Cuicchi: Rusty Staub sprouted from New Orleans roots to MLB career

From SABR member Richard Cuicchi at Crescent City Sports on March 29, 2018:

Former major-league ballplayer and New Orleans native Daniel Joseph “Rusty” Staub died on Thursday at age 73, just a few days shy of his birthday.

Born on April 1, 1944, Staub was no April Fool’s Day joke when it came to hitting baseballs. The red-headed Staub came from a family steeped in baseball, and the sport became ingrained in him at a very young age.  From the New Orleans sandlots, he went on to become one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball, coming close to the majors’ magical 3,000-hit club with over 2,700 career hits.

Staub essentially inherited his love of baseball from his father, Ray, who took a shot at professional baseball after college.  But after two years in the low minors he had to quit when he suffered an injury to his hand that doctors said would never fully heal.  Raising a family on a teaching salary in the 1940s and 1950s meant he children weren’t afforded too many luxuries.  However, Ray worked extra jobs to make ends meet, and he always made time for his sons Rusty and Chuck, whom he introduced to baseball at very young ages.

Read the full article here: https://crescentcitysports.com/rusty-staub-sprouted-from-new-orleans-roots-to-enjoy-successful-mlb-career/



Originally published: March 30, 2018. Last Updated: March 30, 2018.