Rocky Bridges

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Rocky Bridges

Infielder

Born: August 7, 1927 (1927-08-07) (age 80)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 17, 1951 for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Final game
October 1, 1961 for the Los Angeles Angels
Career statistics
AVG	.247
Hits	562
RBI	187
Teams
Brooklyn Dodgers (1951-1952) Cincinnati Reds (1953-1957) Washington Senators (1957-1958) Detroit Tigers (1959-1960) Cleveland Indians (1960) St. Louis Cardinals (1960) Los Angeles Angels (1961)
Career highlights and awards
AL All-Star in 1958

Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges (born August 7, 1927, in Refugio, Texas) is a former utility infielder with an 11-year career in American Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, and the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels of the American League. He appeared at second base, shortstop, third base and, occasionally, in the outfield.

Bridges had a career batting average of .247 and never hit more than 5 home runs or stole more than 6 bases in a season. Nevertheless, he was elected to the American League All-Star team in 1958.

Following his active playing career, he served two terms (1962-63; 1968-71) as the third-base coach of the Angels and one year (1985) in that role with the San Francisco Giants. He also had a long career as a minor league manager in the Angels, Giants, San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations. Over 21 seasons stretched between 1964 and 1989, Bridges' teams won 1,300 games and lost 1,358 (.489).

His minor league managerial career is profiled in Jim Bouton's collection of baseball articles and essays entitled I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad.

[edit] Quotes

"I'm a handsome, debonaire, easy-going six-footer. Anyway, that's what I told them at the Braille Institute."

"It was a good thing I was in Cincinnati for four years—it took me that long to learn how to spell it."

"(Sitting on the bench as a major leaguer) was like being a little boy forever. I got a big charge out of seeing Ted Williams hit. Once in a while they let me try to field some of them, which sort of dimmed my enthusiasm."

(On being asked by Chuck Dressen if he was willing to play third base to prolong his career) "Hell, yes. I'll mow your lawn if you like—I want to stay up here."

(On his career, and relative lack of success in the majors) "I've been a paid spectator at some pretty interesting events, and I've always had a good seat. I guess they figured there was no point in carrying a good thing too far."

The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book, Brendan C. Boyd & Fred C. Harris, Little Brown & Co, 1973, began a lengthy writeup next to a picture of a baseball card of the square-jawed, crew-cut, tobacco-chewing Bridges on p.103: "Rocky Bridges looked like a ballplayer. In fact, he may have looked more like a ballplayer than any other ballplayer who ever lived."