Remembering Jack Lamabe

[jacklamabe65]

Between the ALCS and the WS, I thought I'd share with you a piece I originally wrote some years ago that SoSH member, Jim Walsh, was kind enough to publish in his brilliant Red Sox Annual series. (Thanks as well to member Art Martone who edited the original piece). How wonderful it was to be able to interview such Red Sox legends Johnny Pesky, Bill Monbouquette, and Dave Morehead, as well as Jack Lamabe’s widow, Janet, and his daughter, Jennifer. If Jack was alive, I have no doubt that I would be on the phone with him today conversing about the World Series. The Old Tomato was truly one of a kind. https://slkelly.org/2017/02/19/my-mentor-coach-and-friend/

 

[75cent bleacher seat]

Thank you for this and "blue" too.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

You just scared the shit out of me. I thought this was a thread about you, post-mortem.

Carry on.

 

[Saints Rest]

You just scared the shit out of me. I thought this was a thread about you, post-mortem.

Carry on.

+1
Maybe a title change to “Remembering the real Jack Lamabe.l

 

[jacklamabe65]

+1
Maybe a title change to “Remembering the real Jack Lamabe.l

I should have thought of that! Sorry!

 

[Saints Rest]

I should have thought of that! Sorry!

It’s not too late to change it

 

[Jim Ed Rice in HOF]

Thanks for sharing, that was a great read. I too did a double take at the thread title and was then impressed that you posted from the great beyond.

 

[jacklamabe65]

Thanks for sharing, that was a great read. I too did a double take at the thread title and was then impressed that you posted from the great beyond.

I was not surprised that there's no sign of Pinky Higgins anywhere here in heaven.

 

[jacklamabe65]

I took this picture of Coach Lamabe and The Thumper when he came to visit us in 1975. Check out Coach's shorts.

 

[Al Zarilla]

Between the ALCS and the WS, I thought I'd share with you a piece I originally wrote some years ago that SoSH member, Jim Walsh, was kind enough to publish in his brilliant Red Sox Annual series. (Thanks as well to member Art Martone who edited the original piece). How wonderful it was to be able to interview such Red Sox legends Johnny Pesky, Bill Monbouquette, and Dave Morehead, as well as Jack Lamabe’s widow, Janet, and his daughter, Jennifer. If Jack was alive, I have no doubt that I would be on the phone with him today conversing about the World Series. The Old Tomato was truly one of a kind. https://slkelly.org/2017/02/19/my-mentor-coach-and-friend/

Shaun, thanks for the article that brings me back to my early years of following the Sox. A couple of things, you mentioned Jack Lamabe as a setup man for Radatz. I remember Lamabe and I also remember some games where Radatz was his own setup man, long man and closer. He’d come in in the middle innings, relieving the starter, Sox behind a run or two. He’d shut down the other team inning after inning and the Sox would eventually tie it and go into extras. Radatz would keep pitching until they won, I swear he pitched for 8 or 9 innings this way more than once. Different era. Unfortunately, even the Monster Radatz got burned out from overuse.

Back in those days, you’d hear one fan say to another “the Sox did OK last night.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah, they didn’t play.” Times have changed.

 

[jaytftwofive]

Jack Lamabe was one of my first baseball cards in 1965. My first real year collecting.

 

[thesandlot]

Stop please, there's no crying in Baseball. Wonderful piece.

 

[MtPleasant Paul]

Truly, a wonderful piece. I had no idea he was such a great man. He came to the Sox with Dick Stuart, in a trade that favored Pittsburgh, for Jim Pagliaroni who became the Pirates' starting catcher for some years and a pitcher - was the name Don Gile? - who pitched in the All Star game one year.

 

[MtPleasant Paul]

Don Schwall.

 

[sheamonu]

Great piece - and glad you're still alive...

 

[24JoshuaPoint]

Seriously i thought you were dead

 

[jaytftwofive]

And of course Lamabe was on the 67 Cardinals.

 

[patinorange]

It’s weird what you remember in baseball. I remember like it was yesterday I saw Jack Lamabe hit his only career homer.
I think it was in 1963.

 

[jacklamabe65]

It’s weird what you remember in baseball. I remember like it was yesterday I saw Jack Lamabe hit his only career homer.
I think it was in 1963.

Jack talked more about that than almost anything with me! He'd chuckle and say, "I've told you about when I hit my only big league homer into the screen, right?" It became an inside joke for us. Later on, in 1983, when I hit a home run as a pitcher in the British Baseball League, I called him from England and told him that I had finally done it as well. We both laughed and he said, "Well, you're onto me now. It's almost like we got away with something."