Buddy Blattner
| Buddy Blattner | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Robert Garnett Blattner | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |
 United States | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Buddy Blattner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Second baseman | |||
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Born: February 8, 1920 St. Louis, Missouri | |||
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Died: September 4, 2009 (aged 89) Chesterfield, Missouri | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 18, 1942, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 2, 1949, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Hits | 176 | ||
| Batting average | .247 | ||
| Games played | 272 | ||
| Teams | |||
Robert Garnett Blattner (February 8, 1920 – September 4, 2009), commonly known as "Buddy" or "Bud" Blattner, was an American table tennis and baseball player and radio and television sportscaster.
Playing career
A graduate of Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Blattner played table tennis in his youth, winning the world men's doubles championship in 1936.[1] He started his baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, making his big-league debut in the 1942 season. Following a stint in the U.S. Navy, Blattner played for the New York Giants (1946–48) and Philadelphia Phillies (1949), playing primarily at second base.
Broadcasting career
Blattner turned to broadcasting after his retirement as a player, teaming with Dizzy Dean on St. Louis Browns radio as well as nationally on the Liberty and Mutual networks, and on the televised baseball Game of the Week on ABC (1953–54) and CBS (1955–59).
Blattner was replaced on CBS by Pee Wee Reese following a dispute with Dean. He continued to broadcast baseball for the Cardinals (1960–61), Los Angeles/California Angels (1962–68), and Kansas City Royals (1969–75) as well as on NBC in 1969. He also called games for the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association in the '50s.
Charity work
In 1962, Blattner founded the "Buddy Fund", a charitable organization that supplies athletic equipment to disabled and underprivileged children in the St. Louis area.[2]
Awards and honors
Blattner was inducted into the U.S. Table Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1979, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[3]
Death
Blattner died at his home in Chesterfield, Missouri from lung cancer, aged 89.[4]
References
- ↑ "ITTF_Database". Ittf.com. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
- ↑ "The Buddy Fund – Official website". Buddyfund.org. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
- ↑ Boggan, Tim (1999). "ROBERT "BUD" BLATTNER, USATT Hall of Fame Inductee (1979)". USA Table Tennis. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ↑ Buddy Blattner dies; ex-major leaguer was voice of the NBA's Hawks Archived 2009-09-11 at WebCite, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (September 4, 2009)
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Missouri State High School State Tennis Championship History
- Noland, Claire. "Buddy Blattner dies at 89; former major leaguer and longtime sportscaster", Los Angeles Times, Saturday, September 5, 2009.
- Buddy Blattner at Find a Grave