Monday, February 14, 2011

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly feature highlighting friends who have met celebs.

When we last saw Todd Newville, he was pictured with Oscar Gamble, an excellent former major leaguer, made even more famous by his memorable afro.  Newville is the man behind Baseball Todd's Dugout, an excellent site with a tagline of "Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace devoted to baseball greats."  Newville's site delivers as promised.
Today, I am featuring Newville with Ron Blomberg, the first designated hitter in baseball history and a former teammate of Gamble.  In 1973, Blomberg drew a walk in his first appearance as a designated hitter for the New York Yankees.  That at bat propelled Blomberg into baseball history.
Unfortunately, Blomberg's career was slowed by injuries.  He eventually signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent, but he did very little in Chicago.
Recently, Blomberg released his autobiography entitled Designated Hebrew.  It's a good look at an interesting life.  I learned quite a bit more about Blomberg and gained a new perspective on him.  It is certainly worth a read, as is Baseball Todd's Dugout!
Todd Newville and Ron Blomberg in Duluth, GA-June 2003.

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