Monday, November 15, 2010

Swoboda 26th?

The other night I watched MLB Network's Top 75 catches of all-time.
As with any list, there will be disagreements and discussion. That is what it is all about.
Of course, many great catches in MLB history weren't included since they occurred when there was no video. I'm sure Ty Cobb made some spectacular catches in the Tigers outfield but there is no film of it. So maybe it should be "The Top 75 Catches Of All-Time That We Have Footage Of."
While watching I predicted that Jim Edmonds catch, when he was with the Angels and dove with his back to the plate to grab a long drive would be number one. It was the best catch I've ever seen. That was number two on the list.
Willie Mays' catch against Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series was rated the top catch of all time. OK, I get it. It was in the World Series and we've seen the highlight a million times. I don't think it was the greatest catch ever. Willie even said that he made better catches in his career. If this particular catch was made in the regular season it probably wouldn't even have made the list. At least not at number one.
But the stunning selection to me was that Ron Swoboda's diving catch in rightfield on Brooks Robinson in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series was listed at 26 all-time. I think this has to be top 5 or even the best catch ever.
Top of the 9th at Shea, first and third, one out, Brooks Robinson lines a Tom Seaver pitch to right. Swoboda dives and makes an incredible backhanded stab. Frank Robinson scored from third on the Sac Fly but that tied the score at 1-1 with two outs and the Mets won in the 10th inning to take a 3-1 series advantage.
If Swoboda misses the ball, it rolls to the wall, two runs score, man on third with one out and Baltimore likely ties the series. Considering the catch itself and the circumstances I would call that a catch that should have been ranked much, much higher.
Here's one for you that I'm sure many people have forgotten or not even known about. When Swoboda was playing for the Yankees in the early 70's, he made a remarkable catch, maybe better than his World Series grab. On a fly ball to right, he went up against the low right field wall at the Original Yankee Stadium, jumped as high as he could in front of the 344-foot marker, and caught what would have been a home run. As he came down, falling into the stands, an usher bent over, braced himself against the back of the outfield wall and Swoboda landed on the usher and didn't tumble onto the cement in the first row. Great catch, and a great job by the usher to prevent Swoboda from injuring himself. Does anyone else remember that catch? I was watching on TV as a 10 or 11 year old and something tells me it was the first game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox. Anyone?
Hell, I think I might just try to look up Swoboda just to see if he even remembers. But I bet he recalls that amazing World Series catch.

1 comments:

  1. The catch at yankee stadium would not happen today. The usher and fans would want the ball before helping the player.

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