My memories of John Vukovich, former Phillies player and coach, are few yet fond. He was a prominent figure (3rd base coach) on the '93 team that will forever hold place in my heart next to boobs and bacon. And one time at baseball camp when I was just a wee lad, I met him and he signed my glove. I'm pretty sure I have since lost that glove, but I digress.
Vuke, seen above right with resident blowhard Angelo Cataldi, was the quintessential Phillie: lovable, hard-working, and terribly untalented. I looked up his career numbers, and man, they sure are bad, at least offensively. Known for his work with the glove, Vuke spent most of his career as Mike Schmidt's back up. He has a career average of .161, yet he had an 11 year tenure as a major leaguer. As my dad put it, "His batting average shows you just how good of a fielder he was". Indeed.
A brain tumor, with which he had been battling for years, finally claimed the ever-resilient Vukovich at the not-so-ripe old age of 59. The tumor might have won, but I'll bet it knows it was in a fight. I'm not sure why I'm going to miss Vuke, but I will. Maybe it's because he meant so much to people who meant so much to me as a kid. Or maybe it's just because I miss any deceased former Phillie, no matter how large or small his role with the team. (RIP Jimmy Bloodworth, you are not forgotten.)
But I guess that's part of being a sports fan. You grow attached to people you don't even know, even if they did scribble on a piece of leather for which you paid a lot of money. Rest in peace Vuke. You deserve it.
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