Last week, I mentioned Warren Spahn and some of his career achievements. That mention resulted in two emails – – separated by about 15 minutes – – from the “reader in Houston” that I want to share this morning.
- “Spahnie also was never on the MLB disabled/injury list and missed three prime-age seasons from ages 22-24 due to military service.
- “However, his only time on any injury list was when he was wounded at the famous bridge at Remagen over the Rhine River.
- “My uncle and he were combat engineers with the 276th Combat Engineers who worked on bridges/pontoons for Patton’s troops during the Battle of the Bulge and later at Remagen.
- “I’m not sure of the exact details, but when I was the visiting team’s bat boy at Ebbets Field in the mid-1950s, my uncle met Spahnie after a game and they talked about the good old days.
- “Spahnie was wounded in the foot during the winter of 1945, while they were working to repair and maintain the crossing for the 1st Army tanks, Army troops, artillery pieces, and trucks. He was helped off the bridge by some fellow engineers, and a little while later, the bridge collapsed into the river, resulting in a lot of engineers either getting killed, injured, or missing, as their bodies flowed down the river. My uncle, who was injured, ended up with a case of frostbite, as someone saved his life when the bridge collapsed, as he couldn’t swim. Both were later given purple hearts and bronze stars, as were many others also awarded for their heroism.
- “Also, when Spahnie came up with the Braves as a rookie, he came in relief for the Braves vs. the Dodgers at Ebbets Field and manager Casey told him to throw at Pee Wee Reese, which he did not do. As a result, the next day he was sent back down to the Eastern League because Casey said he had no guts. The Braves ended up in seventh place that season and Casey was fired after it.
- “Spahnie and Casey reunited over two decades later in 1965 with the Mets. Spahnie is the only player who played for Casey before and after he was considered a genius manager.
- “When with the Mets in 1965, Yogi who was a Mets coach at the time, temporarily came out of retirement and caught a few games, including one for Spahnie. Yogi said it may not have been the oldest battery ever at the time (Spahnie was 44 and Yogi 40), but it was probably the ugliest with Yogi’s face characterized by pockmarks, heavy-lidded eyes, and wide nose and Spahnie’s hooked (“Hooks” was his nickname) broken nose.
- “Now you know the rest of the story.”
And then, 15 minutes later came a clarification:
- “I stand corrected. Spahnie was placed on the DL list twice during the 1963 season at age 42, marking the only time in his career he had to go on the DL. Both instances occurred due to elbow soreness and irritation. He missed two starts in July and two starts in August. Despite these setbacks, he started 33 games, led the National League with 22 complete games, and finished the year with a 23-7 record.”
Moving on … Earlier, I mentioned some NFL free agents who have still not decided where to play in 2026, but who are still good enough that it would be surprising if they did not find a home. As teams open their training camps, there are three players that are on rosters for now, but who just might wind up being traded or released based on off-season actions by their teams. In alphabetical order they are:
- Maxx Crosby: The Raiders actually traded him to the Ravens, but the Ravens voided the deal based on their physical exam of Crosby. If the Raiders were willing to trade Crosby in March, why would it be outrageous to think they might do so in August?
- Anthony Richardson: He sought permission to seek a trade back in February/March and the Colts gave his agent the green light. Richardson is still on the Colts’ roster this morning meaning the Colts are lukewarm on him at best and there is not going to be a bidding war for his services elsewhere. In addition to recurring injuries, Richardson has been “less than fully satisfactory” when starting at QB for the Colts.
- Kayvon Thibodeaux/Brian Burns/Abdul Carter/Arvell Reese: The Giants have used top draft picks on edge-rushing linebackers in the past couple of seasons such that they have an embarrassment of riches at that position and needs elsewhere on the roster. I would not be surprised to see one of them traded away to a team that needs help at that position. My guess is that Thibodeaux would be the one on the market but any of the four would bring a nice return to the Giants.
Finally, this from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
“Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge, you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………