💫⚾Rick Hummel: A Star Streaks Across the Baseball Sky One Last Time
TL;DR:
Rick Hummel, celebrated St. Louis baseball scribe, has shuffled off this mortal coil at the ripe age of 77. Known for his insightful commentary on the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball, Hummel was renowned for his personality and passion. His sudden departure followed a brief but intense illness. Hummel’s decades-spanning career won him the trust and respect of players and colleagues alike. Remembered for his goofy hats and indecipherable handwritten notes, Hummel also had an uncanny knack for finding the best in people. 😢💔
⚾📜 The Full Turnt Up Story 📜⚾
Friends, let’s take a moment to remember the legend himself, Rick Hummel. Known affectionately as “The Commish,” he ran the show, not just in the St. Louis press box, but in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. With the charisma of Babe Ruth and the charm of Ferris Bueller, he turned every game into a major event.
For five decades, Hummel covered all the bases, literally. A Quincy, Illinois native and journalism major, he started his career at the Colorado Springs Free Press/Sun and quickly rose to fame after being hired by the Post-Dispatch. His first major league assignment was covering Tom Seaver’s no-hitter. Can you imagine that? Your first big gig and you cover a no-hitter. 🤯 How’s that for setting the bar high?
But Rick didn’t just cover the game. He lived it. He breathed it. As one of the most prolific writers in the Post-Dispatch’s history, he had a front-row seat to the ups, downs, and curveballs of baseball. He witnessed the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase, and ‘Whiteyball’ in the mid-80s when Whitey Herzog’s Cardinals played a different game than any other club in baseball. ⚾💨🙌
His work earned him a place in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and the hearts of baseball lovers everywhere. Even after retiring, Hummel kept himself in the game, writing several baseball stories during spring training and early this season for The Associated Press.
In a world of autocorrect and Google Docs, Hummel was a firm believer in the magic of handwritten notes. He once wrote, “I was dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming,” highlighting his old-school journalistic soul. 📝💔
So, let’s pause for a moment and imagine the echoes of typewriters, the clatter of pneumatic tubes, and editors yelling, ‘Copy!’ in the bustling newsroom where Hummel began his journey. A journey that took him from rookie reporter to the pantheon of baseball’s most respected voices.
Behind the headlines, Hummel was also an author, co-writing books with greats like Tom Seaver and Tony La Russa. 📚🖋️ But of all the roles he played, the most important one was that of a family man. He leaves behind a loving wife, three children from previous marriages, a step-daughter, and five grandchildren.
So here’s to you, Rick Hummel. You were a legend, a friend, a mentor, and an unforgettable part of baseball history. As the sports world reels from this loss, we have to wonder, what can we learn from the life of this baseball bard? What lessons did he leave us with through his decades-long love affair with baseball? And will anyone ever be able to fill his mismatch
