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The Spectacle Blog
Former big league first baseman Bill “Moose” Skowron died today of congestive heart failure following a long battle with lung cancer. He was 81.
Skowron spent 14 seasons in the bigs, nine of them with the New York Yankees. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. Between 1955 and 1963, Skowron played in every World Series except for one (1959). He earned four World Series rings with the Bronx Bombers (1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962) and one with Dodgers in 1963 when they swept the Yankees in four. Skowron was also named to six American League All-Star teams. He was selected in five consecutive years for the Yankees from 1957 to 1961 and once with the Chisox in 1965. Skowron finished his career with 1,566 hits, a respectable .281 lifetime batting average, 211 homeruns and 888 RBI.
In recent years, Skowron worked for the White Sox in community relations. Here is Skowron letting his hair down in an interview at a golf tournament organized by former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle a few years back.
Jack in Wi.| 4.27.12 @ 6:42PM
Mooose Moooose Mooose Mooose. Lets give old Moose one last Moose call.
Bob Grant| 4.27.12 @ 6:44PM
I've never heard of the gentleman but it seems he had a fruitful baseball career, and hopefully, and more importantly, a decent gentleman off the field.
RIP!
Crassus| 4.27.12 @ 7:30PM
One of my best friends played a round of golf with Moose and Enos Slaughter several years back. He said Moose spent most of the time talking about Marilyn Monroe and what might have been between him and her.
albert constantine jr.| 4.27.12 @ 11:02PM
Enos "Country" Slaughter was someone I would have enjoyed talking with, but the 1946 World Series would have dominated the conversation from my standpoint. I would have only spoken of Marilyn Monroe if I was sure Joe Di Maggio (or anyone who might tell him) was not in earshot, at least before this century began.
Jack in Wi.| 4.28.12 @ 12:50AM
I used to be a groundskeeper for the Milwaukee Braves. Old Enos finished his career there in 1959, I think. I saw a lot of the great ones up close. I have some darn good stories to to tell if I ever get around to it. You know I was thinking of Moose Moran with the Cubs not Moose Skowran with the Yanks. But they did moose calls for him too.
k. bourg| 4.27.12 @ 9:40PM
Ron Kittle was no slugger you foolish Bostonian.
Aaron Goldstein| 4.27.12 @ 10:10PM
And I suppose Kittle won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1983 for his blazing speed?
JP| 4.28.12 @ 11:05AM
Ron Kittle brings up memories. He grew up in the same neck of the woods as Michael Jackson, Rudy Chappa (a great high school distance runner), Hank Stram, not to mention LeTroy Hawkins, Karl Malden,Glenn Robinson, Bob Kuechenburg, and Joseph Stiglitz. Gary Indiana may be a rathole now, but it was once a nice place to live.
BTW, Kittle began his career in the Dodger organization. It seems that almost every other great MLB player in the 1970s/80s began his career with the Dodgers.
Pete| 4.28.12 @ 11:10AM
Kittle also was a great softball slugger before being picked up by the Sox.
Cpm| 4.28.12 @ 5:20PM
7 rooftop home runs, the most by anybody in the 80 years at Comiskey Park. Slugger.
Pete| 4.28.12 @ 11:11AM
As much as I hated the Yankees, I had to respect that 1961 team with Mantle, Maris and Skowron forming a murderers row.
Soljerblue| 4.28.12 @ 10:46PM
ditto!
AVCurmudgeon| 4.28.12 @ 7:13PM
The "old guard" passeth. Moose, like Enos Slaughter, was a gamer all the way. Those guys did not make a lot of money in the game -- it was before free agency -- but they made the game a lot of money. I'd lost track of him in later years, but knowing he's gone I will miss him.