ESPN Classic - Boudreau will always be remembered

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Lou Boudreau, a Cleveland baseball legend, dies at 84

Friday, August 10, 2001
Boudreau will always be remembered
By Dave Campbell
ESPN.com

I never got to see him play, but people who did say Lou Boudreau was something else. Easily one of the best players of his generation, he'll always be known as the last player-manager to win a world championship, which he did when he was just 30 years old. As if that wasn't enough, he also won the AL MVP award that year, hitting .355 and driving in 106 runs.

I was lucky enough to get to know him when he was broadcasting for the Cubs,and I can tell you he was a nicest people I ever met. Not an ounce of pretense about him.

My father played against Boudreau in college and told me that aside from being a baseball superstar at the University of Illinois, he was also one of the best basketball players in the Big Ten. He was a terrific two sport athlete who went on to have a tremendous Hall of Fame career.

Old timers who saw him play might compare him to Cal Ripken, Jr. He didn't have great speed -- which is surprising for a guy who played two sports -- but he made up for it by being a student of the game and positioning himself defensively so he always got to balls.

He was a highly intelligent player, and an extraordinarily kind man. He will be missed.

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