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Don Sutton

ultimatedawgultimatedawg Posts: 428 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

has passed away according to his son.

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Comments

  • TxDawg412TxDawg412 Posts: 203 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Prayers 🙏 and my condolences to the Sutton family. Thank you Don Sutton for some great memories.

  • TNDawg71TNDawg71 Posts: 2,218 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Met him in a service merchandise in the 90s. I only remember him later in his career as a pitcher. Solid dude. Good broadcaster.

  • BarkingDawgBarkingDawg Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Great article by Alan Carpenter on TomahawkTake. He started announcing for the Braves in 1989 and the then young pitching started winning soon there. I thought Glavine’s windup, stuff and demeanor were similar to Sutton and wondered how much the two talked about pitching and how much Sutton influenced him and the others.

  • AnotherDawgAnotherDawg Posts: 6,761 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    He was a great announcer, and everyone who knew him spoke well of him, but first and foremost, he was a HOF pitcher. Many folks who never saw him play don't fully appreciate that. I confess, I am very biased, but to me, there is no greater accomplishment in sports than that.

  • oddsbodkinoddsbodkin Posts: 176 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Very sad. I grew up listening to the radio to Don Sutton and the guys. Skip, Pete, Joe, Ernie, and Don were the voice of summer for me as a boy.

  • donmedeirosdonmedeiros Posts: 3,379 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Me too, but I wasn't a boy at that point.

  • dawgdude65dawgdude65 Posts: 162 ✭✭✭ Junior

    RIP Don. From a Braves fan, you will truly be missed.

  • SWDawg68SWDawg68 Posts: 1,699 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    He was instrumental in working with Leo on all of the "Young Guns" form the 90's, Glavine was one of his "Projects"

    His biggest accomplishment was with Smoltz, who early in his career had more mental hurdles than physical. Mazzone said DS was able to break down the barriers and initial negative view on "Head Shrinks" with Smoltz and was instrumental in getting him in front of the sports psychologist that changed his career. Smoltz might not agree with that statement, his ego arrives in the room, 15 minutes before his body does, but I am 100% sure Leo feels that way about DS.

    That man did so much for baseball, the Hall, the dodgers, and most importantly to me, the epic run the braves made with "14 in a row"!

    He will always be my favorite braves announcer!

  • BarkingDawgBarkingDawg Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Thanksfor that input. I really thought Glavine was a mirror image of Sutton considering the fact neither looked or were overpowering. They both could set up batters as good as anyone and leave them frustrated shaking their heads. I really felt like he mentored those guys and good to hear that he did.

    Another big complement for Sutton as an announcer was that he made me forget he was a Dodger. Hated him as a Dodger pitcher, but loved him as a Braves announcer.

  • UGA66UGA66 Posts: 4,131 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    RIP from an avid Dodger fan.....you were the man Don. It was not all about the arm...it was the technique! Great memories.

  • emanresuemanresu Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Terrible, Terrible loss. Hammering Hank and Don Sutton basically within a week of each other. May they both RIP.

  • SWDawg68SWDawg68 Posts: 1,699 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @BarkingDawg - Thought about our recent conversation this AM. Leo Mazzone was on MLB network's Hot Stove. He talked about Hank Arron and how he got his start to his pitching coach career and long tenure with the Braves because of Hammerin Hank. He told Ted Turner that Leo could be the best pitching coach ever, but don't let him manage the team, he rocks too much when he gets nervous! Hilarious!!!

    Also, he told some stories about Don Sutton and his work with all the pitchers, but especially Millwood, Avery, Glavine, and Smoltz. Sutton would go down into the bullpen before games and help the guys relax and go over every hitter. Only did it a few times for each player every season, but Leo said it made a huge difference. Millwood told Leo that having a 300 game-winner and recently appointed Hall of Fame pitcher "Tell you that you look awesome and the best he has ever seen, makes a huge difference". Leo then said that Millwood went on to win 19 games that season and 37 for the next 2 seasons. Having a guy like that, who is willing to do those types of things, makes a huge impression on the younger guys, I can tell you it made a difference for those guys and especially me! I bet it does!

  • BarkingDawgBarkingDawg Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited January 2021

    His influence and imprint were visible, but not obvious, including his mental approach to pitching. I thought I might have been seeing what I wanted to see. Great to hear these real stories.

    Speaking of real stories, I almost started a thread about Hank being the Greatest of all time, particularly after reading Gabriel Burns article in AJC. Burns is one of the best young sportswriters I have come across the last few years. This article was mostly stats, but wow! If Hank had been in a major market there would be no debate.

    #1 HR at retirement/. 2* Now

    #1 RBIs still standing

    #2 Hits behind Cobb at retirement/3 Now

    #2 Runs at retirement/ #4 Now

    More Walks than Strikeouts for Career

    21 straight Allstar games

    And much more.

  • donmedeirosdonmedeiros Posts: 3,379 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Nice stats. I think he may have done all or most of that with the mound being steeper - not as flat as today.

  • SWDawg68SWDawg68 Posts: 1,699 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Great point! Also, the NL pitching staffs were far superior to AL at that time. Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax were all multi-year Cy Young winners...These are the guys that he built those incredible stats against. I am a Braves fan and have been for a long time and they never contended for anything, always at or near the bottom. But he still put those types of numbers up and for decades.

    I try not to get into the best of the best for all time, it is just too difficult to match one against another, but Hank was an ambassador to the league. Even when the strike happened, he was out front trying to get both sides to end it.

    His funeral is today at Truist Park, I am watching it with my teenage kids on the MLB network, there is an upside to virtual learning!

  • AFDAWGAFDAWG Posts: 14 ✭✭ Sophomore

    About 15 years (or so) ago, my family was up on Dallas catching a couple of the Braves' games with the Rangers. Walking through the hotel lobby, we spotted Don Sutton and Skip Caray sitting reading newspapers. Not wanting to pass up the chance for my son - then 10 - to meet a Hall of Famer, I approached and introduced us. Don and Skip couldn't have been nicer. Both put away their newspapers and spent a few minutes talking with my son.

  • emanresuemanresu Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Anyone on here know how to watch baseball games from the 70's and 80's. Baseball was at its height in popularity with me. This era of the AVERAGE pitcher being applauded for going 5 1/3 innings is not for me AT ALL. What has happened to our "Former" favorite national passtime or however the phrasing goes. What happened to the Afros and Gold Chains and Lynny Dykstra smoking cigarettes in the dugout DURING the game. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Absolutely loved Baseball back then. Remember the Cardinals/Mets rivalry from the mid 80s?

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