“There was no greater rivalry in the ’70s. It was real hatred. Carlton Fisk hated Thurman Munson. Munson hated Fisk. Everyone hated Bill Lee.” Don Zimmer on the rivalry between the Yankees & Red Sox of the ’70s.
@Jimfrombaseball Hated the yankees so much, I punched out 50 all star ballots a day, for a month, while riding the subway to and from grad school. But please don't get me started about Zimmer!
@Jimfrombaseball Bill Lee was an outstanding lh starter in the early to late 70's for the red sox also part of the Buffalo gang who got on the worst side of Zimmer traded for stan papi and had 3 solid years as an expos starter
@Jimfrombaseball Both were tremendous leaders. I preferred Fisk because he was a graceful and almost regal MF. Saw him hit for the cycle once at Comiskey Park one night when he was 37 or 38. Nobody trotted around the bases like that guy did.
@Jimfrombaseball Weird, nobody hated the Orioles, who were the winningest AL East team of the 1970s...
@Jimfrombaseball And then throw Earl Weaver and the always-contending Orioles into that mix, and you had a genuinely bitter 3-team rivalry atop the AL East, with none of the 3 teams particularly caring for each other.
@Jimfrombaseball I saw Bill Lee at age 73 pitch an inning for the Savannah Bananas last summer in Savannah. So cool. He gave up no runs.
@Jimfrombaseball Thurman in his biography talked about how he called Fisk after games to talk shop. On the field, it was MacArthur vs Rommel but there was some respect between adversaries.