Boy Howdy
08-30-2007, 12:16 AM
Here's an excerpt from a writeup I did on the first Most Valuable Oriole.
The complete piece can be read at
http://urbanshocker.wordpress.com/
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel said of Diering in July, “That fella sure can go get ‘em”. In case Stengel forgot, Diering ran down 400-foot drives by Yogi Berra and Irv Noren when the Bronx Bombers visited Baltimore in September, helping to preserve Joe Coleman’s one-hit, 1-0 win for the Orioles. So it was dazzling, crowd pleasing defense that made Diering “most valuable” in 1954.
The Orioles had an astute new manager in Paul Richards the following year, and Richards remarked that Diering was “undoubtedly one of the best fielding centerfielders in baseball”.
To prove the point, Diering ran into the hedges bordering deepest centerfield on May 27, 1955 to rob Mickey Mantle of an extra-base hit. The Orioles 1974 yearbook said “old Orioles fans are still talking about it”.
The complete piece can be read at
http://urbanshocker.wordpress.com/
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel said of Diering in July, “That fella sure can go get ‘em”. In case Stengel forgot, Diering ran down 400-foot drives by Yogi Berra and Irv Noren when the Bronx Bombers visited Baltimore in September, helping to preserve Joe Coleman’s one-hit, 1-0 win for the Orioles. So it was dazzling, crowd pleasing defense that made Diering “most valuable” in 1954.
The Orioles had an astute new manager in Paul Richards the following year, and Richards remarked that Diering was “undoubtedly one of the best fielding centerfielders in baseball”.
To prove the point, Diering ran into the hedges bordering deepest centerfield on May 27, 1955 to rob Mickey Mantle of an extra-base hit. The Orioles 1974 yearbook said “old Orioles fans are still talking about it”.