Why do I post about the fairly obscure John Stearns?
Because I once played in an over-30 hardball league and the opposing pitcher kept balking. He was not bad. Had a good arm, but he couldn’t stop tapping his mitt before pitching.
Turns out, he was used to throwing batting practice, so it was an old habit.
His team sucked, and we were beating them bad. Then word got out that it was John Stearns. He was a friend of the manager. After he was done pitching he went behind the plate.
It’s a dick move while winning big, but I just had to try and swipe 2nd off of an MLB 4-time all-star.
They say you actually steal off the pitcher, and that was probably true in my case, but, I can say I stole a base off of a pretty damn good catcher, even if he was 40-something.
Stearns was just at old-timer’s day at Citi Field three weeks ago.
He was battling cancer.
Great story.
R.I.P. John Stearns.
He played baseball and football at the University of Colorado where he earned the nickname “BAD DUDE”….and he was… RIP John “Bad Dude” Stearns…
Stearns led the league in Stolen Bases …. Allowed! back in ’77
(100 SB’s allowed)
RIP Mr. Stearns
(& yeah, kinda dick move there … but I probably woulda tried it myself 😋)
Not a doctor, but I’d guess prostate cancer moved to bones. Has to suck, but he was moving under his own power within three weeks of the end.
Super story. Another prostate cancer victim. There are times I regret having the surgery and what it did to my sex life but after watching him, a shell of man, walk into the Mets dugout after this year’s Old Timer’s Day, I’m glad I made the right decision. Of course, I have no idea where he landed on the life curve after he was diagnosed, but, I am glad I had the option. Guys, if you haven’t had your PSA tested, you’re playing with fire.
BFH, a suggestion. When you write stuff sign it. BFH. I’ll speak for myself when I say sometimes I don’t know if it was copied and pasted or something you wrote. I’d much rather read your stuff.
That’s a great story. Fuck Cancer.
That was not a dick move. A dick move would have been if you tried to steal on him at the old timers game.
Cool story Fur. You never know who you come in contact with or interact with sometimes. RIP John Stearns.
I have one of those unexpected experiences to share also. Back when I was first married (1979) I went back to college – with student loans that I paid back, FUJB. One year I was in between jobs and took a part time summer job umpiring little league baseball.
It was a league in a wealthy area of St. Louis, and there was this one team that at the beginning of the season was so bad that I fondly referred to them as the bad news bears. The coach was a dad who clearly had never plated baseball before, but he was stepping up because his son was on the team.
Over the course of the season both the team and the dad improved drastically and ended up doing quite well. Well, I somehow befriended the coach – and the team – and at the end of the season the coach invited me to his team\’s end of season party.
My degree in college was finance and I wanted to get into banking. The coach told me that he worked at the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis and invited me to come talk to him. I took him up on his offer and set up an appointment. When I told the receptionist who I was and who I had an appointment to meet with, I was struck by how royally I was treated. And when she brought me to his office, I had never seen an office that big.
It turns out that he was the President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank – his name is Tom Meltzer. He took me on a tour of the whole operation. I didn\’t end up working there, but he was the most unassuming, genuinely nicest person for someone of that position, that I had ever met. You just never know who you\’re going to meet and befriend.
^^^^”…The coach was a dad who clearly had never “plated” baseball before…”
I don’t know where the word “plated” came from, it was supposed to be “coached”.
Old athletes are the best. In the day in age of superior nutrition and training they left behind technique. About twenty years ago, maybe more, I had the opportunity to attend a boxing camp with that days top sparring partners. A white guy that only threw big hooks and a black guy that was a dead ringer for Woody Strode. The white guy was a professional target. Woody was a fighter. Woody’s wisdom, which no one remembers today. How do you snap a lightening fast jab? Visualize retracting it twice as fast as you threw it. Try it just once, and then thank Woody. I wish I could remember the guys name.
I also wrestled for Pat Lovell for four years. The guy competed in the Olies in 64 I believe. Coached in 68. The guy had so many little critical things to teach. One dangerous man. I guess my point is don’t ignore those crippled old men shaking their heads as they watch any particular sporting event.
Prostate cancer is one of the hardest cancers to overcome.
RIP John 🙏🕊️❤️
Thoughts and Prayers to all who are battling this crippling disease.
If caught early enough, radiated seed implants kill all cancer cells w/o affecting any sexual performance or loss of function. Had it performed in 2008 at age 55, although recovery was slightly longer than 6 months, only noticable side effect is slightly smaller amount of semen produced. Just had annual and free and clear at age 69. It does not have to be the killer it once was, start being checked early, don’t be an idiot and ignore early signs.