Wednesday, January 14, 2015

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #19: "PENGUIN" RON CEY

Longtime Los Angeles Dodger third baseman Ron Cey get's today's "Nicknames of the '70s" entry for HIS nom-de-plume "Penguin".
Check it out:


I used the 1976 format since he was at the height of his game then, starting the All-Star game in '74, '75 and '77.
Part of the Dodger infield that played and stayed together for so many years (Cey, Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell), Cey put together an excellent 17-year career between 1971 and 1987.
In 1977 he teamed up with Garvey, Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker to become the first teammate foursome to slam 30+ homers in the same season, and he'd enjoy four trips to the World Series (1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981), with a Championship in 1981, helping the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees after losses in '77 and '78.
In 1983 he found himself as a member of the Chicago Cubs, and helped lead them to their first postseason berth in almost 40 years a year later, posting solid numbers as a seasoned veteran: 25-homers and 97-R.B.I.'s.
By the time he retired after the 1987 season as a member of the Oakland A's, he clubbed 316 home runs, collected 1139 runs batted in and scored 977 runs on 1868 hits over 2073 games.
A six-time all-star, Cey also collected M.V.P. votes in five seasons: 1974-1977, and 1984.
I tell you, as a kid watching him play he seemed so much shorter than 5'10"! But for some reason I always liked the guy as a player even though I didn't know much about him.