This is usually the purview of my 1965 Topps blog, but today I present 10 Fun Facts about Ken Dixon:-According to the card back, "his wide variety of hobbies include writing, playing basketball and drums". That is a wide variety! I wonder what he wrote. Maybe it was a script for a stage revival
of "Maude".
-Ken was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 1987 for Mike Morgan, one of twenty-two transactions in Morgan's long career.
-He won his first career game on April 25, 1985, a complete-game, three-hit effort against the Indians.
-As a rookie, ranked in the top ten in the American League in fewest hits per nine innings (8.0, 7th) and most strikeouts per nine innings (6.0, 10th).
-He shares a birthday October 17) with former Baltimore Elite Giants and Dodgers infielder Jim "Junior" Gilliam and 19th-Century great Buck Ewing.
-Won a career-high 11 games (against 13 losses) in 1986, and improved to seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (7.56).
-Held Don Baylor to two singles in 19 career at-bats with six strikeouts.
-Struck out thirteen White Sox batters on July 11, 1986.
-Ken's the only player in major league history born in Monroe, VA.
-There is a Camden Chat member named KenDixonFanClub. Is he a member of the fan club? Is he the president? Is he the entire fan club? Inquiring minds want to know.
Everytime I see Ken Dixon, I think of the movie 'brewster's millions' where the second batter for the Yankees in the big exhibition game is named Dixon - he also has the two best lines of the movie not spoken by Richard Prior or John Candy.
ReplyDeleteMax - Sadly, I've never seen that movie. I'll have to put it on the list.
ReplyDeleteSurprised you didn't mention that Dixon died 3 years ago in a hot balloon accident.
ReplyDeleteThis photo of Ken is a perfect example of the kind of strain pitchers place on their body. Every muscle in his body is being stretched to the absolute limit. 100+ pitches a night, 30 times a year no wonder they can barely walk straight once they are done.
ReplyDeleteMr P - You can't say it more plainly than that. Guys like Nolan Ryan, who stayed healthy for a quarter century, are freaks.
ReplyDeleteOk, ok. Dixon is alive and well. I was kidding.
ReplyDeleteYou've never seen brewster's millions? did you not have cable in the late 80's? It is a middling script of an age old story, brought to a much higher level then it deserves by John Candy and Richard Prior and a very game supporting cast. Plus, it's a baseball movie - sheesh, get on this one kevin.
ReplyDeleteI loved Brewster's Millions! It is one of the few movies that I saw in the theater twice. Granted, my best friend's sister worked at the theater, so we didn't pay either time, but we still went twice!
ReplyDeleteMax - My movie experience has lots of dead spots. I hadn't even seen Field of Dreams or Bull Durham until the last year, which sent my former roommate into a state of apoplexy.
ReplyDelete