Bet You Didn’t Know Larry Bird Had A College Baseball Career, And He Batted .500

NCAA Championship Game: Michigan State Spartans v North Carolina Tar Heels
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The Indianapolis Star has dug up a wonderful little anecdote about Larry Bird that adds another layer to his folk hero onion — his baseball career.

There’s a special allure when it comes to the two-sport athlete, and it’s not exactly surprising that a player with the legendary skills, coordination and competitiveness of Bird would be good at more than one sport. But sadly, he wasn’t exactly a two-sport star, and his baseball career amounted to one publicity stunt for a doubleheader at Bird’s college, Indiana State University.

The whole piece is a fun read, but here’s the good stuff:

  • Bird essentially suited up on a dare by ISU’s head baseball coach.
  • He only came to bat twice, striking out on three pitches in his first at-bat.
  • In his second at-bat, Bird lined a single up the middle that drove in what would prove to be the winning runs.
  • Playing first base, Bird collided with the catcher on a pop-up and remained motionless on the ground while every single basketball fan at the park held their breath. (He was fine.)

Larry’s memory of that play from the article is priceless:

“All the time I’d been playing basketball, I’ve never been knocked out,” Bird once said. “One baseball game and I get it. I was really hurt. So, end of career — one for two, .500 average, two RBI. I figured I couldn’t do much better than that.”

Enjoy the dip in obscure sports history in full here.

(Via Indianapolis Star)

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