Kevin would like one too:
It's a good thing that the hypnotic death glare of reliever Bob Humphreys is not fixed directly into the camera; otherwise, there is no telling how many impressionable children in the 1960s would have been mesmerized into becoming the Artful Dodgers to Bob's Fagin. (NOTE: To my knowledge, Bob Humphreys was not the ringleader of a band of child pickpockets.)
A college boy, Humphreys was signed by the Tigers out of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Utilizing a "side-saddle" delivery, which I would love to find a picture of, he put together a decent minor league record in five seasons. He could not replicate those results in his first two callups to the majors, with Detroit (1962) and St. Louis (1963). But the Cardinals recalled him in July of 1964, and he was a reliable bullpen arm down the stretch as the Redbirds chased down the Phillies. He struck out 36 batters in 42 and two-thirds innings, posting a 2.53 ERA. Bob added a scoreless inning of relief in the Cardinals' World Series triumph over the Yankees.
As a kid I was fascinated by Humphrey's unique windup, but I can't find a photo or a video anywhere on the web. Anybody got one? The last time I begged like this (Does Anybody Out There Have An Image Of The Old Rusty Jones Rustproofing Guy From The 1980s?) it met with success after a couple of months.
I remember his windup. Very unique for his time, and very interesting. I think early-century pitchers used a similar windup. Unfortunately, I do not have a video or picture.
Posted by: Jay Quinn | 10/15/2011 at 06:16 PM
Instead of his hands swinging on either side of his body, he kept his glove hand and his pitching hand together during the windup. I've never seen anything like it, which is why I'm looking for a photo or a video.
Posted by: Tom McMahon | 01/10/2010 at 08:38 PM
Did he step towards 1B during his windup? What, please, is a side saddle wind up?
Posted by: gcotharn | 01/07/2010 at 09:29 PM