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The Passing of a “Baseball Original”: Jimmy Piersall, June 4, 2017
“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going nuts. Who ever heard of Jimmy Piersall, until that happened?” –Jimmy Piersall
“Don’t blame me for Jay Johnstone…he was crazy before he met me!” –Jimmy Piersall speaking of his roommate, rookie Jay Johnstone.
Harry Caray: “Jimmy, you’re crazy. Did you take your pills today?” Piersall: “That’s right, I’m crazy…and I’ve got the papers to prove it!” –Exchange between Harry Caray and on-air partner Jimmy Piersall
“My biggest mistake was not firing Jimmy Piersall before the first day of the 1981 season.” -Jerry Reinsdorf
Yesterday was a sad day in baseball circles, as the game lost one of its truly unique personalities: Former ball player, the colorful, volatile Jimmy Piersall, passed away at age 87 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Jimmy played 17 seasons in the major leagues (1950-57) for the Red Sox (1950, 1952-58), Indians (1959-61), Senators (1962-63), Mets (1963), and Angels (1963-67). Over his career, Jimmy batted .272, with 104 home runs, and 581 RBIs. He was a two-time All-star (1954 and ’56), and a two-time Gold Glove winner (1958 and ’61). A fine defensive outfielder known for playing extremely shallow, Ted Williams called him the best centerfielder he ever saw. His career .99022 career fielding percentage was actually higher than Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio.
Piersall’s best year was 1956 when he posted a league-leading 40 doubles, scored 91 runs, drove in 87, and had a .293 batting average. The following year, he hit 19 home runs and scored 103 runs. He won a Gold Glove Award in 1958. His highest average was .322 in 1961.
Piersall is best remembered for his out-spoken, off-the-wall personality, and his self-deprecating humor. Never one to demonstrate large amounts of tact, Jimmy was willing to say whatever popped into his head. He was also known for his on-field antics and confrontations with teammates, opponents, fans, umpires, even players’ wives. His well-publicized battle with bipolar disorder and subsequent nervous breakdown became the subject of the movie Fear Strikes Out. Quite appropriately, he was portrayed by Anthony Perkins, the actor who played “Norman Bates” in the movie Psycho.
Just a small sampling of Jimmy’s well-known “extra-curriculars”:
- On May 24, 1952, Piersall engaged in a fistfight with Yankee infielder Billy Martin. Following the brawl, Piersall also scuffled with teammate Mickey McDermott in the Red Sox clubhouse.
- He once spanked the four-year-old son of teammate Vern Stephens in the Red Sox clubhouse during a game.
- He once acknowledged a teammate’s home run by spraying a water pistol on home plate.
- He once stepped up to bat wearing a Beatles wig and playing “air guitar” on his bat, and led cheers for himself in the outfield during breaks in play.
- He once attempted to choke a Chicago sportswriter, and had confrontations with Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. He also got into it with Mike Veeck, son of White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, after ripping Bill Veeck’s wife on air as a “colossal bore.”
- He lost his gig as a White Sox color commentator when he referred to White Sox wives as “a bunch of horney broads,” and for his excessive on-air criticism of team management.
- He was known to “talk” to Babe Ruth behind the center field monuments at Yankee Stadium. Once, after catching the final out of the second game of a double header at Comiskey Park, he whirled around and threw the ball at the White Sox’ scoreboard.
- He was once ejected from a game after running back and forth in the outfield while Ted Williams was at bat, hoping to distract him.
- During a September 10, 1961 doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Piersall was accosted on the field by two fans, one he punched and attempted to kick the other.
- One of his more memorable antics occurred while with the Mets on June 23, 1963, in a game against the Phillies. Jimmy hit the 100th home run of his career off Dallas Green. He proceeded to run around the bases backward.
- While a Cub minor league outfield instructor, he told a Tribune exec that he was “just a pencil pusher” with no baseball knowledge. He was subsequently fired.
Jimmy Piersall never regretted his outrageous, off-the-wall remarks and often “doubled-down” on them. You never knew what would come out of his mouth next…and neither did he. Jimmy was an equal-opportunity offender, while possessing equal-opportunity honesty. He was adept at “biting the hand that fed him,” with outspoken criticism of management when he thought it was necessary. It usually cost him his job.
But in an age of political correctness and bland baseball coverage with little-to-no real criticism, Jimmy Piersall can be viewed as a refreshing, one-of-a-kind baseball original – a throw-back to an earlier age – who was always willing to speak the truth…or at least Jimmy’s version of the truth. We will likely never see his likes again.
On September 17, 2010, Jimmy Piersall was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Gary Livacari
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Photo Credits: All from Google search
Information: Excerpts edited from the Jimmy Piersall Wikipedia page; and from tributes to Jimmy Piersall from today’s Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times
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