Bob Purkey, RIP

[GA Russell]

In 1976 I had a summer job working for MCI. I sold their long distance service at a time when no one had heard of them. I would call up businesses and give the presidents the pitch.

I spoke to four relatively famous people without knowing when I dialed that they were in charge:

Dagmar (late night TV personality)

Ralph Guglielmi (Notre Dame and St. Louis Cardinals quarterback)

Van McCoy (Do the Hustle! )

Bob Purkey (Cincinnati Reds pitcher)

I thought for sure that I had told this story, but I haven't found it, so I'll tell it now.

When I spoke with Bob Purkey, I mentioned to him that I remembered an article I read in Baseball Digest when I was a boy that went as follows: There was at that time a rule in MLB which prohibited a position player from pitching.

(The rule could be excused ahead of time for promotional purposes, when it would be advertised that a player would play all nine positions that game. I remember one of the Twins did that in the late 60s. I don't remember if the time Jose Canseco blew his arm out pitching was an example of that or not. Perhaps today the rule has been completed rescinded.)

Anyway, as the story went, the rule was established because the Giants manager Bill Rigney was tired of Willie Mays getting thrown at. He told the press one day that the next time the Giants face Bob Purkey, he was going to bring Mays in from center field to pitch to him.

Purkey acted a little insulted or indignant, and said that he had never deliberately thrown at anybody, and he did not acknowledge ever hearing that story!

Bob Purkey was one of my favorite National Leaguers when I was a boy, so it was a very pleasant surprise for me to speak with him. I had his bubble gum card in 1959 and 1960 when he was with the Reds. The obit says that his best year was 1962, but as I recall he also had a great year in '61 when he led the Reds to the pennant.

Purkey died Sunday. Here's his AP obituary from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/20...rkey-obit_N.htm

Bob Purkey, pitcher for Reds, Pirates, dies at 78 document.write(niceDate('3/19/2008 1:28

Bob Purkey, pitcher for Reds, Pirates, dies at 78

BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) — Bob Purkey, a Major League pitcher who played in three All Star games and one World Series with the Cincinnati Reds, has died. He was 78. Purkey, of Bethel Park, died Sunday, according to the Paul L. Henney Funeral Home in Bethel Park.

Purkey pitched for 13 seasons, from 1954-1966, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. He compiled a 129-115 career record with a 3.79 ERA.

He spent four seasons with the Pirates before moving onto the Reds, for whom he appeared in three All-Star Games (1958, 1961, 1962) and the 1961 World Series.

In the '61 series, Purkey pitched a complete Game 3, which the Yankees won, 3-2. He was used in relief later in the series and had an ERA of 1.64 over 11 innings. The Yankees won the series three games to one.

Purkey's best season was in 1962, when he was 23-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 18 complete games.

Purkey was 103-76 in 217 starts over seven seasons with the Cincinnati (1958-64) and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1974. The Reds planned to honor Purkey with a moment of silence before Tuesday's game against the Pirates at the Reds spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla.

After baseball, Purkey started an insurance agency, which he owned for more than 30 years until he retired. He also raised money for charities and was involved with the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Association.

Purkey is survived by his daughter, Candy Holland, and was preceded in death by his wife, Joan, and their son, Bobby Jr.

edit to fix copying problems

Edited March 19, 2008 by GA Russell

[Dave James]

Although I've been a Yankee's fan forever, in the late '50's and early '60's, my National League team was the Reds, or Redlegs as they were more commonly known then. I still have baseball cards from the 1959 Topps series of all the Reds players including Bob Purkey. He was one of those B list guys who was still a terrific pitcher. Guys now would kill for his ERA.

BTW, the Minnesota Twin who played all nine positions was (and I'm sure I'm butchering the spelling) Zoilo Versalies.

Up over and out.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Dave James