Going Nuts

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:39 am

'Carlos Zambrano is seeking professional help'. That was a minor headline in my morning newspaper. It reminded me of a player who also had some problems above the shoulders.

Jimmy Piersall had a career that spanned from 1950 to 1967. Teammates thought of him as 'crazy', 'a nut job', and 'looney'.

Up for a cup of coffee in '50, it was 1952 when he started his career in earnest. From Waterbury, Connecticut, he gave himself the nickname, "The Waterbury Wizard".

Piersall made his mark early. In May of 1952, he got into a fight with Billy Martin. Later during the same month, it was a fight with a teammate in the clubhouse. He polished off the month by spanking a teammate's four year old in the clubhouse. He was sent down to AAA.

At AAA, Piersall was ejected from games four times during a three week span. The last time he was ejected, he sprayed water from a squirt gun on home plate. After being tossed, he moved to patron seating and heckled the umpire from there. He was suspended for three days.

Piersall was asked to seek help for himself at a state hospital in Massachusetts. After seven weeks at the facility, Piersall was diagnosed with "nervous exhaustion". He received shock treatment.

In 1953, it was thought by teammates, that the stay at the state hospital helped Jimmy. The outbreaks were fewer and teammates accepted his 'looney' behavior. He would play in at least 130 games from '53 to 1958.

In 1957, the movie 'Fear Strikes Out' was released. Based on his book, the movie chronicled Piersall's life to that point. In the film, Piersall's mental distress is blamed on his father. His perspective was that his father had pressured him, too much, to become a Major Leaguer. Although based on his own writings, Piersall would later disown the movie for distorting facts.

In '58, teammates complained about Piersall becoming 'out of sorts'. During the off season, Piersall was traded to Cleveland.

While with Cleveland, Piersall was thrown out of the first game of a double header and ended the second game of the double header by throwing the ball at the scoreboard.

When hit by a pitch, he would inevitably rush the mound.

He would lead fans in the bleachers in cheers after he had had a good at bat.

His contract included bonuses for good behavior.

He would talk to Babe Ruth's statue in Yankee Stadium. Teammates would ask him what the Babe had to say back.

He would violently throw down his helmet after striking out.

He wore a little league helmet vs. the Tigers.

The Indians ordered more psychiatric treatment.

Upon returning from the 'treatment', Piersall was ejected from a game for running back and forth in the outfield during a Ted Williams at bat, trying to distract the slugger.

When heckled by fans, he would heckle back.

At Yankee Stadium, two fans ran on the field determined to cause Piersall harm. Piersall punched one and missed kicking the other before the fans were lead away.

Playing-wise, Piersall was an excellent outfielder. His offense was average or above for both Boston and Cleveland. He was not a power hitter, never hitting 20 home runs. He mostly hit in the 280's and did have an outlier year for Cleveland, hitting .322. He won two gold gloves and had one of the best arms in baseball.

Piersall was traded from Cleveland to the Washington Sanators in 1961. He would play for other teams, too, leading up to his 1967 retirement. During these years, he would also 'act up'. He once went to the plate wearing a Beatles wig while playing air guitar with his bat.

In 1963, while playing for the Mets, Duke Snider received acclaim for hitting his 400th home run. He told Snider that he would get more attention with his 100th home run. He was at 99, and had been at 99 for two months. He hit a 'pop fly' over the 258 foot mark at the Polo Grounds.

Celebrating his 100th home run, he went from first, to second, to third, to home.

Jogging backwards.

Dallas Green, the pitcher, was furious.

Casey Stengel, Piersall's Manager was furious.

Ford Frick, the commisioner of baseball, in attendance, was furious.

He was traded.

Stengel said there was only room for one clown on the Mets.

Piersall said, "I'm crazy. And I got the papers to prove it!"

After retiring in 1967 he took a front office job with the California Angels (Insert joke here on what it takes to be front office material).

He later had a job as the White Sox color man but was fired for harsh comments directed at White Sox Management. Later, he wrote a book, 'The Truth Hurts' detailing his job with the White Sox.

Piersall was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Piersall likes to say, "Probably the best thing to happen to me was going nuts". He points out that it has made him a lot of money and that he'll be remembered more than most average players.

He still has a sports talk radio show in the Chicago area.

[ June 29, 2010, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

whipsaw · Post by **whipsaw** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:09 am

He had not been sitting on 99 homers for two years. He hit his 100th on June 23, 1963. His 99th was hit that same year on April 27 against Kansas City.

He was not traded to the Angels. He was released.

For the purposes of giving full context to the story, the day he punched a fan and attempted to kick another was two days after he buried his father. I think we'd all be a little temperamental at that time.

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:31 am

Originally posted by whipsaw:

I think we'd all be a little temperamental at that time. Kind of like you after your rash of injuries this year. Just awful I feel for you. Give me your email address and I will send you an ecard.

whipsaw · Post by **whipsaw** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:33 am

Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

quote:Originally posted by whipsaw:

I think we'd all be a little temperamental at that time. Kind of like you after your rash of injuries this year. Just awful I feel for you. Give me your email address and I will send you an ecard. [/QUOTE]LOL! Do you even know where I got that little rant from? Too funny.

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:33 am

Originally posted by whipsaw:

quote:Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

quote:Originally posted by whipsaw:

I think we'd all be a little temperamental at that time. Kind of like you after your rash of injuries this year. Just awful I feel for you. Give me your email address and I will send you an ecard. [/QUOTE]LOL! Do you even know where I got that little rant from? Too funny. [/QUOTE]If you were poking fun at Gekko my opinion of you changes overnight for the better. Leave Dan alone. His posts are freaking awesome and so is he. He does not need someone coming behind him fact checking.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:44 am

Originally posted by whipsaw:

He had not been sitting on 99 homers for two years. He hit his 100th on June 23, 1963. His 99th was hit that same year on April 27 against Kansas City.

He was not traded to the Angels. He was released.

For the purposes of giving full context to the story, the day he punched a fan and attempted to kick another was two days after he buried his father. I think we'd all be a little temperamental at that time. Are these fact corrections even important to the point of the story? I don't think Dough represents himself as Britannica.com.

Never mind if your are related to Piersall.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:27 am

Sorry, I did mean to say two months. Fixed.

Scott Boras · Post by **Scott Boras** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:31 am

I am too young to know much about Piersall. He retired before I was born and oddly I don't remember hearing any stories or watching any shows about him. This was a great read as usual. That said, is it just me, or does he not seem THAT crazy? Immature, disrespectful, poor timing, obnoxious, weird uncle type...sure, but can you imagine what it would take today to send a good ballplayer for psychiatric help? Was this guy any more surly than Milton Bradley or Albert Belle? Did his teammates dislike him more than Barry Bonds'? Even before his time, did anyone ever have the nerve to send Ty Cobb to a mental hospital? Was Piersall's behavior more alarming or discomforting than Cobb's? (I'm really asking as I don't know but suspect not). Maybe all of the above are poor examples as they might be clear cut cases of insanity.

Sorry for getting overly analytical but it really bothers me that anyone who thinks outside of the box or does things differently HAS to have something wrong with them. Maybe Piersall absolutely did but many today do not and yet are still diagnosed with one of countless disorders or conditions, none of which are termed "unique personality." Maybe Piersall was a nut job. Maybe he was just a guy who matured slower than his peers. Maybe couth wasn't included in his upbringing. Unless a guy's foaming at the mouth, hurting himself or others (and not in a Jeff Kent vs.Barry Bonds way), or is struggling to function from day to day, I say leave him alone. Sports exist because they are entertainment. If a guy can bring a little flare without crossing too many lines, let him. There are more unwritten rules in baseball than any other sport by far, but having a little harmless fun shouldn't be one of them.

Dan, in your opinion was this guy more nuts than some of today's nuts? Would he be treated differently if he had played 50 years later?

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:12 am

Sounds (looks) unconventional- but not "crazy." He was a hot dog.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:23 am

From all accounts, Cobb didn't have a crazy bone in his body. He invested money wisely, (he was one of the first investors in Coca Cola), he took care of himself physically, and off the field was not hard to get along with, as on. Of course he was a racist, a bigot, a womanizer, and just plain mean, but not crazy.

Back in the 50's, 'outside the box' meant driving a car fast, doing something with your appearance or doing something crazy when intoxicated.

Piersall was Oprah one day and Barry Bonds at his worst the next. THAT, is the difference. With Bonds, if not liking his surliness, his locker could be avoided.

Some think that some brilliant minds were sent to state hospitals for shock therapy. They're probably right.

Piersall is right about "going nuts". He has prospered and is more well known to us, that saw that generation of player, than the average player.

For trivia purposes, he's probably the only 'average player' to have a movie chronicling his life during the middle of his career. And the only player to have a full length movie made during his career, period.

Piersall was a strikingly handsome guy. His looks, baseball celeb, and movie popularity helped change philosophies and diagnosis of mental illess.

If looking to see Piersall, there is a youtube 'What's My Line' segment. I was amazed during the clip to learn he had five kids. His wife must have had some kind of patience.

It's tough to answer your question, Scott. In the end, he had a bipolar disorder, which now can be managed through prescriptions.

I have a neighbor with bipolar and when she does not take her meds, well, let's just say that I can see how they thought Piersall was crazy.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:29 am

Jimmy on What's my line

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:57 am

That's not Jimmy, Dub.

That is one of the panelist, I think that guy was a politician from Florida.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:35 am

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

That's not Jimmy, Dub.

That is one of the panelist, I think that guy was a politician from Florida. Duh- that is so funny. It would surely be the panelists with their eyes covered! :rolleyes:

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:36 am

but I did get the one with him running backwards to home correct.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:39 am

Dough:

You drafted fantasy in 1961? That is crazy man.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 6:14 am

Originally posted by Dub:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

That's not Jimmy, Dub.

That is one of the panelist, I think that guy was a politician from Florida. Duh- that is so funny. It would surely be the panelists with their eyes covered! :rolleyes:

[/QUOTE]I know that you knew that .

But there are a lot of folks here who are probably wondering what a What's My Line is

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 6:18 am

I like the picture of Piersall back peddling to home. The catcher and next hitter look like they've been waiting forever.

Makes me wonder how long Piersall took.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:11 am

Originally posted by Dub:

Sounds (looks) unconventional- but not "crazy." He was a hot dog. I hear the batter saying matter of fact to the catcher: "Jimmy's at it again."

He must have been HBP a lot. Unless he was also Crazy scary?