that is after Spahn missing probably over three years of his career at his prime because of WW II. Just think if he had those 3+ years back and didn't lose them to war service. Pretty easily talking 400+ wins, and now he's in the stratosphere with only Wajo and Cy. Here's a guy who pitched primarily after integration, and before expansion, so you can't readily throw those arguments against him either.

Hard to call it his prime when he'd only had an unsuccessful cup of coffee before his service. Maybe he was a late bloomer, there's too many ifs to quantify his missed years.

Did it cost him some kind of counting numbers? Most likely. but it's not like Ted Williams or Pee Wee Reese or some other established player that has a baseline of numbers that you can extrapolate.

[71buc]

The full ticket is for the Game he became the all time wins leader for left handed pitchers.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Hard to call it his prime when he'd only had an unsuccessful cup of coffee before his service. Maybe he was a late bloomer, there's too many ifs to quantify his missed years.

Did it cost him some kind of counting numbers? Most likely. but it's not like Ted Williams or Pee Wee Reese or some other established player that has a baseline of numbers that you can extrapolate.

I don't think so, not when you look at how well he did in the minors after getting sent down by Stengel, and then again looking at how well he did right out of the gate after getting out of the service and back to pitching in the majors. He seems to have been on somewhat of a par with Felller in that he was good right from the start, and/or it didn't take him long to get really good. I would find it extremely hard to believe that had he not gone off to the war that he would have floundered in the majors all those missing years. With 363 victories in his career, he was only 37 short of 400 wins. Assuming he missed just 3 years due to the war, that means he would have only needed to average 12-13 wins for each of those three seasons to reach 400 wins. Starting in 1947, Spahn had 17 straight seasons where he topped that and never had less than 14 wins.

[Volod]

Originally Posted by BobC

I don't think so, not when you look at how well he did in the minors after getting sent down by Stengel, and then again looking at how well he did right out of the gate after getting out of the service and back to pitching in the majors. He seems to have been on somewhat of a par with Felller in that he was good right from the start, and/or it didn't take him long to get really good. I would find it extremely hard to believe that had he not gone off to the war that he would have floundered in the majors all those missing years. With 363 victories in his career, he was only 37 short of 400 wins. Assuming he missed just 3 years due to the war, that means he would have only needed to average 12-13 wins for each of those three seasons to reach 400 wins. Starting in 1947, Spahn had 17 straight seasons where he topped that and never had less than 14 wins.

These cherry picked stats might give some insight into what Spahn could have done during the war years.