The Yankee manager of my youth has passed away. Ralph Houk died at 90 years old this past Wednesday at his home in Florida.
I had this exact baseball card when I was growing up. Ralph was the manager all of those years in exile with Horace Clarke and Jerry Kenny and Celerino Sanchez. I remember how all the fans would boo the crap out of him. But I also remember him managing the first game I ever went to in 1961 and how he was a solid guy. He was in fact a lot like Joe Torre. And like Joe Torre after a while he lost his grip. He had a good run with Tigers and proved what a whore he could be by managing the Red Sox. But I still have fond memories of him from when I was a kid.
He was a genuinely tough guy. A hero of World War 2 he fought bravely in the Battle of the Bulge. You have to honor his service. He won the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. When he was a young manager he would threaten to kick the shit out of his players and they knew he could do it. It was only later when young shits like Jim Bouton came along did he start to lose his grip. He couldn't do it the old school way and he could adapt to the new way of doing things. But he had a great run.
God bless you Ralph and Rest in Peace.
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