Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Ya Gotta Believe!

One of my boyhood idols died yesterday. Tug McGraw, pitcher for the NY Mets when I was a kid, has died aged 59. "Ya gotta believe" was his battle cry when the 1973 season looked all but lost for the Mets. They came from way back to win the pennant and play in the World Series.

Tug was the kind of player that any kid would love. He always looked like a big kid when he played. That he wanted to win was obvious, but it was also obvious that he really loved playing baseball. Loads of us NY kids used to emulate Tug's trademark glove-bouncing-on-the-knee as he walked off the field.

{Irish readers may know Tug's country music star son, Tim McGraw.}

Tug was one of baseball's more quotable players. Here's one that I like:
90% I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other 10% I'll probably waste.