Baseball Legends: Nestor Chylak (Umpire 1954-1978)

“Ballplayers will cheat under any circumstances if they think they can get away with it. Our job is to prevent it.”

 

Nestor Chylak began his umpiring career in 1946, after World War II had ended. He had served in the Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. While fighting that battle, he nearly lost his sight, when shrapnel from an exploding shell wounded him. During his service in the Army, he was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

 

He started umpiring in the Pony League. He moved to the Canadian-American League in 1950, followed by the International League in 1952 and reached the American League in 1954. His career included many different highlights and firsts. He umpired in the first ALCS game in 1969. Then went on to umpire in the 1972 and 1973 ALCS games, serving as crew chief in two out of three series.
 

He also worked in six All-Star games and five World Series. Among the most notable World Series games was the seventh game of the 1977 series, in which he was behind the plate.

 

Baseball Legends: Willie McCovey (Giants 1959-1973, 1977-1980, Padres 1974-1976, A’s 1976)

He may not be the most famous Giant, but Willie McCovey deserves a great deal of consideration when talking about the greatest players in baseball history. Overshadowed throughout most of his career by the other Willie on his team, McCovey was a true team player and rose above any petty bickering or bitter jealousy that may have eaten away at a lesser man.

Baseball Legends: Nolan Ryan (Mets 1966, 1968-1971, Angels 1972-1979, Astros 1980-1988, Rangers 1989-1993)

“One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.” ~ Nolan Ryan

Prove something is what Nolan Ryan did with his entire career. It’s difficult to decide what is most impressive: his seven career no-hitters (three more than any other pitcher), or his 5714 strikeouts (over 1000 more than the runner-up). Or perhaps the power with which he pitched, even after reaching the age of 40. The longevity of Ryan’s career–a major-league record 27 years–is also astounding. In fact, there isn’t much about the pitcher that one could say was not impressive.

Baseball Legends: Gaylord Perry (Giants 1962-1971, Indians 1972-1975, Rangers 1975-1977, 1980, Padres 1978-1979, Yankees 1980, Braves 1981, Mariners 1982-1983, Royals 1983)

“He should be in the Hall of Fame with a tube of KY Jelly attached to his plaque.” ~ Gene Mauch

Bob Gibson will forever be remembered for his 1968 season. Nolan Ryan for his seven no-hitters and 5000 strikeouts. Don Larsen for his perfect game in the World Series. And Gaylord Perry for his spitball.

The stories about Perry’s doctored pitch abound, even from former teammates. Catcher Gene Tenace said, “I can remember a couple of occasions when I couldn’t throw the ball back to him because it was so greasy that it slipped out of my hands. I just walked out to the mound and flipped the ball back to him.” Despite the anecdotal evidence, he was not ejected from a game for doctoring the ball until 1982, near the end of his career. For that incident, he was suspended for ten games.

Baseball Legends: Billy Williams (Cubs 1959-1974, A’s 1975-1976)

“In baseball a player knows just two things: today and yesterday. There’s never a tomorrow until it gets here.” — Billy Williams

It’s amazing when you can remember how a player swings the bat after decades of not seeing him do it. Pictures of Ruth and Aaron are seen often in the media, but for someone to be called Sweet Swingin’ Billy it must be something special. From a very relaxed stance, and careful stride, this slim, wiry athlete would whip the bat through the zone in a way that could take the ball out of the park to any field.

Baseball Legends: Brooks Robinson (Orioles 1955-1977)

“I’m beginning to see Brooks (Robinson) in my sleep. If I dropped a paper plate, he’d pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.” – Sparky Anderson

When most fans think of defensive third basemen one name immediately comes to mind, Brooks Robinson. His nickname “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” describes his ability at third pretty well. He holds a career .971 fielding percentage in 2,900 Major League games. He also won the Gold Glove every year from 1960-1975. He led the AL in fielding percentage a record 11 times. He was selected to the American League All-Star team eighteen times from 1960-1974 as well. He even took home the MVP award of the midsummer classic in 1966. Numbers cannot even quantify what he did at the position. He made catches that all third basemen must now live up to.

Baseball Legends: Ferguson Jenkins (Phillies 1965-1966, Cubs 1966-1973, 1982-1983, Rangers 1974-1975, 1978-1981, Red Sox 1976-1977)

“The game is easy. Life is hard — No guarantees.” ~ Ferguson Jenkins

Known as “Jenks” to his teammates, he was better known as “Fergie” to the baseball fans of the time. The day Jenkins was traded to the Chicago Cubs, one newspaper headline read “Ferguson Who?” In 1966 Jenkins pitched in relief and won 6 games. On August 25, 1966 Leo Durocher made him a starting pitcher. Jenkins pitched every fourth day for the next six years accumulating more than 20 wins each year. From 1967 to 1980, Jenkins led Major League Baseball with the most wins (251) in that 14-season span while often pitching at home in hitter’s ballparks.

Baseball Legends: Bob Gibson (Cardinals 1959-1975)

“Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson, he’ll knock you down. He’d knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him, don’t smile at him, don’t talk to him. He doesn’t like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don’t run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he’s a Gold Glove boxer.” ~ Hank Aaron

One of the most dominating pitchers of the modern era, Bob Gibson played his entire career in a Cardinals uniform. He won two Cy Young awards, one NL MVP, two World Series MVP trophies, and nine Gold Gloves; he also appeared on nine All-Star rosters, and started the All-Star Game in 1972.

Baseball Legends: George Brett (Royals 1973-1993)

“I could have played another year, but I would have been playing for the money, and baseball deserves better than that.” – George Brett

The above quote was given by George upon his retirement. It showed what he thought of the game along with everything that he put into it. George Brett was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 29th pick in the 1971 draft. The next pick in the draft was fellow Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. He was a good third basemen, but in 1974 he became a great hitter. He worked with legendary hitting coach Charlie Lau during the All-Star break on his swing. His average showed that he listened to Lau. In 1975 he hit over .300 for the first time, and won the batting title in 1976 with a .333 average. He finished out the decade by tearing the cover off of the ball, and leading the Royals to the AL West title three times (1976, 1977, 1978).

Baseball Legends: Steve Carlton (Cardinals 1965-71, Phillies 1972-86, Giants 1986, White Sox 1986, Indians 1987, Twins 1987-88)

“Lefty was a craftsman, an artist. He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame. Stroke, stroke, stroke, and when he got through (pitching a game) it was a masterpiece.” – Richie Ashburn

Steve Carlton broke into the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965. He saw action in the World Series in both 1967 ad 1968. In 1968 Carlton received his first of 10 All-Star selections. It was in the off season following that year that Steve started experimenting with the slider. The pitch would elevate him to another level. That next year his ERA went down by 0.82 and his strikeouts increased by 48. The highlight of the 1969 season was his 19 strikeout performance against the Mets. He won 17 games in 1969, then lost 19 in 1970, but turned around and won 20 in 1971. The end of his career with the Cardinals was clouded by his disagreements with management.