Sandy Koufax Day June 18 Dodger Stadium

[heyman25]

I was a baseball card collector as a kid growing up in Durham. During that time my favorite player and team during the 60's were the Los Angeles Dodgers. For Koufax fans tomorrow is Sandy Koufax statue unveiling day. Koufax was a good college basketball player at U of Cincinnati.
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/6/17...-koufax-statue

[MartyClark]

Sandy Koufax was my idol when I was a kid.

I saw him pitch in 1966 or 1967, late in the season at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs were, as usual, out of the pennant race and there wasn't a big crowd there.

The Cubs' starting pitcher was Ken Holtzman. Two left handed Jewish pitchers - remarkable.

[heyman25]

Sandy Koufax is a Legend and a national treasure.
https://dodgerblue.com/where-dodgers...um/2022/06/16/

Statue will be next to Jackie Robinson statue.
Dodger owners now own Chelsea Football club in UK.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/chelsea-...-wild-spending
Todd Boehly

[Stray Gator]

I was a baseball card collector as a kid growing up in Durham. During that time my favorite player and team during the 60's were the Los Angeles Dodgers. For Koufax fans tomorrow is Sandy Koufax statue unveiling day. Koufax was a good college basketball player at U of Cincinnati.
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/6/17...-koufax-statue

Koufax regularly attended the ACC Tourney when it was held in Greensboro and Charlotte back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Budwom and I would see him at breakfast every morning in the Marriott Courtyard, sitting off at a table by himself.

[cato]

Somehow, someway, my dad batted against Koufax. My dad didn’t play any sort of professional baseball (unlike his dad and uncle, who both played minor league ball), but he grew up playing, was the same age as Koufax and they both went to UC. Maybe there was a rec league? I don’t recall and can’t ask my dad any more, but I believe the story because Dad never pretended he got a hit.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

My dad grew up in Brooklyn not too far from Koufax and was roughly the same size as him, Jewish and a lefty. My dad was about six years younger, and he had three older brothers who were all 4+ years older than Koufax - the middle brother was an excellent baseball player but obviously nowhere near Koufax. Due to the age gaps, I don't think any of them knew Koufax.

My dad was the very rare baseball Giants fan in Brooklyn - Bobby Thomson's home run was shortly before he turned 10 and was the highlight of his youth as I'm sure he got a lot of grief the rest of the time. But he still was a huge Koufax fan, particularly since most of Koufax's best years were after the Dodgers left Brooklyn and the Giants were gone as well.

It is great that he is being honored - thank you for sharing. I am a Yankees fan but was impressed when I recently saw the new Tom Seaver statue at Citi Field - very well done. The Seaver statue was put up posthumously so it is nice that Koufax can see his.

[heyman25]

I had read about this place being a music scene motel. The Ramones,Blondie, the Clash, Iggy Pop all stayed there. I moved to LA in 1977 from Durham. The coffee shop was named Duke's Coffee Shop. Did not know Sandy Koufax owned it. I stayed there for a few days and shared the counter with the late Joey Ramone while eating at Duke's.
https://la.curbed.com/2014/6/3/10092...ropicana-motel

[mr. synellinden]

Sandy Koufax was my idol when I was a kid.

I saw him pitch in 1966 or 1967, late in the season at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs were, as usual, out of the pennant race and there wasn't a big crowd there.

The Cubs' starting pitcher was Ken Holtzman. Two left handed Jewish pitchers - remarkable.

It was definitely 1966 because he retired at the end of that season. I highly recommend Jane Leavy’s biography of Koufax which is centered on his perfect game in 1965 - against the Cubs. https://youtu.be/IcPAabNh_TA

[jv001]

A well-deserved honor for a great pitcher and a great human being. He was one of this Cardinal fan's favorite players.

[drhbre]

A great well deserved honor, but questionable choice of date. Koufax was appreciated for being Jewish and missing a World Series game for Yom Kippur. As one article said, it is certainly ironic to have this on the Sabbath when observant Jews can't attend. There may not be many that this apply to, but it still was not necessary.

[budwom]

Koufax regularly attended the ACC Tourney when it was held in Greensboro and Charlotte back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Budwom and I would see him at breakfast every morning in the Marriott Courtyard, sitting off at a table by himself.

we were all great elevator pals, along with Tommy Burleson who barely fit inside...Sandy was rumored to be a fan of Duke...he was certainly my idol when I was a kid, even saw him pitch in 1957 when he was a young pup and not yet a star.

[duke74]

A great well deserved honor, but questionable choice of date. Koufax was appreciated for being Jewish and missing a World Series game for Yom Kippur. As one article said, it is certainly ironic to have this on the Sabbath when observant Jews can't attend. There may not be many that this apply to, but it still was not necessary.

Well said.

[duke74]

I had read about this place being a music scene motel. The Ramones,Blondie, the Clash, Iggy Pop all stayed there. I moved to LA in 1977 from Durham. The coffee shop was named Duke's Coffee Shop. Did not know Sandy Koufax owned it. I stayed there for a few days and shared the counter with the late Joey Ramone while eating at Duke's.
https://la.curbed.com/2014/6/3/10092...ropicana-motel

Off topic (sorry), but the Ramones were from my little part of Queens - Forest Hills. A few years ago, a street near Forest Hills High School was renamed for them. (Ernie Grunfeld graduated from FHHS.)

[Music man55]

It was definitely 1966 because he retired at the end of that season. I highly recommend Jane Leavy’s biography of Koufax which is centered on his perfect game in 1965 - against the Cubs. https://youtu.be/IcPAabNh_TA

Read the book. Great book! I grew up a Dodger fan and still am. I remember Koufax well. Was an idol of mine when I played little league baseball. I remember the 1965 World Series when Koufax shut out the Twins in game seven 2-0 on two days rest. Oh, those were great days back then to be a kid, a baseball fan. What memories!

[wavedukefan70s]

[wavedukefan70s]

My late father and my son had many conversations about SK .
Jr took that number his entire career.

12 u pic

[Neals384]

I was also a huge Sandy Koufax fan. Somehow, I was able to pick up radio of Dodger home games from my home in the east. When it was Sandy's turn to pitch, I would lie awake in bed, listening and always falling asleep before he could complete yet another masterpiece.

[CameronDuke]

Is Sandy Koufax the best Jewish MLB player ever?

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Is Sandy Koufax the best Jewish MLB player ever?

Koufax and Hank Greenberg. Not sure who I would choose but I think they are 1 and 2.

[duke74]

Koufax and Hank Greenberg. Not sure who I would choose but I think they are 1 and 2.

Aren’t that many of us, but we have the first DH, I believe, Ron Blomberg. And as a Mets fan, don’t forget Art Shamsky.

Re: Blomberg, per Wikipedia, “through 2010, he was seventh all-time in career batting average (behind Hank Greenberg, Ryan Braun, Buddy Myer, Lou Boudreau, Phil Weintraub, and Kevin Youkilis) among Jewish major league baseball players.”