http://donatelifeohio.org/
Baseball nearly killed Don Zimmer in 1953 but it was his heart filled with love for the game of baseball that caused his death today at the age of 83. Zimmer living and still involved with the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior advisor died two years after an operation on his heart.
Zimmer was born and raised on the west side of Cincinnati. He attended Western Hills High School and played on the Bentley Post American Legion National Championship team in 1947.
The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Zimmer out of Cincinnati's Western Hills High School in 1049 where he had been teammates with Jim Fry, who later became a manager as Zimmer did.
Zimmer was hit by a pitch from Jim Kirk while playing for the Dodgers' Triple A team in St. Paul, Minnesota. Zimmer's brain swelled and he was not conscious for two weeks. Two holes were drilled into his skull to relieve swelling. It was thought that his career was over at the age of 22 but he made the Dodgers' major league roster in 1954 and played 12 season, including part of the 1962 season with his hometown, Cincinnati Reds.
The incident lead to the introduction of batting helmets to the major leagues. Zimmer also suffered a broken jaw from being hit by a pitch in Cincinnati in 1956 while playing for the Dodgers.
Zimmer managed the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, winning the National League East with the Cubs in 1989.
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