“Final Whistle for the Legend: The Unforgettable ‘Commish’, Rick Hummel, Swings Out at 77 ⚾️✍️🌟”
TL;DR; This is the story of the iconic Rick Hummel, fondly known as the ‘Commish,’ who hung his baseball reporting hat for the last time at 77. His life-long love affair with baseball found expression through his pen, earning him trust, respect, and admiration across the Major League. From goofy hats to mismatched pants, Hummel’s flair was as distinctive as his journalistic prowess. So buckle up as we journey through the unforgettable legacy of this stellar baseball writer. 💫⚾️📝
Now, let’s get down to business. Rick Hummel, the guy who painted the baseball scene for St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball for five fat decades, has sadly crossed the home plate one last time. Picture this: a baseball sage passing away in his sleep, the most peaceful exit you can imagine, right at his St. Louis-area home. But man, that aggressive illness snuck up too fast! 😔💔
Rick Hummel, if you didn’t know, was more than just a writer. He was the face behind the words, the cap in the press box, the legend that even St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright tweeted about. Can we talk about that nickname for a sec? ‘The Commish’. Yeah, it started with an American Professional Baseball Association board game football league, and ended up being a tag that even baseball Commissioners like Rob Manfred and Bud Selig used. That’s quite a home run, wouldn’t you say? 🧢🏆
Okay, let’s dig deeper. Did you know Hummel covered Tom Seaver’s no-hitter on June 16, 1978, while subbing for Neal Russo? Or that he witnessed the legendary Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase of 1998? He was there, in the midst of ‘Whiteyball’ in the mid-1980s. Baseball stories were his lifeblood, spilling over five long decades of a phenomenal career. It’s fair to say he lived a life straight out of a baseball fan’s dreams! 📚⚾️💭
He might’ve had more bylined articles in the Post-Dispatch than anyone else. But can we just pause for a minute to appreciate that he was still humble enough to make fun of his own handwriting? Always looking for the best in people, always writing the truth. That’s ‘The Commish’ for ya! 🕵️♂️🖊️🎉
When he retired, he was like the granddad who had finally decided to join the family for a game of Fortnite. “I was dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming,” he wrote last year. Makes you wonder, how do you replace someone who witnessed baseball history unfold and shared it with the world through his unmistakable style? 🤷♂️💭💔
Hummel’s accolades? Well, he got the Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing in 2006, which was later renamed the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Career Excellence Award. He even had the Cardinals’ media area named after him. Talk about a true baseball rockstar! 🌟🏅⚾️
Now that we’re rounding the bases on Hummel’s life, let’s remember him as more than just a writer. He was a husband, a father, a step-father, and a grandfather
