Jimmy Piersall, R.I.P.

Former MLB player and broadcaster Jimmy Piersall passed away yesterday at a long term care facility outside of Chicago. He was 87.

A native of Connecticut, Piersall signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1948. Piersall debuted with the club late in the 1950 season. His career ended almost as soon as it began. During his rookie season of 1952, Piersall experienced a nervous breakdown after being moved from the outfield to shortstop. Piersall would be committed to Westborough State Hospital. Piersall would document his struggles in the 1955 book Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story which was adapted for the silver screen with Anthony Perkins playing Piersall and Karl Malden portraying his father although Piersall would take issue with the movie particularly where it concerned the depiction of his father.

When Piersall returned to the Red Sox in 1953 he would establish himself as a centerfielder with defensive skills that rivaled those of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider. Piersall's best overall season was in 1956 when he led the AL in doubles with 40 and drove in a career high 87 runs. The Red Sox traded Piersall to the Cleveland Indians prior to the 1959 season for Vic Wertz. Piersall also had stops with the Washington Senators, New York Mets and Los Angeles/California Angels. Piersall may be best remembered for running the bases backwards when he hit his 100th career home run off Phillies' pitcher Dallas Green. I guess Green didn't mind that much because he would later hire Piersall to be a minor league outfield instructor for the Chicago Cubs during the 1980's. In 17 big league seasons, Piersall collected 1,604 hits for a .272 lifetime batting average with 104 HR and 591 RBIs earning two Gold Gloves and two AL All-Star Team selections.

After his playing career, Piersall did a stint as an executive for an amateur football team and a stint in the Oakland A's front office with the volatile Charlie Finley. He also managed the Orangeburg Cardinals in the Western Carolina League for one season before finding a career as a broadcaster first with the Texas Rangers and later with the Chicago White Sox. While with the Chisox, he formed a tandem with Harry Caray. His blunt manner did not endear Piersall to White Sox management and he would be terminated early in the 1983 season. His 1987 memoir The Truth Hurts deals largely with his experiences with the Chisox. Piersall would run afoul of Cubs management and be dismissed from his minor league outfield instructor job following the 1999 season. Piersall would never work in baseball again although the Red Sox would induct him into their team Hall of Fame in 2010.

The above video shows Piersall telling one of his colorful stories. Piersall could be accused of many things. Boring wasn't one of them.