In 1971 he was hitting .326 with a .565 slugging percentage for the Yankees AAA team, the Syracuse Chiefs, when the Yankees called him up to the major leagues. But as he was entering his prime, injuries cost Blomberg . He runs the Ron Blomberg Baseball camp in association with Total Specialty Camps, offering instruction in all facets of the game from the camps location in Milford, Pennsylvania.23 He is a yearly participant at the Yankees fantasy camp and one of the more popular instructors. People connect with that. On May 4, 1975, at Milwaukee, he suffered what was at first believed to be a right shoulder strain. The New York Yankees opened 1973 against arch-rival Boston at Fenway Park. What no one expected, though, was just how the 6-foot-1 first baseman would seal his place in baseball history. On October 22, New York shipped Bobby Murcer to San Francisco for Bobby Bonds. We are offering a discount with the Hall Of Fame package so you can have one shirt autographed to keep and one to love. Show more. He remains the only person to ever receive Parade All-American honors in baseball, football and basketball and naturally he gained a lot of attention from professional and college scouts. ! I was really lucky growing up because the only baseball games on TV were the Yankees. Oh, on the way home from school he might stop in for two or three submarine sandwiches or a half dozen hamburgers, that is all. The book details the unlikely friendship between two teammates who were direct opposites. He was replaced by Bill Virdon, a center fielder for the Pirates in the 1960s who had managed the Bucs the previous two seasons. They put me on the bus and threw me down in the hospital. I hope he does. Ron Blomberg played for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox during his eight seasons in the Major Leagues. He told you I didnt know my players names, but did he tell you we won the championship too? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your browser doesn't support the HTML5 CANVAS tag. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous Athlete The book is not even out yet and its already in the Top 25 baseball books. The designated hitter may have been created partially in response to the Year of the Pitcher in 1968 when hurlers dominated baseball. Ron is a phenomenal celebrity influencer. Even though he was Jewish, my relationship was not good with pitcher Steve Stone. Ive got a lot to learn, though, especially how to throw overhand from out there. The couple tied the knot on October 25, 1970, in Elmira. 3 Bid - 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series Pride Of New York Ron Blomberg Auto $ 3.25. I kind of see Thurman and I like the guys in the movie Bang the Drum Slowly. You can tell how much you love being a Yankee. Blomberg returned to the lineup in a month. I knew when I was a senior in high school I was being heavily recruited by the New York Yankees. On April 6, 1973, Ron Blomberg ruined baseball. Called on to pinch hit for pitcher Bill Burbach in the top of the eighth inning, he drew a walk. Its awesome to see you have so much pride in your career. The following season, a new position was created, and it was one that made Ron Blomberg a household name. Their last postseason appearance had been in 1964, when they lost in the World Series to St. Louis. Well, Im not very organized and he was a very organized guy. Could you see the pieces in place as they started to make progress? After the game, His bat and his number 12 jersey were sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2020-2022 BallNine, llc. You saw right off the bat when he came up, he was the leader of the team. When he bought the team, he did everything he could to make that team go. 18 Saga of Series Swag.$1,182 to $27,758, The Sporting News, December 3, 1977: 57. He played for the New York Yankees (1969, 19711976) and Chicago White Sox (1978), and was the manager of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League (2007). The Atlanta August 23, 1948-born Athlete expert is arguably the worlds most influential Ron Blomberg is expert, with a wide-ranging social media outreach. When Ron was 13 years of age, his older brother Alan passed away from an undisclosed illness on April 20, 1961.1 The family met a lot of anti-Semitism in the south. A terrible scandal. Thurman Munson was obviously a huge part of that revival. felt that he should play every day but manager Ralph Houk platooned him, hampering his ability to develop into a star player. Along with being the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, he played for the New York Yankees (1969, 1971-76) and Chicago White . Phoenix, AZ 85004 All this happened in 1970, a long time ago, before baseball had battered Ron Blomberg's body, and before the New York Yankees had become the Bronx Zoo. In 2021, Blomberg, along with Dan Epstein, authored The Captain and Me: On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson. The Chicago White Sox signed Ron Blomberg in 1978 after he played for a decade in the New York Yankees . They finished the year with an 89-73 record in second place, two games behind Baltimore. He experienced some pain in his reconstructed right knee which contributed to diminished playing time. So Mara related how, two years ago, she had just re turned from her junior year at Syracuse University and she was at. Blomberg had been a widower since the death of his first wife Charlotte in 1932. he is one of famous Athlete with the age 72 years old group. We now have Captain Long Sleeve T-Shirts in our store as a way to help Ron and his efforts to get The Captain into the HOF. We can go on about Thurman for days, but I dont want to sell you short either. [8] He tore his knee in the 1977 exhibition season when he hit the outfield wall, and missed that season too. Being able to come up to New York where there was a large Jewish population was a fantasy for me. He was the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history. [7], He received 125 basketball scholarship offers, and John Wooden of the University of California at Los Angeles came out to meet him in person. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on August 23, 1948. The matter reaches the Fhrer. People like to read about the Yankees and thats a big reason, but also, its about someone that didnt get the respect he deserved with the Hall of Fame. Just coming out on the field in a uniform and having the fans yelling at me was. My first interview was with Walter Cronkite and it took off from there. On March 23, New York purchased outfielder Elliott Maddox from Texas. And so, he wore his religion on his sleeve. During a Jan. 12 virtual event hosted by Temple Emanu El in Orange, Ron Blomberg, the first designated hitter in baseball history, recounted his career in the major league and his close friendship with former New York Yankees captain Thurman Munson. Right field was a revolving door with Johnny Callison, Rusty Torres, and Ron Swoboda splitting the majority of starts. 3 Peter Ephross with Martin Abramowitz, Jewish Major Leaguers: In Their Own Words, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland 2012), 156. On June 30, manager Bob Lemon was fired and replaced by Larry Doby. Murcer and Bonds were both outfielders who could hit the long ball and steal some bases, although Bonds was more proficient in each category. As Blomberg puts it, if a reporter asked a dumb question, Munson told them so. Ron Blomberg was baseball's overall No. Blombergalso offers a fascinatingglimpseintobaseballhistory,includingthe first-ever strike and lockout,theescalationof theYankeesRedSox rivalry, and thestartoffull-scale free agency. He seemed to make a splendid recovery, but he hurt his shoulder again in the final spring exhibition against the Mets. Thus, Blomberg would see some more action. 2. I got to play in Yankee Stadium in front of the greatest fans in the world. Helen Blomberg's familty tree; Badgeguy's Family (3680 KB) All of the family and everybody that's married in. Many[who?] HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Aside from being the first DH to appear in a game, Ron Blomberg ranked fifth in the AL from 1973-74 with an .876 OPS. On April 6, 1973, Blomberg, nursing a sore hamstring, faced Boston's Luis Tiant, becoming the game's first-ever designated hitter. Ron is related to Mari Linnea Bloomberg and Rondi Marie Kauffmann as well as 3 additional people. He touched thousands of people as a coach at Peshtigo . In this heart-warming autobiography, now in paperback, Blomberg relives the moment that made his career and the countless experiences before and after that helped boost him to legendary heights. This illuminating remembrance of Munsonisfilled with untold stories about his analytical-yet-hard-nosed approach to baseball, as well as his kindness and generosity off the field. Fans will really enjoy it. I played against Fisk and Bench was great. I am just so blessed that I was able to do something that I always wanted to do. In Designated Hebrew, Blomberg recounts a time when baseballand America itselfwere changing. Ron Blomberg, the first designated hitter in baseball history, talks about his historic at-bat in 1973 and why he thinks DH players should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 1 draft picks for the New York Yankees, Ron Blomberg and Thurman Munson made for an odd couple. Rons income mostly comes from and basic source is being a successful American Athlete. Blomberg and his wife, Beth, still live in his hometown of Atlanta, but the pioneer DH hopes to co-host a bimonthly show in New York this season, which would allow him to work around his other. Hitting is his best feature and his running is above average. Rocco is a baseball writer with too much time on his hands who lives in the dusty corners of Baseball Reference. background-color:#ba3434; Can you reflect on your career with the Yankees? The Yankee-Red Sox tilt was the first game scheduled on the AL docket. 1 overall pick by the Yankees in 1967, Blomberg He went to Williams College, but was very big at the University of Michigan. Blomberg takes great pride in that distinction. On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Baseball Player. F inal. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, The Captain & Me sharestalesof clubhouse hijinks during the infamous Bronx Zoo era,adventures on the road, and even rubbing shoulders with mobsters. RECEIVE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY AND ADD A PERSONAL INSCRIPTION WHEN CHECKING OUT. He resides in Roswell, Georgia, with his second wife, Beth. I saw it. He ended his career having amassed a life-time .293 batting average, with 52 home runs and 224 RBI. While his career was an injury-riddled one that failed to meet high expectations, Blomberg earned a spot in Cooperstown thanks to his first at-bat on April 6, 1973, at Fenway Park. Its selling like crazy. The following spring, with his shoulder healed, Blomberg was having an outstanding spring training. Register now to join us on March 10-12, 2023, in Phoenix, AZ. With Bobby Bonds in right field and three first basemen (Chambliss, Otto Velez, and Bob Oliver) I might as well donate my gloves to charity,16 said Blomberg. Through a quirk of fate the young Jewish Yankee became the first designated hitter to play an MLB game. This has been really enjoyable and its great to hear how much Thurman Munson meant to you personally and its really fantastic you are pushing him for the Hall of Fame. Thanks for joining us, Mr. Blomberg. I was in the Holy Land, near King Solomons tomb. There have been many great books written about Thurman and the way he played, including a great one by my friend Marty Appel. But the visitors were shellacked, 15-5. Blomberg had previously declined an offer from the Yankees to manage a team in their minor system. But against southpaws, he had little success. When the time came to make a decision on his path forward, the options he had on the table were playing basketball for John Wooden at UCLA alongside Lew Alcindor, going to play football for Bear Bryant at Alabama or signing with the Yankees, who chose him as the first overall pick in the 1967 draft. Bolstered by a 38-21 record in August, September and October, the Yankees surged in the AL East standings. Yankee Stadium was shut down for two years as the ballpark underwent extensive renovations. Ron Blomberg, better known by her family name Ronald Mark Blomberg, is a popular American Athlete. $0.86. I feel like my book is great. I was drafted first in 1967 and Thurman was drafted first out of Kent State in 68, so he was a little more mature than me. July 24, 2021 Joe Pepitone was there. My family became very good friends with his wife Diana and we basically lived our lives together. Blomberg made his debut with the Yankees as a 20-year-old September callup in 1969 then came up to stay in 1971. The Yankee fan favorite joins us for this week's edition of Spitballin'. I have a couple more questions for you. But it was the International League whose use of the permanent pinch-hitter that led to the designated hitter of today. "[7] He also received 100 football scholarship offers. Read reviews and buy The Captain & Me - by Ron Blomberg & Dan Epstein (Hardcover) at Target. He played in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. After batting .284 with 19 home runs at Manchester in the Class AA Eastern League in 1969, Blomberg was rewarded with a September call-up to the Yankees. Back then, we had one-year contracts. Blomberg passed away on Monday, Dec. 7, 10 days short of his 88th birthday. Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. Once he left the park, he was a different guy. You short either ; me - by Ron Blomberg was having an outstanding spring training young Yankee! Land, near King Solomons tomb record in second place, two games behind.! One of the team, he drew a walk of Series Swag. $ 1,182 to 27,758. October, the Sporting News, December 3, 1977: 57 he. Rivalry, and right fielder ( Hardcover ) at Target I am so! 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