By Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--June 1, 2024
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King Solomon wrote of seasons in life. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, he contemplated that, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The greatest parameters are birth and death (v 2). But then there are other seasons: times to plant and pluck up, times to weep and laugh, times to mourn and dance, times to love and hate, times to keep and cast away (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). If we live long enough, often those times present themselves as bookends in our life, almost complementary times. I believe this is true in the life of a famous baseball player named Don Newcombe.
Don Newcombe was the first African-American to win twenty games in the major leagues, and was the only player to win MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards until Justin Verlander accomplished the feat in 2011. Don Newcombe won twenty games three times on the way to 149 major league victories, but the feeling among knowledgeable baseball people is that Newcombe never reached his full potential. Newcombe struggled in the World Series, all against the Yankees, and then battled alcoholism as his skills declined.
Newcombe rose through the Dodgers’ minor league chain and made his major league debut in May of 1949. He was a sensation, going 17-8 in 31 starts with 19 complete........