NFT: Horace Clarke Dies

for sure. He was starting at 2nd base my first game at the stadium in 1970.

10 years old. Horace Clarke signed a program for me from the stands. Fond childhood memory.

from Thursday night's game thread:

wow Horace Clarke
xman : 8/6/2020 8:37 pm : link : reply
passed away

RE: wow Horace Clarke
Del Shofner : 8/6/2020 8:45 pm : link : reply
In comment 14945246 xman said:
Quote:
passed away

ah - RIP Horace. Age 81. The "Horace Clarke years" is a phrase with meaning to Yanks fans of a certain age. He was not bad, he was not great - but he was a fixture during an era of mediocrity. Likable guy though, and a decent 2B.

RE: RE: wow Horace Clarke
rnargi : 8/6/2020 9:29 pm : link : reply
In comment 14945251 Del Shofner said:
Quote:
In comment 14945246 xman said:

Quote:

passed away

ah - RIP Horace. Age 81. The "Horace Clarke years" is a phrase with meaning to Yanks fans of a certain age. He was not bad, he was not great - but he was a fixture during an era of mediocrity. Likable guy though, and a decent 2B.


My Dad called him Horrible Clark. Your summation fits to a tee. Neither good nor bad, and fit in with the rest of the team. My dad was spoiled by their success in the 50s and early 60s.

Rest in peace, Horace.

RE: RE: RE: wow Horace Clarke
section125 : 8/6/2020 9:51 pm : link : reply


I was a kid when Horace played. I actually liked him very much.

Horace Clarke. That was a given for 4-5 years under Ralph Houk. Rarely did he miss a game and rarely did anyone else bat lead-off. Those were my first years as a Yankees fan.

Unfortunately for Horace, he came to symbolize a down era of Yankees baseball and I've heard many fans mock him over the years. He wasn't that bad and in fact the teams weren't really all that bad either at least by non-Yankee standards. Mostly hovered around .500 and won 93 games in 1970.

With some beautiful words
Link - ( New Window )

In comment 14946326 KDubbs said:

Quote:

With some beautiful words Link - ( New Window )

He is beyond parody at this point. What a clown.

He was a switch-hitter with decent speed.

As mentioned above, he was the Yanks's leadoff hitter for a number of years. He led the AL in ABs in both 1969 and 1970.

He's in decent company among Yankee career base stealers -

10. Mickey Mantle 153
11. Alex Rodriguez 152
12. Horace Clarke 151
Roberto Kelly 151
14. Phil Rizzuto 149
15. Tony Lazzeri 147
Bernie Williams 147

Never an all-star, but a respectable major league career. He just happened to epitomize the Yanks' fall from grace starting in 1965 and the eleven or so years until they returned to the promised land in '76.

But ironically the best thing about Clarke might have been that he set the stage for appreciating what a wonderful 2nd baseman Willie Randolph was.

was a very solid and respectable player. RIP. God bless. Prayers to his family and friends.

I had to read Francesa's response to this like 10 times to make sure I wasn't missing something.

What a dick.

Any sports fan would kill to play 10 years at the professional level, even if you’re at the end of the bench. It’s an incredible accomplishment. Mike is a nobody to someone like Horace Clarke.

Francesa just can't resist..

Horace was a decent player. Very limited range and did not turn the DP well.

Bobby Richardson spoiled us.

Horace broke up 2 no-hitters in the 9th in 1970 if I'm not mistaken.

I was glad when the team acquired Sandy Alomar in 1974 to replace him. That illustrates Horace's defensive limitations.

He was a grinder and you have to give him respect for his speed, contact, attitude and durability.

Also a native of USVI. Not many players came from there.

RIP Hoss.

Those Yankees' infields in the early 70s (until the year Chambliss and Nettles showed up) were pretty bad.

then the Stick, Danny Cater or whatever guy they put out there at first base.

being the symbol of the lost 60's and 70's years. There were way worse players on those teams. His greatest accomplishment was breaking up 3 no hitters in the 9th inning in 1970.