The first four men inducted into the Boston Braves Hall of Fame after its formation by fans of the long-defunct National League club were Warren Spahn, John Sain, Tommy Holmes, and Sebastian “Sibby” Sisti. In order, that’s one Hall of Famer, two All-Stars, and one .244 hitter who lasted for 14-plus years in the majors by playing wherever and whenever he was asked. Nobody questioned the selection.
Sisti didn’t belong in the class of Spahn, Sain, and Holmes as a ballplayer, yet for the many Braves fans who both watched him perform and attended reunions of the team during the last two decades he was the Boston Braves. The sad-eyed, gravel-voiced athlete-turned-truck driver symbolized the team’s working-class demeanor better than perhaps any other individual, and delighted in returning to town and greeting old diehards who remembered the days of Earl Torgeson, Sam Jethroe, and fried clams at Braves Field. And, lest it be forgotten, he was also one of baseball’s top utilitymen during his career and a key contributor to the 1948 National League champions when he took the place of injured second baseman Eddie Stanky during August and September. - SABR
Little known fact is that Sibby was the manager of the Pirates in the movie "The Natural" and, in the pennant-deciding game, was responsible in the 9th inning for bringing in young John Rhoades, a Nebraska farm boy, blazing left-handed speed. The Pirate organization expected great things for him. They said he's got the best fastball in the major leagues right now... Sibby played the percentages but we know how that ended...
The facegen the game had was labeled incorrectly (-sib when it should have been - seb as the suffix) and wasn't showing up for me. Once I found it, I thought it was a bit orange and wide. Besides, redoing it allowed me to post about Sibby
