Talk about a full count. Conrado "Connie" Marrero's birthday cake would have needed 102 candles on it Thursday. Marrero, an ex-Washington Senators pitcher from 1950-1954, is the oldest living former Major League Baseball player.
There were no candles on his cake, but Marrero chomped on a cigar to celebrate. He wore a Cuba T-shirt fashioned like a Chicago Cubs logo and a Washington Nationals cap. Marrero, a one-time All-Star, has lived in the same apartment in Cuba for about 60 years, according to an MLB.com story by Doug Miller.
Marrero was best known as a lovable character of the game, a man who came from pre-revolution Cuba and didn't make it to the big leagues until he was 39. He won 11 games two years in a row, and he was on the American League roster for the 1951 Midsummer Classic, although he didn't pitch, having worked the day before. He had a windmill windup and he was known to enjoy a cigar or two.
Kit Krieger, a Society of American Baseball Research member, is a friend of Marrero's and one of his links to the game. He even convinced former players such as Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Bob Feller to write letters to Marrero.
Krieger said Marrero's sight is gone, but his mind is as sharp as ever. Marrero can remember intricate in-game details from more than 50 years ago with ease. He's even corrected Krieger on the score of a game.
How does he do it, even at the age of 102?
"I always ask him how he remembers these things, because it just amazes me," Krieger said.
"He says, 'When you live inside of baseball, it's easy.'"
All these years and the fountain of youth was actually inside a baseball, huh?
Baseball is back. Don't miss anything.
Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.
No comments:
Post a Comment