David Bruce

The Most Interesting People in Sports David Bruce

This book contains 250 anecdotes, including these:1) Major-league umpire Jocko Conlan had enormous respect for hitter Ted Williams. In Minneapolis, in the last of the ninth inning, Mr. Williams came to bat with two outs and his team down by one run, with the bases loaded. It was an exciting game, and Mr. Conlan ended it by calling a third strike on Mr. Williams. Of course, Mr. Williams' third-base coach, Donie Bush, came running in, screaming that the ball had been thrown at Mr. Williams' ankles and should have been called a ball. At this point, Mr. Williams said, "No, Donie, it was a good pitch. It was a perfect strike, right at the knees. I should have hit it." Mr. Conlan says, "I could have thrown my arms around him. I walked off the field and I thought, 'What a man this is.' I never had anyone else in my career do anything like that." 2) In 1984, after Boston Celtics great Larry Bird won his second NBA Championship, he did a notable deed. Equipment manager Walter Randall had been with the Celtics since the 1949-1950 season-the very first NBA season. However, equipment managers don't get championship rings-that is, until Mr. Bird bought one for Mr. Randall. The ring made Mr. Randall, who died of cancer the following season, very happy. 3) Beach volleyballers often dive in the sand to prevent a point by the other team. The best volleyballers, such as Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, sometimes have sand on their lips but not in their mouths. Ms. May-Treanor explains, "You have to dive with your mouth closed. If you do, it saves on the dental work."