What Could've Been Jimmie
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Just recently Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in baseball history to surpass the 500 home run mark. It's a shame however that the person he passed has not shared the same media coverage that Hank Aaron has with Barry Bonds about to break his mark. Jimmie Foxx, one could argue, was the greatest first baseman of all time. Now, since ESPN has beaten everyone who watches SportsCenter over the head with Hank Aaron montages and how great a player he was, I would like to shed some light on the guy who, in the words of Yankees great Lefty Gomez, "He has muscles in his hair."
"Double X" or "The Beast" as he was nicknamed, was the second player to reach the 500 home run mark, and I'm sure everyone can guess who was the first. Jimmie Fox began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics and made his major league debut at the ripe young age of 17. The Hall of Fame 1st baseman began his career wanting to pitch or play 3rd base but settled in at catcher. Shortly after his stint at catcher he began playing in the outfield and at 1st base. Finally he began playing 1st base full time in 1929 then went on to hit .354 and smash 33 home runs; he was 21 at the time. In 1932, when he was 24, Foxx hit a staggering 58 home runs and won his 1st of 3 MVP awards. The following year Foxx won the Triple Crown, a feat accomplished only 16 times since 1878, and his 2nd consecutive MVP award with a BA of .356, 163 RBIs, and 48 home runs. Foxx hit more than 30 home runs for 12 consecutive seasons and had over a 100 RBIs for 13 consecutive seasons. The RBIs streak however was broken by Barry "The Clear" Bonds in 2004. Another opportunity I might add for someone, anyone, to remember the great Jimmie Foxx.
Unfortunately Jimmie Foxx had a drinking problem and many point to that as to why he only hit 34 more home runs after reaching 500. Other point to a sinus problem but in either case, the right handed Babe Ruth broke down during the prime of his career. Jimmie Foxx finished his 20-year, 2317-game career with 534 home runs, 1922 runs batted in, and a .325 batting average. Now, many baseball enthusiasts, mainly the younger generation, don't really understand the significance of 500 home runs what with the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa era of baseball. But consider this, Foxx played in an era where the typical distance to center field was 450 feet, not like 401 or 410 like it is nowadays. I admit though, the left and right field foul poles were much closer than they are nowadays, well except for the joke of a stadium called Enron. There is also the fact that pitcher's mounds were higher thus giving the pitcher an advantage in terms of velocity. Current regulations require the mound to be no higher than 10 inches above home plate. Back in Foxx's day? 15 inches.
What could have been Jimmie Foxx if you weren't addicted to beer and had Tylenol Sinus? I guess we'll never know.
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