Brooklyn Dodger Jim Hughes and L.A. Dodger Bill Russell.
What does Brooklyn Dodger Jim Hughes and L.A. Dodger Bill Russell have in common?
They both wore uniform #18 !!!!
In March’s MLB Fan latest leaders, my blog ranked #18. I dedicate it to Brooklyn Dodger Jim Hughes and LA Dodger Bill Russell.
Jim Hughes, a hard-throwing relief pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950’s, set a franchise record for saves that endured for 35 years.
Hughes led the major leagues in saves, with 24, and in games pitched, with 60, in 1954.
”He was a big, tough guy,” recalled Tommy Lasorda, Hughes’s onetime roommate when Lasorda pitched briefly for Brooklyn. ”It would take him three, four pitches to get warm. After a few pitches, he was fogging it. Nothing but hard stuff. Didn’t have a breaking ball.”
Hughes had two careers as a fireman — one, informally, in baseball, and another in carrying on a family tradition in Chicago.
When he began to quell nonbaseball fires, Hughes could not resist playing on the obvious when he visited one day with his former Brooklyn Dodgers manager, Walter Alston, who was sometimes known as Smokey. Hughes donned a Dodgers jersey for a photo with Alston, but that was not all. As his son Michael recalled: ”He had a fire helmet on his head, he carried an ax and he had a hose over his shoulder.”
Bill Russell played 18 years in the majors, all with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey he formed the longest running (and perhaps the greatest) infield in baseball history. One time I ran into him when the Dodgers had the Triple-A 51’s team in Las Vegas. He was there checking the umpiring. I’ve ran into him at Dodger Stadium several times.
He currently works for Major League Baseball’s umpiring division.
Thank you everyone that visit my blog. Of the top 20 fan blogs, 9 are she-fans, lead by the number ONE she-fan Jane . Congratulations to everyone!
Congratulations to the blogsphere 5th year anniversary! I’ve been here a year and months but I have been posting longer than that! I love that we share our love for this grand great game!
They may be Bums, but they are MY BUMS! Go Dodgers!!
Dodger Blue World 
I did notice Tommy Lasorda is shown as the first blog to the blogosphere, wonder how that came about… I like his recent story about wearing red, and even today the Dodgers have trouble with teams that wear red more than the others i think…
congrats on your #18 last month, I am sure it can only get better as the year progresses…
-peter
Phillies Outside
Isn’t it great how many she-fans there are, not only here at MLBlogs, but at the ballparks themselves? When I look into the stands these days, I think there must be 50% women sitting and watching baseball – and they’re not just there to keep men company either. Yay, us!
– http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
Yeah Peter, I noticed that too! They probably approched him and he said “OK” A couple of years back I ran into him in San Francisco. My friend told me “he doesn’t look like he is in a good mood” but I still approched him to say hi. Once he saw I was not there to ask for autographs, he was very nice and stayed talking with me. I told him “you need to update your blog” He said “I should, ha?” We talked about food, restaurants.
Thanks!
Gotta love Bill Russell. A class act thru and thru. He is so quiet and reserved, but when he knows your not gonna make a big fuss ( take pictures, sign everything etc..) he opens up and just likes talkin baseball.
And all his years with the Dodgers! Tommy says HE bleeds Dodgers Blue??? Well so does Mr. Russell !
Nice job again, Emma.
Rob
http://bluecrewfan.mlblogs.com/
Jane,
Yes, is great to see all those she-fans here and at the stadium. I hear them too calling Dodger Talk and they know their baseball.
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Rob,
Bill Russell just went about his business. One time at Dodger Stadium, I was looking at the painting of the the Dodgers infield of Russell, Lopes, Garvey and Cey. Then I noticed that to my left was Russell also looking at the picture. I took a picture with him but it must be on my other camera.
Emma,
I’m not a big picture or autograph guy. I don’t know why….just not. I usually just like to talk to them. I try and let them know just how I appreciate the memories they gave me when I was younger. Relate some great games that they appeared in, and I still remember.
Last week I sat and talked with Bobby Castillo in the BL Club for a 1/2 hour!. He schooled me on so many relief pitcher strategies, and oddities! .Mr. Castillo is the BEST!.
I LOVE the way the Dodgers have brought back the past players to the stadium. I don’t care if they are being paid per game, come on their own, or are on the payroll.
Fox NEVER would have thought of that.
Rob
http://bluecrewfan.mlblogs.com/
Rob,
I am not into autographs either and I do prefer to say to them, talk with them. But I do like to get one autograph from therm and a picture. I’ve been watching Fernando since he started and last year was the first picture I have a him. I see some fans just getting picture after picture and autograph after autograph. Like I mentioned above I ran into Tommy in SF and I only talked to him.
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Got a story about Babbo. During last year WIN baseball clinic, we were the first group to go to the bullpen. We formed a line to throw but he was taking too long with the fans that he did not get to my friend Lore and I as we were asked to rotate. We told him and he said “I’ll make it up to you ladies” but we never got the chance. We’ll remind him next time we see him just to tease him and see if he remembers.”
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Good to see Casey Blake with the hot bat. But man, three players went on the DL on this road trip. I’d like to NY with a win. The Mets are on fire.
Love and Hate. LOL what can I say? ya bum
mike
LOL Mike! I anticipated that post from you. Your Mets and My Dodgers could use a guy like Jim Hughesl.
I love Bill Russell! He’s was always very quite, and reserved. Best of all he’s a really nice all-around guy, and always has been. I used to watch him play little league baseball in his younger years. LOL If it looked like a bat, and looked like a ball BAM!! off it went!!
You know I how know this?? I’m very pround to be one of his brothers….
Donald, thank you so much for visiting my blog! That is so cool that you ran into my blog! One of many reasons why I like having a blog! I went back and read what I posted. I can go back to that time and see what I posted and relive that! I even read all the posts. Rob who also has Dodger season tickets started posting again in his blog. I am glad to have another Dodger fan. If I see Bill I will tell him!
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Another reason that I like having a blog is the interaction with other fans that love this great game which reminds me I have to emailed back a Brooklyn Dodger fan that I don’t know but he wrote to me.