One of baseball history’s losses in May was the death of John Gray at age 87. Despite his short career, Gray is in a select group: men who played for two different Philadelphia franchises (Athletics and Phillies).
The nickname “Mitty” had nothing to do with the defense of pitcher John Gray.
This 1950s hurler explained the history of “Mitty” in a generous reply, writing:
“‘Mitty’ came from the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the show, a sound poc-de-poc-de-poc would come on and Danny Kaye would go into a trance, daydream about himself doing wonderful things. Well, in college, I had a 1940 Ford coupe and I would sit waiting for a frat brother to get into the car. The car would go poc-de-poc-de-poc.
The movie came out in the late 1940s. You would have to see it to make sense to you.
No one in the last 50 to 60 years knows my Mitty story.”
Although it seems that amazon.com doesn’t have the movie on DVD currently “in print, you can find copies of the great story by James Thurber, Secret Lives of Walter Mitty and of James Thurber (Wonderfully Illustrated Short Pieces) (No. 1)
Gray was a “Mitty.” Both were dreamers. Both never gave up. I’m betting both would say their stories had happy endings.
The nickname “Mitty” had nothing to do with the defense of pitcher John Gray.
This 1950s hurler explained the history of “Mitty” in a generous reply, writing:
“‘Mitty’ came from the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the show, a sound poc-de-poc-de-poc would come on and Danny Kaye would go into a trance, daydream about himself doing wonderful things. Well, in college, I had a 1940 Ford coupe and I would sit waiting for a frat brother to get into the car. The car would go poc-de-poc-de-poc.
The movie came out in the late 1940s. You would have to see it to make sense to you.
No one in the last 50 to 60 years knows my Mitty story.”
Although it seems that amazon.com doesn’t have the movie on DVD currently “in print, you can find copies of the great story by James Thurber, Secret Lives of Walter Mitty and of James Thurber (Wonderfully Illustrated Short Pieces) (No. 1)
Gray was a “Mitty.” Both were dreamers. Both never gave up. I’m betting both would say their stories had happy endings.
Pitcher John Gray learned that you’re only as good as your co-stars. Pitch for a contender. Look like a contender.
His last win in the majors came with the 1957 Indians. He twirled a three-hit shutout against the Orioles that July 30.
Without whining about four years of inconsistent suport from teammates, Gray pointed out in a kind letter that a pitcher doesn’t win — or lose — on his own. Gray wrote:
“I got a few runs for a change and I kept the ball down. I had a strong defensive infield.”
Tomorrow: Gray reveals his long-lost nickname and its history, a story lost in baseball lore for the last half-century!
