The Duke is Dead

He was golden during the golden age of baseball!
by Charlie Leck

I always rooted against him and for whatever team the Brooklyn Bums might be playing, but I always recognized how good he was both at the plate and in the field. Duke Snider has died at the age of 84. The Duke is dead and now he goes to mingle again with the all the other great Bums.

The Duke moved gracefully in a ball game – whether it was rounding the bases after a home run or chasing a fly ball down in center at the old and wonderful Ebbets Field.

When the New York fans think of center fielders, they know they’ve got the market cornered – Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider. Oh, my! Here’s one verse from Terry Cashman’s wonderful baseball song, Talkin’ Baseball!

We're talkin' baseball!
Kluszewski, Campanella.
Talkin' baseball!
The Man and Bobby Feller.
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,
They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque.
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.

Read the story in the Los Angeles Times if you’d like. If you’re a baseball fan with some years on you, you’ll want to raise a glass to the Duke today.

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