[12], The White Sox signed Blomberg as a free agent for $300,000 in 1978. Baseball Player I dont want to have to look at the lineup every day to see if Im in it. He might have eight or nine years in the major leagues. In 1973, when Blomberg was mostly healthy, he batted .329 and made baseball history when he became the first ever DH. Jokes aside, that Israel Baseball League was great, even if it lasted one season. In April 2006, Blomberg's biography, Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story[18] was released by Sports Publishing. All rights reserved. One of Munson's closest friends and teammates was Ron Blomberg,. Ron Blomberg, Major League Baseballs first designated hitter and the "great Jewish hope" of the New York Yankees during the 1970's, is an icon of boyhood dreams achieved. Many[who?] He added a .360 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging average. 13 Dave Anderson, The House that Blomberg Remodeled, New York Times, June 2, 1973: 23. Its a different type of book, all of the personal stories off the field. Ronnie didnt eat that much, said his father. Luis Tiant, Dick Allen and Dave Parker come to mind first. Genres Baseball Sports. By Ron Blomberg & Dan Epstein / Foreword by Diana Munson. Luckily for baseball, Blomberg chose to wear the Pinstripes like his boyhood idol Mickey Mantle. Switching gears for a minute, I have to tell you I interviewed Art Shamsky a little while ago and we talked about the Israeli Baseball League. Blomberg has been running a summer baseball camp for kids at the New Jersey Y Camps since 2006. I lived my dream. I got to play in Yankee Stadium in front of the greatest fans in the world. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, The Captain & Me sharestalesof clubhouse hijinks during the infamous Bronx Zoo era,adventures on the road, and even rubbing shoulders with mobsters. You now can have me personalize your copy with an inscription and autograph. I played against Fisk and Bench was great. Im glad they switched me to center field. Mr. Ron Blomberg, age 72, of Oxford formerly of Conyers passed away Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at Emory University Hospital. Ron Blomberg, better known by her family name Ronald Mark Blomberg, is a popular American Athlete. In the season opener against Boston, Blomberg brought the fans at Comiskey Park to their feet when he connected for a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score at 5-5. You get up to bat, you take your four swings, you drive in runs, you come back to the bench, and you keep loose in the runway, Houk told him. Blombergs new book, The Captain and Me, details his friendship with Munson and helps to shed light on what the Yankees legend was like off the field. But I am gradually catching on.8. Washington Nationals. Now, hes hoping to help his best friend Munson make his own history. In 64 games, Blomberg batted .322, with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. The Yankee fan favorite joins us for this weeks edition of Spitballin. After the harness was removed, surgery was not deemed necessary, and he spent four hours a day rehabilitating his shoulder. You better give 120% or he was gonna get rid of you. he is one of famous Athlete with the age 72 years old group. The story of Ron's life and career is one that can inspire anyone to believe that their goals, no matter how difficult they may appear. People tell me thats unheard of. 2 Larry Ruttman, American Jews & Americas Game, (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013), 244-245. Bolstered by a 38-21 record in August, September and October, the Yankees surged in the AL East standings. Nowadays, they scope it and youre ready to play in eight weeks. Oh, on the way home from school he might stop in for two or three submarine sandwiches or a half dozen hamburgers, that is all. . But if you can hit, you can hit anybody.14. 22 from. In addition, he does some high school and college scouting for the Yankees from his suburban Atlanta home. I grew up hearing anti-Semitic talk a lot, said Blomberg. 20 David Israel, Ron Blomberg Has a Blast, Chicago Tribune, April 8, 1978: 2-1. The designated hitter may have been created partially in response to the Year of the Pitcher in 1968 when hurlers dominated baseball. 1992 The Wiz/American Express New York Yankees of the '60's - [Base] #_ROBL. Then I just started babbling, I guess. I guess this is a broad topic, but Ill keep it general so you can do what you want with it. Upon being asked to do the interview, I was sent a copy of the book and immediately read it, and began preparing. Yankee Stadium was shut down for two years as the ballpark underwent extensive renovations. 3 Bid - 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series Pride Of New York Ron Blomberg Auto $ 3.25. Ron Blombergs book, The Captain and Me: On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson, is available now on Amazon. I heard it. "Competing in sports has taught me that if I'm not willing to give 120%, somebody else will.". I was very, very lucky. Cant beat it. I had an opportunity to fulfill my dream. It inspired his nickname and the title of his biography, "Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story." The former Yankee is also. Blombergs career statistics included a .293 batting average with 52 home runs and 224 RBIs. Fans love that team and the stories. 9 Jim Ogle, Blombergs Wife Made Him Leave Slumps on Doorstep, The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey), July 15, 1971: 48. As back-to-back No. Help us build our profile of Ron Blomberg! Although the concept had been discussed since the middle of the 1900's, when the great Connie Mack himself first proposed the idea, the designated hitter took a long time . Let me tell you, the book has some really incredible stories; its unreal and I am not just saying that because I wrote it. What was your first impression of George Steinbrenner? It wouldnt be fair to the other guys. Unfortunately, I came up and was going good but I got injured a lot. He was in the major leagues to stay, but the Yankee franchise was in a downturn. Ron Blomberg, Major League Baseball's first designated hitter and the "great Jewish hope" of the NY Yankees during the 1970's, is an icon of boyhood dreams achieved. General Werner von Blomberg, the Third Reich's Minister of War, fusses over a German shepherd dog as he poses for the Swedish sculptor, Adh Hedblom. Helen Blomberg's familty tree; Badgeguy's Family (3680 KB) All of the family and everybody that's married in. Murcer and Bonds were both outfielders who could hit the long ball and steal some bases, although Bonds was more proficient in each category. Thurman was like George. He wasnt this tough guy away from the field like he was in the locker room. You managed Bet Shemesh Blue Sox, what was that experience like? Virdon also employed a platoon system, using Bill Sudakis, Roy White, and Blomberg in the role of the DH. Ron is related to Mari Linnea Bloomberg and Rondi Marie Kauffmann as well as 3 additional people. I was very, very lucky to play with the greatest organization in the world. Ron Blomberg is a member of the following lists: American Jews, People from New York City and People from Atlanta, Georgia.. I lit everyones candles for every bar mitzvah in the city. Every club in baseball had him high on their draft list, but since we got first choice, we got him.5, Signing with the Yankees was a dream come true for Blomberg. He was the victim of a platoon system once again, facing right-handed pitchers in 140 at bats and only 16 at-bats against lefties. Once he left the park, he was a different guy. But then in 1973, George Steinbrenner bought the team and youre talking about a 365-degree turnaround. Even though he was Jewish, my relationship was not good with pitcher Steve Stone. RON BLOMBERG 2003 UD YANKEES SIGNATURE SERIES AUTOGRAPH CARD !! I got to play in Yankee Stadium in front of the greatest fans in the world. Being Jewish and living in the South, there werent too many of us there. It may have been happenstance that made Ron Blomberg own a piece of history as baseballs first designated hitter. All this happened in 1970, a long time ago, before baseball had battered Ron Blomberg's body, and before the New York Yankees had become the Bronx Zoo. And so, he wore his religion on his sleeve. In 1971, Blomberg began the season at Syracuse. You can tell how much you love being a Yankee. Ron retired from baseball in 1979, having earned both a special place in baseball history and the admiration of baseball fans all over the world. I lived my dream., The Case of the Missing Folder: A Two-Part Hollywood Mystery. Blomberg, a Jewish superstar athlete from Georgia, and the gruff Munson were roommates for five years and were more family than they were friends. In 2021, Triumph Books published The Captain & Me,[19] Blomberg's second book. You dont find many guys who came onto a team as a 22-year-old rookie and get the respect of the older guys, but thats what he did and thats why I think he was the best team captain ever. . He was born November 24, 1941 in Worcester, Massachusetts to Arthur and Margaret Blomberg who have preceded him in death. They have also lived in Tacoma, WA and Puyallup, WA. One was outgoing and talkative (Blomberg) and the other sullen and grumpy (Munson). Houk resigned to take the managing job in Detroit. On April 6, 1973, Ron Blomberg took a swing at home plate that changed baseball history. HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Aside from being the first DH to appear in a game, Ron Blomberg ranked fifth in the AL from 1973-74 with an .876 OPS. I grew up in Atlanta and baseball wasnt the biggest sport there, football was. His contract was the cause of much derision and booing from the Comiskey Park fan base. Von Blomberg first met Gruhn while taking a stroll through the Tiergarten in Berlin in September 1937. Injuries ended Blombergs time in the Bronx. Let me stop you there, he told you I didnt know any of the players names, didnt he? For years, Blomberg has been asked why he thinks Munson has been left out of the Hall of Fame, and the usual refrain is that he didnt cozy up to the media as a player. Hes still green, but he has all the tools, said Bauer. Yankee fans love you and you always get a great reception at Old Timers Day. 1 overall pick in the 1967 MLB draft. This page has been copied from Wikipedia under the provisions of the GNU Free Documentation License. What was your perspective of that as Thurmans best friend? I was drafted first in 1967 and Thurman was drafted first out of Kent State in 68, so he was a little more mature than me. Im fine, dont put me on the disabled list. But he was not fine, and needed surgery to repair four broken bones in his kneecap and torn cartilage. He performed great on the field, but it was all of the intangibles. 2. he is one of famous Athlete with the age 72 years old group. He was replaced by Bill Virdon, a center fielder for the Pirates in the 1960s who had managed the Bucs the previous two seasons. It wasnt like today when recruits go from school to school. He remains the only person to ever receive Parade All-American honors in baseball, football and basketball and naturally he gained a lot of attention from professional and college scouts.