Talkin’ Sports
With Pat
Monte Irvin who
played with the New York Giants passed away the other day at the age of 96. In
high school in New Jersey he was all-state in baseball, football and track
& field. He spent most of his years in baseball playing for the Newark
Eagles of the Negro League. He was already 30 by the time he made it to the
majors, and some thought he should have been ahead of Jackie Robinson. They
said he could hit, field, steal bases, hit for power and had a howitzer for an
arm to cut down runs from the outfield. When Willie Mays got to the Giants he
was 20 and looked to Irvin as a mentor. He played in two World Series 51 where
they lost to the Yankees. His stats were .312 avg 24 home runs and a league- leading
121 RBI during the regular season, and .458 and stole home in the World Series
loos to the Yankees. In 54 he was part of the team that swept the Indians. He
had a career average of .299 with 99 home runs in 7 seasons with the Giants and
1 with the Cubs. He also was the African American executive in baseball taking
the job in 68. There is much more but he is in the baseball hall of fame. With his
best years taken away from him he held no hurt feelings.