Drop him a line: Gomer Hodge, former Indians cult hero, is seriously ill with Amyotrophic lateral Schlerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease. His wife, Linda, said Hodge would love to hear from fans who remember him. You can send cards to Gomer Hodge, Autumn Care of Saluda, P.O. Box 488, Saluda, N.C., 28773.
Hodge, who played for the Indians in 1971, became part of team history when he had four straight hits, three as a pinch-hitter, and proudly said, "Gollee gee, guys, I'm hitting 4.000."
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I had forgotten that famous line, I'm glad Paul Hoynes wrote about Gomer.
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Gomer Hodge was my hero growing up. Maybe I have my dates wrong but I seem to recall as a young tyke that the year before Gomer did his pinch hitting magic the Indians pinch hitting was absolutely atrocious. Seeing Gomer Hodge actually get a hit everytime he came in to pinch hit restored my faith in hope and winning the unwinnable game.
Gomer Pyle was one of my favorite shows at the same time that Gomer Hodge was on the team and I knew it was destiny that Mr. Hodge would start out so well as a pinch hitter for the tribe.
As Paul Hoynes reminded us, Gomer Hodge said he was the only player to ever hit 4,000, and I believe!
