George Strickland, 84; Was MLB IFer (Pirates and Indians)
Bill Schenley
Former Standout SS Helped Cleveland Get
to 1954 World Series
Photo:
http://www.baseballinwartime.com/images/img10.jpg
1960 Leaf (#30) baseball card:
http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/virtual/60leaf/60leaf-030.jpg
FROM: The New Orleans Times Picayune ~
By Nakia Hogan, Staff writer
George "Bo" Strickland, a big league shortstop
for 10 seasons and a coach, manager and scout
for 11 more, died Sunday. He was 84.
Strickland, a New Orleans native who was
a standout baseball player at S.J. Peters High
School in the early 1940s and played two
seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans of the
Southern Association, was one of the city's
more celebrated players.
He also was one of the more provocative
speakers among a group of retired local athletes
who met once a week for lunch and some
good-old-days conversation.
Strickland often was the life of the party.
"Everybody wanted to sit near George at those
things," said local baseball historian Peter
Barrouquere, a former Times-Picayune reporter.
"He told the most amazing stories. When (Hall
of Fame pitcher) Bob Lemon passed away, he
kept us going for 3 1/2 hours with Bob Lemon
stories. He had us in stitches."
Mel Parnell, a former All-Star pitcher with the
Boston Red Sox and a high school teammate
of Strickland, agreed.
"It was great getting together like that because we
had a mixture of athletes," Parnell said. "We have
baseball, football, basketball, a boxing referee
and a race horse trainer. And we all talked about
our profession. We would bring up stories about
our playing days, which were interesting."
Strickland had much to talk about.
After graduating from high school, Strickland
served in the Navy in 1944 and '45. He then spent
five years in the minor leagues, including two
seasons with the Pelicans, before making his major
league debut in 1950.
Strickland played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
(1950-52) and Cleveland Indians (1952-57, 1959-60).
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1960 Topps (#63) baseball card:
http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/virtual/60topps/60topps-063.jpg
MLB stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stricge01.shtml
Thanks to Jack Morris from SABR for this obit.