RIP Luis Tiant, one of my all-time favorites, who died last week. His famous pitching motion was famously described by the superb Roger Angell:
1. Call the Osteopath: In mid-pitch, the man suffers an agonizing seizure in the central cervical region, which he attempts to fight off with a sharp backward twist of the head.
2. Out of the Woodshed: Just before releasing the ball, he steps over a raised sill and simultaneously ducks his head to avoid conking it on the low door frame.
3. The Runaway Taxi: Before the pivot, he sees a vehicle bearing down on him at top speed, and pulls back his entire upper body just in time to avoid a nasty accident.
4. Falling Off the Fence: An attack of vertigo nearly causes him to topple over backward on the mound. Strongly suggests a careless dude on the top rung of the corral.
5. The Slipper-Kick: In mid-pitch, he surprisingly decides to get rid of his left shoe.
6. The Low-Flying Plane (a subtle development and amalgam of 1, 3, and 4, above): While he is pivoting, an F-105 buzzes the ballpark, passing over the infield from the third-base to the first-base side at a height of eighty feet. He follows it all the way with his eyes.
3 Comments on “RIP El Tiante”
Good day to all.
Greetings!
I am old enough to remember watching Luis Tiant pitch. Great pitcher, with an unusual way of throwing. He was always entertaining to watch.
Create a good day!
I don’t follow baseball so don’t know of Luis Tiante, but sounds like he was a great player and very memorable. He lived a long life.
I do remember Quacky Baseball. I believe I was at my last elementary school library assignment when it came out. We had at least two bookfairs per year and I’m sure this was among the selections.
It is not baseball park day but dog park day and I’ll be taking the pooches for their weekly romp soon. It’s already 79 and will peak at 85 today so nothing done in the yard until after 5pm when the temps drop to below 80. It’s also collection day so I’ll need my bins to be empty to be refilled with pruned greens from the yard and cardboard from deliveries.
It is Vet Nurse day. I know my vet has some outstanding nurses on staff. They love their jobs and all of their patients.
It is National Sausage Pizza day for those so inclined. I prefer pepperoni or just a plain margarita.
It is also World Egg day. A versatile, sustainable, affordable protein that can be available to all. (Except some dog owners that can’t have chickens at the moment.)